annstanleyDesign59

My Art Journal

2012-07-02T10:04:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! Today I'm sharing some shots of my personal art journal.

I'm using a composition book I got during a back-to-school sale. I painted the cover with acrylic craft paint and added a strip of antique feed sack down the binding. It was a scrap left over from one of my grandmother's projects. I'd intended to use blue flowers on the cover, but changed my mind, so the blue in the fabric looks a little out-of-place, but that's okay. The vintage glove belonged to my principal's mother-in-law and I bought it at a rummage sale our school was holding to raise funds for the United Way. I wrapped the thumb around and hot glued it to the back. A bit of vintage seam binding became the bow - no clue where I got it, and the flowers are from a grab bag of left over bits and pieces I bought at Hobby Lobby for 99 cents. The backdrop behind the journal is an old piece of a quilt my grandmother made. As it became too worn to use as a quilt, she cut out the "good" spots, added binding around the edges and made several mats. I remember she used them as chair pads (instead of cushions).

This is the first page. I don't remember where I found the piece I quoted, but it seemed appropriate and fit my wacky sense of humor. I've used vintage images throughout the journal. I love looking on Wikimedia Commons and the New York Public Library sites especially. They have a great many images that are in the public domain. I've also used pictures pulled from the web of some of the women who inspire me - Princess Diana, Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt - strong women who were ahead of their time in many ways - women I'd like to be like. I haven't done anything to the inside cover yet. I'll cover it in some way before I'm finished with this journal.

This is a spread in my journal. I'm not posting in any particular order, just what ever strikes my fancy. I started this journal after watching a Youtube video by Tangie Baxter. I recommend you watch her video. She has some good information about setting up the pages and getting started. I chose to glue 2 - 3 pages together for strength because I knew I was going to glue a lot of stuff on them and wanted them to hold up. The background on this particular spread was made by painting the pages with cheap acrylic craft paint in ivory, then scribbling all over the pages with water color pencils in a couple o different colors. I wet a wide brush with a little water and went over the whole page, blending the scribbles and colors into a nice even coat. I used a large rubber stamp (3" X 4") with small squares and different designs in each to stamp over the whole page with black ink. The stamp doesn't have a name on it and I bought it at a yard sale, so I can't identify it. I used some clear stamps (flourishes) to cover the page on the right - stamping over other designs to just cover the pager and give some dimension. I also added some of the flourishes to the other page. The quote is e.e.cummings and one that I particularly like. I typed it up in a word document and printed it out, tore it out and inked the edged with distress ink. My choice of adhesive varies with my mood and the materials. Sometimes I use the photo glue sticks from Hobby Lobby. Sometimes I use gel medium both under the piece and over it. Other times I use The Ultimate glue in a bottle and I have used Yes! paste, but I find it a little difficult to get smooth and even. I used pop dots under the photos and inked the edges with distress ink just to bring a little attention to them. The pieces of corrugated cardboard around the edges is packaging from a new set of pots & pans I'd just bought. They were already cut into triangles, I just hit the top of the ridges with distress ink and glued them down. You may notice the ridges go in random directions and I did that on purpose (really!) for added interest, but to be honest, at first the different directions bothered me a little, but I was trying to work outside my comfort zone. Now, looking back, I think they look pretty cool. The hand lettering was done using paint pens. I've bought a lot of different brands a lot of different places, but I'm really pleased with the Sharpie Poster paint pens. The white is pretty opaque which is difficult to find. I also use a lot of Painters opaque paint pens by Elmer's.

Just a few more spreads done about the same way. I'll post more later along with info about how I made them. Take care until next time! Ann & Katie

Mariposa Paper Bag Album

2012-06-13T23:20:00.001-05:00

Just had to share pictures of the Mariposa album that my daughter & I have been working on (it seems like FOR EVER). Finally got it finished & listed on ETSY.

The cover is made from matte board cut to size and covered with scrapbook paper. I used the Mariposa stacks (prints & solids) by DCWV. A scrap of black velvet upholstery fabric was the perfect finish on the spine - it adds a lovely texture as well as helping stabilize the 3" book. A piece of gimp finished with antique brass brads edges the velvet. The paper was so beautiful, I didn't add any embellishment except the button closure - a vintage one from a local antique shop that I love. A piece of copper jewelery wire was threaded through a glass bead to cover the button holes and secure the button to the cover. Punched a hole, threaded the wire through, covered with matching paper and lots of glue for stability then finished with a piece of woven ribbon.

