What to do with all those vintage books you collected.

Must collect hymnals, vintage books, old encyclopedias, ect., ect., AAAANNNNDDD suddenly you have a huge pile of them. You knew what you were going to do with them when you started collecting them. Maybe  you saw and amazing project on Pinterest, or maybe a Youtube video about junk journals,but now that you have them you either have more than anticipated (since there can never be to many LOL) and are looking for ideas with what to with them.  Well, me too.

Got a  large box of Hymnals for 25 bucks!! I have probably 50 or so.

 Turn them into sketch books.
 How afraid are you of ruining a book that well, frankly you either got for free or are contemplating getting rid of?  I love to practice drawing, I am not very good at it, hence the practicing, but I surly do not feel bad messing up in a book I got for free or for nearly nothing. In my crazy thought pattern "sketch" books are for people who draw well and are artists. If I spend money on one I better only put "worthy" things in it. Am I the only one?? Well, anyway if I use a book I got for free or nearly free I feel like it is ok to have more bad pages then good ones. Here is one I am working on right now: This one is my faces journal/sketch book.

Here is the finished page. I used Neocolor watersoluable crayons to add color and a Sakura white ink pen for the highlights in the eyes.

I glue two pages together and viola, I can draw, paint or watercolor on them. Here I used a Stabilo water pencil and Gesso. I will say that you do have to consider how thin your paper is. This book is over 100 years old so, I have to be very careful with how much I erase and it needs to be dried between wet applications.

As you can see the very fragile pages become very sturdy and workable when you glue two together and then cover the pages you want to draw on with a light coat of gesso.  I have a bunch more of these books, so I will post as I come up with more uses for them.  Thank's for stoping by my blog. I really love feed back and suggestions. Feel free to leave a comment.
Have a creative day!!

#PASC116 Art Journaling ... a challenge... I am there!!

I am totally loving working in my art journal. Are you an art journaler?? It is so popular right now. There have been people who have art journaled before it was even called that. They are wonderful inspirations and examples to us all.
What I personally LOVE about art journaling is that I am not afraid to make mistakes and take chances. If I mess it up no problem. It is only a piece of paper in a book, right??  I definatly try and attempt new techniques and crazy ideas in mine. Some of them do not work out so well, others however find their way into my go to technique mental tool box. :)
I usually art journal just what ever pops into my crazy brain box. Some times I roam the lonely internet looking for an art journal idea fix. :) There are tons of amazing prompts out there. In fact, there are entire pinterest  boards devoted to them. One such prompt group that I recently joined on Face book is called The Pic a Stick Challenge group HERE .  This month's prompts were:

• Create a title in YOUR OWN font
• use gears
• add a verse from a song
• build texture with a palette knife using any medium you choose
• create boarders/elements with scrapbook paper
• use sparkles
• add paint with a palette knife or card
• journal so that no-one can read it
• add a picture
• write on masking tape in a pen or pencil and add it to the page

Use the hashtag : #PASC116  if you make an art journal page or project using the prompts.
I actually made two projects using the prompts.  The first project, I will honest, I really am not sure how I feel about it. I like parts of it and other parts I really dislike.  The second project I used the same prompts, but I used them slightly out of order.

Project one:

Here is the complete two page spread. I am pretty pleased with the iceberg, but the other side, blech.

Here is a close up of the iceberg. I used the prompt about adding texture with a palette knife.

not really happy with this .

Here is the wet crackle paste. I just had such a hard time trying to incorporate scrapbook paper into my journal.

I was so much happier with the iceberg one it dried.

Now for project 2:  I unashamedly totally like this one better. It is so much more me.

I am so much happier. I even used a black backround!! Pretty new for me.

started out with a gesso(ed) page.

Guess who got the set of Dylusions paints for Christmas??

Sorry about the glare. That there is a seriously black page. GULP, I have never worked on such a dark background.

Yuppers, those are in fact the lyrics to There's a light at the Frankenstein place.

Drawing my focal image on scrapbook paper. I had thought about painting over the paper, but it just seemed to take on a life of its own.

Here is where I used the card to apply paint. I love the way the drag made the light glow.

I used the MT tape, my bestie got me when she was living in Japan. I wanted to blend it into the page.

I love these paints. Here up close the base of the lightbulb really looks copper or metallic.

Luminarte Silks Acrylic Glaze  in chestnut brown.

Prima color blooms  Empress gold. Oh yeah look at the sparkle.

Sparkle you say, here lets add more.

Adding the dreaded picture. HMMMM how can I hide this??

tada!! Hidden.

I added a little doodling at this point AAAAAAANNNNNDDDDD done. :)  I am happy that I did the challenge, I really am. I think this will work best for me to follow the integrity of the Challenge each month on one page and then do a second page  right next to it in my own order. Then write about what the challenge made me find out about my self and my creativity.

Another project using the left over paintbrushes

Hello Everyone!!

Here are a few more projects where I used the paintbrushes from the palette kit.

 This one was very simple, but I really like it.

Here is the other project using the pallet and brushes:

My local Joannes store was having an incredible sale on EVERYTHING Tim Holtz., so I thought I would get the vintage pictures and I must say that I really like them.  The metal pieces are from Flying Unicorn. The frame was a plain wooden one.

Here is a closer picture. I used texture paste, paint, inka gold.  I will admit that I am not happy with the pink as it sits right now.  I love the Maya road wooden bingo piece piece peaking out from the bottom. The doily is a piece left over from several projects I have made with it.

I love yard sale jewelry.

I just love flowers. Where do you find the best flowers on the internet?

