Summer

There is so much to love about summer such as hot days spent relaxing and enjoying yourself, just like the two ladies on my page. Like me, they want to join in the fun over at Art Journal Journey with Bluebeard’s and Elizabeth’s “Summertime Love” theme.

I started this page by combining navy and white acrylic paints to create a bright blue colour, then I applied this paint thickly to the page with a paint brush so you could see the brush strokes. I fussy cut the two ladies from a magazine and stuck them down using a UHU Stic once the paint had dried. Then I stamped a black border by Hampton Art using black Archival Ink and used a black Uni Pin marker to colour and outline some of the squares. On the right hand side of the page I arranged different papers by Craft Sensations which are stuck down using a UHU Stic along with some spotted paper tape. Next I added the “Summer” title and I also applied the other summer sayings and words, which are rub-on transfer sentiments by Royal & Langnickel, to the papers which I stuck down earlier. I added paper flowers by Dovecraft and decorated their centres with white felt flowers, buttons and dome enamel dots; these are stuck into place using glossy accents.  The polka dot butterfly buttons, tag and pink flowers are wooden embellishments and are stuck to the page using glossy accents; I tied black paper twine to the centre of the butterfly buttons and to the top of the tag before I stuck them down. To finish, I added a polka dot strawberry and some blue dome enamel dots.

Pimm’s is a very popular summertime drink here in the UK and as T Stands for Tuesday it must be “Pimm’s o’clock” so I’m sharing a jug of Pimm’s and saying a big hello to the T Gang – Happy T Day!

For those of you who may not be familiar with this drink, Pimm’s No. 1 is a fragrant gin-based drink which is combined with distinctive botanicals and bitter herbs, caramelized orange and delicate spices. It is mixed with lemonade and served over ice with strawberries, cucumber and mint. You may have noticed I added the word “lemonade” and also a strawberry to my page (grin!).

If you’re interested, here are some more Pimm’s related facts:

1. Pimm’s No.1 was invented and originally served at an oyster bar in London in the 1800’s to aid digestion and was a homemade concoction mixed by a Mr. Pimm.
2. The Pimm’s recipe is top secret and there are 6 different types of Pimm’s which differ only in their base alcohol e.g. gin, vodka, scotch etc.
3. It is traditionally served with chopped strawberries, cucumber and mint which you can snack on at the end of the glass of Pimm’s, well that’s if you can wait that long (grin!). It’s a good way to get your daily dose of fruit and vegetables – or ‘one of your five a day’ as we say in the UK.
4. “It’s Pimm’s o’clock” was a phrase coined by some clever marketing people to show that it’s great for sharing. Here’s one of the adverts using this catch phrase.
5. Pimm’s is often seen at Wimbledon, polo matches and the Henley Regatta and is also served at Buckingham Palace by appointment to the Queen so we’re in good company sipping this drink in the sunshine!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

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

• Liquitex Artist Color Acrylic (Navy)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (White)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.3mm)
• Hampton Art Doodlebug Design Inc. (Borders ICO160)
• Craft Sensations Design Pad (Soft Sweetness 154897)
• The Works The Craft Place (Spotted Paper Tapes)
• Old Magazine
• Royal & Langnickel Rub-on Sentiments (Summer #ROY505, Thanksgiving #ROY-522)
• Dovecraft Collections Back to Basics III (Paper Blossoms DCBL005)
• Aldi (Easter Collection Bonnet Accessories)
• Buttons from B&M Craft Goody Bag (Turquoise)
• The Works (Pastel Enamel Dots)
• Docrafts Papermania Stickers (Enamel Shapes – Denim Blue Domes PMA3560011)
• Docrafts Papermania Wooden Tags (Ahoy There  PMA355104)
• The Works (Butterfly Wooden Buttons)
• The Works (Craft Flowers)
• Wilko (Paper Twine)
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• UHU Stic

Snapdragons

Snapdragons (antirrhinums) are one of my all time favourite summer flowers and as they are in full bloom in my garden I thought I would create a page. With my love for this flower I’m pleased to be able to join in the fun with Bluebeard and Elizabeth from Altered Book Lover with her “Summertime Love” theme over at Art Journal Journey.

