art stuff: gelli plate play

I like to use a colorful background as a starting point in most of my journal work and Gelli Plates are an awesome way to work with color and texture. For basic colored backgrounds just squeeze on a few different colored paints and roll them around with your brayer. Lay your page down and pick up the color. Repeat until most or all of the color has been picked up. It is cool to see what your next print will look like when it picks up some of the previous prints color.

Here are a few backgrounds I created this week.

Making these backgrounds is repetitive in nature and therefore soothing to me. I could do this all day. The bonus? I have pages at the ready when I go to work in my journal. Win win.

the process: recycled binder turned art journal

Let's recycle something else this week!

I took this old clear binder and turned it into a pretty art journal cover. It was super easy and took just under an hour to create, including drying time, which I sped up by using my heat embosser.

Next, grab one of these re-purposed scrapers and scratch off a little gesso- letting your favorite words shine through. Ink the gesso using a dry brush or sponge.

Mix a little gesso with some ink or paint and rub it over your favorite stencil. Chunky goodness happens here.

Add a stamp or two along the edges.

Use a black paint pen to add more journaling.

Stitch some fabric to the front cover to add some texture.

Punch holes along the edges of your solitary pages or add in those you have removed from a spiral bound journal.

My favorite part is seeing my journaling, in reverse, on the inside of the cover.

art stuff: watercolor pencils. a blast from the past

I was doing some purging recently and came across these watercolor pencils.

Talk about a blast from the past. It has been YEARS since I snapped these up at some home stamping party. I decided to mess around with them in my art journal with my water brush. I admit - they weren't moving around as I would like to see,  but I wasn't working on water color paper either.

But I didn't dislike working with them. I don't think I will add these to the donate box after all. Maybe tomorrow I will give them another go on watercolor paper. Or maybe photo paper.

I think with the addition of some gesso, paint and inks, I can live with this. Do you have a "dated" art tool that you like to use? I would love to hear about it.

art stuff: recycled art combs- in thirty seconds

There are just certain things I can't throw away. Used gift cards are one of those things. No matter how many I seem to collect I just can't toss them. They seem too RE-USABLE.

I am tinkering with a few cool projects ideas that will incorporate much of the mass, but until then I found a great way to re-purpose a few of them. RECYLCED ART COMBS - how cool are these?

And you can make them in about THIRTY SECONDS! All you need are a few old gift cards and a good pair of heavy duty scissors.

A thrifty way to recycle that used gift card, these combs are a neat addition to your art journaling tool box.

I used a few of these while working on some backgrounds in my art journal. Pretty cool.

Here are a few of the other recycled tools that I have in my Art Journaling Toolbox.

art stuff: re-purposed tools

When you make a habit of "taking a look before you toss" you find yourself collecting some pretty odd stuff. It just takes a second look in the right light to know that you can re-purpose something. Art journaling tools are some of my favorite re-purposed items.

RE-PURPOSED ART JOURNALING SCRAPERS AND DISTRESSERS:

1. old gift cards  2. small ring of wood  3. water bottle cap  4. plastic button template  5. plastic crochet needle  6. contact solution cap  7. cut plastic bottle  8. making memories paint comb

I loved my ancient, but trusty, making memories paint comb. It came in some kind of distressing kit that I picked up years ago when I first got into mixed media. They had me at PAINT COMB. What an awesome set of words. Because I am a big re-cycler I started collecting bits of things I could use for the same purpose- adding to the looks I could create when I used them in my art journal. Like this --->

Be creative. Be inventive. Use what you have and enjoy the process!

on the worktable: art journaling

Working on this ----->

art stuff: carving some stamps

A talented and sweet friend of mine showed me how to do this at her lovely retreat a few years ago and I have been hooked ever since. Have I perfected it? Hek no! But I love them and their bold imperfections.

I think it's time for a new ink pad, but you get the idea. NOT perfect, but perfectly chunky.

I love using them in my art journal and on pretty mail art. Like this ----->

Funky and chunky. I love it!

on the worktable: art journaling

Working on this  ----->

newsworthy: 21 secrets LIVE 2014 !

In honor of 21 SECRETS 5 year anniversary this 2014, Connie Hozvicka of Dirty Footprints Studio is hosting a LIVE version of the celebrated workshop where 21 past beloved teachers meet up LIVE online for a 90 minute Spreecasts where we will chat,answer questions, and art journal along with YOU! Each 21 SECRETS LIVE Spreecast is recorded for you to keep and refer to for years to come, and there is also a private Facebook and Flickr group for us and only us to share and keep the conversations
going! 21 SECRETS LIVE starts Wednesday, January 15 and runs for 21 consecutive Wednesdays.

 You can read more about all the cool details here and check out the artist bio's right here!

A special registration link has been set up for you here! I had so much fun creating alongside of such wonderfully talented art journalers this year and look forward to an even more exciting adventure again this year! Hope to see you here!

Just a note - each of the artists is given an affiliate code to use for their participation in this event anat that is how we get paid. I would be thrilled to have you register through my link here! Thank you all for your love and support!

on the worktable: art journaling

Working on this  ----->