No People Allowed

Yikes! Is it really the beginning of November, this year has gone so quick.

This month the challenge at Show Us Your Stuff is all about creating a layout, art journal page but you cannot use people in your creation.

Instead of people trying using something else, a pet, some food, a scenic photograph.

This month I created an art journal page. It may not have people in it but I did use my emotions to help me create it. One morning I was getting my two munchkins ready for and usually they are pretty good but this one morning they were hitting all the right buttons. Once I dropped them off at school I came home and created. The colours I chose were the same colour as my mood but while creating it the background it helped sooth me.

My hand made items - wood veneer lighting bolt from Rainbow Splendour which I have them gold embossed, and my hand cut and written quote.

Please don't forget to pop on past the blog to see what the other members of the design team have created.

items used: rainbow splendour - lighting bolt, ranger ink - gold & silver embossing powder,  mixed media paper, ranger ink - fude ball 1.5 pigment ink pen, dylusions paint - black marble, dylusions - white lines ink spray, dusty attic paint - denim

Happy Creating

Art By Leanne Jago

Oh my this month is flying way too quick, the second week of 4th term has just finished and it is the middle of October already. This also means that is time for mid month reveal over at Show Us Your Stuff. The inspiration this month is a mood board, now this mood board is something special as it is made up of Art created by Art by Leanne Jago.

 

 

Pretty special isn't it. What inspires you to create? Would love to see you creation.

 

I created a canvas, now I don't think that my work actually does this mood board any justice but maybe it is a work in progress, who knows.

products used: wooded artist board, gesso, derivan matisse structure - paynes grey, golden fluid acrylic cerulean deep blue &teal, glossy accents, the crafters workshop stencil - layered butterflies & sketch grid

Leanne's art is not only the inspiration this month it is also the prize. You could win the two gorgeous pieces below. I know I wish I could enter.

 

I thought I would also share with you a piece of art that I brought from Leanne a few months back.

Happy Creating

The Universe Works In Mysterious Ways

In July I shared with you all about breaking a blank page art journal videos from Marta Lapkowska (blog, facebook, Instagram) well I have finally completed another one of my art journal pages. In total I have completed 6 but have only share 2 including this one. Will share the other 4 with you on another day.

To start this page I punched the different size circles from a magazine, I just loved the colours in the stones and they reminded me of planets. I stuck them down and that was where it ended until the other day.

I broke one of my own rules while creating, I put the lid back on the bottle but I didn't do it up. I even thought to myself as I was putting it down I really should do it up but I knew I wanted to keep using it. Well I paid the penalty I knocked over the bottle the next time I went to use it.

This photo was taken just before I started to wipe everything down it was a real mess and to top it off I was cross with myself as I just knew it was going to happen. If I don't follow my own rules I knock things over, last time I didn't follow the rules it was a bottle of indigo ink across my desk, the time before that was bottle of Ranger Patina, the time before that was a bottle of paint. Okay, yes I am clumsy when I don't follow my own rules.

 

So before I wiped everything down and got my desk nice and clean again I mopped up the spray with two art journal pages and 4 atcs cannot waste the medium. One of those art journal pages was the one I created from the break the page videos.

 

Once I had mopped up the gold spray I had no idea what I was planning on doing with the art journal page but it still reminded me of planets. So I went with that theme and found some chipboard stars that I heat embossed with my new favourite colour of embossing powder Liquid Platinum.

Its pretty ironic that while printing out the quote I had to embrace the journey that the universe was taking me on because the quote I was trying to print in brown but no matter what I did it kept coming out purple. I enlarge the print, I made it smaller and I even checked my ink, which didn't need replacing. I have no idea why but that's where the universe took me.

products used: clear gesso, white gesso, water colour paper, prima color bloom - antique gold, chrome, tangerine and deep teal, ranger embossing powder - liquid platinum, circle punches, magazine pages, um wow chipboard - star confetti, versa watermark, stabilo aquarellable - white and black.

Happy Creating

 

A Sketch and Mixed Media Challenge for the Month of September

Layouts are not my favourite things to create but this month at Show Us Your Stuff the challenge is to use a sketch and mixed media. Please remember to also include a handmade item

I am far from being normal so I decided to turn the sketch on its side.

