One Must Be Brave To Be An Artist

I don't believe I'm

 either, but I sure am having fun playing around with my new art journal...

the first page in my Strathmore 5.5" x 8.5" mixed media...

I did a background 

of Mustard Seed, Chipped Sapphire and Broken China Distress Ink. Did some ghosting with a Crafters Workshop Chunk Chevron stencil and water then a little stamping. The banner and flowers are made from Glitz Vintage Blue 6" x 6" paper pad. I doodled around on the stems, leaves and flowers with a Faber-Castell S Pitt pen and shaded with the Chipped Sapphire. The flowers were cut with Alterations Tattered Florals and shaped with the handle of a small paint brush. The flower centers are colored with Mustard Seed Stickles. The text is from Cosmo Cricket's Tiny Text Art sticker sheet and edged with the Pitt pen. The rhinestones are TPC Studio.

The doodling at the

bottom was done on a strip of paper and glued onto the page. I actually stamped it first with Unity She Art Doodles then went over it all with my Pitt pen. I filled in with a white Gelly Roll pen... can't seem to leave things as is... just have to keep on playing! Actually, as I'm looking at it, I think I'll go back and do some shading on the leaves.

We'll be leaving for our

trip to Florida soon, so I won't be around much the next couple of weeks. I had planned on getting ahead with projects and scheduling them, but with a large family that's not always possible. I will try to keep in touch, though.

I'm linking up at:

Balzer Designs - Art Journal Every Day

City Crafter Challenge - All That Glitters

Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Linda

All That Glitters Has A Song

Charlene's put together

a fun challenge this week at City Crafters called "All That Glitters". 

Add any kind or color of glitter to your project, like mine here...

I put Clear Rock

Candy Stickles on all my white flowers and on my stamped image (wish the camera would pick it up better).  

I used a black 

textured cardstock base and papers from Basic Greys' Basic Manila and My Mind's Eye So Sophie 6x6 pads.

This stamp is from

Artistic Outpost's Serenity stamp set and teamed with Archival Ink in Jet Black. Black Soot Distress Ink was sponged on the paper edges after I distressed them with my paper distresser from Tonic.

The metal black bird

is by Momenta. The white flowers are I Am Roses and the lavender ones are Recollections. The clock is chipboard cut with Alterations Weathered Clock die and finished in Tarnished Brass Distress Stain and Titanium White acrylic paint for a shabby chic look.

The doily is French

Lace paper and the feathers came from a mixed packaged purchased at Hobby Lobby.

I've tried every camera

angle I could think of, but with no sunlight today I believed I've failed at showing you the glitter accents... I apologize!

I'm linking up at:

City Crafters Challenge - All That Glitters

Frilly and Funky - Layer it On and Share a Word

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

Creative Jump Start #15

I'm sorry friends,

for not being very talkative lately. While I'm content to stay at home a good deal of the winter, I find that it does seem to make me pretty dull. We are planning a little trip to Disney World soon, so that Florida sunshine just may be the remedy. Until then, I hope you'll forgive my brief posts.

Here is my CJS #15 page...

This Jump Start was

the most exciting and promising of all of them as far as I was concerned. When I saw this technique I absolutely freaked out because I imagined all sorts of possibilities with fabric and clay... plus... the Penmaker had just bought a can of this stuff. YES... I didn't need to rush out and buy more supplies! ... AND... when we owned our mail order craft business, we use to sell gobs and gobs of Krylon, so I knew it was a great product! Alas... imagine my disappointment when I realized the images for transfer had to be printed in toner not ink. I can't tell you how downhearted I was last night after trying and failing to get a transfer... all my dreams of making fabric pieces printed with my designs just flew out the window. Oh well... on to the next technique! It's not like there is nothing to create, right?

I did lots of

Distress Inking once again with Chipped Sapphire, Mowed Grass, Shaded Lilac and Dusty Concord. These colors were made to match this piece of fabric that has been tucked away in my stash for eons. I did a bit of rough machine stitching and gluing to finish off my project. A happy place after all!!!

