Monday, March 31, 2014

Living Life

Good morning everyone.  Here’s a project I recently completed for Basically Bare!  I've been playing around with their Artful Binders again, and today I have a journal page using the 8-1/2 x 11 canvas sheets that are one of the expansion packs for the binder.

 
I started out by spraying Art Anthology Colorations in Peacock Feathers, Patience, Sangria, Guacamole, and Juicy, then misting with water to help blend all the colors.  Next I took a paintbrush and randomly spread Art Anthology Velvet in Lemon Tart and Tango around the canvas, blending well.  Then I randomly stamped around the page with black archival ink and chicken wire and script stamps.  I like to use unmounted cling stamps when I work on journal pages since it allows me to control the exact placement of the stamp.

 
I then used Studio 490 black embossing paste and the Tim Holtz Dot Fade stencil to add more texture.  I followed this up by stamping with the leaf stamp from Dylusions Doodle Parts stamp set using Art Anthology Shamrock Velvet.  The word "Dance" is made using Idea-ology Alpha Parts Signature pieces and the dancing girl is a stamp from Viva Las VegaStamps that I colored with Copic markers and then cut out.

For the bottom of the page, I used a frame from the Basically Bare Fanciful Frames II set, coloring it with Art Anthology Sorbet in Buttercream.  The inside square is a piece of chipboard that began life the middle of one of the frames.  I stamped "Admit One" onto it and then sprinkled Stampendous Color Fragments in Powder Blue and Chiffon around the edges.

 
The backside of the canvas was sprayed with Art Anthology Colorations in Raider, Timeless, Paprika, Mocha, and Plush, followed up by a couple of spritzes of water to help the colors blend.  I then stamped the background with a Stampers Anonymous Reflections stamp (no block used) and Brilliance Black Pigment Ink (due to the dark base colors).

 
Next I stenciled in arrows using Art Anthology Wineberry Velvet and TCW's 12x12 Arrows & Hearts stencil.  Then, I stenciled some coffee rings using Studio 490 silver embossing paste a the TCW 12x12 Well Rounded stencil.  The children are a stamp from Viva Las VegaStamps that I colored with Copic Markers and cut out.

 
More stenciling done with the TCW 12x12 Dots & Dashes stencil and Art Anthology Truffle Velvet.  Then I grabbed a my Tim Holtz Cargo Stencil and using a PITT Artist Pen, stenciled in  "Live Life".  I outlined the lettering with a white gel pen.

These journal pages were a blast to do.  I love to get inky, and with all the colors I used, that wasn't a problem (my hands were very colorful after this).  The whole point to this is to live life to the fullest and not be afraid to try new things.  Considering all the new techniques I tried out of this canvas expansion pack panel, I definitely "lived life" with this project.

Until later………………
LiveWriter Signature

Supplies Used:
Basically Bare:  8-1/2x11 Artful Binder Canvas Expansion Pack Page, Fanciful Frames II
Art Anthology Colorations:  Peacock Feathers, Patience, Sangria, Guacamole, Juicy, Raider, Timeless, Paprika, Mocha, Plush
Art Anthology Sorbet:  Buttercream
Art Anthology Velvet:  Shamrock, Lemon Tart, Tango, Truffle, Wineberry
Ideo-ology Alpha Parts Signature
Stampendous Color Fragments
Dylusions Doodle Parts Stencil
TCW:  12x12 Arrows & Hearts Stencil, 12x12 Dots & Dashes Stencil, 12x12 Well Rounded Stencil
Tim Holtz:  Dot Fade Stencil, Cargo Stencil
Studio 490:  Black & Silver Embossing Pastes
Stampers Anonymous Mixed Media Reflections Stamp
Viva Las VegaStamps Dancing Girl, Children with Car Stamps

Monday, March 24, 2014

LWD Design Tool Review Tuesday: Tim Holtz Ideaology Unmounted Stamp Binder and Unmounted Stamp Binder Refill Pockets

For today’s Tool Review Tuesday, I’m reviewing the Tim Holtz Unmounted Stamp Binder and related Refill Pockets.

