American Journey Notice Board

I know this isn’t an Art Journal Page, but my husband has recently finished my new craft room (yay!) and I wanted a notice board to place all my happy memories, inspirations and to-do lists, so I thought I would create my own magnetic board. I have been saving paper bags from shops that I visited on holiday in America. I love that my new board reminds me of my travels, the only problem is I don’t want to cover it up with anything now.

I started with a metal wall art sign, which I bought cheaply from a local outlet store as it seems this particular saying is now out of fashion. In fact this was cheaper than sourcing a piece of metal from the DIY store.

I made a collage with the paper bags that I had collected over the years, I am really pleased to find a use for them as I loved them and didn’t want to throw them away and instead of having them sit in my drawer they are now bright and cheery on the wall of my craft room. I tore the bags to fit and then created a distressed look on the edges using a Faber-Castell Big Brush marker. Next I used neat PVA to bond them onto the metal. I didn’t need to white gesso the surface first as the brown paper bags were thick enough and the sentiment didn’t show through. Once the piece had dried I covered the whole surface with three layers of watered down PVA, leaving it to dry between applications. The finished surface has a very slight shine to it, which I really like. I am so pleased with the results and am now planning to make my own magnets from dice and sea-glass which we collect on our travels.

Here’s my notice board finished, doesn’t it look wonderful and it reminds me of my fabulous American journeys. I thought this would fit in with Erica’s Journey theme over at Art Journal Journey. I hope you like the results too.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this notice board:

• Metal wall art sign
• Faber-Castell Big Brush marker (Sanguine 188)
• Paper bags
• PVA

April in Paris

I have so enjoyed looking at the art created by those participating in Erica’s Journey challenge-blog over at Art Journal Journey, that I was reminded of our travels to Paris back in April 2010 for my birthday, you could say we had our own “April in Paris”.

I covered the page in decoupage paper using matte gel medium, then stamped script on top using Spectrum Aqua markers. To capture some of our visit, I chose lilacs that remind me of a beautiful flower and gift shop opposite Notre Dame. The lilacs are also stamped using Aqua Spectrum makers creating a lovely watercolour feel, they do look bright and cheery. This is a stark contrast from our time in Paris, as it rained the whole time we were there, we were smiling on the inside though and still had loads of fun! Next I added the Penny Black stickers, aptly named ‘April in Paris’, some of which I tore and distressed. Again these images bring back memories, of the magnificent Eiffel Tower and the music sheet conjures up the time when we were on The Metro and a Mariachi Band boarded our train carriage and started playing music – an unforgettable train journey! To finish I added the butterflies as they love lilacs, the sentiment and date and finally some gemstones.

Here’s the mighty Eiffel Tower in all its glory and it looks even more spectacular lit up at night! It was fun to look through our photo album and remind ourselves of our journey to Paris, we had a lovely time!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Spectrum Aqua Artist’s Markers (Sepia, Red Velvet, Moss, Chocolate, Slate)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Kaisercraft clear stamp (Script CS752)
• Docrafts Papermania Tina Higgins Design wooden stamp (Lilac – J Stamp PMA9061108)
• Papermania A-Z clear stamps (Leftovers Alphabet PMA9071102)
• Vivi Gade decoupage paper (Skagen 25561)
• Penny Black 2012 Stickeroos (April in Paris 10-213)
• Poundland self adhesive gemstones  (504 Gems)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Zig Memory System 2-way glue

 

All Aboard

I am so excited to be a part of the challenge-blog over at Art Journal Journey. This month’s theme is ‘Journeys’ and has inspired my page. It’s called “All Aboard” and reminds me of journeys past and present with the old Art Deco images and newer map pieces.

The background was created using Distress Inks and a stripe stencil, it took me quite some time to build up the lines as I was alternating the colours and my stencil is fairly small. Next I added the postmark decoupage paper and the compass. I extended the lines of the compass with a charcoal Spectrum Aqua marker, so that they fan out across the page to give a contrast to all the horizontal stencil lines. The Art Deco images are rub-on transfers and the tags were stamped using Versafine ink. The map pieces were taken from a book that I rescued from a local charity shop and I used an old magazine to source the letter and postage stamp. The “All Aboard” tag finishes the look – I created it using a stamp, coloured with Spectrum Aqua markers and Distress Inks.

