Dragonfly Wishes

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Let's Art Journal

With the wonderful sunny weather we have been having of late, I have been spending time in the garden sorting out the flower beds and planting the summer bedding plants. So today’s page is inspired by beautiful blue skies and a rusty metal dragonfly which adorns my flower bed (grin!).

I started by adding some torn pieces of sheet music to the page with Liquitex matte gel medium and then I covered the whole page with Bright Aqua Green and Swedish Blue Liquitex acrylic paint and Pébéo white gesso using a paintbrush, blending and varying the shades of colour across the page. Then I used a Shabby Harlequin stencil from Creative Expressions to apply Pébéo white gesso; I used my finger to apply the gesso so it varied in thickness and caught along the edges of the stencil to add more interest. Next I stencilled modelling paste using a Wheels stencil from Ranger by Dina Wakley with a palette knife and left it to dry. I drew a couple of big dragonflies onto thick paper and added some copper glitter glue along the body and head, and then I covered the wings with DecoArt crackle glaze. When the crackle glaze had dried I covered the wings with Iced Coffee Faber-Castell Gelato and using a wet finger smudged the colour into the cracks, wiping any access off with a wet baby wipe.

Then I used some Iridescent Rich Copper and Rich Bronze metallic Liquitex Inks, which I received for my birthday (grin!), to colour the dragonflies; I really like the iridescent quality of the inks and the way that they seeped into the cracks of the crackle glaze. To give the dragonflies more of a patina I also coloured them using a Sanguine Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and also Metallic Mint and Iced Coffee Faber-Castell Gelatos. I used the same Liquitex Inks, Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and Gelatos to colour the Wheels I had stencilled onto the page and I also splattered some of the metallic inks over the page along with some black DecoArt acrylic paint using a paintbrush. I then stuck the dragonflies in place using a UHU Stic and finished the page by stamping the sentiment “May all your wishes come true” using black Archival Ink.

You may remember my dragonfly from a previous post.

I bought him at a flower show and he always makes me smile when I see him floating over my flower bed!

Challenges

I’m pleased to be able to join the Flora and Fauna challenge over at Art Journal Journey which I’m hosting this month with my Fauna (dragonfly) page.

I’m happy to join the Rust theme over at Mixed Media Monthly Challenge with the rusty wheels and dragonflies that I created for this page.

I’m joining in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday and their Summer challenge with my sunshiny blue sky inspired page.

I’m also joining A Vintage Journey and their Words and Music challenge with the sheet music that I used to create my Mixed Media Style page and “Mr. Blue Sky” by ELO that I was singing whilst I was creating it (grin!).

I’m also pleased to join the Allsorts Challenge Blog and their Insects, Bugs, Bees and Butterflies challenge with my dragonfly page – sending you Happy belated 9^th Birthday wishes Allsorts!

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 (Bright Aqua Green, Swedish Blue)
Pébéo White Gesso
Pébéo Modeling Paste
DecoArt Media Crackle Glaze
Liquitex Inks! (Iridescent Rich Copper, Iridescent Rich Bronze)
DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Sanguine 188 B)
Faber-Castell Gelato (Metallic Mint, Iced Coffee)
Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
Creative Expressions Mini Stencils (Shabby Harlequin CEMSHARL)
Ranger Dina Wakley Media Stencil (Wheels MDS45588)
Clear Stamp Set (Winter Woodland) – Free with Crafts Beautiful Magazine
Thick white paper
Violin Studies – Sheet Music
Hobbycraft Glitter Glue (Copper)
Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
UHU Stic

Tropical Flowers

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Let's Art Journal

Today I have created a tropical flower page which showcases some beautiful African postage stamps from Gabon – I hope you like it!

I started by covering the whole page with a tropical butterfly postal decoupage paper using Liquitex matte gel medium. Then I tore some Gabon postage stamp information which was included with the postage stamps, edged it with black Faber-Castell marker and stuck it to the left-hand side and right-hand side edges of the page. Next I applied Spice and Moss Spectrum Aqua markers by scribbling them on an acrylic block and painting them onto the page with a paintbrush like watercolour and then I stencilled a trellis pattern from Dutch Doobadoo Mask using black Archival Ink and a blending tool. I also used the same black ink to stamp some butterflies from Hampton Art positioning them so they flowed vertically up the page. Then I layered some Pébéo modelling paste onto the page using a Moroccan stencil from Craft Sensations and when the paste was dry I coloured the edges with a Midnight Sparkle metallic lustre wax. I also added a thin layer of white gesso to soften the black and give a worn and grungy look.

