New life

Didn't you love it as a kid? A bonifide "do over"?

Well, in art, we can also re-think our art, and breathe in some new life to it!

Sometimes, it happens while working on a piece, maybe you sleep on it over night and wake up with a different plan. Sometimes you create something and just know it wasn't your best effort, and it sits there like a big white elephant in the room, staring at you every day, thinking, 

why did she abandon me? Doesn't she love me?

Sighs the artist, yes I love you but I didn't have the time...the direction...I was lost.
until now...

I totally love the redesign, just some simple touches with paper, paint and embossing powder and it has a new life breathed into it. I love the Art Deco Alphabet stencil, very cool lettering. I felt I need to jazz up the word "ART" a little so it could hold it's own next to the sophisticated "MATTERS".

I know you can easily see that I collaged the background with text paper, but did you notice that I also added assorted papers  to the paintbrushes and a few inspiring stamped words too!

The base was really easy to create with some Van Gogh Painting washi tape which I sealed with some Deco-page paste, added some Exotic Orient washi tape to the brush, a little bit of Dresden trim and some Mirror Gold embossing powder and I love it!

And speaking of embossing powder I covered the mug completely with all sorts of different Baked Textured powders designed by Seth Apter of The Altered Page and wow, it has a lot of dimension and depth now.

And some awesome products from DecoArt which helped me to pull it all together.

Now, guess who is also feeling a bit neglected now?

Linking up to Paint Party Friday where no one feels neglected!

Facebook tests and art journaling

Please do excuse the fact that I am re-posting an older post for Paint Party Friday but today I will be going to pick up my crutches.
What's old, fat and goes splat...Sandee tripping over her own feet!
Oh well, anyway back to elevating and icing my knee, I'll be sure to visit all of you since I'll be on the couch computer for the rest of the week-end! I look forward to having ya'll inspire me back to a quick recovery and get back to arting again real soon!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm always looking for new ways to add journaling to my pages and I think I have found a new and fun way! At least it is for me since I like to play around with the Facebook tests. I find them to be basically upbeat and positive on the whole and sometimes they actually fit so I keep those and do an art journal page about them.

Marbled Paper Sampler

Astro Boy

tiny crow

So this is fun and this way I get to keep all those tests that I want to keep and look back over them .

Boutique boots

BOOT MUSIC!!!!

I kinda think you need boot music my friends for this post!

Are you ready boots? start walking!

Whether you are painting tennis shoes or painting a pair of shoes, consider it as a fashion trend! It's all the rage to upcycle these days so why not give an old pair of boots a little winter flair. I mean, yes, I could throw out my boots because the heels were pretty much trashed and spend $$$ on a new pair but why when these just needed some stylish TLC. So off I went to Pinterest to get some ideas and I settled on these 2 for my inspiration.

I used Gwen's Decorative Six Petal Flower stencil to emulate the heel on the left.

To get the lines painted I used some old washi tape to guide me to for the stripe. And then stamped Rubbermoon's Mod Marks Dark - Rubber Art Stamp as an accent on the white stripe.

To jazz them up a bit I applied Mirror Gold embossing powder to create the small line. I laid a thin line of double stick tape along the white stripe and then covered the tape with the EP. I really love how the embossing worked out!

These boots are walking over to

Paint Party Friday
to see what everyone has been doing this past week!

Happy New Word for 2018

hope

1. This time of year I begin thinking of my word for the year and this year I have chosen the word hope. I usually create an art journal page to remember it, just in case I should forget, lol 
2. It's also nice to look back at my previous words I've chosen over the years. 

I love angels

I admit I've never been good with New Year's Resolutions so I began choosing a single word to guide me for the new year instead. A single word that will sum up the essence and focus for the next 365 days of my life. 

Dresden trim, washi tape and stencils...my oh my!

I like to do an art journal page on my WOTY. 

It helps me to keep seeing my word.

How do you display your word? Or do you?

Don't box yourself into only choosing one word if multiple words or a phrase resonates with you. There is no word limit on this, so choose something that resonates with you! Write journal your word down!

I love all the shimmer!