I started with Potter’s Clay and Rich Cocoa Memento Ink which I applied to an acrylic block, spritzed with water and painted onto the page using a paintbrush. Then I stippled the same inks through a brick design stencil and also a wood grain stencil; these designs remind me of the area in our garden where the snapdragons are flowering. Next I tore up a page, that contained information about plant biology, from a Pear’s Cyclopaedia and layered the paper pieces onto my page using a UHU Stic. Once the glue had dried, I applied Butter Cream, Watermelon and Earl Grey Faber-Castell Gelatos and edged the papers with a black Sharpie Marker, smudging all the colours with my finger. I splattered the background with black acrylic paint using a paint brush and once dry I covered the whole page with white gesso. While the gesso was drying, I used a baby wipe to remove it from the papers and some of the brick and wood grain designs allowing the writing and colours to show through. The snapdragons are from a wallpaper sample which I fussy cut and stuck to the page using Liquitex matte gel medium. Once the gel medium had dried I outlined them with a Derwent Graphik marker and added shadows using Desert and Slate Spectrum Aqua Markers. To show my love for these flowers, I used some pretty pink heart brads. I pushed them through the page and then covered the back of each brad with a piece of masking tape to prevent any damage to the next journal page. I drew a very faint green circle around each heart using a Moss Spectrum Aqua Marker and then I added splatters of the Moss and also a Chocolate Aqua marker using a paintbrush; I did this by scribbling the Aqua markers onto an acrylic block and spritzing the block with water to dilute the ink. The “snapdragon” wording is made up from some leftover Cardstock Stickers by Little Yellow Bicycle that I had in my craft stash, and as I didn’t have the full complement of letters to spell out the word, I also made some of the letters using card and Uni Posca paint pens. The antirrhinum definition is cut from my old school dictionary, it is stuck to the page using a UHU Stic and outlined with a Charcoal Grey Derwent Inktense pencil and a black Uni Posca paint pen. Next I edged a pink “Love this” sign by The Works using a black Sharpie marker and stuck it to the page using double-sided foam tape. To finish, I added some gold flower outline stickers, green pearls and green lace trim.

Here are the lovely snapdragons in our garden! These flowers are also known as “dragon flowers” and their Latin name antirrhinum means resembling an animal’s snout.

They bring back the most wonderful childhood memories of when I used to play with these flowers and make the dragon open and close its mouth by gently squeezing either side of the flower head– well in actual fact I still do this, it is such fun (grin!)

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

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

• Pébéo White Gesso
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
• Memento Ink (Potter’s Clay, Rich Cocoa)
• Faber-Castell Gelatos (Butter Cream, Watermelon, Earl Grey)
• Spectrum Aqua Artist Marker (Desert, Slate, Chocolate, Moss)
• Uni Posca Paint Pens (White, Black, Brown, Pink)
• Derwent Inktense Pencils (Charcoal Grey 2100)
• Derwent Graphik Line Marker (Black 0.05mm)
• Sharpie Fine Point Permanent Marker (Black)
• Craft Sensations (Deco Stencil Set 154892)
• The Pocket Oxford Dictionary
• Pear’s Cyclopaedia 2007-2008 Edition
• Wallpaper sample
• The Works M&C Boutique (Vintage Die Cut Shapes)
• Little Yellow Bicycle Cardstock Stickers (Fresh Verse PD-140)
• Docrafts Anita’s Outline Stickers (Flower Blossom – Gold ANT810143)
• Trimcraft Simply Creative (Adhesive Pearls SCDOT056)
• Docrafts Papermania Botanicals (Adhesive Lace Trim PMA358334)
• Brads (Hearts – Pink BRHEP1)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• UHU Stic
• The Range double-sided foam tape

Dragonflies and Stars

This page is inspired by two things; firstly by some very magical water reflections under a bridge on a recent day out in Garstang and secondly by the most wonderful quote by an unknown author on one of my friend’s posts – so thank you Kristah.

