Evolution of a Drawing

Today I thought I'd share a quick post on how my drawings come to me with a quick page I created over the 4th of July weekend. They always start out with a sketch, done in pencil. 

Then I ink in the pencil lines and sometimes erase any that show, and sometimes I don't. Depends on how close my eraser is. I'm loving my new Lamy fountain pen. I usually start adding color by painting in the background.

On this page I am using TomBow Dual tip brush markers, but I switch it up a lot. I feel like I need some refresher classes on color lately. 

I continue until it's done -- though this photo doesn't show it complete. And then I do it again. And again and again.

Thanks for dropping by, have a great week!

Smash Journal -- or Junk Journal

Making a Smash or Junk Journal couldn't be any easier when you have a TON of old papers, some paints, lots of saved ephemera and scraps and a binding system like my Cinch. 

Just trim, trip, staple, paint, scrape, collage and stitch until you have a nice stack of pages (say 25 to 35). Add a decorative front and back cover, punch and bind and you are ready to get creative!

Here are some of the pages from my my favorite smash journal:

This is my favorite -- and the front page of the journal.

One with a little paint and stapled elements.

And a recycled Hallmark bag.

And what you can do with a few paint chips.

This journal was made with old scrapbook papers and my Cinch binding system -- so fun and easy!

That's all for today, thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a great day!

happy happy Birthday Gift Card Holder

My niece is going to be 14 next month. It's hard to believe she's going to be 14, where has the time gone -- but that's another story. Last year she said she wanted "one of my beautiful hand-made cards".

I usually give her art journaling or crafting supplies for giftie occasions -- but she's been away and I'm not sure just what she wants or needs. Since a gal can never have too many journals I picked up a new Dyan Reavely journal for her and a gift card so she can pick out her own new art supplies that she wants to play with. (The Dunkin' Donuts GC is just for placement!)    

The tools I used to create this gift card holder tag were:

•   Sizzix Tag & Bookplate 656938
•   Sizzix Styled Labels 656642
•   Watercolor Paper, 16 x 20
•   VersaMark Ink Pad, Black Embossing Powder, Background Stamp, Heat Tool
•   Cream Card stock, Gold Corrugated Card Stock
•   Sewing Machine
•   2 Wood or Chipboard Butterflies
•   Metal Tag and Metal Pin
•   Black Seam Binding Tape

• Cut a strip of watercolor paper 16" x 4"
• Score and fold at approximately 3 ¼” and 8 3/8”. Your folded paper needs to sit just INSIDE the ridges of the die so you get the folds and not cuts.
• Cut with the Sizzix Tag and Bookplate 

 

• Paint both sides of the tag with your choice of Distress Paint, let dry.
• Cut and paint the small Oval Bookplate with the same paint.
• Stamp just the front of the tag with the background stamp and a VersaMark Pad. Sprinkle with black embossing Powder and emboss with a heat tool.

• Cut the Styled Labels from Gold Corrugated Card stock and ink the edges and top with Black StazOn.
• Attach the small Oval Frame and Styled Labels to the bottom half of the tag with brads. 
• Paint the butterflies with black distress paint and let dry.
• Attach one butterfly to the center of the Styled Labels with foam tape. Create the sentiment from a thin strip of cream card stock and stamps or rub-ons. Attach the sentiment to the pin and stick in the foam tape behind the butterfly.
• Use a sewing machine to stitch the left and right sides of the inside flap where the gift card will be.
• Secure the second butterfly on the inside flap and use a piece of twine to tie the metal tag over the top. 

• Tie a triple bow at the top of the tag and scrunch with your fingers.  
• Use a piece of twine to secure it to your gift. 

Easy peasy – and quick too depending on how detailed you make the decorations! Thanks for joining me today, have a GREAT day!

Mixed Media Volume 2 -- woohoo!

I've been super busy working on some exciting things the last few weeks -- a super cool book using my illustrations but it's not ready yet AND the second free eBook, called Mixed Media Volume 2. 

I was so PLEASED with the overwhelmingly positive response to Volume 1 that I couldn't help but create the next issue. 

This is another FREE ISSUU publication that you are free to download and read at your leisure. There's also a little surprise inside that I hope you'll take advantage of!

THANKS for dropping by today -- I'm off to make another batch of strawberry jam! It tastes so good in the winter when everything is cold and dreary!

Creative Cropping for Instagram!

I know I'm not the only one that uses their iPhone exclusively for photos these days -- right now I've got 3,249 photos on my camera -- plus what is in the Photo Stream. I take A LOT of them. Today I thought I would share a few of my secrets.

