Miss You

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Let's Art Journal

Today’s page was created in memory of my dearest friend; I found myself thinking of her as it was her birthday this week. She passed away two year’s ago after battling ovarian cancer, she was a shining light and I miss her very much!

I started by painting some gold metallic paint over the background and then I stamped a Serpentine stamp from Art Impressions using the same paint and some Black Soot Distress Ink. I recycled one of the papers that I had tested inks and stamps on; this time the paper had black and gold stamping on it so I cut it into pieces and stuck them into place using a glue stick.

I edged paper pieces and also the page using a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker smudging the ink with my finger which was fun. All the different words were added using rub-on transfers and I arranged some gold sparkly flower and circle Glitterations stickers which added some lovely texture and finished the page.

Thinking of my dear friend bought back so many happy memories; here she is, on the far left, the year before she passed when we were celebrating our friend’s wedding (grin!).

Hope that you’re all staying safe and well! x

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

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

Poundland Metallic Acrylic Paint (Gold)
Art Impressions Wood Mounted Stamp (Serpentine Background T2773)
Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Black Soot)
Old paper pieces with gold and black stamping
Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
UHU Stic
Royal & Langnickel Rub-on Transfers (Spring Sentiments #ROY506, Motivate Sentiments #ROY510)
Tim Holtz idea-ology Remnant Rubs (Tiny Text #TH93695)
Docrafts Papermania Glitterations (Gold Flowers ANT8181020, Gold Circle Frames ANT8181028)

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the lovely Valerie over at Art Journal Journey and her Heavy Metal challenge this month with the gold elements on this page.

I’m joining the LTSCB #142 – Love is … remembering dearest friends so I’m joining the Love To Scrap Challenge Blog with my Miss You art journal page.

I’m also joining Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Add Some Texture challenge with the texture from stamping the acrylic paint and Glitterations stickers.

I’m also pleased to join the Favourite Technique challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, as collage and edging the paper pieces by smudging ink with my finger are some of my favourite techniques.

I’m happy to join Paperbabe Stamps and their #138 – Anything Goes challenge with my art journal page too.

Grateful Heart

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Let's Art Journal

I had fun creating some texture on my art journal page using stamping, doodles, buttons, paints and decorative tape so I’m joining the Texture challenge that I’m guest hosting this month over at Art Journal Journey; it would be lovely to see you there!

I started by covering the page with Swedish Blue Liquitex and white acrylic paints using a baby wipe. When dry I stamped London Fog Memento Ink using a 4-point star background stamp and a Serpentine background stamp from Art Impressions. I also stamped black Archival Ink using a Script stamp from Kaisercraft and a homemade grid stamp which I created by sticking drywall/plasterboard tape onto a block of wood. I then stamped the edges of the page with circles using tubes/lids on my craft desk and some white acrylic paint. The two lovebirds on the branch are stamped using Onyx Black Versafine Ink.

I had fun doodling the lines cascading down the page and the large heart using a white Uniball gel pen and black Uni Pin marker and then used lots of recycled buttons to add further texture using Ranger Glossy Accents to stick them in place. The cream, blue and lilac hearts were cut from some adhesive-backed papers using a couple of paper punches; the hearts were stuck in place, outlined and I also doodled around them. I added some black Decorative Border Tape to the edges of the page and emphasised the pattern and texture by applying some Coconut Faber-Castell Gelato. Next I applied some Coconut, Fig and Metallic Blueberry Faber-Castell Gelatos to the background scribbling them vertically onto the page and then smudging the colours with my finger.

I stamped another layer of the white paint circles over the top and then I splattered the page with both black and white acrylic paint. To finish, I added three Tim Holtz stickers which read “follow your heart”, “be in love with your life” and “start each day with a grateful heart”.

As T Stands for Tuesday, I’m sharing a cup on green tea in a pretty mug that matches my page with its blue colour, heart design and gingham texture (grin!). Wishing you all a very Happy T day!

I hope that you are staying safe and well!

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

Challenges

I’m joining in the Oodles Of Doodles challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge it was fun adding lots of doodles as part of my design.

I’m pleased to join the Stamp It! challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with all the stamping on my page.

I’m so happy to join the Birds challenge over at the The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog with the pretty lovebirds on my page.

