Texture at Art Journal Journey

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Let's Art Journal

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)

Our friendship is like a cup of tea …

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Let's Art Journal

This page is inspired by some new green tea from the Tea & Biscuit Club in Arundel; the tea we chose was Spanish Orange Green Tea (grin!).

I started by covering the page with Metallic Mint, Iced Coffee and Gold Champagne Faber-Castell Gelatos by scribbling them onto the page and blending the colour with a wet finger. Then I sprayed some White Linen Dylusions Ink Spray through a Tim Holtz Stencil and left it to dry. Next I die cut the trellis from some gold paper recycled from a bar of chocolate and stuck them along with some of the cut outs onto the page using a Zig glue pen. Then I used a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell marker to add a shadow along edges of the trellis and cut outs to give a 3D effect; I love the way it looks as though the trellis is standing out from the page. I added the wording which is a Kaisercraft sticker edged with the Dark Sepia Faber-Castell marker; it reads “Our friendship is like a cup of tea, a special blend of you and me”. To finish, I added a pretty Chinese tea image, with flowers which look a little like orange blossom, which is from a Kanban topper set using glue dots to stick it in place.

You may remember Arundel from my last post, if you want to see the castle and our walk, please see my Arundel Treasures post. This is The Tea & Biscuit Club shop we always visit to buy our tea; they have quite an array of loose leaf tea, which they create and blend on the premises.

We chose Spanish Orange Green Tea which is light green tea with rosehip, hibiscus, orange peel, calendula and sunflower petals, giving a vanilla aroma and a soft fruity taste. It’s very refreshing and as T Stands for Tuesday I’m sharing my tea with the T gang and wishing you all a very Happy T day!

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 pleased to join the lovely Eileen from The Artful Crafter and her Green challenge over at Art Journal Journey this month with green tea page.

I’m joining in the Something Feminine challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with my friendship art journal page.

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

I’m also joining in the A Bit’O Green challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge with my green tea art journal page.

Don’t forget that you still have time to join our Anything Mixed Media Goes challenge over at Creative Artiste, it would be lovely to see you there!

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

Faber-Castell Gelato (Metallic Mint, Iced Coffee, Gold Champagne)
Ranger Dylusions Ink Spray (White Linen)
Tim Holtz Layering Mini Stencil (Set 16 THMST016)
Gold Recycled Paper
The Works (Cutting Dies – Trellis)
Zig Memeory System 2-way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Dark Sepia 175 B)
Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet (High Tea SS336)
Kanban Paper Craft Toppers (Flowers & Cupcakes 900858)
Stix2 Glue Dots

Black, white and one other colour

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Let's Art Journal

Our new challenge over at Try it on Tuesday is Black, white and one other colour. To inspire you further please see the fabulous Design Team creations over at our blog.

It was quite a dilemma choosing the one other colour for my art journal page (grin!), in the end I decided on Abandoned Coral in the form of both a Distress Spray and Distress Stain. I’m really looking forward to seeing which one other colour you choose too!

I started by covering the page with white gesso and when dry I applied Pébéo modelling paste with a palette knife, over the top using a Floral stencil by Tim Holtz. Next I used a Rossi Belle stamp set to stamp some images onto the background using black Archival Ink and rubbed the images with a baby wipe which removed some of the ink giving a distressed look. Then I sprayed Abandoned Coral Distress Spray over the flowers that I had stencilled and left it to dry. Once dry I layered some more white gesso over the background and then applied some Abandoned Coral Distress Stain, repeating the layers until I reached the look I was after; I let the white gesso and Distress Stain dry between each application so they didn’t blend together and become a muddy mess. Next I added some black DecoArt acrylic paint, firstly through a stencil from Creative Expressions using a sponge and then by adding black splatters using a paintbrush. I used some bubble wrap and a cardboard tube to stamp white DecoArt acrylic paint onto the page and then splattered the page with the white paint too. The flowers are cut from black and white numbered card from Kanban using the Wildflower Sizzix Thinlets by Tim Holtz and my Big Shot machine. They are edged with black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and then stuck in place using Liquitex matte gel medium. To finish, I added three Small Talk stickers from Tim Holtz and outlined them with a black Derwent Graphik marker; I thought the wording was appropriate for this page considering my colour palette was limited to black, white and one other colour, they read “out of limitations comes creativity”, “be fearless” and “creativity take courage”.