Next I applied more colour using Topaz and Fawn Spectrum Aqua markers, by scribbling them on an acrylic block, holding the block over the page and spritzing with water so droplets of ink pooled onto the page, creating some rusty stains to continue the grunge look. When dry I splattered black and also white DecoArt acylic paint over the whole page using a paintbrush. To make the tags, I used some design paper which I cut into a tag shape and punched a whole in the top of each of one. They are edged with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink using a blending tool and also a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker. I chose different bits of travel and tropical designed paper that were left over from other journal pages and edged them with the black Faber-Castell marker smudging the ink with my finger. They are layered onto the tags along with some light pink coloured mesh ribbon. I kept the pink colour on two of the tags and I also coloured some of this pink ribbon using the Moss Spectrum Aqua marker on one of the tags and then Spice Spectrum Aqua marker for the other two. The ribbon is stuck onto the tag using a Zig Memory System glue pen and the papers are stuck down using a UHU Stic. I stuck a Gabon postage stamp featuring wild tropical flowers onto each tag using double-sided foam tape and also numbered the tags using outline stickers which I had coloured black using a Sharpie marker. I tied a piece of black paper twine to each of the tags and then stuck them in place using double-sided foam tape which finished the page.

To continue the African tropical flower theme, here is a beautiful Calla lily (Zantedeschia) which is brightening our dining room table with its beautiful white dotted leaves and colourful flowers (grin!).

If you are interested here are some fun facts about this lily:

They are also known as the pig lily, trumpet lily or arum lily.
The name calla lily is derived from a Greek word meaning beauty.
Because the calla lily blossoms in late spring, they have come to represent rebirth and youth.
Although an outdoor plant by nature, this plant can also be kept as an indoor plant too.

Challenges

With the flora of the tropical flowers and fauna of the butterflies, I’m joining the Flora and Fauna challenge over at Art Journal Journey where I’m hosting this month. I hope you are inspired to join us, it would be lovely to see you there!

I’m pleased to join in the fun over at Moo Mania and More and their Flowers theme with my Tropical Flowers art journal page.

I’m joining Valerie and the rest of the DT again over at Mixed Media World and their theme is Anything Goes…optional Pink.

I’m also pleased to join the Rust theme over at Mixed Media Monthly Challenge with the rusty stains that I added to my page.

As I used stencils on my page, I’m also reminding you of our Stencil, Die Cuts or Both theme over at Try it on Tuesday which runs until next Monday evening.

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)
Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
Pébéo Modeling Paste
Craf-T Products Luster Rub-ons (Midnight Sparkle)
Pébéo White Gesso
Spectrum Aqua Artist Marker (Spice, Moss, Topaz, Fawn)
DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black, White)
Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Brushed Corduroy)
Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.8mm)
Sharpie Permanent Marker (Black)
Hampton Art Graphic 45 cling mounted rubber stamps (Tropical Travelogue ICO134)
Dutch Doobadoo Mask Art A5 (Vintage)
Creative Expressions That Special Touch of Mica Masks (Moroccan)
First Edition Deco Maché Decoupage Papers (FEDEC196)
The Works 12×12 Paper Stack (Vintage Experience CRO239/TW6)
Design papers – leftovers
Postage stamps from hubby’s childhood stamp collection (Gabon 1961 set of 5 stamps featuring Wild Tropical Flowers)
Mesh ribbon recycled from flower bouquet
Outline Stickers (Time Silver 904935)
Wilko (Paper Twine)
Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
UHU Stic
Zig Memory System 2 Way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
The Range double-sided foam tape

Violet Butterfly

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Let's Art Journal

Yellow and violet are colours that are prevalent in my garden at the moment with all the pretty spring flowers that are in bloom. So with a number of challenges in mind, I created this journal page using a yellow and violet colour combination, some recycled materials and a lovely new Postcard Butterfly stamp that I just couldn’t wait to use (grin!).