Don't box yourself into only choosing one word if multiple words or a phrase resonate with you. There is no word limit on this portion, so choose something that resonates with you! 

Do you choose a WOTY?

I would love to hear what yours is if you do.

Supplies:

Gwen Lafleur Studios

Khadi Papers Sketchbook

Vintage Vibe - German & English Scrap

German Dresden Trim

Decorative Filigree Ornament stencil

Decorative Folk Flower Screen stencil

StencilGirl

Layers stencil 

Crowns and Scepters stencil

ColourArte

Buttercup

DecoArt

Americana Acrylic - Lamp (Ebony) Black

Dazzling Metallic - Splendid Gold

You still have time!

Linking up to Paint Party Friday

Happy New Year to everyone!

Believe

German Dresden trim

Vintage Vibe - German & English Scrap

Angels & Cherubs Double Sheet

Children with Signs

In December, Gwen's Artist Tribe is focusing on creative ways to use Dresden Trim and English/German Scrap. You can save 15% when you order any Dresden or Scrap during December. Details are on the coupon below.

Here is my box that I painted along with Kae Pea in her Let’s Get Makey Premium club using DecoArt paints, Rubbermoon stamps and Gwen Lafleur's

German Dresden trim

Vintage Vibe - German & English Scrap

I fell in love with the Children with Signs  (Vintage Vibe - German & English Scrap) because I have these small sentiment stamps from Rubbermoon which I immediately envisioned using with the pieces.

Embossed foil paper trims, also known as Victorian Scrap or recently as "Dresdens"
They are made of embossed, die-cut metallic foil paper.

These old-fashion styled Dresden trims are sooooooooo cool to work with. They have a fabulous metal look to them but in reality are easily bendable and mold around corners like butter!

And I am still crushing on this silk from Darn Good Yarn, love the colors, love the little frayed bits and bobs and especially love the feel of silk! I also adore the bronze Hamsa charm to the paint brush handle. According to Aristotle, the hand is the "tool of tools" so I figured it would be a perfect addition to the paint brush. 

I popped her up with some glue dots and added a small old and broken paint brush and then painted doodles along the edges.

It was easy to cut the background paper after stamping to fit the inside of the box and then glue a word bead along with a teeny tiny butterfly from the collage sheet just for fun.

Adding my painted box to the Paint Party Friday link up!

Winter Wreath to chase away the "blahs"

This year I'm gonna' chase away the winter blahs 

 with my beautiful, brightly colored Sari ribbon wreath.

It was very easy to do, I just wrapped the ribbon around a styrofoam wreath base and used straight pins to hold it in place. The peacock feather quill was slipped in between the wrapped Sari trim and the flower stem was simply pushed into the styrofoam base. Voilà, color me done!

This Sari ribbon has so many uses! The possibilities are endless, I bet you can think of some wonderful ways to use it!

 I could see using this trim to use as garland on your Christmas trees!

Or to decorate a table runner for a Holiday dinner party!

It makes my eyes light up every time I see it, although it won't be "officially" hung up for display until after Christmas.
 I do hope it brings a smile to all that pass through my door!

Check HERE to see what your front door says about you.
Even though I can't paint my front door a color I applied their results
to my wreath.

"According to Dionysian theory, a multi-colored door wreath indicates that a person of creative happiness” lives inside." 👍 check!

and then I really had a good laugh because:

"You are: Eclectic, joyful, meticulous. 

You didn’t score well on your math SATs, 

but you were the art teacher’s pet."
😜 nailed it!  😎 

lol

Gwen has many beautiful, eclectic and colorful selections

to help you express yourself!

So go ahead, tell the world who you are...I triple dog dare you!

Be Yourself

"To help yourself, you must be yourself. Be the best that you can be. When you make a mistake, learn from it, pick yourself up and move on."

Dave Pelzer

I named the piece "Be Yourself" in honor of the one little fish going it's own way, against the flow so to speak. Sometimes art has little stories to tell quite on their own accord as if they have their own voice and like the current of the ocean I float along with their story that unfolds before me.

