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