Pysslotekets jultävling

Jag vet inte om jag ska kalla detta inlägg för året sista eller årets första. Det känns som om jag håller på att ta nya tag med bloggandet och skapandet. Så det får bli årets första! Vi kör på nya tag och krafter!

Jag råkade ramla på Pysslotekets julutmaning och tyckte att den verkade spännande. Utmaningen var att skapa något i rött, turkost, vitt och svart efter en skiss. Hiskeliga färger, och jag har ju länge skytt rött. En riktig utmaning. Jag beslöt även att börja i min nya, helt oanvända art journal. En utmaning även det! Jag har tidigare skapat på lösa papper men 2015 ska bli i bokform.

Sista dagen att skicka in är idag, nyårsafton, och eftersom vi inte firar nyår p g a en skotträdd hund så sitter jag här i mysbyxor och otvättat hår i en knut och skapar och bloggar.  Men jag klagar inte! Jag hade nog gjort det även om Bea inte varit rädd, men kanske att jag hade tvättat håret åtminstone!

Så här är mitt bidrag. Bakom granen har jag först limmat ett tårtpapper. Bakgrunden är gjord med fyra olika röda nyanser akryl. Jag har duttat färg genom en snöflingeschablon för att få bakgrunden lite mer intressant. Granen är en bit tapet som fått lite kulor och pynt med tre olika nyanser av turkos akryl. Min hidden journaling finns bakom granen så den är dittejpad med washi i stället för fastlimmad. Lite Wink of Stella för att få lite glitter. Streck och stjärnor med vit och svart Posca och avslutningsvis så har jag sprejat lite svart akrylfärg för att få det lite mera grungigt. Toppstjärnan är stansad folie.

Första sidan i min nya art journal för 2015
(även om den handlar om julen 2014!)

Närbild

Detalj på tårtpappret och stjärnorna med schablonen
 



Pysslotekets skiss
 

12 tags of 2014 - July

The theme for the July tag was water and beaches. Not my favourite thing at all to make even though I'm crazy about water. Straange! It was quite fun to make the tag after all.

I neither had the dies nor the embossing folder. I cut the seahorse, sand dollar and starfish by hand. Instead of shrink plastic I used overhead film. You can't see it very well in the photos.
I think it was kind of brilliant to add the real coins at the bottom of the tag! I also made a book mark for a little boy I know.

The July tag

The book mark

Life Book 2014 - week 25

Life Book 2014 - week 25
Main lesson: Reverse Excavation with Effy Wild

This was an interesting lesson. I liked the idea of working for 15 minutes a day, but I think my painting just got worse and worse as the week passed. I didn't know how to save it. It was not until the final day as I managed to rescue it. Actually, I'm quite pleased with it now. It ended up as a self portrait - although my hair isn't that golden! ;-)

Day 1 - collage

Day 2 - paint and stencils



Day 3 - mark making and doodling

Day 4 - create focal images

Day 5 - shading and glazing

Day 6 - tending

Day 7 - tending

'Take the challenge' - July

'Take the challenge' in July is about creating something you don't usually create. It could be style, colors, theme or products. I NEVER EVER use the color red. I don't like it. And all of a sudden I felt the urge to make something in red! I have to admit that I got super inspired by Kate Crane on her blog The Kathryn Wheel, both by the use of color and by the use of carved stamps. I love her work!
So, I usually don't create something in red, I usually don't carve my own stamps, I very seldom make Christmas cards (only once a year!) and I very rarely sew on my cards! And I really, really like the outcome. I actually do like this combination of reds!
One sheet of watercolor paper made four cards and six Christmas tags.

The stamped snowflake

The stitched snowflake

The Christmas tags

MATERIAL:
Panduro acrylics: Crimson
Tattered Angels: Glimmer Mist: Its Red
Tattered Angels: Chalkboard: Cotton Candy
Tattered Angels: Glimmer Glaze: Pink Lady
Dimensional Fabric Paint: Ruby glitter
Some cheap glitter glue in pink, no name
Faber-Castell: PITT Big Brush: Permanent Carmine
Faber-Castell: Gelatos: Watermelon, Red Cherry
Black marker
White Posca

Life Book 2014 - week 17

Life Book 2014 - week 17 - Gratitude and Living in the Now
Main lesson with Tascha Parkinson

It seems like I'm doing the lessons in the order that I was supposed to. I'm repeating myself; this was just what I needed right now. I couldn't agree more about this lesson. It is so important to be grateful for every little thing in your life. I think that's what happiness is all about. And even though I felt miserable earlier this week it seems I have plenty to be grateful for! I sat smiling when I wrote down my words!

I  went for the "interesting, modern look", as Tascha called it. I didn't bother to paint my girl and the flowers with watercolors. Instead I painted the cut outs with Vernis Scintillant, a kind of "sealer" that has glitter in it. It felt like cheating leaving them all white!



There is so much to be grateful for

My glittering girl!

