playing with the summer distress inks in art journaling

Last month each of theViva LasVegastamps! Design team were each giving a Clairefontaine journals. For the month of August you seen what my fellow Design team members did with their journals. Today is my turn. You can say they saved the best for last! :D

-All month long, twice a week, the VLVS! DT is featuring sketch journals by Clairefontaine.

You can see their products here : http://www.exaclair.com/

brands_clairefontaine.shtml

And check up on all things journal related @ the Rhodia Drive blog:http://rhodiadrive.com/

and on their facebook : http://www.facebook.com/pages/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rhodia-Drive/98458096197---

 As part of this month long event...Viva Las Vegastamps! and Clairefontaine are hosting a contest this month--comment on all the Clairefontaine posts throughout the month to get a chance at a free journal and a $15 coupon to the VLVS! online store! Great prize!! Good luck!! Remember, you can't win if you don't enter!!!  So be sure to check out everyone on the DT's journal pages!

The journal is about 12  long by 8 1/2 wide. The cover is clear.It does have a band closure. The paper in the  journal is a drawing paper with a 85lb weight to it. The paper has a good thickness to it, so I was wondering how it will hold up with what I do. I've worked in journals of all sizes. And each one takes a bit to get use to. I'm getting use to this one too. I'm not use to working in a journal that is this long. I did 3 pages of the journal. I'm going to show 2 that I completed.

I just got my Summer Distress ink pads when I got the journal. So I took each of the 3 colors and swiped it on a different page. I then took some water and a brushed and applied water on the page to spread the ink.

The last color I did was the Salty Ocean. And that was the first page I worked on. Right after I put water on the page I put some rock salt down on the page. I let it air dried a bit before I used the heat gun to speed up the drying process. I shook the salt off, and got a cool effect. I stamped the Water Drop Background using the same ink pad. I stamped too much of it, to my liking. so I took out the brush with water and brushed the page. And tried it again with the rock salt. I then stamped the Water Drop Background again. and like it much better.

I then stamped some of the 2 of the kayak stamps I have and the 2 girls on boat stamp. Colored them with Prismas color pencils. I wanted a vacation quote, I looked at brainery.com and found one. Went into word and type the quote 3 different fonts. Cut the words out and glued them on the page. I added some more of the blue color to the word to blend in the page. The page needed something else, I used some punchinella as a stencil and some white paint on the page.

Items used:

Salty Ocean Distress ink

white cardstock

prisma color pencils

white craft paint

punchenilla

rock salt

water

Stamps used:

Water drop background

Top view kayak

Man kayaking

two girls on boat

This is the second page I did. This page I used the Picked Raspberry distress ink. I then spritz some sprays on to the page and let it drip down. I then used some of the punchinella from the Gauche Alchemy kit in pink, white and black craft paints. The woman was from the vintage sears catalog that was in my kit. I did color her up a bit with color pencils. I took a piece of Kromecote and brayered  the same ink color that was on the page. I spritz it with some water  for some texture. The stamp I used is I read recpies the same  on black memento inkpad. I cut the words apart and glued them on the page with glossy accents. I did go around the edges with marker.

Items used:

Picked Raspberry distress ink

Black, Pink, and white Craft paints

Various punchinella

pink and black spray

ephermra

Kromecote

water

Stamp used:

I read recipes the same

Viva Las Vegastamps! Design team tryout

Its that time of year again. The term has ended (seem to go by so fast!) and new one will soon be starting. I had such a blast with term I had to tryout again. It's been a blast being on this team! I love every minute of it. It has up my game as a crafter and as an artist. Thank you DeeDee, Jeff, and Wayne for giving me this opportunity for being part of this awesome team and an awesome stamp company!

below are 3 project are my favorites that I've done with VLVS! I was really hard to pick 3. Especially when are a couple of projects I liked for the Halloween hop that is coming up on Sept. 23-29.

This piece is the altered tic tack toe board that I did for the Gauche Alchemy swap

This is fun 4th of July tag I did. Love the background

This is a little sneaky peak of a future blog post that will be up on Sept. 17.Sorry if its a little blurry or too shiny. trying to take a good picture of transparency is a pain. 

latest art journal pages

I've been ignoring my atlas art journal lately. here are some journal pages I have done a couple have been done a couple ago. one i finished today, and one i did the other day. :)

2 cards for a friend.

