Halloween Book Made from One Sheet of Paper

                                          

Can you believe it's almost Halloween? In some ways this crazy year has gone so slow, but in others it's been so fast! Halloween always kicks off the holiday season for me. It's when we start really getting in to fall, fun decorations start going up, pumpkins start coming out, and we head into Thanksgiving and Christmas soon after. 

My project this month was dedicated to the spooky holiday thanks to the variety of stamps and foamies that are available through ArtFoamies, 100 Proof Press, and Rubbermoon stamps. 

  

I created this little booklet from one large sheet of watercolor paper, measuring 12 x 18 inches (I cut a giant 18 x 24 inch watercolor sheet in half). I covered it in gesso, then painted it with different hues of oranges and yellows. I did it in a fun, messy way, not caring what was where, since the ultimate goal was to fold it up into a book.

I then decorated each page with stamps, Tim Holtz Halloween Paper Dolls, and some vintage papers and goodies. 

You can see the whole process in the video below, as well as the list of products used. I hope you enjoy, and that you make your own little Halloween book! 

Funnily enough, the process for making this little book is similar to what Sarah Matthews did for her Zine. So you could do either, or both! Make sure you check out her post as well!

Products Used:

Red Tin Roof Halloweenies Set 2 - Art Foamies

 Flying Bat - 100 Proof Press 

Skull & Crossbones - 100 Proof Press

Bare Winter Tree - 100 Proof Press

Three Flying Birds - 100 Proof Press

Winged Heart - 100 Proof Press

Punkin - Rubbermoon Stamps

Trifecta - Rubbermoon Stamps

Mixed Media Chips

Supplies Used:

Canson XL Watercolor Paper - 12 x 18 inches

Liquitex Gesso

Dina Wakley Media Acrylic - Cheddar, Apricot

Distress Paint - Mustard Seed

Dina Wakley Media Gloss Spray - Cheddar, Lemon, Marine, Eggplant, White

Bone Folder

Distress Oxide Spray - Iced Spruce

Derwent Watercolor Pencils - Terracotta and Yellow Ochre

Distress Oxide Ink - Fired Brick

DecoArt Media Matte Medium & Gesso

Golden Matte Gel Medium

Collage papers

Dina Wakley Collage Tissue

Cardstock

Ranger Archival Ink - Black

Tim Holtz Clippings stickers

Tim Holtz Halloween Paper Dolls

Embroidery Floss

StazOn Ink - Red

Spray Water Bottle

Stabilo All Pencil - Black

DecoArt Media Spray - Black

DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylic - Carbon Black

Go + See + Explore - Art Journal Spread

Hello, everyone! It's Laura, back on the blog today. I am sharing another art journal spread, but one with a little different feel this time. 

This project did not start as a journal spread. In fact, I had planned to only make an assortment of tags. But once I started going, this is the direction it led!

I really wanted to try stamping with ArtFoamies and acrylic paint into the gloss sprays. I thought it might make a cool, grungy effect, and I think I was right! I really loved how it turned out! Incidentally, I had some extra spray/paint on one of the foamies, and ended up stamping it on a tag, since it was the closest thing. When I sprayed that tag, the paint and spray I had stamped acted as a resist, and I think it made the result even cooler! 

Going back to the tags, I love the way the white ink from the Moonlight Duos pops on the dark background. I've tried a number of white inks, and this is the only one I have ever been happy with. 

Supplies:

Dina Wakley Media Journal - Black

Dina Wakley Media Gloss Sprays - Marine, Aloe, Olive, Mineral, Carnation, Lemon, Fuchsia, Apricot

Dina Wakley Media Arylic - Turquoise

DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylic - Titanium White

Big Numbers - ArtFoamies

Dino Skin - ArtFoamies

Line Work - Rubber Moon

Number Column - 100 Proof Press

Bare Winter Tree - 100 Proof Press

Three Flying Birds - 100 Proof Press

Moonlight Duo Tint & Hue Ink Pads - Aurora Teal

White Tag

Black Archival Ink

Burlap

Vintage Book Papers

Letter stamps (cheap set from Michael's)

Golden Matte Gel Medium 

Check out the process video below!

I hope you feel inspired to try using your supplies in different ways! 

 

In the Blink of an Eye

A Guest Artist Post 

by Brenda Smoak

Knowing . . .  a profound, deep knowing continually flows through me. It is not easy to define or explain yet it is there, as sure as my next blink. A knowing so intense that the mere thought of you made it nearly impossible for me to catch my breath.

Yes, I was a dreamer, or as you so finely said,  ‘A weaver of impossible possibilities and what if’s’. You saw the dreamer in me and begged me to give myself to you. Trusting you, I took a chance and shared my deepest secrets. You devoured them, as you did me, and we melted into a dream-filled boat that carried us over challenging seas.