Well I know I started with the sketch I can sort of still see it, hope you can too.

products used: whipped spackle, art basics heavy gesso - white, archival ink - jet black, cocoa vanilla studio die cut ephemera - free spirit & love always, green tara blossoms - rose, stampin' up stamp - borderettes, hessian leaves, prima marketing stencil - grungy grid, dylusions spray - funky fuchsia, charms creations - hessiam heart, funky flair studio - kraft ephemera, muslin, heart sequins

Would love to see you play along this month.

Happy Creating

Stay Strong

There are lots of things in my stash that just don't seem to get used and other things that get used a lot. The card that I created is a combination of both.

products used: ranger archival ink - jet black, gelly roll pen - white, stabilo - all, prima artextravagance texture paste - white crackle, uni pin fine line marker - black, derwent inktense blocks, tim holtz idea-ology - small talk, kaisercraft stamp - script, stampers anonymous stamp - halftone & rings, prima elementals stencil - grungy grid, bobunny stickable stencils - butterflies, mixed media paper, artbasics heavy gesso - white

Happy creating

Ugly Paper

This month the challenge at Show Us Your Stuff is to use that ugly paper that you have stored at the bottom of your stash.

 

Please click on the link above to see what some of the design team created at the beginning of the month, you would never know that they used ugly paper.

The thing with ugly paper is not everybody may think it's ugly, that's because we all like different things so what I see as ugly, you might think is lovely.

Here are the three papers that I have used on my cards

 

 

 

 

 Handmade items - the resin rainbow brown butterfly & maharaj resin flower.

products used: chromacryl White gesso, distress ink - vintage photo, distress stain - antiqued bronze, kaisercraft collectables - timeless icons, art of life, kaisercraft jewels - bonjour, doily, kaisercraft cards & envelopes square - kraft, dcwv - floral prints the paper stack.

Handmade items - charm creations - white hessian heart

products used: art basics heavy gesso - white, distress paint - weathered wood and broken china, distress stain - antiqued bronze, tattered angel glimmer mist - dragonfly, doily, kaisercraft stamp - flutter, archival ink - jet black, kaisercraft cards & envelopes square - kraft, dcwv - floral prints the paper stack, tim holtz idea-ology - small talk

Handmade items - hand poured plaster flowers then hand coloured, die cut leaves, hand typed quote

products used - kaisercraft cards & envelopes square - kraft, dcwv - floral prints the paper stack, watercolour paper, black cardstock, coloured cardstock, ecoline liquid watercolour - 656, 318, 665, 657, 416, gold card stock, leaf die

Would love to see you play along with us this month and what ugly papers your have.

Happy Creating

Plume from IndigoBlu

I have had the stamp 'Plume' from IndigoBlu for a little while now, and I have been thinking of a design that I could use it on. I finally created a card.

The stamp reminded me of a peacock feather so I used the colours of a peacock as my starting point.

products used: inktense pencils - turquoise, deep violet & deep rose, posca paint pen - pink, memory box die - distress windham collage, studio calico - wood veneer heart, versamark, ranger embossing powder - seafoam, art basics heavy gesso - white, mixed media paper, book paper.

Happy Creating

Breaking A Blank Page - Chipboard

Chipboard adds instant dimension and texture to a project, it provides lots of possibilities. On one of the breaking a blank page art journal pages I used chipboard.

I used matte gel to adhere my chipboard to my paper, this gave it added strength as some glues wouldn't hold. Once dry I covered the chipboard and paper in gesso, for some reason I don't like brush marks so with my brush I pounced up and down on my page which gave it added texture.

When adding water or wet medium to dry paper I always have the problem of my paper curling so a couple of times now I have beat the system and stuck my paper to my desk with blu tack. It doesn't completely stop the curling but it certainly minimises the effect.

I love the randomness of the magicals, you just never know what result you are going to get, especially when you combine more than one.

I really had fun playing and finishing off this page, cannot wait to start adding colour and embellishments to my other break a blank page journal pages.

products used: kaisercraft stamp - script, sa crafters chipboard, prima art basics heavy gesso - white, watercolour paper, archival ink - jet black, lindy's stamp gang magicals - merci beaucoup mint, c'est la vie cerise, freaky franken-lime, merry-go-round green and hag;s wart orange, posca paint pen - white, faber-castell big brush - orange glaze, stampin' up stamp grateful bunch, tim holtz idea-ology - small talk, liquitex matte gel

Happy Creating

Breaking A Blank Page

Art Journaling what does this mean to me? It is a way to express yourself through creativity and words. I have never really kept a journal but art journaling does appeal to me. I have created between 12 - 15 pages, but I just cant get the hang of it. I want to do it but it eludes me at the moment.

