Peace. Love and Kindness at Altered Pages

This month at Altered Pages it is all about Peace, Love and Kindness in our Art.  My 2017 started with a bang and in a mood to de-clutter and tidy up a little which lead me to finding a box of card samples and one card design I loved. 

So for my First Art Project for Altered Pages this year I am revisiting this design but adding a twist and for a little extra love I have included butterflies on it which I truly think everybody loves, especially when it comes to making art.

For all the instructions and to see just how this design comes together you will have to head over to the Altered Pages Blog to see my post. 

Some More Art for Inspire Your Heart with Art Day

Yesterday I gave myself permission to disappear for a few hours into my creative haven and simply create for the joy of it.......with nothing in mind other than I was going to use the soft powdery colors that are known as Pan Pastels.

I not only gave myself permission but my husband told me to go and do it too!  He is wonderful and so very supportive of my creativity.  My post yesterday showed one more abstract piece I created with the higher consciousness of our minds in mind, and my second piece which I am sharing today had a similar theme and color palette.  The colors of our Chakras.

Green is the color of the Heart Chakra and it is when we focus on Love, the giving and receiving of it that we will obtain a true state of 'all is good in the world' and be at peace within ourselves.  I love how the face (Andy Skinner Stencil) draws you in to this piece.

Just after completing this piece we had a big thunderstorm pass overhead, luckily the hail was carried with these storms elsewhere, but there is always something about the sultry colors and the beauty of a freshly drenched landscape that I love.  While glancing out the window I spotted a butterfly, and all of this inspired my piece below.

I have played with a few different stencils and blended lots of color into the background, before further layering of the leaf stencils and colors.  My butterfly is hand drawn.  I have called this one Take Flight. Which is what I plan to be doing in a creative sense over the coming year.

I hope you have found sometime to do the things you love this weekend!  And don't forget there is still time to link up with the Unruly PaperArts Inspire Your Heart with Art Day Event.

Cards in Envy - Feeling Buggy

It's time for another challenge at Cards in Envy.  This fortnight the theme is Feeling Buggy so we want to see all those beautiful bugs gracing your cards.

I chose to use an image from Crafty Individuals featuring a butterfly.  On my card I have used some Antique Linen Distress Ink to blend over the white areas of my Echo Park patterned paper to give it a more aged look and to match the vanilla tones of the cardstock I have stamped my image on.  The ink is one of my new ones, don't you just love the color?  It's called Rhubarb Stalk and is one of the Memento Luxe Pads from IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko.

I do hope you will join in all the buggy fun at Cards in Envy.

Cards in Envy - Think Green

Think Green is what we want you to do this month for our latest challenge at Cards in Envy.  Your creation doesn't have to be St Patricks Day inspired, but simply green in honor of the day.

For my card I reached for my paper scrap bin and found some pieces in similar tones, I punched a dark green cardstock strip with one of my border punches and then used one of my favorite Unity Butterfly Stamps and colored with a yellow marker.

Be sure to check out all the other wonderful Green Inspiration over on the Challenge Blog. 

Wk 2 Journaling

Hi Everyone!  Today I am sharing some of my art journaling.  And not to worry I am not sharing any of my heavy emotional stuff.   As well as Journal 52 I am now playing along with the Art Journal Caravan for 2014 which is also a year long workshop.  The years theme is Not all those who Wander are Lost and January is all about having Nature as your Muse.  Nature truly is a wonderful inspiration for my art so I couldn't resist joining the fun.  Plus it combines my two loves, art and using the computer.

For both this weeks Journal 52 and AJC prompts I have chosen the same quote.

Here's a look at my page -  Journal 52's prompt is Somewhere a Simple Place, and I have used a scribbled Gelato Background with stamping, Paper and drawing to represent that place, which for me is sitting outside with a coffee in hand watching and feeding the birds that frequent our garden and enjoying all that nature has to offer.

AJC has numerous prompts from colors, to words, to photos to use as inpsiration.  This week I used two colors from their Color Sparks and the Word Soothe.  The exact place I have depicted above is somewhere that for me soothes the soul.  For my Page I have used an A3 piece of watercolor paper with Black and White Gesso, Stencils and Spray Inks.

I have then scanned this background into my pc and added digital elements to achieve my finished page.  I really love how this has turned out just looking at it for me has a soothing effect!

Thanks for stopping by!

Unity {be inspired} Hop

Hi Everyone!  

Back in June/July one of my cards won the {be inspired} Challenge 

which happens monthly over on the Unity Stamp Company Blog. 