“May you touch dragonflies and stars, dance with fairies and talk to the moon”

This page started with a background gone wrong, so I covered it in a thick layer of Pébéo white gesso and I rolled a clean brayer over the surface to create a textured effect. Once the gesso had dried, I scribbled Earl Grey and Caramel Faber-Castell gelatos over the top. Then I dipped my finger into some water and rubbed the gelato to smudge the colours. Next I dragged a Hickory Smoke Distress Ink pad over the page and also used a grey Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and blended them both onto the page with my finger. I like the way the gelatos and ink bought out the texture that I had created previously with the brayer on the gesso. Then I vertically stamped the rows of dots by Craft Sensations using black Archival Ink and I used the same ink to stamp a circle/heart design by Sugarloaf Inc. and also a small script texture stamp by The Works.  I used a circle stencil to add modelling paste to the edges of the page using a palette knife and when it had dried I painted it with white acrylic paint so it stood out from the background better. Then I used an acrylic block and a paintbrush to add splatters of white and black acrylic paint. I added the white circles by drawing round a tube of tape using a white Uni Posca paint pen. For the dragonfly circles, I used a circle cutter to cut three circles from some pre-stamped paper (this is the paper I create whilst completing other journal pages as I always test my stamps before using them on my pages). On each circle I stamped a dragonfly by Eco Green Crafts using black Versafine Ink and applied black Papermania embossing powder over the top. Then I shook the excess powder onto a piece of scrap paper and tapped the circles against the table to make sure I’ve removed any stray powder. Once the excess powder was safely returned to its container, I used a heat gun to melt the embossing powder. I swept the gun over the images, taking care not to direct the heat in one area for too long until the embossing powder changed to a glossy finish becoming smooth and dimensional. I used a black Faber-Castell big brush marker to draw black circle outlines and stuck the dragonfly circles over the top using a UHU Stic. Then I drew a dot border around the edges of these circles using the white Uni Posca paint pen again. I stamped the quote using black Archival Ink and I went over the wording with a black Uni Pin pen to make it stand out more. The stars are outline stickers which I coloured with a black Sharpie permanent marker. To finish, I coloured some paper flowers using a Red Violet Spectrum Aqua marker by liberally colouring the centre of the flower and then applying water with a paintbrush so the water spread the ink across the petals giving a shaded effect and once they had dried I stuck them to the page with Glossy Accents.

I’m pleased to be able to join Rosie who is hosting the “Circles” challenge over at Art Journal Journey.

Garstang is a lovely old market town in Lancashire, here you can see the view up the high street, and the gentleman in blue is sat under the Market Cross. The town is steeped in history and there has been a market here for over 200 years and we always enjoy looking around the weekly outdoor market stalls that wind their way up the high street.

We always go to The Royal Oak Hotel for lunch, which is a 17th century coaching inn situated opposite the Market Cross in the centre of the town. The pub is made up of several small rooms which are decorated in a traditional pub style with beamed ceilings, wood panelling and stained glass, along with china and brass adorning the walls. We sat in this little room off the bar which has a very cosy feel.

As T Stands for Tuesday, I’m sharing a beer called “Pint of Thrones” by Robinsons Brewery. It’s pictured with our usual choice of prawn sandwich with chips (shrimp sandwich with fries for my friends in the US) – so yummy!

After lunch we like to walk along the Lancaster Canal and also the River Wyre. We walked about 5 miles looking at the boats and scenery.  This white bridge is the Fylde Water Board Crossing and carries a water pipe across the canal which is so pretty and quite elaborate considering its rather mundane task (grin!).

There were quite a few boats along the canal as it was a hot sunny day. There were many narrow boats and we had just walked round a corner when we saw this one coming towards us – don’t worry though, it’s not going that fast, they are limited to 4 mph. I think my hubby secretly wants a narrow boat!

Then we made our way back along the canal approaching the Cathouse Bypass Bridge and I think dragonflies may well enjoy these reeds and iris.

We love the wonderful views and countryside in this area. At the Wrye Aqueduct, which is a bridge taking the canal over a river, we turned down some steps to continue our walk along the River Wrye. This aqueduct was first used in 1797 and is still going strong today!

