#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.

Expressions of the heart.

Happy Thursday Everyone!!  I am so happy that Friday is right around the corner. I love getting to spend time with my family on the weekends, but this weekend is when Flying Unicorn will be revealing this months kits. *SQUEEEEE*  I have already ordered mine during the sneak peak pre-orders and I am (very un-) patiently waiting for it to arrive in the mail. :)  In the mean time I have been on an art journaling kick lately. I wanted to share a page that I created recently. 
    I came across a quote by Georgia O'Keefe recently that has really spoken to my heart.  "I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way".  Have you ever felt that way?

Challenging myself to use my sticker hoard, my gem hoard, my doily hoard, awesome paper clip hoard, and lace hoard. Oh my I am beginning to see a hoarding issue. LOL

Here is an over view of the entire page.  I am really loving this mica flakes that came in my February kit. I really love how soft and pretty my Lindy's sprays turned out. 

I really love the way this butterfly tucks so perfectly into the fold of the book pages. I am NOT good at rub ons. I love watching people use them on their projects. However, when I try oh my goodness you should see the fail. This time they came out amazing. Maybe I it was because I slowed down and took my time and really relaxed while making this page.

Here is a close up of the mica flakes, I love this heart vines lace, I found it at a local flea market here. How awesome do the Lindy's sprays look? I find that I am happier with the results of using them when I use a paint brush the move them around the page. I am really thinking this page may have been a page about craft supply hoarding. :)

I love this tulle flower that I received in a swap. 

I usually LOVE the stickers I buy when I am in the store buying them. I get them home and put them in their nice organized drawer and then, wham I never use them. Well, no more I say.  I have come the conclusion that if I don't use them I can buy more. 

This was the first time I have ever tried to stamp with liquid India ink. I think the harlequin stamp came out awesome. Esp for not using an ink pad. I am really loving using found objects such as caps.

I am so happy and grateful that I have begun expressing myself in my art journal. There really are things that are best not seen by others. This way I can get my feeling (good or bad) out and onto the paper. 
I hope you all have a wonderful day!!
Haley

ATC fun

I  wanted to try my hand at ATC(s), so when a challenge came up for a shabby chic ATC swap I just knew what I wanted to do.

I love how these came out.
Happy crafting
Haley

Stick Pin

I am involved in a stick pin exchange. The theme was pearls and the colors were vintage. We had to make 4 sets of two. I wanted to send them in a cute box, so here is what I made.

Here is set number one --->

I just love the little spool of thread charm.

<-----  Here we have set number two.
I love the marbled beads. I also thought that the hanging pearls were really neat.

----->  Here is number three

I like the tiny pearls on this one and the flower makes it pretty playful.

<------- Here is set number four.

Nothing but pearls on this set. :)











Here are pics of the matchbook holder I made to house the sets of pins.

Here the matchbox 

Here it is with the belly band













I wanted to jazz up my belly band, so I glittered a butterfly chipboard piece.

Here a side view of the stick pins in the holder.













I hope you make some stick pins.

Happy crafting
Haley

Up, Up and away.

I totally love Hot air balloons right now. I looked up some projects about hot air balloons and found THIS   Super cool right??  Then I saw THIS  I really liked the idea of hot air balloon being on the chipboard. My husband is really tall and our ceilings are, well, not. SO hanging anything from the ceiling is a no go.

Here is my completed project, Tutorial to follow.

I recently got some awesome October Afternoon
paper. When I saw this cloud paper I thought I
would never find a use for it. I think it works perfectly with the hot air balloon.










Here is a picture of the template my hubby made me on the computer, printed on a 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper.

the "bulb" is 10 inches. The length is 8 inches.












I traced this pattern onto all of my patterned paper. I made a chipboard template. Now I will have one for a long time.

I traced and cut 8 of them.

Next, I folded them in 1/2 length wise. I then glued them back to folded back.

Here are several photo's of them after they have been glued waiting to dry.

 Here I used my crop a dile to add a small hole for threading seambinding.

Here are all the sections glued together.

Now I took a 12x12 sheet of chipboard and paint it or cover it with paper. I chose to cover it with black cardstock.

 next I covered it with this October Afternoon sky paper.

 

 Next, I glued the spine to the paper. If you don't glue the spine down it will flop around.

 Here it is after I glued it down. I also glued the two most end pieces to the back-round.

 Proud of my stitching on this.

 Here it is with me attempting to get tall enough to stand over it and take pics.

I placed a strip of pearls for the body of the butterfly. I had never sewn thru chipboard before. My VERY elderly sewing machine required some assistance, but I really like the way it turned out.

 Here is a close up of the distressing. I punched out a cloud and tucked it in. I really went to town on the edges.

 I love this seam binding. I get it from Cheep trims. It come in 100 yard spools for about 10 bucks. I have white and black. I dye the white one all the time.

A few years ago I was given these "learn Chinese cards" and I have been slowly using them in my projects. I just love them. The bling in the bottom corner came from ETSY. 

 Here are some flowers from my stash pile.

Here is a close up of the trim I used and the lace.
I really hope you enjoyed this and make one for yourself. If you do leave a link down below in the comments.
Happy crafting!!
Haley