I’m also pleased to join the #127 – Picture Inspiration challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with the Classic Blue hearts and buttons on my page.

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

Liquitex Acrylic Color (Swedish Blue)
Art Discount Acrylic (White)
Tsukineko Memento Ink (London Fog)
Art Impressions (4-Point Star Background G2963, Serpentine Background T-2773)
Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
Kaisercraft Clear Stamps (Script CS752)
Homemade wood mounted drywall/plasterboard tape stamp
Circular tube and lid
Dovecraft Clear Stamp ( DCCS014 – Birds)
Tsukineko Versafine Ink (Onyx Black)
Uniball Signo Gel Pen (White)
Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.1mm, 0.5mm)
Tonic Studios Paper Punch Accent (Classic Heart 858E, Hearts Sider 830E)
Adhesive-backed Paper (Cream, Blue, Lilac)
Recycled assorted buttons
Ranger Glossy Accents
Poundland (Decorative Border Tape – Black)
Faber-Castell Gelato (Coconut, Fig, Metallic Blueberry)
DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
Tim Holtz idea-ology Stickers (Small Talk #TH93193)

Past birthday celebrations at Zen

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Let's Art Journal

I have happy memories of past birthdays, spending time with friends at the Zen Restaurant. We like to go each year but with everything going on, we stayed at home this year so I decided to create this page to celebrate instead (grin!).

I started by applying some gold metallic paint to the background using a brayer and then stamping the same gold paint using a Serpentine background stamp from Art Impressions. Then I stamped some pretty fish using an Oriental Zen stamp set from Paperbabes Stamps and Toffee Crunch Memento Ink. Next I added some stickers and the business card from the restaurant, then the orchids which are napkins which I stuck in place using a very thin layer of Liquitex Matte Gel. The lanterns, dragon statue and tea pot are fussy cut from some old magazines and stuck in place using a glue stick. Then to finish, I added some gold glitter enamel dots.

The Zen Restaurant specialises in Thai and Chinese cuisine, and the interior of the restaurant is beautifully decorated with lanterns and the napkin rings are orchids which I included as part of my page design.

The gold, swirls and fish on this lovely painting at the restaurant also inspired my page design.

The food is delicious and I always have the Salt & Pepper Squid starter.

This is Sizzling King Prawns with Ginger and Spring Onions with jasmine rice.

As T Stands for Tuesday, I’m also sharing this fabulous teapot with a dragon design containing Chinese tea, isn’t it beautiful – Happy T day!

Hoping that you all stay safe and well! x

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

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

I’m happy to join the lovely Valerie from Bastelmania over at Art Journal Journey and her Geometric Shapes challenge this month with the rectangles and dots on this page.

I’m pleased to join in the Animal Magic challenge over at Country View Challenges with the fish and magical dragon on this page.

I’m pleased to be able to join the Birthdays challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with my birthday celebration page too.

I’m also joining in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Happy Birthday! challenge too as I created this page to celebrate my birthday – Happy Birthday to SSSWC too!

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

Poundland Metallic Acylic Paint (Gold)
Art Impressions Wood Mounted Rubber Stamp (Serpentine Background T2773)
Tsukineko Memento Ink (Toffee Crunch)
Paperbabe Stamps (Oriental Zen Stamp Set)
Orchid napkin
Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
Penny Black Stickeroos (Unfolding #10-160)
Business Card – Zen Restaurant
X-Press It! double-sided tape
Old Magazines
Pritt Stick
Dovecraft Premium (Glitter Enamel Dots DCDOT036X18)

Boys & Girls

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Let's Art Journal

We would love you to join our new challenge over at Try it on Tuesday for the next two weeks – Boys and Girls/Children.

I had fun creating a journal page with dictionary pages from my school days, primary coloured paints, some boys and girls’ vinyl stickers and the word “happy” – I hope you like it!

I started by randomly adding pieces of dictionary pages leftover from previous projects onto the background using Liquitex matte gel medium. Once dry, I added some stripes of yellow, red and blue watercolour paint. Then I used a baby wipe and a trellis stencil to pick up and move the paint around the page and left it to dry. I stamped “Happy” and also some flowers using black Archival Ink, separating the page into sections so I could add the white vinyl stickers of the boys and girls. I outlined each of the stickers, which took some time, with a black marker pen and added detail to the stamping using a white Uni Posca paint pen. To finish, I added the border using the white pen and a black Sharpie permanent marker.

