The Capricious Crafter

Please visit my new blog, The Capricious Crafter!   I took a sabbatical from blogging and gave much thought to how I wanted my new blog to look and feel.  I am very happy with the results!  I would love for you to visit me there!

Fireflies and Rusty Stars

Shhhhhhhhh ..... don't be afraid ..... but yes, I am finally doing a long overdue blog post!!! The last few months have been kind of odd for me creatively, as I really haven't been able to stick to anything for long and have been going from mixed media on canvas to scrapbooking to crocheting to art journaling and back to something else.

But yesterday I was really in the mood to do something different, so I got out my Dyan Reaveley 'Dylusions' Art Journal, and got started.  First, I put a long strip of masking tape along the center (helps strengthen the binding and keeps paint or inks from going down between pages) and added a good coat of gesso over the whole thing.  While that was drying I started thinking about what I wanted to do ... and I was a total blank, but the bottle of olive green was calling my name, so I got that out and set it in front of me so I wouldn't forget.  Once the gesso was dried I squirted the paint onto my journal pages and, using my brayer, rolled it all over the two pages ... vertically and then horizontally. As I rolled side to side, I thought the pattern made by the brayer looked like old barn boards, and then came the idea to paint a part of a barn wall, and from there, flowed more ideas until I got this ...

Once the olive paint was dried, I brushed on some brown paint to bring out the look of 'boards', and even make a knot in the wood.  Then I used a mixture of paints (who KNOWS what all colors!  But they were all Anita's All Purpose Craft Paints.) to make a grey, and after pencil drawing the shelf, painted it on.  Next I used oil pastels to add shading and definition.  Next up I did a pencil drawing of an aqua canning jar, and painted it using a blend of turquoise, metallic white and some other colors of paints to get the nice light aqua color.  I did a couple of coats of the aqua, and while it dried, added the rusty nail on the left page.

The nail was pencil drawn and colored using the oil pastels.  Have I told you I am in LOVE with oil pastels???  Seriously!!!  Anyway, by then the jar was dry so I added a lid, using metallic silver paint and grey and black pastels.  Then I penciled in some fireflies and painted them up using bright yellow, metallic white and black paint.

 

The 'object' to the left of the jar is supposed to be an old birds nest, and was colored using the pastels.  Did I say I love pastels???

Next up was something to hang from the nail, and last night when I went to bed I had NO idea what that would be, but this morning when I looked at it, I thought ... 'rusty stars!' ... and knew that was what I would add.  I did a pencil drawing, then painted them with gesso to get a clean slate on which to paint them.  Then I used the rich brown paint for the base, and colored and shaded them using pastels.  The wire was drawn on using a black marker.

 

I also added an old 'dirt dauber' nest in the upper right hand corner ... you can't have an old building without a dirt dauber nest!  And I used the same techniques for that as I did for the rusty stars, using gesso, paint and oil pastels.

I have to tell you, this is one of my favorite projects EVER, and I am so proud of it because it truly represents a special part of my childhood memories.  I also hope that you have enjoyed your visit today.

Blessings,  Becky

Amazing Giveaway ... Postcards from Paris II by Websters Pages!

My, oh my!  Check out this amazing new collection from Websters Pages!  And they are having a giveaway, so run, don't walk, over to their blog and sign up!

Art Journaling Fun!

Today I had some fun playing with paints and 'stuff' and made an art journal page using one of my recent favorite prints using the Gelli Plate.  I just kind of let myself go and not worry about it being 'perfect', and I love how it came out!  Here goes .................

 

There's a real glare ... that could have something to do with all the gold metalic paint I used, but you get the idea!  At the very top I wrote 'Art lets me be ...' and then below it I wrote 'free to be me' in larger script, then I didn't like the black marker that I used so I added assorted colors of artists pastels to outline the letters.  At that pointed I added an orange glaze to the whole thing and I love how it turned out!  After the glaze dried, of course it needed some bling so I added some platinum Stickles to the outlined words as well.

  

I dripped black paint on the Gelli Plate in the printing process, and I love how that turned out, as well as the layers that came through from earlier layers.  To 'embellish' the page I added some washi tape, but it still needed more.  That's when I pulled out a few things that I had been using as stencils in the Gelli printing process.  One was a paper doily that had so many layers of paint on it that it was stiff and heavy.  The top coat of paint was a 'topaz' metallic, and I loved it so much I cut out three circles from the doily, glued them on and added a gem to the center.  Then I kind of shaped them to show the dimension.