A couple of months ago Marta Lapkowska (blog, facebook, instagram) put together a 3 part series of youtube videos on art journaling for beginners. I marked them at the time to watch later, it has taken me this long but last week I finally watched all three of them. Please find the links for the YouTube videos below

Art Journaling for Beginners: TIPS & SUPPLIES, how to get started part 1  
https://youtu.be/cfaIHsNmQ3M

How to Break A Blank Page? Mixed Media Art Journaling for Beginners part 2
https://youtu.be/GovaxOR1HpM

How to START? How to Break A Blank Page? Mixed Media Art Journaling part 3
https://youtu.be/HgvuJTUqZdQ

I found all three videos very useful. I would love to share with you the blank pages that I have broken. There are 24 of them so far and I haven't use all of Marta's ideas yet, the coloured pages are yet to be done, I need to cut up some more paper.

book pages, music sheet, masking tape and washi tape

washi tape, clothes tags, scrapbooking paper, magazine, gesso

texture paste (whipped spackle), thread, chipboard

As I was creating the above pages, I had some ideas of my own that I wrote down and the pages below are some of those ideas, still have a list that I want to create.

die cuts, tea bags, tissue paper and sequin waste



So maybe breaking a blank page is not my problem maybe it the next step that is. I do know that I had a lot of fun creating the start of some journal pages.

Happy Creating

Winter Blues

Today is the start of another month, just where has the time gone?????? This also means that a new challenge is up on the blog at Show Us Your Stuff. This month it is all about colour, remember to make sure that you add a hand made embellishment to your creation.

 

For this challenge I made three totally different cards.



The hand made items I used for this card are the snow covered hills & the fussy cut image which I then coloured.

products used: stampin' up ink - dapper denim, marina mist, soft sky, soft suede & garden green, archival ink - jet black & cornflower blue, stampin' up stamps - peaceful pines & festival of trees, faber-castell big brush pen - permanent green olive, gelly roll pen - white, ranger embossing powder - silver, versamark, stampin; up cardstock - whisper white, mixed media paper, aleens glitter snow, prima art basics heavy gesso - white.

The handmade items are the resin butterfly from The Resin Rainbow, which was white but I altered with alcohol ink and the wooden veneer from flutterbydesigns - circle confetti.

products used: lindy's stamp gang spray - tiffanylou blue, Caribbean blue, blue Hawaiian blue & tilt-a-wheel teal, faber-castell big brush pen - cobalt blue, sharpie - white, Adirondack alcohol ink - sail boat blue, archival ink - cornflower blue, white thread, mixed media paper, stampin' up stamp - helping me grow, stampin' up metallic foil doilies, vivalasvegastamp - plate 1471, the resin rainbow butterfly - white, flutterbydesigns - confetti circles, stampin' up cardstock - whisper white, izink - volubilis.

 

The handmade items used here is the chevie border from burdys embellies and the wood veneer from flutterbydesign - abstract 2 which I altered with silver emossing powder.

products used: archival ink - forget-me-not blue & jet black, versamark, burdys embellies - chevie borders, stampin' up ink - dapper denim, ranger embossing powder - silver, stampin' up punch - circle 1", stampin' up cardstock - whisper white, white cotton, flutterbydesigns wood veneer - abstract 2, kaisercraft stamp - script, stampin' up stamp - honeycomb hello (retired)

Hope that you are able to join us this month

Happy Creating

Abandoned Items

Do you have any abandoned items within your stash? Those products that you collected because you needed/wanted them and the collection got out of hand and now you don't use them. I have quite a few collections, buttons, charms, eyelets, brads.

This month Show Us Your Stuff has a challenge that wants you to use them.

Here is my take on the sketch, and I used rhinestones, rubons and hessian ribbon as my abandoned items. My hand made items are the cogs from Burdy's Embellies. The cogs started out as white and to make them coloured I used my big brush pitt pen from Faber-Castell.

Please follow the link to Show Us Your Stuff so you can see what the other girls created and what their abandoned items are.