Ever so gingerly, we cultivated deep love, understanding and respect as we tended to and nurtured our rose-colored garden. Time passed and we continued living our respective lives, mastering our craft, choosing other lovers, yet always knowing there was an unspoken bond calling us back together again.

I awoke years later to find I had blinked and you were gone. But wait! I was the dreamer and you were my dream. Many summers and winters came, ships passed, and still I dreaded the night, refusing to allow myself the luxury to dream again.

Then one recent morning I awoke to find that as I blinked the sleep away, I noticed my wounds had healed and the beautiful rose-colored garden, once parched and forgotten, is bursting with new impossible possibilities and  ‘what if’s’.

I am a dreamer and you were once my dream.

********************

This is a mixed media collage based on the RubberMoon stamp #417 (Dreamer) which reads: “When I was a dreamer and you were my dream”. The moment I saw that stamp, I instantly knew what to do with it. It pulled together all the words that had been wandering around in my head for so long and this piece came together easily.

My hope is that this collage theme is universal and you can relate to the quote whether it resonates as a lost love, a new-found joy, or a deep knowing and understanding that you are on the right path.

In addition to the RubberMoon stamp, I used:

Liquitex acrylic paints, 
Ranger acid-free pearl mica powders, 
Derwent Inktense watercolor chalk blocks, 
Archival India ink, 
handmade paper, a photography print and torn up letters to create this collage.

You can check out more of my stories and other artist’s stories on my blog at Artists Tell Their Stories. Thanks for reading my post today.

Blessings and may all your dreams be fulfilled!

Brenda

A R T

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

 

Sometimes the simplest idea really hits the mark.  In late March,  I was scheduled to demo some of my favorite techniques.  I picked out a few but needed one more to finish up.  A few days before I was in a craft store and saw these black letters that were nominal in cost and had curly qs!  I was excited.  I love working with interference powders, paints, etc. 

I chose Perfect Pearls to work with but there are several other kinds readily available (Confession:  I also own all the Pearl Ex powders by Jacquard). Pearl Ex does not have a binder but Perfect Pearls does.  Either work well for this project because I chose to use a liquid binder, Future Floor Finish (also known as Pledge Floor Finish.  I worked mainly with four types and liked three out of four:  interference green, interference gold, interference blue, and turquoise ( a non-interference color). 

(FIRST PICTURE):  I put some Future in a cup and spot applied it to the letter.  Then I put my brush into the interference gold powder and applied it to the areas marked with Future.  I chose Future as my binder because I wanted a mix of translucent and opaque coverage.  (SECOND PICTURE): I used all of the colors mentioned above.  NOTE:  I did decide that the gold didn't give me the coverage I wanted so I took care of that problem in the next photo. 

  

I went to my tried and true bronze Golden fluid acrylic and reworked the gold areas.  The opacity of the acrylic really worked well with the shimmery nature of the rest of the powders. 

I let this sit about 10 minutes to dry and gathered supplies to collage the letters further.  I wanted a mix of fine line and bolder stamps to add interest to the letters, and, of course, a few special words.

These were the RubberMoon stamps I chose:  joy, spiral star, three rings, mod marks, seven daisies, and xoxo (not pictured). I also threw in my own be stamp. I grabbed a black StazOn pad as well.  It covers fine on top of the dried Future.

 

The designs stand out perfectly on the interference areas. 

Here are some detail photos:

 

I used Scor Tape on the back and placed the letters on my studio door before taking the beauty shot.  NOTE:  These letters are on sale every few weeks.  This is a quick project that looks far more complicated than it is.  It's great for anytime or holiday gift giving and easily to personalize with your stash of RubberMoon stamps in minutes.  I'll look forward to seeing mine every time I walk into my studio. 

BOHEMIAN ART APRON

  

     

                             It all started with a little grey skirt.

                            A skirt that had a lot of sentimental value.

        but so unassuming it was relegated to the closet wallflower  pile.

                                        always.

                                       until today...

                    today that little grey skirt finds her destiny...

                                                   

 see, this little skirt just happens to have a lovely little liner underneath...

                      and I just happen to have a pair of scissors

                        how convenient! (or tragic, depending on
                                 how you look at it) hee-hee
                                                                         

                                   no fear, just chop chop!!!

                 why yes, this is exactly how my bangs looked as a child...
                                    I still have the touch!

                                          carry on!

                            my favorite things!!!!

                            vintage papers!!!!

                           Rubbermoon spiral pod stamp!!!!

                           Tim Holtz Distress Ink from Ranger Inc!!!!
     
                            exclamation points!!!!



                                   **************************


               begin by random stamping on vintage paper...