I love how these turned out!  The other product I had been using as a stencil for gelli printing was a strip of drywall tape.  It is full of holes (see above) and is self adhesive to help it hold a shape on joints and corners.  It had some great colors, so I used bits and pieces and layered them to get that feel of texture.

The glue and sealer was still wet on the picture above, but I love how it turned out once dry.  That tape really adds lots of texture!  I love how this piece turned out ... not because it is a perfect example of an art journal page, but because of how much fun I had just letting go and let the creative process make it's own way to a finished product.  I know that through doing this, my techniques and such will get better, and I am happy with where I am for right now. 

I hope you have enjoyed your visit today!  I am sharing this on Carolyn Dube's June Colorful Gelli Print Party, so be sure you go visit her too!  Blessings,

Becky

Another New Thing ...

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately, but I haven't had time for much 'playing' of late.  But today, instead of spending the day with my crafty friends at my local scrapbook store, I stayed at home and attempted something I have been putting off for a while.  (Oh, and no one was going to be there today anyway, so why not stay home and play in my pj's, right?)

One of the girls at the store, Karen, is the cutest, most bubbly and sweet young women I've known in a while.  She is a very busy mom of three little girls who are into all kinds of things like skating and gymnastics.  When she can, Karen finds her creative escape in art journaling.  She uses hard cover books and turns them into her journals, and she is really, really good at it, too!  And I have been envious of her talent for a while, but the whole 'using an old hard cover book' thing has had me stumped for a while, so I never 'went there'.

Then, a while back my Mama gave me an old (1972, so not THAT old) Singer book on sewing.  It is large, and heavy, and my first thought was ... what a cool book for an art journal!  Then I sat on it for a while because I didn't know what to do with it!  And finally I asked Karen how she started her books, whether she glued all the pages together, or what, and she sent me to a video and it helped a lot.  (I can't find the link to the video OR the lady's name ... as soon as I can get it from her AGAIN, I will put it in here.

Anyway, that was weeks ago, and I actually gesso'd (gessoed?) and painted the outside of the book, and the first couple of pages in the book a while back, but never did a page ... until today.  It's not great.  It's not even good.  I found out I need to get a better quality of black ink pad because the one I used ran really bad when I went over it with Mod Podge!  And I wish I had left the clock off of it, but it is what it is .....

I would really love it if the ink on the bird stamp hadn't run and if I had left off the clock and frame!

I used Anita's acrylic paint, an old bottle of shiny 'puffy' paint for the white line, washi tape for the pennant flag, a couple of old stamps, and coated it all with Mod Podge.

I love that washi tape!  I outlined the 'pennants' with a black Micron .05 marker.

The quote says "Change in this life is inevitable.  How you roll with it is up to you!" 

Thanks for visiting today!  Blessings,

Soar ... Art Journal Page

Happy Friday!  I am back with the last art journal page that I did while we were camping last weekend.  The background is a gelli plate print that I made a while back, and loved so much that I knew the print had to be the focus of the page.  It is full of red and turquoise and silver and gold metallics, with the turquoise showing a lacy pattern achieved using a paper doily.  Since I knew that I wanted the background the main focus, I simply added a bird cut from some Christy Tomlinson paper that coordinated perfectly with the colors.  Check it out ...

This photo doesn't do the project justice because of the great color in the gelli print.  The paler sections are actually where the metallic paints are and give it an amazing sheen. 

I traced the bird from an old piece of chipboard ... I actually think it is from Scenic Route, who has been out of business for ages, if that tells you anything.  The colors in the Christy Tomlinson paper picks up so many of the colors in the gelli print, even tiny bits like the yellow at the end of the top 'tail' of the bird and the turquoise paint.

The quote is very simple "Fly, Soar, Reach for the stars ... Find Joy in the Journey!"