Products used: stampin' up embossing folder - happy heart, faber-castell big brush pen - cobalt green, kaisercraft rubons - fancy floral & dymo boys, kaisercraft rhinestones - silver, stampin' up white tea lace paper doilies (retired), stampin' up hessian ribbon (retired), burdy's embellies - cool cogs, whipped spackle, ecoline liquid watercolour - 522 & 600, prima - finnabair stencil, vellum.

Happy Creating

How Do I Begin

Today I want to share an art journal page that I created. This page came about because of a post that I put up in one of the facebook groups that belong too. The title of this post was suggested by one of the ladies in the group for our journal page to get us creating. So from the words How Do I Begin I went on to have fun.

This journal page started a little differently to how I normal start. Sometimes writing down how you feel helps you move past the thing that is blocking you. I wrote down my feelings on my water colour paper and because I did not necessarily need it on my page I covered it with gesso and then some paint.

I had so much fun creating this page, my hands were stained for a couple of days afterwards.

Products used: derivan matisse structure paint - titanium white and cobalt turquoise, stencil hero arts - tweed pattern, lindy's stamp gang magicals haunted halloween - tainted love teal and freaky franken lime, faber-castell pitt artist pen - indanthrene blue, archival ink - cornflower blue and watering can, whipped spackle, embossing powder - stampin' up black, ranger silver and adriondack stream, stamp vivalasvegastamp - plate 1471, die cut, strips of scrap paper, sequins, versamark and gauze.

Happy Creating

Some Days

Some days I just don't feel like creating, some days I want to create but the mojo is not there, some days I want to create but nothing works and some days it just happens. Lately I have been in the I want to create but the mojo is missing, so this morning I was asked to create a sympathy card. I decided to keep it nice and simple.

 Really love this colour combination.

All products used are Stampin' Up: Ink - Island Indigo and Pool Party, Stamps - You've Got This and Teeny Tiny Sentiments, Cardstock - Whisper White

Happy Creating

Poetry and Hearts

Poetry and Hearts that is the new challenge at Show Us Your Stuff for the month of May.

Sounds easy for a challenge doesn't it and so it should but me being me made it harder that it should have been. First I had to find the right piece of poetry. Rose are Red, Violets are blue is the first thing that came to mind, I mulled it over for a little while but then rejected it. My Country (I love a sunburt country, a land of sweeping plains. Of ragged mountain ranges.) by Dorothea Mackellar was the next poem that popped into my head, love this poem but I just couldn't picture how it was going to work. I decided that I need to search the internet and found Dr. Seuss. Today you are you, that is truer than true, there is no one alive, who is youer than you.

I had every intention of creating a layout I even started it but just couldn't work it out in my head. Will work on it during the month and hopefully come up with a completed page to share.

Instead I created a journal page.

 

Products used: stampin' up decorative masks - hearts & stars, whipped spackle, water colours paints, prima art basics - heavy gesso, kaisercraft paper - art of life  6 1/2" pad, stampin' up - tags and labels framelits dies, the resin rainbow - continuing circles black, charms creations - heavenly hearts, mixed media paper.

Happy creating





Kraft+, Black and White

There are times when you cannot go past a challenge and the new challenge at Kraft+ is one of those times. Kraft+ have a different challenge each month but there is one criteria that must be followed each and every single time, your design must be created on a kraft base.

The challenge is Black & White, this month there is also a kraft board to help with the inspiration.

When I first looked at the kraft board what caught my eye were the polka dots. I didn't use polka dots but they did give me my starting point. The circles also caught my eye and I just love circles.

I couldn't just stop at one card for this challenge I had to create two.

 Products used: kraft, dylusions paint - black, die cut circles, kaisercraft wooden flourish guitar, distress paint - black soot, faber-castell big brush pen - black, gelly roll - white, stampin' up - stars framelits dies and dusty attic stencil - criss cross.

Products used: stampin' up stamp - flower shop, stampin' up punch - pansy, faber-castell whipped spackle, the crafters workshop stencil - mini tiny circles, twiddleybitz chipboard - chicken mesh wire, versamark, archival ink - jet black, stampin' up emboss powder - black, tim holtz idea-ology - big chat, charms creations - heavenly hearts and cheese cloth.

Happy Creating

Just Add Aqua Cotton

Because I was having so much fun playing with my stamps and was not sure what I wanted to create for the April challenge at Show Us Your Stuff I created a set of three cards. Now these three cards are the same but different. Have I confused you, let me show you what I mean.