I started by recycling some book pages which I ripped and stuck to my page using Liquitex matte gel medium. Then I used a yellow pastel coloured acrylic paint which I diluted further with white gesso and painted over the whole page varying the shade of the colour. Next I mixed some pastel purple acrylic paint with white gesso and stamped it onto the page using some recycled bubble wrap; to do this I wrapped the bubble wrap around an acrylic block which gave a stronger and cleaner stamped finish as I dipped it in the paint and applied it to the page. Next I added some leftover pieces of butterfly decoupage paper using Liquitex matte gel medium and when the gel medium was dry I outlined all the collaged pieces with a black Derwent marker. Then I stamped some Ground Espresso Distress Ink using corrugated cardboard from some packaging in a criss cross pattern and covered the whole page with splatters of white and black DecoArt acrylic paint. I stamped a Butterfly Postcard stamp from Stampendous using black Archival Ink onto a piece of yellow and white paper and also the butterfly image from the same stamp onto some purple paper that I recycled from an old notebook. I fussy cut the images out and along with some yellow leaves, a piece of recycled beige card from some packaging and a spotted purple card leftover from card making, I edged them with the Ground Espresso Distress Ink and a blending tool then stuck them onto the page using glue dots, double-sided tape and foam tape. To add some shine to the purple butterfly wings I covered the black dots with Glossy Accents. Then I added some purple flowers and metal vintage embellishments which I accessorised with some tiny yellow and violet pearls, which finished the page.

We have quite a few yellow flowers in our garden including daffodils and forsythia as well as purple crocus and hyacinths, and both of these colours can be found in these pretty pansies that are in our planters which we can see from our kitchen window.

This variety has quite big flowers, aren’t the colours of this yellow one amazing!

If you are interested, here are some fun facts about pansies:

The pansy is a member of theViola family.
Their name comes from the French word, pensée, which means thought or remembrance.
Pansies are one of the oldest cultivated flowers and are also one of the most popular plants in our gardens.
In the language of flowers, the pansy represents thoughts of lovers and in the 19th century this flower was used in love potions.
Pansies are edible and their petals have a mint flavour; they are often added to salads and desserts.
The flower is used as a natural dye.

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 Alison/Craftytrog, who is hosting the Recycle and Collage challenge over at Art Journal Journey as I used stamps recycled from packaging and recycled book pages, packaging and leftovers to create this page!

With the stamped butterfly as my focal image and butterflies being part of the animal kingdom, I’m also happy to be able to join Fashionable Stamping Challenges and their Animals challenge.

With the stamping I used to create this art journal page, I’m also joining in the fun at the Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge and their April Challenge: Anything Goes!: (stamping MUST be included).

I’m also joining the Color Wheel! challenge over at the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge as I used a complimentary pair of colours, which are opposite each other on the colour wheel, yellow and violet to create my mixed media art journal page.

I was also inspired by Corrie’s use of book pages on her Design Team creation over at Country View Challenges so I’m also joining their Pimp It Up! (reuse or alter something) 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:

Pébéo White Gesso
Aldi Script Ready Mixed Paint (Pastels – yellow, purple)
Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Ground Espresso)
DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black, White)
Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
Derwent Graphik Line Marker (Black 0.05mm)
Stamps made from bubble wrap and corrugated cardboard recycled from packaging
Stampendous Cling Rubber Stamps (Butterfly Post CRP147)
First Edition Deco Maché Decoupage papers (Vintage Butterfly FEDEC112)
Paper Bundle from local craft shop (Yellow and white circles)
Recycled purple memo paper
Recycled beige card from packaging
Leftover purple dot card from card making
The Handmade Paper Company (Nature’s Touch of Art)
Wilko (Flower Embellishments) leftover pieces
Poundworld DécoTime (Vintage Stickers 54748)
Trimcraft (Adhesive Pearls SCDOT056)
Ranger Glossy Accents
Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
Wilko (Sticky Dots)
Docrafts Stick It! double-sided tape
The Range double-sided foam tape

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

Pretty Snowdrops

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

The snowdrops flowering in our garden always make me think of spring so in order to remember one of the first flowers of the year and also the beautiful displays we have seen at Lytham Hall of late, I was inspired to create this snowdrop art journal page.