I know I say this about a lot of my art journal pages, but this really is one of my favorites, mainly because of how much I love the print I got by using the Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate.  Have a wonderful weekend, and Blessings,

Products and Tools:

• Paints - Anita's All Purpose Acrylic Craft Paints
• Pen - Prismacolor
• Mod Podge Glossy
• Paper - Pink Paislee She Art by Christy Tomlinson
• Card Stock - Georgia Pacific 110# white
• Ranger Inkssentials Brayer
• Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate

Never Stop ... Art Journal Page

Welcome back!  Today's project is another art journal page that I created while on our recent camping trip.  It's kind of different for me, but I loved how it turned out in the end.  And the words have great meaning to me.  Check it out ...

Isn't this gelli plate print so great?  I love all the elements, from the alphabet stencil to the punchinella and the peeling paint on the side that was caused by letting the paint on the gelli plate get too dry.  I've got to do that more ... it really gives a lovely aged look to prints!

This starburst was made with a Christy Tomlinson stencil/mask that is really a doily shape, but I only used the center elements to get the 'sunshine' look.

And I used modeling paste tinted with paint and the Christy Tomlinson stencil/mask again to get this pretty doily element.

The text leaves were cut from Christy Tomlinson 'coffee filter' papers, and the yellow flowers were all hand painted.  I love how the yellow pops from the page!

"Never stop ... learning, dreaming, giving, living, singing, trying, creating ... Living!"  Enough said!

So, what do you think?  I am getting better about adding different elements and techniques, and hopefully it is showing.  The thing I am working on now is painting 'girls' and I've got the head and neck shape pretty well, but the hair ... not so much!  But I'm practicing on plain paper and will eventually get to where it's acceptable, if not perfect.  Sometimes, perfection is highly overrated!

Thanks for visiting, and come back soon for more art!  Blessings!

. . . and there was Peace! Art Journal Page

Last week we were camping at a lovely state park in southwestern Georgia on Lake Seminole.  The weather was great and there was plenty of time for art journaling!  The night I made this page was just beautiful, with a pretty sunset, birds settling down for the night, and a peaceful feeling all around.  And since art journaling is all about showing what is on your mind and in your heart, that is what I shared on the page you see here ...

The background is a gelli print that I made on a magazine page.  If you look closely you can see pictures and text bleeding through the paint.  I edged the tree, which was created using a Cricut cut as a mask, with my black Prismacolor pen.  The brown text is from an old French text stamp that I've had forever and can't remember who it is by!  The quote reads 'frogs croaked, birds sang, fish jumped, the sun set ..... and there was peace'.  And that was how I felt right then ... peaceful!

 

The blue tinted modeling paste 'snowflakes' were achieved using a paper doily as a stencil.  The toadstool shape came from a stencil, but I hand painted the elements then outlined it with the Prismacolor pen.

I used more of the tinted modeling paste with a bit of punchinella (the 'holey' strip that is left over when sequins are punched out) and I love how it looks like wisteria or lilacs or something pretty!

Don't you love how this turned out?  I love how it feels when I complete a project and know that it is pretty and exhibits how I am feeling at that time.  Have you tried art journaling yet?  Go on ... I dare you!  It's amazing how much fun it is!

She Found Her Wings ... Art Journal Page

Hello there!  I know I've not posted in a while, but my  hubby and I took my 82 year old Mama on a camping/fishing trip last week, and all the prep and packing just took all my time.  And while I had planned to schedule this post ahead of time, it just did not happen, so here it is!

I made this page on a Saturday morning when I woke up very early and couldn't sleep.  I rarely do that any more, but this time I was happy to get up and play because it was such an inspired and fruitful morning!  I actually had the inspiration for the verse and made a tag, but once it was finished I knew I had to make a tag inspired art journal page!  And here it is ...

Isn't it lovely!!!  The base is a mono print made using my Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate ... of course!  But I did some stenciling with paint onto the top the print using some punchinella, 'holey' drywall tape, cement board tape, and a paper doily.


All of the papers for the elements you see here were also made using gelli plate prints.  The hummingbird body and wings were from a print made onto a magazine page.  I simply freehand cut the body, then kind of sketched out the wings before cutting them.  The leaves and flowers are also cut from different gelli prints.

I painted the wings with a bit of Mod Pdge, then added some very fine gold glitter for a bit of shine, then I did the same with the red flowers, but added red glitter to the blooms.  The 'beak' is a sliver of black card stock, and the 'eye' was made using the wooden tip of a paint brush handle dipped into purple paint, letting it dry and then dipping the tip of a very small paintbrush handle into titanium gold paint and touching it to the center of the purple spot.

