inspiration on monday…..dragonfly

one of my favorite things to do 

is just swipe some watercolor across the paper

and see what it turns into.

but i've discovered my challenge is in leaving the watercolor "as is",

and i usually end up reaching for my favorite micron pens and graphite pencils,

because, well, i seem to have a hard time letting 

the watercolor just be what it wants to be.

so, this time i decided to just add little lines and the tiniest bit of micron…..

but let's face it,

 there are times when more lines = more better,

and this is one of those times!

today i'm giving myself permission to stay in my micron-comfort-zone,

because sometimes you just need to do that for yourself on a monday.

:))

{fluid 140 lb. CP paper, winsor & newton watercolor, 

micron pens, 6B graphite pencil}

inspiration monday

sometimes when you're stuck for inspiration….

all you need to do is seek out what you know to be true…..

…..and let your heart lead the way….

and the big picture will reveal itself.

guaranteed!

{this artwork was created in my walls notebook using micron pens,
pitt pens, PanPastels, derwent inktense w/c pencils, 8B graphite pencil}

inspiration monday

here's a great way to take a journal page and turn it into something new!
first,  look through your journals and find a simple design,
and then scan it into your computer.
(i changed my design to black and white for the transfer.)

then, following the directions on the package,
print your artwork onto a piece of sticky fabri-solvy by sulky.

now, just peel off the backing paper, and stick it onto a piece of fabric.
(here,  i've used a piece of cotton flour sack)

now choose your favorite stitches…..

and add all your favorite colors of thread and other fun stuff!

once you're done stitching, rinse the fabric in warm water
until the fabri-solvy dissolves.  let your fabric dry and iron it, if needed.
at this point, you can call it finished…..

or you can take it a step further and add some more color directly to the fabric!
here, i've used a watercolor crayon:  draw a small amount of color onto the
fabric and use a waterbrush, sparingly, to activate the color.  if you add too
much water, it will bleed out into the surrounding areas.
i added a bit of water to the color, and then i dried it immediately
with a heat gun to keep it from bleeding out.
continue adding as much color as you like…..

and reward yourself with a nice piece of chocolate
for taking a page from your journal, and turning it into
something that you can enjoy as a wall hanging or
maybe even sew it into a sweet little pillow!

to see a complete demonstration of the fabri-solvy, click here!

{supplies:  sulky sticky fabri-solvy,  cotton fabric,
assorted embroidery floss, orange seed beads, needle,
lyra aquacolor crayon, waterbrush}


✭✭✭

happy memorial day to all my friends here in America!
we remember all those who have sacrificed to protect our freedoms!
xox

inspiration monday

when i was a kid in school, i took home economics instead

of art classes, and i discovered waaaay back then

that i truly love to sew.

and even though i started out sewing clothes for my barbies and my troll dolls,

my favorite thing to do now is create fun things for our home. 

so when i found this free tutorial over at craftsy,  my fingers 

started itching to get stitching again!

this sweet little bucket bag was super easy to put together…..

and there's lots of special pockets on the outside  

to hold lots of special and important stuff.

 so now, my journals and all those other things that inspire me

 are never too far away! 

{click here for a free craftsy bucket bag tutorial….

signing up for an account using an e-mail address is required,

but this class is free!}

{bucket bag fabric:  mill creek/crosby blackout and mustard polka dot }

inspiration monday

i'm a firm believer that inspiration can be found anywhere.

all you have to do is think about what makes you really happy…..

and most of all,
follow your heart.

and before you know it,  the doors of inspiration will open to you
where you didn't even know they existed!


{supplies:  walls notebook, pan pastel, sakura gelly roll pens, pitt pens,
derwent inktense pencils,  8B graphite pencils, white pilot choose pen}

inspiration monday

hello, bloggy sweeties!
i had a wonderful little break, and this gorgeous weather
has had me channeling spring flowers!

this is the perfect time of year to add some spring-bling to
 a journal page, and to me, there's nothing better than
a spray of blue and pink happiness to brighten things up!

