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.

Owl Thank You Card

Owls are my favorite birds and I often use them in my projects. I couldn't resist using this cute little guy as the theme for my thank you card.  I chose a pink and green color scheme for the owl and then centered the rest of the card around those colors. Although this is a thank you card this design could be used for other occasions by simply changing the greeting on the tag.

Directions for Owl Thank you Card:

Cricut Noah's ABC's cartridge
White, cream, light sage green, light pink, olive green, black, kraft paper, tree patterned (La Bella Little Buds) card stock
Self adhesive pink pearls
Small googly eyes
Small self adhesive white pearls
Pink and white dotted ribbon
Darice Border embossing folders-vines and flowers
Spare Parts flowers
Martha Stewart rose leaf paper punch
Small corner rounder paper punch
Cuttlebug Spots and Dots embossing folder
Zots and foam dots


1.  Fold an 8 1/2 x 11 inch piece of card stock in half to make a half fold card.

2.  Place the Darice Border embossing folder along the upper edge of the card and emboss. Place the embossing folder along the lower edge of the card and emboss.

3.  Using the Noah's ABC's cartridge cut the owl at 2 3/4 inches out of black card stock. Press the shift and owl keys to cut the owl's body out of the pink card stock.  Press the layer and owl keys to cut the owl's face out of cream card stock and then the layer, shift and owl keys to cut the top of the owl's head and wings out of the sage green card stock. Assemble the owl.

4.  Cut a piece of kraft paper colored card stock approximately 1/2 inch larger, on all sides, than the owl. Emboss the card stock using the Spots and Dots embossing folder. Use the corner rounder punch to round the ends of the kraft paper. Attach foam dots to the back of the owl and center the owl on the kraft paper.

5.  Cut the tree patterned card stock approximately 3/4 inch (on all sides) larger than the embossed kraft paper. Attach foam dots to the back of the kraft paper, center on the patterned card stock and press into place.

6.  Cut a backing of sage green card stock approximately 1/4 inch larger, on all sides, than the tree patterned card stock. Apply Zots to the back of the patterned card stock and attach to the green mat that you just cut.

7.  Cut two small pieces of ribbon and glue on piece of ribbon diagonally over the top left and lower right hand corners of the mat. Tie a small bow and glue it to the ribbon in the lower right corner. Stick a pink pearl in each corner of the kraft paper. Stick four small pearls to the front of the owl. Glue googly eyes over the owl's eyes.

8.  Punch two leaves out of the olive green card stock using the rose leaf paper punch. Glue a pink flower to the center of the top embossed border. Glue the leaves under the edge of the flower.

9.  Print thank you on a sheet of cream card stock and cut out in an oval shape. Cut a small tag out of a scrap of the kraft paper and punch a hole in the top end of the tag. Glue the cream oval to the kraft paper tag. Thread a pieces of string or ribbon through the tag and attach the tag to the top of the card using a foam dot.