MATERIAL:
Venus acrylics: 215 Lemon Yellow
Panduro Acrylics: Permt green, Emerald Green, Fluorescent Pink
Diams: Vernis Scintillant
White Posca
Black markers
StazOn:Jet Black
Stamps from Impression Obsession: CL68 Spring Blooms

Life Book 2014 - week 29

Life Book 2014 - Week 29 - You Diva! with Marieke Blokland

This was another great lesson in Life Book 2014. I just love the art of Marieke Blokland. She seems like such a sweet and wonderful person. She let us know that she had been redundant from her daytime job and that she will concentrate on teaching art. Good decision! Have a look at Bloknote Academy!

And just as always, this was what I needed right now. "Today is today, the past is in the past", what a great reminder. I had a bad day yesterday and this wonderful lesson lifted me up.

I got stuck on another lesson because I didn't have any good color for painting flesh. Mixing three or more colors to get a somewhat natural color of the flesh made me bored. It was also a nuisance to continue on the painting the day after.  I recently bought a color that I was recommended and I was so excited to finally be able to paint faces without the prior mixing! But when I tried to paint with it on this face it didn't blend at all with the rest of the colors, it was so ..."oily". Yep. I had bought oil color...

"Today is today, the past is in the past".

Sometimes my phone takes photos in this way
out of it self. I liked this one!

MATERIAL:
Traditional Craft paint: gipsy pink, flesh tone, sky blue
Panduro acrylics: vermillion, orange yellow, primary yellow, titanium White
White Posca
Staedtler pigment liner
CKS super chalk in blue and yellow
Ink and dip pen
Graphite pen
Neocolor II in blue
Scrapbook papers
Stickers

Life Book 2014 - week 28

Life Book 2014 - Main lesson with Tamara Laporte - The Inner Sacred Eye.

I was thrilled about this lesson because some time ago Tamara showed a little piece of this painting on her Facebook page. First I thought about sharing her photo because I liked what she had written so much, then I decided I wanted to write something similar in my next piece of art. I was so happy when I found out it was something we were going to do in Life Book!

Tamara was also spot on on how I feel right now. It's july already and I haven't done half of what I had planned so far. It is my last week of vacation and then it's work, work, work for another 12 months (I have late vacation next year). But I guess vacation is about resting, contemplating and taking care of yourself. And that I have done!
I have done the meditation once a day since the lesson actually, and it makes me feel a little better. But I still feel stressed.

MATERIAL:
Distress Marker: tumbled glass, vintage photo
ProMarker: cornflower, turqoise, crdinal red
Neocolor II: slmon, orangish yellow, slmon pink
Adirondack Color Wash: stream, lettuce
Dylusions: vibrant turqoise, funky fuchia, pure sunshine
Pitt 2907 Medium
White Posca
Staedtler pigment liner
Panduro acrylic: orange yellow, primary yellow

Stampotique Designers Challenge #150: Celebration

No sight of the sun here in Sweden so I decided to join in on the SDC150: Celebration challenge. You didn't have to use Stampotique stamps but I really love the (only!) one I've got so I wanted to use that one.

I embossed these panels a while ago and since then I tried to figure out what to do with them. I've used photo paper so it's very glossy. Tried to color one with alco inks today and I really like the outcome. Even the back of it was really pretty! Much softer colors. Have to remember that you also can use the back. However, I left one panel white since you can see the embossing really good on the white. And I think it's the one I prefer.

I also got inspiration from a photo I found on Facebook today. I think the sentiment suits the Moth Fab perfectly! I am also a great believer of celebrating everything! Life sure needs that silver lining!

A photo on Facebook inspired me

My take on the SDC #150

Close-up

Take #2 with colored background

Close-up on #2

The back of the panel with softer colors

MATERIAL:
STAMPS:
Stampotique - Moth Fab
Alphabet stamps from PY Hobby
INK:
Alco inks
ProMarkers
StazOn - Jet Black
Distress Ink - Black Sooth
DIES:
Cuttlebug - Embossing Stencil: Once Upon a Princess
OTHER:
Photo paper
Alphabet stickers from Panduro

SimonSaysStamp: monday Challenge: I ought to use this more!

It's my niece's first birthday next month and I found a challenge where you were supposed to use stuff you rarely used. The challenge is over at SimonSaysStamp: Monday Challenge: I ought to use this more! I'm really ashamed that I don't use my ProMarkers more often. I keep on buying them and never use them.

These cards are inspired by a lovely article in Craft Stamper February 2014. Lydia Brooke Evans used stamps from Mama Elephant and Copics. Just loved what she did! The stamps were super cute! I found some other stamps with critters hanging from/holding balloons and decided to have a go at coloring with my ProMarkers. On the card with the teddybear hanging from the balloons I used only ProMarkers and on the cards with the teddybear holding balloons I tried the MCP tecnique.

My niece's card for her first birthday

Couldn't decide which color to use on the balloons 

Life Book 2014 - week 14

It's still raining here so I spent another day in my studio and I chose to make week 16 - Springtime Journaling Collage Bonus Lesson with Dyan Reaverly. This was also just what I needed right now! Amazing! I love Life Book!

