Creative Chemistry 102: Day 5 - Embossing

Embossing isn't something I regularly do although I like the effects on lots of stuff. Didn't have all the supplies for this one. The "black' floral chalky tag is actually spun sugar on the shabby chic technique but didn't photograph well. The floral tag is an industrial emboss and the scissors are bronze effect (he used silver, didn't have that)

Creative Chemistry 102: Day 4 - Alcohol Inks

Forget about these inks since I use Copics.. didn't do first two samples (dyeing metal and tinsel) but last 3 done on Ranger glossy cardstock are techniques worth working on. Pink/red is ombre technique; blue/green is monoprint and the last is stenciling.. yes, stenciling.. alcohol ink on tag, blended with the Mixing solution and then stencil placed on foam blending tool and mixing solution to get the stencil to come through. Need to get a few darker shades of these inks for this to show up.

Creative Chemistry 102: Day 3 - Distress Differently

This was a day of watching and not as much doing.. The glitter didn't do well on chipboard and the tinting a photo has me headed to the forum. One technique - smudge stamping -- has big possibilities for journaling. You stamp off and then onto the tag, smudge with foam.. could do some better composition but it was fun. Second one was brayering distress stains onto a tag and them blending. Stains go on craft mat and get picked up with brayer. When done with colors, water on the craft mat goes on the brayer instead of misting. Another journaling possibility.

Creative Chemistry 102: Day 2 - Layered Stencils

Waiting to get a few more of these Tim stencils but love techniques.. bottom one -- Mixed Media Layering -- was out of my comfort zone but I kinda like it. The embossing through stencils (circles tag) nearly drove me to drink so instead of a stencil that took (me) forever to line up I used Dylusions Circles. Like this technique and will probably use for journaling.. looks funky when you do it right. Stamping through stencils needs work so it's still on the table. Sketching through stencils (stars) used distress inks, markers etc to get different effects coloring and outlining. Ink and paint monoprint, the last techniques are a mister's nightmare, i.e. need work!

Creative Chemistry 102: Day 1 - Distress Paints

Loved all but one of these techniques (altered surface -buttons-- didn't do well on plastic) and need to work on the industrial resist but these tags were quick and fun. The first tag on group of 4 is distress marbeling which will also be fun with art journal pages. The two flowers are rock candy crackle paint on chipboard, colored with distress paint. Overlying the paint with broken china distess stain on the bottom flower really brought out the "crackle." I love using the distress paint as a resist with stamped image (1st 2 photos) - tried using white and antique linen (vintage image) and also with walnut stain (floral) resisting with lighter colors and prefer the lighter paint for the stamped image. This class for a week is such a bargain at $25 and lifetime access!

Art Journal Angels

I hurried to get this done before Creative Chemistry 102 so my angel crashes weren't as spectacular as I'd planned. Used two Prima doll stamps, one of my favorite Magnolias and of course angel and wings from Dylusions, my favorite new product line. This song by Willie Nelson has always been a favorite. Colored it all with Dylusions sprays in water pens.

Yeah! Creative Chemistry 102 is Comin' on Monday!

Being new to a lot of Ranger products I loved CC 101 and still have my tags with the techniques that I refer to. Since then I've fallen in love with Dyan Reaveley's Dylusions and love how you can incorporate Tim's stamps, inks, paints etc. with her stuff to be really creative. AND I'm not working now so won't be holding my eyelids open at night just starting on class. I'm so so ready for "school." Here's a Dylusions meets Reinkers tag.. very colorful.... practice gallery uploading as requested!

Creating Keepsakes Convention - Acrylic Layouts

I didn't really like the acrylic workshop projects till I had time to finish at home. One "myth" I guess you'd call it is that you can't use an ATG tape gun to attach cardstock to acrylic - wrong. A water base adhesive like Tombow's won't work, a solvent from Beacon (3 in 1 or Fabric Art) has to be used on some of the embellishments and "should" be used to attach cardstock according to the instructor, but the main pieces are staying on just fine with tape I will put these in my book backed with just off white cardstock. This is still new and I'm not sure I'd use acrylic for a lot of pages but I can see some funky ones in my future One technique that really made the word/flourish "pop" on the first two pages: we colored the acrylic pieces with liquid pen, let it try and then dabbed over it lightly with brown distress ink using a dabber... brought more depth to it which really doesn't translate well in the picture.

