2017 Handmade Calendar Swap

At the Collage Stuff Yahoo Group, I'm hosting a handmade calendar swap.  The pages are 4" x 6" and 13 pages must be handmade.  The backgrounds are made with acrylic paints and stencils.  I used Dylusions stamps, a Unity stamp, and a Dina Media stamp.  The images are colored with glaze pens, colored pencils and souffle pens.  Usually I made all of my 13 pages the same, but this time it's looking like they will all be different!  Thanks for stopping by to see some of my calendar pages.

Exhausted Art Journal Spread

 Here's another spread in my own art journal.  I love the Dylusions quote stamps.  All of the stamped images are Dylusions.  I have used a variety of different stencils, washi tapes, gels pens, flexible modeling paste and vintage text in this spread.  Thanks for coming by my blog!

Flower Power art journal page

For this spread, almost everything is Dylusions - the flower, skull  and alphabet stamps, leaf stencil, and ink spray.  If you use the Dylusions spray inks over a gesso'd surface, they are muted, very muted.  The gesso sort of acts like a resist to the ink spray.  I used a Dina Wakely stencil in the background.  The dots and rings are made with an Ellen Hutson stamp set. I used Posca pens, glitter Sharpies and Stamper's Big Brush pens to color in the stamped images. Some of the flowers and skulls are popped up using Ranger foam adhesive. I had fun making this!  Thanks for coming by my blog!

Faces art journal page

I bought a couple of magazines yesterday at the grocery and when I got home, I started cutting out images.  I bought fashion magazines, but I need to pick up some other kinds.  I recently took the Dyan Reavely and Dina Wakely Back to Back class.  Dyan used magazine images in the class.  I assembled the images that I wanted to use first.  The face on the "awaken page" was really too big for this size journal.  I could have scanned it in and printed it smaller, but I wanted to just use the original magazine images. For the background I used a Stencil Girl Stencil first.  I stamped 2 whole sheets of deli paper with a Dyan Reavely alphabet stamp and heat embossed them with black embossing powder. The deli paper is sort of transparent and allowed the stenciling to show through a little.  After applying the deli paper to the pages, I started gluing down the images.  I used Posca fine point paint pens to add details. The butterflies on both pages did not come from the magazines.  Thanks for coming by my blog!

A Halloween Card

Here is a Halloween card that I made this afternoon.  I used a Dylusions stamp and two Tim Holtz stamps.  The images are colored with various markers.  I added a little bling to each of the spiders.  Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

Monster Art Journal Page

Another journal spread.  This is the third incarnation of these two pages.  The first two thing I tried did NOT work!  That's what gesso is for...  If I don't like it, I gesso over it!  A new blank canvas!  I had applied modeling paste through a stencil with circles, so those were still there after the gesso.  I colored the background with Dylusions spray inks. When you spray them on gesso, they are less vibrant.  I used a Dylusions stencil for the harlequin effect.  I dabbed a couple of stamps around for more texture.  On top of some of the modeling paste circles, I applied circles punched out of a gelli print or two.  The stamped images are all Dylusions stamps.  I colored them with various markers.  I applied yellow paint to some grid fabric and used that as a halo of sorts for the 3 scary/creepy guys.  The little spiders are sequins.  I had a lot of fun making this spread.  Sometimes, I feel like there is a monster inside me waiting to get out - when I am angry or upset.  Thanks for stopping by!

Strong Women Art Journal Spread

Another journal page!  On the left side of the page - the tag - I swiped some gesso on it and it let dry.  Then I added watercolors.  I stamped the Dylusions image, the Dina Wakely words and used another stamp to add some texture.  I made the background using a vintage book page and swiped different acrylic paints across it.  I used a Crafter's Workshop template and modeling paste.  I didn't like it, so I white washed it with gesso.  I painted the area under the grid fabric black and splattered some black paint.  I added the grid fabric and the tag.  The right side had the same background and I "fixed" it the same way.  I stamped the Dina stamps on cardstock, cut them out and applied watercolors in the background.  Thanks for stopping by!

My Art Journal

Here are two more spreads in my art journal.  I have always loved the quirky Dylusions stamps.  I colored in the images with my Spica Glitter Pens so everything is sparkly!  Thanks for stopping by!

My Art Journal

Here are two spreads in my art journal.  I'll be sending it off to Lin once I'm sure it's dry.  I have always loved the quirky Dylusions images and sayings.  I'm also in love with the Dina Wakely Scribbly Bird stamps.  I used several stencils on each spread.  On the birds pages, I tried out some Wendy Vecchi gold embossing paste.  I thought it might be shinier, but I like it.  Thanks for stopping by!

Lin's Art Journal

My friend, Lin (click here for Lin's Etsy store) and I are participating in a little art journal round robin - just the two of us.  Here are the first two pages that I've finished in Lin's journal.

The top spread, the birds, was a lesson in how there are no mistakes in art, only opportunities.  I had a perfectly fine background created and messed it up adding more stuff.  I can save just about anything!  I ended up painting over the top of it and trying it again.  I used Dylusions spray inks and rubber stamps.  I used 2 of The Carfter's Workshop templates.  I added texture with modeling paste.  I love the Dina Wakeley "Scribbly Birds" stamps.  I colored the birds and houses with the new Dina Wakely heavy body acrylic paints.  In both spreads, I used a page or part of a page from a vintage children's spelling textbook. 

The second spread uses mostly Victorian scraps available at Collage Stuff.  I love the timeless beauty of these images.  I used lace, a doily, buttons, two items from the Tim Holtz Thrift Shop ephemera pack, Petaloo flowers and lots of butterflies!  I fins some sort of stencil to be a must and used one of The Crafter's Workshop templates - available at Collage Stuff.  For this spread, I also used a paper that I created with my gelli plate.  I toned it down a little with white gesso.

I encourage everyone to art journal.  It's art that you create for yourself.  I love the feeling of artistic freedom that I get from just playing and trying different things.

Thanks for stopping by!