Last week I made a couple of cards a just because card  for a friend and a get well card for her grand daughter.

I used 2 digi stamps, which were freebies, by Saturated Canary I colored both images with Artist loft watercolor. The card  bases I used for both are black card bases by Recollections. The paper I used I got from Tuesday Morning.

I colored her dress in different shades of blue, because the grand daughter likes blue. I used some of the ink essentials black enamel for the stripes and dots. I used some pearlesent water colors on the bow and her shoes. It needed something so I found the heart die cut painted it and added some pearlesent watercolors. the bird if from the other digi stamped i used on the other card. the "get well soon" are beads that attached with glossy accents. I attached the layers of cardstock with Miracle tape( used it for both cards). I used foam tape to attached the girl and the bird and i think the heart. (you have to check my youtube video i did before i mailed it off. LOL) to the card.

Again I colored her with artist loft water colors, and pearlesent water colors. The sentiment is from American Art Stamp. I sprayed the watercolor paper (I had it by me and used it) with hottie pottie hot pink starburst spray but Lindy's stamp gang.  then I stamped the sentiment with black memento ink pad when the paper was dried.

your a doll

Today's post I thought I do some art dolls. The bodies are tags that I die cut using the Tags Sizzix die, with using paper that embossed with the Cuttle bug embossing folders in the retro 50's that  I was RAK'ed . I looked through my Viva Las Vegastamps! for the right stamps to use for them.

This one I  painted the tag with a little bit of french vanilla craft paint and a little white craft paint. let it dried and then sanded so the design would pop. The legs are from Grunge Board Elements. One is an arrow and one is a hinge that I chopped the decorative bits off. I glued the arrows with Aleen's tacky glue. I find that is the only glue that the grunge board will work. The wings are from the negative from the same Grunge board set, using it in a stencil as you will see in the rest of the art dolls.  I set the now stencil over a piece a paper. I then traced the designs I wanted to use, just to make it easier to cut out so I can see. I took some of my Lindy's starburst sprays and sprayed some color on the paper. I cut them out and glued them on the back of the tag.  I stamped Victorian lady with flowered hat on white card stock with a brown Vivid ink pad. Colored her with my Prisma color pencils. 

The wings for her I used a red and yellow sprays, making some bits orange. Again I stamped Victorian lady with hat on Brown Vivid ink pad. colored her with prisma color pencils. The legs are arrows that I painted black. Glued the wings and head with glossy accents and the legs with Aleen's tacky glue.

This one is probably my Favorite of the 4. I stamped the Smiling baby on kromecote using a Versafine Black ink pad. Embossed using Ultra High Gloss Embossing powder. Colored the face using Prisma colored pencils. The crown is another part of the elements grunge board that I was now using as a stencil. I sprayed some black and other colors. The arms and legs are Grunge board arrows, that I painted black. They are actually 2 different sets. one is dots and the other is swirls.

This one is another favorite. Used the same smiling baby. I put a different crown on her. Glued the last of my grunge board arrows on her too. I stamped the Striped butterfly using black Versafine ink pad on the kromecote. I pained the wings using the Artist loft watercolors. I then added some shimmer using the pearlesent water colors.

Items used

Brown vivid ink pad

craft paints

cardstock

embossing folders

various sprays

Grunge board elements

Versafine Black ink pad 

kromecote

Ultra High Gloss Embossing powder

Prisma color pencils

Glossy accents

Aleen's tacky glue

Stamps used:

Victorian lady with flowered hat

Victorian lady with hat

Smiling baby

Striped butterfly

Purple Pumpkin and washi tape giveaway

Purple Pumpkin is giving away 10 rolls of washi tape, of your choice. Here is the info.

Want to win 10 rolls of your choice?

Here's how you can be in the draw to WIN!!

1. Be a follower of this blog :)

2. I would really appreciate it if you could blog about this giveaway, and if you could post it on your facebook, that would be awesome!

3. Leave a comment on this post :)

**If you don't have a blog, you can still enter! Just look at the end of this post and you'll see a little 'f' for facebook button. If you hover over it, it will turn blue - hit that, tell people about our giveaway, and it will post straight to your facebook! Then just leave us a comment and that will be your entry. Too easy!!**

This giveaway is open to ANYONE, ANYWHERE! Entries will close at midnight on the 30th of August, and the winner will be announced on the 31st of August.

