How to create quick and easy background pages for art journals and mixed media projects - PART 2

Hello again. 

Here's a little addition to my last tutorial on creating quick and easy backgrounds (found HERE). All four of the pages above were created at the same time in about 45 minutes. 

For the following two pages, I started them as described in part 1, but then went a bit overboard with drops of very wet acrylic paint.

For this pink page, I began by covering my paper (which is Strathmore Mixed Media Visual Journal paper, 140 lb, vellum finish, 9x12") in the method described in the previous tutorial. This piece was first painted with orange and blue. Then I scraped on the pink with an old credit card. Next, I did the whole "spritz water and let set for a minute then pat dry" thing.

Then I added approximately 3 parts water to 1 part acrylic paint on my palette. I mixed it well with a paintbrush and then sopped up as much paint as the brush could hold. And then flick... I held the brush over my paper and tapped it with my index finger causing big blobby drops of wonderfulness to fall to the page.

Yummy! I'd recommend not moving your page if you want the paint drops to dry as is. If you want them to run down your page, well then simply tilt up your paper and let them run.

I seriously have a problem with the Folk Art paint colors Calypso Sky and Tangerine.

Here's another page I made using the exact same method.

See... my problem with orange and blue continues...

This one is splattered with "Brilliant Pink" paint. Oh the texture!

How easy and quick!!! I hope you enjoyed this. Now to decide what to put on these fun backgrounds...

Peace and Love,
:) Ann

How to create quick and easy background pages for art journals and mixed media projects

Hi! I'm super excited about this post! 

I'm taking Life Book 2014 the amazing year long art course by Tamara Laporte and several dozen other top notch artists, but I have been in a bit of a creative slump lately. Today, I decided to forget about assignments and how behind I am and just play and make lots of yummy backgrounds. 

I combined a few mixed media techniques I learned last year (and will give credit where credit is delightfully due), but tried to keep it simple and fun. Ok, enough rambling, let's paint!!!

Over the weekend, I purchased some awesome (cheap!) cotton yarn from Walmart and decided to use these colors for my palette.

I globbed a bunch of Folk Art craft acrylic paint onto a foam plate. 

The colors I used were (most of which I got from Walmart too):

• 901 wicker white
• 627 tangerine
• 509 sunny yellow
• 954 fresh foliage
• 524 calypso sky
• 2574 brilliant pink

FYI, I'm addicted to the Calypso Sky color and I think I've used it in every Life Book painting I've done this year. I might need help...

Step 1. Paint some blobs everywhere sticking to two or three colors in the same family (warm in this case - yellow, orange, pink). Let dry -OR- if you're impatient like me, move along...

Step 2. Cover entire page in blue. You can use a brush or scrape on a thin layer using an old credit card/store rewards card/gift card/etc. 

Step 3. WHILE WET, spray page with clean water from a spray bottle (you could also flick water on the page with a clean, wet paint brush).

Step 4. Wait impatiently for 1 minute. This will allow the water to loosen up the most recent layer of paint. (image above)

Step 5. After 1 minute, take 1 or 2 sheets of paper towel and lay it down on painting and press firmly. When you lift off the paper towel, the spots where water was on the blue paint will come up and reveal the colors underneath. (image below)

***NOTE: steps 3-5 were inspired from Life Book 2013 lessons 

by Kelly Hoernig and Joann Loftus. 

I'm sure this technique has been around for forever, but I first learned it through these amazing ladies. :) Check them out!

Step 6. I felt the background needed some grounding so I added green paint around the borders with a dry brush and dabbed with a paper towel so there wouldn't be a harsh paint line. The green is more vibrant, but this was taken with my cell phone with paint-covered hands!

Ta da!!! Below are some detail images.   

Ooohhhh!!! How fun!

So by this point I had some creative mojo back and continued on with a similar process and made the 4 pages in the title image in under an hour (stopping to take some pics too). Below is one of my favorite pages. Finished, it reminds me of candy... yum...

