Crazy Galaxy Art Journal Page With Video #5

I am really, really excited about this art journal page. The background turned out better than I expected it to. I honestly could have gone a different direction with the magazine cut outs but I can always do another galaxy background, it was so fun! To learn how to make your own galaxy background with acrylic paints, visit the Dramatic Parrot on YouTube!

So, secret time. My larger art journal pages are all done on old cereal box cardboard. This particular one is a Honey Nut Cheerios box :) I have no idea really how I'm going to bind them all together when I'm done, but for now they work well. I just make sure to gesso each side, especially the side with graphics, so the base doesn't show through. I posted the process video on YouTube, so be sure to go check it and my channel out! You can find the video right here: click me!

One thing I need to work on is my doodling. I stifle my creativity with my left brain quite a bit, so it takes a lot of inspiration to get me going. For this page all it took was seeing a journal page with magazine clippings and a tutorial on painting a galaxy background, but sometimes I have to look for awhile to find something that hits the right spot in my head.

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Shabby Chic Square Card – Challenge!

I am on a posting roll, let's keep this up! I am definitely enjoying it :)

I am sharing a card with you today for the House of Cards Challenge Blog and the Craft Your Passion Challenges Blog. The challenge this month is to use a bird or a specific color scheme given on the blog. I chose to use a bird to make a shabby chic thank you card. I agonized over what kind of theme to go with but had the most materials for a shabby card. If you'd like to participate in either challenge click the links above :)

If you'd like to know the details for this, read on! This card was pretty involved. I decided on a square shape. This card will be non-machinable so it will have to be given in person or via the post with extra postage (due to shape and thickness). I used 3 sheets from the Mambi Sheets paper stack from Me & My Big Ideas for the base, background and what I am calling the mat (inner square). Once I put the background on I added some burlap and glued it on with white gesso and went over the top with it, too, to make it shabbier. Then I added a smallish paper doily that just peeks out around the edges. I added some glittery brown tulle over the mat, I like how it reminds me of fish netting. For the frame I used another sheet of Mambi paper and the Sizzix fancy labels die. I used two sizes to cut out the outside shape and the inside to make it a frame. I inked the edges of the frame with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink. For the bird I just did a free clip art search and printed out that elegant but cute birdie. I attached the frame and bird and started my favorite part – embellishments! I used three different laces (one is hard to see as it's under a flower cluster on the bottom left) and a lot of flowers from my shabby jar of embellishments. I also used a few Prima flat white flowers with tiny I Am Roses flowers in the center. Lastly I added half-back pearls to finish off the card.

I really enjoyed this card and I hope you can find some inspiration from it! And don't forget to check out the House of Cards Challenge Blog for a new challenge each month, October will be here soon! Create on, my friends,

Katie

Photo Birthday Card For Mojo Monday Challenge 466

The Mojo Monday blog has a challenge each week using a fun card sketch. Once a month they hold a contest to see who wins and you can win a set of Verve stamps if you're a winner! This is for Mojo Monday 466, a challenge without a prize. I love challenges when they help me do something I normally wouldn't have done. Check out the blog here!

Here is how I interpreted the sketch. I did something unique for me, I added a photo to a card! That's my best friend Jessica on the left and me, 90 pounds heavier, on the right ;) The flowers came from a RAK and I made the butterfly a few years ago out of chipboard and the same paper stack as the background. I gold embossed the sentiment from Stampin' Up and sponged Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink on the edges of the circle and the base paper (Lost & Found from My Mind's Eye). Overall this is a simply made card that will be going in a package with her two gifts, a painting on canvas and a purse charm. I wanted to do something special since it's her 30th. I'll share those gifts in a later post!

Check out the sketch challenges on the Mojo Monday blog and don't forget October 3rd is World Card Making Day!

Oh, but my darling, what if you fly? Art Journal Page #4

This page is from my visual art journal notebook, which is smaller (5.5x8 inches) than my regular pages I normally do. The texture here was really interesting because I used pencil shavings and modeling paste to get it! Yes, pencil shavings. It turned out well if you ask me ;) After that was all dry I just took a brush and starting adding various colors. The butterfly and bird are from the Mambi Sheets paper stack by Me & My Big Ideas. I have a bunch of paper doilies from a haul back in 2014 so I used some of those. I painted them separately then added them on which gives a neat effect with the holes showing the base color underneath. I used Glimmer Mist on the top doily and accidentally glued it on upside down, such a Katie thing to do! I found the great quote on Pinterest. I saw it and knew it was absolutely perfect, especially with the butterfly and bird being on the page. I just had to use it. Lastly I used a Tim Holtz rub on for the "FOUND" words. I mentioned them in the last post but I absolutely love them. I have a bunch of Tim Holtz rub ons on my Amazon wish list, they work so well in art journaling.

What's great about the quote is that it's fitting to my life. That's why I was so excited to find it. I am working on taking leaps where I'd normally take baby steps. I realize I don't have time to take some things slow, I just need to jump in and do it. Of course there are times where things need to be taken slow, but I'm referring to the situations where it won't hurt to get down to business. For example, instead of waiting for things to progress super slow with a guy I had a crush on like I had been doing, I took some advice and flat out told him how I felt. It didn't work out but he took it like a champ and things weren't awkward after that. Instead of waiting for signs that may never come I need to take control of my life. I believe in letting God influence my decisions and guiding me, but I have to work, too, he won't make my decisions for me.

