15 minutes of mixed media

This week's 15 minutes of mixed media challenge turned out even better than I had hoped. I love the colors.

This week I started with a ghost print of a gelli print. This was a print that was already in my art journal. It gave me a slight edge, as starting with a back ground will do. I like it. Sometimes it is a great springboard for color and definition on a page.

Having backgrounds at the ready in your journal is a simple way to add layers to your 15 minute challenge as well as perserve supplies. I never wipe my gelli plate to clean it. I always keep printing until all the paint is depleted. This makes beautiful ghost (or light) prints. I also like to take extra paint off of the palette and swipe it on the page, smearing it out from the center as I go. To do this I like to use an old credit card or a scraper.

Here is the short list of supplies that I had on hand before I started the timer. Remember, having just a few supplies at the ready saves valuable time when the clock is ticking! *5 paint colors (just run of the mill cheap craft paints. I would list the colors, but most of them are so old the labels are worn off) *sticky note tabs *permanent marker *black and white paint pens *glue stick *scraps of painted deli paper *stamp *stamp pad *embosser (to speed up the drying process in between layers) *dylusions blue spray ink

Setting the timer is certainly a challenge on most days, but it gets my creative mind racing. I usually begin a bit harried, but by the time the buzzer rings I am in a flow. Remember- if you are joining in on this challenge and setting the timer- THIS IS YOUR ART JOURNAL. Depending on your schedule and what goals you have set for yourself, YOU DON'T HAVE TO STOP THERE. Keep creating. If nothing else, you will have spent 15 minutes setting up a base for your layout. I choose to stick to the 15 minutes so that I can post honest to goodness 15 MINUTES OF MIXED MEDIA ART JOURNAL PAGES.

If you have started playing along I would love to hear about it. Love how your art is turning out when you set the timer? Send me a few photos via the contact page- I would love to see them! Enjoy!

i wanted to carve a feather stamp

Sometimes we don't always get what we want, but we might get lucky and like what we end up with.

So I wanted to carve a feather stamp. Feathers are my favorite thing right now, but...but it turns out that if you don't use your stamp carving tools for months you lose your touch. What I ended up with looks more like a leaf or branch of some kind, but I like it. I like the imperfections in each feather/leaf - not unlike in nature. If you want to have your own little imperfect feather leaf here is what I did ----->

1. Grab an eraser. I like the cheap ones from The Dollar Tree if you are just starting out. They aren't the best quality, but they come in a 3 or 4 pack for a dollar and are great for beginners.  I also like how they stay rigid when you go to stamp with them. You will also need a stamp carving tool. I use this SPEEDBALL set and love it. And you will need a pencil to draw your word or design on the eraser.

2. Draw your design. Don't forget to use tracing paper if you are writing a word or special design that will need to be drawn in reverse.

3. Start carving. Slow is key for me. This particular tool came with several cutting heads in the base of the handle. I used the smallest one for outlining my design first, then went back and carved out more with a larger, deeper cutting tool.

4. Finish off with the flat blade to smooth things out. My homemade stamps don't always look pretty when I am finished, but they stamp great!

Obviously I need to brush up on my stamp carving skills some more, but I think I will keep it. I like it's quirky shape and style. Here is what it looks like on a tag card project I did. Enjoy!

TAG CARD: gelli printed tag. painted deli paper scraps. book paper scraps. oil pastels. paint pens. machine stitching. thank you stamp from dollar bin at Target. my hand carved feather leaf stamp. recycled seam binding.

the documented life project- weekly challenge 2

Welcome to Week 2 of The Documented Life Project!

January 5 Challenge - Say Cheese! This week's challenge is to incorporate a selfie into your planner.

This can be done as simply as snapping a photo with your phone, printing it out and adding it to your planner. Dont' want to add your sweet face to your planner? No worries! Consider using words to describe yourself and add those to your planner instead. Not into the selfie scene? Remember! This challenge is totally optional! Feel free to skip right over it and wait for next week's challenge! In addition, if you are participating in One Little Word and would like to share that in your selfie or on your page, then add that in as well.

I am in full "use what I have mode" this year- especially since I am in the middle of big move. I am purging big time and finding that while I don't really WANT to use up this old stuff, it always turns out ok in the end.

Having made up my mind to be faithful to this "green goal" I set for myself, I grabbed some old patterned paper and my sewing machine. I stitched some of that paper to a gelli print that used as a tip-in in my planner.

I listed some of the things I AM on some vintage ledger paper and tacked that to the bottom of my photo. A reminder to myself that I wear a lot of hats and that is a tough job in itself. I need to be kind to myself when I feel I am losing ground. I just layered up from there, adding a painted deli paper monogram and some painted greens from the woods behind my house. And I added my One Little Word for the year. LOVE. My word could have been a million things this year. I wanted to use LET GO. But I chose LOVE instead. I want to LOVE where I am have been. LOVE where I am going and most importantly, I want to LET GO WITH LOVE.

I can choose to be happy. I can choose to embrace the future. I can choose to LOVE what is in front of me. I welcome 2014 with LOVE. Looking forward to your interpretations of this week's challenge and can't wait to meet you back here next week! 