                                   then

                create a 'reverse contrast' print

                          with white ink

                      stamped on dark paper

           I  just tore a page out of a magazine for this

    *(make sure ink is dry on glossier paper before copying)

  trim strips from stamped magazine page and place on vintage paper
                                           

                                                             

                                         


           add some fun little 'scatter marks' with a sharpie
           

                                                         
             arrange your stamped papers

             face down in your printer,

            put transfer paper in paper tray
               
           * I used 'Tailor' iron on sheets from Michaels

              then hit 'copy'!

                                       
                                 

             by the way  -  using 'reverse/mirror' feature on

             copier prevents words transferring backwards
                                                                                                                                                                                       
                                           
            Below are my printed copies...COOLIO!!!!!!

                                         

                                         

                                       
           now just put pattern face down on fabric, and iron!

                                               
             pull paper up and there you go!!!!!!
                                               

            * sometimes the pattern will just partially transfer

                                  no worries!!!!
                                                             
                                 it simply adds character

                                                     

       I made 3 transfer sheets, adding some of my own artwork

                                   to the mix


                   now it's time for 'cut & paste'!!!

                                         

         if you sew, feel free to stitch your little heart out.

                           I am much better with glue...

         I embellished  and bedazzled with buttons,

                   sparkly ribbons, and raggy strips,

                   
       including some cool mesh from Linnie Blooms!

                                                       

                                               
              and yes, my patches are also are pockets...

    and here ends the tale of how little gray wallflower skirt
                                         
            became the 'life of the party apron',
       
       and lived an artsy bohemian life happily ever after.


             xoxo

          *find fun stamps at rubbermoon.com

         * find more treasures at linnieblooms.com


follow me, lori sparkly franklin at sparkly-heart.blogspot.com
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                       ETSY  - sparklyheartstudio



                                     


                                    '
                                         
                                         
                                                       

                                               

Key to My Heart

Happy Valentine's Day!  Since it is that hearty kind of day,  I will create a couple of cards that celebrate those warm feelings but don't necessarily "scream" the V-holiday.  I categorize them  as "thinking of you" cards for your significant other(s),those in your "circle of trust," a favorite phrase of mine mentioned by Robert DeNiro in Meet the Parents, and those needing just a little TLC.   RubberMoon has held the key to my heart for many moons.  The artists that have created for the company, new and old, make designs are perfect for these special cards and they all mix and match well together.  But having said that, I still have oodles. 

To prepare, I decided color themes and got out my supplies.  Two cards were on the agenda for today; one red and gold, and one,  light blue and green.  The RubberMoon stamps I chose are Zen heart, key plate, moon & back, joy, ink splatter, and the Red Rubber Palette.  Also, in a shameless Curry plug, I also used one of mine, "for all time."  Other supplies include textured and printed papers, Golden Fluid Acrylic in Bronze and Mars Black, black StazOn, X-Acto knife and cutting mat,  heart and black round brads, and Score Tape. 

I started the first card by adding Golden bronze paint to the palette with a cosmetic sponge.  I then pressed the slightly textured cream cardstock into the paint and pulled up quickly.  I love the haphazard coverage and LOVE that the palette cleans quickly with a baby wipe or water.

I cleaned the palette and added a bit of black paint with a sponge and quickly stamped the key plate and the ink splatter to add some interest.  You don't have as much time because of the quick-drying acrylic, but I do like the coverage that the paint gives over the other paint. 

I added a piece of black glossy to the cream with Score Tape before cutting around the plate on three sides to make a window.  I decided I wanted some movement on it somewhere during the creation process! It's nice to be able to make changes along the way.   I finished by scoring it with a ruler and bone folder so it had a controlled open position.

I cut a matching piece of cream cardstock and stamped the Zen heart and phrase on it using black StazOn.  It was easy to attach with Score Tape.

To finish, I then stamped joy on the inside of the door AND.....

hole punched the top and bottom of the key plate and filled them with black round brads. That added a little more interest to that window  I was so excited to cut out.

 And....... voilà:     

Now it was time to explore a new direction!  Using Ranger Adirondack dye inks in Juniper and Stonewashed, I scattered the ink splatter stamp around the front, back and inside of the white square textured card. 

Once interest was added to the white, I centered and affixed a paisley printed square and teal smaller square.  I then stamped the key plate onto embossed cardstock with black StazOn ink (TRICK:  cleanly stamping onto that heavily textured paper is difficult so I keep a fine tipped Pitt or Micron nearby and handy and simply fill in the areas that didn't stamp well due to the lumpy landscape.)
I then used the hole punch and heart brads to finish that centerpiece before adding this to the center of the other squares.  

To finish, I stamped the inside sentiment inside withe the same blue ink and called it a day.

 And again,  voilà:  

As always, I love my return to card-making art.  It is so fun to take out a few materials and see where they lead you.  It's even more fun when those that receive them, love the time you took to do the custom work.  Thanks so much for being in my "circle" today.