Bright brush

Refers to a brush that has the same shape as a “flat” however the hairs are not as long as those on the flat brush.
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The Journal52 prompt for week 7 is

 When I Grow Up

I did end up 50 years later actually doing something art related which had been a childhood fantasy job, so I am living out one of my dreams....but I also like most children had multiple thoughts on the subject of what I envisioned I could become. I ghost journaled all those jobs and dreams...don't see them, well, hang on and you will!

The art brush symbolizes my art, selling it at the Art Mob has been a dream come true for me. I have been successfully doing it for over a year now and loving every minute of it!

Each set of words are written 3 different ways. The largest is my title " In the end I just became me", and the pink ink flows out from the heart surrounding the words with the negative spaces not colored in, then we have the background circles saying "I am a work in progress", both written in all capitals but 2 things differ....first the circles go clockwise and counter clockwise. All the writing going clockwise have white colored in the negative spaces and those going counter clockwise are colored in with black ink. Still not seeing the under journaling??.....you will....promise...lol

Next the heart is more solid and serene for while I am a work in progress

 ( probably until the day I die ) I am happy and content where my life has lead me, so I wanted the heart to look peaceful and not cluttered, also not finished because there is always room in my heart for more.

And now for the surprise under journaling, something I didn't mean to happen this way, but sometimes it happens when we aren't expecting it. I wrote with my Faber Castell Big Stamp pen over the layer of inks and gesso and it kinda sunk in and dissappeared, well, that is until the light hits the page just right and then, BAM....!!

Seriously, almost kinda freaky, really! Here's a close up

Fun prompt with unexpected results!

Ranger - Dylusion Inks
Faber Castell Big Brush pen
Sakura -Pigma Sensie pens
white Signo pen
Ranger - Dylusions journal
Sheena Douglas - Silhoutte Garden stamps ( butterfly )
Close to my Heart - Scrapbook Setiments-Poets ( sentiment )


entering my art journal page in:

Blog Quick Quotes - Friday Challenge 36

Birds-eye view

Seeing from a point of view from an altitude or from a distance; a comprehensive view in a downward direction; also called an “aerial view”.
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Limor Weber's February challenge ( color challenge plus journaling prompt )

Simon Says Monday Challenge - We love Stamps

♥ A shimmer shot

More wonderful shine ♥ and hand lettering. Everything was drawn using a pipette and ink and once dry I go back and sketch around the designs with a waterproof pen. This puppy has been sealed with Helmar Crystal KOTE Varnish to protect the inks and colors.

 Love the ghost writing I did using my water brush with the inks

 Purposely blurred out the journaling, but it's all about what I wish I had done, what I wish I had been told, etc. to have become an artist who is confident. I wrote it out on the backside of my art work and then glued the piece to my board so it cannot be seen. :)

Close to my Heart - stamp

various inks - Dylusions ( Bubble Gum Pink,  Lemon Zest )
 Lindy's ( Starburst Tiffiany Lou Blue, Sea Mint Green and Moon Shadow Mist Gossamer Gold )

Sakura Pigma Sensei - waterproof pen
Signo - white pen

Gamy:adjective

having the flavor of game; especially: having the flavor of game kept uncooked till near tainting

pronunciation

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Jo's Scrap Shack - Anything Goes

Little Scrap Pieces -  Fun Friday Linky Party!

Simon Says - Monochromatic

 

I don't do a lot of monochromatic cards and rarely anything monochromatic intentionally, mainly because I just love an abundance of color! So, thinking of creating a monochromatic Halloween card kinda made me itchy, but in a good way, because I like to make myself stretch a little bit out of my box, don't you? I mean, that's the main reason why I enter challenges.

I always have fun playing around with spooky moons and this one turned out well. I spritzed water on the card stock die cut and then dragged it through the distress ink, blotted and voila, a spooky moon just perfect for a Halloween card. ( I have a Halloween tag coming up in the Cricut Magazine October issue which uses the same technique. ) I also ran the edges of the moon through the same distress ink while the paper was still damp so that it wicks a little bit of the ink into the card stock.

Usually I pick one area to talk about, but today I had to choose 2 because I LOVE the little sign post that comes on the Paper Smooches stamp set, Happy Camper. I have such fun fitting sentiments in it and this time I found a clear sticker that fit perfectly! It's so CUTE!!

Paper Smooches - Happy Camper stamp set

Owl, sentiment - OLD sticker stash

Graphic 45 - pattern paper

Faber Castell - PITT pen

Close to my Heart - net stamp

Ranger - distress stain

Cricut - Paper Trimmings, p. 52 (moon)

( which is actually the circle from the base card that I made the day before! waste not, want not!! )

Frosted Designs Monday Inspiration - Embossing

Hi everyone, it's time for some Monday inspiration for the new Frosted Designs challenge!

