the documented life project - weekly challenge 12

Welcome to Week 12 of The Documented Life Project!

March 15 - Cut Up A Magazine - Add To Your Planner.

This week was fun. I took the challenge literally for once, but I have to admit it was for one reason only. MY PLANNER IS GETTING REALLY REALLY CHUNKY.  I think I need to incorporate a FLAT page every once in awhile or we are going to have a book bursting at the seams over here- and pretty darn soon.

It's okay though. I love how this page turned out. AND it forced me to be a little bit creative with how I added my magazine bits. In the end I hauled out a LONG UNUSED tool - the BIG SHOT die cut machine. I forgot I liked this thing. I forgot that it can turn any little scrap of paper or thin fabric into something cool for my planner.

I chose a magazine with bright images and some wording. I cut out several sizes of this shape and this shape. I adhered the cut outs on with a glue stick and painted stripes in the white space. I added a zillion pops of black and white with my favorite paint pens and some funky lettering before telling myself I should be done.

I cut a ton of magazine scraps up while creating this challenge. Then, when I was done,  I went around the studio cutting even more stuff up. Maybe I won't be burying this tool back in the closet afterall!

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This week's challenge supplies: magazine, scissors, uhu glue stick, Golden Acrylic in ultramarine blue, Golden Acrylic in green gold, Painters Brand Paint Pens in White and Black, Big Shot Die Cut Machine.

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-------> Art to the 5th Blog - Our Story

-------> List of Weekly Archived Challenges

-------> Facebook

------> Flickr

-------> Instagram - #documentedlife

-------> Our Blogs

            Rae

            Lorraine

            Sandi

            Barbara

            Roben-Marie

*as an amazon affiliate, I receive a small incentive if you purchase a product through these links*

artist print pack no. 2

UPDATE: AND WE HAVE A WINNER! CONGRATULATIONS TO SANDRA G. IN ARIZONA! YOU ARE THE LUCKY WINNER OF THIS ARTIST PRINT PACK 2! Thank you to everyone else who left such a sweet comment. I will have another giveaway soon! Check back for details!

I want to thank you all for the overwhelming response to my new artist print packs. Pack no. 1 was such a hit I couldn't wait any longer to share pack no. 2 with you!

...another bold, bright mix of my favorite art journal pages, ready for you to use in all of your mixed media projects! Cut. Collage. Stitch. and more...

Just like before I am going to send one lucky person a pack of these newest art prints! Just enter below by leaving a comment. COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED! CHECK BACK SOON FOR ANOTHER GIVEAWAY! On Saturday I will choose a winner and POST THE WINNER HERE - so check back on Saturday to see if you are the lucky recipient of these pretty papers! If you are, just email me here on the blog (USE THE CONTACT TAB AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE) with your mailing address and I will ship your goodies right out! 

I can't wait to see what you create! ENjoy!

coffee filter wreathe

When I was moving recently I came across a handful of foam wreathes- leftover from a school project. Rather than find a place to store them I decided to make a few little wreathes for Spring.

This project took just under an hour and requires only a few supplies - most of which you might have on hand.

You will need: a foam wreathe (mine was 8" in diameter), assorted coffee filters, assorted paints, twine, scrap of muslin, tissue paper, and a floral embellishment. I cut up some polyester material I had on hand and shaped it into circular petals for mine. You will also need a glue gun and a glue stick or two.

First I scooped a very small amount of Golden Heavy Body Acrylic Paint ( I used Fluorescent Pink, Fluorescent Chartreuse, and Fluorescent Green) into an old container. Next I added about two cups of water and mixed it up very well. If you are making a larger wreathe you will need to adjust the paint and water quantities accordingly.

Once the paint & water were mixed well I began crumbling up the coffee filters and stuffing them into the mixture. I divided the filters up evenly and made sure they were well beneathe the surface of liquid. I let them soak for 30 minutes. For my miniature wreathe I used approximately 50 large filters, a combination of both natural and bleached, and 15 white cupcake wrappers. (Depending on how tight you crinkle them when adhereing them to the wreathe, you could use more or less)

These colors apprear VERY bright while soaking, but they will be much, much lighter when dried. Adjust your color preferences accordingly. After 30 minutes I carefully (they will tear easily) wrung out each filter. You can do this with several at a time. Leaving them loosly balled up, I tossed them in the dryer on the coolest setting for about 6 minutes. Once dry I gently, and only partially, unfolded each filter.

They look so yummy! ... like cotton candy peonies! I was tempted to just pin them to the wall at this point...but I went ahead and finished my wreathe. Maybe next time.

Next I began crunching and gluing my filters onto the foam wreathe. You could use straight pins too - but I wanted mine to be premanent. The glue will slightly melt the foam, but this is ok. It makes the depth different for each flower and I like it. I chose to add my filters randomly and layer the smaller cupcake liners with the larger natural ones.

