Art Journal Every Day 2016, Enjoy Simple Beauty

I've been following along with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's Art Journal Every Day for several years now. However some time in 2015 I began to slip. Slowly at first, but nevertheless gathering speed and finally grinding to a halt. That being in the past, I'll forget those things which are behind and move forward... trying to do better and be more consistent. Sounds like life, doesn't it? Keep in mind, my One Little Word for 2016 is "Hope".

My art journaling for the most part has consisted of lots of mixed media with very little journaling. Looking at this page, it brings to home how little I seem to have to say (written word, that is). Something else to work on.

My page was an experiment in using Ranger's Perfect Pearls powders in combination with stenciling and stamping. On the base of tissue and gesso, I blended Distress Paints by Tim Holtz. The stencil is one of Donna Downey's by Prima.

I'm linking up my journal page at:

Blazer Designs - Art Journal Every Day

CHA opens this weekend, and I'm anxious to see all the new products. Can't wait for the videos to start showing up with all the new paper and mixed media goodies to tempt us. 

Thanks for stopping by... I really appreciate your visit!

Linda

It is Always in The Midst of Your Troubles That You Find Your Serenity Journal Page

Aren't you lovin the new TH Distress colors?

I think my favorite so far is Cracked Pistachio. I used it in the Distress Paint on nearly every art journal page I done since it's been released. On this page I've teamed it up with Crushed Olive and Vintage Photo. 

With every new bottle I buy, I also purchase a stencil. This one is TH Stampers Anonymous Lace. I've used some Golden Light Molding Paste here with it.

The images were stamped with a Cloud 9 Design set I bought ages ago at Joann.

I colored them with Distress Inks, water and a paint brush. (Someday I'd like to have the Distress Markers, but for now this technique is working okay for me.) They have some shadowing with my black F-C Stampers Big Brush Pen. 

The sentiment was stamped with Artistic Outpost's Serenity.

I like that you can still see the TH Melange Tissue Wrap underneath the gesso coat and Distress Paints. 

Some splatters with watered Liquitex Gesso.

I'm linking my page up at:

Balzer Designs - Art Journal Every Day

Thank you for stopping by!

Linda

Coffee at the Center of Every Great Idea Journal Page

Not only am I addicted to art journaling, I'm hopelessly addicted to coffee as well. So when I watched Tim Holtz introduce his new line of stamps at CHA 2015 (here with Noell Hyman) my jaw dropped and I sat through the entire video with my mouth hanging open. Near the end there is a sample card using Fresh Brewed Blueprints, and that's what sealed the deal... I put it immediately on my wish list and waited patiently for it's release. This is my first attempt with the mug and sack of beans stamps.

My background is some tissue scraps glued down with Liquitex Matte Medium. Over that is blended Distress Paints - Crushed Olive, Mowed Lawn, Mermaid Lagoon - when dry a coat of Liquitex gesso. The Chevron Arrow stencil is by Crafter's Workstop (one of Julie Balzer's) used with Prima's Platinum Crackle Texture Paste and shadowed with my Nougat Stamper's Big Brush pen by Faber-Castell. 

I stamped the mug and sack on a manilla file folder, cut them out, and colored them with Distress Inks - Mermaid Lagoon, Broken China, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo - water and a paint brush. They're shadowed with Nougat SBB pen.

I did some additional stamping with a paper towel roll and a stamp from the TH Bitty Grunge set using Archival Coffee ink. The page is also edged with Archival Coffee.

The alphas are Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type.

I'm linking up my journal page at:

Balzer Designs - Art Journal Every Day

Thank you for stopping by!

Linda

It's A Gift To Be Simple

I'm linking my art journal page up at:

Balzer Designs - Art Journal Every Day

I started off with Melange Tissue Wrap from Idea-ology, a Liquitex gesso wash, and a blending of TH Distress Paints - Mowed Lawn, Cracked Pistachio, Broken China and Tumbled Glass. I used a baby wipe to blend them together then put some Vintage Photo DP on the edges. I stamped my two main images onto a file folder, colored them with Aquarelle pencils from Faber-Castell then cut then out. I glued them down with matte gel. The stamps are from Artistic Outpost - Old Grist Mill, Kudzu Kafe, Home and Stampers Anonymous - Bitty Grunge. The stencil is SA Burlap used with Golden Light Molding Paste. The images are shaded with F-C Big Brush pen in Nougat.

Thank you for stopping by!

