Mistakes Happen

I learned something new, well, new to me anyway, 😜

I have to admit that I have never used embossing powder with paint before, only with ink and then only with stamps but now I learned that it works great with paint and that has opened up a whole new area with mixed media!  

I'm like a kid with my first box of crayons, sheer giddy with excitement! 

Still crushing on the Dresden trim, this time I used some Antiquing creams to knock some of the shine off the angel wing because the background is an explosion of glittery goodness between the gold embossing powder and metallic paints that I used.

I typed out word strips and glued them to the back of the wing for some hidden journaling. You can bend the Dresden trim but I don't think it would stand up to repeated opening and closing but then I'm pretty much the only person who looks at my journals anyway so I'm thinking it will be fine.

I'm trying hard to use up old supplies so I used some old vinyl letters, I had to use a gel medium to make them stick and then painted them black since they had polka dots on them. Somehow polka dots did not seem to work on this page, lol And yeah, added a sprinkling of embossing powder over them!

In hindsight, I'm not sure why I titled this page "mistakes happen" because I was really intending this to be another page to go along with my WOTY hope which is used in the writing on the back of the wing. 

A mistake?...maybe...but they do happen!

 Gwen's Supplies:
Khadi Papers Sketchbook
German Dresden Trim - Extra Large Wings

MT Washi Tape - Crystals 
Exotic Oriental Traditional Chinese Metal Wafer Dies - Round Chinese Screen 

Emerald Creek Embossing Powder - Mirror Gold

Art Deco Collection  - Alphabet stencil

DecoArt

Americana Lamp (Ebony Black)
Dazzling Metallics in Royal Ruby, Splendid Gold
Glamour Dust in Limelight, Copper
Media Antiquing Cream in Carbon Black,Patina Green

Linking up to Paint Party Friday

Artist Tribe Introductions

I thought long and hard about how to introduce myself today 

but in the end I thought maybe if 

I described my art journaling style then maybe that would convey who I am...maybe...lol

This is my latest art journal page that I made using 

Downloadable Collage Cut-Outs: Stupendous Sea Life

that I created for today and I am also linking this to

Paint Party Friday and to Art Journal Journey.

1. Occasionally I get in a sewing mood, I really love that it adds texture without bulk. One thing you will find in my art journaling: flat pages. The reason I don't like bulky pages is that it makes it harder for me to continue journaling. It's difficult to draw or paint on pages that are buckling or bulging. Anyway, that's my own pet peeve, but I do love looking at other journals that are loaded to the max.

Small beads and the occasional sequin are also often included.

And some more projects that I've created with my awesome, fabulous, wonderful

Khadi Papers 8x8 Sketchbook

2. Now I do enjoy hanging heavier/bulkier beads and charms on the outside of my journal books. I adore the tactile feel of them and the sounds that they make when I pick up my journals.

link to the post 1 Journey into khadi papers
link to the post 2 sublime textures

3. You will usually find quotes, poems etc. on my pages, I rarely create a page without adding some wordage. I also have a new toy, a typewriter and I enjoy hauling it out on occasion to type word strips, I also like to type on my journal fodder and collage with it. I did both on this 2 page spread.

link to the StencilGirl post - Silence

3. I also enjoy water-coloring, stencils and outlining. I almost always outline everything, it just doesn't feel complete unless I do it. 

I've tried not to, really I have ...but so far I can't rest the urge.

4. Sometimes I get in a mixed media mode and collage, splatter paint and gold leaf. I don't do a lot of this in my journal, usually, it's what I create on a canvas but sometimes I'm just in the mood to do it, so why fight it?

link to the post - Om Shanti

5. I also like to practice typography but I really have to concentrate while doing it and take my time. As you can see from the Om Shanti page what my writing looks like when I don't slow down...not so pretty! lol

6. I also am not a very patient artist. I think I have a mild case of ADD...
Case in point: Doing the dots was very boring to me while I was creating the page but afterward when it was completed, I loved it.
Sometimes I have a hate/love relationship with a technique I am using.

link to the post - Oceania!

So maybe you learned a little about me through my journaling style.
to recap...
I like flat journal pages, like to add bulk to the outside of my journals, addicted to outlining everything, occasionally will get messy, love using words along with typography and I'm not very patient.


I am looking forward to visiting my art tribe sisters and seeing what they created!
I hope you do too!


One other thing you should know is that I love to win prizes, how about you?



One lucky winner will receive $20 Gift Card to the Shop at Gwen Lafleur Studios! All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on any or all of the blog posts during the hop - the more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have to win! (One comment per person per blog please.)

You have until Sunday, October 1st at 11:59pm mountain time to leave your comments. The winner will be announced on the Gwen Lafleur Studios Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/GwenLafleurStudios) on Monday, October 2nd.

Make sure to visit everyone and leave a comment to have a chance to win!
Gwen
Jackie
Lynda
Linda
Jill

Sublime textures

I talked a bit about my khadi paper journey and how much I love it and if you have never heard about khadi paper then you can visit this link to find out how they are made.

Journey into khadi

Today I'd like to show you some additions to the cover that I added.

First, since I initially sewed through the cover I needed to hide the back
"sewy bits", so I adhered a sheet of marbled paper from the India and Nepal collection, they are just beautiful papers! I also added a strip of Tibet Jewels Sari ribbon along the seam and then stamped the word ART on it. 

