a quick art journal share and THE WINNER...

I wanted to pop in for a quickie hello…

I am TOTALLY flipping ADDICTED 

to this larger art journal size…

OMG…seriously…

I'm up at 4:30am…too excited to sleep…

I LOVE new stuff…don't we all?

hello new shoes…

(I couldn't pass them up, sorry Rick)…

onlineshoes.com is EVIL...

but…since I started this journal I am hooking up with tons of my favorite older stamps…

I'm using them in new ways &  refreshing them with new stamps, inks, stencils, tim's remnant rubs & tissue tapes…

I'm keeping these pages pretty flat, so that's been a challenge, but I'm loving it…it blows the cobwebs out & it makes me think about options & possibilities...

all the products listed above are perfect for adding detail, but not bulk...

I'm going back to some basics too…

lots of masking…

so simple, yet so effective…

and perfect for art journals...

SHE is stamped on CFA that's covered with vintage text…

same with the flowers…

I do believe that orange blossom archival coordinates with everything...

the clearly for art (CFA) adds just a bit of dimension & I like that it's simple to cut out the stamped image or die cut whatever you need…

I have completed 10 LARGE pages since my last post…

I told you…ADDICTED!

I have always really LOVED mini, but this large size

has stolen my heart...

here's one of the 10...

this page was really fun & is another mixed media page…

specialty stamping paper is the key!

and speaking of FUN…

my friend Paula Cheney has a GREAT tutorial up on her blog…

she shows how to make fabulous gift tags, using my translucent embossing paste, tim's stencil & dry stickles platinum glitter…

these could easily be mass produced, to make your gifts extra special...

check it out here…

leave her some LOVE & tell her HI from me!

time for the drumroll...

CONGRATS!

I have a new stamp set headed to…

 Claudine Criner said...

It was so fun learning all those random facts a about you Wendy, my husband has no sense of direction either, we lived in Virginia for four years and he still didn't know how to get to the mall. Lol
Thanks again for the chance to win some stamps, I absolutely love your journal page.

November 22, 2013 at 3:34 PM

 

Claudine, please email me with your shipping info…

if I don't see you before Thursday…

have a very happy Thanksgiving!

it's my understanding that desserts have no calories on holidays…

I THINK that's what I was told...

now...guess where I'm headed…

yes…back to the studio 

to…

make (large page) art!

wendy

ps...the BEARS suck…BIG TIME!

uggg...

random facts and an art journal spread...

as promised…the numbers game...

I was given 3 numbers…9, 14 & 18…

and I'm supposed to list that many random facts about me...

YIKES...I can't go to 18...you'd fall asleep…

so...I'll do the best I can…

#1…I have NO sense of direction…NONE! if I stay in a hotel for a week, 99% of the time I'll leave the room & go the wrong way…

sad, but true…I make Rick go out the door first, so I can follow him & he can't tease me…

now that I travel alone a lot, I remind force myself to pay special attention… ps…I LOVE the GPS...

#2…NO sushi, tuna, mushrooms or cooked veggies for me…

YUCK! I only like fresh cold veggies...

#3…I have weird allergies to cooked green peppers & fresh pears…I love pears, but can not even eat a single bite...

#4…I LOVE to play blackjack & actually won a tournament in Aruba…that's where the nickname "blondie"came from…

I beat the locals who play every week!  we were shopping in town one day & a local guy spotted us & yelled…

"hey blondie…nice going"…Rick picked up on that immediately...

#5…I played blackjack in Vegas with Joe Thiesmann & Telly Savalas…but didn't realize who they were. Rick was flipping out…"didn't you see the bald head?"…nope…I was watching my cards…I have priorities...

#6…I NEED sun to survive... when it gets dark, I'm ready for bed…never ever was a night owl, even as a child or teen…

if it's a cloudy day, I have every light on in every room…

yes…Com Ed loves us...

#7…favorite movie? the wizard of Oz…it always aired in December when I was little & I believed that my parents had it televised to celebrate my birthday…lol…and then I got older & realized...maybe NOT!

#8…given the choice of a new car or 12 pairs of shoes…

I'll have shoes to coordinate with every outfit…

#9…discovering a new inky technique makes me absolutely giddy…I feel like a 5 year old on Christmas Eve...

