Paradise Art Journal

 Friend Anna shared this blog post with me yesterday and the sound you heard about 10:30 AM Eastern time was me sighing! I thought the card was simply beautiful. And as is generally the case when I see something that I am especially taken with, I have to try and recreate it using the "Sue spin" on it. So that what I've been up to this morning! The latest pages in my Art Journal.

I used CTMH Footloose paper pack and  the accompanying stamp set along with the surfboard and sun from now retired CTMH Splish Splash. All stamped images either have Stickles or Glossy Accents on them. I used wild honey Distress Stain to color the cheesecloth and once I dried it with my heat gun (there's that impatience rearing it's head again!) I further distressed it using Distress Ink Pad gathered twigs and my blending tool. I found a little clam charm in my stash and attached it to the cheesecloth. I cut out the banner pieces using Pinky and covered them with a piece of Random Stamped cs I had left over from an earlier project. I used CTMH A Typeset alphabet to stamp the sun n fun on the banner and used raffia to attach it.

Journey

I've had this idea in my head since before I ordered my newest Dyan stamps and when they finally arrived last week, I was so entrenched in the t!m classes that I couldn't wait til the weekend so I would have a chance to work on my Art Journal and get. the. idea. out. of. my. head! It was driving me crazy! Friend Anita had stamped and sent me some images of her Pondering Petunia stamp set, so I had them to play with as well. So again, I am mixing up stamp sets and products in my mixed media art. There's the doily stencil from Christy Tomlinson's SheArt collection, two different Dyan stamp sets in Pondering Petunia and Ruby Rainbow, t!m's mixed media stamp set, Lily Bee papers that were left over from the canvas book class I took at Posh Scraps and some really funky new felt ribbon I found at World Market over in Daytona Beach when we were over there a couple of weeks ago. The instant I saw it, I knew I had to have it for "hair" for the Dyan girls!!

I started with mini misters and CTMH re-inkers in Ocean, Sunflower and Orchid Bouquet. I wet my white cs and sprayed it with the mini misters and dried it. Then I mixed up some CTMH Sweet Leaf re-inker with some molding paste and using the stencil, added it for texture and dried it with the heat gun because I  am impatient! (I may have mentioned that a time or twelve!) Then stamped the various mixed media stamps and did a bit of coloring in and adding some diamond dots (I think that's what they're called!) around for more visual interest. Once that was done, I applied Perfect Pearls mist over everything for some shimmer and shine. Stamped my images and used my PrismaColor pencils, odorless mineral spirits and a stub to color them. Applied Stickles to the wings and boots and waited for.ever for it to dry! The hands, eyes and frog images are some from Anita's Pondering Petunia set that she sent and I simply sprayed them with the mini misters.

Creative Chemistry Day 5

Today was all about Distress Stains and sprays and the differences in both. Only makes me want some (OK, ALL!) of the Dylusions Paint Sprays. Waiting patiently on Michelle at Posh Scraps to get her Dyan order in.

Stained Kraft Resist Technique. This tag was done using t!m's Kraft Resist paper pack. We applied Distress Stains to the paper and where the varnish is resists the stain. Flicked water on the paper to leave spots and dried. Then we used the blending tool and Distress Ink pads and applied layers of color. I used the pattern piece of paper and a couple of the stamps from the Haberdashery stamp set using Archival ink.

Stamping with Stains Technique. This one started with a wet tag and then we applied Distress Stains. Dried with the heat gun and misted water on as we dried to create a mottled effect. Then used a stamp  and instead of ink, applied Distress Stain Picket Fence to our stamp and stamped, then quickly dried it. Then stamped an image on top using Archival ink.  

Marbled Stain Technique. This one started with a puddle of Picket Fence on our Kraft sheet. Then sqiggled other colors of Distress Ink around it. Then drag the tag thru the colors for a marbled effect. As you dry the tag, re-dip it into the colors and spritz with water for a more mottled effect. Images stamped in Archival ink.

Creative Chemistry-Day 4

Well if I'm gonna flunk, today will be the day! We are supposed to have cut-n-dry felt to make our own custom stamp pad for today and I don't have it. Will never use it, so ain't buyin' it! I don't even have something here that I can fake my way thru it, so I only have 2 tags to share today.

Today was all about re-inkers and the various ways you can use them. I own ONE Distress Re-inker...Old Paper. I've had it so long, I don't even remember why I bought it! I don't have an Old Paper Distress Ink Pad, so I didn't buy it to re-ink with. BUT! I have a crap-load of CTMH reinkers, so Necessity Being The Mother Of Invention, I went with what I had! I mixed up Orchid Bouquet, Autumn Terra Cotta and Ocean CTMH re-inkers in mini misters and held my tag over the trash can and sprayed away! I can tell you, and you'll just have to trust me on this, that my left hand is a lovely shade of the three colors and my wrist looks a little like the Statue Of Liberty color with it's greenish tinge! Or should that be patina?! And for my second tag, I smooshed my distress pads on my Kraft sheet and used my waterbrush to pick up the colors with instead of using the re-inkers like we were supposed to. This is the tag that I used my one and only Distress Re-inker on. I went around the outside edge of the watercolor piece and also the entire manila tag with Old Paint Re-inker. So maybe I'll get a D- instead of an F for at least using the one thing I do own for todays class!!