So get out there and leap, and you may just fly.

Art Journal Pages 1-3

Last year I started art journaling. I'm not sure what inspired me to start, but I was low on scrapbook supplies and needed a creative outlet. I took a break for awhile but have been back at it for a few months now and I can't get enough of it. I want to share my latest 3 pages with you!

In my last post I mentioned being obsessed with circles thanks to Maremismallart on YouTube. I decided to do a whole page of them! This was a messy page to make since I used my fingers to lay down the base layer of colors. After that it was a lot of stenciling and bubble wrap stamping. To make the circles I traced circular objects like a water bottle cap and a cup, and some others I just drew out in gesso. That's the first step, gesso your circles. It makes sure the paint you put on top of it is more opaque. After that I just took various paint colors I had poured out on a paper plate and used circular motions with my fingers to swirl the paint on, not worrying about mixing the colors together. My favorite circle is the one on the left in the middle. I just can't get enough of the color combo I created on accident! All my words are Tim Holtz rub ons which you can find here. Rub ons are SO my jam these days! My hand-lettering isn't so awesome so these are great in place of handwriting. Plus, I can't seem to find a black paint pen that won't crap out on me after a week (yep, I've tried Sharpie paint pens, two of them). Once I can buy some more transparencies I will be able to make my own rub ons (tutorial to come!). There is so much freedom in making your own personal rub ons.

Ok, this is one of my favorites! Lots of my friends and family loved it too. It's a total knockoff of My Arty Heart's version on YouTube found here. So thank you for the inspiration, My Arty Heart! This looks harder than it really was. First I lay down color in the background with my fingers (I like avoiding brush strokes). Then it was stencil time! I used a really cool stencil from The Crafter's Workshop (found here on Amazon) with hexagons, circles and stars. After that I just drew some oval shapes in pencil and took some more paint and brushed around the shapes. When you do this you can use one color or several and blend them around. At this point all that's left to do is outline your flowers and add any doodling or finishing touches you like! I love using white pen with black as it really adds some great contrast. If you need a white pen recommendation I really like Gelly Roll from Sakura (6-pack found here). It still works after lots of use!

This is my version of Nika in Wonderland's mixed media faces. Hers are much cooler and better drawn, but this one is mine :) To start I lay down some magenta, yellow, and aqua paint with my fingers. I used it pretty sparingly after priming my page with gesso (I always, always prime with gesso). Then I started drawing. Eyes can be tricky to draw and I seemed to have forgotten what I learned from Jane Davenport's book Drawing and Painting Beautiful Faces, haha. Her book on how to draw faces is fabulous and I highly recommend it. Anyway, I added some stenciling and drew in the hair. I used two shades of grey and one purple to make a few shadows and color the hair. I ended up using some Lindy Stamp Gang Magicals to add the green color on the top left. It didn't blend in well so I used my finger, which I do not recommend doing un-gloved...those things really stain skin! At the very end of this I took some white gesso and went over a couple of areas to add contrast and interest. Overall I like it, I just wish my eye was better shaped!

I hope you enjoyed the post and found some inspiration from where I did, too. There are amazing artists out there to get you in the mood for creating so never stop seeking them out. The talent pool is incredible!

*All links are NOT affiliate links. They are for your convenience to learn about the products and get an idea on the prices. I just really like Amazon :)

Collaged Mixed Media Cat Canvas

I was browsing Pinterest for some inspiration on a new canvas to make and I came across this adorable decoupaged cat. I had to make my own!

And this is my version! I had a lot of fun with it. I went with a kitten silhouette since I wanted something cutesy. Collaging the cat silhouette was a bit tedious but I love how it turned out. I used some old Mariposa paper and some random sheets I found in my stash from who knows where and a few random paper die cuts.

For the background I used Apple Barrel's Velvet Crush violet. I had originally had orange, yellow and burgundy at the top but I painted over it. Then I added some Inka Gold in Yellow Gold* (I LOVE Inka Gold, it's so thick and opaque, and metallic!) but it didn't look very cohesive so I added more Velvet Crush on top to take it down a notch. It made it blend better. I used Inka Gold on the edges to give it a border. I then used various circular objects to stamp circles in white paint. I used yellow, orange, purple and white to paint a few of the circles. I became obsessed with circles when I saw what Marta Lapkowska from Maremismallart on YouTube did with them in several videos. If you want art journal or mixed media inspiration, please check her channel and blog out, she is very talented and fun to watch!

I have many more canvas/art journal pages to share in the coming days...I am obsessed with it and if you're in a rut creatively it is definitely something to try!

*This is not an affiliate link, it is just for your reference to learn a little about the product and get an idea on the price.

So you think you're a paper crafter?

Art and crafting is for everybody. It doesn't matter how long you've been doing it or how much skill you have. Now, with that disclaimer in mind, let's continue! What we are going to attempt to find out today is just how obsessed with scrapbooking, cardmaking and/or paper crafting you really are. I have created a quiz containing 10 questions that will assess your familiarity with products and techniques. Are you a private in the crafting army or are you a general? Let's find out, and let us know in the comments what rank you got!

Take the quiz now!