 Our sponsor for this challenge is

  Molossi  

You can see what they have in store here,

They will be offering a 30.00 chipboard and bling pack to one lucky winner!!

I think wet embossing was one of my first techniques that I tried when I was first learning to scrapbook that both thrilled me and scared me, lol I can still remember my first failures at it, but unlike some things I use to do ages ago, ( like decorative scissors...ahem..) this is one that I still love to do. I still have my original heat gun too!

 I used 2 different styles of embossing, the first one is dry embossing where I ran a piece of my gelli print paper through my big shot with a leaf texture plate and then cut the leaves out by hand. The second type of embossing was wet, I stamped the sentiment and drew my faux stitching lines with an embossing pen and then heat set it with powder.

entering this in:

Creative Inspiration - Inspired by Anything Goes

Stampin' UP! - embossing buddy

Close to my Heart - embossing powder

Ink it Up! - white pigment ink

Zig - emboss writer

Sheena - embossing folder

Big Shot

Gelli Plate

American Crafts - flower

brad - misc.
Best Occasions - Textured stack

Flapdoodle: noun

foolish, empty, and often specious talk, writing, ideas, or opinions

pronunciation

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Creative Inspirations - Inspired by Anything Goes

Our Creative Corner - words, words, words

Simon Says - Anything Goes

My first steps are painting the back and sides of the plaque, and covering the front with watercolor paper. I find that the heavier paper works best with mixed media than regular card stock paper. Then I used molding pasted through a stencil to create the swirly pattern on the belly and let it dry overnight, just to make sure it cured. I colored the molded swirls with a PITT pen, and just love how it came out.

I cut a wing out of chipboard and covered it also with watercolor paper, colored the base with the mint gelato and then using one of the stamps that came with my set, I colored it with my Big Brush pen. I repeated the image over the entire wing to get a background. 

The sentiment was stamped separately and cut out and lightly washed with the metallic melon gelato.

I stamped the leaf design with gelatos and then went back over the image with my PITT pen to bring out the detail a little bit better.

The flower around the eye was stamped first with the gelato, but it didn't show up as well as I hoped so I went back in and colored the image using my water brush. Doodles around the edges of the bird with a PITT pen.

Genuinely Jane Studios - wooden bird plaque

Faber Castell - gelotos in metallic melon and mint green

stamp

Big Brush pen - Cold Grey

Pitt Pen - black, light yellow glaze

Close to My Heart - stamps, Beauty and Scrapbook Sentiments ( poets 0

Recollections - floral embellishments

Golden - molding paste

stencil - misc. ( from a home improvement store )

water brush

Hold your breath and put on your seat belt....this video is guaranteed to make you dizzy!

 I did edit the darn thing, so I have no idea why it is upside down or why it's speeding through and continuously looping! This is a learning experience for me, so hope you don't mind being part of the journey. Hopefully each one will get a little bit better....fingers crossed! If you have any suggestions for an editing program, I am open...oh, so definitely open! It is kinda funny though, lol

habiliment: noun

characteristic apparatus : trappings

 

 the dress characteristic of an occupation or occasion — usually used in plural 

 

 clothes — usually used in plural

 

pronunciation

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PanPastel  - #24 male theme

Pixies Crafty Snippets Playground - Week 77

sketchabilities - Sketch # 93 Design Team Reveal with Want2Scrap

I was glad to see Nina, Allie, and Linda use the sketch for cards ( because everyone is submitting lay outs ) and it sure makes me comfortable when the DT thinks outside the box!

 

I added some of my own "special" touches, like the camouflage hunting cap to the bear and the rub on words "fun times" to the tackle box. I like adding onto stickers, it's so easy and fun to embellish them.

all stickers and rub-ons are from my stash of older than "crap" stuff

Close to my Heart - dot stamp

Really Reasonable Ribbon - twine

orotund: adjective

marked by fullness, strength, and clarity of sound : sonorous
 

 pompous, bombastic

pronunciation
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Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - #40 Fantasies and Fairies

Technique Time Tuesday - Faux Chalkboard challenge

I wanted to use the word "chalk" in my sentiment because I was afraid that the customers who buy my cards might not understand that it's suppose to look a little smudgy and chalkboard-ish. For the first time in a long time, I dragged out those teeny tiny letter stamps and just let them be random upper and lower case and wonky, kinda like my handwriting on a chalk board, lol I also reinforced the white lettering with a marker to make sure it showed up well.