Linda

Remembering the Past

I'm linking up my art journal page today at:

Art Journal Every Day

My page is quite simple. I wanted to try out some of the Distress Paints I bought...used Cracked Pistachio and Vintage Photo blending with a baby wipe. I like the depth they created on the tissue paper. Added some stamping. Also an image I stamped on a manila tag and cut out. Did just a bit a coloring with my Faber-Castell Aquarelle pencils and shading with a Big Brush pen.

Thank you for stopping by!

Linda

Be Always Thankful Art Journal Page

 

I'm linking up today at:

Art Journal Every Day

I mixed two types of glitter into my Golden Light Molding Paste before applying it to my page with a  Finnabair stencil. Added Lindy's sprays in Fuzzy Navel Peach and Clam Bake Beige Starbursts along with T-bird Turquoise and Aloha Avocado Flat Fabios. Mixed in with layers of scrap papers and lace is Prima's Resist Canvas in Checkerboard. The bird and text are from Kraisercraft's Curiosity Sticker Sheet. I highlighted the stickers with soft charcoal then used a blending stump to give a softer look. The splatters were made with Dylusions Black Marble ink.

Thank you for stopping by!

Linda

Experiment with Bead Gel

Am linking up today at: 

Art Journal Every Day

I love seeing what everyone is creating over there and am always inspired.

My art journal page was an experiment with Golden's Bead Gel. This was my first try, and I wasn't aware that the inks I was using wouldn't give that intense color I was trying for.

I started with a coat of gesso on my page. I added the letters to spell TRUST one at a time with bead gel drying between each application. Next came the fruit cluster Kaisercraft sticker, that I covered with clear gesso, some tissue tape and scraps of old book paper. I topped those with Golden Light Molding Paste using C W Harlequin stencil. I layered on several inks From Lindy's -  Starbursts: Whale Watch Blue and Tibetan Poppy Teal; Flat Fabios: Aloha Avocado and Pineapple Paradise. This is at the point I gave up and went to bed, hoping that in the morning the inks would have soaked into the bead gel producing a gorgeous, rich color. Silly me. They were still a rather pale hue... pretty but not what I wanted. I mixed up some Golden Heavy Body Teal and Satin Acrylic Glazing Liquid, brushed it on the letters and waited a minute before removing the excess with a baby wipe. I liked this color much better but I lost the glossy look of the beads - a small price to pay. Now I added some stamping, ink and gesso splatters, and charcoal highlighting. Another step in the journey.

Thank you for stopping by!

Linda

Happy Accidents Art Journal Page

Do you ever have an

accident when you're making a project and think, "now why did I do that. I know I should have......." Hummm... I wonder if I'll ever learn this lesson! I know I should always test the color of sprays before I push on that plunger... why didn't I then?????? I nearly had a disaster, but thankfully some of the Denim Color Wash came off. I will not explain further. 

This page started with

a layer of tissue tapes, a coat of gel medium and scrapings of paint.... then paint applied by brush and a cast off credit card edge....

and some with a used

up tape roll. Some gesso splatters, some stamping with Stampers Anonymous Classics #7, more ink spraying with Lindy's Flat Fabios... T-Bird Turquoise and Aloha Avocado... with Crafter's Workshop Tile Texture and Prima's checkerboard.

Layers of torn 7 Gypsies

Conservatory scraps and an image fussy cut along with a Cosmo Cricket text sticker. Shading with soft charcoal and highlighted with a white gel pen. Walnut Stain Distress Ink around the page.

I'm linking up at:

Balzer Designs - Art Journal Every Day

Have a wonderful weekend!

We have gray skies and not much of a promise of warm temperatures. A good day to spend in the craft room. What are your plans?

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda

Some Linky List Love From Julie Balzer & Secret Garden Thank You Pocket Card w/Tag #3

Each Friday Julie Balzer

puts out an inspiring post on art journaling called Art Journal Every Day and wows us with her talents. It's due to these posts, that I've continued to try creating in my own journals. At the end of her post is a linky list where you can share your work and see what other journalers are creating. What is so encouraging to me, is to visit their blogs and see the different mediums and techniques they are using.

Well today, I was surprised,

thrilled and humbled to see one of my pages spot-lighted along with several others on Julie's blog. 

I want to say thank you to 

Julie for her Art Journal Every Day posts... thank you for encouraging us to keep trying new things... and thank you for allowing us to display our work as a collective group of artists who want to inspire each other.

It would be wonderful if

you would link-up your art journaling work with us, friends! Please check out Julie's blog here and her Art Journaling Every Day posts on Fridays.

My Secret Garden

thank you pocket card w/tag #3...

Featuring Graphic 45's 

Secret Garden papers, Alterations Baroque and Spring Greenery dies and I Am Roses flowers.

Thanks for stopping by!

Linda