I started this page by covering it with squares of decoupage paper using Liquitex matte gel medium. Once dry I edged the squares with a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and smudged it with my finger. Then I stamped some postage marks and text using black Archival Ink and covered the whole page with green paint that I had mixed from Liquitex Christmas Green acrylic paint with some black and white DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic paints. Once the paint was dry I rubbed and removed some of the paint using a baby wipe to give the page a worn look and then covered the whole page with PVA Glue to brighten the green colour and give it a glossy finish. Next I added some Pébéo white gesso with my finger and stencilled a doily image by Craft Sensations using a Bud Green Spectrum Aqua marker. I stamped a doily image using white DecoArt acrylic paint by applying the paint to the stamp using a brayer making sure that I washed the stamp immediately afterwards so the paint did not ruin the stamp by drying onto it. Then I splattered the page with black DecoArt acrylic paint using a paintbrush. With the background complete, I added a white lace border on the left hand side of the page which is an outline sticker, a pretty circular bird sticker from Docrafts and some black button letters which spell out the word “Snowdrop”. I die cut some brown paper which I recycled from a notebook using a Spellbinders die set and my Big Shot die cutting machine and arranged them onto the page with: a white doily by Dovecraft which is stuck down using a UHU Stic; a snowdrop image that I fussy cut from an old book of garden flowers and stuck into place using a Zig Memory System glue pen; text from the same book about snowdrops which I mounted on white and black card using double-sided tape; and finally a “S” alphabet letter sticker again mounted on white and black card.

If you are interested, here’s a close up of the text I included on my page.

This is one of the small clumps of snowdrops in our back garden before the snow came this week (grin!).

We went to see the snowdrop displays again at Lytham Hall this year, which have now almost finished and although they didn’t seem to be as bountiful this year the displays were still very beautiful. Here I am on a cold sunny day last week amongst the pretty snowdrops. I’m well wrapped up against the cold, do you like my new winter hat with its two bobbles or pom poms (grin!).

You may remember the amazing displays of snowdrops at Lytham Hall that I posted last year, so if you would like to see more of these pretty snowdrops please take a look my post here.

I so enjoyed reading the different stories associated with how the snowdrop flower came to be that I thought I would share a couple of them with you:

Garden of Eden: When Eve was cast out of the Garden of Eden, continuous snow covered the earth leaving it cold and barren. The angel, who appeared to comfort Eve, caught a snowflake and breathed upon it. The snowflake fluttered to the earth and gave birth to the snowdrop which later came to symbolize hope and rebirth.
German Legend: With the creation of snow, God tasked it with visiting the flowers of the earth to gather colours. Seeing that the gentle snowdrop was a kind and generous soul, the snow agreed to allow the snowdrop to bloom first every spring in exchange for her colour. So white snowdrops can be seen flowering amongst the snow each spring.

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the lovely Rosie from Rosie’s Bastelwelt who is hosting the Spring challenge over at Art Journal Journey with my snowdrop page!

Over at Moo Mania and More the theme is Think of Spring so I’m pleased to join this challenge too!

I’m joining Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their In My Garden challenge with this snowdrop art journal page.

I’m also joining the Use a stencil and Three Mediums challenge over at The Mixed Media Challenge as I used a doily stencil and at least three mediums which included Spectrum Aqua marker, acrylic paints and Memento Ink to create my page.

I’m also pleased to be able to join in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Anything Goes challenge with my art journal 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:

Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
Liquitex Artist Color Acrylic (Christmas Green)
DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (White, Black)
Pébéo White Gesso
Tsukeniko Memento Ink (Cottage Green)
Spectrum Aqua Artist Marker (Bud Green)
Prima Marketing Clear Stamps (Rossi Belle 587499)
Kaisercraft Clear Stamps (Script CS752)
Dovecraft Curiosity Corner Clear Stamps (A5 Lace & Doile DCCS009)
Craft Sensations (Deco Stencil Set 154892)
Spellbinders Die Set (Unknown)
Viva Gade Decoupage Paper (Skagen 25561)
Trimcraft (Decoupage Papers SCDEC064)
Recycled brown paper from old notebook
Oxford Book of Garden Flowers
White card
Dovecraft Paper Doilies (Painted Blooms DCDLS010)
Docrafts Papermania Label Stickers (Botanicals PMA157234)
Docrafts Anita’s Outline Stickers (Delicate Lace Borders ANT8101510)
Home Bargains (Love Letters 22738)
PSX Designs for Creativity Stickers (Florentine Alphabet Green SR6042)
Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
Everbuild 501 Universal PVA Bond
UHU Stic
Docraft Stick It! double-sided tape

Valentine’s

Posted on February 13, 2018 by Let's Art Journal

To celebrate Valentine’s Day tomorrow I created this art journal page and I used my winter window display as inspiration too as it looks so pretty with the red hearts and white snowflakes (double grin!).

Over at Try it on Tuesday, our current theme is Love is in the Air (think Hearts, Valentine’s Day, Love etc) and there is still another week to join in the fun, so it would be great to see you there!