I continued to add filters on the outside of the wreathe, as well as on the inside center ring. I cut a length of twine and muslin, knotted each end and glued the ends to the back of the wreathe.

Next I added my pops of color. I am an not a big pastel person, so while I wanted my wreathe to resemble Springtime, I needed a little punch to call it mine. I began by cutting up circles of polka dot tissue paper, approximately 4 inches across. I scrunched them in the middle and glued them in a cluster on one side of my wreathe. I repeated this step with the pink silky centers.

Lastly I added a piece of muslin and tissue paper to the handle. I love it. Springy and easy and fast. Perfect.

...now...where to hang it?

Enjoy the process!

15 minutes of mixed media

It's Tuesday, so here is this week's take on my 15 minutes of mixed media - a lesson in art and time management! 

This week I started with two colors I rarely use. Blue and Green. I tried. As you can see though,  the pink took over. As usual. Oh well. In the end I liked it because this is what I love to do!

 I am still working in this art journal and love it! I don't LOVE starting with a blank page, but since I didn't have time to create a new batch of backgrounds this week, I had no choice. I prefer, as you know, to start with some color on the page, something I usually create using the Gelli Plate. It is so easy and fast for creating beautiful backgrounds. I hope to work on some of these this week!

SUPPLIES THIS WEEK -------> Golden Heavy Body Acrylic in Pink Fluorescent, Apple Barrel White Gloss, Apple Barrel Lime Gloss, Dylusions Spray Ink in Calypso Teal, Painters Brand Paint Pens in Red, Black, White, & Orange, Ink Joy Ink Pens, Water Brushes filled with Dylusions Inks in Bubblegum Pink, Lemon Zest, & Funky Fuschia, Sharpie Oil Pen in White, Sharpie Mean Streak in White, UHU Glue Stick, Scissors, TUL Fine Tip Permanent Black Marker, ( I buy these in bulk because I love them so much and use them so often! ) Collage Papers from my stash of art journal papers, and both homemade and store bought stencils. I used this one and this one. I also used paintbrushes, an old gift card and a heat embosser.

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Here are a few other journal pages I created using this technique-------> Click on the images below to see how these journal pages were created using 15 minutes of mixed media.

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*as an amazon affiliate, I receive a small incentive if you purchase a product through these links*

currently: ten things

1. Working in my Documented Life Project Planner. Every week I look forward to the artistic challenge part of this project, but lately the actual weekly planner side is catching most of my attention. I can't say enough times how much this has made documenting my daily life so much more beautiful, both visually and emotionally. Enjoying what you do has such a positive effect on your mood. I am so in love with this project and it is only March. I guarantee you are going to get tired of hearing me talk about it!

2.  Finally getting that updated headshot. And no, it wasn't taken in the car by my son, like the last one. I hate getting my photo taken. With a capital H. So this session was no different. In fact, if truth be told, it was harder because it was planned. I got dressed, did my hair and walked to the lakefront with my daughter. She is great. She doesn't judge, she makes me laugh and she is honest. To a fault. So 678 photos later I had ONE I sorta liked. Not because she is a bad photographer, she is awesome...but because I can't take a good photo, when planned, to save my life. I freeze. I panic and I just plain hate it. If I don't know it is happening it is usually the best photo ever. Maybe next time I will hire her to follow me around for a few days!

3.  Enjoying the busy work. I love packaging things up. I love printing and stapling and sorting and collating and taping things up. This stuff makes me happy. I'm a wierdo , right?

4. So happy to have been part of the newest 21 Secrets Live - 2014. It was a blast and a new thing for me - a live spreecast. I won't lie. I was a wreck up until Wednesday night thinking about it, because the only thing worse than getting your photo taken is being LIVE on the internet! As it turned out, all the worrying was for nothing. My hostess, Lisa Wilson, was awesome and all the art journalers that joined in were super fun! It was a great night and I am glad I didn't let my huge fears stop me from participating! 

5. Strolling through my hometown market. It is so small and quaint and lovely. I know most things are a few cents more, but the atmosphere alone makes it worth it.

6. Playing around with a few new ideas over here. Thinking that I am liking where things are going. I am crazy busy, but that's okay. I like to stay busy... and, I would rather like what I am doing and be non-stop, than to have all the time in the world and hate where I am headed. 

7. Looking in and liking what I see. I am adjusting more and more every day to my new home. I never thought I would be so comfortable here. That I would settle so quickly and with such firmness. I feel safe and comfortable and happy. As I sit on the porch, watching the sunset, it is strange to think I was so very afraid of this move. Now, things are just plain good.