We have traveled to two of the destinations on this page – Paris and America. Although America is much further away and France is on our doorstep, we have journeyed to America on many more occasions than France. We have visited 25 of the 50 States, in fact we were visiting our 25^th State, Maine, to see the fall colours on our 25^th Wedding Anniversary, a memory which I cherish.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Peacock Feathers, Crushed Pistachio, Salty Ocean, Black Soot, Tea Dye)
• Spectrum Aqua Artist’s Markers (Charcoal, Teal, Scarlet, Slate)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Sharpie Fine permanent maker (Black)
• Versafine Ink (Onyx Black VF-82)
• Ranger Claudine Hellmuth Studios 6x6inch stencil (Our Town HSC36920)
• Papermania Urban Stamps 4x4inch (All Aboard – Tags PMA907178)
• Royal & Langnickel Rub-on transfers (Travel Collage #ROY871 RUB-ON)
• First Edition Deco Maché decoupage pages (D/M Postage FEDEC060)
• Craft Sensations Design Pad 15x15cm (Beach House CR0292/GE)
• The Works tags (24 Assorted Craft Tags)
• Wilko 10metre paper twine
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• The Range double-sided foam tape
• The Range glue stick
• Penguin Books Ltd 2007 – 2008 Pears Cyclopaedia
• Magazine images

Under the Sea

I recently purchased the Colourcraft Brusho Crystals ink powders and was so excited to use them that they inspired my next page.  They are small pots of highly pigmented coloured ink powder that give amazing effects when water is applied. Each pot seems to be a mix of different colours that make the finished ink come alive. I decided to experiment and have fun, so I choose two of the colours from the 12 in my pack (turquoise and leaf green) for my background to see where that led me and here’s my tropical island themed page – Under the Sea.

As you can see, the background is a burst of colour, although I started with turquoise and leaf green; it’s interesting to note that I didn’t add any yellow, the leaf green crystals produced the yellow aspect due to the mix of the coloured crystals in each product. I wasn’t expecting there to be so much yellow so this led me to add some emerald green Brusho powder to intensify the green element and mask the yellow a bit. Having tried different techniques I found that sprinkling the crystals onto a dry page and then lightly spritzing with water gave me the look I wanted. Once you have spritzed the powders, they almost explode with vibrancy in front of your eyes. With the background finished I started to look through my craft stash, to see what would complement the background and decided on my Tropical Travelogue stamps by Hampton Arts, which I stamped in 3 clusters onto the page using black Archival Ink. I applied exotic flowers, which are rub-on transfers and added self-adhesive gems to the centres. I hope you like the results as much as I do.

The sea and beach theme is very close to my heart as I live right near the beach with my hubby. It’s so lovely and I feel very blessed.

“If you are fortunate enough to live by the beach then you are fortunate enough…”

Every week we volunteer to help clean our local beach under a scheme called Love My Beach. It’s a great way to help the environment, care for sea life, meet people and give something back to our community. We always have so much fun too!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Colourcraft Brusho Crystal Colour (Turquoise, Leaf Green, Emerald Green)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
• Spectrum Aqua Artist’s Marker (Slate)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.1mm and 0.5mm)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Hampton Art Graphic 45 cling mounted rubber stamps (Tropical Travelogue IC0134 and IC0135)
• Hampton Art 7 Gypsies cling mounted rubber stamps (Birdsong IC0151)
• The Works clear stamps (CR0274/TW3)
• Royal and Langnickel Rub-on (Fab Flowers #ROY1400)
• Docraft metallic waterfall stickers (Beach PO#9622)
• The Works stickers (Rhinestone Flowers)

Love and Beauty

I saw this picture of “La Ghirlandata” by Dante Gabriel Rossetti in a magazine and just knew I had to create an art journal page using it, I just fell in love with this image as it’s so beautiful.

This collage is quite simple with the magazine picture as the focal point. This picture had some white text on it, which I covered up by colouring with complimentary shades using Spectrum Aqua markers and then covered with papers and butterflies. I used both American Crafts and Kaisercraft papers, some ripped and some with straight edges. The flower image is a sticker by Penny Black which I cut in half and used on opposing sides of the page. The butterflies complimented the image with their vibrancy of colour, they are actually 3D stickers and the wings of the butterfly fold upwards. A combination of gold outline stickers and flower gem stones add some sparkle. Lastly the title of the picture and artist were added. I love this page, the rich colours and image make it one of my favourites!

