Using Childrens' book images on your Art Journal pages.. By Lisa Oxley

Howdy folks, Lisa here with a Sunday mixed media upload.

I have been flicking through old kids books, fairy tales type, and came across this delightful picture of snow white-pre Disney. I particularly love her glorious hair, so I just had to put her in my journal

For this piece I have a square Dylusions journal

and I used white Liquitex gesso to covered the surface.

Cutting around the main image, to remove what I don't want on the page, I added the image to the page using Liquitex matt medium.

Detail items used include 

TCW stencil 

Fudeball Pen

Time Holtz Small Talk strip words

Dylusions paint Magenta, Peony

Green Posca

Branch and Leaves Stamp, Script Stamp

Butterfly sticker

White out correction pen.

Here a quick video to show you how simple and easy this was to put together.

Thanks for dropping by the blog, lets get festive for the month ahead, Ill be back in no time with another mixed media Scrapping Clearly update .

ATC's - get a little bit of creativity happening.

Welcome back to the blog and for taking time out on the weekend to get yourself in the creative zone.  I have been very blessed over the past few months to attend some arty retreats and I am sharing some of my work from last weekend’s retreat on the Sunshine Coast of Oz. There is so much creative energy flowing when you attend a retreat or arty escape as I like to think of them. I cannot vouch for them enough to help refill your cup and recharge your creative energy.

I have created three ATC {Artist Trading Cards} all themed a little differently. An ATC is created using a background measuring 2.5” by 3.5”. I have used plain white cardstock as a base and have prepped each card using white gesso.

 Card 1 – I used Vicki Boutin water colour crayon in orange to colour the cardstock. Then I used water to disperse the colour evenly. I have then used a spot stencil and rubbed off excess colour.  

Card 2 – Vicki Boutin water colour crayon in pink was used. I placed a Kinder Kreations stencil on top and then wiped away the colour leaving the white resist.

Card 3 = Vicki Boutin water colour crayon in blue was used with the same technique as Card 2. I have used a spot stencil.

The next step was to choose stamping. I have chosen some Viva Las Vegas stamps. You can use any stamp of your choosing to add to this layer. For Card 1 & 2 I chose the stamps as part of the feature for the card. Card 3 I chose this stamp purely as a background stamp to add interest to the piece and compliment the lines that I would add to the card later.  

I have added more texture to the cards by adding another layer to each.

Card 1 – Liquitex modelling paste was added using a stencil.

Card 2 – Liquitex matte gel was added through a Kinder Kreations stencil

Card 3 – Liquitex modelling paste was added using a stencil.

After these dried I used my ALLS pencil to add darkness and shading to the cards. I have then added different finishing touches to each card.

Card 1 – I have added more stamping with the word mysterious. I have stitiched around the circle of the stamped image. I have coloured a small price tag and  added it to the top of the card. A face was glued to the centre of the card. I then added more black pencil and smudged it over the white texture paste using a little water. 

 Card 2 – I stitched a black border around the outer edge of the card.   Word stamps from an older set were added to the outer edge of the card. Finally I used some glossy accents to glue down some teeny tiny watch gears. 

 Card 3 – I stitched a black border on the card. I then folded a paper flower and stitched this to the card. I have used the stitching to create the stem to the flower. I stamped a VLV stamp quote to the bottom of the flower and have also added some Finnabair art stones.

I love that I have been reintroduced to these little mini masterpieces. The dimension and individuality that you can harness from creating each one is amazing.

I hope this has given you a spark to create your own little mini masterpiece. Until next week - have a fabulous creative journey. 

Tracey xx

Glimpse of September

Welcome to a new month of fabulous colour with the help and inspiration of the September mood board. I hope you are ready to create up a storm this Spring and have your camera charged to take some amazing photo's as we roll through September. It is one of my favourite months to capture memories... 

I am very blessed with a creative daughter, it does have its advantages and disadvantages - like amazing art created but your supplies go missing. So blessed that I get to capture these moments in time every now and again when she is deep in thought creating... I love this piece that she created, I still have it stashed away - it is adorned top and bottom of the eye space with sea glass in a light burnt orange... It is one of my most favourite & treasured pieces she has created so far, so what better way to showcase the moment than to scrapbook it with its own page. 

I sprayed Dylusions Calypso teal ink and water onto my messy mat and then placed my Cardstock on that to pick up the colour. Then I tore a few strips from the Dina Wakley collage paper and adhered it with Liquitex matte medium . Once the tissue had dried I sewed straight lines up and down the page using aqua cotton to help add more texture and interest to the page. Then Liquitex modelling paste was added through a stencil.

I then worked on the layers under and around the photo. I used black netting (tulle), sticker butterflies and I cut my title with my silhouette. 

I added some Jane Davenport washi to the bottom of the photo with some micro pom poms. Tim Holtz sticker words were then added to add more of my thoughts for this page. The final touch was the black border using a fude ball pen. 

I hope you have gathered a little inspiration to get yourself creating this month. Till next time have a fantastic Saturday. 

tracey xx

Wild And Free Canvas Panel by Leonie Neal-Dawson

Hello, I hope you all are relaxing and enjoying this Easter Weekend.

Our family generally goes camping this weekend but this Easter we are staying home so have no particular plans. I am thinking maybe fitting in some crafting will be an option..? What do you do over Easter Weekend?

Today I have this canvas panel to share with you. 

"She was life itself, wild and free. Wonderfully chaotic, a perfectly put together mess."

9x12" Canvas Panel 

I used this paper 'Bright and Beautiful 1' by Paper Arts. I liked the pastel tones to this paper and thought they looked a little 'Easter-ish' and that's probably where my Easter theme ends!

I cut the paper into lots of different sized squares and rectangles and collaged them onto 

a 9x12" canvas panel using Liquitex Matte Medium.

Next up I used a black Stabilo Aquarellable pencil to define each rectangle and smudged out the lines with a wet paint brush. Some stamping and splashes of watered down Gesso finished of the base of my canvas panel. 

My Chipboard title piece Wild and Free is by Memory Maze. I incorporated this into my quote

"She was life itself, wild and free. Wonderfully chaotic, a perfectly put together mess."

Can I let you know, 'Mess' is how I was feeling about my title chipboard after adding layer after layer to it

before I finally settled on something I was happy with. 

Liquitex Gesso came first but looked too plain, then it was black ink but I didn't like that either. Texture Paste and Dylusions sprays next - that blended in with the background too much! I was really beginning to think it was going to end up in the bin until I added a couple of coats of  Dylusions White Linen Spray. This last layer covered the bright dylusions pinks, purples and teal...but still left a faint tinge of them showing through, that and the earlier layer of texture paste finally made me happy. Phew, I was getting worried there for a bit. 

I accentuated my panel with these lovely Prima flowers, I like that they also had some feathers and so  tied in with the Wild and Free theme. 

That's it for me today, I hope you have a lovely Easter Holiday.

Happy Crafting and 

cheers from me. 

Leonie Neal-Dawson

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