bell flowers

Hi friends.  I think maybe my mojo is sneaking back.  I sat down to create this morning and it happened!

Robyn over at OWSE Yahoo group presented us with a quick fire challenge this morning to create something with either birds or bees.  I decided to make another page to go in the journal I started in January (21 cards) for Motley Soul Mixed Media Art. 

The page is 4"x6" made from cereal box chipboard, covered with coffee filters, gesso and paint.  The background was already done, and I chose to just work with it as is. 

I found the chipboard vine (Sizzix) in my stash and covered it with vintage photo distress ink. 

Then I die cut a bunch of the tiniest flower on the tattered florals die (Tim Holtz) from a blue card stock and sponged the petals with seedless preserves distress ink.  I snipped into the center between two of the petals and then used a stylus and my fingers to form the flowers into a bell shape.  I glued them onto the vine and added some highlights on the petals with a white gel pen.  A black sharpie was used to make the stamen.  The flowers look really flat in the photo, but they are actually very dimensional and stand out about 1/4" from the page. 

The bird from caged bird (Tim Holtz) was die cut from the same blue card stock, embossed with tiny mosaic embossing folder and sponged with seedless preserves.  I attached the bird with dimensional tape. 

The sentiment was hand written with a sharpie marker. 

I'm also entering this in the mix-ability challenge #13 and the free for all challenge #166 on SCS. 

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Have a great week. 

20 hearts - #12, #13

Hello my friends.  I haven't blogged for a few days, because I've been busy preparing for my technique class today.  But now that is done, so I can concentrate on more fun stuff.  Last evening I sat down and worked on some more hearts for the February monthly challenge at Motley Soul Mixed-Media Art.  I finished two and have a couple more in progress. 

The first one is another one using the image transfer technique with sticky back canvas.  I used a piece of patterned paper.  The shimmer is from matte gel medium that reflects my camera flash. 

For the background, I glued on a piece of patterned paper, then sponged through a harlequin stencil from the Crafter's Workshop with weathered wood, faded jeans, tea dye, and vintage photo distress inks. 

The script is a Donna Salazar stamp, stamped randomly with jet black archival ink. 

I doodled some scalloped around the heart with a black Pitt pen. 

The Bible verse is computer generated. 

My second heart today is also part of the ways to use it challenge on SCS (sponging) and for a Quick Fire challenge from OWSE Yahoo group, which was to make something that represents spring fever.  Probably the thing that I most await for in Spring is for my lilacs to bloom.  I have a lilac hedge along one side of the back yard, which I've planted over the years since we've lived here.  Some were dug up from my parents' home up north, and others were purchased.  I have several different varieties - purples, blue, pink, doubles, and one that blooms almost a month later than the others.  They are all so pretty and I just love how they smell.  Even though, once cut, they don't last long, I always have to bring at least one bouquet into the house. 

The background on this heart is made using the Crafter's Workshop 6" brick stencil and mowed lawn distress ink with a sponge. 

The heart is die cut with Spellbinders nested hearts die and the lilac blossoms from a Sizzix die called build a flower, lilacs.  I cut the leaves and branch freehand.  I sponged the heart and flowers with shaded lilac distress ink and added some pearls to the flowers.  The leaves were white and I sponged mowed lawn on them to change the color, and then edged them with pine needles distress ink. 

My sentiment was computer generated. 

Thanks so much for stopping in for a visit today.  I hope you have an enjoyable weekend. 

like a wildflower

Hello, my friends.  I wasn't sure I was going to get any creative play time today, since I had to work today.  But I managed to make my background before I went to the office.  This is a technique called dotted acrylic, that was given to us in our art journal meeting this week at OWSE Yahoo group. 

The paint is applied with short quick strokes of a brayer.  I actually made two pages, since I was going to do a two page spread, but then I realized that I picked up the wrong page to work on the back of and my other pages would have been backwards, so I just made a single page instead and will use the other background for another page. 

The flowers (Hero Arts) were colored with copic markers and cut out.  I drew the stems and leaves with colored pencils. 

The proverb was computer generated and then cut apart to fit the page. 

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you have some fun plans for your weekend. 

amber waves of grain

Hello, my friends.  It's been awhile since I've blogged.  Busy week.  Today I have an art journal spread done for a challenge on OWSE Yahoo group.  The challenge consisted of brayering a small amount of paint on the page, letting it dry and then adding another color.  I actually added a third color, because I didn't like the large amount of white showing. 

The wheat stamp (Judikins) is one that I picked up today at a stamp/scrap expo.  After stamping it in black archival, I used a mustard marker to fill in the wheat. 

I used my computer to print the words from the song.  After cutting them apart, I sponged some cool caribbean ink on the edges. 

I sponged some blue paint around the edges of the pages.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you're headed for a wonderful weekend. 

a little recycling

Hello, my friends.  I made some time to stamp today and did a little recycling in the process.  I love being able to use free materials.

I started by cutting some pieces from a brown grocery bag and rolling them around a bamboo skewer and gluing the end to form tight rolls.  I didn't want them all the same size, so I made sure I varied the width of the pieces I was rolling.  I used a few pieces of newspaper as well.  Then I pulled out my distress stains and dyed them all with various browns.  After arranging them how I liked, I stuck a sticky note to the front so I could flip them and glue them to card stock on the back without going through the process all over again.  Once the glue was dry, I added a bit of matte multi medium in between the rolls for more stability.  I then added a piece of raffia tied around the rolls.

My card base is creamy caramel with strips of more mustard and DCWV Indian Summer fall stack.  

I used Tim Holtz/Sizzix movers & shapers mini branch & leaf set dies to cut the leaves and branch from chocolate chip & pumpkin pie card stock.  I scored the leaves, folded them and ran them through my crimper and then sponged over the ridges.  I love the look that gives.  

My sentiment is from an older SU set called Season by Season, stamped in jet black stazon.  

My card fits the following challenges:

Ways to use it #341 - Back to School Week 4: Lunch Sack

Inspiration Challenge #303 ~ Creature Comforts: Inspiration Daily - inspired by cinnamon & spice #3

September Quick Fire challenge at OWSE Yahoo group (membership required) - autumn themed with at least one die cut 

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Have a wonderful week.