The quote is in honor of a sweet friend who is going through some struggles, but is beginning to find her wings, and I know ... KNOW ... she is finding her wings and soon will be flying on her own and showing her strength and courage with grace and dignity!

Products used are paints by Anita's All Purpose Craft Paints, Mod Podge, Prismacolor pen, and my favorite toy, the Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate!

I hope you've enjoyed this project, and hope you will come back soon as I have a few projects that I made while on our camping trip last week to share with you .  See you soon, and Blessings,

Becky

Technicolor World ... Art Journal Page

One night last week I was looking at video tutorials about using the Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate and someone had used old magazine pages for making prints.  And of course I had to try it!

So last Thursday when I was at my LSS I gave it a whirl, and oh, how I loved the end result!  Even though the acrylic paints are deep colors, somehow, when you put them on the gelli plate and pull prints, they are almost clear in that you can see objects from the paper below.  And it is very cool!  The page that I used as the base for this art journal page has probably three prints, but still you can see elements from the page.  Here, take a look for yourself ...

The quote is 'She wanted to LIVE in a technicolor world!', which I believe was fitting!  The house is kind of plain, but with the roof and windows reflecting the colors of the surrounding sky.  Do you see the text, and the bench and bowl that are part of the magazine page?  I'll show you that in closer detail later on, but first, let's talk about some of the elements and details on the page ...

As the background is a gelli plate print made on a thin magazine page, I first adhered it to 110# card stock using Mod Podge.  The white edge of the paper stood out so brightly that I took coordinating colors of paint and thinned them with water to make a wash, and alternated the colors in a 'frame' around the edges of the page.  I love how you can still see the 4 stars and 'fresh picks' on the printed magazine page.

 

The house is just a piece of ecru card stock that I cut freehand, then inked with a piece of 'holey' dry wall tape to get the dots.  The roof and windows are actually (and this is so cool!) cut from the back page of the magazine where I had been cleaning off my brayer!  It had a real 'raibow' effect that came through well.  I used scraps of card stock for the awnings over the window and the door, and a tiny piece of purple cut from an ad in the magazine for the purple chimney.  The tree is a leaf stamp that I made by cutting the design with my Cricut and then tracing around it onto some fun foam and cutting it out.  I did extend the 'stem' to add more of a trunk for the tree.  The paper for the tree is cut from another gelli plate print.

For the 'LIVE' words I created a stamp using fun foam for the word, but didn't like the print I got with paint, so I added the glitter and outlined the words and liked it more.  Do you see all of the circles in the background?  For one of the prints I used a stencil that I made using my Cricut by just cutting rows of circles and ovals.  Because it looked kind of like a lot of moons, I highlighted the larger circles under the quote by using gold metallic, white metallic and other colors of paint to give them a luminous look that ... sadly ... doesn't show in this photo!

I promised I would show you elements from the magazine page and if you look closely here you can see text, and then up in the top right hand corner you can see the leg of a bench that goes straight across the top of the photo.  I tried to use the colors from the bench cover in the page.

It is always amazing to me how you never know how a gelli print is going to come out!  You may plan it one way, picture it in your mind, but I guarantee it will come out looking just the way it wants to!  I hope you have enjoyed your visit today, and will come back soon!  Blessings,

Catch Up Saturday ... a few more pages!

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days, but when I had time to spare I was spending it making art journal pages!  And of course I spent my Thursday at my 'LSS' or Local (Independent) Scrapbooking Store playing with an amazing group of girls!  But that's another story for another day.  Today I just want to share some of my latest art journal pages.  All were made using a background created with my Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate, acrylic paints, scrapbook papers, etc.  Here we go ...

Bloom Where You Are Planted with 3D flowers ...

Sing It Like You Mean It ... inspired by a wren on my back deck, telling all the world how happy it was!  I am proud of the fence!  I actually made the 'stamp' using fun foam, and stamped it with white paint onto kraft card stock, then outlined and detailed with a brown sharpie.  Here are the stamps ...

They were very easy to make!

I was actually working on this piece on Monday when I heard about the bombings in Boston.  How surreal to be working on such a piece right when that happened.  Folks, we all CAN be a source of light in a dark world ... go for it and see what happens!