This is the thickest album I've even made! Talk about real estate - there's space for 41 photos (6" X 4"). More photos can be tucked into the large pockets formed from the bag's tops. I die cut 26 tags (6 1/4" X 3 1/8") that are decorated on the front and backed with solid ivory paper for even more space for smaller photos, ephemera and journaling. I added 24 mini tags (1 5/8" X 3 1/4") for fun little places to journal or tuck in things like ticket stubs, fortunes from a special Asian meal, small pressed flowers from a special bouquet (like the wild flowers my grand kids bring me). The only limit is your imagination!

Typical construction of paper bag albums usually use the bottom of the bag. I was very frustrated by the unevenness of the bag's construction, so I cut the bottoms off and made small pockets from card stock to replace the discarded bottoms. This created additional storage for even more tags.

The amount of time Katie & I spent on this album really shows in the details. We wanted this album to be special and I think we achieved that.

All the tags were die cut using my Big Shot. This particular one was stamped, a butterfly image cut out, smaller butterflies punched and Stickles added for a bit of bling. I left the small butterfly wings loose on the edges and shaped them a little with a ball tool I use for shaping paper flowers. This gives the feeling that they are just hovering above the paper.

The large pink tag is representative of all the tags designed for the pockets created from the bag itself. The edges are die cut and holes hand punched on the front for added interest. A small ribbon bow adorns the tag and helps us grab hold of the tag to remove it easily from the pocket. This tag was masked with a piece of coarse cotton lace and sprayed with teal Glimmer Mist. Each tag opens like a greeting card and is completely plain except for those that were masked and sprayed, leaving a lot of space for large photos and other ephemera. Click on the pictures for a larger version that makes it easier to see the details. (The vintage crocheted table runner was made by my British grandmother in the early 1950's.)

This open green tag shows its simplicity, allowing more space for all those 4" X 6" pictures we sometimes have trouble placing in our albums.

This paper stack stretched my comfort zone, using color combinations I wouldn't normally use. I discovered several that I'll be using again thanks to the creativity of the paper's designers. Hope you guys enjoyed seeing what we've been up to. Hope you'll take time to add a comment - all comments are most welcome and we look forward to hearing from you! Till next time - take care!

On a personal note - today is my baby's birthday - Happy 27 Katie - I love you!

Arkansas Razorback Baby Mini Album

2012-06-11T21:37:00.000-05:00

Hi guys! If you've been following along you may remember that I was making a mini album for a friend's new baby using the Arkansas Razorback football team as inspiration. Got it finished and she loved it. It is definitely a one-of-a-kind. I took the pictures with my camera on it's side due to the length of the album and I'm not sure I know how to turn them around, so you may have to tilt your head to see it the right way up! Here goes:

This is the front of the album. I cut each onesie by hand from chipboard. No two are alike (despite my best efforts - lol).

I used twill tape and Velcro for the closure (buttons on top are decorative only).

Opened up, the top has "Player Stats" - Drew's height, weight, birthday - since he was born before I finished the album I was able to type the information and add it. The tag on the bottom slides out of the frame (I put pop dots under it), so they can add pictures on both sides.

The remaining pages have picture mats and places for journaling along with one more raised frame and tag.

I made the back look like a football jersey, complete with our little guy's name. (Don't ask how I got all the pictures turned around except for this one - it's a mystery to me :) Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, take care!

New Paper Bag Album

2012-05-08T20:51:00.001-05:00

Just finished a new paper bag album for a swap over at swap.bot. The theme was "nature". I used 2 bags split down the gusset and covered with card stock to form pockets. A third bag with handles was also split along the gusset and added to make the cover. You can see my inspiration in the background of the picture (the side yard between our log cabin and Spider Creek that runs through our property).

There are four large pockets formed with the split bags and additional smaller pockets that hold tags.