8. Squealing with joy at the sight of these sweet little buds. This is my lemon tree. I have been growing it for a long time. It started it's life with me as a tiny shoot in a plastic bag, picked up at a roadside stand on the ride home from St. Augustine some time ago. I have coddled this plant. I want some dang lemons. I have fertilized and watered and talked to it. It just never did much at all. It grew quite a bit taller, but if you ask me, it is still pretty gangly looking and FAR from a tree. Then today I looked down and saw these buds. Beautiful lavendar and white little buds. I saw TONS of new shoots. Not just on the ends of the limbs, but EVERYWHERE. Like an explosion of leaves and purple. I am so very happy. I think sometime soon, if the bees and the butterflies cooperate, I just might have those lemons!

9. Giving you the update on the violinist. She had MPA's this past week. From what I, in my vast orchestral ignorance can gather, understand that these are like the FCAT or standardized testing of music in the schools around here ( and maybe elsewhere ). My daughter was her usual wreck of a self while waiting for this event to begin. She is at that stage in her musical "career" where she worries she will make a huge and fatal mistake while on stage. She has continued to earn her seat as First Chair, so the worry is warranted. Well, as it turns out, I guess all her fretting was for nothing as well - her orchestra garnered all superior ratings and went home happy and proud and knowing all their hard work had paid off. ( My husband and I chaperoned the event and were therefore allowed to view all their musical performances. Was I at all worried?  I went home with six less fingernails. No worries here. )

10. Finishing up a super easy and Springtime pretty tutorial! It involves paint and something from the kitchen- Look for it on Thursday! I think you are going to love it!

the documented life project: weekly challenge 11

Welcome to Week 11 of The Documented Life Project!

March 8 - Draw, Photograph or Collage a Bird onto your Page.

I don't mind admitting that this week's challenge scared me a little bit. If there is one thing I have not mastered, it would drawing. I could have photographed a bird, but I have said from the get go that I would push myself with this project...

...so I sketched a little bird out onto a gelli print tip in page. I started with a pencil. Once I was happy with her shape I sketched in a quick scratchy fashion over the pencil with my favorite fine tip black pen. I like how the pen and pencil combined to give the feathers some definition. I added some hand written text - "hallelejuha-sing a new song unto the Lord today."

Next I grabbed some colorful painted papers and began tearing them into small pieces to collage my bird. I also used painted deli paper and inked ultra thin brown kraft paper. I love how she blends with the gelli print.

I love all the texture this process lends to the page. The gelli print I chose was the perfect foundation- using the gelli plate I added more layers of paint than I normally would, using several different stencils, giving it a cool nubbly texture.

I collaged a funky sun at the top of the page and called it done. I have a hard time walking away from a page. Well, I do walk away, but I keep coming back. Again and again and again. This time I liked the simplicity of this chubby little bird and her sun and so I closed the book.

I can't wait to finish filling in the calendar side of my planner this week! Look for a peek soon!

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-------> Art to the 5th Blog - Our Story

-------> List of Weekly Archived Challenges

-------> Facebook

------> Flickr

-------> Instagram - #documentedlife

-------> Our Blogs

            Rae

            Lorraine

            Sandi

            Barbara

            Roben-Marie

*as an amazon affiliate, I receive a small incentive if you purchase a product through these links*

15 minutes of mixed media

Here you go - this week's take on my 15 minutes of mixed media - a lesson in art and time management!

I like this week's take. It is bright and bold! I am working in this art journal and love it! I started again this week with a blank page, an extra challenge for me. I prefer too, and usually start with a background, making the creative process that much easier. The blank page is teaching me to be bold and to not let the timer scare me!

SUPPLIES THIS WEEK-------> Golden Heavy Body Acrylic in Fluorescent Pink, Golden Fluid Acrylic in Diarylide Yellow  and Golden Fluid Acrylic inUltramarine Blue, Apple Barrel Craft Paints in White Gloss and Key West, Dylusions Spray Ink in Funky Fuchsia, Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Ripe Persimmon, Painters Brand Paint Pens in White, Black, Red, Orange, and Hot Pink. I also used stencils, a heat embosser, a pencil, a medium point black Sharpie pen, one of my hand carved stamps, a TUL ultra fine permanent black marker, a paintbrush and an old gift card.

Here are a few other journal pages I created using this technique-------> Click on the images below to see how these journal pages were created using 15 minutes of mixed media.

*as an amazon affiliate, I receive a small incentive if you purchase a product through these links*

new artist print packs - and a giveaway!

I am happy to share something new with you today! Artist Print Packs! Art journal pages straight from the studio to you...

...a bold, bright mix of my favorite art journal pages, ready for you to use in all of your mixed media projects! Cut. Collage. Stitch. and more...