I have to admit that I have mixed emotions about this technique. I guess I feel ambivalent about it. Maybe I just need time to get use to it, it took me awhile to come around to other trends too.

Close To My Heart - white embossing powder

Ranger - Distress marker, stickles

VersaMark

Ink it Up! - white

Stampin' Up! - embossing buddy

border stamp - misc

papers from stash

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On my blog, Journal of a Lazy Dieter, I am discussing kitchen exercises. I mean what better place to exercise where you are planing on shoving some food into your mouth? Makes you think twice before doing it! Oh, and you don't have to leave a comment but a click on "like" means you are supporting me through my diet. Thanks!

fustigate: verb

to beat with or as if with a short heavy club

to criticize severely

pronunciation
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Faber Castell - May 'Take the Challenge' with Mou

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Inspired by
Love to Scrap! - Anything Goes

Eddyth Sue ( from our Mixed Media Monday group ) has issued a small challenge of her own!

"For Monday, May 6, 2013 my challenge for "Sandee Setliff" and anyone else is......pick your favorite piece of work that Tracy has done, whether it's a canvas, journal page, etc. and make a page/canvas/coaster with your take on it! Oh, and post a pic of her work and yours."

Noticed how she picked me out? hmmmm?

Well, not to disappoint anyone, and I am always up for a challenge!

 So I picked this canvas piece from Tracy's work:

I love that field of colorful flowers and since it fits the garden theme with Mou's challenge, it was an easy choice. Here is my little garden card:

My background is a wash of gelatos, the flower outlines are stamped and then colored in with more gelatos. I tried using the pastel pencil to outline the "canvas" but it didn't go over the gelato layer very well, so I used pens instead.

Faber Castell:

gelatos- metallic grape,blueberry,mint,melon and gold

pastel pencil

yellow Aquarelle pencil

other:

Stazon ink

American Crafts - flowers

gems - misc

Ranger - stickles

Close to my Heart - bee stamp

Studio G - flower stamp

Sharpie - for outlining and doodling

Oh, and for all you stickle addicts

 ( yes, I am one of them ) I found a new challenge site JUST for them! lol ...in heaven...just sayin'...♥

All that Stickles -Icicle Linky Party ( used on the bee's wings, and in the center of the stamped flowers )

equivocal: adjective

1.  subject to two or more interpretations and usually used to mislead or confuse

or

uncertain as an indication or sign

 

2.  of uncertain nature or classification

or

 of uncertain disposition toward a person or thing : undecided

also

 of doubtful advantage, genuineness, or moral rectitude

pronunciation
 

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entering this in:

 

Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2013

 

Ranger Seasonal Color Palette: April 

 

I didn't have to combine the 2 challenges but they did seem to walk hand in hand this time around. I also didn't have to use Ranger's sentiment that they used on the color prompt, but I thought it was grand and used it anyway, especially seeing that April 22nd is Earth Day
...and I am happy. See, doesn't take much for me.

 

Ranger products:

 

Dylusions, melted chocolate

Distress Paints, wild honey,forest moss,broken china,walnut stain

stickels, frosted lace

Idea-ology word band

Distress Marker, bundled sage

Distress Ink, antique linen
Idea-ology Tissue tape

 

  

other products:

 

Crafters Workshop stencil 261, 97

Cricut - Art Nouvea, p. 54

Creative Memories - Metallic marker

Golden - Molding Paste

Maya Road - chipboard letters

Lil Davis - chipboard corner
Helmar - 450
Close to my Heart - marker
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On Saturday we had our Opening Reception for the 30 Day Challenge at the Art MoB. I think we had a good showing, lots of people showed up. This is the gallery side of the shop.

 

 Here are the artists ( including me ) who participated in the challenge.

 

I will admit to you, my bloggy friends that I try to stay away as far as possible during these functions. Nothing makes me more uncomfortable than being around people who want me to talk about my art, I start to ramble, I become this scatter brain blob talking about everything and nothing...lol So I stayed up at the corner of our street and handed out flyers about the event....and again I was happy.  



fuliginous: adjective

sooty 

or

 obscure, murky

also

 having a dark or dusky color

pronunciation

 

( OK, there are some words that you just HAVE to try to remember, this be one of them! )

 

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Entering my card today in:

 

CARDZ TV - Don't Quote Me Challenge #128

Simon SaysStamp and Show Challenge - Quotable

and in

 

Go here to play along with Inkspirational
and in
Crafty Cardmakers - Challenge #87 Friendship

 

Which came first? The quote or the sketch?

