Brotherly Thank You

It snowed while I was on vacation recently and my brother came over and removed the snow from the driveway and sidewalk for me.  It was so nice to know that this was taken care of and not waiting for me when I got home.  And I think he actually enjoyed using my big, bad snowblower (it really does an awesome job, which I was reminded of today as I dealt with five inches of new snow).

To thank him, I got a gift card for his favorite home improvement store and will send it in this card. For the background I layered several papers by My Mind's Eye that were punched with a scalloped edge.  The central image by Artistic Outpost was stamped on a solid paper from the same pack, colored with Prismacolor pencils, and distressed with pumice stone distress ink.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Gray cardstock by Bazzill; kraft cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; pumice stone distress ink; EK Success border punch; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; pop-dots. 

Bingo Pod - ATC

I felt like being creative this afternoon, but I was tired so I didn't want to work on anything too detailed or precious.  So instead I just putzed around making this ATC with bits from my scrap bin.

The bottom layer started with a paper bingo card, small scraps of vintage papers, and the postage stamp.  After blending this layer with white acrylic paint, I added the pod image and the dusty concord distress ink (I like the green and purple combination).

Then I went a little crazy adding dots all over with a black Pitt artist pen and a white gel pen.  Doodling is soooo therapeutic.

Happy Presidents' Day!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC blank; paper bingo card; vintage sheet music; vintage text and ledger paper; vintage French postage stamp; pod rubber stamp from Stampington; black Stazon ink; white acrylic paint; dusty concord and faded burlap distress ink; Cut n' Dry pen nib; Pitt black artist pen; white gel pen; Adirondack silver and black acrylic paint dabbers; old credit card.

White Paper #4 - 4x4

I don't use a lot of bright colors in my collages, but I generally use some color.  Thus it was a real challenge to create a collage featuring mostly white.  Or in this case, off-white.

All of the papers are from the 1920s and earlier.  I started with the handwritten ledger paper, then pulled the other pieces from my scrap bin.  I added a little pumice stone distress ink around the edges for definition.

I hope you're having a great weekend!  Thanks for popping in.

Supplies:
4x4 chipboard coaster; miscellaneous vintage papers; torn Flinch card; pumice stone distress ink.

Love

For some reason I haven't felt like making Valentine's Day cards this year.  Usually it's a good opportunity for me to make sweet, girly cards; a style that doesn't always come easily to me.  I guess I've been having too much fun making artsy-fartsy collages.  But I do have people I want to send Valentines to, so I've started making some.  They'll just be a little late.

When Michaels had a lot of coupons before Christmas, I splurged and bought the Spellbinders heart and scalloped heart Nestabilities.  I paired the die-cut hearts with some lovely papers from Authentique and one of my very first stamps from Stampin' Up.

Thanks for popping by!

Supplies:
Red and pink cardstock by Bazzill; Spellbinders heart dies; patterned papers by Authentique; love stamp from Stampin' Up; Ranger black ink; clear embossing powder; pop-dots; clear self-adhesive rhinestones; self-adhesive lace (Recollections from Michaels); Cuttlebug embossing folder; corner rounder punch.

A Midsummer Knight's Dream - ATC

A couple of months ago I made this ATC using two rubber stamp images that were just meant to be together, even though they are from different companies.  For this second version, I went with a portrait orientation so that the corrugated ATC blank is visible.

I used distress inks to color the corset and the background, and gold acrylic paint to highlight the corrugated cardboard.  I found the text in my favorite 1920s novel and thought it was a fun play on words.

Have a great day!  Thanks for visiting my blog.

Supplies:
Black corrugated ATC by Creative Imaginations; background stamp by Magenta; corset stamp by Hampton Art Stamps; Victorian velvet, worn lipstick, and dusty concord distress ink; black Stazon ink; charcoal pencil; Pitt black artist pen; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber; antique gold embellishments by K and Company; text from an old novel; gel medium.