This is the first spread in the album. I used the Tim Hotlz bird cage die cut along with lots of different flowers and leaves mostly punched using McGill punches.

A close-up of the bird cage page. I really like the way it turned out. This was the first time I'd tried using so many different small pieces on one page. Some Stickles add a little shine & glitz.

The next spread shows the smaller pockets and embellished tags. The butterfly is a Sizzix die featuring a solid butterfly and a matching one with cut-outs. I left the cut-out wings free to give the image some dimension.

A close-up of some of my tags. I cut them out using a Tim Holtx die cut - love the size - just right for a small photo and some journaling. I created mats using Spellbinders Nestabilities, and left the backs of the tags plain for more photos or journaling. The small butterfly is a punch I've had for ever. I think it came from Hobby Lobby and was made by the Paper Studio.

I used Spellbinders Nestabilities again to cut a mat for the page. I embellished it with more punched flowers and a little glitz from the Stickles.

Large rectangular tags slip inside the bag pockets and are simply embellished with a paper mat and silk flower accented with a bit of Stickles and a pearl button. This gives a nice space for some 4" X 6" pictures.

I hope my swap partner will enjoy adding her special photos and memories as much as I enjoyed making it! Thanks for stopping by - take care until next time.

Lime Green Paper Bag Album

2012-04-13T21:14:00.000-05:00

I completed this paper bag album this week for a swap over at www.swapbot.com. There's a group for swapping these little darlings, and since I love creating them, I just couldn't resist joining. This swap was 2 Bags - Artist's Choice. I usually wait until partners are assigned so I can check out their profile and try to create something the recipient will like. My partner for this swap likes green & frogs, so this is what I came up with. I started with 2 lime green gift bags from Hobby Lobby. After folding them in half, I layered them with the tops of the bags facing opposite directions and punched 3 holes using my Crop-A-Dile II. Lime green rat-tail cord was threaded through the holes and tied at the top to bind the book. I added a piece of white satin ribbon through the middle of the book for additional stability.

I cut three tags for each pocket formed when the bag was folded in half. I used my Tim Holtz "On the Edge" file folder die and my Sizzix Big Shot machine to cut the edges.

I cut smaller tags using the Sizzix Die Tags #3 and embellished them with flowers created by layering the two smallest flowers from Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals with the two smallest flowers from the Spellbinders Carnation Creations. I joined all petals to the tag using brads.

The padded frog stickers are from the Paper Studio.

Pieces of card stock were cut diagonally using the Tim Holtz "On the Edge" Scallops die to create pockets to hold the tags.

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, happy scrapping! Shirley & Katie

Freebies!

2012-03-04T18:31:00.002-06:00

I promised more vintage baby ephemera for you to use in your art and here it is!

The first two are scanned from my baby book (1959). The card on the bottom was from my husband's baby shower in 1958. Remember, I own the original vintage pieces, but don't claim to own the copyrights to these images. I'm posting for your personal use only.

I used the images from my baby book in the baby book I made for my co-worker.The puppy was cropped from the larger page and enlarged to fit the space. I cut the medallions using my Spellbinder Nestabilities die set. I'll have to post the name later, all my die cuts are at my daughter's house this week and I'm posting from home. I printed them out on regular weight copy paper, trimmed them with my very sharp pointy Fisker scissors and adhered them with the Paper Studio photo safe glue sticks. The images almost melt into the background and it's difficult to tell they are collage.

Thanks for stopping by! Untill next time - take care!

Vintage 70's Baby Album

2012-02-28T22:08:00.000-06:00

Hey guys! Today I want to share some pictures of the '70's baby album I'm working on for a teacher I work with. The colors drove me a little crazy - not what I usually choose for a baby album.

Everything spread out on the dining table - seems I work best with lots of choices around me. The base of the album was created using 5 Ivory cards/envelopes from the Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby) 5" X 6.5". I assembled them using my usual hinges with a 1/4" gutter. Paper from the "Tattered and Worn" Paper Studio stack was used for photo mats and tags. The solid brown, blue and olive green are from an unknown source. The odd looking red plastic cup is holding my bottle of "The Ultimate" adhesive (upside-down to keep the really thick glue easy to access). I used the envelopes to create the album pages by sealing them closed (I use glue to hold them closed, not trusting the lick-and-stick stuff on them) and cut a scant 1/8" off the bottom to form the "pocket". This cut edge becomes the top of the page; so basically, the envelope is turned up-side down.