I tore the bottom part of the Sari ribbon and threaded beads and charms onto it....I REALLY love the look of this! This texture always makes me stop for a minute to appreciate their beauty before opening my journal. You can almost hear my inner muse sighing with delight and then whispering...
"let's get creative."

To the top piece of the Sari ribbon, I tied on one of the Going Global Turkmen Jewelry Parts charms and sewed on some more beading.

This just makes me happy, not gonna lie. I adore texture by adding fibers, beading, and charms. Combine all that with the deckled edges of the hand-made paper and you might achieve your own slice of heaven!

Journey into Khadi papers

I'm excited to introduce my first project for Gwen Lafluer's Artist Tribe. It is an honor to be one of the ambassadors on her first design team. I would highly recommend checking out the other artist and their projects for some awesome inspiration! They blow me away!

 And be prepared to be blown away over the Khadi Papers 8x8 Sketchbook! 

These beautiful 8"x8" sketchbooks are made from handmade Indian cotton rag paper. The artist quality pages are perfect for drawing, watercolor, painting, and mixed media.

Here is a link to how Khadi paper is made, 

and no exaggeration, 

the papers are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

Gwen's Essentials - Khadi Papers 8x8 Sketchbook

I love to collect little bits of nature and add them to projects whenever I can like this little piece of bark that I glued first and then double secured it by sewing it onto the cover with some silk cording. I think it looks perfect next to the Dot Leaf wood stamp that I dipped into some of my ColourArte Shimmering H20 Sea Spray.

WoodblockStamp Design Dot Leaf

And who doesn't love adding some pieces of jewelry parts for added interest and as a plus, they sound like little wind chimes when you move your journal,
oh yeah, big bonus there!!!!!!!
 I've also discovered a new love for hand twisted newspaper cording! I thought it looked great threaded through my giant hand-papered bead. The cording is glued and then sewn onto the journal just like the bark.

Going Global Turkmen Jewelry Parts

Handmade Newspaper Yarn

I also love that this journal will be showcasing my eco-printed papers. It's a fascinating albeit long process to create them but I love how they turn out. I made a video of the process last year. Now that I have this scrumptious Khadi  journal I am thinking I need to make more papers!

 Pop on over to Gwen Lafeur Studios 
and check out the other yummy things she has in her store!

Re-Capping the week

It has been Avery busy week, glad the weekend is approaching. It's the first time in awhile that I have absolutely nothing planned...I like it! lol

1.  I am totally crushing on my Khadi journal. 

Just love the deckled edges of handmade paper!!!!

 This page was done for the itac-17 challenge 2, Asia.

2. Began a new Vignette Art piece (WIP)

3. New toy

I got a refracting ball (80mm) and took it out to play with. We were up in the mountains for the solar eclipse and got there early to avoid the traffic so we had some time to enjoy the scenery.

and of course there was a lot of moss, these were my favorites

moss sporophytes

British Soldier Lichen

4. TIRED
Tired pretty much sums up the Eclipse experience, I didn't even know I had misspelled eclipse in my video of the day until it was pointed out to me, lol If you do decide to watch it, and it's pretty boring, I know, please give me  'thumbs-up" to make me feel better. lol
And an art journal page which pretty much sums up the day.

5. finished Vignette Art piece
#Hahnemühle #Leonardo paper
which I am entering in Paint Party Friday and in Illustration Friday

I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Thanks for stopping by!

Om shanti

...Art as a form of meditation!

Not sure I meditate when I create art but I do talk to myself a lot, particularly as I grow older. 😛  Not sure that counts as meditation but it might be as close as I get, and I take "close to" more and more lately.

But this is how I began in my  Khadi journal...

First I began by collaging one of the Irresistible India Collage Cut-Outs on top of some paper that already had paint and stenciled patterns from the Decorative 6-Petal Flower Screen stencil by Gwen Lafleur which has a flower mandala pattern. 

I also continued the stenciling in a similar color paint as the background paper to tie in the collage material.

KHADI 100% cotton rag PAPERS are made in Karnataka, South India

I continued by adding mark making and splattering with white paint, some hand-made washi tape made out of peacock tissue paper and tape and then added some 14K gold leaf paper as an accent.

mark making and gold leaf

A happy accident occurred when a drop of water fell onto the paper showing me a way to bring out the stenciled design more like a relief. I then took some gel medium and washed over the edges in order to highlight the effect.

I then took out my bamboo pen used with India ink to draw (to the best of my ability) the symbol OM (described as the most important mantra for worship) 

Om is a mantra, or vibration, that is traditionally chanted at the beginning and end of yoga sessions. Coming from Hinduism and Yoga, the mantra is considered to have high spiritual and creative power but despite this, it is a mantra that can be recited by anyone.

...and then followed with a mantra for peace, which we desperately need these days. 

Om shanti shanti shanti

· Motifs inspired by mandalas👍

· Geometric shapes

· Tiles - ceramic, pantiles, glazed tiles, or their designs...

· Asiatic flowers, such as cherry blossom, chrysanthemum, orchids, lotus, Frangipani, lilies, hibiscus etc..

· Calligraphy or handwriting👍

· Fabric, faded or dyed👍

· Powdered pigments