I believe beauty is all around us we just have to look for it. I was out on a ride with my husband on our tandem and saw these beautiful white flowers the size of dinner plates in a neighbour’s front garden. I think it’s a tree peony, isn’t it just breathtaking! We made a point of cycling by every day for a week, just to see them in all their glory.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Spectrum Aqua Artist’s Markers (Peach, Spice, Terracotta, Slate)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt Artist Marker (Black 199)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• American Crafts DIY Store 12×12 paper pad (366665)
• Kaisercraft Timeless Collection paper (Postmarks P853)
• Home Bargains self-adhesive stickers (Beautiful Butterflies 22742)
• Penny Black (2010) Stickeroos (In Bloom 10-208)
• Hobbycraft outline stickers (Gold Scenes 5934211001)
• Dovecraft peel-off stickers (Alphas Caps Gold DCPO-05)
• The Works stickers (Rhinestone Flowers)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• The Range double-sided foam tape
• Magazine picture

The Queen’s 90th Birthday

With the Queen’s birthday celebrations well under way, my next journal page commemorates this and the celebratory Afternoon Cream Tea that we had to wish Her Majesty a very Happy 90th Birthday!I started to collage strips of decoupage paper and newspaper photo clippings of the Queen’s clothing and jewellery (that she wore on her birthday parade through Windsor). Derwent Inktense pencils added more colour to the background so it was a similar colour to the Queen’s coat. I stamped roses down the page using Spectrum Aqua markers, which give a lovely watercolour look. The flags were painstakingly cut out from newspaper photos taken on the streets of Windsor during the Birthday Parade, along with the photos which are framed with decorative tape. As you can see it seems the young Princess was partial to tea parties too. The crowns and the ninety were stamped using Archival Ink and I added more black elements with outline stickers. Further decorative elements brought the page together – fabric bunting and banner stickers, the teapot, cups and cake images, a happy birthday sentiment and finally green rhinestones.

This page took me a while to complete because of the detail and the many materials I used, as you can see from the list below. I also discovered that it’s better to apply gel medium to the page rather than the newspaper as it prevents the newspaper curling/creasing. It was so enjoyable to create! Happy Birthday Ma’am!

Apparently when you address the Queen I am told the correct method is to use ‘Your Majesty’ the first time and then Ma’am thereafter (pronounced Ma’am as in jam, not Ma’am as in farm).

To celebrate Her Majesty’s birthday we thought we should do something typically British. But we couldn’t agree on what to do. I wanted an afternoon cream tea and my hubby wanted a pint. So we compromised and had both! What a lovely day we had.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Viva Gade decoupage paper (Skagen 25561)
• Derwent Inktense Pencils (Apple Green 1400, Field Green 1500)
• Spectrum Aqua Artist’s Markers (Moss, Crimson, Red Violet)
• Sharpie Fine Point permanent marker (Black)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt art pen (Black 199)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Eco Green Crafts recycled rubber art stamps (Petal Party #04309)
• Hampton Art 7 Gypsies cling mounted rubber stamps (IC0151)
• Papermania A-Z clear stamps (Leftovers Alphabet PMA9071102)
• Docrafts outline stickers (Delicate lace Borders white ANT8101510)
• Docrafts outline stickers (Postage Stamps silver ANT810103)
• Little Yellow Bicycle Fabric Favourites (PD-220)
• Dovecraft glitter stickers (Cakes Cupcake Bakery DCST047)
• Hunkeydory luxury card collection (Birthdays for Her – Birthday Bake)
• Hobbycraft Green rhinestone stickers
• Liquitex Gel Matte Medium
• The Range double-sided foam tape
• Newspaper articles of the Queen’s Birthday celebrations

Thinking of Friends

With the cherry blossom in full bloom it reminds me of our good friends from America who visited us last year! It’s hard to believe it’s been a year already, so I find myself thinking of friends!

The background was a simple wash of Distress ink. Then I added torn American Crafts paper, picking out map pieces with American states on them, I even found “Portland”. The cherry blossoms and image were from a 2016 calendar (which was discounted) and I hand drew and painted the falling petals. The postcards are so relevant as we often send each other cards to keep in touch throughout the year and these cards are of French descent just like my friend. Lastly I added the sentiments; “awesome” is one of our favourite words to use, I think this page truly turned out awesome too!

Here’s me and my Forever Friend celebrating the cherry blossom when we visited Chester in May 2015 – happy times!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Picked Raspberry, Shabby Shutters)
• Spectrum Aqua Artist’s Markers (Slate, Tan)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt Artist Pen (Cold Grey IV 233)
• Derwent Intense Ink Pencils (Fushia 0700, Baked Earth 1800)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Hampton Art Bella Blvd rubber cling mounted stamps (Sand and Surf IC0226)
• American Crafts DIY Shop 12×12 paper pad (366665)
• Tim Holtz Idea-ology (Crowded Attic Salvage Stickers #TH92898)
• The Works British Birds Calender 2016
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• The Range double-sided foam tape

Chaffinch

Nature often provides me with inspiration, and along with my tea-tray (yes, I did say tea-tray), this art journal page pays homage to the chaffinch and its bright spring colours.