I used the cards for tags, cutting diagonal edges on one side of the card, then punching the edge with the Martha Stewart Doily border punch. I also used it to shape the edges of the connecting hinges.

I found some great vintage baby shower cards from my mother's and my mother-in-law's collection of baby "stuff" they collected over the years from their own showers, along with some flea market finds. I scanned the originals and re-sized them to fit the album. I don't like to cut up the original ephemera. I try to preserve it for future paper artists to discover. I own the original pieces, but don't claim to own the copyright(s) to any of them. I'm sharing them for your personal use only. Please don't put these on a CD or collage sheet for sale. You may use them in art you hand create and sell, nothing commercially produced. A link back is appreciated, but not mandatory. I'd love to see what you create using these images.

I'll post more pictures of the album showing how I used the images, along with more images for you guys soon. Take care & happy creating!

Our Etsy Shop is Open!!!!!!

2012-02-20T12:30:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited to anounce we've finally got our first album posted on Etsy - whoooo!!! Visit us at: annstanleyDesign59.etsy.com

I managed to get a better description of Persnicktey #3 for the Etsy post, so check it out. I also added 1 more tag. Somehow 13 tags didn't seem right. I'm not supersticious or anything, but I just like even numbers of things. My collage art teacher taught us to use the "Greek odds", but I always put 2 sets of 3 elements. I just can't help it.

I'm starting on 2 baby albums this week. Two of the teachers I work with are having a joint baby shower next Tuesday. One is a huge Arkansas Razorback fan, so I'm working on something special for her.

The other has her nursery done in "Vintage 70's). Hey! I grew up in the 70's! Hard to think of that being vintage. That aside, do you know how hard it is to find baby boy papers, stickers, etc. in chocolate brown, olive green, and harvest gold???? I looked at Hobby Lobby for an hour and a half Saturday night (hubby sat in the truck and called every 15 minutes to "check" on me and remind me how long I'd been shopping. On top of everything else, they are remodeling our Hobby Lobby, so everything is moved around and even the sales people have difficulty finding things. I only found 1 set of animal stickers that looked like they went with items in her Target registery, but I couldn't find any babyish paper to go with them. I finally settled on a page kit called "Cute Little Baby" fom the Paper Studio. It's got lots of brown, gold, orange and an olivie green (along with some pink and a funky shade of blue). The only problem is that it has zoo animals and her nursery has forrest animals. I may go back and get the sticker set I liked & look around for different paper. Then again, the album doesn't have to match the nursery, but I just thought it would be nice if it did.

Check back for pictures of the 2 mini albums in progress and to see if I've gone crazy yet trying to match vintage 70's colors!

Take care - Ann & Katie

Tag Pictures

2012-02-19T18:22:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone!
I'm posting pictures of the tags in the Persnickety #3 album. Just wanted you guys to see how we've done the interior tags for the large bag pockets and the cute tags we cut using the Spellbinders Nestabilities Label #14.

The first tag in the album is made using a vintage reproduction of a lovely lady. Her picture can be left as is or your favorite image could be mounted on the 3 1/2" X 4 1/2" tag. The back has a journaling stamp in StazOn Timber Brown. Two different sizes of the Nestabilities Label #14 were cut and distressed using Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Tattered Rose. A journaling stamp in French was applied to the smaller label using Timber Brown.

The page on the right of the two-page spread was embellished with a Sizzix Bigz Die - Flourish, Floral w/Leaves. I thought the black flourish gave the page a classic look.

The next spread shows two of the tags designed for the bag pockets. The tag on the left is embellished with a hand-cut boarder using the Martha Stewart Doily Lace punch. Two tags from the Spellbinder's Shapeabilities Blossom Tags and Accents were distressed using Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Soot and layered along with a straight paper band. The flower was hand punched, layered and accented with a dot of Stickles. The tag on the right features a pocket with a tag cut using Label #14. An image of the Eiffel Tower is stamped using Timber Brown. Label #14 was used in two different sizes along with a simple straight band to embellish the page. All were distressed using the Soot ink.