#10…I hate paper napkins…LOVE cloth…

#11…I LOVE day old warm diet coke with lime…

warm & no fizz = perfect…

#12…I'm totally flipping addicted to Downton Abby (thanks to tim!)…I almost had to take a sick day when Matthew died…hmmm…wonder who I'd call?

#13…I hate going to movies…it's that darkness thing again…lights out = sleep…

the last one we went to see…silence of the lambs…poor Rick…

thank goodness for dvds...

#14…the necklace I wear was made from my mother's wedding ring. I put it on in 1989 when she died & never take it off...

so there you have it…that's random...me!

we can't have a blog post without photos, so I thought I'd share these…

I was thinking that I want a larger journal to work in, so I made these pages using specialty stamping paper…THE BEST PAPER in the universe for mixed media inky techniques! 

I'm 100% serious! it takes TONS of abuse...

I used the 8 ½ x 11 paper & cut them to 8 ½ x 6…this allows the left over to be made into pages for my other small art journal…

or tags for my art parts tag journal...

#15…I HATE waste!

I was just playing & I had not planned to share these pages, so I don't have step out photos...

but I am planning a tutorial in the near future to explain the background technique I used…see #9 above...

this is the result of yesterday afternoon in the studio…

I *think* it's actually the first 2 page spread I've done…

now I'm wondering why I didn't do this before? duh...

talk about mixed media…

you'll see archival inks...all 6 of my yummy colors…plus the best jet black archival ink, used for the main images…

my archival reinkers…( I have a really fun discovery with them)

distress inks…and the AWESOME distress markers...

tim's metallic mixative…

my black embossing paste…the embossing paste lid makes a great circle stamp when inked with archival or distress...

lots of stamps, stenciled embellishments, clearly for art blackout…

laboratorie tissue tape & some special washi tapes that were a gift from a friend who visited China…

a little different for me & I had soooo much fun…

I'm planning a new class for next year that will include pages like this...

here's a better look at Edgar...

and below is the right hand page…

notice the white space? I KNOW…shocking!

SURPRISE!

it seems I have 1 UNCLAIMED stamp set from my last giveaway…

so…if you're still awake…CONGRATS!

if you want a chance to WIN a set of new rubber stamps…

you can leave a comment & I'll be happy to send it off to a random commenter…

enjoy your weekend…

stay warm and…

I hope you'll have time to play and…

make art!

wendy 

ps…GO BEARS!

this is SO much FUN...

and like the Geico commercial says…

so easy…

even a caveman can do it! 

no…I haven't had a mojito yet…

just incase you're wondering…

I discovered a super simple…super fun…super quick way to create an artsy watercolor art journal page…

this is a page from my small journal & the page is manila card stock, cut to 3 1/4 x 4 ¾ inches......

grab the fern green archival...

and the leafy stamp…

then stamp the right side of the page first, then the left…without reinking, for a lighter second generation image…

this makes it look further in the background...

use jet black archival to stamp the sentiment & add some scattered straw & brushed corduroy distress inks to the page...

here comes the fun…

scribble a distress marker onto the craft sheet & pick up the color with the detail water brush…

RANDOMLY…start adding uneven flowers, by lightly taping the water brush wherever you want to add a flower…

YES…this goes thru "the uglies" before it gets cute…

but...trust me…

I started these flowers with the tumbled glass distress marker…

do the same thing with the broken china distress maker…

adding more flowers…

give it a quick blast with the heat tool...

now dispense a small amount of faded jeans distress stain onto the craft sheet & use the detail water brush to add darker dots to the flower centers…

I like the stain for the centers because the stain is undiluted…

and it really accents the flowers & makes them stand out...

getting better...

grab orange blossom archival…

this just might be my new fav color…

it coordinates well with everything…

use a blending tool or Cut N Dry foam to stencil the stripes borders…

I used the rusty hinge distress marker to color the flower…

below is the finished page…

I used potting soil archival to fill in some areas with the vintage mesh  background stamp...

I stenciled TIME with brushed corduroy, 3 times…

and used watering can archival for the very light postal mark…

that stamp is in the set called "art gone post" & it's LCS051...

to easily color tim's industrious border stickers…

I removed the sticker from the sheet & placed it on the craft sheet…

it stays nice & secure, but pops off easily & the adhesive is unharmed...