I started by covering the page in a thin layer of Pébéo white gesso in preparation for the Faber-Castell Gelatos that I added next. Once dry, I graduated the Gelato colours using Iced Currant around the edges of the page then Iced Rosé then Metallic Icing in the centre using a sponge to blend them. Next I stamped some bars of music and a scroll border from Penny Black and also an “I Love You!” stamp by Hampton Art using black Archival Ink. I stamped my favourite circle and heart design from Sugarloaf Inc. using a VersaMark watermark stamp pad and covered it with white Stampendous embossing powder making sure any excess powder was removed using a paintbrush. Once the excess powder was safely returned to its container, I used a heat gun to melt the embossing powder. I swept the gun over the stamped images, taking care not to direct the heat in one area for too long until the embossing powder melted to a glossy finish and became smooth and dimensional. Then I used some silver metallic rub-on transfers from Royal & Langnickel to add the “Forever & Ever” and “Love” wording and also some hugs and kisses. For my snowflakes I used a trio snowflake die from Tonic Studios and some recycled white card. They are stuck to the page using Liquitex Matte Gel Medium and I finished them using some pretty glitter and silver snowflakes and also some sparkly jewel stickers. For the small hearts, I used a paper punch from Tonic Studios and some recycled red card and stuck them in place using the matte gel medium again. The cupid heart and postcard are from a card making kit by Docrafts and are stuck in place using double-sided tape. I also added an “I Love You” sticker to the postcard which is by Graphic 45. The chalkboard heart is a tag and I tied a red piece of leather into a bow and added our initials which are foam sticker letters. I coloured the letters using red Stickles in the centre and then edged them with silver Stickles using a very steady hand (grin!). I added three red hearts, to the focal images, which are punched from the same red card using another paper punch from Tonic Studios and also some more sparkly jewel embellishments to the background which finished the page.

I love our Valentine’s window display this year; it looks extra special with the lovely winter decorations that I made and the beautiful “G” and “J” initial decorations that were bought for us for Christmas.

The red hearts and white of the decorations and snowflakes look lovely together and the snowflakes seem even more relevant as we have snow forecast for this week too (grin!).

As T Stands for Tuesday, I’m also sharing his and hers hot chocolates – normal hot chocolate for hubby and white hot chocolate for me (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 in the fun over at Moo Mania and More and their Valentine’s challenge.

As I included red on my page, I’m also joining the Roses are Red (use the colour Red) challenge over at The Artistic Stamper.

I’m pleased to be able to join Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their It Must Be Love challenge with my Valentine’s inspired art journal page.

I’m also pleased to join the Photo Inspiration challenge over at the Mixed Media Monthly 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:

Pébéo White Gesso
Faber-Castell Gelato (Iced Currant, Iced Rosé, Metallic Icing)
Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
Tsukineko VersaMark (Watermark Stamp Pad)
Script Metallic Pen (Silver)
Stampendous Embossing Powder (Detail White Opaque)
Sugarloaf Inc. Anita’s wood-mounted stamp (26645)
Penny Black Stamp Set (Clearly in Love 30-009)
Hampton Art Studio G clear stamps (VS4911)
Tonic Studios Christmas Trio Die Set (Falling Snowflakes 17920)
Red and white card (recycled Christmas cards)
Royal & Langnickel Rub-on Transfers (Kisses and Hugs Silver #ROY790SV)
Docrafts Papermania 6×6” Decoupage Card Kit (Victorian Valentine PMA169102)
Graphic 45 Cardstock Stickers (Place in Time 4500617)
Tonic Studios Paper Punch Accent (Hearts Sider 830E, Classic Heart Sider 858E)
The Works (Chalkboard Heart Tags, Christmas Embellishments, Jewel Stickers)
Trimcraft Alphabet & Number Stickers (Glitter – Gold SCSTK013)
Ranger Stickles (Christmas Red, Silver)
Ranger Glossy Accents
Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
Docrafts Stick It! double-sided tape
The Range double-sided foam tape

Watching the Sunset

Posted on February 9, 2018 by Let's Art Journal

As you may be aware we love walking along our local beach and on one late afternoon we saw the most spectacular sunset. The colours of the clouds were so amazing that I was inspired to use the yellows and different shades of pink to create today’s page.