For more inspiration please pop over to our blog and check out the amazing creations from my Design Teamies!

Quite often it’s the small things that make me happy, like this bacon butty which I was treated to last week when I was out with my mum and it was so yummy (grin!). As T Stands for Tuesday my photo also includes my mum’s cappuccino – Happy T Day everyone!

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs, like Try it on Tuesday, as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

I’m pleased to join the lovely Erika aka BioArtGal and her Polka-Dots, Stripes, Plaids and Patterns challenge over at Art Journal Journey with the trellis pattern on my page.

I’m joining the Numbers and/or Letters challenge over at Moo Mania & More with my page.

I’m pleased to join in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Anything Goes challenge 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:

Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colours (Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue, Ultramarine)
Rowney Georgian Water Colour (Crimson)
Creative Expressions Mini Stencils (Ornate Trellis CEMSTRELLIS)
Art Impressions wood mounted rubber stamp (Happy)
Great Impressions wood mounted rubber stamp (Flower Sketch Board F327)
Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
Craftime Designer Vinyls (Boy & Girl B/W PBDV02)
Handwriting Marker Pen (Black)
Uni Posca Paint Pen (White)
Sharpie Permanent Marker Pen (Black)

I love us

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Let's Art Journal

I feel very blessed to have married my soulmate and to have spent many happy and fulfilling years together so with Valentine’s fast approaching I created this page for my dear hubby to say “I love us” (grin!).

I started by adding some pieces of old dictionary pages using Liquitex Matte Gel Medium, then I coloured the background using some Cadmium Yellow Liquitex Acyclic paint and some Pébéo white gesso. When the paint was dry, I stencilled a lattice pattern using some Scattered Straw Distress Ink and a blending tool. Then I used the stencil to stamp the lattice pattern using Ground Espresso Distress Ink and also applied some DecoArt white acrylic paint with a sponge through the same stencil. I die cut some wildflowers from paper by Tim Holtz using a Tim Holtz thinlet set with my Big Shot machine and stuck them to the page using Liquitex matte gel medium. When the gel medium was dry I outlined them with a black Uni Pin Fine Line marker so they stood out more and then I stuck three pieces of pretty green lace vertically onto the page.

For the heart, I used a wooden heart tag which I covered in Emboss ink and Chunky Silver Stampendous Frantage embossing enamel. I used a heat gun to melt the embossing enamel to a smooth glossy finish and before the enamel had cooled fully, I imprinted it using a Serpentine Background stamp; being careful not to touch the enamel with my fingers as it gets super hot. I also covered the word “Love” which is a wooden embellishment with the same embossing enamel using the Emboss ink.

I tied a piece of green ribbon to the heart tag and arranged it with the “love” embellishment onto the page using Ranger Glossy Accents along with a vintage Tim Holtz Pocket card, a white doily and a metal decorative embellishment. To finish, I added two Tim Holtz Small Talk stickers which are outlined using a black Derwent marker; they say “I’m happiest when I’m with you” and “I love us”.

Me and my hubby are thankful for every day and always enjoy the time we have together, whether we are at home …

… making discoveries on our walks, like this pretty yellow sunflower that magically appeared on the beach front which is just around the corner from our house …

… or out and about like at this local beer festival (grin!).

Challenges

I’m pleased to be able to join the lovely Rike from rike’s art and her The Colour Yellow challenge over at Art Journal Journey with my appropriately coloured art journal page.

As this page captures love and romance, I’m joining the Love is in the Air challenge over at Moo Mania & More.

I’m happy to join the Your Hearts Desire challenge over at A Vintage Journey as I was inspired to create this romantic Mixed Media Style page for my hubby which includes hearts.

I’m also pleased to join the Anything Goes challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with my romantic art journal page.

