Take time to smell the flowers

It’s a new month so we are launching our June challenge today over at the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog, and as always the theme is Anything Mixed Media Goes.

My mixed media page was inspired by the outdoors and the spring tulips that are flowering at the moment (grin!).

I started by covering the whole page with some Pébéo white gesso and I added some washes of Scattered Straw and Tattered Rose Distress Ink over the page. Next I added pieces of book pages from a Pears Cyclopaedia using a glue stick and then I stencilled the Reverse Honeycomb design by That’s Crafty using Ranger Texture Paste. I splattered the page with Peeled Paint, Tattered Rose and Vintage Photo Distress Inks and when dry, I coloured the stencilled texture paste using black Archival Ink and a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker. The flower images and words were cut from a Romantic Garden House paper pad by Stamperia that my sister kindly bought me for my birthday; they were edged using the Vintage Photo Distress Ink before sticking them into place. To finish, I added three wooden button pink flowers which I had laced some cream wax thread through.

For more inspiration please check out the amazing creations from our Guest Designer and my fellow Design Team members over at Creative Artiste too. All you need to do is to use three different mediums on your projects to join our mixed media challenge; I hope you are inspired to join us, it would be lovely to see join you there!

As you may remember we plant tulips bulbs every year and these Purple Dream Lily Flower Tulips are new to our garden. They have been flowering for over a month now and the flowers are huge; they are very impactful and look amazing (smile!).

I 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.

Challenges

As well as Creative Artiste, I’m pleased to be joining the following challenges:

Paperbabe Stamps and their #167 – Anything Goes challenge with my flower page.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Feminine theme with my pretty flower art journal page.

Sunday in the Park challenge over at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog with my outdoor page as we see tulips flowering in the park near us this time of year too.

MIUCB #59 Anything Goes over at Mix It Up Challenge Blog with all the different techniques that I used to create this page.

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Be forever happy

It’s a new month so we are launching our September challenge today over at the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog, this is a monthly challenge and as always the theme is Anything Mixed Media Goes.

I created a mixed media page using lots of leftovers from previous art journal pages; I hope you like it!

I started by covering the background of the page with the letters using one of stencils from a #16 mini stencil set by Tim Holtz and some leftover Iced Coffee Faber-Castell Gelato which was applied with a baby wipe.

Next I edged 4 Poster Cards from Tim Holtz, like I did all the paper elements on this page, using a black Faber-Castell marker and arranged them onto the page using double-sided tape. Then I added lots of leftover bits and pieces; this included a piece of mixed media paper which had been coloured using green Distress Inks, some flowers and foliage that had been die cut using Tim Holtz Thinlits and coloured using Distress Inks, some ribbon, some torn paper, some tissue paper and note paper that had been stamped using Finnabair stamps and black Archival Ink, a ruler from a Kaisercraft Journal Card and some die cut pieces of trellis that had been covered with Aged Silver Stampendous Embossing Enamel.

They were arranged onto the page using a glue stick or double-sided tape, and I layered together a doily, a recycled butterfly gift tag and some leftover die cut letters and wording to read “Be forever happy”. I added some sparkly gems to the centre of the yellow flowers and a green wooden bird and then to finish, I coloured the “Aug” and “Sept” wording on the Poster Card using Tri-Blend Spectrum Noir markers.

As you can see I used lots of different mediums to create this page but all you need to do is to use three different mediums on your projects to join our Anything Mixed Media Goes Challenge.

For more inspiration please check out the amazing creations from my fellow Design Team members over at Creative Artiste too. I hope you are inspired to join us; it would be lovely to see you there!

This page was inspired by our walks at Lytham Hall that we enjoyed over the summer (grin!).

There are lots of woodland walks so we were able to stay cool in the shade and out of the summer heat. I’m now looking forward to seeing the leaves change to their colours over the coming months with the autumn on its way.

Our walks also take us by these flower borders in the walled gardens which always look so beautiful (grin!).

I 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.

For the sake of brevity I’m no longer listing the individual items that I used to create my page, however I’m more than happy to let you know which particular product was used if you contact me via comments below or using the following contact me link.

Challenges

As well as Creative Artiste, I’m pleased to be able to join the following challenges today:

Paperbabe Stamps and their Challenge #151 – Anything Goes with my nature art journal page.

De-stress with distressing over at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog with my distressed grungy stencilled background, Distress Inks, and also the torn papers, trellis and ribbon.