I loved to see how quick Dyan was working. She, just like Traci Bautista from week 16, made multiple pages at the same time not to waste any ink. It was also very nice to have all the material used for a change. The only thing I didn't have was the stamps so I drew my flowers and skipped the stems.

I haven't seen much of Dyan before but I've understod that she is a very colorful person with lots of make-up and bright red hair. In this video she had no make-up to help raise awareness for cancer. I did the opposite! I normally don't wear make-up but I actually went to put some on before I started creating just to make myself a little more colorful when I was going to create like Dyan! I think it worked! I'm happy with my colorful piece!

Dyan told us that we didn't have to be deep or profound when art journaling, she wrote just to empty her head because the journaling was not ment to be read again. I did the same. I emptied my head and it felt good. There's a lot going on in my mind right now. So many sad things have happened the past year and I need to focus on being grateful for what I've got instead of dwelling in the past. It's up to me to decide. And just when I finished my piece my aunt called and wanted us to go and plant flowers on my mother's grave. So, I am thankful that I've had a mother for 41 years, I'm thankful that I've got money to buy flowers to put on her grave and I am so grateful that I still have my aunt!

The phrase Dyan used suited me perfectly so I used the same. That phrase really spoke to me. 'Bloom where you're planted'. I need to remember that.



'Bloom where you are planted'

The material I used

Life Book 2014 - week 16

I am so behind in Life Book. In order to catch up a bit I decided to start with a lesson that looked quite easy and quick to do. Little did I know that I had to make my own stencils and rummage around the house to find different utensils for mark making in this Main Lesson: In the Moment with Traci Bautista! It took all night! I left my husband all alone in front of the tele! But I had so much fun. This was just what I needed right now.

Traci tought us to be and create in the moment and not to think too much about what we were doing. She works on multiple pages at the same time. Besides the art journal page she made she cleaned her tools on another page which she uses later on. I did the same thing. I created one page and cleaned my tools on another page. I actually don't know which turned out the best! Interesting! I believe I learned a lot from this workshop. I need to let go and just be in the moment. I also loved Traci's way of doodling and writing illegible at times.

I hade to substitute a lot of stuff and it didn't work out very well. I had no china marker and no Collage Pauge so I used a transparent wax resist crayon and some school glue instead. It didn't create much of a resist at all even though the glue created some nice texture. Instead of the Tulip Slick dimensional paint I found a dimensional fabric paint and some gloss gel I haven't used in ages. I don't know what effect the Tulip Slick dimensional paint gave so I think my substitutes worked out quite well.




My In the Moment art journal page

My cleaning-my-tools art journal page!

The material I used

Take It, Make It - June Challenge

So, my summer vacation has started and I'm not only feeling crafty, I also got plenty of time to be crafty! The weather is cold and rainy here in Sweden and I found another challenge!!  It's the Take It, make It June Challenge. I read about the challenge a while ago in the magazine Craft Stamper to which I have been subscribing to for some years. Since I love the Magazine I decided to have a look at their blog and the challenges.

The June challenge is about a technique showcased in the July issue of the Craft Stamper magazine. Hels Sheridan invented a technique called Bleach Blocking. In short, you remove some of the ink from a background made with Distress Inks. She removed the ink with the rectangular blending tool and the 'bleached out' areas appeared in blocks. Hence Bleach Blocking.

At first I thought it was kind of dull to make only blocks in the background (when you can make flowers!) so I tried to remove the ink through a stencil as well. I also turned the wet stencil over and used it as a stamp. I like the outcome of all three attempts. With all the embellishments added later on, the blocked background is calmer than my floral ones. And not dull at all, actually!

I ended up using some of my favourite things on these cards. I love purple, orange and white together (added some more white by embossing a floral stamp in white and by splashing some white Dylusions spray on the panel). I love this floral stencil from TCW. I have used it in all my latest project and I will keep on using it! I love the sentiment "don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle" and I have been waiting for a project to use it in. Actually, another sentiment would have been better here but I couldn't think of another one.

I also ended up using some of my least favourite things! The flowers I used are made for children and were really cheap. They are very colorful and I have regretted buying them. I must have seen their potential because I thought they worked out very well when used one colour at a time!

The distressed backgrounds

The bleached backgrounds.
The blocked ones in the background,
the stencil bleached ones to the left,
the one stamped with the stencil to the right.

Gluing everything together!



The horrible, but in a way lovely weather!



The cheap flowers!



The blocked background



Close-up



The stencil bleached background 

 

 

The stencil stamped background



Close-up

 

MATERIAL:

STAMPS:Pinkpaislee - Indigo Bleu - 00623 clear stamps

Kaisercraft - CS752 Script
INKS:
Distress Ink Pads - dried marigold, dusty concord, ripe persimon, gathered twigs,

Hi-Boss Embossing Stamp Pad
Embossing Powder - White

Dylusions Ink Spray - White linenSTENCIL:

??? - bought it second hand and I got the wrong name

OTHER:
Cheap flowes from ÖoB