Don’t forget that you still have plenty of time to join our Romance challenge at Try it on Tuesday 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:

Liquitex Artist Color Acrylic (Cadmium Yellow Medium)
Pébéo White Gesso
Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Scattered Straw, Ground Espresso)
DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (White)
Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.05mm)
Tsukineko Emboss Embossing Stamp Pad (Clear)
Stampendous Frantage Embossing Enamel (Chunky Silver)
Creative Expressions That Special Touch of Mica Masks (Moroccan)
Sizzix Thinlets Tim Holtz Alterations (Wildflowers 661190)
Art Impressions wood mounted rubber stamp (Serpentine Background T-2773)
The Pocket Oxford Dictionary
Tim Holtz idea-ology Paper Stash (Halloween #TH93712)
Tim Holtz idea-ology (Pocket Cards #TH93208)
Dovecrafts Premium Paper Doilies (Painted Blooms DCDLS010)
Docrafts Papermania Adhesive Lace Trim (Botanicals PMA358334)
The Works (Chalkboard Tags, 5 Embellishments, Wooden Craft Words)
Thin Satin Ribbon (Green)
Tim Holtz idea-ology Stickers (Small Talk #TH93193)
Ranger Glossy Accents
Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
UHU Stic
Stix2 double-sided tape

You melt my heart

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Let's Art Journal

I created this page with my hubby in mind, as we are celebrating our 30^th Wedding Anniversary in a few days (grin!). The colours I used were also inspired by the turquoise pools and glazier photos of the Austrian Mountains over at Apple Apricot, I love these colours and had fun creating this page.

I started by stamping a Script stamp from Kaisercraft onto the page using black Archival Ink. Then I applied Emboss ink using a blending tool through a heart stencil from Creative Expressions and covered it with white Stampendous embossing powder. I shook off the excess powder onto a piece of scrap paper and also tapped the page to make sure any stray powder was removed and then I used a heat gun to gently melt the embossing powder until it became glossy and dimensional. I repeated this process for all the embossing powder and enamel which included: a crackle stamp from BoBunny which I stamped using the Emboss ink and covered with white Stampendous embossing powder; a Serpentine Background stamp from Art Impressions using Emboss ink and Chunky Silver Stampendous Frantage embossing enamel; and stamping the Emboss ink pad directly to the edges of the page then adding the Chunky Silver embossing enamel. I also sprinkled some of the enamel pieces onto the page and heated it from a height to stop it blowing away until it adhered to the page, and then I moved my heat gun closer to melt it fully. With the background heat embossing finished, I applied some Cracked Pistachio Distress Stain and left it to dry. Then I added some white gesso using my finger and when dry I applied more of the Cracked Pistachio Distress Stain and also some diluted Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink using a paintbrush to layer and blend the colours together; the gesso gave the ink colours more of a chalky look which I was after.

For the heart, I used a wooden heart tag which I covered in Emboss ink and the Chunky Silver Stampendous Frantage embossing enamel. I used a heat gun to melt the embossing enamel to a smooth glossy finish and before the enamel had cooled fully, I imprinted it using the Serpentine Background stamp again, being careful not to touch the enamel with my fingers as it gets super hot. I also covered a metal key embellishment with the same embossing enamel using the Emboss ink. They are all stuck in place using Ranger Glossy Accents.

For the dragonfly “love…” trails, I stamped some white tissue paper with a stamp from Craft Sensations using the black Archival Ink and covered it with black Papermania embossing powder. I was careful with the heat gun as the embossing powder melted very quickly due to it being on tissue paper. I repeated this process for the “You melt my heart” which is from a BoBunny stamp set. They are all fussy cut from the tissue paper and stuck in place using a UHU Stic. Then I attached the dragonfly brads and also some black round brads by pushing them through the page and fastening them into place; I also covered the back of the brads with masking tape to protect my next journal page. To finish, I splattered the page with Cracked Pistachio Distress Stain, some diluted Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink and also black DecoArt acrylic paint using a paintbrush.

Here’s me and my hubby, it’s been a wonderful 30 years and he has always and will forever “melt my heart” (grin!).

If I remember correctly we won’t be the only ones celebrating our 30^th Wedding Anniversary in October so will Erika and her hubby – Happy Anniversary!

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the lovely Linda, who is hosting Creature Comforts challenge over at Art Journal Journey with my art journal page as to love and be loved brings me comfort.

I had fun creating this page with all the different inks and stains so I’m joining the Inktober challenge over at The Artistic Stamper too.

With the quote and all the stamping I used to create this page, I’m also joining Fashionable Stamping Challenges and their Quote Away challenge.