I'm linking up at:

Balzer Designs - Art Journal Every Day

Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

Creative Jump Start #14

Since my Creative

Jump Starts #12 and #13 didn't turn out so great, I'm moving on ahead to show you my #14. 

When I make a card

I don't like I just tear it apart and start over. When I do a journal page I don't like I gesso over it and begin again. Such is the case here. If you look close you'll see some faint stamped flower images at the bottom that weren't at all to my liking, but now I'm really loving all these the Distress Inks. I used Mustard Seed, Squeezed Lemonade, Weathered Wood and Faded Jeans.

I did some embossing

on this center arrow (CW Chevron Arrows stencil) with Whispers Clear Glitter Embossing Powder. 

This is the CW stencil,

Mini Burst... love this one... especially highlighted with the Mustard Seed.

Am linking up at:

Balzer Designs - Art Journal Every Day

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

Matchbook card

Thursday night on

Live with Prima, Cari Fennell created three cards using some of the new Prima collections. What I've ordered hasn't arrived yet, so I tried her matchbook card using Graphic 45's A Ladies' Diary instead. Here is how mine turned out...

This shot is with

the cover closed. I added more layers of paper for stability on the inside than Cari did, so mine doesn't close quite as easily as hers. My sentiment will go along that bottom section just above the staple. (I like to add the sentiment when I know what type of occasion the card will be used for).

Here the cover is

pulled out. I kept my design pretty simple.

This is the tag

that's stapled to the inside. I just used a standard #8 manila tag. If you check Cari's out here, you'll get an idea of how easy this style is to embellish. It's fun to make and quick... just what we busy crafters need, right?

I'm link up at:

 Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

Internet Woes And Love

The Penmaker and I

have been struggling along for over a week with an irregular internet connection. Not that it's a real trial, but nevertheless a bother we would rather have eliminated. Hopefully, it's been corrected today. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. 

So, with not being able to post this sooner, I'll show you my final Valentine card...

Still following the

theme of using up all the leftovers from last years cards... I made this one with some larger pieces from the scrap box. 

The die cuts are

from My Mind's Eye Love Me Accessory sheet and the flowers and leaves are from I Am Roses. The bow is made from Celebrate It ribbon from Michaels.

This box is still full,

so I believe there will be enough to go around for another year. I must have really had a big budget for Valentine cards in 2012.

May you and your sweetheart

have a wonderfully romantic Valentine's Day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

Hugs N Kisses

Happy Monday, bloggers!

The sun is out in full force in Ohio. What a welcome sight to see!

I took a bit of a break this weekend and only worked on my Christmas memories mini album. So today I had to get in gear and make another Valentine card or I won't have enough to send out tomorrow. I think I'll still need one more.

Here is this mornings...

Again I used scraps

left from last year's cards. The flowers and leaves are from I Am Roses and the red gems from an Etsy shop. The paper heart doily is from my stash as is the lace.

I'm linking up at:

Make It Monday - Anything Goes

... and have a wonderful day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

Creative Jump Start #11

Jump Start #11 is

all about one of our sponsors... the established leader in flower embellishments... Prima Marketing. 

I started buying Prima 

flowers when I first began card making, then I branched out into their paper collections, trinkets and other lovely embellishments. Recently I bought their mixed media album and resist covers. What will they come up with next?

Since we're talking

Prima, I started this page with a sheet of their beautiful Fairy Belle "Aquarelle".

I brushed on a

bit of gesso around the edges, then sponged on some Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Dabbed on a little Titanium White acrylic paint using a piece of bubble wrap here and there for more texture.

With a toilet tissue

roll, I added some circles with Vintage Photo Distress Stain, then stamped on a crackle pattern with Coffee Archival Ink.

Now I began adding

layers of paper... a piece of Flights of Fancy "Tiptoe" and the flip side of "Aquarelle".

I added some of

those fabulous Prima flowers along with a few from I Am Roses, a Prima metal trinket bird and one of their art tiles.

The Prima crocheted

flower was in one of the first packages I had bought and was hoarding. A perfect fit for this page!