As we passed under the aqueduct, we saw the most amazing circular reflections on the ceiling. These are caused by a few drops of water from the canal above dripping down into the river below.

The background of my page reminds me of these walls and the wonderful circle reflections that we saw. The circles were so magical, it’s as if fairies were dancing on the water – just like Kristah’s quote!

We then followed the path alongside the River Wyre through the trees and back into town. We always have such a lovely time in Garstang, it’s a beautiful place!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

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

• Pébéo White Gesso
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (White, Black)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Hickory Smoke)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Tsukineko Versafine Ink (Onyx Black)
• Spectrum Aqua Artist Marker (Red Violet)
• Faber-Castell Gelatos (Earl Grey, Caramel)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199, Cold Grey IV 233)
• Uni Posca Paint Pen (White)
• Sharpie Permanent Fine Point Marker (Black)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.5mm)
• Papermania Embossing Powder (Black)
• Pébéo Modeling Paste
• Craft Sensations (Clear Stamps CR0274/16R2)
• Sugarloaf Inc. Anita’s wood mounted rubber stamp (26645)
• The Works (Clear Stamps CR0274/TW3)
• Eco Green Crafts Recycled Rubber Stamps (Petal Party #04309)
• Dovecraft Essentials Alphabet Stamp Set (WDN ALPHA STMP DCVW0050)
• Creative Sensations (Deco Stencil Set 154892)
• Pre-stamped paper
• The Works M&C Boutique (Mini Paper Flower Embellishments)
• Outline Stickers (Gold Stars)
• UHU Stic

Be a Flamingo

This week I’ve had loads of fun experimenting with my super new Faber-Castell Gelatos, so I thought I’d use them to create a background with one of my favourite techniques – using a stencil. Having found some flamingo fabric bunting in my craft stash, I was inspired to use the brightly coloured gelatos to create a tropical look on my page.

I started by covering the page with a thin layer of Pébéo white gesso in readiness to apply the Faber-Castell Gelatos; I’ve found out that to achieve a smooth coverage on my textured mixed media paper, then prepping the page with gesso first is a must. Next I scribbled Bubble Gum, Orange Soda, Limoncello and Mango gelatos onto my page, dipped my finger into water and then rubbed them to blend the colours. I didn’t use too much water as I wanted a heavier coverage of gelato for the next technique. I covered areas of the page with a Distressed Dot stencil by Creative Expressions and rubbed with a baby wipe to remove and lighten the colour producing a lovely effect. Next I mixed some acrylic paints into a turquoise colour and applied it using a blending tool through a Dutch Doobadoo Mask to create different circles on my page. I also used the blending tool as a stamp to add circles of the paint straight to the page. Then I stamped tiny circles, tropical flowers and a postage mark using black Archival Ink. As I stamped the images directly onto gelatos I was able to remove some of the ink from the flowers by dabbing the images with a baby wipe and then I stamped the images again, this gave more of a layered 3D look. I used the same Doobadoo mask to add a grid of dots using Black Soot Distress Ink and Pébéo Modelling paste. Once the modelling paste had dried I painted the dots with white acrylic paint to intensify their brightness. Next I added circular shiny pink flamingo stickers over each of the turquoise circles and also added some rub-on flower transfers to the page. To finish, I used a piece of fabric flamingo bunting and arranged it on the page with some card embellishments and pretty pink buttons so it looks like it is hanging on a string of bunting. The saying on the flamingo bunting makes me smile, it reads “Be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons”.

As my background features lots of circles, I’m pleased to be able to join Rosie who is hosting the “Circles” challenge over at Art Journal Journey.

With all the interest that was generated from my previous post, I thought I’d share some of the techniques I have been using with my gelatos as well as my tips and learning so far. In the photos the mixed media paper I used is prepped with white gesso and the gelato colours are Red Cherry and Passion Fruit, so firstly let’s look at some of the ways you can use gelatos:  

Scribble on paper and smudge

Just scribble gelato onto your paper (which is a nice effect in itself) and then rub it with your finger. I have found dipping my finger in a little water first then rubbing the gelato works best for me. There are several ways you can smudge gelatos and the simplest one seems to be with your finger however you can also use a paint brush or a wet wipe. As you can see from the photo above you get similar results regardless of how you smudge them and all give a heavier coverage. Although you can achieve a more translucent watercolour look or a more opaque look depending on how much pigment you use and how much water you add.