Thanks to my win, today I am joining the wonderfully talented 

Unity Stamp Company Designers

 as a Guest for the Unity {be inspired} Hop.  

The hop starts over on the Unity Blog here. 

and then on to

Danie (That's Me)

Angie

Erin

Jolande

Joslyn

Lisa A.

Renee

Stephanie

Simply by hopping and leaving a comment on each stop along the way 

you will be in the running to win a great prize.

WHAT INSPIRED ME!

The inspiration photo above screams Autumn to me, 

and the butterflies on the card sketch caught my eye also.

  Contemplating the color palette I also thought

it would be perfect for a male card.  

Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere signifies Thanksgiving, 

so my first card had being grateful in mind.

This card uses the inspiration colors and card sketch.

Supplies:  Paper - Basic Grey, Cardstock - Stampin' Up!, Stamps - Unity Blessings Stamp from Feb 2012 SMAK Kit & Butterfly from April 2011 KOTM, Other:  Chalk - SU, Flower Bling, Striped Ribbon - Pink Paislee

 

My second card incorporates the inspiration colors, has lots of butterflies 

and uses the cracked glass technique. 

Supplies: Cardstock - Quill, Stamps - Unity Dream Big Itty Bitty, Other:  Gelatos - Faber Castell, Clear UTEE Embossing Powder, Striped Ribbon - Pink Paislee, Twine and Button

My third card once more incorporates the inspiration colors 

and was made with a male recipient in mind.

Supplies:  Paper - Basic Grey, Cardstock - Quill, Stamps - Unity Candles and Cake (Wit and Wisdom) Itty Bitty, Other:  Gelatos - Faber Castell, Black Ink and Embossing Powder, Ric Rac.

So are you feeling inspired yet?  

There's heaps more wonderful inspiration to follow.

Your next stop on the Unity {be inspired} Hop is the very talented Angie Blom

Thanks for stopping and have fun hopping.  

Itty Bitty A Day Challenge - Day 3

Hi Everyone!  I hope you are all having a great week so far.  I was back at the Physio on Tuesdays and yesterday had hardly any pain so I got into the craft room early and played.  On Tuesday my Altered Pages Order arrived and it made an appearance (well the box did) in my photo yesterday for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday.  I had some comments left stating they would like a closer look at the contents so I have another photo to share.

There is the New Color Sets in Gelatos, New Papers from Graphic 45 and Glitz, at the back is A Box of Rubber which is a mystery box of stamps, there is some Sari Silk Ribbons, Chipboard and a few other embellishments and Ribbons. 

So yesterday with all these items out I could not just put it away without playing a little.  I was due to make a card for Day 3 of the Itty Bitty A Day Challenge over on the Unity Show and Tell Facebook Page, so I did this with a with a couple of other challenges in mind too.

Wednesday's Card - Itty Bitty a Day Challenge

Supplies Used: 

 Dream Big Itty Bitty by Unity Stamp Co, Bohemian Bazaar Papers by Graphic 45,

 Eyelet and Scallop Border Punches by Stampin' Up!, 50's Diner Gelatos, 

Crystal Lacquer, Memento Ink Tuxedo Black, Trim and Rhinestones from Stash.

The latest color challenge at Color Throwdown was a perfect match to those colors in the new Bohemian Bazaar Papers from Graphic 45.  

Shopping our Stash was asking for you to use your oldest punches this week.  Hence my two Stampin' Up! Border Punches on this card.  These were the first two from my days as a SU Demonstrator back in 2009.

And over at the Songbird Challenge Blog (I only just found this challenge site), they were asking for you to use your favorite things.  As some of you know I love butterflies, and using my Gelatos so they were a definite must on this card.  I used the Gelatos to color my butterflies and their background, simply by drawing stripes and blending.  They are some of the new colors in the 50's Diner Pack above.

The Butterflies are from the Dream Big Itty Bitty Stamp by Unity so all of these elements made my card meet all four challenges this week.  

The Ric Rac/Scallop Trim was one I brought secondhand on Ebay along with a huge stash of other trims some years back, and I have coated my butterflies with Crystal Lacquer to give them some dimension and shine.

Unity Friends with Flair 26/7/13

Hi Everyone!  Thanks for all the well wishes last week regarding my back.  I was prescribed stronger pain killers throughout the week and have had some physio and acupuncture.  I am now sitting typing this with my back all taped up for the next few days to stop me from bending and to give me some extra support in the hope that this may help settle things down.  The diagnosis apart from my Spondylitis flaring up is that I have two vertebrae rubbing together when I move.  Anyway thanks to the measures taken this week I have been able to sit for longer than a few minutes and have been in the craft room today playing.