 I hope you like these two projects. I am think since I have another pallet I may make another one. Maybe steam punk or more in the style of Finabair.

Inspiration

Hello Everyone!!
I have to tell you a secrete... Lean in close, I am totally addicted to Pinterest. :) Do you harbor the same addiction? I love going onto Pinterest for a while and looking around and letting ideas or quotes  fill me with inspiration. Today I love the project I made. 
The pin led me to a 13@rts page HERE.  I started out my Pinterest search  that day with the determination to use some paintbrushes I had received in a "Palette Kit". I used the painters palette in several other projects, but was left with several not fabulous quality brushes. I have several projects I have done with the leftover brushes. I hope you like them.

Here is the project in its entirety. The letters say "create more art".

Here is a close up of the brushes, I dipped them in modeling paste by Shimmerez called Dazzlers. The color is creamcicle. I  also got a close up of the texture I created by letting the gesso I painted on the canvas bubble slightly.

I got this amazing flower in an embellishment swap about a year ago. The hearts are from a Maya Road warehouse box. I recently found this glass filler product on the Flying Unicorn website. LOVE, love, love.

More of the dazzler texture paste.

I got this bird from Flying Unicorn in their metal finding section. I love it so much.

I hope you liked my variation of the project.  I would like to know where/how do you get inspiration.
Have a great day!!

Art journaling

Hello my crafty friends!!
     Today I wanted to talk about art journaling. I found art journaling about 6-9 months ago, and guess what? I LOVE it.
     I have about 5 journals that I am currently working in.  Some days I work in only one. Other days I work in several. While one is drying I work in another.  I do have a few that are (loosely) for particular purposes. One such beauty is my "release and relax" journal. I use this journal to get what ever is bothering me out and onto to the paper. It allows me to say awful or wonderful things without anyone ever knowing or finding out.
      I have always kept a journal, well not an everyday journal more like a in spurts journal. I have always felt so much better when I am able to "say" those things you should never say out loud. 
     One day about 7 years ago now, my husbands sister passed away very unexpectedly. She was a journal keeper and everyone wanted to read them. They wanted to "hear" her sweet give you the shirt off her back gentle and loving spirit forever immortalized in words on paper. That is NOT what was found. All her journals were negativity journals. Friends, family, ect. were devastated and hurt.
     For the longest time I would not dare write in journal, what if they found some of the terrible things I written in order to get things out of my head and heart?  I could not keep away from the needed release of getting things off of my chest. I would write and then trow them away or burn them.
      Then one day I found art journaling. I knew exactly what to do with the journals that I had hidden deep in the closet. I could put gesso, tissue paper, paint, collage, and any other number of things. I could then make a wonderful piece of art for my loved one to see. Never knowing that underneath lay all the raw unfiltered feelings. What a relief. 
     Not all my journals have a purpose, some pages are just to play with a new product I get. One of the best things about art journaling is, if I hate the page in end I can choose to keep it and learn to embrace imperfection or I can gesso over it and have another go at it.

I got a few of the small 6 jar sets of  Luminier Silks paints for Christmas. I love them so much. I can not believe how much shimmer they have. They are very creamy and fun to work with. The butterflies are a Keiser Craft sticker set that I got in a Flying Unicorn kit.  The black circles were made with a cap from my allergy medicine. :)

Some times when my brain is chaotic being able to make order on the journal page makes me feel so much better.

Here is a page from my release and relax journal. Under neath the art on this page is a written journal page.  I plan on posting more journal pages in the future. I hope that you find a wonderfully freeing way to get your clutter out of your heart and head.  Have a wonderful day!!

       

Mixed media fun

Hi Everyone!!

Here is another mixed media project. I tried to take pictures while I was working on it. I hope you try this project or one similar.

Here is the project when it was finished. The words in the center say " see the beauty in every day things

I used a 8x10 canvas. I actually recycled one that I had glued some music note paper to.  It was rather hideous and I was so happy when inspiration hit.  I honestly hated the original piece so much I did not take a pic of it. :)
I then painted a layer of crackle medium onto the canvas. You can use Elmers clear/gel glue if you do not have crackle medium. there is even a tutorial HERE if you would like to know how.
I then painted the canvas with Apple barrel brand paint in the color Cloudless. I added black India Ink splatters. I let it all dry while I dipped the paint brush tips into paint and set them aside to dry. I also gathered materials from all my stash piles. Metal pieces, scraps of crochet doilies, chipboard pieces, and Flowers. The words are from past Maya Road ware house boxes!!

I got some artist pallets for another project and they came with a full set of (ehhh) paint brushes. Not wanting to throw them away I decided to recycle them and use them on this project.

Before I added gesso. I hate wasting anything so, I used the bottoms of the paint brushes that I cut to fit in the bottom corner.

Still needs to be lighter

Needs a bit more gesso

hmmm, now it seems to fade into the back round too much.

I recently got some 13 arts glass beads, I totally love them. I use them every chance I get.

I love the way the piece of doily peeks out from beneath the chipboard daydream word. If you look really closely you can see the mess that hides underneath.

Here is another close up of the grouping of items covered in gesso and sprayed with white sprays. I thought about going all out and using all my Lindy's and Prima sprays, but I really liked the simplicity of this piece. In the final piece way back up there at the top of the post, I solved the problem of the  groupings fading into the backround by adding a "Halo" or "brightning" effect with some white gesso.

I really hope you enjoyed this piece . Let me know what you think or if you would like to see a more detailed tutorial or even a video.
Have a wonderfully crafty day!!
Haley