Use like Inks

As gelatos are activated by water, I experimented by using the gelatos like I do my Aqua Markers and Distress Inks. So I scribbled the gelatos onto an acrylic block (acetate would work as well) and then I spritzed them with water and pressed the block onto the paper.

Use like paint

You can also pick up the colour with a wet paint brush and paint with them so it looks similar to watercolor. I found you can even use it straight out of the tube by touching a wet paint brush right up to the gelatos. Both of these techniques resulted in a softer colour which could be intensified depending on how much pigment is used and how much water is added.

Drips and splatters

For this technique, I applied a thick layer of gelato onto the top of my paper and then I sprayed it with water and tipped the page to make drips. Although, I found that I preferred to add the water with a brush to make the drips because I could use less water and therefore control how the gelatos blended to get a more vibrant colour. I accidentally found out that you can also create splatters of colour by flicking a wet paintbrush over the end of the gelato straight from the tube (grin!).

Use a Stencil

This is the technique I used on my page, in summary just scribble gelatos onto paper and smudge the colour. Then cover with a stencil and use a baby wipe to remove the colour. The colour can be lightened to varying degrees depending on how much you rub off with the baby wipe giving a great tone on tone effect. If the surface is prepped with gesso first, you’ll be able to remove more colour getting a higher contrast effect.

Stamp with it

This is where you apply the gelato right onto the stamp, spritz with water and stamp. You can also colour areas of the stamp with different gelato colours that may blend together a bit when stamped or you can apply the gelato by picking up the colour with a wet paintbrush and painting it onto the stamp to give a softer look.

Tips and learning:

• If you want smooth coverage, then prep your paper with gesso first. I have found that it gives the mixed media paper I use a much smoother surface, which helps to smudge and blend gelatos more easily. Plus if you are using cardstock, a layer of gesso helps the paper withstand water and rubbing.
• I have even experimented prepping the page with Matte Gel Medium which gives a slicker surface and is great when misting with water to blend the gelatos and create drips.
• Remember they are water based so when using a baby wipe be careful not to wipe away the gelato accidentally.
• If you make a mistake or don’t like you what you have created on gesso prepped paper, then you can just wipe the gelato off straight away with a baby wipe and some kitchen roll and start again.
• If you contaminate a gelato by getting another gelato colour on it, simply rub it off on a piece of paper.
• Cleaning up after using gelatos is very easy as they are water-soluble, so just use a baby wipe or a wet cloth to get everything clean.
• Unfortunately (for my hubby) these gelatos are nothing to do with ice cream!

Overall, I love the look you can achieve with these new gelatos and it’s been fun experimenting and learning what they can and can’t do. I really enjoy learning and I still have more techniques to try, I hope you have had fun too!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

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

• Pébéo White Gesso
• Faber-Castell Gelatos (Bubble Gum, Orange Soda, Limoncello, Mango)
• Liquitex Artist Color Acrylic (Christmas Green, Swedish Blue)
• DecoArt Artist’s Acrylic (White)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Black Soot)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
• Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Pébéo Modelling Paste
• Hampton Art Graphic 45 Cling Mounted Rubber Stamps (Tropical Travelogue ICO134)
• Sugarloaf Inc. Anita’s wood mounted rubber stamp (26631)
• Creative Expressions That Special Touch of Mica Masks (Distressed Dots)
• Dutch Doobadoo Dutch Mask Art A5 (Geometric Tiles)
• The Range (Craft Stickers CR1243)
• Poundland (Homemade Embellishments 138127)
• Royal & Langnickel Rub-on Transfers (SYN1470G)
• Aldi Kirkton House (Bedroom Bunting)
• The Range double-sided foam tape

Fred and Ginger

This page was inspired by my friend’s silver necklace which originally belonged to her mother; she calls it “Fred & Ginge”. I thought the outline of the dancers would be perfect as a centre piece for my journal page and it would be a lovely tribute to these iconic dance partners.