There is so much more to setting up an Etsy shop than I ever imagined. I think Katie and I are almost ready to post our first paper bag album for sale. Trying to figure out shipping, taxes and shop policies has been an education in itself! Keep watching for the big announcement! 'till next time - Ann & Katie

Sneak Peek!

2012-02-11T18:08:00.000-06:00

I'm doing something a little scary - posting pictures of a piece in progress. This is the album I've been talking about using a 12" x 12" piece of card stock folded and glued instead of a paper bag with card stock on it. The fold creates a pocket for more tags and you guys know how I LOVE tags! I'm also trying a little different approach to assembling my book. I'm still using the hinge with a quarter inch gutter to give lots of room for embellishments, but I'm gluing it inside the pocket (formerly the paper bag), before closing the paper to form the pocket. Clear as mud???? I'm planning some youtube instructional videos soon and I'll show how I'm doing this.

Even without the cover, the bound edge looks clean and neat. The picture showing the pocket isn't as expressive as I had hoped, but hopefully, you can see where the pockets are.

I'm also adding fold-out pages, connected with simple folded hinges without any gutter. I'm using a Martha Stewart edge punch to add a little pizazz. These photos show one spread as all the pages are opened.

Of course the pictures didn't load in order, but you get the idea.Some day I'll take the time to learn more about uploading pictures. For now, I'm enjoying creating too much!

I'd love some feed-back on this album. As a work-in-progress I can always use some constructive criticism. I'd like to list some mini albums using this construction in Katie's & my Etsy shop. Any suggestions? Would you be interested in an album that is constructed like this? If not, what would make it more appealing? What colors/themes might look good in this style album? You guys are my "finger on the pulse" of the art-buying world :) Thanks for stopping by!

Mini Album Idea

2012-02-01T21:18:00.003-06:00

I've just started a new mini album with a twist. Instead of the paper bag albums I've been making lately, I'm working on a design using a 12" X 12" sheet of card stock, folded in half, cut into 2 pieces for my pages. The binding I'm using is sort of like the step books I've made with my elementary students, only in miniature. Right now it's in the planning stage with pieces of paper in various stages of construction strewn across my daughter's dining table!

She's just started 4 lovely paper bag albums using the Mariposa paper stack by DCWV (Die Cuts With a View). I've been saving this lovely paper for just the right project and when Katie showed me her design ideas, I knew she needed this special paper. Each mini will have 6 black paper bags (lunch size), lots of tags (creating ample space for both pictures & journaling) and are going to be gorgeous! I'll post pictures of both projects soon.

Katie has recently become a stay-at-home mom and is loving it. She's having so much fun with Alex (six and in kindergarten) and Emily (four - going on twenty!). This hiatus is giving her a chance to get back to creating again. She's always loved drawing and photography, so she's been thrilled to apply her design sense to paper arts. She's expressed a desire to design her own line of paper, so be sure to watch for her original papers in future projects.

Persnickety # 4

2012-01-31T17:29:00.000-06:00

I'm making one last attempt to get a picture of this album posted!

You'll find a full description and purchase information on my last post.

Paper Bag Albums

2012-01-31T17:26:00.000-06:00

I just had to share pictures of the paper bag albums my daughter & I have been making. She & I worked on the design details together, then we created three more using the same paper pack (Persnickety by the Paper Studio - Hobby Lobby) along with some black, white & maroon solid cardstock from an unknown company - I buy things everywhere - if it doesn't have a name on it, I'm just out-of-luck

We used six white paper bags (lunch bag size) to create the base of each album, giving lots of space for pictures & journaling.

Each of the six big pockets hold a tag that measures 5 1/4" X 6". They are designed to be used as-is by folks that don't scrapbook (or want a hand crafted gift but don't have time to create) as well as leaving plenty of space for you scrapbookers to personalize the album with treasures from your stash!