  

I started out making my atc (artist trading card) size rectangle which I then coloured, stamped, heat embossed and then stuck my embellishments to. The other element which makes them the same is that I have only used one colour of ink - soft suede. It is amazing how many browns you can get from just one ink pad.

Products used: Ink - Soft Suede, Stamps - Gorgeous Grunge, Summer Silhouettes, Timeless Textures and Teeny Tiny Sentiments, Dies - Butterflies Thinlits and Bold Butterfly Framelits, Cardstock - Whisper White, Vellum - Botanical Gardens Designer Stack, Corrugated Paper - Kraft, Sequins - In Colour assortment, Emboss Powder - White, Versamark, Sepciality Designer Series Paper - Typeset, Cotton - Aqua

If you have any question about any of the products I have use please either leave a comment on my post or email me at deeseldee@hotmail.

Happy Creating

Sponsor at Show Us Your Stuff

When you belong to a design team like I am lucky enough to be at Show Us Your Stuff you try and help out as best you can. Each month I need to create my pieces to help inspire blog followers so they will join in. This month I put my hand up to take it that little bit further. I am the sponsor.

Back in Oct 2013 I became an Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator. I had been using the products for a few years by then and now I can share them with others.

At Stampin' Up!, we are excited to share our exclusive line of decorative stamp sets and accessories for greeting cards, scrapbooking, craft projects, and home décor! Since 1988, our wide assortment of stamp images, techniques, and designs has been helping crafters discover and express their creativity. Stampin’ Up! products are not sold in stores but may be purchased at home workshops or through a network of independent sales consultants called Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. Currently, more than 45,000 demonstrators throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom teach the art of stamping and share their enthusiasm for stamping, scrapbooking, and card making.

If you would like the chance to win the voucher below please pop on over to Show Us Your Stuff and link up your entry.

If you are interested in find out more about Stampin' Up you can either leave a message on this post, contact me via facebook or email me at deeseldee@hotmail.com 

Happy Creating

Get Creative With Stamps

I love using my stamps and that is what the challenge this month at Show US Your Stuff is all about.

Do you have a stash of stamps that don't get used? Well go and get them out and get creative. You can use them for cards, layouts, journal pages and mixed media designs. Because stamping is fun and I enjoy it a lot I created a set of three cards and an individual card for this months design team reveal.

Today I will share with you the single card that I created.

 

Please don't forget to pop on over to the blog to find out what the other designers created using their stamps.

 

Products Used: Cardstock SU - Whisper White and Pear Pizzazz , Watercolor Paper SU, Blossum Accents SU - Watermelon Wonder, Ink SU - Soft Suede, Watermelon Wonder and Old Olive, Ribbon SU - Natural Cheveron, Framelits - Secret Garden (discontinued), Stamps SU - Hardwood and Teeny Tiny Sentiments, circle die cut, Embossing Powder SU - Clear

 

Happy Creating

Cheeky

This month at Show Us Your Stuff the challenge is a sketch. I wanted to do create a card or a journal page because I just don't do layouts, but in the end I gave in and created one.

I kept putting off creating it as I just had no idea what I was going to do. Then I had no choice but to leave it till the end of the month as we had a huge rain fall that according to the news it was a 1 in 100 year storm and the rain came in the window of my creative space. I then had to empty a lot of my stuff out first to dry the carpet, which lucky didn't take long and then while it was all out I decided that I really needed to go through it all. Stuff has be either thrown out, give to my children's school for art or kept. I still haven't completely finished but i am certainly a lot happier with the way things are organised.

Ooops got a little side tracked there, sorry about that. Getting back to the challenge, I really am very happy with how my layout turned out. My hand made item would be the journal circle which was very simply die cut and the edge inked. I did colour the stars and heat emboss them which changed the chipboard.

The sponsor for this challenge is Rainbow Splendour please pop on over and say hi to Chloe and her design team. The robot and rocket ship can be purchased from there.

I hope that you are inspired by the sketch and enter the challenge.

Products used: die cut circles, orange thread, chipboard stars, whipped spackle, decoart stencil - short circuit, distress inks - festive berries, mowed lawn and salty ocean, ranger embossing powder, lindy's stamp gang magical - freaky franken-lime, faber-castell - fine pitt pen black and big brush deep scarlet red.

Happy Creating