As my friend’s necklace is silver, I started by applying silver metallic acrylic paint to the page with a brayer and leaving it to dry. I then added black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker ink by applying it to an acrylic block, spritzing it with water and pressing it on. Next I stamped a Script stamp by Kaisercraft using black Archival Ink. For the roses I used a stencil by Craft Sensations and Liquitex red acrylic paint which I applied using a baby wipe. To shade the rose petals and add texture I then added some Black Soot Distress Ink to the roses using a blending tool and I stippled more red paint over the top using a paint brush. I removed the stencil and added further detail to the rose outlines using a black Uni Pin marker and a white gel pen. I also applied the same Black Soot ink using a blending tool to the grey areas of the page, where there were no roses, to darken the background and emphasis the metallic paint. I flicked some water over this ink and blotted it with a piece of kitchen towel to create light coloured splatters. Then I used a Shabby Harlequin stencil by Creative Expressions and the Black Soot ink as well as a Musicality stamp by Docrafts and black Archival Ink to add more detail to the background. I took a photo of my friend’s necklace, and printed a large image to use as a template to draw around onto music paper, which I cut out, edged with the black Big Brush marker and stuck to the page using Liquitex Matte Gel Medium. Once the medium had dried I outlined the silhouettes using a black Uni Pin marker to add some shadow.  I added three silver music notes using silver brads and lots of different sized crystals to add a touch of glamour. The larger crystals were linked together on a wire thread so I cut them individually, created swirls with the wire, stuck them to the page using Glossy Accents and placed a smaller crystal on the end of the wire to give a neat finish.

I’m happy to be able to join Gill from gibbyfrogettcraftations again who is hosting the “Elegance & Grunge” challenge over at Art Journal Journey and the  “Dancer” theme over at Moo-Mania & More – Challenge.

I have always loved musicals and Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were both incredible dancers who had natural style and grace. If you are interested, here are some fun facts:

• Between 1933 and 1949, Astaire and Rogers appeared in 10 films together.
• Their first screen pairing occurred in 1933 in the musical film “Flying Down to Rio”.
• “The Barkleys of Broadway” (1949) was their only film shot in Technicolor; it was their last film and was shot after a 10 year hiatus.
• The pair had an on-screen chemistry so magical that Rogers became Astaire’s most famous dance partner.
• Their films followed a set formula where Astaire specified how many minutes could elapse between the beginning of the film and its first musical number, as well as how many minutes of comedy, romance, and drama there should be between dance numbers.

As T Stands for Tuesday, I think cocktails would be an appropriate drink for this famous duo and when “stepping out with my baby” for my birthday we enjoyed a few cocktails with our friends! Maybe you would like an Apple Caipirinha or Cosmopolitan or a bottle of Italian beer or a glass of Prosecco. I’m inviting the T Gang to join us and wishing you all a Happy T Day!

Or a Mint Julep (to make this cocktail muddle 2 parts Bourbon whiskey, 12 mint leaves and ½ dash Gomme syrup with crushed ice and top with soda) or a Citrus Rum Cooler (1½ parts Havana Club Rum, ¼ part Cointreau/orange liqueur and 4 parts orange juice shaken with ice and poured into a glass).

Or even a Big Easy (1½ parts Southern Comfort, ¼ Cointreau/orange liqueur and 2 parts orange juice shaken with ice, strained into a glass over ice and topped up with Ginger Beer). Of course if you prefer soft drinks, tea and coffee are available too. By the way all these cocktails were actually half price so we got to try a few different ones between us – cheers!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

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

• Poundland Metallic Paint (Silver)
• Liquitex Artist Color Acrylic (Cadmium Red Medium Hue/Red Lacquer)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Black Soot)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.3mm & 0.5mm)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• Docrafts Papermania Creative Essentials A5 Clear Stamp Set (Musicality DCE907112)
• Kaisercraft clear stamp (Script CS752)
• Craft Sensations (Deco Stencil Set 154892)
• Creative Expressions Mini Stencil (Shabby Harlequin CEMSHARL)
• Music of All Nations Sheet Music
• The Works (Musical Note Charms)
• The Works (Jewel Stickers)
• Home Bargains Special Occasions (Decorative Chain 26253, Decorative Stickers 22740)
• Small silver brads
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium

Bloom where you are planted

In May we always start planning our bedding plants for the pots and containers in our garden. I’m always excited to visit the plant nursery to select our plants and then plant them up, and we really enjoy watching the flowers bloom over the summer months, hence my page “Bloom where you are planted”.

