Altered Book Cover

Finished! Today I finished the cover for the altered book I posted last week.   This was another technique of LorriMarie Jenkins.  It is made with aluminum foil duct tape from the hardware store which covers dry wall tape, corrugated cardboard, texture paste through stencils, chipboard flourishes, a key, metal washers, a few charms and some heart rhinestones.  It is antiqued with black paint. I love the effect of this black patina and I will most certainly be doing this technique again!

Join me for some Mixed Media Fun!

I will be teaching this Mixed Media Art Canvas Workshop 

at The Little Blue House on Wednesday, April 6.

 There will be two sessions to choose from - 10:00am - 1:00pm or 6:00 - 9:00pm.

For those new to mixed media, or even seasoned mixed media artists, this will be a great introduction into some of the techniques and mediums used to create texture and interest on your project.  You will make choices during the creative process to create an art canvas unique to you!

For more information and to sign up, call the LBH at 817-431-7930, or check out the website: http://www.thelittlebluehouseonline.com/#!mixed-media-art-workshop/c24rv

I hope to see you in class! We'll have a fun and artsy time!

Documented Life Planner - Week 22

May Theme - Touchy Feely (Texture)

Week 22

Art Challenge: Textured Paper

Journal Prompt: I'm So Not Feeling It

This week's journal prompt was exactly how I was feeling while working on this page - "just not feeling it!" My muse just couldn't decide on how to proceed with all the old textured papers I found in my stash. I finally discovered a page on the FB group on which the artist split a heart and used the "holey" packing material (right side). Since I also had that same paper, I went from there.

She had layered different papers behind the heart but I couldn't get that to look right with the papers I had. I found the square doily and the white doily-type wings which I'd been saving for years so thought I should just start using some of my treasures instead of squirreling them away forever!

The textured papers here are the doily, the handmade paper (left side of heart, which I painted), the packing material which I painted white, the small white heart--shaped doily, the red heart which is textured wallpaper cut into a heart shape, and the wings. In the lower right corner of the spread, there are also two strips of embossed paper (which I inked with pink) and a lacy tissue-type paper.

I used black-and-white-patterned washi tapes for under the die cut days of the week. For the background I first stenciled gel medium which resisted the pink paint when I painted over it. I then stenciled some numbers with red paint and small white dots. I also randomly smudged orange gelato.

Once again, I finished before the end of the week! I'm relieved this page is done!

Tomorrow we leave on a 6:30 am flight for Albuquerque. We'll be babysitting Drew and 4-month old Grant (or rather helping their Dad while Mom is out of town on a business trip). Looking forward to seeing my little guys again!

Documented Life Planner - Week 20

May Theme - Touchy Feely (Texture)

Week 20

Art Challenge: Modeling Paste

Journal Prompt: Rising to the Occasion

This week's spread underwent many transformations! I love using modeling paste for texture and had so many ideas I didn't know which way to go. First I used some paste and a stencil all over the background and sprayed it with Prima Color Bloom but didn't like it at all. 

Then I decided to spread modeling paste over the pages and then stamp into it and scratch marks into it. This was better, but I ran out of modeling paste and had to use up the dregs of two different kinds, one very old and somewhat dried out. (This is on the left side and is grainier.)

I sprayed inks, added gesso and went back and forth several times before I called it done. I added the checked border with paint and computer-generated the words. The images are some freebies from Traci Bautista. The corner designs are stenciled with new Graphite Texture Paste from Prima. I like how it adds a bit of sparkle.

Below are some close-ups to see the texture more clearly.

Ready for this coming week - received the prompts today.

Documented Life Project - Week 19

May Theme - Touchy Feely (Texture)

Week 18

Art Challenge: Stitching

Journal Prompt: All I''m After is a Life Full of Laughter

This is what I created for last week's challenge. I was inspired by the digital project below that I saw on Pinterest. 

