Stamps Ahead

I recently posted "Heart Threads" and the techniques I used to create the hearts.  I had a request from one of my students at one of local community groups where I lead card classes to teach technique this week. I needed to rethink several things about the class requirements and decided to ditch the sewing machine embellishments and settled with faux stitching.  As the lace, in my original post, was attached with stitches I decided to use a staple to adhere.  I also reduced the size of the masterboard so as to allow only 3 hearts to be drawn and cut.  These I then adhered to card front.  Again, for left-overs they will die-cut a tab to adhere their greeting. Thank you for looking, Margaret

The final postcard challenge over at Junk Journal Ideas and Inspiration on Facebook. The theme   "Where flowers bloom, so does hope" . Here is my postcard My background is a napkin that I applied with a glue stick over a patterned paper. I have added an old French postage stamp; French Script stamp; and a small round stamp. I have also fussy cut a butterfly and small words and finished with an Eiffel Tour I found in my stash and a little bit of gold foil. I was singing "I love Paris in the Springtime" as I made this postcard and my hope is that one day I will return to Paris and hopefully in Spring when flowers are blooming. Thank you for looking, Margaret  I love Paris in the springtime. I love Paris in the fall. I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles, I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles. Cole Porter 1953 .

I recently viewed a video by  Shanouki Art  that she had posted in Junk Journal Ideas and Inspiration. I was instantly inspired by the video that I decided to 'have a go' as we say here in Australia. This is a long post, so please enjoy my creations. I did not have a large ice-cream container so started with this container - I would say medium sized.  I then took the bits and pieces of paper (including coffee filter paper and old sales tags) and bits of lace that were on or near to my table.   I then went out with brown paper to cover the outside table. Here I am ready to start - notice the small pair of tongs I have put to good use.  The next step was to spray inks of all sorts into the container and 'smoosh' around, adding drops of ink as I went.  I used old sprays I purchased years and years ago and some alcohol inks.  Continue to mix together and used heat gun, to dry, when it became soggy and then continued to add inks.  Now by this time...

 Week 3 of the postcard challenge over at Junk Journal Ideas and Inspiration on Facebook. The prompt "Change can be beautiful".  Here is my postcard. I have used collage and used pictures from various sources of fashions over the years, unfortunately most of disappeared under the layers I have used....I'm not worried I know they are there! The words are from old stickers I had in my stash - still not sure about them so have not as yet fully glued them dow...I will wait a few days and see if I come up with anything else. I did think of adding a lace and fabric cluster but it just did not work!   Thank you for looking, Margaret.

 This is the 2nd week of postcard challenge over at Junk Journal Ideas and Inspiration. The prompt was "The earth laughs in flowers".  It is a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Here is my postcard. Here is my process - I adhered strips of page to a 4" x 6" piece of scrap cardstock. I then applied Gesso over the adhered strips to lighten them. Once dry, I used texture paste and a stencil of the world onto the postcard and allowed it to dry.  I then fussy cut all the flowers, bird and butterfly and attached to bottom left of the postcard. I hand wrote the quote on a piece of co-ordinated paper that I die cut into the shape of a ticket.  Finally, I draw around the postcard with black  marker. Thank you for looking, Margaret

We were treated to a bonus day to Laly Mille free online retreat.  Laly Mille shared one of her favourite ways to quickly create a page by combing an intuitive background with a meaningful photo.  Here is my art journal page inspired by Laly. I did not have a photo that I wanted to use so I went with a window print from a magazine. I find myself more and more drawn to 'windows' they let in light, you can imagine what is outside or inside! I used colours, which is not usually my "go to" colour choice.  I used Dylusion Sprays, acrylic paints, gesso, watercolour pencils, fabric and paper.  These pages are definitely a work in progress and I may add or remove other elements in the future. Thank you for looking, I had a blast. A big shout out to Laly Mille, follow her and be inspired. Margaret

Day 3 on Laly Mille's online retreat was finishing touches.  In the words of Laly "Finishing touches are such a magical part of the process! Get playful and try new things, infuse more light, color and contrast into your page, and find that special touch that makes your art unique!".  Here is my finished art  Up early this morning to complete this outdoors, as I started on Day 1. We are expecting record high temperatures today 40c and we are in Autumn/Fall!  If I have a problem area it was the trees added - lesson learned for future pages I think.  What this photo does not show that there is a lot of sparkle and glittery aspects to this page. I hope the following bits from the page show that.  Laly in her video for Day 3 said we would be looking at the magic of the page and that art journalling is the experience of creating. A British informal definition of 'magic' I found online was 'Wonderful and Exciting" and that is how I feel after completing this wo...

Day 2 of Laly Mille's on-line retreat saw us working on our Day 1 layouts.  I drew and coloured some naive flowers along the top of the green gills (might need more of these).  I found the tree images in a magazine, tore them out much smaller (the one on the left might need a bit more added, but I will worry about that later) than original and placed in the centre.  The Tim Holtz wildflowers I had in my stash from card classes taught previously and just could not throw away!  What else have I done today - painted the sky area more and generally dulled the paint I added at the top and between the trees to give the appearance of walking through the trees.  The stars/fairy lights light up the sky (I hope)! I have always had an interest in the vanishing point in paintings so let's see what tomorrow brings as we finish up our art journal page.  Thank you for looking, Margaret

I recently found a Facebook group called Junk Journal Ideas and inspiration and I enjoy looking at all the inspiration from creators/artists/call us what you will. This month they have an inspirational task - create a postcard with a weekly prompt.  Here is my first week postcard. The prompt was "Trust the magic of new beginnings" as in many countries it is Spring, of course here in Australia we are starting our Autumn/Fall season.  Postcards are like a mini canvas usually 6" x 4" and I cut out a piece of cardstock this size as my base and decided on doing a collage.  I painted the background and what is not really showing in my photo is the metallic gold paint I added.  The cluster I made top right includes threads from previous torn fabric.    As I was looking through my bits and pieces I also came across this quote from Henry Ford, and I added to back of my postcard. Thank you for looking, now I must get breakfast before starting on the next 'new beginni...

For the next 3 days I am participating in Laly Mille online retreat - Art Journal Dream. At the end will be a completed double art journal page. Here is my Day 1 layers - more to be added in the coming days. Here is my process - I hope you get a sense of what the retreat is all from this starting point. I first selected the first 2 pages in my art journal - I usually move all around the place. I chose it because it had marks from previous entries down the centre line.  Laly's usually encourages writing for first layer - she uses marker pen I was not so brave I used pencil.  I am seriously thinking about travel to USA next year and so I wrote down some of my thoughts about this.  Don't worry they are covered up eventually.  In past workshops I have been reluctant to write and did move to putting a few words down but today more words than I have incorporated. The next layer was to take colouring medium of choice and create deeper colour at bottom of pages. I went with ...

 It's Calvinball time again for all of March, 2023.  Calvinball is a challenge site like no other. Here is my first layout - clean and simple layout.  The challenge points were awarded for using Day 1 Permanent points (that stay for the entire month) die cuts and star - a stretch I know but I used a flower that looked close to a star. Day 2 Temporary points (that can be removed at any time) - green and avocado.  Avocado is the challenge mascot and it appears every year at some stage. It is sometime since I completed a scrapbook page as I have been really engrossed in Junk Journalling, Art Journalling and Collage, so hope this month gets my scrapbook mojo working again. Check it out you can join at any time.