I’m also pleased to join Topic 17 Colour Challenge is A Box of Eggs over at PaperArtsy with the blue and green pastel shades that I used for this page.

Over at Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday the challenge is Celebrating Stamping & STAMPtember®! so I’m pleased to join them too.

I’m also pleased to join the September Link Party #44 – Anything Goes over at Cropstop Blog with my page as I included some products from companies that they carry in their store.

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:

Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
Tsukineko Emboss Embossing Stamp Pad (Clear)
Tim Holtz Distress Stain (Cracked Pistachio)
Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Mermaid Lagoon)
Stampendous Embossing Powder (Detail White Opaque)
Stampendous Frantage embossing enamel (Chunky Silver)
Papermania Embossing Powder (Black PMA4021006)
Kaisercraft clear stamp (Script CS752)
Creative Expressions Mini Stencil (Heart Cluster CEMSHEART)
BoBunny Stamps (Rough it up #12105155, Snow Day #13705563)
Art Impressions wood mounted rubber stamp (Serpentine Background T-2773)
Craft Sensations (Clear Stamps CRO274/16R1)
White tissue paper
The Works (Chalkboard Tags)
The Range (Key Embellishments CRO954)
Brads (Dragonflies – Black, Round – Black)
Ranger Glossy Accents
UHU Stic

Doodled Flowers

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Let's Art Journal

This page has been painted on the cardboard cover of my finished art journal book. I wanted to get creative with some new paints and just doodle a little; to be honest it started as a fun experiment as I don’t usually paint or doodle that much (grin!). I liked the way my page turned out so I thought I’d share it with you today.

I started by applying a dark grey acrylic paint onto the thick cardboard cover; I had intended to make a dark purple paint for another project but I added way too much dark blue so rather than waste this paint I covered this page with it. I also had some orange paint left over from the same project which I splattered using a paintbrush over the top. Next I doodled some large flower shapes using a white Uniball gel pen and coloured them using Vivid Lime Green, Neutral Gray and Bright Aqua Green Liquitex acrylic paints. It’s the first time I have used these paints which were a gift and as they are “heavy body” paints the flowers painted have a lovely 3D look which I love! I also added some of the different paint colours along the edges of the flower petals and in centre of the flowers. Then I used up any excess paint on the background of the page to break up the dark grey so that hints of these colours can be seen throughout the background. Next I used my brayer to apply white DecoArt acrylic paint to a diamond background stamp from Art Impressions and stamped it around the flowers. I also used the brayer to add white acrylic paint along the edge of the page too. I then cleaned the brayer and stamp and used them again to apply the Vivid Lime Green Liquitex acrylic paint onto the flower petals. When the paint was dry I doodled on the flowers with a black Derwent Graphik marker, defining the flower petals and stamens and I used the white gel pen to touch up the flower outlines and also a white Uni Posca paint pen to colour the stamens in the centre. To finish, I added three stickers by Kaisercraft which reminded of the happy time I had creating this page, which read “Smile”, “Create happiness” and “Live in the moment”.

Talking of flowers, these pretty Delphinium could be found flowering in our garden this time last year, unfortunately they did not survive our unusually cold snowy winter. Luckily I have some photos to remember how beautiful they were which makes me smile!

Of course you may remember these flowers from a previous post, they are my one of my favourite flowers called Mesembryanthemum which is a really hard one to pronounce, so I just refer to them as “pretties”; you may also know then as Livingston Daisies. I buy them every year and this year we have a big pot of them on our patio, so I’m really looking forward to seeing them flower as I’m sat relaxing in the garden (grin!).

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the lovely Gill from gibbyfrogettcraftations who is hosting the Inspired by … challenge over at Art Journal Journey as my inspiration for this page was to have some fun experimenting with new paints and doodling.

I’m pleased to be able to join Paperbabe Stamps and their Doodles challenge: thanks I had so much fun doodling to join your challenge (grin!).

I’m joining Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their All Things Bright and Beautiful challenge with my colourful flower art journal page, where the lovely Chris is in the Designer Spotlight this month and created an amazing little book of flowers to inspire us for this particular challenge.

I’m also pleased to be able to join the Written Word (add some text in some form) challenge over at Country View Challenges with the happy wording I added to my page.