Thirteen smaller tags are tucked invitingly under belly bands and in pockets. Two are even hiding inside a pocket on one of the large tags. Many edges are delightfully shaped along one side with the Martha Stewart Doily Lace Edge Punch. When we were designing this album the papers just screamed "Paris!" So we allowed the album to sweep us away as it grew a personality of its own. You'll find stamps of the Eifel Tower, reproduction prints (from public domain sources) including lovely ladies and old-fashioned postcards. Paper flowers adorn some of the pages. These were hand punched from coordinating paper, layered and distressed using Tim Holtz Destress Inks. Stickles, glimmer mist and vintage buttons add to the album's charm.
The cover was created using heavy mat board for a strong, lasting cover that will protect your precious memories for many years to come. Ribbon and silk flowers with a vintage button center form the closure.

One of these albums would be a perfect gift for someone special, yourself included! There are only four available. The outside covers are the only difference, the interiors are as identical as any hand created piece of paper art can be.

Persnickety #1 features a brown binding with intersecting lighter lines forming squares. The flower closure was created with a green base topped with a hot pink blossom sporting fun navy spots and a vintage pearl button.

Persnickety # 2 sports the same brown binding as #1. The flower that adorns this album has a green base topped with two layers of soft mauve petals and a vintage pearl button closure.

Persnickety # 3 has a lovely dark brown binding with tiny pink polka dots. A beautiful green base along with two layers of hot pink petals accented with the fun navy dots and yet another vintage pearl button create the lovely closure on this album.

Persnickety # 4 has the same lovely binding as featured on #3. The flower closure adorning this album has a green base topped with a single soft mauve blossom and vintage button. I'm having difficulty getting a picture of # 4 to download. With my luck I'll publish this post only to have a half-dozen copies that I'll have to try to edit out!

The buttons on these albums came from my grandmother's button box that I played with as a young girl many years ago. I've decided it's better to get them out and use them where their old fashioned charm can be shared than to leave them on the shelf in an old tea biscuit tin. I am saving some for my grand daughter who loves to play with grandma's buttons as much as I once did. I'm setting up an ETSY store to sell these albums. I'll post the url for it soon, so check back!

Latest Art Journal Page

2010-10-12T20:18:00.000-05:00

A new page I've recently completed. I used acrylic paint, gesso, collage elements, stamps & ink, paint pens - just about everything in the studio!

More Art Journal Pages

2010-09-25T21:40:00.000-05:00

Art Journal

2010-09-25T21:13:00.000-05:00

I've been busy since school started, but managed to complete this 40 page art journal for a Swapbot swap. I started with an 11" X 15" pad of 140 lb water color paper. I cut this into fourths and painted with a mixture of teal and dark green to get the perfect shade of teal. Next, I splattered the pages with brown acrylic and used a piece of bubble pack to paint the ivory "dots". Boarder papers are mostly Basic Gray and the people, flowers, butterflies, fish and sea shells are printed from creative commons on Flickr, free collage pages on Flickr and Dover samples and CD's. I've always printed collage pieces on card stock but accidentally printed several pages on copy paper. With color ink being expensive, I decided to try to use these pages. I LOVE the way these thinner pages glue down. I use tiny, very sharp scissors to cut the images out, "cropping" parts I don't want to use. Then I use a good quality glue stick (UHU usually) and completely cover the back of the cut-outs (lay the pieces on an old magazine page - when it's completely sticky, turn the page to a clean fresh place to glue). The copy weight paper almost melts into the background and you can hardly tell where the pieces are overlapped. Next I printed the sassy sayings out in MS Word using my favorite font and cut most of them with decorative edge scissors. When the glue has dried, I begin the ink work. I use lots of different type pens (paint pens, professional grade poster markers, different sizes of Faber Castell PITT artist pens in black and sepia). This is my first attempt to bind with the Zutter binder and it turned out okay. I got a couple of the rings a little out of circular, but the pages still turn, so I'm happy.

2010-07-07T20:38:00.000-05:00

I finally got some of my student's journal pages saved to my computer. I was surprised at how talented some of my kids were! I can't wait to try this with my new class this fall. We tied poetry into our art journals. Jaysley's poem is a diamante about her grandmother and mother.

New Look!