But here's how it began... What?!?!

Same color palette as before (in fact this was my attempt to use up all the leftover paint on my plate).

I coated it with blue like before and sprayed it with water like before too. 

Here's what part of it looked like after patting off water with paper towel. A lot of the paper towels turn out pretty cool too, so I may turn them into flowers or something in another project. 

And I repeated the above with white paint. I had a ton of it out and it was humid and drying up quickly.

And here's a detail of this yummy page. I hope you enjoyed this and I will be posting the extra technique I did on the other two pages soon. Enjoy!

Be blessed,

:) Ann

Sea Glass and Beach Glass Goodness

On a trip to Northern California nearly a decade ago, I fell in love with Beach Glass. I just love it's smooth sanded texture that only appears after an eternity of being tumbled by the ocean's waves. Each piece is unique and one of a kind, just like each one of us. I have finally started to incorporate some of my collection into my jewelry. Here's a sample of what I made last night...

...beach glass necklaces with abalone shell charms...

See, fun jewelry for fun people! My Etsy shop is back open and I have a few items listed with more to come!

:) Ann

Etsy

I have been hooked on Etsy for years and have enjoyed browsing, drooling over, and even purchasing some of the most beautiful handmade items in the world. It has been so convenient to be able to order items from not only the USA, but jewelry findings from Israel, alpaca fiber from South America, and crochet patterns from the UK.

...making button rings in my craftroom...

Recently, I took a little break from my store, but am happy to announce that I will be posting many new items in the near future. So make sure to add my shop to your favorites (the little heart button on the main store page) and you'll be able to see all of my wonderful creations!

Until then feel free to browse my Etsy favorites or my Pinterest boards. Man, there are some really cool, talented artists out there!

Love and joy,
:) Ann

Pinterest Addiction

Note to self: 

less time on pinterest 

and 

more time in craft room creating

awesomeness!

Like these button rings 

that are soooo fun 

and available in my Etsy shop.

...button rings...

"Crocheting for Calm" series - Crocheted Cat Blankets

Hello! This is the first post in my "Crocheting for Calm" series. I hope you enjoy!

To help myself relax in the evenings, I've been forcing myself to stop all work by a particular time and to purposefully sit and do something fun. This plus wanting to de-stash some of my yarn (gotta make room so I can buy more!) has me making little blankets with the intention of donating them to a local cat shelter. 

They work up in just an evening or two since they are only 20-22 inches square (a great size for a snuggly kitty waiting for a new home). Here are some of my first batch...

...blanket #1 with shell edging...

Blanket #1 I did in double crochet (US) with a varigated yarn. I finished it off with a single crochet border in blue, then a basic shell stitch (5 dc in one sc) in pink.

...blanket #2 with bobble border and blanket #3 closed ripple...

Blanket #2 is worked in a double crochet throughout. The border has one row of single crochet in pink, then a row of 5 single crochets and a bobble repeated around in blue, and finished with another row of single crochets in pink.

Blanket #3 is done in what is referred to as a "closed ripple" stitch. It's been a long time since I attempted a ripple and I like how quick this tiny blanket worked up. Once I got the rhythm of the stitch down, it was pretty easy. 

....blanket #4 crab stitch border...

Blanket #4 I did in half double crochets with a few bobble rows here and there, but the fun part was the "crab stitch" edging which is where you're basically single crocheting from left to right (backwards!). Just another fun technique that I learned from Donna Kooler's "Encyclopedia of Crochet" book. This was my first attempt at the crab stitch and her explanation was perfect.

Of course, as I was working on these, our kitties had to test them out. Fluffy Orange Cat preferred to lay on one and have another one on top of him. Now to wash them up and get them over to the shelter!

I have made several more and will post pics soon so check back often!

Also, check out my Etsy shop for some non-cat crochet accessories (women's necklaces, rings, etc.)!

Grace and peace,
:) Ann