a card & THE WINNER...

well...we got the word loud & clear...

you guys love tim's newest mini distress pads too!

I agree...they are just plain CUTE!

thanks too for the kind words about my art journal page...

making art makes me happy...

I had 2 emails asking how the above art journal page could be transformed into a card, for those who haven't jumped on the art journaling craze yet...

so I created a card, using the same technique as I did for the page...

you'll find that post HERE...

you can see the weeds look similar, but since the base is much smaller, I didn't use the girl or the spotlight frame...

instead you'll see the ornate dots background stamp used as borders...I used tree branch to stamp them on my specialty stamping paper card base...

the background was randomly stamped with the A to Z background stamp, using tree branch archival...

I used the tiny attacher to ground the weeds & to keep the card flat for mailing...

a little matting & done...

so that's how I would use the art journal page as inspiration for a card...

the 3 sets of the newest distress ink pads...

are going to ...

 Susan said...

This is now my new favorite page! i wondered how you 

got the weeds to look so dimensional! i love the 

technique!

April 14, 2014 at 11:21 PM

 

CONGRATS...Susan...please email me with your shipping info...
wbv1213@me.com

that's it for me today...

now it's time to...

make art!
wendy

BE TRUE..tutorial...

happy LAST day of March!

dear March...

you have been brutal & ugly...

and I'm quite happy to see that April is almost here...

to celebrate, I have a fun mixed media tutorial up on the Ranger blog today...

I have a supply list, the instructions & some step out photos for this card...

you can check it out here... on the...RANGER BLOG...

thanks for stopping by...

I hope you can take time to...

make art...
wendy

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!...

the 15 minute journal page challenge...

the head of shipping & receiving (aka Rick) and I are going full speed ahead here at kit making central...

we're getting ready for my last 2 store visits for this year...

first up is a new all day mixed media tag art journal that's happening on Saturday October 19th in Bloomington, Illinois at The Scrapbooking Studio...

that's my home store...only 65 miles away!

sorry to cut you out Southwest...

this time I can drive!

the following weekend is a new to me store & I'm excited to be teaching at Craft Fancy in Arlington Heights, Illinois on Saturday October 26th & Sunday the 27th.

Saturday is an all day (8 hour) Ranger inks studio 490 style techniques class...I totally LOVE to teach this class...

and Sunday is another all day art journal class, with loads of fun techniques...this is a marathon...so if you're signed up...rest up!

Carol said they are doing a major store re-do with a huge expanded classroom...

it sounds fabulous...

another drivable store makes me happy...

I took needed a break so

yesterday I set the timer & challenged myself to do a quickie art journal page...

this is in my small art parts journal & the page size is 3 1/4 x 4 3/4 inches...

I like to make my own pages using different surfaces using 

specialty stamping paper, manila or kraft cardstock, Clearly For Art or distress watercolor cardstock...

I like the fact that I can work on the individual pages on a flat surface & if it turns out ugly...I can trash it & it's my secret...

I like the small page size sometimes, because even with a short play time, you can still accomplish something & actually complete a page...

here's the result of my 15 minutes...

this time I worked on the new distress watercolor cardstock...

this is the smooth side...

the base was created with distress paints, using broken china, crushed olive & wild honey...

I stenciled my flower with a combo of red geranium & orange blossom archivals & if you look closely, you'll see that I stamped some random text thru the flower stencil with watering can archival...

the stem/leaves are a quickie doodle with a waterproof pen & colored in with the peeled paint distress marker & the detail water brush...

MWAH...yes...kissing the lid before I open...

watering can archival is perfect for the subtle script stamping in the background & for the chandelier...

using jet black archival for the main sentiment & stenciled words makes the chandelier appear to be stuck further in the background...watering can & jet black work very well together...

by using just a small portion of the ornate dots background stamp, it creates a fence type effect...

love it lots!

the numbers (35927)  border on the left was stamped multiple times with orange blossom archival...

and I finished it off with glaze pen dots...and a little pen stitching around the edges...

so the moral of today's post is that even if you only have 15 minutes to play...

you REALLY CAN...

make art!

wendy

WAIT...

stop the press!

this just popped into my email...