For the background I used Abandoned Coral, Spiced Marmalade and Mustard Seed Distress Inks; first by applying the ink pad to an acrylic block, diluting with water and applying the diluted ink to the page with a blending tool and then by using the blending tool to add the ink directly from the ink pad to build up areas of colour in cloud like patterns. Then I dripped water onto the page which reactivated the ink so I could remove it with a piece of kitchen towel. I used the same Distress Inks to stamp a circle and heart stamp design from Sugarloaf Inc. Next I created a circle stencil and stamped a splatter stamp, from Gummiapan, through it using black Archival Ink. Then using the same black ink I added a dot stamp by Art Impressions and a series of images from an Urban Stamp set which included small hearts, the word love and zigzag faux stitching. I also splattered black and white DecoArt acrylic paint over the page using a paintbrush. I added a glittery pink heart foam sticker as it was quite romantic watching the sun go down, and also a polka dot yellow bird as we often see birds on our walks along the beach. Then to finish, I added some wooden flowers which are stuck into place using Glossy Accents and finally some rhinestone flower stickers.

Here’s the sunset that inspired my page, isn’t it stunning! The beauty of the sunset was captivating; it looked so magical that it didn’t look real. I snapped this picture using my phone and we stayed quite a while, despite the cold, watching the sun go down (grin!).

Challenges

I’m pleased to join Rike from rike’s art who is hosting the Animals A-Z challenge over at Art Journal Journey, as B is for Bird on my sunset page!

With the stamping I used to create this art journal page, I’m pleased to join the Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge and their February Challenge: Anything Goes!: (stamping MUST be included).

As I created my art journal page with love to remember the romantic sunset we watched, I’m also joining the Valentine’s challenge over at Moo Mania & More.

I’m also joining the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge and their Photo Inspiration challenge as I used the LOVE, pink colour, hearts and fabric influence from the heart designs on my page.

I’m also pleased to join the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge which is It Must Be Love, with my romantic sunset inspired 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:

Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Abandoned Coral, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed)
Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (White, Black)
Sugarloaf Inc. Anita’s wood-mounted stamp (26645)
Gummiapan Stamp (A lot of Splats 11050106)
Docrafts Papermania Urban Stamp (Craft Collections – Pastels PMA907223)
Woodware Craft Collection Francoise Collection Stamp Set (Flower Style Wood Set FRSWS003)
Home Bargains (Foam Sticker Shapes 57884)
Craft for Occasions (C2026)
White card
The Works (Craft Flowers)
The Works (Rhinestone Flower Stickers)
Ranger Glossy Accents
UHU Stic

Love is in the Air

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

The new challenge theme over at Try it on Tuesday is Love is in the Air – think Hearts, Valentine’s Day, Love etc.

This challenge runs for the next two weeks and I hope you will join in the fun with your Love is in the Air creations, I look forward to seeing you there (grin!).

My art journal page today is a mixed media collage and it involved lots of fussy cutting which I love (grin!). I started this page by stamping a heart background stamp onto the page using Rich Cocoa Memento ink and stencilling a Vintage trellis design from Dutch Doobadoo using Angel Pink Memento Ink with a blending tool.

Next I fussy cut the heart branches, birds and birdcages from an 8×8” sheet of design paper. The design paper was two-sided so I also fussy cut lots of hearts and swirls from the other side. Once all the fussy cutting was complete, I stuck a sheet of napkin, with a pretty lace, music and cupid design, over the top of the stamped and stencilled background using Liquitex Matte Gel Medium; I chose Memento Ink as they do not reactivate when wet so the inks do not bleed into the gel medium or napkin. As I covered the napkin with a layer of gel medium, I collaged the pieces of heart branches, swirls and birds on top while it was still wet. I ensured that the design flowed by matching up the lines and layering the images together and also covered all of these pieces with a layer of gel medium too and left it to dry.

Once dry, I coloured all of the hearts using a Blossom Spectrum Aqua Marker which I applied like watercolour; I did this by scribbling the marker onto an acrylic block and using a wet paintbrush to gradually shade the colour. I really like the way the colour intensifies as it shades across the hearts. I also added more definition around the hearts using white and brown Uni Posca paint pens. Next I added the red lettering which is from a Die-cut & Paper Pack set by Docrafts Papermania and then added some shadows to the whole design by applying diluted Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker with a paintbrush. To finish, I embellished the tree branches and swirls with some small red gem stones to add a little sparkle.

I really enjoyed creating this page and over on Try it on Tuesday the Design Team have created some fabulous creations for this challenge, so please pop over and take a look.

As we have had some high winds of late, instead of walking with friends on the beach we have taken refuge by walking in the grounds of Lytham Hall. This of course means that we went to the café there and this is the saucer that my cup was partnered with, it reminded me of the birds on my page (grin!).

