Follow Your Dreams

For the past three days I have been complaining about the cold, rainy weather and wished that it would stop raining. This morning I am reminded of the quote, "Be careful what you wish for you just may get it." It finally stopped raining but the now rain has turned to snow and the snow is covering the ground once again. Oh well, C'est la vie!

I did take advantage of this miserable weather to work on a journal project. I love journaling because it allows me the freedom to experiment with my art. Lately I have been working with mixed-media in an effort to branch out from traditional painting. I decided to use my journal to explore mixed-media. Rather than using a traditional art journal, I am using my Medici Lion journal for my art work. This journal was originally intended for writers not artists and contains lined paper. the only draw back of using paper intended for writing is that the pages will tend to curl if the page gets wet. However the journal is refillable and both Barnes and Noble and Amazon sell sketch books that will fit the leather cover.

I often find journaling difficult. When I stare at the blank pages and wonder where to begin I often think of the quote by Vincent Van Gogh: "Just dash something down if you see a blank canvas staring at you with a certain imbecility. You do not know how paralyzing it is, that staring of a blank canvas which says to the painter: you don't know anything." I painted the pages with a thin coat of light blue acrylic paint and let it dry. Now I had blank blue pages staring at me. I wanted use following your dreams as the theme.

Follow Your Dreams journal entry.

Close up of page.

 

I had read in Sommerset Studio magazine about using modeling paste and stencils as a way of adding texture to art work and decided to incorporate it into my page. I layed the stencil on the pages and covered it with a thin layer of modeling paste. I used a palette (painting) knife to work the modeling paste into the open areas of the stencil and then smoothed the modeling paste across the top of the stencil, scraping off the excess. Think of icing a cake, the process is similar. Remove the stencil and let the modeling  paste dry overnight. Wash the stencil with soap and water immediately, other wise the modeling paste will dry on the stencil making it difficult to remove.

This was a fun project once I got started.  This project would also work well on canvas.

Directions for Follow Your Dreams:

Scraps of colorful scrapbook paper-for balloons
Golden Modeling Paste
Pieces of hemp or string-for balloons and black card stock
Scraps of brown card stock- for balloon basket
Light blue and white acrylic paint
Huey's Masks Circle Mask
Hero Arts French Verse stamp
Brown ink pad
Tim Hotlz's Distress Ink- Shaded Lilac
Small craft sponge
Color Box cats eye ink pads-blue, purple, green and orange
Eiffel Tower die cut
Gold beads
Faber Castell green gelato
Smooch apple green
Painting knife

1.  Paint journal pages with a light coating of light blue acrylic paint. Set aside to dry.

2.  Arrange the Circle mask on the page and apply modeling paste. Work the modeling paste into the open areas of the mask and then smooth the paste over the mask until a thin layer of paste covers the mask. Lift the mask straight up. Repeat on the next page. Wash the mask immediately with soap and water. Let the pages dry overnight.

3.  Randomly stamp the two pages using the cats eye ink pads. Stamp over the raised circles created by the modeling paste.

4.  Apply the brown ink to the French Verse stamp and randomly stamp around the edges of both pages. Lay the Eiffel Tower die cut on the left side of the right page and cover with black water color, thinned to a watery consistency. Work the water color into the open areas of the die cut. While the Eiffel Tower dries, cut balloons out of the scrapbook paper. Cut one large and two small balloons. Cut one large and two small balloon baskets out of the brown card stock. Glue two small pieces of hemp to each balloon and glue the other end to the baskets.

5.  Apply small amounts of white paint to a small craft sponge. Randomly apply the paint to the top of the pages to form clouds. Arrange the balloons on the pages. One large and small balloon on the left page and one small balloon to the right of the Eiffel Tower (on the right page). Glue the balloons in place.

6.  Load a small paintbrush with water and paint across the top of the green Gelato to pick up the green paint on the brush. Paint the green Gelato under the base of the Eiffel Tower. When the paint dries add grass accents with the Smooch paint.

7.  Randomly apply the lilac distress ink to the clouds to give them depth.

8.  Type Follow Your Dreams in Microsoft Word, using the font of your choice, at approximately 36pts. Print the verse on parchment paper and cut out. Mat the verse with black card stock. Glue the verse to the bottom of the left page, below the balloons.

Recycled Photo Album

A couple of weeks ago I was purchasing some new clothes and the store was offering a free gift with a qualifying purchase. After ringing up the sale, the store manager told me that I qualified for the free gift (photo albums). I didn't want or need the photo album, but the manager was so happy that I qualified for the gift that I didn't want to make her feel bad by refusing it. I accepted the album and headed home.

The album was fairly nice quality although the cover was ugly-dark olive green with large embossed flowers. I felt bad throwing a perfectly good album in the trash and offered it to several friends. No one wanted the album in it's current state. I had been looking for a make over project for my blog and this seemed like the perfect candidate. There was only one problem, the deeply embossed flowers covered a large portion of the front cover.  I covered the entire album cover with gesso. The gesso soaked into the embossed areas, but didn't cover them up. Next I tried modeling paste. I built up two thick layers of modeling paste but the flowers could still be seen. I painted the front cover with acrylic paint and let it dry. I mixed the blue paint, modeling paste and white paint together to produce a slightly lighter shade of blue. I dabbed the mixture onto the front cover with a foam brush to produce a textured surface. I set this aside to dry.

Here's the work in progress.

Original free photo albums.

Album covered with gesso and modeling paste.

Layer of textured paint added.

Close-up of textured surface.

Finished Album

I am so happy with the finished result and the fact that I turned an ugly photo album destined for the trash into an album that I would be proud to give as a gift. The textured finish on the album can be made in any color simply by mixing modeling paste with acrylic craft paint.



Directions for Butterfly Album:

Photo album or memory book
Golden Modeling Paste
Liquitex Basics Acrylic color-light blue, white
Recollections Adhesive Faux Pearls
Recollections Pearl trim
Recollections Butterflies- Aqua, Purple
Sheer white wire edge ribbon
Parchment color paper
Gesso
Hot glue gun
Clear craft glue
Foam brush
Duraclear Satin Varnish


1.   Coat the album cover (front and back) with gesso. Let it dry.

2.  Apply a light layer of modeling paste to the cover and let it dry, then repeat.

3.  Using a foam brush paint the album front cover light blue. When it is dry, paint the back cover and album spine.  Apply paint to the edges of the album and let it dry.

4.  Mix light blue paint with modeling paste. Add white to the mixture until desired color. I added white until the paint mixture was one shade lighter than the paint in the tube. Be sure to mix enough paint and modeling paste to cover the entire album.

5.  Dip the end of the foam brush into the paint mixture. Dab the paint mixture onto the front cover. Place the end of the foam brush on the cover, press down and then pull up to create the textured surface. Once the front cover is completely dry, dab the paint mixture onto the spine and back cover. Let it dry.

6.  Apply a thin coat of craft varnish over the album (front cover first, then spine and back cover).  Let the varnish dry before applying to the spine and back cover.

7.  Apply a thin layer of clear craft glue to the adhesive faux pearls and press in place along the front edge of the album cover. Position the pearl trim on the lower part of the front cover and press in place. Leave a space wide enough to glue the butterfly in between the trim.

8.  Glue the aqua butterfly (with hot glue) between the pearl trim. Hot glue the purple butterfly to the right edge of the clear window on the album.

9.  Tie the sheer white ribbon around the front cover of the album and tie a bow. Trim ribbon edges at an angle (to desired length).

10. Print Memories or some other sentiment using Microsoft Word and the font of your choice onto parchment paper. Cut out and insert in window on the front cover of the album.