Messy Pages.

A few more pages from TBOL (The Book on Love.)  They're messy and not so nice to look at, but it's my first art journal so I don't really know what I'm doing.  I have a hard time deciding what to put on the pages.  I know the whole point is to be free and just go for it, that's hard for me.  I'm getting over that though...quickly.

 

I decided that the whole book can't be about romantic love because I would go crazy.  (And it would probably turn out to be very cynical, lol.  Don't get me wrong, all that mushy stuff is fine and all, it's just not for me.  Especially when I'm in a bit of a funk.)  So, I'm going to include other stuff that I love- like paintings, books, and mobsters!

Do you keep an art journal?  Where do you find your inspiration from?  Do you find it's better to have a journal with a theme or just go with whatever you are thinking at the moment?

Anyhoo, thanks for looking!  I'll check back in later since I've been so lazy about blogging lately.

Neglectful Nancy...

I've been a Neglectful Nancy... but I'm back with little lovelies to show you!

Ante Up

Paper clippings, netting, and game pieces on Bristol.
Maybe I shouldn't have put the best one first, as the rest won't quite live up to her.  But come on, with a Sailor Jerry girl, how could I resist?

Coulrophobia

 

Soft pastels, paper clippings and buttons on Bristol.

I don't fear clowns but if I did I'm sure the one on the Jo Jo label would make me pee myself if I saw it in real life.  That is a pretty scary looking clown.  Coincidentally, I just watched a Gacy documentary and want to see more of his crappy clown paintings...

Ballerina in Space

Soft pastels, paper clippings, gemstones, eyelash yarn and Sparkle Mod Podge on Bristol.
I used a few scraps of the marbleized paper we made a while back for the round shapes.

Pansy

 

Paper clippings, fiber paper, and button on Bristol.

Dressed to Kill

Barbie dress, netting, decorative paper and metallic embroidery floss on Bristol.
I think this one might need a little something more, not sure yet...

Red Carpet

 

Watercolors, acrylic, paper clippings, cotton, and Sparkle Mod Podge on Bristol.

I had a lot of fun making her "fur"  for this one!

Thanks for looking!  

Remember- questions, comments, and rude remarks are always welcome around here.

The Book on Love.

I had been wanting to make an art journal for a while now after seeing some fabulous how-to videos from Artiste Nouveau.  I'm sure you guys remember her from my list of happy blogs a little bit back.  I have plenty of journals and sketchbooks but I wanted something that I made all by myself.  I have a slight obsession with paper goods and stationary items so that also fueled the fire on this one.

It began with a bit of drunken midnight crafting.

So, here it is, The Book on Love.

Most of you will recognize the pattern from the Sublime Stitching Craft Pad.  I stitched it up on vintage pink linen that I snagged while thrifting.  I loved working with this fabric.  Due to the loose weave the floss just slid through it so nicely.  But it wasn't so loose that it pulled out or the tension got all wonky.  I even stitched it up without a hoop, which was new for me.  Because it was so easy to stitch on I used lots of metallic floss and kept all six strands for a majority of the floss.

I will eventually paint the title on it when I decide the exact wording.  I'm not 100% sold on The Book on Love yet, although that will be the themes for my entries.

Little charms on the spine.

  

I tried couching!  Although, I had originally picked a purple floss to go over the top.  However, I was in the zone with stitching that I grabbed the bobbin next to it, the yellow, and just went to town.  I didn't even notice until I was almost done with it.  Isn't it funny that how sometimes you can just get so wrapped up in something that you are staring at it but not even really seeing it?  Or maybe I just don't pay attention...  I'll have to think more about that one.

The inside covers both match.

 

As you can see, I used black paper for the signature.  I used a bit of vintage gingham ribbon to hide the little space between the decorative paper cover and the signature.  Nothing matches 100% but most of it goes together with all of the pinks.  I had originally intended to make it a monthly journal this one would have been February, so I think I had girly valentine stuff on my mind.  That's also why I made it with 28 pages... but as I didn't actually start it working in it on the 1st of the month.  So yeah... I digress.

I attached the spine and back cover fabric with Mod Podge.  I was out of Matte so I just went with Gloss.  Unfortunately, I didn't consider how much it would change the color of the linen.

You can see the difference in these shots.

In progress, before attaching the front cover with the Mod Podge.  (I figured, screw it, they should match on both sides.)

 

  

After.

Crazy different, huh?  I'm not so happy with the way the Mod Podge pooled up around the beads and some of the edges of the stitching.  However, I'm not going to dwell on it.  And I'm happy with the total piece overall so that's all that matters.  A plus is that it made it super strong!  The covers are very rigid and the stitching is ultra protected, so I don't have to worry about it getting destroyed over time as I work in it.  I probably can't journal about love every day so I wanted it to be tough enough.  This baby will outlast me.  In fact, a friend was over this weekend and she happened to pick it up while we were in my studio.  She yelled, "HOLY CRAP!  This thing is crazy...it's probably strong enough to be used as a deadly weapon!"  As it looked all dainty she was a bit surprised.  I took it as a good sign that I had been successful with my first handmade art journal.

Thanks for looking and taking the time to read my ultra long post today.  I'll share pics of some pages soon.  Have a craftastic day!

Another batch.

Sweetie

Watercolors, embroidery floss, glitter, bead, and vellum rubbing on Bristol.  I used a Sublime Stitching pattern for this one.  This was a special request from Jodie.  I love how this one turned out, nice and simple.  The photo is a bit dark...

Gold

Paper clippings, metallic embroidery floss, and beads on Bristol.

 Go Green

Newspaper clipping, ink and 3-D embellishments on Bristol.  I love how the little tool is removable from the fabric apron!  (I'll be honest.  I had the Captain Planet theme song in my head the whole time I was making this, lol.)  Seriously though...Go Green!

Thanks for looking.

Coupon ATCs- Part deux

After the last batch of ATCs, I figured I'd try the junk mail ones again.  There's an endless supply in the mail, especially around this time of year.  So, away we go!

Fall in Love

Junk mail, paper clippings and 3-D teardrop on Bristol.

A bit emo but that happens sometimes.  I love the balance created by the butterfly wings.

To Public Indecency

Junk mail and paper clippings on bristol.

I was thinking of a certain individual (not me) when I was making this, lol.  Don't worry, she approved of being the inspiration behind this one.  The working title being, DRI- Daily Recommended Intake.

Two Olives!

Shiny junk mail, paper clippings, embroidery floss and toothpicks on bristol.

Can you tell I really, really like olives?  

I love the look of 3-D embellishments on cards, so I've been trying to incorporate more into mine lately.  I figured it was the perfect way to blend ATCs with my other true love- embroidery!  Normally, I'm a bit particular about making my stitches tiny and neat, so this style was difficult for me at first.  (But I need to loosen up, so I'm experimenting.)  I think that this look works well for this card.  I couldn't resist the toothpicks.  The background became a bit distressed during the process but I guess that's to be expected from shiny junk mail paper.  Or maybe I just manhandled it?

As of now, all of these cards are available.

What do you think, do you like the "messy" or "free" style of embroidery? 

I do, but I don't know if I'm relaxed enough for that :)  I don't really know what it's called so I don't  mean messy as a bad thing!

Recent ATCs

I just can't stop making these little guys!

Mas littles....

Prima Ballerina

Fabric, watercolors and paper collage on bristol.  I made this by rolling little tubes of paper, covering them with double-sided tape and attaching the fabric to look like the wavy curtains of a stage.  I'm happy with it as a prototype, I definitely want to expand on this and try it again.

Spaced out

Watercolors and ink on background I received from swapping with Shayna.  Plus glitter and space image from  takeabreak's photostream.  Thanks guys.  There are a ton more of these cute space playing cards, so I'm going to do a whole series of them.

Oh la la

aka Sorry for my crude sense of humor ;)

Paper clippings on bristol.

The day I got my 1 in. hole punch I sat down with a stack of magazines and bad television.  I happily punched away for several hours and filled a envelope with tons of circular goodies.  Although, you can't tell from this card I did get more images than cleavage.  I swear.  Anyways, they are the perfect size for ATCs.  (And they fit perfectly into a bottle cap! Which is why I wanted the punch in the first place.)  My envelope is getting a little low so it looks like I need to find some sort of CSI Marathon and start punching again.

Presence

Soft pastels and paper clippings on bristol.

You guys know all about my new found WNWN (Waste not, Want not) policy when it comes to my crafty supplies.  With that being said, I was glad that I was able to make the following cards out of materials I usually toss without a second thought.  I give you the Coupon Series!  Twice a week we get a stack of fliers, ads, and coupons in the mail.  In an attempt to be more economical I look through them but end up tossing them as they are filled with stuff we don't buy or places we don't go.  99% of it still ends up in the recycling but so far I've got some good cards from my annoying junk mail!

I LOVE TACOS!!

Shiny ad coupon and embroidery floss on bristol.

One of my favorites so far, just because it's so silly.  DH thinks it's ridiculous, but I said, "Mark my words.  Someone will want to trade.  I know someone out there likes Tacos as much as me!"

Hey, I'm not ashamed of my love for Mexican food :)

I'm Tired of Nuts!

Shiny ad and paper clippings on bristol.

That Nutcracker looks mad!

Conspicuous

Shiny ad and paper clippings on bristol.

Good Company.

Shiny ad and paper clippings on bristol.

As of now, all of the cards in this batch, except Conspicuous, are available.  Let me know if you want to trade!!

ATCs

These are a few ATCs that I made yesterday.  Sorry, the photo quality is not so hot, I still haven't fixed my camera problem so I scanned them.  I know, excuses, excuses.  Maybe I'll have to re-post em later.

Pink Princess 

Watercolors, vintage lace, gemstone and paper clippings on Bristol.

Sailor's Demise

Security envelope, paper clippings, metallic heart and vintage lace on Bristol.
Not so happy with this one here.  Originally, it only had the one girl with the hands behind her head.  After some bad decisions I had to add the second girl to cover up the hot mess I had made.
Happily, I stuck to my "Waste not, want not" plan and adapted.  As tempting as it was I didn't throw it out.

And last but not least, my Halloween inspired card-
Zombie Wound.

  Watercolors and embroidery floss on Bristol.
I don't think it comes across as pus filled as I would have liked, but it is Zombie like.

Currently, all three of available for trade.  Contact me if interested or find me on Flickr, which is where I normally do my trading.

ATCs.

I've decided to try my hand at ATCs.  I've always loved looking at them, viewing each as tiny little works of art.  These were the first two I whipped up.

 

For this, I combined my love of fabric and proverbs.  I collaged scraps from my jar onto the cards with Modge Podge (love it!!) and let it dry overnight.  I used Glad Press and Seal to write the words on top and punched holes with a straight pin... it was a pain with all of that Modge Podge to go through.  I embroidered the words with two strands of floss.  I wish I had either used more floss or a more visible color.  I had intended on hanging it in my studio area as a little reminder to use every possible material to it's fullest.  In an attempt to make it more visible in the little frame I was going to use I colored the white floss with marker... however, this didn't really work.  Oh well, in the album it goes instead.

The second one, because I'm sassy and sweet at the same time!  I've had that polka dot tissue paper forever, ha ha.  My Mama wrapped a few of my Christmas presents in it a few years ago.  I'm not a pack-rat, I just see potential in things others throw out!