2010-07-06T11:45:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone likes the new look. My son is launching a design company to help those who are computer illiterate (like me), or just to busy, to jazz up their blogs, web sites, etc. so I received a "make-over"! I'll post more info on his company soon. He is a 28 year-old who has to work from home due to degenerative disc disease and arthritis, so if you know anyone who might be interested in a make-over, have them check out my blog for more info!

I have a million art journal ideas buzzing around in my head and can't seem to get to any of them! I've joined a group that meets once-a-month to swap ATC's, along with joining too many swaps at atcsforall.com and swap-bot.com. I just keep seeing too many interesting swaps and can't help myself! Today's post are the 4 ATCs for the "Wake up and smell the coffee" swap at act's for all. I'm working on Button Fairy's, a 2 color/5 technique chunky page challenge, and Marie Antoinette chunky swap. Pictures to come!

New Chunky Pages

2010-06-18T21:57:00.000-05:00

School's out, my classroom is packed and I'm finally free to create!!!!! (Except for the days when the grand kids come to visit :) - the 8-year-old loves to make art journal pages, so he & I play in glue & paint!)More journal pages to come soon along with more collage sheets. I've also got some great pics of the pages my 4th graders made to share, so more to come soon!

New Journal Pages

2010-05-31T10:27:00.000-05:00

Wheeewwww! School is almost over - just 6 more days. I don't know who is more excited - the kids or me! We've been working on art journals in our class. Here's a picture of some of the kids. I'll post some of their pages soon. I have some very talented artists in my class!

I've been working on lots of chunky pages for swaps, but have managed to finish 2 journal pages. I'm really enjoying the Zetti style pages. I've just got to figure out a good way to organize all the magazine pieces I'm cutting out! When I figure it out, I'll be sure to post. I'm not the most organized person in the world (alright - I wasn't born with the organization gene at all), but I can't work in complete chaos. I hate spending time digging through the piles on the dining table to find that perfect piece that I just saw a minute ago. I have cleaned the dining table, it's Memorial Day and the kids & grand kids are coming over, so I figured unless I wanted toddler bbq finger prints all over my pages I'd better put things up. So things are a little organized, but I know I need to find a better way. Any one out there with a good solution for sorting and storing all the strips I've cut for boarders, thumb shaped pieces, triangles, and so on? I've got the heads, bodies, arms, legs and accessories all organized in sandwich bags, but all the rest is in a pile in a box. I'll have to give this some thought.

I have the same problem at school. I would post a picture of my desk, but I'm too embarrassed. I've just discovered a new book by Debbie Diller called "Spaces and Places". It's about organizing your classroom so at the end of the year it only takes 1 day to pack everything up so the cleaning crew can wax the floors. It usually takes me 2 weeks. I have too much junk. Debbie suggests working on one area at a time & purging. It's working well at school because I have so many duplicate copies, out-dated stuff, and stuff from when I taught kindergarten years ago. Purging actually feels good! At first I was very reluctant to throw stuff away, so I put extra copies in a box for my students to take home this summer. Believe it or not, so 4th graders still like to play "school" during the summer. I'm also giving a lot of the kindergarten stuff to my daughter who is an assistant director of a preschool. Other stuff has been sent to recycle and some actually ended up in the trash. My father lived through the depression and was a certified hoarder, so it's been hard not to follow in his footsteps. The feeling of being able to find stuff in my classroom outweighs the fear that I am throwing something away that I might need. If I haven't used it in the last year (or 2 or 3 years!) then I really don't need it.

Now, if I can just apply this to my art area. The problem is that in art, everything is usable :) I know, I'm hopeless - hee hee. Seriously though, any solutions to storing all the little bits and pieces, please share.

Chunky Book Pages

2010-05-12T20:58:00.000-05:00

The end of school is near & hopefully I'll have more time to make art!!! I have been making chunky pages for swaps on swapbot and atcsforall. Lots of fun - the 4" X 4" page size is quick to complete. The Mother's Day page is more my usual style, sort of vintage and pastel, but I'm really loving the bright colors, inks, paint and wild creatures I'm working with now. Here's some of the pages I've been doing.

