making a mess

i'm still working on journal pages that i need for an alphabetica journal swap i am in. the pages are 5 x 7 and the theme is the alphabet so how hard could it be? well i have to admit that it's harder than i thought it was going to be. i started off doing the backgrounds - front and back - but i wasn't happy with them. so i really lost interest in finishing them. i only have about 3 weeks to get them finished so i really need to work on them and get them completed. since my original idea wasn't working i had to come up with something new and i am kind of liking the concept of this page but yet i still feel the need to have this collaged image on it. as hard as it is to make myself quit adding things i am forcing myself to stop with that tiny little face on the letter m.

in case you were wondering how i did this journal page i took a 5 x 7 piece of 140 lb watercolor paper and used some large stamps that i put gesso on to make some pattern. i left that dry and then i used some light green and yellow acrylic paint to paint a wash of color over the watercolor paper. i then splattered brown acrylic paint all over. i used my brown staz on ink pad and some alphabetical type stamps and randomly stamped on the page. then i thought to myself...yuck!...too bland. i decided to make it brighter. i used white foam core and punched out different letters of the alphabet. i used gel medium to adhere them to the page. i had to leave that dry overnight and the next morning i put gesso over the whole piece - yes....there went all the previous color under a sea of white wash. once the gesso dried i took bright colors: red, orange, yellow green and blue and randomly painted color washes over the whole page. once that dried i tore some pieces off an old blouse pattern and used gel medium to adhere the tissue over the letters. i used a text stamp to stamp over some of the page at random spots.

enchanted fairy

i needed a postcard for a monthly challenge that requires three different mediums to be used. the theme for this particular challenge was enchanted fairy. i used acrylic paints, stamps, markers, paint pens and machine stitching to create this. i hope you are blessed by the enchantment fairy today!

friends til the end

i made this postcard for a challenge that called for using markers and/or colored pencils. i personally love making doodles, and as far as i'm concerend, the more the better. there is a great deal of symbolism in this postcard, of course what i have created could mean something different to the person viewing it, but i'd love to hear something that this unlikely trio represents to you.

dream

i'm in a round robin journal swap. we make 8 x 10 journal pages. one page consists of a front and a back. the front of the journal page i did in markers. i used copics, prismacolors and sharpies. the back of the journal page is collaged. this page is pretty significant to the person i am. i love to day dream. it use to get me in trouble at school but i always have had such a hard time focusing for long periods of time. my mind just wanders. the only time i can really stay focused is when i'm doing art. i can sit for hours and hours doing art but i also realize that my mind has to stay busy coming up with ideas so in a way i do dream while i do art too. the back of the journal page has a saying that i am quite fond of because i really believe we create the lives we lead. all of our thoughts are energy. so being positive is a far better energetic release then focusing on the negative. thought and intention is so powerful. so go dream a little today and start to create the life you envision.

postcard alphabet

i'm doing an alphabet postcard swap. every week or two there is a new one to do. we are on "f" for the next one. there are so many words with f and i wasn't sure what i would do when i sat down to create this. i just started rumaging through my scrap box and created the background out of three different papers. then in my scrap pile i noticed a little sheet of words that i stamped flight on to. so i decided to do something with that as my postcard theme. i keep a little container of faces i either cut out of collage images or that i stamped and colored in
with markers. this way i always faces ready to go when i need one. this particular face was a collage image that was in black and white. i used my copic markers to color in the face. the wings were also a collage image i cut out, as was the little crown. i added the shadow in my favorite shadow making marker of all time - a tombow - and then i machine stitched around the image. i used my permopaque marker in brown to create the edging and then i double machine stitched around the edges.

odd things

someone is hosting an atc swap called odd things with wings and here is one of the cards i drew to send in. this image is totally based on a teesha moore drawing i saw a long time ago when i visited her site. her style appeals to me very much. i personally love drawing and coloring them in using markers and colored pencils, so when ever i do a piece of art where i use that technique i wonder why i don't do it more often. i can't draw well at all, and have never really studied art on any level but a class of something here or there as an adult, but irregardless, i am always amazed at how i get lost in the making of doodles. can you tell that this card was made in a "blue phase"? i chuckle as i write that as i'm still in that self pity mode with my son moving to south carolina, however, i actually laughed this morning with my husband at breakfast so i'm healing my broken heart. but it's true..nothing lasts forever...and only change is the the single constant in our journeys here on earth. i know in my head that change is good because it forces us to grow in ways we couldn't imagine, but for someone who likes routine and being in "the rut" it can be a hard pill to swallow sometimes.

miniature atc's

i'm in a miniature atc swap. these cards are 1-1/2 inchies by 2 inchies. the theme was portraits. all these images, including the transparent stickers are from alpha stamps. you can see their collage sheets at: www.alphastamps.com . these were really fun to make. for all the backgrounds i just painted old vintage papers ( a gift from the hostess) with acrylic paints and then stamped a number background stamp over them. i applied the collage images, added bits and bobs and edged them in distress ink and permopaque paint.

enjoy the journey

i'm in an alphabet challenge for postcards. this one is for the letter "e". this postcard is symbolic for me and pretty cathartic as well. i'm reminded to enjoy my life's journey even when it becomes a bit more challenging to see the beauty of what lies ahead. life has a way of being all its own, so the more we learn to go with the ebb and flow of life and just experience it without preconceived notions or judgements of what should be happening, i think the better off we are. remember to be happy, expect miracles, have hope and enjoy your journey no matter where you find yourself.

rubberstamp challenge

i'm doing a rubberstamp postcard challenge and you have to use at least 3 rubberstamps to create your postcard. i love rubberstamping. (in fact, i just signed up as a stampin up demonstrator. i'm waiting for my kit to come.) i used a variety of rubberstamps to make this postcard. one of dear art friends actually gave me the teesha moore girl stamp. how lucky was i to get that! i've used many times in my artwork. she's just a great image.