 Layered Misting. Used CTMH re-inkers in Orchid Bouquet, Autumn Terra Cotta and Ocean mixed with water in mini misters and sprayed on tag. Dried, then mixed up Cocoa re-inker in a mini mister and used masks and oversprayed with Cocoa.

Watercoloring with Re-inkers. Stamped image with Pigment ink. Then used Distress Ink pads and smooshed on Kraft sheet. Picked up color with waterbrush and applied to watercolor paper.

Creative Chemistry Day 3

Today's class was about mixing the different products and the cool things you can end up with. I did manage to incorporate some of my new Dyan Reaveley images that I finally received in the mail the other day. Stay tuned for more with them! My head is FULL of ideas and I need to let. them. out!

Alcohol Ink Agates. This tag uses alcohol inks and mixatives and blending solution then stamping with Archival ink. I used the Haberdashery stamp set.

Reflections Stamping.  This tag uses Reflections stamps stamped in Archival inks on an embossing folder then stamping other images on top of the Reflections stamps. Embossing the tag and finally coloring with Distress Inks. I used the fancy script from the Reflections stamp set,  CTMH Footloose WOTG stamp set , using the fish, clamshell and starfish and tumbled glass, iced spruce and weathered wood Distress Inks to mimic water.

Archival Resist. This tag uses stamped images in Bright Archival Inks (which I don't have, so I used the "brightest" green I have!) then stamping in a dark color with other inages and coloring with Distress Inks. These are a few of my new Dyan images from Bits of This stamp set and the chicken wire stamp from t!m's Mixed Media stamp set. And I HAD to do the pop of Red Pepper Paint Dabber on her lips! And I'll probably flunk the class for doing that!! ;)

Creative Chemistry Day 2

I am currently taking t!m's first ever online class. Day one was learning about the different properties of the products and what will and will not work with each other. Yesterday we actually got to put ink to paper!  And it's not too late for you to join the fun. Class is self-paced , gets sent to your email address every day and if you are a student, you have free lifetime access to the classes. So go see what all the fuss is about!

The second day of class was all about Distress Inks and the different ways to apply it. I can't go into details about what and how we are doing things, so you will have to just enjoy some pretty pictures without a bunch of blabber from me! Enjoy that while you can...cuz I'll soon be back to blabbering my heart out! It IS what I do best, after all! I can tell you that this technique was more about learning how to apply the color and notsomuch about all the schtuff you put on after. So many times, you almost can't see the background once all of the other stuff is applied. The only one that I kinda made like a "real" tag is the last one and I only added a sentiment. Of the three, it is my favorite!

 Wrinkle Free Distress Technique

 Blended Distress/Spritz & Flick Technique

Brushless Watercolor Technique

Peep, peep, peep

My feed store is getting peeps in already. I had stopped a couple of weeks ago to see what the schedule was on the arrival of the different varieties I want to get. I'm down to 4 girls and like to have between 8-10. Course I have to have my Americauna's! Love those green eggs. And I lost both of my chocolate layers last year, so wanted to get a couple more of them. The "chicken guy" at the feed store told me I needed to try Buff Orpingtons. He said they are very docile and are great layers of brown eggs and today was the day they were to arrive. Apparently they came in the end of last week instead, so I got to bring 3 new babiez home with me today.

And since it's a new week, there's a new challenge at Simon Says Stamp. This week it's all about make your own background. So the new (as yet, nameless) babiez were my inspiration behind this tag.

I started with Distress Stains in vintage photo and peeled paint (to mimic grass and dirt) and did the splat them on my Kraft sheet and spray my tag with water and smoosh it thru the stains technique. Then I dried it and flicked some water on it to give some spots. The smaller tag I did in the same fashion but used dried marigold and vintage photo. I used some of the Scrabble letters from the CTMH Crusin' paper pack to spell out "Peeps." I stamped a row of peeps on white cs using a stamp from the CTMH set called Springtime and colored them with colored pencils then cut them out. I used a piece of Magic Mesh and used some Molding Paste to give a bit more definition to the tag and once I dried it with my heat gun, I distressed it a bit with some Distress Ink gathered twigs. I printed a pic of the peeps that I took after I got them home on regular copy paper and cut the images out and applied them to the tag. Once everything was in place, I used t!m's mixed media chicken wire stamp set to stamp over the whole tag. And I love how the one peep that her head is kinda hanging off the top of the tag, how the chicken wire appears broken and she's trying to escape! That was NOT planned! I didn't even realize it til after I was done stamping.