I decided to play with my Flat Fabio Sprays from Lindy's Stamp Gang and my Inktense Pencils both of which give such vibrant color plus I just love the names of my Flat Fabios.  The three I am using today are Pineapple Paradise, Hibiscus Rose and Carribean Blue.

I am linking up both these cards with today's Friday Friends with Flair.

The first card is using off center masking and my Mists (I am using my Lindy's Stamp Gang Flat Fabio's). 

 I started by using my mask first and spraying with blue.  I then stamped my image slighty off the white space left by my first mask.  I covered over the image and masked moving slightly each time twice more to use my Yellow and Pink Sprays.  As you can tell my Pink Spray is playing up a bit but I kinda liked the blobs.  I then highlighted where my yellow spray outlined the image further with my Yellow Inktense pencil. 

The sentiment is made up of some small preprinted wooden words which I brought when I was in Melbourne last month. I am now kicking myself that I didn't buy more.  The butterfly which was already out on my desk is from the Jan 2012 KOTM and I've stamped it using my Black Big Brush Marker Pen.

This week was CHA in the States, so Unity have been having a week long Creative Party to celebrate and as part of this were running a Coloring Contest with which they are giving you a free digital download to use.

Here's my entry.

I have water-colored the image with my Inktense Pencils and used my Yellow Flat Fabio to highlight an area on my embossed background which my sentiment sits over.  Both my image and sentiment were spritzed lightly with the blue and pink.

Here's a bit of a close up so you can see the light spritz.

Be sure to go over to the Unity Facebook Show and Tell Group and check out all the amazing entries using this image, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Anyway I am out of here, hope you all have a great weekend!

Unruly Paper Arts - Postcard Parade

Hi Everyone, today over at Unruly Paper Arts is my first contribution to my Color Me Happy Column and this month the theme for your inspiration is Postcards.

Having just returned from a fabulous few days in Melbourne last month and spending two of those days creating up a storm with my online crafting friends from ATC's for All, I decided to create a postcard to send to them all to let them know they were in my thoughts and I couldn't wait until we got together to do it all again.  We have another get together set for next year in New Zealand!

Here's a sneak peek.  My postcard incorporates some of my favorite things, Gelli Printing, Butterflies, & Doodling.  To see it in it's entirety along with a step by step on how it was created you will have to pop over to the Unruly Paper Arts Blog.

And whilst there be sure to check out the other articles for further postcard inspiration or play along with the current Reader's Art Quest Challenges.

Mixing it Up with Gelatos!

Hi everyone!  As you read this post I will be most likely settling into our Hotel in Melbourne for a couple of days R & R.  I am here for a two day art get together with my fellow Australian/New Zealand AFA (ATC's for All) Members and then some time out with the family.  It will be A's first time in Melbourne and saying he is excited is a little bit of an understatement.

In May I was due to design a kit for Altered Pages, and as I love my Faber Castell Gelatos I was thinking of a way to introduce others to how easily and versatile they are to use.

This kit is simply called it Mixing it up with Gelatos and the contents of this kit enables you to create and personalize your own canvas board using Gelatos and other Goodies from Altered Pages.

The full instructions included with the kit details numerous ways to use these Gelatos to create rich color, full textured backgrounds and to coordinate your elements to suit.  You will be water coloring, layering, blending, finger painting, and drawing your way to a wonderful mixed media piece which you can personalise with your own stamps/quotes that have meaning for you.

You will find this kit for sale at Altered Pages here.

I hope you all have a great week!

Clean and Simple Birthday Card

Hi Everyone!  I hope all my readers/followers who are mother's had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday.  I spent a lovely day with both my own and my hubbies mum who has been staying with us for a few days whilst recovering from a recent operation.  My sister also joined us for the day which was a surprise for mum.

I have another CAS Card to share today, playing along with a few challenges.

This uses one of my favorite background stamps which I love inking up with my pastel toned chalk inks and a simple patterned butterfly stamp and sentiment all of which are from Unity Stamp Co.  My card base is a soft lilac colored cardstock from Stampin' Up!  (I forgot the name of the color).

I am playing along with the following challenges.

CAS on Sundays - Challenge #8 Pastel Pretties.
Less Is More - Week 119 One Layer - Colored Card Blank
Creative Corner Challenges - #18 Things with Wings
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Clean and Simple
Totally Papercrafts - #166 CAS

Thinking Lavender at Altered Pages this month

Hi Everyone!  Yes it's that time again for another fabulous Altered Art Challenge over at Altered Pages.