You can see how my green tea was served here, in a pretty teacup along with the saucer and of course I had my usual slice of delicious ginger cake which I just couldn’t resist – yum (grin!). With this drink related photo, I’m saying a big hello the T Gang at T Stands for Tuesday and wishing you all a Happy T Day!

Challenges

I’m pleased to be able to join the lovely Rike for rike’s art, who is hosting the Animals A-Z challenge over at Art Journal Journey with the “L is for Lovebirds” that I included on my page.

As I included red on my page, I’m also joining in the fun over at The Artistic Stamper and their challenge is Roses are Red (use the colour Red) challenge.

I’m also joining Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Love is in the Air Challenge.

As I used the reds, pinks and hearts on my art journal page, I’m also pleased to join the Photo Inspiration challenge over at the Mixed Media Monthly 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:

Tsukeniko Memento Ink (Rich Cocoa, Angel Pink)
Spectrum Aqua Artist Marker (Blossom)
Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Dark Sepia 175)
Uni Posca Paint Pens (White, Brown)
Hobbycraft clear stamp (A6 Heart Background 50351HC)
Dutch Doobadoo A5 Dutch Mask Art (Vintage)
Dunelm Napkins (Grace 30220549)
8×8” Design Paper Sheet – free gift from local craft store
Docrafts Papermania A4 Ultimate Die Cut & Paper Pack (Folk Christmas PMA160933)
Docrafts Papermania 3mm Adhesive Stones (Red 351607)
Liquitex Matte Gel Medium

Falling Snowflakes

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Let's Art Journal

With the sleet and snow we had last weekend, which is rare as we live by the sea, I was inspired to create this journal page to remember the falling snowflakes that we saw!

I started by stamping a Script stamp from Kaisercraft and a Serpentine Background stamp from Art Impressions onto the page using black Archival Ink. Then I covered the page with a small amount of sea green and blue acrylic paints and also some white gesso using my finger. While the gesso was drying, I chose three decoupage papers which I folded a number of times to make them thicker so I could die cut them using my Big Shot and a trio of snowflake dies from Tonic Studios. They were quite fiddly to separate as the decoupage paper is so thin and delicate; it was well worth it though as I love the way they look layered on the page using Liquitex Matter Gel Medium to stick them down. Next I added some red border rub-on transfers from Docrafts Papermania and then I stamped the quote onto white tissue paper using the black Archival Ink. The quote is stuck onto the page using a UHU Stic and is by Aristotle, it reads:

“To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold”.

The pretty Winter Time lady is a sticker from Graphic 45 which I thought matched the quote perfectly. For the birds, I stamped a Winter Woodland stamp onto white tissue paper twice using black Archival Ink and then I covered them with black Papermania embossing powder. As you can see I reversed one of the images, which you can do when using tissue paper as the ink goes straight through to the other side; you need to act quickly though when covering it with the embossing powder. I shook off the excess powder onto a piece of scrap paper although I wasn’t to worried about stray powder or coverage as I wanted to depict snowfall obscuring the visibility of the branch and birds by using the stray powder. I heated the stamped images with a heat gun, taking care not to direct the heat in one area for too long as the embossing powder melts very quickly on tissue paper. Next I ripped around the edges of the embossed images and stuck them down using a UHU Stic. I also sprinkled a little of the black embossing powder directly onto the page to enhance the snowfall effect. To finish, I applied some white DecoArt acrylic paint along the tree branches using a paintbrush, then to the snowflakes using my finger and finally to the whole page by using the paintbrush again to add white paint splatters.

Although we had sleet and snow, it was too wet for it to settle. The temperatures have been colder though so I’ve taken my Prague hat out of storage to keep me warm on our walks. This is the first UK winter I have been able to wear it, as normally it’s just not cold enough (grin!).

Here’s my hat on one snowy evening in Prague a few years ago (double grin!).

Both these snowy photos were taken in winter time in The Old Town Square where you find the most amazing Christmas Markets. The imposing church in the background is called the Týn Church or Church of Our Lady before Týn, which is a gothic church dating back to 14th century, isn’t it beautiful (grin!).

Challenges

I’m pleased to be able to join the lovely Erika N, also known as BioArtGal, who is hosting the New Year, New Adventures challenge over at Art Journal Journey with my snowy adventure!

As I layered lots of die cut snowflakes on top of stamps and paint, then layered the quote and bird images that I stamped onto tissue paper I’m so happy to join the Layer It Up challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.