I loved the colors, layers and stitching, but I don't do digital.

So I tried to recreate it with watercolor crayons, paints, and scraps of painted papers, vellum and book pages. I did all the stitching on the pieces first, then glued them to the page. I messily wrote the title in the upper left so it would look more like a design element rather than something to be easily read. The dividers between the days of the week are stamps and I used old Thickers letters for "laugh."

Documented Life Project - Week 18

May Theme - Touchy Feely (Texture)

Week 18

Art Challenge: Fabric

Journal Prompt: The Fabric of Your Life

The new theme for May is texture, which I love to use in my projects!  This week's challenge was to use fabric. I ended up almost totally covering the pages with fabrics and laces of different textures. 

I stuck to a neutral color scheme and first glued on various neutral paper scraps, then colored the base pages with Walnut Stain and Antique Linen Distress Stains. This ended up being too dark so I also added some tan paint.

Then I started gluing on fabrics in different sizes: cheesecloth, burlap, printed cotton, upholstery fabric, wide printed Osnaburg ribbon, script-printed cotton, an open-weave fabric, several vintage and new laces and even some unravelled threads.  I wrote the title - Relationships weave the fabric of our lives - on canvas, sewed around the edges and fringed the fabric. This was mounted over the heavy upholstery fabric.

After all the colorful pages in this journal, this neutral palette was very soothing to work on!

One more spread to finish and then I will be able to start working on this week's pages.

"Family" Mixed Media Wall Decor Workshop

We've added another day for this workshop since several people were unable to attend when it was first offered.

Join me on Wednesday Dec. 10 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm to create this lovely mixed media piece. Using an acrylic die cut frame as the base, this project incorporates many textural techniques including VerDay paint, Gesso, Texture Paste and more.

More information is on the LBH blog here: www.thelittlebluehouseblog.blogspot.com

Call or stop by the LBH to reserve your spot!

My newest Mixed Media Canvas class offering

Do you love crosses? This is the latest canvas I have designed for The Little Blue House. It will be taught starting next week during any buffet, so call the house or drop by to see it in person and sign up then.

The canvas is 12" x 16" and neutral in design so as to work with most home decor styles.  You will learn some fun textural techniques and use a variety of "lotions and potions" to create your masterpiece. No prior experience necessary!

Hope you will join me in class soon.

Totally Texture Class - repeat

Be Inspired!

Did you miss out on the June class for Totally Texture? Good news - I will be teaching two more sessions on Tuesday, July 15, 10-12:30 pm or 6-8:30 pm.  You will create this lovely canvas full of wonderful textures while learning many textural techniques. Call the LBH at 817-431-7930 to reserve your seat - only a few openings left!

I'm back!

I returned last Tuesday night after almost two weeks in beautiful Vermont visiting with my mother and celebrating her birthday. It was so nice and cool compared to the Texas heat! While we were there we had a family photo session with two daughters and their families. The other kids didn't make it in due to oversold flights etc. This is the only preview we've seen - I'm hoping there are many more as the photographer snapped hundreds of photos!

Now it's time to jump with both feet back into the teaching routine at the LBH! I will be teaching a "Be Inspired - Totally Texture"mixed media class on Tuesday, June 24. You can choose either morning, 10 am - 12:30 pm, or evening,  6 pm - 8:30 pm and the cost is $25.00.  Here's more information:

 Be Inspired:Totally Texture 

In this artsy workshop you will be exploring a variety of ways to add texture to your projects. You will learn how to create layers of fun texture using an assortment of papers, fabrics, lots of lotions & potions while creating a lovely 8x10 canvas incorporating all these techniques!  Be prepared to get Messy & have lots of Fun!

There are a few seats left in each session.  Call the LBH to sign up - 817-431-7930.

Count on Me Art Journal Page

I had done the background of this page awhile ago and really liked it, which hindered my finishing the page as I didn't want to cover it up.  But earlier this month I decided to complete the page and just added the cut doily, some black alpha washi tape, old hole reinforcers and some stickers for the title.  