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Glimmer and Sparkle challenge with the glimmer and sparkle of the yellow flowers with their glittery gem centres.

LTSCB #149 – Anything Goes over at Love to Scrap Challenge Blog with my leftovers page.

Mixed Media Lovers and their Challenge #5 Mixed Media Lovers as I used lots of mixed media to create this nature page; this is a new challenge blog so why not join in the fun too!

Grateful Heart

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)

Texture at Art Journal Journey

I am so delighted to be hosting Art Journal Journey this month and the challenge theme that I have chosen for this month is Texture.

We would like you to have fun creating texture on your pages. As you can see from the different panels on my page there are lots of possibilities to create texture. This could be by adding texture paste, crackle paste, high density mediums like gesso, paints or embossing powder. You could also use embossing folders, layers of papers, die cuts, fabrics or chipboard pieces too. The choice is yours! 

I couldn’t just choose one texture so I decided to create my page using 21 different texture panels to inspire you and as I started creating the panels they turned into little scenes, I hope you like them (grin!).

If you’re interested, here’s close up pictures and full details of how the panels that make up my page were created. There’s also a list of all materials I used at the end of this post too.

1. Foil
For my first panel, I stamped a dragonfly using black Archival Ink onto some coloured foil, which is recycled from an Easter egg wrapper. I stuck it onto the panel using a glue stick and to create the worn textured look I added some black Archival Ink to emphasis the creases and then I rubbed the foil back to its base silver colour with a baby wipe. To finish I added the glittery flower.

2. Teabags & staples
Using staples I attached a used teabag to the panel and then I stuck three teacups on the top which were die cut from some design paper.

3. Glass beads
I coloured the panel with some Summer Sky Memento Ink and then applied Liquitex Glass Beads Texture Gel over the top with a palette knife. Whilst the medium was still wet I pressed some pretty blue glass beads into the texture gel. When dry I added the little orange fish which is a brad.

4. Dried leaves
I used matte gel medium to layer together a yellow skeleton leaf, a dried beech leaf and a die cut flower, which was cut from some linen textured paper using a Wildflower Tim Holtz Thinlet.

5. Fabric, threads and lace
The panel was covered with some self-adhesive fabric and layered with a piece of frayed muslin, some Hessian/burlap and some threads which I topped with a lace flower.

6. Corrugated card
I added a piece of corrugated card, which was recycled from some packaging, using matte gel medium then applied some Pébéo white gesso over the top. When dry, I emphasised the corrugations using a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker. The postage stamp is from Graphic 45 and was distressed using the Dark Sepia marker, Tea Dye Distress Ink and black acrylic paint. 

7. Elastic bands
I applied some matte gel medium to the panel and sprinkled on some Orthodontic elastic bands that CJ kindly set to me (grin!). When dry I covered them with white gesso and highlighted the circles using a Dark Sepia marker. Then I edged the panel using Vintage Photo Distress Ink and coloured some of the circle centres using Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. To finish, I added three little hearts that were in my craft stash; they were created using the Falling Hearts Thinlet set from Tim Holtz and glossy white cardstock.

8. Crackle
I covered the panel with white gesso and when it was dry I applied Earl Grey, Caramel and Coconut Faber-Castell Gelatos smudging the colours with my finger. To create the crackle I used a BoBunny stamp and some Toffee Crisp and Rich Cocoa Momento inks and Black Archival ink.

All the letters for the “texture” wording were created using an X-Cut die set; they were cut from both black and white paper and then layered together onto a panel of textured design paper.

9. Glitter
I cut some different coloured glitter sheets into squares and then stuck them onto the panel using a glue stick.

10. Cork
I simply stuck a piece of cork designed paper onto the panel.

11. Paint Splatter
To add more texture I used some high density Liquitex paint, splattering Vivid Lime Green, Cold Grey and Bright Aqua Green onto the panel and leaving it to dry.

12. Wood
This is one of my favourite techniques; I applied Tea Dye, Brushed Corduroy and Ground Espresso Distress Ink pads vertically down the panel and used a paint brush to add some matte gel medium over the top keeping the brush strokes in a vertical direction. I repeated the process a couple of times making sure each layer dried before adding the next.

13. Texture paste
I applied some Ranger Texture Paste to the panel using a Vintage Diamond stencil. When dry I coloured the panel using Salty Ocean and Cracked Pistachio Distress Inks, then emphasised the texture paste using some Midnight Sparkle lustre wax.