"can I use your archival reinkers to change the color of the embossing paste"?

YES!!! you sure can...just 1 drop is all you need! it works very well!

stenciling with archival inks...

when I started playing working around with the idea of stenciling with archival inks, I discovered that it provided a new way to...

make art!

normally, the first step is to create a background, and then to add the main images on top of the background...

because archival inks are permanent & waterproof when dry, they can be added before the background...

I think this makes it so easy...and it's a fun change...

here's an example from my art parts tag art journal...

it's a #8 manila tag that I cut down to 5 1/2 inches tall...

I started by using this flower stencil...

using a piece of cut n dry foam and red geranium archival ink, I stenciled the flower & gave it a quick dry...

instead of stenciling in the stem & leaves, I used fern green archival to stamp these small flourishes...

***remember*** you don't always need to use the whole stencil or stamp...it's fun to change things up & get more use from your products...

now that my main images were done & DRY...I could add my distress inks & stamping to the background...

I added scattered straw lightly over the whole tag, then some brushed corduroy to accent the edges...

next, using scattered straw again, I added the vertical stripes with the polka dots & stripes border stencil...

it was easy to add the stripes exactly where I wanted them, because the main image was already there...

to add more interest to the background, I filled in some random areas with my unmounted cling text stamp (from botanical art), that was inked with cornflower blue...

this blue is BEAUTIFUL! it's kind of a vintage country blue...

MWAH!

I used jet black to stamp my sentiment...

even with several different colors in the background, the jet black really stands out nicely...

using the same stripes stencil, I added borders to the top & bottom of the tag with fern green...

a little pen stitching with the mowed lawn distress marker & the Blossom Bucket mini star were the finishing touches...

here's another look...

you'll see the stripes stencil used 2 ways...

because of the stamped/inked/stenciled layers, it looks dimensional, but the only really dimension is the star...

that's stenciling with archivals...

****TIP***...to clean the archival inks off your stencils, just use cheap rubbing alcohol from the Dollar Store...with a paper towel...

magic!

try it! it's a fun technique & a new approach to making art...

ok...DRUMROLL...

Rick chose the winner of 5 of my new stencils from the comments on my FACEBOOK PAGE...

Kirsten Alicia Sheridan...

• 

  Kirsten Alicia Sheridan 

  
  

  It is such a gorgeous

  
  

   tag & it's such a help to have great photos too. 

  
  

  Thanks for the chance to win.

  
  

  Like · Reply · August 17 at 10:43am

the winner Rick chose from blog comments is...

THERESA...

Theresa said...

Great tag...you make it look so easy. Then I try it and IT IS

 EASY!!! I JUST love this tag!!! fingers crossed for the giveaway!

August 18, 2013 at 7:58 PM 

CONGRATS ladies!

please email me with your shipping info & we'll get these on the way to their new homes...

that's it for today...

I have a pretty busy time coming up soon...

I'm headed back to Everything Scrapbooks & Stamps in Lake Worth, Florida...LOVE it there!

that is September 7 & 8th...

then it's back to The Queen's Ink in Savage, Md the weekend of September 20-22nd...this is an amazing mixed media store...

the following weekend I'll be teaching at The Collin's Event in Houston, TX...it's my first gig there, so I'm excited about that & I'm excited to meet/teach some store owners...

I just finished my projects this weekend!

and the next weekend (October 4 & 5) I'll be at Adventures in Stamping in Strongsville, Ohio...I have not been to this convention before, so I'm excited about demoing there...

I hope to see some blog friends at one of these stops...

this schedule explains why I get free drink coupons from SOUTHWEST airlines! 

off to work on instructions & kits...

happy Monday to YOU...it's a PERFECT day to...

make (stenciled archival) art!

wendy