Happy Haunting in Wonderland

My friend Annette had send me a RAK last month or so. One of the things in the RAK was a wooden oval plaque. Last night I took it out and altered it using Graphic 45 papers.

The front paper is one of the 8x8 sheets from Happy Haunting. I used heavy gel medium by Golden. I brushed on the glue on the wooden piece and the paper. Not pictured was The other piece of paper from the same collection. After I glued and trimmed the access paper I took a small paint brush and painted black around the edges. I know I should of done that BEFORE gluing the papers down. Oh well gave it more of a grungy look. :P  When I was Archiver's I bought a 12 x 12 sheet from Halloween in Wonderland collection. I fussy cut a couple of the images from that paper. Played around with placement. When finally happy I used Miracle tape for the Cheshire cat. and used foam tape for the other 2 pieces. The Happy Haunting was left over that I was going to use for the tag, but didn't use it then. Thought it went perfect here. I was going to do the other side with some of the other pieces I cut, but decided to leave it alone. I did glue ribbon before gluing down the orange and lack check paper. I glossy accented some parts of the things I cut.

I did glossy Accented the candy corn later today. :)

All Hallow's eve tag

So yesterday I went to Archiver's to pick up something for a friend. Of course I got something for me while I was there. Okay more than one thing. :P I got the new Happy Hauntings from Graphic 45 in the 8 x8 pad. Felt a little buyers remorse when I got in the car and all night. It amazes me how much some of this stuff cost! Saw lots of stuff I wanted. Saw some of the new stuff that was at Summer CHA. Its one thing to see this stuff online (and not buying online because you're not working funds are low)but to actually see it in person.... Well stop whining now. I need to win the lottery! :P

So when I came home, I got out the Happy Haunting pad and took a page out of it and started playing. Trying to get out of the remorse. The tag I already did the background on. I did 2 of this type of background. Its the glue crackle technique. Its one of my favorite techniques to do. I did the base layer in black craft paint and the white glue and orange paint. I did blast it with heat gun to jump start the drying process. I fussy cut some of the images of one of the Happy Haunting papers. Played around with placement. I also had "All Hallows eve" From Viva Las Vegastamps! that I had stamped and embossed, and water colored with black soot distress ink pad. I Then glossy accented some of the parts of the paper.

I am entering this in the Simon Says Stamp and Show For the Favorite Technique challenge.

I've been published!

Oh sometime In June I sent 2 tags in To Vamp Stamp News for publication for their August issue on Metal. And right after I mailed them I saw that The June issue would be the last one printed. And the editor was only going to do e-articles once a month, I admit I was bummed. Vamp Stamp News has been around for a long long time. But since she was still going to be doing e-articles, I still had a good chance that my tags will make it in the article( I really love how the tags came out).

So Friday July 20th, I saw that the new article was out. I clicked on the link and looked through the article and there I saw my name and my tags! I'm kinda excited as this is the 1st time I've been published! There are my tags

So check out Vamp Stamp News, the e-article on Metals and Faux metal techniques to see how I did the tags.  I'm on page 46 and 47!

Stamps used: 

One eye monster

Whimsical Woman in Dress

We are not like others

I'm not Insane...

a day in the life of a cat

When I first learned I made it to the Viva Las Vegastamps! Design team, I started making a couple of cards, just to have on hand in case my mind went creatively blank. Luckily that hasn't happened. :) But I thought I show you the card I did.

I had some some photo paper that I had used alcohol inked backgrounds on. On white cardstock I stamped the 2 cats in black memento ink. colored the Crayon Kitty with prisma pencils.I then stamped the Excerpt from the diary of a cat on to the background but it smudge when stamping. after a panic moment, I stamped it on a piece of white cardstock. in black memento ink pad. All peices were attached the the background with Miracle tape. And attached to a black card base.

Items used:

Black cardstock

photo paper

alcohol ink

white cardstock

black memento ink pad

color pencils

Miracle tape

Stamps used:

Crayon Kitty

cat sprawl

Excerpt from the diary of a cat day 751