To start the earthy background I applied Cracked Pistachio, Twisted Citron, Blueprint Sketch and Tea Dye ink from Distress Ink pads directly to the page, and then added water using a paint brush so the ink mixed and blended together. I stamped a Sketchy stamp by Kaisercraft using Potter’s Clay Memento Ink and black Archival Ink. Once the inks had dried I first painted Parchment acrylic paint and then white gesso using my finger to push some of the brighter colours back. Next I added some Mowed Lawn Distress Ink, again by blotting the ink pad onto the page and adding water with a paintbrush and I stenciled a honeycomb pattern by Craft Sensations using Rich Cocoa Memento Ink. Then I splattered and dripped grey and black Faber-Castell Big Brush markers; I did this by scribbling the marker onto an acrylic block, adding water and then dripping it onto the page. I also used Sanguine and Dark Sepia Big Brush markers to edge the page, smearing the ink with my finger and then I stamped the Sketchy stamp again using the Dark Sepia marker. To create the list of plants that we had bought at the plant nursery, I used a sheet from my “To do list” pad and then I stamped the plant names using black Archival Ink and added the ticks (check-marks) using a black UniPin marker. Next I distressed the edges using a pair of scissors, edged it and splattered it with the grey Big Brush Marker and stuck it to the page using a UHU Stic and washi tape at the corners. I added the rub-on transfer flower pot images and also the sentiment which I think links nicely with the theme. I also added the other wording which signifies that we start planting our bedding plants in May, ready to enjoy them flowering during June, July and August. To finish I added some paper flower embellishments in various colours that match the colours we have chosen for our containers this year.

As I created a grungy feel to my page I’m joining Gill from gibbyfrogettcraftations who is hosting the “Elegance & Grunge” challenge over at Art Journal Journey.

We decided to try a new plant nursery that was recommended to us and we were amazed by the large plant selection on offer, the quality of the plants and the very reasonable prices. The nursery sold both annuals and perennials but as there were three huge greenhouses of annuals alone, we only looked round these to make our selections for our containers and pots. The plants were fantastic and we will definitely be going back again to look around some more.

On our way back home from the plant nursery we passed a little village called Great Eccleston that has the most wonderful bakery, so we called in, well it would be rude not too (grin!).

There is lots of choice here with home baked breads, cakes, pies and a delicatessen counter. Needless to say we stocked up on quite a few treats.

The breads are amazing, especially the Spelt and Honey bread! As you can see by the empty shelves, their bread is really popular and it was only mid-morning. I like that the staff wear a traditional straw boater and a modern apron.

Their cakes are delicious too, so we bought a cream filled meringue for me and a black forest gateau for my hubby. The portions were huge (that’s a normal tea plate they are served on) so we only ate half each which meant we had two days of treats – yum! We enjoyed them at home with of usual cup of green tea and as T stands for Tuesday I’m saying a big hello to the T Gang – Happy T Day my friends!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

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

• Pébéo White Gesso
• Liquitex Artist Color Acrylic (Parchment)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (White)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Cracked Pistachio, Twisted Citron, Blueprint Sketch, Tea Dye, Mowed Lawn)
• Memento Ink (Potter’s Clay, Rich Cocoa)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199, Cold Grey IV 233, Sanguine 188 B, Dark Sepia 175 B)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.5mm)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• Kaisercraft clear stamp (Sketchy CS878)
• Dovecraft Alphabet Stamp Set (WDN ALPHA STMP DCVW0050)
• Craft Sensations (Deco Stencil Set 154892)
• “Things to do … People to see” pad
• Royal & Langnickel Rub-on Sentiments (Summer #ROY-505 Rub-on, Spring #ROY506 Rub-on, Spring is coming #CUR-666 Rub-on)
• The Works Washi Tape (Enjoy the Ride)
• Poundland (Accessories Pack 60911)
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• UHU Stic

Lilacs

With the lilacs in full bloom I’m reminded of friends, which makes me smile! They seem to be flowering earlier this year and many gardens around here have them. They remind me of one of my friends in particular who lives in Maine, America and just loves lilacs!