As T Stands for Tuesday I’m sharing my pot of green tea at a café in town called Elbourne’s Tea Emporium. I thought it matched the black white and one colour scheme with the red wrapper of the biscuit and heart hanging from the teapot, the white tea service and the black table. In case you are wondering, the little red heart is attached to the tea infuser as they use loose leaf tea. In the photo, you can also see a cup of Earl Grey tea, a glass of cloudy lemonade and a glass of ice water too but the cappuccino is hiding behind the plant (grin!) – Happy T Day!

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 Linda, who is hosting Creature Comforts challenge over at Art Journal Journey with the soothing warmth of colour that I included on my art journal page.

Over at Country View Challenges their challenge is Plant-tastic so I’m pleased to join them with the flowers on my art journal page.

I’m pleased to join their Back To Nature challenge over at A Vintage Journey, as I was inspired by my limited colour palette to create this floral Mixed Media style page.

Over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, their challenge is Anything Goes so I’m pleased to join this challenge too.

I’m also joining the anything goes theme called It’s been a while… over at Stamps & Stencils 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
Pébéo Modelling Paste
Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
Tim Holtz Distress Spray (Abandoned Coral)
Tim Holtz Distress Stain (Abandoned Coral)
DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black, White)
Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
Derwent Graphik Line Marker (Black 0.1 mm)
Tim Holtz Layering Stencil (Floral THS077)
Prima Marketing Clear Stamps (Rossi Belle 587499)
Creative Expressions That Special Touch of Mica Masks (Moroccan)
Recycled cardboard tube – stamp
Recycled bubble wrap – stamp
Sizzix Thinlets by Tim Holtz Alterations (Wildflowers 661190)
Kanban (Mackenzie Numbers Black Background Card CRD1763)
Tim Holtz idea-ology Stickers (Small Talk #TH93193)
Liquitex Matte Gel Medium

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:

Tsukeniko VersaMark (Watermark Stamp Pad VM-001)
Docrafts Papermania Embossing Powder (Gold Shellac PMA4021007)
Tsukeniko Memento Ink (Angel Pink, Summer Sky)
Spectrum Aqua Artist Marker (Blossom, Teal)
Pébéo White Gesso
Dovecraft Essentials Alphabet Stamp Set (WDN ALPHA STMP DCVW0050)
Craft Sensations (Deco Stencil Set 154892)
Kaisercraft Clear Stamps (Doily CS297)
Dovecraft Curiosity Corner Clear Stamp (A5 Lace & Doile DCCS009)
Art Impressions wood mounted rubber stamp (Serpentine Background T-2773)
Sizzix Thinlets by Tim Holtz (Garden Greens 661206)
Poundland Design Pad (Vintage Chic CRO701/PL4)
Dovecraft Collections Back to Basics III (Paper Blossoms DCBL005)
Dovecraft Paper Doilies (Floral Muse DCDLS005)
Kanban Paper Craft Toppers (Flower and Cupcakes 900858)
Magenta Style Outline Stickers (Gold 1227)
Docrafts Anita’s Outline Stickers (Modern Alphabet Gold ANT8101000)
UHU Stic
Docrafts Stick It! double-sided tape
The Range double-sided foam tape

Moments that take our breath away

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Let's Art Journal

I was inspired to create an aircraft themed page to remember this year’s Blackpool Air Show which was spectacular! I went for a vintage theme and added a saying that I thought was very fitting: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away”.

I’m also linking my page to Art Journal Journey where I’m hosting this month’s theme “Poetry in Motion”, here you are invited to create a page inspired by a poem, saying or quote.

I started by adding patches of Blueprint Sketch and Hickory Smoke Distress Inks to the page using a blending tool. Then I used some stencils by Craft Sensations to add layers of clouds using Tea Dye and the Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink and a moustache design using Black Soot Distress Ink. As I went for a vintage feel I chose the moustache design which reminds me of flyers from the olden days who use to say ‘chocs away’ (grin!). I used black Archival Ink to stamp a plane image by Royal & Langnickel and some swirls by Dovecraft to depict a plane’s smoke trail. I cut some information from an old encyclopaedia about aircraft and stuck it to the top left-hand corner of the page using a UHU Stic. Next I layered different elements onto the page using a UHU Stic and double-sided tape to stick them in place, this included: an image of an old-fashioned gentleman to match the vintage theme, and two clocks and a compass which I fussy cut from a Kanban topper set; a large wood effect tag by Docrafts Papermania that I tied with string; a recycled tag which I added the saying onto using rub-on transfers by Kaisercraft; a ticket which I made using the same rub-on transfer set on white card, fussy cut out and edged with Tea Dye Distress Ink, its words remind me of the air show; a Victorian tag of a plane by The Works which I stuck to white card, edged with the Tea Dye Ink and tied with string; a map of the world which is a sticker from Poundworld; a tag that is die cut from map paper by The Works; and a wonderful plane postage stamp from my hubby’s childhood collection. The postage stamp is from Great Britain and was issued in 1969 to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the first non-stop Atlantic flight by Alcock and Brown in July 1919. Incidentally, Alcock went to school in St. Annes and there is a blue plaque to commemorate this at the school. To finish, I added some brown brads which I opened and stuck to the page using glossy accents leaving the fastener parts showing, giving the appearance of aircraft propellers.