Creating Keepsakes Convention --Quick Quotes "Four Forty" Class

Fifth year at "CKC" as it's called. Took 3 classes -- one involved folding cards which is NOT my "thing"; one a great scrapbook from SEI which I'll post when I get the unique photo display technique layouts done and a "use lots of photos on one page" class from Quick Quotes and an acrylic class - a first. The first pages here are from a Quick Quotes class and the layout incorporates a small fold out book at the center. Once it's got pictures or journaling in it, will be glued down on the page and an opening "carefully" cut in the page protector so it's easy to access the mini book.. Love this!

Dyan Reaveley Classes!

What a fun 3 days... Saturday, Sunday at Betty's store in Greensboro and then Tuesday at Dorothy's in Boiling Springs. Learned so many great techniques for stamping, ghosting, doodling... it's really an opportunity for all us art journalers. Most of these techniques are on You Tube too! First picture is gang at Dorothy's on Tuesday. The tags used Dyan's background techniques -- the "milk bone" man and cat lady are a combination of magazine images, which Dyan uses frequently, and our own doodling and journaling. The Cate Blanchett page (did you recognize her?) was done in Doodling class -- fun but not sure she'd like the new hairdo. The last page is a combo of distres painting a class and then using the new couture stamp. I doodled i.e. Zentangled the left hand side of interest!

Dyan's Coming in 2 Weeks!

So excited to be taking a weekend of classes at Betty's Stamping and Scrapbook Room in Greensboro in just 2 weeks with the divine Dyan Reaveley! Since she's so happy to sign our journals thought I would make a page for her to sign using her stamps and embellishing with doodles and Zentangles. Hope she likes It!

Vintage collage

I don't love this... sprayed and stenciled a long time ago and the further I got into it the less I liked the colors. "Painted lady" and floral image are LaBlanche, bathing beauties from Graphic 45 and handsome man from the new Splash of Color sheets... I love the sentimenet "blessed image" but this was a page that would never be 'right'. Colored lady with Dylusions in waterbrush and floral with reinkers.

Ruby Slippers

Just love this "Ruby Slippers" stamp from Stampendous... great for cards, art journaling. Used Worn LIpstick, Peeled Paint, Broken China, yellow and a bit of Spun Sugar distress inks for background, spritzed and let 'em run together, then "stenciled" with Pumice Stone, Worn Lipstick and Victorian Velvet distress ink using Dyan Reaveley dots and fans stencils (foam dauber, not the "spray with water" technique). Distressed the gears, highlighted the shoe with glossy accents and distress stickles in pewter on the shoe gears. Also did some clear embossing to pop the red. Slipper was colored with watercolor pencils, not sure I like that on this one.. will try coloring on glitter with copics for next one.

Zentangled Intro to New Journal

Picked up this great "Visual Art Journal" at Cheap Joe's to use as my "practice" book... the Dylusions don't run as much on this paper but it is definitely up to multi media work. Lots of different tangles for this first page...colored with Marvy Uchida Markers, Dylusions in water pen, twinkling waters

Glue Resist with Rubber Stamps and Distress Inks

I really like the glue resist technique using the Dylusions spray but I also really love playing with my distress inks and stamps. To show the enhanced effect this resist can have I inked both sides of the tag with Distress Inks (scattered twig, marmalade, shabby shutters). Then, instead of doing the resist with a stencil, I "glued up" one of Dyan Reaveley's stamps with Ranger collage glue and stamped the glue onto the tag twice. (NOTE: Be sure to clean glue off stamp right away with warm water!). The glue needs to be completely dry before you proceed so I helped it along a bit with the heat gun.

