Dreaming of the Song of Springtime

(atc triptych created by me for a triptych swap...watercolor paper, chf stamps, ranger distress inks. Used this tutorial HERE.)

(atc created by me for a music-themed mingle...stamp magick stamp, prismacolor pencils, gamsol, gelpens, copics)

(card created by me to hold "music" atc...vickie enkoff frame stamp, lasting impressions and mme rub-ons, dcwv slab papers, fiskars border punch)

Bad blogger!

So sorry...I really have meant to get over here to post again before now. I have no excuse other than I'm having too much fun creating and too little time to do it in. Same as everyone else this time of year.

I think I will suspend displaying journal pages for now until after the holidays or until I get more time. I have to scan those pages in and edit them, and I'm not feeling the love for doing that right now.

So, let me catch you up on what else I've been making.

First, some cards I have made using sketches from my Stampers Corner yahoo group:

Sketch 193 - Scrapworks paper, some rub-ons (mfr unknown), Coluzzle frame template and deco scissors:

Sketch 185 - using various papers in my scraps stash, a cat face diecut, some vellum stamped on the back with background stamps, deco scissors and a border punch. I cut the text bubbles out from birthday-themed scrapbook paper. My Sharpie paint pen provided the white outlining.

Sketch 198 - K&Company Blue Awning collection papers and embellies all the way on this card. Well, except for Basic Grey "Mom" rub-on, My Mind's Eye crown rub-on (that I gel-penned to make it a matching blue shade before blinging it with Stickles), and a Technique Tuesday scallop circle chipboard piece that I inked all over with chalk inks. Heavy distressing and chalk-inking of all paper edges. The card base is bling shimmer cardstock.

Sketch 191 - Finally, Missy's Christmas card to display in her apartment. I got to use my Labels Eight Mega-Nestabilities and my QK Eliza alpha dies for the text. Card base is bling shimmer cardstock. Felt snowflake lace by Queen and Co. was added underneath paper and then cut outs from it embellish the card. SandyLion papers and Cinderella image. I used eyelet snaps on the cutout snowflakes so that prongs would not show.

A boy and his dog

Up to me ears in lessons and life right now. Wanted to leave you something, so this is a 4x6 artist post card I made for a swap a while back. It's been cooling its heels in a folder on the computer. The tree and pasture image was on a mailer from my electric company. It looks a bit bleached out and that is exactly what it looks like down here in the middle of summer. And, remind me to never buy any more Victorian scrap, okay? I could make 500 4x6's and not use all I have. Sheesh. That was stoopid of me. Anyway, I've kind of been addicted to outlining anything and everything lately (but superstitously I leave one image untouched). I also think I am finally beginning to timidly like my charcoal pencils, too. In controlled circumstances.

This background was one of my own concoctions, trying all the time to find ways to use all of my rub-ons. I covered the entire base with old rub-on alphas from KI Memories, and then I painted over them with acrylics in various colors. It uses up stash and looks interesting, adds texture.

I have this theory about why so many of us artists and craftsters seem to live in our own worlds. It's because we all have so many art supplies. It's like, if you were kidnapped and taken to a remote hotel room along with your supplies, you'd stay there voluntarily, now wouldn't you? Yes, me too. A bed and a bathroom all to myself, and a maid to boot? Okay, time to wake up....LOLOL

It's BOO Month!

It never fails. When I have a calendar collage ready to show on the first of the month, I forget! So it is here, but I'm grateful I remembered on October 2nd. This month, I practice my colored wax pencil layering. All the orange bordering you see is really a few different colors and about 6 layers.

Did you know that when you color with pencils, you should lay down multiples so lightly and thin that you can barely see the first one? (I'm talking the regular pencils, not watercolor, although I'm guessing it wouldn't hurt to layer those either.) If you use good waxy ones like Prismacolors, the wax will move the color around the paper, and on each subsequent layer the wax will help the color to fill in where it skipped on the prior layer. I learned this back in the stone age when I was taking art classes as a college undergraduate. My instructor would say, "A light hand lets the wax work."

It's true. Most people apply too much pressure on the first layer and/or give up way too soon when coloring. The first layer of color should be hard to see, in fact. Although this is tres difficult for me to do as well, I've had my best luck doing it by pretending to be testing the color to see if I like it and that helps me apply it lightly. Something else I do is to wipe each layer with a tissue occasionally in between layers. Some people do not do that. They like to keep the bits of color dust on the surface. It all depends on personal preference.

Anyway, we shade and color our dolls with Prismacolors in Suziblu's class, so that means this is another technique I need to do decently. Practice makes perfect, ya know! LOL

My collage for this month's calendar page was simply done, as the Karen Foster paper is very busy on its own. The skull is a rub-on from Marah Johnson's Skull & X-bone Designs booklet, and the pumpkins and witch are from my stash. I made the calendar grid masthead with a strip of scrapbook paper (Theresa Collins for Junkitz) and various stash alphabet stickers which I then outlined with black gel pen. I added a digital frame around the photo in my PSP Pro Photo X2 software.

Back to making greeting cards! Happy World Card-Making Day, by the way. Today is also the start of my second workshop class over at A.R.T. (a study of techniques in Lynne Perella's awesome book, Artists Journals & Sketchbooks (we use the acronym AJS). I will be having a crafty weekend and hope you will, too.