This month with spring in the air for most of the Northern Hemisphere we are wanting you to turn your thoughts to this magical season and in particular the color of Lavender.

My project which is a framed ATC wall hanging was inspired by a recent post I saw over on the Unruly Paper Arts Blog by Petra Berendsen.

In creating this I was also on a mission to use up my left over scraps which include the paper used for the frame, my multicolored chalk stamped background which was left over from some previous ATC's as was the collage sentiment.  I have also used the Wildflowers Volume 1 Stamp Set by Dark Room Door, Pearl Dew Drops and Pink Tear Drops from The Robin's Nest, die cut butterflies, and a punch for the leaves.  My frame was cut from a piece of chipboard using my Courture Creations Victorian Rectangle Cutting Die.

The Altered Pages Supplies Used include an ATC Sized Eco Art Board, Foiling, some Pink Silk Ribbon
and a Lavender Fabric Flower.

Be sure to pop over to the Altered Pages Challenge Site to play along as well as to see the rest of the Design Teams creations for March's Challenge.  They are all so unique and include an Altered Art Block, Tags, and an Easter Egg showcasing this beautiful shade of purple.

I am also entering this project into the following challenges:-

Crafty Network Bloggers - March Spring/Pastels Challenge
Tuesday Alchemy - #52 Anything Goes
Celebrate the Occassion - #103 Spring is in the Air

Blue, Brown and Butterflies!

Hi Everyone!  I hope you have had a wonderful weekend!  I am kick starting my week by catching up with a friend for  lunch a little later today and then home to do some housework and finalizing some ATC Trades to get into the mail.  What have you got planned for your Monday?

I am sharing a butterfly card today which I made late last week.  It really started out as a bit of a play with my Faber Castell Gelatos and Big Brush Marker Pens.  My butterfly stamps from Dark Room Door just happened to be within reach and I must say I do love them and they are even extra special because I won them.  The symbolism of the butterfly is of so many positive emotions such as hope, joy, freedom and happiness that they really were fitting for my card as playing/experimenting and creating generates all of these emotions for me.

I used my #178 Nougat Big Brush Marker direct on the stamp to stamp my image and embossed with clear embossing powder.  For the wings I then took my Metallic Mint Gelato and drew on a plastic sleeve protector a small spot to which I added some water and proceeded to color them in with my aqua brush.  Over the top of this I added and smudged some further color with my #156 Colbalt Green Big Brush Marker.

For the background I colored this with a combination of Cotton Candy, Metallic Blueberry and and Blueberry Gelatos, also mixed to watercolor consistency.  The Blueberry I actually applied with a piece of scrunched up paper dipped in my watercolor mix, and dotted and dabbed across the background and especially the edges.

The Cardstock is Stampin' Up's Soft Suede and the Paper is one I have had since I first started scrapbooking and purchased something like 1000 sheets on Ebay!

Anyway that's all from me today I have to go and think about getting ready to head out!  I hope you have a wonderful Mojo Filled and Magical Monday!

I am entering this card into the following challenges:-

Flutterby Wednesdays -  #230 

Everything is starting to Gel!

Hi Everyone!  I am back again with yet another glimpse of all the fun I have been having on my Gelli Plate.

My very first print I made upon opening the box and with my Splash Inks was the one used for the Background on this card.  It was done using the large bubble wrap that my Gelli Plate arrived from Altered Pages packaged in.  So its very fitting that this is what project I am featuring over on the AP Blog today for my DT Post.

The butterfly was a fussy cut stamped image I had sitting on my desk from the last time I had played with some shaving foam and dye re-inkers.  To this shape I added a smaller die/cut embossed butterfly, some gold foiling and Gold Metallic Dew Drops from the Robin's Nest.  A little gold foiling was also added to the background.  I stamped my sentiment on white cardstock and then took my watercolor pencils to shade this in to tone in with the background also.  A tulle ribbon bow adds a little more interest and lift to the butterfly.

I can relate using your Gelli Plate to the quote by Forest Gump -'Life is like a box of Chocolates!'   As you never know what you are going to get!

For more Gelli Print Inspiration you can also view the other Altered Pages Design Team members in action over on the Altered Pages Blog, where Becky has used it to cover her mailing boxes and Leslie has created her own Tape.  

I played some more last night with mine, layering color upon color wanting some more manly looking and grungy looking prints, so I will share the end results/projects with you soon.  