(and if you're going to do blue and pink, you've got to add some
purple-happy in there too, right?)

i've never had much luck growing the perfect garden outside,
so i'm very thankful that my paintbrush and calligraphy nibs
can help me create one in my journal!

enjoy this day, and have a fabulous, creative week!  xox


{this page in my moleskine planner was created for the 
DLP week eighteen challenge to write an inspiring quote.  
supplies:  fabriano artistico 140 HP paper, derwent inktense pencils,
pitt and micron pens, 6B graphite pencil, koi watercolor, washi tape}

inspiration monday {elvie-encore-post #6}

i stumbled upon this fabulous you tube by sija, and had to try it!

it's a really quick way to add some dimension to a shipping tag.....

and then you can use it in your journal or on a card!

as shown in the video, i used a thin coat of gesso and let it dry
 (i'm impatient, so i sped things up with my heat gun), 
and then i applied tim holtz distress inks using a foam applicator 
(make-up sponges work, too). 
here i've used the colors broken china and peeled paint, 
while leaving some of the natural color of the tag peeking through.

and this is what it looks like after i used a gentle touch with 
a baby wipe over the gessoed areas! 

for this tag, i used two of my favorite distress ink colors:

spiced marmalade and fired brick.
then, i finished using a micron for the lettering.

these tags each took about ten minutes to create, and 
they definitely fit into the "instant art gratification" category!!!

                    

you can watch this video in larger format here.

{i'm currently on a little bloggy break...this is an encore presentation 

of a post originally featured on august 6th and 7th, 2010}

inspiration monday {elvie-encore-post #4}

i seem to have a lot of "experimental background papers" that are, 

let's face it, just plain lemons.    

so, you know the saying, when you've got lemons,  make some lemonade!

one of the things i like about this paper is all that juicy color...…

but to my eye, it's just too splotchy.  

so one thing i love to do is take a scrap of card stock and 

cut an opening out of the middle to create a little window 

(i've cut mine into a 1.5" square, but you can use any size or shape).  

then place it on top of the paper, and move it around...…

there are lots and lots of fun little art pieces hiding in there!  

make a quick tracing with a pencil around the edge of 

the window shape and then cut out the piece.......

and you'll have a pile of little art lovelies before you know it!  

suddenly that big piece of lemon paper is looking much better!

here's a way to make some lemonade with those little snippets of art happiness: 

draw a frame shape onto a piece of watercolor paper 

(i'm using my moleskine journal)......

and then paint it in.  i drew my frame with a tombow watersoluble marker, 

so i just used my waterbrush to activate the ink.  

when it dries, you can go back with your micron 

to touch up any lines that have faded.

once the frame is dry, glue one of the little art snippets to the middle.....

then add all of your special touches, 

and maybe even a title for your new little masterpiece!

keep painting frames and adding art snippets and titles......

and before you know it......

you've got your very own lemonade gallery!

have fun!

{my art gallery lemonade recipe:

the original background paper was created using bottled inks and this saran wrap method.

other supplies:  card stock, black tombow marker, waterbrush, micron pens, 2B pencil, glue stick}

{i'm currently on a little bloggy break...this is an encore presentation 

of a post originally featured on july 25, 2011}

inspiration monday

i'm a firm believer that when it comes to finding inspiration….

sometimes it helps to get as far away as possible from
all this busyness going on around us.

and while i'm not really very good at it,
i think it also means just resting for a while.

so i'm going to take mr. buchanan's advice…..

and recharge my creative batteries back to the "fully alive" level!

i'll be away from blogland for the next few weeks,
so i'll be posting some of my favorite elvie-encore-posts while i'm gone….

see you soon, dear, sweet, bloggy friends!!
xox


{supplies: walls notebook, derwent inktense pencils, pan pastel,
pitt pens, white pilot choose pen, 8B graphite pencil}

inspiration monday

as much as i love playing in my art journal, sometimes i get the itch to do something completely different.  i've had my eye on elke bergeron's "leather clutch" workshop over at creativebug for quite a while, so i decided this was the perfect time to learn something new!

while elke's class doesn't include this step,  you probably know i don't do too many projects unless it includes letterforms, and i couldn't resist using my set of hand-carved stamps for this little clutch!  so i put a piece of washi tape across the front of my leather to use as a guide, and then i placed an acrylic ruler under the top to provide a firm surface for stamping.

i used a white pigment stamp pad that i had on hand,
and then i heat set the ink with my heat gun.

then i rounded the corners,  punched some holes along the side,
and stitched it up with some linen thread.

for my closure, i decided to add a snap….

and now i have a really cool leather pouch….and it was super simple to make!

the only two things i would do differently next time:
first, to make the stamping more permanent, i think i'll try using acrylic paint...

and secondly,  i'll pay more attention to the mantra
"measure twice, cut once" before i start my next project!
my plan was to store my inktense pencils in here, but when
i finished the pouch and tried to put them inside, they were too long!!
so now i have a leather clutch that's perfect for my glasses and micron pens,
but it's marked "pencils" on the front!  aaack!
:))


for more information about elke bergeron's creativebug class, click here
to watch a tutorial for setting snaps, click here


{supplies:  leather piece from hobby lobby, leather punch, hammer, 
hand-carved letter stamps, white ink pad, linen thread, needle, snap set tool, snaps}