I rubbed the cornflower archival pad over the trim…

then lightly hit the edges with potting soil archival…

dry it with the heat tool…

such a quick way to alter & change them to any color you need...

***tip***

if you don't like the color…cheapo rubbing alcohol will remove the archival from the sticker & you can start all over again…

the sticker is not damaged!

the skinny industrious trim at the bottom is the divider piece between the stickers…colored the same way…

it's adhesive...don't waste it!

I stamped 2 flowers on manila scraps, colored them with the broken china distress marker & cut them out & glued them on…

the finishing touches are some remnant rubs for the 3 mini words...

and look at the butterfly rub…

you can alter the remnant rubs with ARCHIVALS!

yippee…

just swipe the craft nib onto the archival pad & color away…then dry!

this discovery made me very happy!

a little shading around the page edge, some glaze pen dots & some pen stitching…

done & FUN!

so much fun that I HAD to play again…

on the sample below, you'll see that I used distress watercolor cardstock…

same process as above…

but with a less distressed…

more clean & simple result...

this time I used the shaded lilac & dusty concord distress markers  for the flowers & I used dusty concord distress stain to create darker flower centers…

BE AUTHENTIC is stenciled with jet black archival & again…

the little remnant rub butterfly was colored with orange blossom archival…

I think I'll use the sewing machine to stitch a border, then add it to an art journal page…

but...

this would also make a fun EASY card…

or…

I could put it in a little frame & have a simple gift done…

with so many distress colors to choose from, there's something that can coordinate with any decor…

or anyones favorite color...

with the holidays fast approaching…

this makes a cool gift…

just sayin'...

and this one took 15 minutes tops!

Rick's comment…hey…that almost looks hand painted..

me…hello goofy…it was…

Rick…I'm going back to the barn…lol…

I like the combo of archival ink and distress…

my leaves/stems archival stamped image remained unaffected by  the water & distress…

using distress is an easy way to create an artsy watercolor effect…

the REAL star? the detail water brush!

I LOVE this thing…because the bristles are a nylon-ish material…the point is still perfect, even though I use this brush almost every day…

if you don't have one…you can tell Santa that this would look good in your stocking!

below is another older waterbrush project…

this is over on the Ranger site with a tutorial…

and this is where the idea came from for the flowers on todays post...

stop the press!

I have a tutorial posted today on the Ranger blog…

popover & find out how to create this…

ok...that's it…

back to more CHA stuff…

and scheduling for next year...

I hope you can find a few minutes this weekend to play and

make art!

wendy

ps…GO BEARS!

pps…one more thing…I've had several requests to participate in this number deal…

someone (actually 3 someones) sent me a number & I'm supposed to list that many unknown facts about me…oh boy…

this could be interesting & a potential blog post for next week…

stay tuned for some deep dark secrets!...

painted paste part 2...

ok…

on the previous post we left off with this unfinished art parts large creative cover…

it has white embossing paste, stamped into while wet, with a misted (with water) A to Z background stamp…

it started like this...

I had no clue where this was going, so I assembled some of my favorite distress paint colors…

when in doubt…grab broken china…you'll never go wrong!

after shaking the paints, I added some of each color to the craft sheet & used the blending tool with foam, to tap & blend the paints over the DRY embossing paste…

and now the base looked like this…

it took on a verdigris sort of effect, so I decided to go with that & not add more paint…

I added a bit of rusty hinge distress ink to the edges with the blending tool…

I wanted to add more rusty hinge, so I dripped rusty hinge stain & let it run down the left side…

I just made sure the dabber top was saturated, then swiped it on the art parts top left edge...

on the right, I used rusty hinge distress ink on the blending tool & misted that with water to create a much softer rusty stain…

since the distress paints are waterproof when dry, the paint below the wet stain was not affected...

now it looked like this...

I used my "polka dotty" stencil with watering can archival to add polka dots...

I decided later to add more dots toward the right…

then decided to add a frame with the Stabilo pencil…

it was easy to trace an art parts small creative cover...

 perfect size...

I used my finger to soften the pencil line…

and added a bit of watering can archival to the base edges…

and I also used tarnished brass distress stain along the outer edge of the base…

you'll see that in the later photos...

