Christmas Cards - Stampscapes

 

 

These are two Christmas cards that I made this year. I masked the area off with post-it notes and sponged colour onto the front of each card. I stamped my Stampscapes images in black. Then I dry embossed around the edges with my Scor-Buddy. I also made a fancy insert with masking for the insides. I used non-traditional colours for these cards and I'm pleased with the way they turned out.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas this year. :D

Christmas Bookmarks - Emboss Resist

I made 6 different bookmarks with the emboss-resist method. First I heat embossed the background with snowflakes or Christmas trees on white glossy cardstock. Then I sponged different colours of ink over the whole glossy piece. Then I mounted them on white cardstock with ink sponged around the edges and then mounted that onto a coloured cardstock. I added matching coloured yarns and ribbons to the top.

 

You can click on any of these photos to see the design up close.
Next is how I finished off the back of each bookmark.

It is fun to watch my family and friends picking out their bookmark. :D

 

 

 

Christmas Bookmarks - Snowmen Pyramid

Here is another bookmark that I made this year. It was stamped on white, coloured with markers and edged with silver marker. I drew the sign and outlined it in red. I added a red snowflake at the top. I love this little snowman stamp. I stamped it five times to make a snowman stack! Then I stamped some silver snowflakes around the snowmen and added glitter to the snowflakes with some stickles.
Here is a close-up.

Happy stamping! :D

My 100th Blogpost! Christmas Bookmarks - Christmas Characters

 

 

Merry Christmas season! This is my 100th blogpost! Wow! :D

I first stamped these tall bookmarks on white cardstock.  I sprayed two of them with spray inks and then glitter spray. Then I coloured them in with marker and added some stickles and added stitch marks around the edges with a fine black marker. The other two I coloured in with markers and a gitter marker and some stickles. Then I outlined them with a silver marker. Then I mounted them all onto black cardstock. I'm going to laminate them but wanted to take the photos first to prevent the glare from the laminating.
I hope you're having fun with all of your Christmas projects too!

Christmas Card - From Our House to Yours

Merry Christmas everyone!
I made this card using masking, sponging, stamping, colouring and glittering.
I wish you all joy and peace no matter what you celebrate this season. :D
Enjoy!

Zentangle Inspired Art - Christmas Tree

This is a zentangle I did in my small sketch journal. I saw a Christmas tree drawn like this on the blog www.rainbowelephant.com. I then tangled inside the tree with my own ideas. I added the hanging decorations and base and then printed Merry Christmas. I shaded with pencil.
How are you doing with your Christmas projects? I still have bookmarks and cards to do. Christmas always sneaks up too fast!
Happy creating! :D

Healthy Lifestyle Journal - Nothing Tastes as Good as Thin Feels

This is my new mantra....Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!
For this 2-page spread, I first covered the pages with striped patterned paper. Then I sprayed Adirondack Color Wash through a Crafter's Workshop stencil. I stamped the border with border stamps that I made with left over rubber. I then wrote my mantra title with a black marker pen and did some journaling.
Now let's hope it works!!! :D
Have a healthy and creative day.

Healthy Lifestyle Journal - Eat Clean

This is the first two page spread in my Healthy Lifestyle Journal.
I did this mixed media collage page using some grocery ads. I first painted and stamped the background and then added patterned paper for the border. I outlined the border with a fine line marker and stamped on it as well. Then I collaged pictures of fruit on one side of the spread and vegetables on the other side. I added the title with a marker.
Here's to happy, healthy eating! :D

Healthy Lifestyle Journal - Title Page

I bought a composition book to use as a journal for my healthy lifestyle pages. I will use this book for inspiration and encouragement,  information, recipes, workout plans and anything else that helps me live and feel better.
I began by gluing two pages together and did this mixed media title page. I gessoed the page and then used paints and inks and stamps and markers and stickles....and whatever I can't remember.... to create this page.
Stay tuned for more pages to come. If you have some ideas for my book, please let me know! I'd love some input from you.
Here's to healthy living!  :D

Mixed Media Canvas - Friends in the House

Karen Ellis runs a store called The Art House Studio. It was located in Kitchener, ON but she has now moved it to a bigger space in Cambridge, ON. She asked a few of her customers to create a canvas with a house on it to help decorate her new studio. She gave each of us a 6"x12" canvas. This is the canvas that I created.
I made a photo house using photos from a Mixed Minded workshop that we went to with mixed media artist Donna Downey. I even put our pictures in the flower centers! The top photo is Donna and Karen. The second one down is me and Donna. The third down is Donna and my friend Linda. The bottom photo is Donna being kissed by Karen. All good fun!

 The canvas was first covered in tissue paper with matte gel medium and then painted and stamped and inked and anything else I could think of! *L* The background behind the houses was 3 shades of green patterned paper with inks and paints and stamps on it. I created the big house using corrugated cardboard and some paints and inks. I drew the smaller houses and the sun on light-weight cardstock and coloured them in with markers and cut them out and glued them to the canvas. I drew the tree trunks on cardstock and cut out the upper part of the trees with patterned paper and attached them to the canvas.