First, I have a love affair with Instagram. There. I said it. Yes. I love Instagram like I love peanut butter and Chocolate. Coffee with Non-Fat Milk. Thai Food and my Dog. I don't think a day goes by where I'm not looking at photos or sharing them.


Yesterday when we were on our way home from the 4th of July BBQ that we went to the clouds in front of us were very puffy at the top and little menacing looking at the bottom. First we started seeing things in them. I see a wolfhound with his ears blown back against his head from the wind.

Anyway, in case you aren't familiar with Instagram -- it's a photo app you use with an iPhone. You can take photos right from the App or import them from your photos. I go both ways on this -- but when I want to take a lot of pictures I use the camera only option on my phone.

Here you can see a NOT so great photo of the clouds. Lots of distraction with the road and cars in front of us.

When I bring it into Instagram and crop it and apply a filter I can crop out all of the distracting stuff and focus on what I want to capture -- the clouds! This is the Kelvin filter -- the one I use most of the time.

When we got to Portland I was happy to see the profile of a mans face at the top of the clouds -- and he's got curly hair. But, look at that awful reflection from the window at the top of the photo.

When I brought it into Instagram I adjusted the contrast and then applied the Nashville filter and it turned out like this.

To me, this looks like a painting. Maybe it will be a painting I'll do in the near future. But look at how much cooler and better it looks after I did a few fancy things to it in Instagram. I love that app!

Hope you had a HAPPY and Patriotic 4th -- it's back to work for me today while the boys go camping! Thanks for stopping by -- hope you have a GREAT weekend!

Squashing Pansies

Along time ago I was blog hopping and saw the most beautiful card -- and upon reading discovered that it was created by squashing pansies in a flower press (or something like that) on top of watercolor paper. Sadly -- I don't remember where I saw it or the name of the artist. Her card was beautiful though.

Anyway, since I don't have the patience to wait for a flower press to do the job, I ran this orange pansy through my big shot on top of a quote that I had created and printed on cardstock. The flower turned into a squishy mess, but once I had wiped away all the debris, I thought it looked amazing! I was surprised that the purple detail was in the center. I think I'll be stopping by the Greenhouse to pick up a flat of pansies when I get a minute or two to breath.

Well, even though I've got twenty million things going on, I couldn't leave this beauty sitting on my desk. So I rifled through my scrap bin and came up with this quick card. It really only took me about 15 minutes -- though that's 15 minutes that could have been spent writing instructions, LOL -- or 15 minutes more sleep. Well, sleep is over rated anyway. I'll just stay up 15 minutes later than I planned.

This was a fun creation, and exactly the creative respit I needed to be able to spend the rest of the night on the computer writing instructions!

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are having a fabulous week so far!

Who doesn't love Paisley?

Good Morning and YAAAA to it being Friday!! Today I wanted to share with you one of my stencils -- while I might say that it's my favorite -- tomorrow I might say something else is my favorite. I really LOVE all my products from Art Gone Wild! They are really easy to work with while giving you room to add your own artsy fartsy flair. You gotta love that!

Today I wanted to share the 9x12 Journal Paisley. This stencil is really verstatile -- allowing you to use it on cards, scrapbook pages and also in your art journals!

For this page, you can see I used it as a journal page entry and then added my flair for doodling to it. I simply placed it on a piece of 9x12 Strathmore Mixed Media Paper and sprayed it with Liquitex Low Odor (I think that's what it's called) spray paint. When that was dry I did some doodling in pencil and then added color with watercolor paints, Gelli Pens, Distress Paint and some markers and colored pencils too.

When all the wet media was dry I outlined some of the areas and added details here and there with a black Multi-Liner. The journaling in the center was done with a white Gelli.

I love how this page turned out.

9” x 12” Stencil CSSTL-002 Journal Paisley

The second project I want to share with you is a 5x7 card. To create this card I placed the stencil on a piece of the same mixed media paper and t raced the lines with a pencil. Then I went in and added the color with a lot of different mediums and let it dry. Once it was dry I rounded the corners and stitch the paisley panel to a piece of black cardstock and also to the blank card base. The sentiment was created in Word and printed on cardstock and added to the card with foam tape -- and voila -- a colorful and happy card to send someone that needs a little pick me up!  

Thanks for stopping by today, have a GREAT day!

Make a Custom iPhone Case!!

Hello there, I know I've been pretty quiet here on the blog lately, but things have been busy I've not really been in the mood for blogging. The same questions I ask myself all the time. But, I'm back today -- thanks to the commitment yesterday to the Whatevers to finally blog.

But as a bonus,  due to my silence I thought I'd give you a little tutorial -- a little thanks to you for coming back to see what I've got going on.

