Being inky and creating pretty stuff
I had a play with the supplies from the Artful Days goodie boxes… check out the video I filmed. Loved making this layout. Such fun… and of course my gorgeous chubby girl!
Here are some close ups…
Hope you enjoyed watching my process … I certainly enjoyed playing to create this.
Happy crafting!
Catherine
Last week’s class I started a scrapbook page… well I’ve finished it!
I didn’t do much to it… just some drops of Dylusions ink to add splatters, some green thread and the photo, title and a little journalling.
Happy crafting!
Catherine
My craft room had got VERY out of hand. And the parents visit was looming. These two things mean a major tidy up was required (my craft room is also the spare room where the parents stay!).
I thought I would document the process with my ProjectLife app.
I did make a promise to myself not to create anything until it was sorted!
At this stage I did create a little something from the stash I found… I needed a notecard to go in a parcel I had put together for a friend. The piece of card with paint/ink on it was found in the mess. I added the stencilled feather with spray Dylusions and the quote I found in the stash too. Just a couple of doodles and a nice little notecard.
Right back to it…
I spent the last hour of the time I spent in the craftroom cutting up an old atlas into usable sized papers. Wow I know how to spend a Saturday night!!!
And then finally…
So the bed is clear and just needs some clean bedding putting on before the parents arrive and they should have some room to move around the room too!
Happy crafting!
Catherine
Today I’ve been in sunny Harrogate taking a class with the lovely Dyan Reaveley. The plan was to make 26 quote cards using the alphabet as inspiration… but making 26 in one day is a little bit of a challenge so I’m just sharing what I managed so far!
This first step was getting inky….
In fact I got very inky!
Then it was time for paint play…
Then gluing them together and cutting them all into large cards…
Then it was time for lunch. I grabbed a lovely smoked salmon bagel with cream cheese, rocket and sweet chilli sauce. Yum!
Then it was back to the classroom (I might have had a little spend in the shop too of course).
We then stamped and stencilled borders before grabbing magazines and having fun tearing out images we might want to collage. I ended up with a big stack of images and then started the mammoth task of cutting out the images…. this was just a small selection of the images I cut out and not sure I used many of these.
Then I worked my way through the pike selecting images and composing the cards. I did all of this without sticking down and the once I had a stack with some images I then started gluing things in place. I also got to stamp a few of Dyans images and adding them in the mix too.
And this is where I had got up to at the end of the class. Not a single finished item but plenty started and only I think 4 without inages yet affixed.
This type of collage is very outside my comfort zone but I loved it.such a drawing experience to just try something new.
I’m writing this blog post whilst having a quick coffee break on my way back… May have to go grab a couple of other magazines from the shop to get some more images to play with… I sense a new obsession about to start!
And the hands? Well the nails look ok… shame about the rest of them!
Will share how I finish the cards off as soon as I do.
Happy crafting!
Catherine
I’m participating in a project through my mini marvels Facebook group. Each week we are given an instruction and we need to spend less than 10 mins on doing that on the tag… or whatever substrate you want to work on.
Here is my tag and the progress pics…
Weeks 1 and 2 saw me adding gesso, then some Midnight (with a brayer and a stamp) and Amethyst fresco finish paint. I also added to scribbles in the paint with the end of my brush to add pattern.
Week three had me adding texture paste through a stencil (I then added some Infusions over it too whilst the texture paste was drying). The week four instruction was to collage onto the tag. I chose some papers and scrapbook stickers that happened to be on the desk at the time and worked well with the colours.
Now at week 3 I decided to do a second tag too as a comparison! (Yes one challenge was not enough for me!)
I only have pics of it from weeks 3 and 4 but promise I followed the instructions the same for weeks 1 and 2.
Week 5 was a simple instruction… add a layer of translucent paint…. so I did all over both!
To this I added a purple deco arts fluid acrylic.
And for the blue I grabbed the south Pacific Paperartsy fresco finish paint which is a translucent finish.
Next week the instruction was to add or drip ink or paint.
For the purple tag I added Dylusions white spray ink and the blue tag I added green acrylic ink. Like both of them although drips are not usually my thing. But like that this challenge is challenging me to do something different.
Next instruction is to add some more stencilling.
I chose copper paint for the purple one and a very pale blue for the blue/green one.
Then the instruction came to add clear gesso. Problem # 1 is I don’t own clear gesso. So used Matt medium instead. Problem # 2 is white Dylusions ink did not stay put and so ended up with smears all over the tag and dulled down the copper stencilling. Grrrrrr! Ah well, sure it will be fine with another layer of something or other on top!
The next week’s instruction is to add stamping so I can try and rescue that Dylusions mess!
I added stamping to both projects using black gesso.
And I am really happy with how this looked. It also distracts from the streaky white Dylusions on the purple one.
I must admit I couldn’t resist edging the tags too. It just felt like the time to start doing that.