This side view shows the dimnension of the corrugated cardboard house.
Below are some detailed views. If you click on any of these pictures, you can see a bigger photo. Check out those happy faces in the flowers!!!  :D I also doodled with a fine line black marker all over the canvas to add interest.

 

 

This is my first canvas and I really had fun creating it.
I hope there's always sunshine and smiles in your house!

 

Zentangle Inspired Art - Tropical Rock

This past summer my friend Sharon and I collected some flat rocks to use to draw zentangles. I traced the rock into my small sketch journal and then drew my design in that shape. I wanted to practice the design before I drew it on the rock. I coloured it in with markers.
Here is a picture of the rock and journal. I put a micron marker in the picture as a size comparison. I still haven't drawn the design on the rock yet! I'll have to try it soon.

Happy Halloween! :D

Tree Art Journal - Autumn's Splendor

I just love the colours of Fall. I did this scene in my tree art journal using all the fall colours. I stamped it with the Stampin' Up stamp set called "Season of Friendship". I sponged the background and used masks for the sun and cloud. Then I doodled the frame and printed the title. The wee bird is singing in the tree.
Happy Fall y'all!

Tree Art Journal - Christmas Joy Tree

Christmas in October? Actually no! *LOL* I played with this page for months doing little bits of it at a time. I followed a You Tube video by Christy Tomlinson called "Christy Tomlinson Mixed Media Collage: Dec 2012 Kit". Christy did this on a canvas and I did mine in my tree art journal. I did not try to copy hers, but used the ideas to create my own version.
The background has tissue paper glued all over it so it has a lot of texture. Stamping and painting were also added to the background. Then the tree was collaged on using different Christmas themed patterned papers. Then I doodled and glittered and stamped on the tree to "decorate" it.
This page was a lot of fun to do and very different for me.
Have fun trying something new today!!!!   :D

Zentangle Inspired Art - Cayke Walk

This page in my small sketch journal was inspired by a new tangle pattern I saw on www.TanglePatterns.com called Cayke created by Rose Brown. I wanted to give the pattern a try and this is what I created. The Cayke tangle is at the top and bottom of this tangle.
This was fun. Have you tried a new tangle pattern lately? Give it a try.
Happy Tangling! :D

Stampscapes - Retirement Bliss

This is the card I made for a retirement-birthday party. The couple will be going to Florida for the winters now so I made the card with a tropical theme. The two chairs represent rest and relaxation.
I used stampscapes stamps for the scene and the chairs are a stamp by Rosewood Canada www.FrogsWhiskersink.com.  They are called Muskoka Chairs F727.
I used matte cardstock and inks and coloured pencil to add the colour to the scene.
Retirement is a wonderful thing! Make the best of it! Do what you love with passion! :D

Zentangles Inspired Art Sketch - Old Stapled Paper

I did this sketch in my small drawing journal. I wanted to make it look like an old torn piece of paper.  I thought I would leave it blank so that I could copy it and use it on other journal pages and fill in whatever words I need.
I started this in a doctor's office waiting room. The people there were quite fascinated to watch what I was doing. Some even came over to watch and ask me about it.
Happy sketching! :D

Tree Art Journal - Spooky Halloween

I had added some leftover paint to this page in my tree art journal quite a while ago and didn't know what to do with it. It had some weird shapes in it and it looked kind of creepy so I decided to do a Halloween scene on it. I drew and painted the tree and painted in some plants and grasses in the foreground. Then I got out my Halloween stamps and started to add the spooky details with inks. I then stamped a ghost on a used dryer sheet and cut it out and glued it up in the tree.
Autumn is just around the corner so I guess I'm getting into the mood.
Happy creating! :D

Art Journal - Bright Pink Flowers

I sketched some flowers in pencil and then wanted to see if my Tombow markers would blend with a paint brush by putting some marker on the paper and then blending it out with wet brush. They would not. I will have to try it on some other kind of paper.
So I coloured the Tombow markers onto an acrylic block and then picked up the colour with a wet paint brush and painted the flowers and leaves and background.
Then I sketched over the painting with a Sharpie marker.
I love to experiment in my journals to see what the different types of media will do.
Have a great day! :D

Wedding Card for Chris and Lacey

This is the wedding card that I made for my son Chris and my new daughter-in-law Lacey.  I used a photo from their wedding inside an embossed frame that I made using the Cuttlebug folder called Grace's Frame. I popped the photo and frame up on pop dots. I used punches and die cuts to make the flowers and leaves and branches and swirls for the embellishments. For the card base I used a Martha Stewart border punch that looks like eyelet lace. I made everything in white cardstock and used pearls for the centers of the flowers.
Here are two more views of the card.