I’m joining in the fun over at Country View Challenges and their Anything Goes challenge.

I enjoyed using all the different stamps to create my page so I’m pleased to join the Anything Goes challenge over at The Artistic Stamper.

As I used some new crafting goodies (snowflakes dies, Rub-On Transfers and Graphic 45 Stickers) and techniques (die cutting decoupage paper) to create my Falling Snowflake page, I’m also joining the Ring in the New challenge over at the Mixed Media Monthly 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:

Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
Liquitex Artist Color Acrylic (Swedish Blue, Christmas Green)
DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (White)
Pébéo White Gesso
Derwent Graphik Line Marker (Black 0.1mm)
Papermania Embossing Powder (Black PMA4021006)
Kaisercraft clear stamp (Script CS752)
Art Impressions wood mounted rubber stamp (Serpentine Background T-2773)
Winter Woodland Stamp Set – free with Craft Beautiful Magazine (Dec 2017)
Dovecraft Essentials Alphabet Stamp Set (WDN ALPHA STMP DCVW0050)
Tonic Studios Christmas Trio Die Set (Falling Snowflakes 1792e)
Poundworld DécoTime (Patch Paper DS9454)
White tissue paper
Docrafts Papermania Rub-on Borders (First Noel PMA822103)
Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
UHU Stic

Winter Robin

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Let's Art Journal

When we were visiting family in the South of England we discovered some new walks at a local nature reserve, where we saw lots of wildlife including robins which is one of my favourite birds.

I started by painting diluted Ground Espresso and a little bit of Hickory Smoke Distress Inks onto the page by stamping the ink pads directly onto an acrylic block and picking the ink up with a wet paintbrush. I concentrated the colour around the edges of the page and used the paintbrush bristles to add texture. Then I applied the Hickory Smoke ink again using a blending tool through a retro stencil from That Special Touch of Mica Masks by Creative Expressions. I stamped some small snowflakes from a BoBunny stamp set using Rich Cocoa Memento Ink. With some new dies and my Big Shot I got to work creating some green and red paper branches using Garden Greens Sizzix Thinlets by Tim Holtz; they are stuck to the page using a Zig Memory System glue pen. I was also very excited to receive some die sets from my lovely friend Astrid yesterday, thank you so much! I wanted to use them straight away (grin!), so I selected some square dies and used them to create some pretty edges on a recycled Robin Christmas card and also some patterned papers from Docrafts. I edged them with a grey Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and stuck them to the page along with some other paper embellishments from the same Docrafts pack and a robin image from another recycled Christmas card using some double-sided tape. To finish the page, I added the wording which are letter stickers from the same Docrafts pack.

Here’s one of the beautiful robins that we saw on our walk at the nature reserve (grin!).

If you are interested, here are some facts about robins:

This robin is a European robin (Erithacus rubecula), which here in the UK is known simply as a robin or robin redbreast and they are renowned for their friendliness.
The term robin is also applied to other birds of a similar appearance, such as the American robin which is actually a thrush and also the Australasian robins.
Even though the film Mary Poppins is set in London, the robin that lands on Mary’s finger during “A Spoonful of Sugar” is an American robin instead of a European robin.
Nowadays in the UK, robins are synonymous with winter and especially Christmas cards because in Victorian times, our postmen were known as robins due to their bright red uniforms and they delivered cards on Christmas day.
The robin often tops the polls for Britain’s favourite bird and has been adopted as a nickname for eight UK football (soccer) clubs who play in red.

We saw the robin while we were walking through woodland. It was a lovely place to explore with its ponds, streams, marshes, grassland, reed beds, hedges and woodlands and it was a haven for a variety of wildlife too. We saw so many birds in the hedgerows and trees.

It was a sunny day when we visited too and we walked for miles enjoying both the scenery and wildlife.

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the lovely Erika N, also known as BioArtGal, who is hosting the New Year, New Adventures challenge over at Art Journal Journey with my page inspired by our new walking adventure and created with lots of new crafting goodies!

I’m joining Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Birds of a Feather challenge with my Winter Robin art journal page.

I’m pleased to join the fun over at Country View Challenges and their Anything Goes challenge.

As I’m using new dies, my new Big Shot die cutting machine as well as the Docrafts paper pack and Creative Expressions stencil which are new craft goodies, I’m also pleased to join the Ring in the New challenge over at Mixed Media Monthly.

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: