Journals – My Crafts are Like a Box of Chocolates

Tropical Art Journal Spread

November 20, 2017 beccreates1

Yeah, I know it’s winter. But I have some projects left to show you from my time on the Dirty Dozen design team for SplitCoastStampers. And you know, I hate winter and all that!

The theme for the month was Guilty Pleasures. If I could pick something to really enjoy it would be a vacation somewhere warm and sunny! So I made a page to show a beach I’d like to visit. The base is an island map I printed off the internet. I covered it in matte medium to keep the ink from running when I added layers of acrylic paint. The tree trunk was hand drawn then cut from cork and coloured with Big Brush pens by Faber Castellar. The leaves were also hand drawn but on cardstock then coloured the same way. If you try this, be sure to seal your surface with more matte medium or the Brush pens won’t shade and blend.

Creating the island in the background was a bit hard. I wanted to make it look like the Hawaiian islands covered in lush green foliage but I also didn’t want it to become a flat green blob. I intended to make more trees but the ones I did took so long I gave up eventually! oh well, for me my art journal pages are for learning and exploration so I didn’t care too much. The map under the paint didn’t show up as much as I had hoped so to add more texture I stamped some tone-on-tone stamping. I used lots of postal cancellation marks and botanical illustration text. Last but not least I added some journaling, the crab and sand dollar and lettering.

Enjoy, Rebecca

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Do You Like Piña Coladas?

April 14, 2015 beccreates1

And getting caught in the rain? If you’re not into yoga and… Ha! Remember that old song? Once I got this page almost done, I just couldn’t think of any title that worked better!

I started with the challenge by The Monthly Mixed Media Challenge: April Showers. Then the Wednesday prompt for the Simon Says Stamp blog was April Showers and/or May Flowers. So I went to work. First I added crumpled tissue with gel medium then raindrop stencilling to the top of the page and large roses to the bottom. When it came time to add colour, I was a bit stuck. I already made a canvas using another Julie Nutting Doll with a clear blue sky and nice green grass. I didn’t want to repeat that. So I thought of a night sky! I used Golden fluid acrylic paint to cover the page.

On the bottom, I added silver rub on metallic paste to the raised areas. You don’t even realize it is there but it makes the road look shiny and highlighted. I coloured and paper pieced my doll. I made my own stencil to make sure that the road lines were the same size and shape. At this point, I realized that this elegant lady probably wouldn’t be out in the rain without an umbrella. and I started thinking of the title. Even if you like getting caught in the rain, you might not want to get wet!

Her umbrella is made from white cardstock and lace which I sewed to add the ruffle. Then I sprayed it with Colour Bloom spray. The handle is a bamboo skewer split down the middle and shortened to make it fit better. Her dress is much brighter and more dramatic IRL. For some reason, it looks really washed out. The necklace is made of tiny rhinestones.

Finally, I printed the sentiment using a font called Old Newspaper. Since the song is about a personal ad in the paper, I sponged on faded burlap distress ink on the whole piece and vintage photo lightly on the edges. It does look like old newsprint.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps: Prima
Paper: journal page, printer paper, Basic grey paper pack, Georgia pacific white CS
Ink: black memento
Accessories: Prima stencils, golden paints and gel medium, big brush marker, Copic markers, Liquitex light moulding paste

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Summer Floral Journal

April 7, 2013 beccreates1

This journal is for the Summer Home Decor Challenge in the Moxie Fab World. Make some time to play along won’t you? I’m planning on making it part of a desk set for a partner I’m swapping with so she can keep it out as part of her summer decor.

I started with a nice but too plain journal from Michaels. The cover had a purple binding, lilacs and yellow stripes with the scallops and cut outs and that’s it. I added the music paper, lace, ribbons, flowers, pearls, doily, stick pins with beads and buttons. This also makes a great hostess gift; I took one with me last night when I was invited out since I made two!

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Paper: vintage music paper-stash, white CS-PTI
Accessories: corsage pins-Michaels, gingham ribbon-SU!, green ribbon-Masterstroke, rose-Prima, lace-May Arts, purple bead-Swarovski, doily die, scalloped edge die-MFT, pearls-Dollarama, twine-PTI, if not noted, from my stash

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Book Loans Album for Mom

June 24, 2012 beccreates1

I’d have sworn I already posted this project; I wonder if I did and it got lost, hmmm. I make this mish mash journal style album for my mom. She often loans out her sewing books and then asks me if I have them and doesn’t quite believe me if I say no because I have a bad memory. She started writing down what people borrowed then loses the papers! So, this is the solution!

Please click on the photos for a larger view. I tried to decorate some pages but also leave some pages empty for writing. I used a variety of ribbons to decorate the rings and a gorgeous Recollections rose.

The little circle hanging on the string is a Tim Holtz fragment tag. the other side has a little flower showing through some glitter and glossy accents under the clear plastic tag. I’m not sure why I photographed it like this (as I remember, I was in a hurry) but it hangs down slightly when the string is wrapped around the button. The right page is an envelope where I put some library cards for the books she lends out more often. I also gave her some library pockets to put in those books.

I used a lot of Webster’s Pages paper for this. I did a bit of stamping…

…and made some shaped pages.

Some of the pages are covered chipboard. One is a doily and some are just plain paper.

I also used a recipe card that was a stamped image I was given and some Basic Grey paper too. I’m afraid I missed photographing the page behind the recipe card Sad smile

This page is one of my favourites. I love the cherry chipboard and vintage magazine advertisement. The left page is meant to be viewed when turned 90 degrees.

Although certainly not an exact match, I tried to embellish the cherries to have green stems like IRL. The right page is one of the most embellished. I added a stamped image, pearls, a tiny key and a stick pin.

and finally the back cover. Another vintage magazine ad and some lovely velvet rick rack.

I hope you enjoy my album, my mom did!

Rebecca

RECIPE: Sorry, I made this a year ago, I’m afraid I don’t remember much. Email me if you have a specific question.