Because I love to use these papers in my DOCUMENTED LIFE PROJECT I thought it would be great fun to do another giveaway!To enter, leave a comment here, then hop over to the  ART TO THE 5th blog and leave your name and email address in the comment section, so I can contact you when you win!

I can't wait to see what you create! ENjoy!

currently: ten things

1. Amazed at this young lady. She is growing up so fast. I look at her and wonder where have the last few years have gone? How did this little peanut turn into this young lady over night? From an underweight and helmeted infant to a violin playing, intelligent woman to be - all in the blink of an eye. I am proud of this not so little anymore girl, but I sure miss my curly haired baby.

2. Art journaling like crazy. It seems as if when things get crazy around here, I do what I do best. Keep myself busy. I tend overwork myself and overthink things. Okay, everything. I get everything done and then do more, anticipating a busy day tomorrow. I sit on that stool at 11 PM and paint away. I have learned that art journaling is such a release for me, that I can't climb into without having created something- even if it is only 15 minutes of mixed media.

3. Enjoying good conversation with my girls. I am so blessed to have three grown girls who are fun to talk too. We can sit for hours and do nothing but laugh- at silly videos, ugly selfies and silly videos. We can vent about the serious stuff and find a way to smile through it all. I love my girls. I have waited a long, long time to enjoy their company like this. I am so grateful that they are open to what I have to say about life- that they all at least listen, honestly, with both ears, and then have to courage to tell me what they think. I am grateful they are independent, and smart and living life. They are making mistakes, some of them BIG ones, but they are bright and beautiful and in touch with their faith. And so I am happy. Happy to have them share a cup of coffee with me, happy to see them living their lives, mistakes and all, happy to call them mine.

4. Having fun with clothespins. I scored a big bunch of clothespins recently, old, but in mint condition. I prettied them up and am using them all over the studio these days. I loves pins and clips of all kinds, so these make me smile big!

5. Sending Mail Art. I am really enjoying the mail art swap that I am a part of right now. It is so amazing how kind and happy and generous people are. Even though most of our conversations are limited to emails and chats, I feel like I have come to know some of these people and treasure their friendships!

6. Liking my new contact cards. They are pretty and bright and feel so good - you can win me over with texture every time. These won't be the last ones I order for sure!

7. Re-discovering my die cut machine. I had really forgotten about it. I have a very limited number of dies, but the few I have I like. I must have cut a hundred of these pretty circles and flowers. Now- what to do with them?

8. Liking the view. When I get up from the worktable, and it looks like this- you KNOW it was a good day. All those glorious and colorful markings, a sign of happy creating!

9. Not believing that we are already on Week 10 of the Documented Life Project! Another reminder of how quickly time flies. I have come to realize that daily life is more than a routine- it is an opportunity to be creative, mark down what is important, what is both lovely and ugly. Our lives are worth so much. We have been given the gift of remembering- writing it down, sketching it out, photographing it, can make those memories tangible, something to leave behind. I am loving it. Okay, I am addicted. Totally. But it is worth it. My life is worth. Isn't yours? Want to document alongside of me and the rest of Art to the 5th? Read more about it here!

10. Playing around with some packaging ideas. I love experimenting with re-purposed items, color and packages of any kind...who knows what this will turn into!?

the documented life project - weekly challenge 10

Welcome to Week 10 of The Documented Life Project!

March 1 - Make a List of What Makes You YOU!

This challenge was another favorite of mine, so far. I LOVE making lists. I intended to create just that - a hand written roll of who I am. As I worked on my draft I received a phone call. Naturally, I began to doodle, and by the time I hung the phone up, I knew my LIST had gone from that registry of words to a series of words and images.

I have been faithful to my self imposed spending halt and am using LOTS of things I usually use for my Project Life Pages. I love the combination of letter squares, rub-on's and decorative stamps. As my idea morphed from just words to more, I saw the need for more space and took a cue from a past challenge- adding a flap to a flap.

As my flaps unfolded I could add more things that make me ME to the back side as well. I prettied up the edges with colorful washi tape.

 I loved seeing all those odd bits of "old" stuff transformed into something beautiful as they came together.

I used the lined journal page to add even more text - a running list of I LOVE....

Want to know what makes me ME? photographs. counting. collecting. family. recycling. vision trouble. faith. writing. creating. being a mom. cats. birds. art. light and windows. my children. home. travel.

I can't wait to fill in the calendar side of my planner this week! Look for a peek soon!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------> Art to the 5th Blog - Our Story

-------> List of Weekly Archived Challenges

-------> Facebook

------> Flickr

-------> Instagram - #documentedlife

-------> Our Blogs

            Rae

            Lorraine

            Sandi

            Barbara

            Roben-Marie