Life's a Journey - 4x4

I'm pretty much self-taught when it comes to mixed media collage.  Almost everything I've learned has come from my own experimentation, the internet or books.  One book that I purchased last year is The Collage Workbook by Randel Plowman.  He uses a lot of vintage images in his collages (which I love, of course) and the book's subtitle is spot-on: How to Get Started and Stay Inspired.  It includes 50 creativity exercises with samples that definitely inspire me.  I was looking at the book over the weekend and decided to make a collage based on two of his prompts:  color plunge (make a monochromatic collage) and five-minute collage.

The five-minute time limit went out the window when I spent that much time looking for the paint chip samples I wanted to use (don't you hate when that happens?  I never did find them).


So instead I worked with some papers that were in my scrap pile.  After adhering them to a chipboard coaster, I added the vintage bicycle (a rub-on) and a portion of a round playing card.  I decided it still needed "something," and eventually I decided that something was a vintage photo.  Because the gentleman was facing the wrong way in the original photo, I added him to the collage via a gel medium transfer.  The final step was to add the title (another rub-on) and some espresso acrylic paint around the edges.  I am thrilled with how it turned out.

For more information about Randel Plowman and to see samples of his work, feel free to visit his blog called A Collage A Day.

Have a great day.  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Chipboard coaster 4x4 inches; miscellaneous scrapbook papers; vintage French text; old tissue paper dress pattern; Vintage Finds Rub-Ons (Michaels); round playing card; laser copy of old photo; glue stick; soft gel medium; pumice stone distress ink; Adirondack espresso acrylic paint dabber.

Orange You Glad...

...I didn't tell you a lame knock-knock joke?  Instead, I'm going to show you some journal page backgrounds I created using my leftover orange paint.  To create this vibrant color I mixed cadmium red medium and cadmium yellow deep acrylic paint (Liquitex Basics).  I used an old credit card to apply the paint to the pages.

On the left side, I first applied a fairly even layer of paint.  Then, by pressing the short side of the credit card into the paint (slowly and with some pressure) and lifting straight up, I got a fabulous texture of delicate veins and lines.  On the right side, I swooshed the credit card back and forth like I was frosting a cake.  Applying varying pressure results in a gradation of color and texture, as well as a fun pattern.

Here is a close up view of the left side.

It's likely that some or most of these backgrounds will end up covered by other media, but a good foundation is essential and sets the tone for the rest of the page.  These backgrounds scream "energy," so I can't wait to see what happens next.

Thanks for popping in!

Supplies:
Strathmore Visual Journal Mixed Media vellum finish; Liquitex Basics acrylic paint: cad yellow deep and cad red medium; old credit card.

I'm 5, How 'bout You? ATC

I've been in a "post-vacation slump" this past week, which happens when you go from 70 degrees and full sun to 7 degrees and snow in the matter of a three hour plane ride.  Then there's all the vacation laundry to do, grocery shopping to restock the fridge, office work to get caught up on, and not one but TWO boxes of art supplies and purchases to unpack.  That job actually motivated me to get busy and create something, and for some reason I wanted to use the color orange.  I think because it's been so gray and dreary here the last couple of days.

I started with a scrap of vintage sheet music left on my craft desk.  I squiggled on some acrylic paint using a credit card and let it dry.  I then went in search of collage items.  I started with turquoise washi tape and a vintage postage stamp in the same hue to contrast with the orange.  The little cutie is a piece of clipart that I received from Red Lead Paperworks with a recent order.  The other items were recently unpacked from my vacation boxes.

I'm so pleased with how this card turned out and making it was good therapy for me.  I still can't wait to see the sun, but in the meantime this burst of orange and some creative thinking has done wonders for my frame of mind.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great weekend!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC blank; vintage sheet music; cadmium red and cadmium yellow acrylic paint (mixed to create orange); turquoise washi tape; vintage French text; vintage German postage stamp; black and off-white flower cut from a handmade paper notecard; clipart girl from Red Lead Paperworks; canvas piece with word (unknown vendor); number 5 by Tim Holtz; punchinella/sequin waste; Adirondack acrylic paint dabbers (white, black, silver); heavy gel medium.