I’m also joining the Colour it Blue challenge over at The Artistic Stamper with my painted blue flowers.

As I created my Doodled Flowers on my art journal cover, I’m also pleased to join the lovely Lulu over at Stamps and Stencils and their Do judge a book by its cover! challenge.

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:

Leftover acrylic paint from previous project (Dark Grey, Orange)
Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic (Vivid Lime Green, Neutral Gray 5, Bright Aqua Green)
DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (White)
Derwent Graphik Line marker (Black 0.5mm)
Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
Uni Posca Paint Pen (White)
Art Impressions wood mounted rubber stamp (Diamond Background T-3335)
Ranger Brayer
Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet (Fly Free SS289)

Flora and Fauna

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Let's Art Journal

I am so delighted to be hosting Art Journal Journey this month and my challenge is

Flora and Fauna

For this challenge Flora refers to plant life and Fauna to the animal kingdom. In nature, flora and fauna compliment each other, so it’s up to you to decide whether you include only plants, animals or combine the two together.

I started by selecting stamps of plant life and animals from my craft stash; for Flora I chose a tree, some different flowers, leaves and fruit and then for Fauna I chose a bird, some insects including a bee, butterflies and a dragonfly, a hedgehog and some paw prints. I stamped my flora stamps onto white tissue paper and my fauna stamps onto brown tissue paper using black Archival Ink which I used for all of the stamping on this page. Well that’s what I thought anyway, but as you can see this is correct for all except the bee, I think he must be flying onto the white flora tissue paper to find the flowers (grin!). Then I ripped the edges of the tissue paper and stuck them onto the page using Liquitex Matte Gel Medium along with some gold star tissue paper and homemade papers which I made sometime ago using brown tissue paper and a Script stamp and also white tissue paper and a Sheet Music stamp. Once the gel medium was dry, I also stamped the corresponding wording “Flora” or “Fauna” directly onto the page alongside each stamped image and edged them using Willow and Ink Black Derwent Inktense pencils and a black Derwent Graphik marker. Then I added two different brown washi tapes, the thicker one depicts a flower, butterfly, bird and squirrel to tie into the theme and they are all edged with the Willow and Ink Black Derwent Inktense pencils. Next I arranged some wooden tiles for the “Flora” and “Fauna” wording and also some colourful postage stamps from my hubby’s childhood collection which portray different flora and fauna. The postage stamps are stuck to the page using a UHU Stic and as you can see I kept the flora ones at the top of the page and the fauna ones at the bottom to correspond with the tile wording that I had added. To finish, I stamped different words onto white tissue paper and stuck them onto the page using UHU Stic; they detail types of flora and fauna:

as flora refers to plant life the words I added included flower, fruit, tree, leaf, fungi
as fauna refers to the animal kingdom I included the words bird, reptile, fish, amphibian, insect, mammal.

I hope that this art journal page provides you with some ideas for your designs and that you are inspired by this month’s Flora and Fauna theme over at Art Journal Journey too. I am really looking forward to visiting you and seeing all your wonderful creations!

As some of you know, my art journal pages are inspired by things I see and do and I often share photographs along with my journal page to illustrate this. So I thought I would share a couple of different Flora and Fauna collages using photographs that have featured on my blog over the last couple of years – I hope you like them! This first one reminds me of springtime as most of the photos were taken this time of year.

This one reminds me of summer walks and happy discoveries!

If you are looking for my post featuring the new challenge over at Try it on Tuesday or T Stands for Tuesday, please click here.

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs, like Art Journal Journey, as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

With the page focusing on stamping and animals, I’m pleased to be able to join Fashionable Stamping Challenges and their Animals challenge.

I’m also joining the Anything Goes challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.

With the collaged tissue background and all the stamping on this page, I’m also pleased to join the creative challenge over at The Artistic Stamper where the theme is Backgrounds.