It was a beautiful wedding with a beautiful couple. I wish them a lifetime of happiness together! Be good to one another!
xxxooo

Altered History Book Art Journal - Vintage Fashionable Girl

This is a two page spread that I did in my altered Grade 11 History textbook. The page started out with some leftover paint on it. It sat that way for months. Then I found some paper in my stash from Bisous Cutouts by Suzanna Carillo that I thought would look good with this background. The pictures are all vintage.
Then I started to play with the background! I did some sponging of paints to add more colour, some sponging paints through stencils, and some stamping with ink. I cut out the images and adhered them to my pages. After that I did some doodling and colouring with pens around the frame of the page and around each picture.

The right hand side of the page has the main title that reads "What Every Fashionable Girl Needs". The two items she needs on this page are "A Smart Pair of Shoes" and "A Tasteful Handbag".

The left hand side of the page has more items that the fashionable girl needs. She needs "A Fetching Smile", "A Great Hat", "A Charming Personality", and "A Pretty Frock".  These sound kind of funny, but I guess times really haven't changed all that much.
The colours in the pictures are very subdued to make them look vintage.
I hope you enjoyed your trip down memory lane with me. :D

Zentangle Inspired Art - Umbrella on black cardstock

I had my sister Lou over and we did some zentangling. We drew an umbrella on black cardstock and tangled with gel pens. I chose the glittery gel pens and filled in all the sections of the umbrella with different tangle patterns. It was fun to sit and tangle with her doing it too. I always enjoy creating with others to share the fun.
Have a great day! :D

Altered History Book Art Journal - Look for the Rainbow

I painted this page a while ago in  my altered history book. For this mixed media page I used acrylic paints, stamps and ink, pencil, collage and markers. I had glued 3 pages together first and then gessoed the page before painting.
The words say "After every storm, look for the RAINBOW".
I wish you all many rainbows!
Take care!  :D

Zentangle Inspired Art - Dress

I drew this dress in my Manila Sketch Journal. I divided it into sections with my micron pen and then drew different zentangle patterns in each section.  I drew a border around the page and then painted the whole sketch with watercolour paints.
Can you believe it is August already? Where is this year going?
Make the most of each day by being creative and having fun!  :D

Sympathy Card - Wildflowers and Butterfly

I made this sympathy card using the  masking technique. I cut an oval from a piece of paper and used the hole left by it over the card front as a mask. I then stamped my scene and sponged some ink inside the mask. I removed the mask and stamped the sentiment and added the butterfly. I used a border punch for the bottom and added some ribbon. I like to keep the colours fairly muted for a sympathy card.
Although sympathy cards are for sad occasions, they can still bring some comfort to those grieving. *HUGS* to those that need them.

Stampscapes - Dock of the Bay

I did this 8.5" x 11" Stampscapes scene when I was visiting my friend Pat in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I used a stipple brush to apply most of the ink and some markers for details. I used a torn paper for a mask to make the clouds in the sky.
Larger scenes like this are fun but take a bit more organizing than a smaller card sized scene. Give one a try!
Take care and keep creating! :D

Stampscapes - Tropical Sunset

I stamped this card at the Savanna Stamping Retreat in 2011. I added most of the colour when I was there with dye inks and stipple brushes. I finished it at home with more colour to frame it and then stamped the palm leaves and grasses.
I just love that sun stamp that I used at the retreat and now I'm going to have to order it. :D
Have a great day and I wish you all beautiful sunsets.

3-D Hand Art

Isn't that cool? *L* It looks like I painted over my hand!
I saw this on Pinterest and just had to give it a try. I used a black Sharpie marker and some Stampin Up and Tombow markers to colour it.
I just love trying new techniques. Have you tried something new lately? It's exciting! :D

My Mom's 90th Birthday Card

This is the card I made for my Mom's 90th birthday. It has 90 candles glued on. I found this idea on Splitcoaststampers. There are several versions there and this is my take on it. Love it!

This is the front of the card. The three owls represent Mom's three girls.

This is the end of the card.

The card fold up and lies flat but I didn't make an envelope for it! *L*
I had a lot of fun making this but I confess that it did take a long time. It was worth it though.
Happy Birthday Mom!!!!
xxxooo

Baby Boy Card

Here is a card I made for a baby boy using patterned paper and some stamp sets. The babies are from the Stampin' Up set called Baby Firsts and I'm sorry that I don't know who made the alphabet set.  It is a clear set and I didn't keep the packaging on that one.
I paper pieced the clothes on the babies using the patterned paper. I punched out the letters with a 1 3/8" circle punch. Then I doodled lines around the circles to make them stand out more. I added some doll hair to one of the babies for a comic effect. It still makes me laugh! :D
 I glued all the elements to a piece of white cardstock cut with the Bigz Top Note die.
Welcome baby Mason!

Art Journal - African Sunset

For this two page spread I first painted the background sunset with acrylic paints. After that was dry, I used a stencil for the animals and tree and grasses and sponged black acrylic paint to complete the scene. I had to paint in the grey colour of the giraffe. I wanted a stark contrast from the background and foreground elements.
Here are the pages shown individually.

Have a fabulous, creative day! Try using a stencil on your journal page today.
Take care. :D