 

remember .....  The quote (written around the sides) says "Remember those who have served and fought and gave their all in the name of freedom ..... and remember ..... Freedom is NEVER free!  Just remember the cost!"

I actually started out just wanting to do a poppy, and I remembered that poppies stand for remembrance, and I took it from there!

So there are a few of my latest pieces ... I have a couple more I will do in separate posts.  Thanks for visiting, and don't forget, if you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear them!  Blessings,

Sleeping Under The Stars .... Art Journal Page

Hello!  Back again with another art journal page that I made using my Gelli Arts - Gel Printing Plate for the background.  This background is special, because I experimented a bit and LOVED how it came out!  Before I put the paper on the plate, after rolling on the last coat of paint, I used a water mister with a very fine mist and sprayed just a couple of mists of water onto the gelli plate from about 18 inches above.  What I got was a beautiful sky full of  'stars' that was perfect for this page.

Another reason this page is special is because of a cute gift a sweet friend, Karen, gave me for my upcoming birthday.  Karen works on Thursday mornings at Altered Angel, the local scrapbooking store that I spend most of my Thursdays at playing with my friends.  And  last week she gave me a sweet little gift that, while it wasn't a very expensive gift, the thought she put behind it was the real gift!  It was a little bag of car air fresheners (with a lovely lemon scent) that were in the shape and design of a vintage camper.  She knows I love campers, especially vintage ones, and that is why the gift was so special!

Anyway, as soon as I opened the package I just KNEW that I had to make an art journal page inspired by the cute camper air fresheners.  Here is the art journal page I made ...

 

Isn't it the cutest thing???  I really just traced the air freshener onto white card stock and then 'built' the details on top of that.  The papers are all My Minds Eye, except the card stock which is Georgia Pacific for the base, and Bazzill Basics, the yellow and orange of the door.

 

Can you see the 'stars'?  They look much better up close, but you can see how cool the effect is!  I really love the bits of color you get from 'past prints' such as the gold metallic and touches of red.  Using the gelli plate is just plain addictive!

I used a few of the new Christy Tomlinson rub-ons ... the diamond pattern across the center of the camper, the little loopy flowers just along the bottom of the door, and the half circle in the center of the tire.  The outlining was all done with a Prisma Color marker, and the hand written journaling was done with a Micron pen.  The quote says ...

"Whoever said that sleeping under the stars meant you can't do it in a cozy, warm, dry camper?"

My sentiments exactly!

So, tell me what you think!  Do you like this page, hate it, think my outlining and handwriting skills are really bad ... and yes, I am aware of that ... or even have a question ... please let me know!

Have a great one!  Blessings,

Be Joyful .... and Bliss!

Wow, I'm running behind on sharing my art journal pages with you!  Or maybe I'm just running to fast at getting them made!  Whatever it may be, I have two art journal pages to share with you today.  The first one is ...... Bliss ......

 

As usual, the back ground was made using my Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate.  The diamond pattern was created using one of those metal grill 'plates' that you put on your grill when cooking small things like veggies or shrimp.  It works great with the Gelli Plate!  The starburst sun is made using Liquitex Modeling Paste and a stencil that my friend Kathleen loaned me last week when we were playing together at our local LSS.

The patterned papers are all from My Minds Eye, and the 'cabochon' flowers were purchased ages ago from Pick Your Plum.  All paints are Anita's All Purpose Acrylic Craft Paints.

A list of things that make for a blissful day!

And now on to ... Be Joyful ...

 

Sorry for the bad picture, but the sun wasn't cooperating!  The patterned papers are all from Jillibean Soup, and paints are Anita's, as usual.

This scripture is one of my favorite ... it helped me through a rough time about 9 years ago, and I believe that we need to give thanks even for the bad times!

And this is my motto!  Be Joyful!  If you are waiting to 'feel joyful' you'll never get it!  You have to make it an attitude!

This little garland on the top left corner is made of Liquitex Modeling Paste and some paper lace t hat I've had forever.  I painted the flowers and leaves with acrylic paint.  Sorry about the white gunky stuff, but the Mod Podge was still wet when I made the picture.

So there are two of my latest art journal pages.  I hope you like them and will come back again soon to see another project!  Blessings,