14. Napkin
I simply covered the panel with a gold embossed napkin using a glue stick.

15. Wooden chipboard pieces and rust effect
I started by sticking the cogs in place using matte gel medium. When dry I added layers of different shades of rust and brown acrylic paints which I had created by mixing Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow and black acrylic paints. When dry I added more detail using Dark Sepia and a Sanguine Faber-Castell Big Brush marker. Then I added some patina by lightly stippling some Bright Aqua Green acrylic paint over the top.

16. Paper layers
I covered the panel with leftover paper pieces and edged them using a black Uni Pin marker. The flower is a paper sticker and the foliage was cut using a Funky Floral Thinlet from Tim Holtz and coloured using two green Winsor & Newton Promarkers.

17. Doily and gems
I added lots of texture to the panel using layers of doily which I edged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and a Dark Sepia marker. They are stuck in place using double-sided tape and then embellished with some textured gemstones to add some shimmer and shine.

18. Embossing Folder, thread and buttons
I used an embossing folder to add a flower design to a piece of Kraft cardstock and then coloured the raised embossed design using a white Uniball gel pen and Aqua Green Promarker. Then I wound some wax thread around the panel and attached a big button.

19. Drywall/Plasterboard Tape
I added some drywall/plasterboard tape to the panel and coloured it using Tumbled Glass Distress Ink and White Linen Dylusions Ink Spray. I splattered the panel with black DecoArt acrylic paint and added some washi tape to create the foreground. Then I added the mushrooms which are from the Field Notes Ephemera Set from Tim Holtz.

20. Embossing enamel and die cut trellis
The panel background was coloured using Tea Dye and Antique Linen Distress Ink and Dandelion and Pistachio Memento Ink. The trellis was die cut from white cardstock covered in black Archival Ink and Chunky Silver Stampendous embossing enamel. I added two little birds which were stamped using black Archival Ink, coloured with Promarkers and fussy cut out.

21. Tissue Paper
For the final panel, I crumpled some white tissue paper and then added it to the panel using matte gel medium. When dry, I coloured it with Lemon, Cadmium Yellow, Cerulean Blue, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna watercolour paint. The flower was cut from some Kanban cardstock using a Wildflower Tim Holtz Thinlet.

Once the panels were complete I stuck them onto the page using double-sided tape; I coloured the background with a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker to outline the panels before sticking them in place.

Do you have a favourite panel?
It’s hard for me to choose, maybe number 3 with the beads and little fish, number 6 as I love the corrugated card, number 15 with cogs and rust or number 20 as you know I adore robins (grin!).

I hope that you are inspired to join us at Art Journal Journey this month too! We are really looking forward to visiting you and seeing all the Texture that you create on your pages (grin!).

Hoping 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.

Challenges

I’m joining the It’s A Wrap challenge over at the The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog with the Easter Egg wrapping, corrugated packaging and tissue paper wrap I used to create my panels.

I’m happy to be able to join the Anything Goes challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with my page.

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

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

1. Foil Panel

  • Recycled foil from Easter Egg
  • Eco Green Crafts Recycled Rubber Art Stamps (Petal Party #04309)
  • Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
  • Pritt Stick
  • Poundland (Mini Glitter Embellishment 59409)

2.  Teabag & Staples Panel

  • Recycled dried used teabags
  • Stapler and staples
  • Crafter’s Companion Signature Collection by Sara Davies Metal Die Set (Vintage Tea Party Toppling Teacups)
  • Craft Sensations Design Pad (Bright Colours CR0730/R)
  • Stix2 glue dots

3. Beads Panel

  • Tsukineko Memento Ink (Summer Sky)
  • Liquitex Glass Beads Texture Gel
  • Blue glass beads
  • Brads (Fishes – Orange)

4. Dried Leaves Panel

  • The Handmade Paper Company (Nature’s Touch of Art – Yellow Skeleton Leaves)
  • Dried Beech Leaf
  • Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Wildflower 661190)
  • Textured Glossy Linen Cardstock
  • Liquitex Matte Gel Medium

5. Fabric, threads & Lace Panel

  • Poundworld (Adhesive Pattern Fabric U-80945)
  • Recycled cheesecloth
  • Hessian/Burlap
  • The Works (Lace Flower Stickers)
  • Stix2 glue dots

