October calendar page

Ok last month I decided I would try and get my calendar page done early - so I got it started in good time only to find half way through it really wasn't what I wanted to do for October, so it got abandoned to be returned to for a different project.  So time went by and I was back to my default mode, last day of the month and thinking I really want to get my calendar page done on time!!

   

 Oh well never mind, I'll many be manage it another time. LOL  But I did manage to get the background started and I was really happy how it was looking.  So I thought I would take a few pictures so you could see the process.     

      

   

I did the background as always with Dylusion ink sprays but I added in a little Perfect pearls mist - heirloom gold, when I was spraying to add a little sparkle.  As I wanted the edges quite dark I had to spray them several times, which meant there was a lot of ink lying around.  As always I'm not a one to waste ink so I used sheets of paper to blot off with!! And look how great they turned out in there own right - and these are mop up sheets!!!! I love it!

So next I decided to add a few appropriately spooky elements.  Tim Holts skull stamp was an obvious one.  I stamped it using perfect medium and brushed on a couple of colours of perfect pearls.  Then using a stencil I used a black soot distress ink pad to blend through the stencil to create the lightning (or dead tree branches - depending on how you look at it).  I also stamped in some cobwebs using a orange/red stamp pad.

I also bleached out the moon and a faint fence line along the bottom.

Next I decided to used grave stones for the days - it took me a while to decide between them and pumpkins   and even nearly changed my mind half way through, but fortunately went ahead with the stones. 

These are stamps (I think are made by inkadinkadoo!?!  They come with sayings in each one) which I altered on the computer to the size and details I wanted and printed them out.

Next I randomly stamped them with a cobweb stamp, then coloured them with 3 different shades of Distress ink pads.  I did it while still on the sheet so that I was less likely to damage them.  These were then cut out and the edges inked to darken them a bit. 

So finally using letters from Tim Holtz Halloween paper stack, I cut out and stuck on 'October' along with the tomb stones.  The final touches were to add a bit of red detail and to stamp and perfect pearl more cobwebs over the top.

Well I hope you like it and if you are following Kate Cranes calendar page challenge - which is what is keeping me doing this each month - I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am.

Have a great month!!!

xxxxx

Joy

"Rock Candy Distress Stickles with Embossed Background"

Just a quick post to show you something I was playing with today.  I tried using reflection text in an embossing folder!  Didn't get it quite right as I only had a few minutes and didn't bother putting the stamp on a stamping block hence I got the text where I didn't want it!  Still its a good lesson!  When I have more time I will try and get it right.  But over all I like the results.  

So I used Dylusions spray ink to make the background, then ran it through the embossing folder to emboss the trees and finished off using distress ink pad 'iced spruce' to highlight the tree and the edges!

Have a great week!

xxxx hugs xxxx

Happy accidents!!

  Hi folks - thought I would show you a page I put together today.  

Ive had the background done for a while - often have a spell where all I do is background!! Also had the little guy coloured for another project but didn't get used.  So I decided to do some crafting but wasn't feeling all that creative.  However while flipping through my journals this page came open just as the Stampotique character fell out!! So that was that.  

The quote is one I saw recently and still had in my head so it all worked well.

I think I will submit him for the Stampotique Designers Challenge which is all about squares.

Hope you all enjoy some happy accidents!!

XXX HUGZ XXX

Drawing!! EEK!! in my journal!

Ok, as a child I use to love to draw, but as with most things, as you get older the confidence and freedom you feel to do these things slowly disappears.  But thanks to the very talented, and patient Kate Crane who taught a class at Art From The Heart at the weekend I actually managed to draw straight into my journal and ended up with an image which I was really pleased with.  

So, Human she's not, but I have to say I'm quietly pleased with my tranquil alien!!  

Realistic she's not but she is an encouraging place to start - and hopefully thanks to her I will have the nerve to start doing more drawing in my journal.

The background was done with golden paints and ranger paint dabbers as was most of the face.  I added some random stamping to the background with distress ink pads and added a bit of shading to the edge of the page as well with a blending tool.  Random quote came from an old book page.  A lovely new stamp from Stampotique added the border and the final touch was  a few drops of crystal stickles for the bling factor!!

Hope you all have a creative tranquil week.  Take care

xxxx HUGZ xxxx

Dyan's Challenge

Hi folks - energy and creativity have been thin on the ground around here lately - so when I saw that a challenge had been put on to one of my facebook groups (the Dyan Reaveley Art Journaling Fan Club) I didn't think I had much chance of getting it done.  

So I saved a bit of energy up and decided to give it a go this afternoon. 

 Nothing much was happening in the creativity section of my brain but I decided to mess about and see if I could come up with something.  

After mindlessly colouring and cutting I found that some ideas came together and this is what I produced.

Background done with Dylusions ink sprays and the figure is one of her stamps.  The border stamp and the leaves are from Designs By Ryn (love this ladies stamps).

Anyway - I'm hoping now that I have got something made I will manage to continue doing a little each day - well that's the plan - will see what happens!!

Have a great weekend!!

Serenity!!

Just a quick post tonight - I have been trying to make myself use my own hand writing more in my journals rather than always resorting to something else!!!

I did the background over a year ago but loved it too much!!! Note - don't fall in love with your backgrounds because its then a nightmare to have to cover it up!  I have gone to this page so many times to use it and ended up stroking it lovingly then moving on to another page.
Finally I thought just practising my large writing wouldn't cover up too much of my beloved background so it finally got used!! yeah!!

I used paints, inks and gesso for the background - 2 of the lovely Dyan's Dylusions  border stamps and I cheated with an image of on old childhood friend Eeyore!  Of course Eeyore was never into 'serenity', gloominess was more his thing, but some how he just looked at home on this page.  Im still trying for Serenity but I think it might take me a while to achieve, but I keep trying!!
Wishing you all a creative, serene week!

HUGZ x

Mop Up Journal

Hi everyone, I'm feeling very proud of myself as I have made myself a journal using lots of my mop up pages!!!  

I have a box in which I store all the random pieces of paper which I use to mob up spare ink with when I'm making backgrounds.  I clean up stencils on them, stamps - so I don't waste anything!!!  So I decided I needed to use some of them up!

I made the front and back cover on canvas boards using Dylusions inks and Dylusions & Stampotique stamps as well.  

I then chose the mop up pages and cut them to size, as they are all different types of paper and card, some textured, some not, I decided I would stick them together back to back so that I could strengthen some of the pages up.

I then bound it with a 'Bind it all' and added the fibres onto the back page and onto the spine.  

As it is a Stampotique figure on the front I think I might make all the pages up using different stampotique images - well that's the idea at the moment, only time will tell if it stays that way!!!

Hopefully in the future I will show you some of these mop up pages as finished art journal pages!

Have a great, creative weekend!

I will leave you with some more images of the journal!

Back

Inside front cover

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Inside back cover