The current is similar to an undertow which drags me along, influencing my emotions with thoughts of how I can bring out it's message? How to further it's cause? I came up with the idea (at least I think it was me and not the fish) to stamp "It is what it is" and "Imagine" around the edges of the frame. I juxtaposed the sayings to show how the statements relate to each other. 

The same and not the same.

I just love these brightly colored handmade Boho fish made by Gwen. They truly brighten up the panels with their own one of a kind art, accented with sari scraps, fibers, trims, rhinestones and stenciled designs.

 Each one is a piece of art on it's own accord.

 Even the dangly bits of the Kuchi trims are a joy as they really helped add movement to the seaweed. I love the assortment of colors and how much texture they created, definitely making their own unique mark in my art.

November Product Spotlight

Sense of self

This post finds me in washi tape heaven!

In Japan, it's known as masking tape (マスキングテープ) and the most renowned brand of washi tape is simply called mt - which stands for "masking tape". The term "washi tape" refers to the fact that the tapes are made from Japanese rice paper and differentiates it from typical masking tape you might find in the hardware store.

Vintage Stamps, Ransom Numbers, Wide Black Calligraphy, Star Woodblock stamp, and Old Letters & DaVinci Writing

Washi tape is actually usually made from natural fibers (like bamboo or hemp) or the bark of trees native to Japan such as mulberry, mitsumata shrub or the gampi tree.

But let's start at the beginning, this is my art journal page that I created.

And this is how it began...

I had some backgrounds pre-made ages ago using the Decorative 6-Petal Flower Screen stencil by Gwen Lafleur. I loved the backgrounds so much that I could have left them as is.

But then the washi tape was whispering my name in my ear...and wow, does Gwen carry the most beautiful designs! And oh look, one of the Darn Good Sari Yarn Sample Packs jumped out to join in all the fun!

OK...so my typing skills still haven't improved but while I was pecking away I couldn't help but notice this little person hiding among the splattered paint and coaxed him/her out of hiding with a little pen work.

I then laminated the piece, punched in some holes and tied it into the journal with the Sari ribbon. Have I mentioned that silk yarn is sublime? 

I doodled with the Star stamp and some Rubbermoon stamps and used my Overstitch wheel/pricking wheel through the paint to create the star trails.

 Thanks for stopping by! I really do appreciate you and will return the favor.
I promise!

When you stop by it makes me feel like I've been crafting with friends versus being by myself and I love that sense of camaraderie between artists.

One of the Turkmen jewelry parts

See you soon, I can't wait to see what you've been up to this week!
linking up with
Paint Party Friday

Challenge 3 - Oceania!

Oceanic art or Oceanian art comprises the creative works made by the native peoples of the Pacific Islands and Australia, including areas as far apart as Hawaii and Easter Island. ... In more recent times, the people of Oceania have found a greater appreciation of their region's artistic heritage

Khadi journal

I used The Decorative Medallion Repeating Corner Stencil, designed by Gwen Lafleur to create a medallion in the middle of my page using dots like the Aboriginal art. Then used the Angel Circle stencil designed by Kate Thompson to create an Aboriginal person in the left corner.

I tried to find The Aboriginal written language and discovered this dictionary where I found the phrase written in the top of the circle which is the story that the Aborigine is telling. 

Wangga-gu, balarrin, ge-na nganung, burrhburr-ma nga-ya-nggi, wangga.
translated into
They painted me with white ochre for a corroboree, and I danced.

(corroboree is an Australian Aboriginal dance ceremony that may take the form of a sacred 
ritual or an informal gathering.)

After a lot of research, I used the symbol for meeting place in the center of my journal 

to signify a place to meet and dance.

Entering my "Meeting Place" art journal page in:

• Patterns inspired by traditional symbols (Maori tattoos, Dots/dashes of Aboriginal Arts…)👍
• Think Monochromatic black and white or think colors of the Earth.👍
• Some sort of organic or natural material(s) (earth, stone, bone, bark, wood, fibres…)
• Shapes inspired by traditional or indigenous art👍

I really enjoyed all the research into making this, hope you did too.