I haven't a clue...but together they made for a cute Friendship card.

 

 

I replaced the 3 dots in the sketch with a crack in the egg...just goes so perfect with the quote! Stamped the butterfly directly onto the egg and then again on red paper, fussy cut it out and covered it with stickles.

 

No fuliginous colors here :) 

 

Cricut Craft Room - Easter 2010 ( free cut ), egg

Close to my Heart - stamp

StazOn - ink

Ranger - stickles

Reminisce - pattern paper

Faber Castell - PITT pen ( to draw crack in egg and outline )

Cheddar Salad BTN - font

 

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Elizabeth has asked me about my mixed media wall hanging signs, so here is a 6 month re-cap:

 

September - 3

October - 7

November - 2

December - 5

January - 0

February - 0

 

So that's 17 signs in 6 months, and like I said in this post, the Art MoB is tourist driven.
 Signs are trickier than cards I think. I have learned to put them up to sell even when I personally didn't like them, 'cause somebody else might love it. I have sold 3 signs that amazed me as I didn't like them at all :) I've talked with the other artists at the Art MoB and we all agree that it's very hard to discern what will appeal to someone. I've had 'my favorites' up there and it took months for them to sell...

you just never know.

 

Christian based - 4 out of 5 ( they sell well )

mermaids themed - 3 for 3 ( they also sell well )

seasonal - 1 out of 6 ( does not sell very well )

 

The remaining 9 signs that sold are everyday based, ranging in all sorts of different themes.

demotic: adjective

of, relating to, or written in a simplified form of the ancient Egyptian hieratic writing

or

 common, popular

and

 of or relating to the form of Modern Greek that is based on everyday speech

pronunciation

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Yesterday was the second day of spring...huh? I woke up to this and thought I must be dreaming!

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entering this little bunny in:

 

Die Cuttin Divas - Challenge #107 Use a bunny

So do you eat the tail or the ears first?

Ears for me, lol...although I haven't had a chocolate bunnies in eons!

Cricut  Craft Room - Easter Seasonal 2010

( This was offered in the CCR as a free cut, made my base card shape and then the cover, and the bow )
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Inkspirational Challenge #12



I love having a sketch challenge and trying to come up with an alternate way to do it yet keep within the parameters of the sketch requirements. I was worried at first at the mono chromatic aspect to the challenge but once I began digging through my stash it all came together on it's own. I just love that!

I have used Liquid Scrapdots for many tiny things before but I think this little bee that I fussy cut out is the tiniest of them all!

ANOTHER reason I love Liquid Scrapdots is the layering effect. I know that twine and burlap aren't that thick, but when you want your die cut to "float" equal to the material; it sure makes that feat possible with Liquid Scrapdots. With pop dots, you have a height you cannot manipulate, but with LSD, anything is possible! I used the LSD under the flower and under the top portion of the clay pot.

American Crafts - pattern paper
Cricut - Stretch Your Imagination cartridge, p. 80 ( tag )
Close to my Heart - ink marker
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Hemp ribbon ( bow )
Prima - flower ribbon
Helmar - 450, Liquid scrapdots
K&Co. - Gem
Ranger - Liquid Pearls
rub on sentiment,twine, clay pot, glitter flower, burlap - misc.

Reminder: Paper Playtime has their Challenge #6 to Use a Bee up an running.

Relict: noun

a surviving species of an otherwise extinct group of organisms; also : a remnant of a formerly widespread species that persists in an isolated area

or

something left unchanged

pronunciation

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Still using Rangers Spring Pallette colors:

Distress Stain, Peeled Paint

Dylusions, lemon zest, vibrant turquoise

Used my Distress Marker, antique linen dipped in Distress Stain, vintage photo for the cross ( love this technique )

 

Had to use Tattered Angels, popsicle for the lavender color

Carmine Tango - font

I wanted to use the Ranger palette in the background, creating a soft backdrop for the cross. I dropped a small amount of ink on a piece of wax paper, added water and painted the colors with my water pen. Heat set and then spritzed with water and blotted.  Printed the saying directly on the card. My cross is outlined with Faber Castell PITT pen.

 

 

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And #23 of 30 Mother's Day cards in 30 days

( I'll confess, I barely made this one in time, so I went for a great printed paper and embellished it some. )

 

 

Prima - paper

Cricut - French Manor cartridge, p. 39 ( bird )

Helmar - Gemstone Adhesive

Traveling Typewriter - font

Close to my Heart - marker

 

A close up of the scattering of tiny gems I added to the flowers:

 

entering this in:

Fab 'n' Funky challenge - #162 Add a Sentiment