The air show was amazing and my hubby captured some fantastic shots with his super new zoom lens so I thought I’d share the highlights with you. There was a mixture of aircraft, some old and some new and this includes both planes and helicopters.

This is the only remaining flying Lancaster in the UK, (and one of only two flying in the world) so we were very privileged to see it.

It was interesting to see and compare the old Lancaster with the latest Typhoon (Eurofighter) fighter-bomber which was doing all sorts of fabulous manoeuvres including handbrake turns, barrel rolls and flying upside down. This plane is so noisy it makes your tummy rumble (grin!).

This helicopter is an American Huey (Bell HU-1) and this one has been restored. It’s now locally owned and we often see it flying over our house.

There were lots of acrobatics at Blackpool Airshow again and this is the Trig Team, they fly vintage aircraft that were built in the 1940’s.

We also saw the Breitling Wingwalkers who are the world’s only aerobatic formation wingwalking team, this is a close-up of one of the planes. I’m not sure I’d like to stand on top of a plane while it’s flying let alone do synchronised wing-walking (grin!).

Of course you could always loop the loop instead (grin again!).

Then the grand finale was The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, who are one of the world’s premier aerobatic display teams. They never fail to please and here they are flying over the Blackpool Tower – amazing!

They are excellent to watch as they fly close together in perfect formation.

And they perform the most breathtaking stunts! Hope you enjoyed visiting the air show with me too; we had such a wonderful time (double 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:

Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Blueprint Sketch, Hickory Smoke, Tea Dye, Black Soot)
Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
Sharpie Fine Point Permanent Marker (Black)
Derwent Graphik Line Marker (Black 0.5mm)
Dovecraft Designer Clear Stamp (DCR588)
Royal & Langnickel Clear Choice Stamps (Traveler MIN-CCS103)
Craft Sensations (Deco Stencil Set 154892)
Dorling Kindersley Illustrated Family Encyclopedia
Kanban Paper Craft Toppers (Timeless Moments PCT1882)
White card
Recycled tag from clothing
Docrafts Papermania Capsule Collection Tags (Elements – Wood PMA174318)
The Works M&C Boutique (Vintage Die Cut Shapes)
Poundworld DécoTime (3D Stickers 54742)
The Works (Victorian Style Embellishments CR0454)
Kaisercraft Rub-on transfers Up, Up & Away Collection (Black & White RB869)
Postage Stamp – Great Britain 1969
Craft Sensations (Brads CR0550/A)
Ranger Glossy Accents
UHU Stic
X-Press It double-sided tape
The Range double-sided foam tape

Hot Air Balloons

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Let's Art Journal

I came across these lovely Hot Air Balloon images at my local craft shop, and they inspired my page. You’ll notice there is map detail on the balloon image background, and as this month’s theme over at Art Journal Journey is Maps, I’m so glad to be able to link to that challenge. My husband pointed out to me that the British flags on the balloon designs are all upside down. This is a fairly common mistake to make with the Union Jack. Out and About - Art Journal Page

I started off the background by drawing curves using a plate as a template with a Uni Pin fine line marker, then splattering and smooshing diluted Distress Ink onto the page. I filled in the curves that I had created with an Alphabet stamp from Kaisercraft and Archival Ink, it took a bit of time to complete this as I had to mask the curves out to make sure the stamp stayed between the curve lines. It was great fun though and I love how it turned out. I have wanted to use the star tissue paper for a while now, it came from a birthday present, so I tore off pieces and saw them melt into the page when I used Patty’s top tip of using a glue stick to stick them down – thanks Patty! I fussy cut some of the balloon and compass images and stuck them to the page using the glue stick, then gave them a bold black outline using my Uni Pin marker so they stood out more. To finish I added a couple of sentiments and outlined them.

Balloon

It’s a funny coincidence that I have just bought this lovely glass balloon while we were exploring a nearby village shop. I saw it and just fell in love with it!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

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