Complete!

Love that Prima!!!

I'm linking up at:

Balzer Designs - Art Journal Every Day

Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

Simply... Love

Here is another scrap 

Valentine card I have to share with you today. This one's quite simple...

Again the paper

I used is from the My Mind's Eye Blush collection. I still don't know why I had cut up so much of this paper last year and then didn't use it. It's so gorgeous. These oval die cuts were in my box of scraps as well. Sure makes for easy assembling. 

The Love piece is

from a MME Love Me Accessary Sheet that (happy me) is still half full. (I'm wondering if I even made any V cards last year or did I just over buy?) The blossoms are from I Am Roses and the ribbon is by Celebrate It from Michaels. Pink TPC Studio rhinestones, paper heart doily from my stash.

I'm linking up at:

Fab 'n' Funky - Valentines/Hearts

Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp - Have A Heart

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

Sweet

Here's another scrap 

Valentine card I created this week. As I posted the other day, I've made several cards using up the scraps in my Valentine's Day supplies box.

I believe this paper

was part of a sheet of Pink Paislee's Love Letters. It had to be providential that the scrap had this bit with Sweet printed on it. The next line actually says something about "Used as a food and laxative", so I covered most of that up with a heart and blossoms... haha!

This lace is vintage

from my stash that I topped with pearl trim. The hearts are cut from Alterations Mini Hearts... the left one is covered with a scrap of paper doily. The rest of the doily is tucked in at the top along with a scrap cut from Alterations Distressed Doily. Both hearts and the doily scrap were misted with Cotton Candy Pink Starburst Spray from Lindy's Stamp Gang.

These other paper 

scraps were from Glitz Pretty in Pink 6x6 pad. All the papers were sponged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The metal corner piece is by Momenta. The tiny flower is from a package of petals I got on closeout from our local shop when they went out of business (SOB!). It's topped with a TPC Studio pink rhinestone.

I'm linking up at -

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - Have A Heart

Top Tip Tuesday - Let Me Call You Sweetheart

Unique Crafters - Lace and Fabric

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

You + Me

Here I am at my

desk working away on a new rubber band album and realized I forget to do my post last night. Yikes... how do I forget these things so easily!

This is another of 

the Valentine cards I did using up my last year's stash. They are so quick and easy to put together as the papers are already cut into and I don't have to fret about making that first slice (I like to hoard everything). I still love this floral from the Blush collection by My Mind's Eye... some patterns just never grow old.

The flowers and leaves

are all from I Am Roses and the doily is French Lace paper. There is a tinge of Vintage Photo Distress Ink on the paper edges.

I'm linking up at:

Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Monochrome

Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

Creative Jump Start #10

Creative Jump start

Summit 2013 ended last Thursday, and here I am on #10 in my journal. I went through the videos each day, printed out the lesson numbers and photos of the Jump Starters, but I was waiting to do the actual techniques when I had time to work on each one. So here is page ten...

Gel medium resist

technique with our leader Nathalie Kalbach.

I loved this bird

in the middle of the stencil. I outlined it with my Zig Painty silver oil based paint marker then sat him on a branch.

Thank you all for your

kind comments about my Press journal I posted here, here and here. I appreciate you taking time to let me know what you think. I know how busy everyone is, and for you to write a comment is just so encouraging. Thank you, friends... love you all!

I'm linking up at:

Balzer Designs - Art Journal Every Day

Make It Monday - Anything Goes

Question: Do any of you have a Cinch Bindery Tool and what do you think of it?

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

My Press Journal Completion

And now the rest of the story...

Page 8

Page 9

Page 10

Page 11

Page 12

Page 13

Page 14

Page 15

The back inside 

and outside covers are just plain. I covered the black chipboard with the 7 Gypsies Lille paper and used  the wide eyelets. Here is completed the completed journal...

Even with trying to

keep the pages as flat as possible, this is still pretty bulky. Lots of fun to make, and will be something I can use throughout the year.

A big Thank You to Paula for the inspiration... you're the best!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Linda