It Has Been A While

I started a new job last fall and after being home for 6 months, it was a big adjustment.  Learning a new job, a new organization and working with new people is both stimulating and tiring.  It has been a period of adjustment for everyone.  I am afraid that my crafting has suffered because of it.

Other than the occasional art journal page, I really haven't done much in the last 6 months.  I keep thinking that I will start a layout, a card or a window box frame arrangement then end up doing an art journal page.  They are addictive.

Things are starting to settle in and I am hoping to post here more often....Stay tuned and Happy Thursday.

Fall

I love the Fall.  I love the smell of the leaves, the cooler days, and the bright vibrant colours.  I love the photos that I get of the kiddos with the leaves as a back drop.

This photo was taken last year when the leaves were just starting to turn.  I made the kiddos go to a local park with me and do all kinds of artsy, fun and wacky photos.  There is no journalling on this layout.  It was done just to satisfy my need to create something yesterday. 

I started with some modeling paste and stencils to create texture.  I, then, stenciled a design using distress inks.  I wanted to put more modeling paste over top of the inking but not have the ink bleed through so I spray some matte fix over the inking.  It kept the subtle smudged feel that the distress inks gives when you apply it with a sponge applicator without the bleed through when you apply a wet medium over top.

The papers, I pulled out of my scrap bin.  Most of these were left over from making cards or other layouts.  The only new piece of paper that I either cut into or mucked up was the cardstock base.  The leaves are from Dollarama.  They are leftovers from the wreath that I made for our front door this year.  The crocheted flowers were made for me by a fellow scrapbooker and were part of a RAK.  I really wish I knew how to crochet.  These are really cute.  There are also bits of Prima embellishments, ribbon flowers from Fabricland, dollar store bling, and old book paper.  I just kept adding little bits until I had a layering that was appealing.

I am trying to decide if I am going to work on Christmas cards, start a new layout or continue working on the Christmas decorations that I am making for my mom and sister-in-law.  Either way, today is going to be a creative day spent playing.

Have a creative Thursday.

Happy World Card Making Day

Card making was my first foray into the paper crafts.  This was before I had my kiddos.  My cards were fairly simple often with a stamped or embossed image.  When they arrived, I made all of their birth announcements but it wasn't until I started to scrapbook that I really got into card making.  It was a way to use up all my scraps but it was also an excuse to buy all these great embossing folders and dies.

Over the past year, I haven't been making that many cards and if I do make them, I often forget to mail them to their recipients. *blush* My family can attest to this.  I don't know how many times over the last year or so that I have handed them their cards 6 months after the date.  I was always bad before but never this bad.

So to celebrate World Card Making Day today, I am going to try to make more cards and get them into the mail box going forward.

I have even managed to make two cards.  One is using up scraps of Graphic45 papers and stickers from some of the art journaling I have been doing lately.  The second is made from bits and pieces of paper from the very bottom of my scrap bin.  I am sure they have been in there for a few years at least.

Since I am feeling creative, I think I will go back and see if I can either make a couple more cards or maybe even a layout.

Happy World Card Making Day!

Art Journal Page

Another art journal page is done.  I had to abandon the page that I started with the black gesso.  I couldn't seem to get it to flow nicely.  It was creating a mental block preventing me from doing anything else.  It wasn't until I decided to abandon it completely that I was able to move on to something else.  Now that the creative juices are once again flowing, I figure that I will come back to it in a few months with new eyes.

This is the double page that broke the mental block.  I started by priming the page with a thin coat of gesso.  After that coat dried, I used a spatula to apply a thick uneven coat to provide texture.  Stenciled modeling paste added further texture.  After adding tea stain, inks, tissue paper, etc. to the background, I add pieces of ephemera from my scrap basket.

I am contemplating spending sometime making different hand made paper flowers....maybe a wall hanging or a framed piece.

Have a good Monday.

Paint Speckles

Paint speckles were the start for this art journal page.  It is not a technique that I have used very often so doing it as a background for an art journal page is a good way to work out the kinks for use in other projects.  Once the background was done, old book paper called out to be used and it was just a hop, skip and a jump to old treasure maps.

The map was stamped on the book paper with Archival Ink and Distress Markers were used to colour in the image.  All the left over bits and pieces from the previous art journal pages were used up on this page.

I have already started another page which I have slathered with black gesso.  I have never used black gesso before so this will be interesting.

Happy Tuesday.