To start, around the edges of the page I applied Potter’s Clay Memento Ink by dabbing the ink pad directly onto my page. Then I used a small brayer by Ranger to apply Liquitex Parchment acrylic paint and then white DecoArt acrylic paint; I didn’t wait for the paint to dry between applications as I wanted to play around and create some texture. Once dry, I stamped a Script stamp by Kaisercraft using London Fog and Potter’s Clay Memento Ink. Then I stenciled a Shabby Harlequin pattern by Creative Expressions using Rich Cocoa Memento Ink. To create the lilacs, I stamped the images with a stamp designed by Tina Higgins using coloured Memento Inks then overlaid the image again with black Archival Ink. I added more colour to the petals, stem and leaves using Spectrum Aqua markers and a white Uniball gel pen. I found an old and crumpled airmail envelope in my hubby’s stamp collection that he had kindly given to me for my art journaling, which I tore, edged with Sanguine Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and stuck to the page using a UHU Stic. This reminded me of my friend in Maine because although we often Skype we like to send each other cards and notelets in the post throughout the year too.  To continue the postage theme, I stamped some postage marks and small script on the page using black Archival Ink and found a blank white postcard in my craft stash and added the sentiment which is a rub-on transfer by Royal & Langnickel. I thought this sentiment was so appropriate considering that the lilacs remind me of my friend. I tore the edges of the postcard, stained it with Distress Inks using a blending tool and edged it with the Sanguine marker. Then I added a United States postage stamp and stuck the postcard over the envelope using double-sided tape and a green paperclip; I like the grungy feel this created. I edged the page with the Sanguine marker using my finger to smudge the ink and to finish I added two butterfly stickers and the “lilac” wording.

I’m really pleased to be able to join Gill from gibbyfrogettcraftations again who is hosting the “Elegance & Grunge” challenge over at Art Journal Journey.

There are some wonderful displays of lilacs around our neighbourhood.

These are the deep purple lilacs that inspired my page, aren’t they just gorgeous and they have a lovely sweet fragrance too!

This lilac is so pretty with its paler delicate blossoms. If you are interested, here are some fun facts about lilacs:

• Lilacs belong to the olive family, Oleaceae.
• There are more than 1,000 varieties of lilac bushes and trees.
• Lilacs only flower for about three to six weeks in the spring.
• In the language of flowers, purple lilacs are the symbol of first love.
• Purple lilacs are most fragrant on a warm sunny day.
• The flowers are good for cutting and attractive to butterflies.
• Lilac blossoms are edible (I didn’t know this – did you?).

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

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

• Liquitex Artist Color Acrylic (Parchment)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (White)
• Memento Ink (Potter’s Clay, London Fog, Lilac Posies, Grape Jelly, Pistachio, Rich Cocoa)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Ground Espresso, Tea Dye)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Spectrum Aqua Artist Marker (Red Violet, Magenta, Purple, Wildflower, Moss, Bud Green, Chocolate)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Sanguine 188 B)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• Docrafts Papermanina Tina Higgins wooden stamp (Lilac PMA9061108)
• Kaisercraft clear stamp (Script CS752)
• Creative Expressions Mini Stencils (Shabby Harlequin CEMSHARL)
• The Works (Clear Stamps CR0274/TW3)
• Airmail envelope
• Lion Brand Postcard
• Postage Stamp (United States)
• Royal & Langnickel Rub-on Sentiments (Spring #ROY506 Rub-on)
• Home Bargains (Beautiful Butterflies 22742)
• Green paperclip
• UHU Stic
• The Range double-sided tape