You can find us:

• Facebook:
  

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/thedocumentedlifeproject/

• Flickr:
  

  http://www.flickr.com/groups/thedocumentedlifeproject/

• Instagram: #documentedlife 
  

*Our Blogs

• Roben-Marie Smith
• Lorraine Bell
• Rae Missigman
• Sandi Keene
• And our Life Photographer: Barbara Moore
  

Post your challenge response to your favorite social media and upload it to our Flickr group or Facebook group to share in the community of Life Documentors!

15 minutes of mixed media

New to the blog? This has turned my time in the studio around.

For this layout I started with a gelliprint background and had the following supplies at the ready before I started the timer---> *3 paint colors *black & white paint pens *permanent marker *a few scraps of painted deli paper *scissors *glue stick *number stamp set

Want to see some of my other creative exercises like this? Here you go! --->

 

Enjoy!

art stuff: something pretty to remind us

We use A LOT of magnets around our house, especially considering the size of our magnetic family wall calendar, but most of them aren't pretty. They're functional, heavy duty - meaning they can hold up a stack of papers three inches thick for the next Junior National Honor Society Meeting.

Adding just a pop of color and ART to this board makes it so much easier to view - overloaded schedules and all. This is our family calendar- not pretty, but useful.

Now this is is pretty. And fun. A little painted canvas turned into workable magnet. We have started using these on our family calendar to remind us of something important.

( Plus we reserve these ART magnets for special tidbits - like love notes and free tickets! No tacking up a yucky dentist appointment with these - fun stuff only! )

Sometimes all we need to feel better about our crazy schedules and hectic lives, is just a little bit of ART. Everyday life can be so routine that we dread it. That's why anything unexpected makes it so much better- like a secret note, or a child's drawing-  things that are visually pleasing. I don't like to LOOK at my family calendar. It is almost always overwhelming, but by adding a little bit of pretty, I get an unexpected smile from myself. I am reminded that eveyday life can be beautiful- I just have to help make it that way.

December is not so bad, but most of the time our calendar is overflowing with stuff to do, places to be, people to meet. Having something pretty to remind us to slow down, have fun, and LOVE YOUR LIFE - well that's worth looking at.

15 minutes of mixed media: an exercise in art and time management

You might remember reading here that I have to sometimes give myself small amounts of time in the studio, as opposed to none. I'll take it.

Some days are great and I get in there for hours on end. Others, not so much. I have been debating on how I could make those few moments more productive. This is what I came up with. - set a timer. That's it. Nothing monumental, nothing life altering. Just simple time management.

It works for violin practice. It works for silent reading. It works for time out. Why couldn't it work for art journaling? painting? project planning?

And so I bought a cute timer and I set it. This is what I got on day one. A beautiful art journal page. I worked quickly and diligently, but with no pressure to finish. After all, I get to set the timer again tomorrow.

For those inquiring minds- I set the timer for 15 minutes for this layout and I completed it in that time frame. I worked on foundation page that already had a base print that I created using the gelli plate. (my favorite tool of all time) Sorta like beat the clock only better, and prettier.

newsworthy: win this pretty painted pouch

I gave a little peek of this here, when I talked about Roben-Marie's awesome Mixed Media Essentials stamps and what I did with them, but...

...I wanted to give you a few more shots of what this pretty painted pouch looked like.

You can win this in an auction over at Roben-Marie's blog next week, so be sure to stop over and read all about it!

Good Luck! ...But don't worry if you don't win this one - more coming to the etsy shoppe here soon!

art stuff: playing with these--->mixed media essentials

I confess. It has been a long time since I really USED rubber stamps.

That is not to say I don't have any - I do, but they never really jumped off the worktable and said "play with me please!" Recently a friend of mine, Roben-Marie Smith, asked me if I would be interested in working with her new line - MIXED MEDIA ESSENTIALS. Holy Moly is all I can say!

These stamps were calling my name! I knew the minute I laid my hands on these I would be stamping on more than just paper. I had to put these puppies to fabric. WOW! They rocked!

I absolutely fell in love with all of the combinations I could create with this set. I can't say whether it is the doodled nature of this line - I love to doodle, or the whimsical feel they lend to a piece of art that I love more.

It has been great to work with such a versatile set of stamps too - you can reach for anything from a funky alphabet to a scalloped edge to a doodled dot or circle!

I stamped on fabric, paper and board canvas- each and every project turned out so awesome!

I can't wait to experiment some more with these funky and modern, MIXED MEDIA ESSENTIALS stamps! Who knows what will come off the worktable next! Stay tuned! And don't forget to visit Roben-Marie Smith here for more inspiration and to see what other artists are creating with the great set of stamps!

art stuff: art journal collaboration

I experienced something new and fun at a recent art retreat. Art Journal Collaborations. Here is a peek at one of mine that I created with Sandi Keene, Lorraine Bell, Roben-Marie Smith and Barabara Moore - all talented ladies!

art stuff: art journal layers

Today is another layers day.