Cards in Envy - Challenge 1

Hi Everyone!  Today sees the start of a wonderful new Challenge Site and Design Team which I am so pleased to be a new member of.  Cards in Envy is a Challenge Blog dedicated to creating cards suitable for mailing in other words that fit in envelopes.

The rules are pretty simple ...

• Create a card that can be sent in a regular, postage paid envelope 
• You are free to use any images, stamps, cut outs, die cuts and embellishments that are no thicker than a penny 
• Please link back to your post and not your blog 
• Please no back linking 
• Please post a link on your blog to Cards in Envy 

The very first challenge is a Sketch Challenge using the following sketch:-

Here is my card using it!

Stamps:  Unity Stamp Co
Paper/Cardstock:  Basic Grey and Stampin' Up!
Ink:  Stampin' Up - Not Quite Navy
Other:  The Robin's Nest Pearl Dew Drops, Stampin' Up! Eyelet Border Punch, 
Scallop Circle Punch and 11/2 Inch Circle Punch

The Basic Grey Paper with the Rose Design was my starting point for this card, which then influenced my other choices, such as the Sympathy Card Sentiment, Fussy Cut Butterflies and Colors.

This is such a versatile sketch, so be sure to visit the Cards in Envy Blog and welcome the New DT and see all their wonderful creations for inspiration and I do hope you will join in all the fun and play along with us.

The Poodles Parlour - Anything Goes

Hi Everyone I hope you are all having a wonderful start to your weekend!  I was awoken early this morning by 100's of screeching cockatoo's.  They have been absent from around our home for months but with it being some time since we have had decent rain everything is dry so no doubt they are looking for food, and they found it at our house this morning, given we had only last night put some seed out for the lorikeets and king parrots which we feed.  So my early rise has seen me get some work done and I sat down here realising that I totally forgot to schedule my post for the latest Poodles Parlour - Anything Goes Challenge.

This week we are joined by Milk Coffee as are Sponsor and the design team was lucky enough to get to play with some of there gorgeous images.

My card uses the image Charlotte Paper Ship.

I have used a swirly background paper from K & Co to resemble waves and the reverse side was perfect for a Sunny Sky.  She looks so dreamy in her little paper ship that I thought a Thinking of You Sentiment would be a great match for this image.  Charlotte and her paper ship are colored with Tria Markers, and I have added a little Kindy Glitz along the waves.

To see more of these adorable images be sure to head over the Poodles Parlour Blog and checkout all the wonderful Design Teams cards created for your inspiration this fortnight.

 I do hope you join the fun of this challenge and have a great weekend!

31 Day Card Challenge - Days 4 - 8

Hi Everyone!  Because of everything going on both here on my blog and elsewhere over the weekend I didn't post my cards for days 4 - 7  so as promised I am back now to share with you the cards I have made over the past few days playing along with the 31 Day Card Challenge.

Day 5 - Color Aqua

I only had one piece of Aqua paper in my stash so this is what I came up with playing along also with the latest Sketch Challenge at Sketches by Carly.

The Butterflies Stamp is from the Dream Big Itty Bitty Stamp by Unity.  I have stamped in Tempting Turquoise Ink and used a similar color in my Gelato Pens to ink/smooch around the edges.

Day 6 - Technique - Paper Piecing

For this Card I am also playing along with the latest Color Combination Challenge of Tangerine Tango and Old Olive from Dynamic Duos and the Sketchbook Saturday Sketch.

For this card I am using up some of my old Stampin' Up! Papers in the two required colors.  The Pear Stamp and Sentiment are both from one of my Unity Stamp Company KOTM's.  A polka dot flower and some gem stones to finish.

Day 7 - Technique - Embossing

For this Card I started with Sketch #69 from the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and decided to have a bit more of a play with my new Gelatos.

I clear embossed my butterfly and colored over it with a selection of Gelatos.  These same Gelatos were then used to create the dry embossed watercolor look background which my cut out butterfly was mounted to.  I mounted this on my card following the sketch and adding some rhinestones and dew drops to finish.

I am also entering this card into the Stamp Man October Butterflies, Birds and Bees Challenge.

Day 8 - Technique - Spotlight

This is one technique I haven't tried before, I have seen it around, so it was fun to try this one.  I have used one of the ladies from the Darkroom Door Stamp Set Just My Style and colored the spotlight in with my Tria Markers.  I have used an Echo Park Paper and SU Cardstock and Ribbon.

I will be back tomorrow with Day 9 and 10's Cards, until then happy stamping!