6. Corrugated card Panel

  • Recycled corrugated packaging
  • Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
  • Pébéo White Gesso
  • Faber-Castell Big Brush Artist Pitt Pen (Dark Sepia 175 B)
  • Graphic 45 Seasons Collection Paper (Spring Collection #4501618)
  • Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Tea Dye)
  • DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)

7. Elastic Bands Panel

  • Orthodontic Elastics ¼” Medium – thank you CJ!
  • Pébéo White Gesso
  • Faber-Castell Big Brush Artist Pitt Pen (Dark Sepia 175 B)
  • Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Vintage Photo, Tumbled Glass)
  • Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Falling Hearts 664415)
  • Recycled glossy white cardstock
  • Zig Memory System 2-Way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)

8. Crackle Panel

  • Pébéo White Gesso
  • Faber-Castell Gelato (Earl Grey, Caramel, Coconut)
  • BoBunny Clear Stamps (Rough It Up #12105155)
  • Tsukineko Memento Ink (Toffee Crunch, Rich Cocoa)
  • Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)

“Texture” Wording

  • Docrafts X-Cut A5 Die Set (Folk Alphabet XCU503286)
  • Leon X-Large Coloured Paper Pad
  • The Works Paper Stack (Vintage Experience)
  • Pritt Stick

9. Glitter Panel

  • Poundland (Glitter Sheets 116432)
  • Pritt Stick

10. Cork Panel

  • American Crafts Paper (DIY Shop 366665)
  • Pritt Stick

11. Paint Splatters Panel

  • Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic (Vivid Lime Green, Neutral Gray 5, Bright Aqua Green)

12. Wood Panel

  • Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Tea Dye, Brushed Corduroy, Ground Espresso)
  • Liquitex Matte Gel Medium

13. Texture Paste Panel

  • Creative Expressions Mini Stencil (Vintage Diamonds)
  • Ranger Texture Paste
  • Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Salty Ocean, Cracked Pistachio)
  • Craf-T Products Luster Rub-ons Color Kit #4 (Midnight Sparkle)

14. Napkin Panel

  • Embossed Gold Napkin
  • Pritt Stick

15. Chipboard Pieces & Rust Panel

  • Boozybear Wood Chippes (Cogs)
  • Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
  • Liquitex Artist Color (Cadmium Yellow Medium, Cadmium Red Medium Hue)
  • DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
  • Faber-Castell Big Brush Artist Pitt Pen (Dark Sepia 175 B, Sanguine 188 B)
  • Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic (Bright Aqua Green)

16. Paper Layers Panel

  • Leftover paper pieces
  • Pritt Stick
  • Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.1mm)
  • White Cardstock
  • Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Funky Florals #1 662700)
  • Winsor & Newton Promarkers (Lime Green G178, Forest Green G356)
  • Poundland (Assessories Pack – Flowers)

17. Doily & Gems Panel

  • Dovecraft Premium (Painted Blooms Paper Doilies DCDLS010)
  • X-Press It! double-sided tape
  • The Range (Adhesive Craft Sheets CR0866)

18. Embossing Folder Panel

  • Kraft Cardstock
  • Docrafts X-Cut Embossing Folder (Blossom Vines XCU515232)
  • Uniball Signo Gel Pen (White)
  • Winsor & Newton Promarker (Soft Green G817)
  • Groves Trimits (Waxed Thread CB923)
  • Large button

19. Drywall/Plasterboard Tape Panel

  • Wilkos Drywall/Plasterboard Tape
  • Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Tumbled Glass)
  • Dylusions Ink Spray (White Linen)
  • DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
  • Wilkos Washi Tape
  • Tim Holtz idea-ology Ephemera Set (Field Notes #TH94051)

20. Embossing Enamel and Die Cut Panel

  • Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Tea Dye, Antique Linen)
  • Tsukineko Memento Ink (Dandelion, Pistachio)
  • White Cardstock
  • The Works (Die Cutting Set – Trellis)
  • Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
  • Stampendous Embossing Enamel (Chuncky Silver)
  • Picket Fence Studios Clear Stamps (Chirp, Chirp A130)
  • Winsor & Newton Promarkers (Henna 0225, Ruby R455, Cool Grey 4 CG4)

21. Tissue Paper Panel

  • Recycled tissue paper
  • Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
  • Winsor & Newton Watercolour (Lemon, Cadmium Yellow, Cerulean Blue, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna) – thank you CJ!
  • Kanban MacKenzie Background Card (Numbers Black CRD1763)
  • Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Wildflower 661190)