The binder measures a generous 10 x 9.75 x 3, giving it plenty of room to hold all your Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Stamps.  It can also hold transfers, stickers, etc.

It comes with three refill pockets to get you started.

The pockets are very roomy and easily hold your cling stamps (mine are stuck to a piece of acetate) and the stamp guide that comes with them. 

I slide my cling stamps into the pocket, attached to the piece of acetate they come with, put you can actually stick them directly to the outside back of the pocket.  The pocket is made to hold the stamp guide so you can see which stamps you have in what pocket.

What’s also so great about this binder is that the Stampers Anonymous stamp sets that come with their own three-hole punched cover fit directly into the binder.  No need for separate binders for the different types of stamps.

Refill pages are sold in packs of five.

I currently have six refill pockets in my binder and six Stampers Anonymous stamp sets, and I still have plenty of room for more refill pages.  My next step is going to be moving all my clear Tim Holtz stamps out of the CD cases they are in and into these pockets.
This is a very handy binder.  All my Tim Holtz and S.A. stamps are together and at my fingertips.  The zipper enclosure insures that if one of my stamps comes lose (not likely but possible), that it will stay in the binder and not fall out.  I plan on buying a couple of more of these because I do have so many of these stamps to file. Until now, they’ve been stacked in a plastic bin, hard to find and hard to use.
You can find the products used here and many more for your crafting projects at 25% off MSRP at Lone Wolf Designs, LLC.  All you have to do is join the Lone Wolf Designs Discount Craft Supplies Facebook group.  If you haven’t joined us yet, you’re paying TOO MUCH for your craft supplies!

Supplies Used Available from Lone Wolf Designs LLC:
Tim Holtz Ideaology Unmounted Stamp Binder
Tim Holtz Ideaology Unmounted Stamp Binder Refill Pages

Until later……………………………………….
LiveWrite Signature Line

Thursday, March 13, 2014

LWD Design Team Showcase: Dylusions Mini Couture Stamp Set & Around the Edge Stamp Set

I’ve been on a journal page-making spree again.  They are so much fun to do and really allow me to express myself.  For this page, I used the Dylusions Mini Couture Stamp Set.

First, I glued down some sheet music and pieces of paper out of a book using Gel Medium.  While I was at it, I decided to do both pages since I had already torn up enough paper.

Then, I followed with a light layer of gesso.

Using ink blending tools, I applied a bunch of different colors of Distress Ink.  I wanted this page to be bright, so I chose really vibrant colors, blending well.

I stamped all my images using Archival Ink.  The stamps I used were from the Dylusions Mini Couture and Around the Edge sets.


Now color, color, color.  I used a ton of Distress Ink Markers (most of which I forgot to write down) to fill in the images. 

Next, I stamped in my sentiments from the Dylusions Say What You Mean set and added a few more stamped images from my stash to fill in holes.

The finished page.  Let me say that for me, these pages are a learning experience.  I get to play with all kind of fun stuff along with practicing my layering techniques.  After critiquing my page, I noticed where I needed more background stamping or possibly some stenciling.  It would have helped fill in the “holes” that I see.  I also could have added some tulle or cheesecloth to give the page more texture and keep it from being so flat. 

So, nope, we designers don’t always totally love what we create.  However, we are constantly learning from our mistakes we can get better and better.

You can find the products used here and many more for your crafting projects at 25% off MSRP at Lone Wolf Designs, LLC.  All you have to do is join the Lone Wolf Designs Discount Craft Supplies Facebook group.  If you haven’t joined us yet, you’re paying TOO MUCH for your craft supplies!

Dylusions Mini Couture Stamp Set
Dylusions Around the Edge Stamp Set
Dylusions Say What You Mean Stamp Set
Distress Ink:  Fired Brick, Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn, Squeezed Lemonade, Broken China, Scattered Straw, Peacock Feathers, Spiced Marmalade
Ranger Ink Blending Tool
Distress Markers (some that were used):  Scattered Straw, Mustard Seed, Fired Brick, Black Soot, Pine Needles, Peeled Paint, Faded Jeans