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:

Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
Derwent Inktense Pencils (Willow 1900, Ink Black 2200)
Derwent Graphik Line Marker (Black 0.05mm)
Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Sanguine 188 B)
Hampton Art Graphic 45 cling mounted rubber stamps (Tropical Travelogue ICO133)
Hampton Art Bella Blvd cling mounted rubber stamps (Sand & Surf ICO226)
Hampton Art 7 Gypsies cling mounted rubber stamps (Birdsong ICO135)
Art Impressions wood mounted rubber stamp (Tree P-1398, 4 Point Star Background G2983)
Papermania wood mounted rubber stamp (Daffodil Tile 39454)
Magenta wood mounted rubber stamp (Flowers & Dots 2111D)
Royal & Langnickel Clear Choice Stamps (Pressed Leaves MIN-CCS102)
Hampton Art wood mounted rubber stamp (Cherry Background KN2466)
Eco Green Recycled Rubber Art Stamps (Petal Party #04309)
Free Stamp Set with Craft Beautiful Magazine (Winter Wonderland)
Stampendous wood mounted rubber stamp (Tiny Paw AA017)
Sugarloaf Inc. wood mounted rubber stamp (26551)
Kaisercraft clear stamp (Script CS752)
Woodware Craft Collection Clear Magic Singles (Sheet Music JGS111)
Dovecraft Essentials Alphabet Stamp Set (WDN ALPHA STMP DCVW0050)
Tissue Paper (White, Brown)
Postage Stamps from my hubby’s childhood collection (Ghana, Rhodesia, Trinidad & Tobago, South Africa, Bulgaria, Ceylon, Australia, Hungary, Romania, Dominica, Kenya)
Crelando (Decorative Tape)
The Works (Wooden Alphabet Tiles)
Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
UHU Stic

Spring

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Let's Art Journal

To celebrate spring and the lovely sunshine and warmer temperatures we are having this weekend I created this Spring page.

I started by covering the page with a white and green flower design decoupage paper using Liquitex Matte Gel Medium. Then I applied some Bud Green and Moss Spectrum Aqua Marker by scribbling them onto an acrylic block, spritzing with water and pressing the block onto the page. Next I used a honeycomb stencil to create lots of depth by layering different coloured Distress Inks and gesso; firstly I used the stencil to add Mowed Lawn and Hickory Smoke Distress Ink using a blending tool, then some Pébéo high density white gesso using a sponge and also a palette knife, and when the gesso had dried I added some Twisted Citron Distress Ink using a blending tool. I hand drew the letters onto some pink/peach design paper, fussy cut them out, coloured them with Blossom, Begonia and Jasmine Spectrum Aqua Markers and applied some white gesso with my finger to mute the colours a little. I created a tree by using a tree stamp onto some brown patterned paper using black Archival Ink, cutting it out and colouring it with Boulder and Desert Spectrum Aqua Markers. It is stuck into place, like the letters, using Liquitex Matte Gel Medium and they are all outlined with a black Derwent Graphik marker once the gel medium was dry. I also die cut some leaves using Garden Greens Sizzix Thinlets by Tim Holtz and my Big Shot machine. They are coloured with the Bud Green and Moss Spectrum Aqua Markers and stuck in place using a Zig Memory System glue pen along with some tiny sequin flowers to add some bling; they are stuck in place using Glossy Accents. For the larger blossoms I stamped the flowers onto some of the pink/peach design paper. They are coloured with the Blossom, Begonia and Jasmine Spectrum Aqua Markers, cut out and stuck onto the page using a UHU Stic. I also applied some white gesso to mute the colour a little and added details with a black Derwent Graphik marker. I stuck some of the blossoms to the letters too, along with some of the green die cut leaves and the little sequin flowers. The birds are stamped onto tissue paper so I could reverse one of the images and then stuck onto some of the pink/peach design paper. They are coloured with Desert and Chestnut Spectrum Aqua Markers and stuck to the page using a UHU Stic. To finish, I added some of the sequin flowers to the background to add more sparkle.

We often go to Cumbria or the Lake District this time of year (for my birthday which is the first week of April – grin!) and this page reminded me of a tree that we saw in Bowness-on-Windermere in Cumbria last year, isn’t it beautiful!

It sits in parkland on the top of a hill overlooking the lake; this is the view from the bench.

Bowness-on-Windermere is a small town situated on Windermere Lake, it is very popular with tourists and such a lovely place to visit; I have very fond memories of staying here when I was a child on family holidays too.

Challenges

I’m pleased to be able to join the lovely Rosie from Rosie’s Bastelwelt who is hosting the Spring challenge over at Art Journal Journey.