Last week I stopped by Joann Fabrics and found this super cool CLEAR silicone iPhone case. It was on clearance for $5.00 -- and I immediately had an idea pop into my head. This would be perfect to make a custom case for my phone using my Art Gone Wild! Stamps. It was easy peasy -- and here's how I did it.

First I cut a piece of watercolor paper the SAME SIZE as the interchangeable designs included with the case and used the Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper to chomp a 1/4" corner on each corner of the watercolor paper.

 I also made sure it fit inside the case, since the paper was a bit thicker than the included design I had to do a little trimming to make it fit.

 When it did fit, I used a pencil to trace the camera hole on the case.

I used a combination of an x-acto blade and fussy cutting scissors to cut the camera hole out.

Then I stamped my black eyed susan stamp and Archival Ink to stamp my favorite flower on the watercolor paper. To add color I used my watercolor paints to paint the design -- but you could use any thing to color the design.

The result is a super beautiful custom iPhone case that i can swap out with any of my favorite stamps or designs from my Just Add Color line!

 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Buddha and the Mind!

The mind is everything. What you think you become.

Buddha

Mixed Media: A FREE Book for you!

I've been super sick the last few weeks -- and also went on a teaching trip to North Carolina a few weeks before that -- AND I have Jury Duty in a few weeks -- but didn't want you to think I forgot about my little old blog. So over the next month or so I'm bringing back some older posts for you to see in case you missed them!

THANKS for understanding -- hope you have a great summer!



I wanted to remind you that the FREE eBook that Mandy Collins and I created is still available on ISSUU!

This is a 44 page book that contains a ton of amazing inspiration and colorful work, step-by-step tutorials for mail art and visual journaling.

We've put so much thought and effort into this book in the last 6 weeks and learned so much along the way! We have bigger and more collaborative goals in mind but this little gem was the perfect way for us to work out some of the bugs that happen when working collaboratively, internationally, with multiple platforms, photo editing software and all the challenges that go along with trying to create amazing content with multiple artists.

Feel free to share, download to your tablets -- but most importantly please be inspired by our hard work.

Thanks for stopping by -- have a great week!

The Whatevers Two: June

It's that time of the month --  June Whatevers Two! We have a fun photo for you to play with this month. Hope you can join in. If you are not familiar with "Whatevers" You can read more about it here. But basically my friends...Vic, Nat, Cuchy, Martha and I have committed to a full year of bringing new life to forgotten photos. Each month we create a page and give it a story using that months photo. We share the photo with you in hopes that you will play along and join in the fun.You will find more info and details at the bottom of this post.

Here are the links to the other girls blogs so you can see their creations this month.

• Vicki Chrisman
• Nat Kalbach
• Carmen Sanchez

______________________________________

It's been nearly a year since Winnie and Cordelia had visited at the beach with the aunts and cousins, and Winnie realized she wanted nothing to do with this part of her family. With all of the time she'd spent at the castle in Germany and traveling with Mother and Father she had a new sense of style and confidence that her chubby, dowdy cousins didn't have. 

They insisted on wearing the old, wool boring swimsuits while she sported the new fashion in color and design. They knew nothing about Bombay, the castle or even that there was more to life than being mean and eating all the desserts first.

A lot had happened in the last year. Along with her new sense of style and fashion, Winnie also had a new confidence and worldliness the other girls didn't have.

She felt oddly out of place with these people she had known all her life and it wasn't because of the hot pink and bright green bathing suit.

 ______________________________________

Here is how it works

• Vicki, Cat, Cuchy (Carmen), Martha and I and I have made a one-year commitment to each other and picked twelve photos with Whatevers whom we will give a story.

• Every month – if possible always on the 15th –  each of us will do a post with an individual story that goes along for us with the same photo.

• If you want you can play along and we will have the photo for you to download and show us your version of The Whatevers. The photo will be posted at the end of our blogposts- not on Facebook!

• There are no rules to the story itself- it can be funny, sad, uplifting, breathtaking- WHATEVER
  There are no rules on the length or the form of the story- it can be a short sentence, an essay, a poem or a soap opera – WHATEVER

• There are no rules on the artform you choose – it can be a scrapbook layout, an altered art project, an artjournal page – WHATEVER

• Here is a rule though: if you take the photo you have to link back to us and show us your story.
   
• These pictures are from our personal stash and are for personal use for you only! If you want to use them for a publication whether a book or magazine in print or digital form please ask for permission

• If you want to participate we’ll have a linky list for each Whatever Post.

You can also join our The Whatevers -Facebook Page

Easy Cooking for the Weekend

I had quite a few people ask me for the recipe for these little babies I made last week so I thought I'd share it with you so you can make it for the weekend. The ingredients are simple and it comes together pretty quickly!