I used my black embossing paste with the "never enough hearts" stencil to create a small heart embellishment…

I found a scrap of clearly for art, that I had covered with a vintage dictionary page…(Glue N Seal is magic)...

after the paste dried, I cut it out...

I used orange blossom archival 

to stencil this flower on another CFA scrap…

I used the wild honey distress marker for the flower center, then cut it out & heated it to shape it…

I used the tarnished brass stain to add a little subtle shine to the petal edges...

 to create some dimension on the small art parts residence, I used the black embossing paste thru the "yikes, stripes"stencil …

I used the New York red book stamp with jet black for the residence roof…it's a great graphics stamp…perfect for using just small sections...

the mini flower is stamped with my new reverse dots background, using orange blossom archival…

same stamp, but fern green archival for the art parts leaves…
and a little bit of brushed corduroy over them to tone down the art parts kraft color...

the mini black star is from Blossom Bucket...

the small art parts heart was first stamped with orange blossom archival, dried then lightly inked with brushed corduroy…

I used the small flourishes with jet black archival to accent the heart…

LOVING the reverse dots background…

LOTS...

I inked the art parts banner with brushed corduroy & LIGHTLY stamped over it using watering can archival with the screen stamp …

it's from my very first stamp release…

an oldie…but I still love it!

I used jet black to stencil "ALWAYS"…

you can see that watering can & jet black archival work well together!

the art parts "LOVE" got a quick painting with black soot distress paint...

a little film strip ribbon…

a little ring fastener to accent the CFA flower center…

some black glaze pen dots around a portion of the pencil frame…

just the right side...

assembled…it now looks like this…

                                        

here's a better look at the black embossing paste stripes on the house & the little heart embellishment…

the black embossing paste is nice & dark, so it really stands out...

I could have added the embossing paste heart directly over the dried painted paste background…the paste will stick to paint & dry paste…

but I wasn't sure where I wanted it…

so by making it a separate piece, I could test drive it over the house & on the right side, where it eventually landed...

I hope you're inspired to try this technique…

randomly apply some embossing paste...

change up the paint colors & background stamps & you have a million fun possibilities…

this piece also shows you how well the embossing pastes work with my favorite Ranger products…

distress inks, paints, stains, markers, archival inks &  alcohol inks too…

you can dust dry perfect pearls over the black paste or mist it with perfect pearls mists to add some shimmer…

tim's distress rock candy glitter sprinkled over wet white embossing paste makes AWESOME dimensional snow for holiday projects…

here's a tag I made last year…

and here's the link to the tutorial…

below is a closer look at the rock candy distress glitter/embossing paste snow…

it's easy to add a bit of shading to the edges with distress inks…

can't wait to play with this again…

black embossing paste for his hat adds great texture…

for brighter bolder colors, you can use Dyan's spray inks with the embossing pastes too…

just spray over either wet or dry white or translucent embossing paste, for a totally different color palette!

now here are the 5 STAMP winners…

CONGRATS my friends!!!

the winners chosen from blog comments are…

#1… Sara said...

Wow... where to start! Your creation is awesome, as usual! I love your stamps, so this is an extra special treat for me! You are sooooo generous! I just went and requested to part of your Facebook Group! I can't wait to see all of the wonderful creations! Thanks so much for all that you do!!! Hugs!!!

November 5, 2013 at 4:31 PM

 

#2... Anita Houston said...

Stamping into the paste is FABULOUS!!!! I see an old Italian wall taking place on my next project using this tech!!!! Lol! Love love love this Wendy!!!!

November 6, 2013 at 1:47 PM

 

and the winners chosen from Facebook are…

#1…Sue Tucker Stunning

Unlike · Reply · 1 · November 4 at 1:51pm

#2…Kaz Hall Oooo love the background, well I actually love it all but the background is just so fabulous xxxx

Unlike · Reply · 1 · November 4 at 2:26pm viamobile

#3…Shari Czerwinski You continually amaze me! I want to be just like you when I grow up  Thanks for the giveaway!!

November 4 at 5:30pm 

please send me your shipping info & Rick will get these off to you…

wbv1213@me.com

I love to send goodies...

so YOU can...

make art!

wendy

ps…GO BEARS!!

sorry to my cheesehead friends…

well...not really! lol...