I covered the page in assorted dictionary pages and splashed on pigments from Faber-Castell Big Brush markers and Spectrum Aqua markers. It took a while to get the intensity of colour shown. The chaffinch image came from a 2016 calendar (bought cheaply in April!) and as it’s spring themed I added nest and egg rub-on transfers. The music notes are Washi Tape and the wording for the bird call was taken from my tea-tray. Outlining and highlighting elements were done with a black Uni Pin marker to make the images pop.

Here is my tea-tray which I picked up from the local Air Ambulance charity shop. It’s a RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) design and it shows all my favourite garden birds. It makes me smile every time I use it.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Oxford University Press 1978 pocket dictionary
• Liquitex Matte Gel medium
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt pens (Sanguine 188, Cold Grey IV 233)
• Spectrum Aqua Artist’s Marker (Moss, Slate)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Ranger Archival ink  (Jet Black)
• Royal & Langnickel rub-on (Birds Nest #Roy-563)
• Hobbycraft decorative tape (Assorted Black and White)
• Dovecraft alphabet stamp set (Capital and Lower Case DCVW0050)
• The Works British Birds calendar 2016
• White tissue paper

A Happy Accident

When you are art journaling, sometimes things don’t end up the way you thought they would. This was definitely the case with this page. The background went all muddy looking because I overworked the paint (that is to say I didn’t know when to stop!) So a good solution is to white gesso everything and then start again – a happy accident!

The original background had wheels stenciled with texture paste and after I had white gesso’d it I added the squares and sentiment, then another layer of white gesso was applied. Distress inks and metallic acrylic paint were used to create a bronze and patina look. Depth in the page was achieved by adding black distress ink and outlining the stencils with a black pen. Copper leaf and gems finished the look.

The title was inspired by Bob Ross, who said “We don’t make mistakes, we have happy accidents”. I love his positive outlook and take on life. This page certainly makes me very happy and was achieved totally by accident. I love it !

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Ranger Stencil by Dina Wakley Media (Wheels)
• Creative Expressions Mask by Sam Poole (Doodle Squares)
• Ranger texture paste
• Hobbycraft Alphabet cardboard spotty stickers
• Winsor & Newton white gesso
• Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Tea Dye, Brushed Corduroy, Cracked Pistachio, Black Soot)
• Poundland metallic acrylic paint (Bronze)
• Annie Sloan water based gold size
• Copper leaf
• Poundland 504 self adhesive gems
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.1mm)

Leap Year

I took my inspiration for this page from 2016 being a leap year and I certainly didn’t want to wait for 4 years for another opportunity to come along!

This page was really fun to do, as I researched what a Leap Year really is. As you can see, I included these facts on my page. The background was created using Spectrum Aqua markers and a script stamp by Kaisercraft. I used Timeless Collection paper again by Kaisercraft and the calendar I bought discounted locally. I added my leap year facts using rub on transfers and meanings from my trusty dictionary. To finish I stenciled black stars using texture paste, added my stamped compass image and outlined elements using black and white fine line markers. I love the vintage feel (which is fast becoming my go-to style).

This is the astronomical clock in Prague, Czech Republic which I took whilst there on a winter break, Prague is so magical at Christmas time. The clock shows the current phase of the sun, moon, a calendar and which star sign we are in amongst other things. Not bad considering it dates back to 1410. While researching I discovered that the clock is stopped for one night to allow for the Leap Day.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Spectrum Aqua Artist’s Markers (Teal, Slate, Tan, Charcoal)
• Winsor & Newton white gesso
• Ranger texture paste
• Liquitex Artist Color acrylic paint (Ivory Black)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Kaisercraft clear stamp (Script KACS752)
• Kaisercraft Timeless Collection paper (Postmarks P853)
• Letraset Transfer (Helvetica Bold Condensed 5mm RDC0251)
• Winsor & Newton Matte Gel
• The Range double-sided foam tape
• Hobbycraft double-sided sticky tape
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.1mm & 0.8mm)
• Uniball Signo pen (White)
• The Works British Birds Calendar 2016
• Oxford University Press pocket dictionary
• Unknown brand star stencil