CM Scanlon's Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

• 3 Boneless Chicken Breasts: Processed in a Food Processor to Mince into Chickenburger
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2" of ginger, finely chopped (not grated)
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil 

• 1 cup roasted peanuts chopped small with a knife 
• 3 green onions, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, rough chop
• 1 tablespoon PB 8 Peanut Butter Powder
• 1 cup minded mushroom
• 1/4 cup chopped red pepper
• 1/4 Cup Annie Chung's Korean Sauce
• Salt + Pepper to taste

• Romaine leaves, washed and dried

1. Heat olive oil and saute the onion, garlic and ginger together. Add the chicken and cook thoroughly
2. Add mushrooms and cook thoroughly
3. Add peanuts, onions, cilantro, peanut butter, red pepper and Korean sauce
4. Serve in Romaine Leaves (as pictured above).

There you have it, super easy and delicious meal for the weekend! Thanks for stopping by, ENJOY!!

the Whatevers Two -- May

It's that time of the month --  May Whatevers Two! We have a fun photo for you to play with this month. Hope you can join in. If you are not familiar with "Whatevers" You can read more about it here. But basically my friends...Vic, Nat, Cuchy, Martha and I have committed to a full year of bringing new life to forgotten photos. Each month we create a page and give it a story using that months photo. We share the photo with you in hopes that you will play along and join in the fun.You will find more info and details at the bottom of this post.

Here are the links to the other girls blogs so you can see their creations this month.

• Martha Richardson
• Vicki Chrisman
• Nat Kalbach
• Carmen Sanchez

For Cordelia it was love at first sight! The moment she set eyes on the tall stranger with red hair she knew that he was the man for her but how she'd let him know was another story. She was shopping for a new spring hat loaded with silk flowers. As she entered the shop she dropped her handkerchief and a kind man picked it up for her.

As their eyes met she knew. He was the one.

As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months and she never saw him again Cordelia began to lose hope that she'd see the tall man again.

Meanwhile, Winston was still grieving over his sweet Morning Glory. He remembered her love of hats and silk flowers and walked by the Millinery store every chance he could. He cherished any thing that reminded him of her.

While the chance meeting with Cordelia was long gone, he remembered her kind eyes and beautiful face and sometimes found himself looking for her as he approached the millinery.

Winston still wasn't over the tragic loss of Morning Glory and his children, but it had been several years and it was time to move on and start a new life.

If only he could run into the beautiful lady with the big silk flowers on her hat again. If he did, he promised himself he'd say hello.

Here's how it works:

• Vicki, Cat, Cuchy (Carmen), Martha and I and I have made a one-year commitment to each other and picked twelve photos with Whatevers whom we will give a story.

• Every month – if possible always on the 15th –  each of us will do a post with an individual story that goes along for us with the same photo.

• If you want you can play along and we will have the photo for you to download and show us your version of The Whatevers. The photo will be posted at the end of our blogposts- not on Facebook!

• There are no rules to the story itself- it can be funny, sad, uplifting, breathtaking- WHATEVER
  There are no rules on the length or the form of the story- it can be a short sentence, an essay, a poem or a soap opera – WHATEVER

• There are no rules on the artform you choose – it can be a scrapbook layout, an altered art project, an artjournal page – WHATEVER

• Here is a rule though: if you take the photo you have to link back to us and show us your story.
   
• These pictures are from our personal stash and are for personal use for you only! If you want to use them for a publication whether a book or magazine in print or digital form please ask for permission

• If you want to participate we’ll have a linky list for each Whatever Post.

You can also join our The Whatevers -Facebook Page

An InLinkz Link-up

Cooking is Creative!

I It's no secret that I like to cook for my family. I cook a complete meal, from scratch about 5 times a week. The other days we are busy and eat on the fly (hint: ramen) or eat out. I'm not much of a recipe person when it comes to cooking -- much of the time I refer to a recipe just for process or to see what spices they use and the quantities to get the gist of what I should do.

 Last week I made bibimbop -- a Korean Rice dish. It was so delicious.

 I also made a PF Chang style Peanut Lettuce Wrap. I didn't refer to any recipe on this one, just went from the several times I've enjoyed them at PF Changs. They turned out great. I will also note that Chang's uses iceberg lettuce but I used romaine -- because of the thick vein in the center of the romaine leaves it was much easier to load it up with the chicken mixture like a taco and eat it without having it fall apart.

Most of the time I fly by the seat of my pants when I don't have a recipe and then try and write it down later if it comes out good.

You can be creative in the kitchen too, from food photography to experimenting with spices and textures!

Have a great day, and get in that kitchen and make something!