Zetti Pages

2010-04-16T19:56:00.000-05:00

Even though we had house guests for 9 days, I actually got some work done! I'm beginning to love this style art. I'm mulling over the idea of doing a journal using only one magazine with the idea being to use as much of it as possible. I got this idea as I was digging pieces of magazine pages out of the trash in my classroom as my students began their own art journals. I began showing them the many ways to use what they were viewing as "trash" and one of the kids made the comment that it looked like I was going to use all their trash!

Am I crazy? Probably - but the seed of an idea has been planted. Hummmm - definitely worth thinking over.

Zetti Parts

2010-04-11T14:42:00.000-05:00

I've been trying out the Zetti style and created several pages for my journal. After spending hours at the computer and thumbing through magazines to find arms and legs for my art, I decided to stick them on a page & scan them in for others to use. The first arms I did (on the leg page) I cut out completely. On my second attempt, I left them together with a bit of background. I used my paint pen to cover that area (to save ink when printing). Now I can actually find a pair when I want them! I cut out the parts and store them in plastic baggies, so they're ready to go when I want to sit down & create something.

My disclaimer: I collected these pictures from Flickr Creative Commons, magazines and Public Domain pictures as far as I know. If you see something that is copyrighted, please email me so I can remove it. I'm not selling these pages, they are free for you to use in your art, but PLEASE don't sell the images as part of a collage sheet or on CD. I don't own the rights to these pictures and am only using them under Creative Commons. I'd love to see what you create with them. Please email me!

The Tree Page is finally up!

2010-03-30T19:07:00.000-05:00

With spring break over and me back with my 4th graders, I've finally got the time to post the lovely tree page. This is the water color picture I did so poorly and went back and rescued it with some acrylic paint, markers and leaves stamped on various green papers. I added a quote from e.e. cummings I picked up at the Quote Garden web site. I thought it turned out rather nice. I didn't do so bad on the second water color forest, so that page will complete the spread with the tree as-is. I can't wait to finish the rest of the pages and bind the whole thing into a book so I can start writing!

Just one and a half weeks until my kiddos start art journals. Our big stakes test here in Arkansas is the week of April 12. After that, we are going to relax and have some fun! Our reading focus for the 4th quarter of school is poetry, so I'm going to incorporate it into our art journals. I'll post some of the kids work here. Every year I'm amazed at the art these guys turn out.

New Journal Pages

2010-03-22T17:40:00.000-05:00

I've been taking a journal class on-line and have gotten caught up making pages instead of working on journal entries! The 2 pages were made on sheets of 140 lb. water color paper. I used a mixture of 1/3 school glue, 1/3 matte gel and 1/3 water mixed well to glue the pieces down. Collage pieces are junk mail! I never knew that junk mail could be so cute inside. Lots of the enveloped have security lining and each seems to be a little different. Use lots of the adhesive mixture. Cover the whole page first with a good coat, then start laying pieces down randomly, overlapping edges. Do this quickly without much thought. This part is a lot of fun and very relaxing. A perfect art project for weekday evenings when you're just too tired to do anything that requires a lot of thought! As you lay the pieces down, apply another coat of adhesive over the top of each piece. I'm using a 1" chip brush to do this. Once you've used a brush in this mixture, don't use it in paint again. Even though you clean up with soap and water, the brush is never quite the same again. The hard part is waiting for your pages to dry. I let mine dry overnight before painting them. I choose an inexpensive craft acrylic paint and mixed it with a lot of gloss medium (you can find both in the art section of Hobby Lobby). Both products are kind of pricy, but they go a long way, so it's a good investment. The gloss medium says it keeps the acrylic paint wet longer to allow for blending, but I'm using it as a glaze over the top of the papers. I brushed a thin, almost watercolor looking coat over the whole page. You can immediately wipe some off with a paper towel if you get it heavier than you want. I wanted a translucent effect that toned the papers down, but that didn't completely cover them up. After letting this dry (about an hour) I went back and added the peach color in the same way. My third coat was a little more paint and I just worked around the edge to make a boarder. I'll go back and add some vintage collage images around the edge and do my journal entry in the middle eventually, but right now I want to complete all my pages and bind the journal before I do much writing. I did do a page with a whimsical tree and have written a quote on that page, but for the most part the writing will come later. I'll add the tree tomorrow, so stay tuned for the next entry!