Week 10 saw us adding a focal image… I had a hunt through my box of tricks and found two things that called to me to be used; a butterfly die cut I received in a swap and an image I’ve had in the stash for so long I have no idea where I got it! Of course I forgot to take photos at this point. The following week the instruction was to add doodles.
And then today the final instruction was posted…. add a word from a book or magazine!
So my tags are now finished…
Love how they both came out and glad I’ve kept the instructions on layers to remind me for other future projects.
Thanks Chris for organising this fab challenge.
Happy crafting !
Catherine
Yes I managed a little art time today … and finished off my art journal page I shared with you yesterday.
I started with a doodling session! Black and white gel pens and doodling a plenty. Very relaxing.
Then I grabbed stickers and things from the scrapbook box of stuff…. because it was out. I then added a circle of gesso in the centre to add the focal feature of the Seth Apter stencil. More doodling and jobs a good’un.
Not entirely sure that I love this layout but I really enjoyed the process and that’s mainly what I journal for.
And I did this in between having a major tidy up and clean of the bedroom… we haven’t seen this much carpet or tops of the units in a long time!
Very proud of myself…. and had a nap too when the cold took over again!
Happy crafting!
I had intended to get some crafting done today but my rotten cold got in the way of that. So instead I have a page in progress to share. Maybe tomorrow I will finish it?
It is a page in my Dylusions journal where I had been wiping off stencils and using up texture paste through stencils.
I started with Dylusions paints. I only have two colours (plus white and black) of these paints so I used them both. Very nice to blend. Then some stencils came out to play.
I took some stamps to the page next…
I used Hot Picks number stamps through stencils and over the stencilled areas and then grabbed some chipboard numbers from the stash and added those too. I used the Dylusions paint to colour then and then dripped Dylusions inks around them and let them drip and blend on the page. Again I kept to the same colours of the paint.
I added more stamping and then used a credit card and a lid to stamp in the black paint too. I also added some doodling but as it was still wet I had had to leave it alone for a while to not ruin the pens.
And this is where it is up to and has been for several days! So check back tomorrow to see what else I get up to if I can shake this cold enough to sit in the craft room.
Happy crafting!
Catherine
So I have caught up on one of the circle journal projects I have going on… this is Lynn’s journal pages (currently loose leaf) and the background that Jackie made for the starting point.
Lots of lovely rich colours and patterns and layers of papers.
The theme for this month was beach so I grabbed some replica seaside related things and chose a bikini clad girl as a feature. The girl is from a small set of sketch pads with women’s outlines on so you can design clothing. I spotted them and thought they were ideal for art journalling.
I drew over the girl with charcoal to provide a more sketchy look… and added a bikini.
Then to decide on the layout and how to finish the page. Although there was plenty of pattern in the background I decided to add more using some Hot Picks fish stamps and then a Paper mania postcard stamp. I also added some fresco finish paint but soon realised that Jackie had used Dylusions so experienced blending and bleeding… that made me change my plans a little when it came to adhering the items on top of Dylusions.
After trying with Matt medium and spreading the red colour onto the tickets a little I then opted for hi tack glue for the title and the picture of the girl.
I added some washy colour to the girl too which added some depth and then decided it needed more texture. I grabbed a Clarity stamp stencil and used glossy transparent texture gel through the stencil to create some texture at the bottom left hand side. Once that was dry I wanted to add some ‘sand’ so used distress ink and a blending tool for the bottom part of the page.
Finally added some shading and outlining and edged the page with black archival to frame it. Really happy with how this came together.
Happy crafting!
Catherine
My Dylusions journal has had all sorts thrown at it… but rarely Dylusions. I just don’t use the sprays often at all. I think even though I have no issue with being Inky fingered Cat they are so messy and unpredictable.
Anyway I felt inclined to play and this time grabbed sprays and not paints.
Here is where I started. An image from the Vogue colouring book I cut out and coloured with watered down ink. And a page where there were several wipe offs and some texture paste finished off.
So out came the Dylusions… First issue is that the spray nozzle on the yellow is no longer working so instead spread the ink with a brush over the page (and got a fairly yellow hand in the process too).
After that I just got busy with sprays, stencils and colour! I completely forgot about the process pics thing and wasn’t even thinking of an eventual outcome. I just played! Pretty much like Carolyn Dube advocates (I’ve been watching a lot of her youtube videos)… I gave myself permission to play.
So the above is a cacophony of spray inks, distress inks and a bit of black Dylusions paint too. Then I added the image using matte medium.
Next up was stamping and adding the title that seemed to make sense to me at the time…. yes my own lettering which is unusual and adding some bold outlines to the picture which made it slightly more like a cartoon I suppose but makes me think it is more part of the page now too.
So my Dylusions page is definitely colourful and so were my hands at the end. Will I buy anymore sprays… unlikely … I’ve decided that paints and the brushos are just easier to use… and a bit easier on the hands.
Having said all that I still love the vibrancy of the Dylusions…. just not the spray element so will continue to use them up!
Happy crafting!
Catherine
Inkyfingeredcat 