Once glue is dry, use a baby wipe to lightly brush the extra color off the resist areas -- being sure not to press down too hard. Then another swipe with the heat gun and you're ready to stamp, embellish.. whatever. I think the resist technique "popped" this flower stamp to make it a more interesting design.

Dylusions meets Disney and Distress Reinkers

Had a great picture of the castle left when I finished my 60 page Disney vacation scrapbook .... not sure how I like the translation into Dylusions.. this was a page I haa already sprayed.. Doodled a bit and used a Mickey & Minnie stamp I really like. Tag was sprayed with Dylusions and the flowers and birds from one of Dyan's stamp sets colored with Distress reinkers. Love how bright and cheerful it turned out.. may turn into a page at some point.

Schizophrenic Sunday - Dylusions & Disney

Did some practice Zentangles and plaid on Dyan R's couture stamp skirts so this page is a hodge podge of those with a sentiment I found online that I love. Green skirt is Zentangled and colored with Copics (G000, G1, G2); orange is plaid using technique from Betty colored with a wash of Honey and Yellow distress reinkers watered down a bit... the 2 girls (well, one is headless but....) are colored with Dylusions in aqua pen or palette for pink and purple. I love the hats and bows in the couture set, thought they worked well with border.. White skirts were stamped using Picket Fence distress paint and then fleshed out a big with the White Signo. Now I'm finishing my Disney scrapbook.... very opposite....

Ahh.. Pinterest again

Trying to upload pics from the PC and it won't work again. So.....

Sometimes... All You Need is Peace and Quiet.......

Why or why won't Pinterest take a photo from my photo library on my laptop and post it instead of the silly little box you have to click on to see a picture? oh well. Layout inspired by Memorial Day mountain getaway.. I love lyrics for journaling.. use 'em all the time and these came to mind as we were sitting on the porch of our cabin at Fontana. So remote, air is crystal clear and cool. Sometimes all I need is the fresh air and quiet. As you can see I find that in Alaska but that's a little far for 4 days although Fontana and its late are very close in atmosphere to Misty Fjords. Paper: Paper Loft Back Country collection!

Zentangled Pottery & Other Meanderings

Spent Memorial Day weekend at our place at Fontana and discovered a great pottery and farm on the way up the hill... her cheese is homemade and to die for and her pottery just lovely. Lots of interesting vases, platters. We purchased a colander I fell in love with and a platter that looks for all the world like it was Zentangled! Potter had never heard of Zentangles but she has now! I did some tangles on a Dyan Reaveley couture stamp and a 'sampler' on a window frame I found! Addictive...

Hello, Pinterest Vehicle!

Why Pinterest won't let you upload pictures directly from your photo files I do not know OR it's a case of Caro discrimination or my blog just misses me.. Inantimate object = not likely. First efforts of Zentangling from Book 3.. I'm making balloons for my Disney scrapbook! This technique fascinates me now that I'm officially lazy, retired and on "one arm probation" for 2 months. Can't wait to try with my Dyan Reaveley stamps!

Art Journaling: Again

Not much time to play with my new Dylusions with the move and settling in but now, with my torn rotator cuff putting me on "light duty" through at least June and a ton of new toys to play with in my craft room... let the experimenting begin. This page combines one of Julie Nutting's Prima mixed media dolls, a Shimmer Sheetz embossed butterfly, great bird theme stenciling with the new white Dylusions and some emboss resist on the larger butterfly and backgound.. Not sure what I was thinking when I did background colors for this a few months ago but. Doll colored with Tim H's reinkers watered down with water for a muted effect. Sentiment: "Until you spread your wings, you have no idea how far you'll fly." Didn't know I had so many bird stamps! Other papers I've sprayed to use as background pages for Disney scrapbook I'm doing at a crop next week.. I used Bristol board but not as happy with it and how the water and Dylusions "blend" as it does with paper in Dyan's journal.