When I glued on these items with gel medium, it reactivated some of the color from the Distress Stains I had used which are not permanent even when dry. I liked the effect, which toned down the bright white of the doily and reinforcers.

And I added a torn tag with a date stamp which means I've finished it!

Textured Art Journal Page - Start to Finish

Last Thursday I posted this textured art journal page (see more here). I used more than 30 products/textures on this page and, since I always like to see the process behind a project, I thought I would share that with you.

So here's the final page.

It all started with a "clean up" page where I clean off my paintbrush or stencils and use later as a base of a page.

Painted pink then added drywall tape and some torn book pages.

Heavy gel medium through a chevron stencil.

Tulle stapled on and heated with heat gun to create holes;  hot glue designs (lower right)

Whipped Spackle (Faber Castell) through punchinella and Tim Holtz tissue wrap glued in places (music and text)

Punched and die cut paper flowers and tissue tape

 Diamond stamp heat embossed with white embossing powder

 Dimensional paint (red) through alpha stencil; satin ribbon, torn edge of notebook paper and lace (middle left)

Small chipboard flowers and gold-painted scrap of corrugate

Doily, masking tape (upper and lower edges), burlap and embossed paper scraps (dark pink pieces on right side)

Puzzle piece and two old floral stickers

Gesso through stencil (lower left above flower, to left of upper flower and to left of doily) and a torn ticket

Button, glass bauble and hole reinforcers

Covered all with Silks Acrylic Glaze in pink and gold and added rubons and black stamping

Highlighted raised areas with more gold paint

Added focal point - black Clearly For Art (Ranger/Wendy Vecchi moldable plastic) on which the butterfly was stamped in gold

I just realized my "final" photo of the page does not include a piece of heavy thread that I looped and stapled in place over the page. 

So there you have 30+ textures on one page (think I counted 34 in all)! Hope you will try this yourself - it would make an awesome canvas as well. It's so fun to keep adding more texture!

Another Textured Art Journal Page

Two posts in one day - guess I'm making up for the past week!

This is another very textured journal page that I created as a sample for the "Texture Techniques" Art Journaling Class at LBH next Tuesday. (Still seats available so call or stop by LBH to sign up. More information on the blog here.)  

I think I counted more than 30 different textures on this one-page spread! Here are a few closeups. You can really see the shimmer of the Silks Acrylic Glazes and irRESISTible Spray that I used.

Come to class and learn more! 

More Texture!

Still playing with loads of texture in my art journal. This is a double-page spread I created a few days ago. It's very textural! Take a look at the step-by-step photos I managed to take while making this. I have found it helpful to take photos along the way because often you can't remember what you did!

Here's the final spread:

And the process photos:

started with pages that had been previously painted and stained

added masking tape and gesso randomly applied with palette knife

added crumpled white tissue paper while gesso still wet

closeup showing tissue paper texture - also you can see where the distress stain (yellow) reactivated

joint tape added - love that texture

next came Whipped Spackle through a stencil (you can still see the yellow stain soaking through), raspberry and peacock Distress paints, torn book pages with blue gelato and white paint, and bubble wrap "stamped" on with white paint

hard to see in this pic, but I added bits of torn cheesecloth (see closeup below)

chipboard letters, painted and embossed with UTEE for extra texture

white fabric heart, a corrugate heart and added a "flower" cut from painted and heated Tyvek

here is a photo of the strip of Tyvek (used in construction but also is what the white, fibrous mailing envelopes are made of, recycled from PO) that I painted with metallic paint and heated with a heat gun  - can you see the "flower" shape just right of center?

I ended up cutting three flowers out of the Tyvek and added beads to all the centers

final step was adding twine to the three corrugate hearts

So there you have the anatomy of my page. In all, I think I used a total of about 20 textures!