With stamped trees, flowers and birds I’m pleased to join Fashionable Stamping Challenges and their Springtime challenge.

I enjoyed creating this page to join the Stencils & Masks challenge over at The Artistic Stamper.

With all the pink/peach sequin flowers and stamped blossoms on my art journal page, I’m joining in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Floral Frenzy challenge.

I’m also joining the Use a stencil and Three Mediums challenge over at the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge as I used a honeycomb stencil and at least three mediums which included Spectrum Aqua marker, white gesso and Distress Inks to create my page.

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:

Spectrum Aqua Artist’s Marker (Bud Green, Moss, Boulder, Desert, Chestnut, Blossom, Begonia, Jasmine)
Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Mowed Lawn, Hickory Smoke, Twisted Citron)
Pébéo White Gesso
Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
Derwent Graphik Line Marker (Black 0.1mm)
Craft Sensations (Deco Stencil Set 154892)
Craft Sensations (Clear Stamps 154884)
Sizzix Thinlets by Tim Holtz (Garden Greens 661206)
Art Impressions bird wood-mounted rubber stamp (B-2414)
VivaGade Decoupage Paper (London 25584)
Poundland Design Paper (Pretty Pastels CRO701/PL1)
Crafter’s Companion Luxury Designer Paper Pad (Angelica & Adam Collection A&A-PAP6-M)
Poundland (Assorted Sequins)
Ranger Glossy Accents
Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
UHU Stic

Mum’s the Word

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Let's Art Journal

The new theme over at Try it on Tuesday is Mum’s the Word which means all things mother related, it maybe quotes for mothers, mother and child, animal families, Mother’s Day or something else related to mothers. Over at Try it on Tuesday you’ll find lots of wonderful inspiration from the Design Team.

This challenge runs for the next two weeks and I hope to see you there!

My art journal page today is inspired by my mum as it’s her birthday and Mother’s Day this month as well as the different ways you can say mother (a suggestion from one of my non-blogging best friends – thank you!). So I started by stamping some of different names you can call your mother using a VersaMark watermark stamp pad and an alphabet stamp set from Dovecraft. Then I covered the words with gold Papermania embossing powder and shook and tapped off the excess powder onto a piece of scrap paper, and also removed any stray powder using a paintbrush. Then I used a heat gun to melt the embossing powder by sweeping the gun over the stamped wording until the embossing powder melted to a glossy finish and became smooth and dimensional. Next I stamped some pink doilies and blue swirls onto the page; I did this using Angel Pink Memento Ink with Doily stamps from Kaisercraft and also Dovecraft, as well as Summer Sky Memento Ink with a Serpentine Background stamp from Art Impressions. I applied Blossom and Teal Spectrum Aqua Markers to the background by scribbling the ink onto an acrylic block, spritzing with water and pressing the block onto the page. To mute the colours and wording I applied Pébéo white gesso over the top using a palette knife. I cut some pieces of pink doily and stuck them to the edges of the page using a UHU Stic. The teal leaves are cut from some design paper using Sizzix Thinlets by Tim Hotlz, they are edged with the Teal Spectrum Aqua marker and stuck in place using a Zig Memory System Glue Pen. The wreath and matching flowers are fussy cut from a magazine article about Mother’s Day. I mounted the wreath on a circle of card before sticking it to the page using double-sided foam tape. The matching flowers are mounted on top of some yellow and pink paper flowers and the “With love and cuddles” wording is a card topper from Kanban; they are all stuck in place using double-sided tape. To finish, I added some pretty gold tiles and the “Mum” wording which are outline stickers.

I hope you will join in the fun at Try it on Tuesday with your Mum’s the Word creations too!

As you may be aware, I regularly go to a local café with my mum so today I’m sharing my mum’s cappuccino …

…. and my green tea along with a toasted fruit bread to share (grin!). I’m pleased that these drinks cater for both the coffee and tea drinkers in the T Gang (grin!) over at T Stands for Tuesday – thanks for visiting and Happy T Day!

With the spring colours I used on my page, I’m pleased to join the lovely Rosie from Rosie’s Bastelwelt who is hosting the Spring challenge over at Art Journal Journey and also the Think of Spring challenge over at Moo Mania and More.

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: