Accordian Book

I spent the morning creating a little accordion book for Tammy Garcia's Tangents & Tactics series.  I had a lot of fun doing this - it was a great way to use up the little bits of paper I've kept and the images I've cut out of magazines

To begin with I took a file folder and cut it into 4" sections. I used my Stampin'Up! Simply Scored board and was able to leave the folder piece "closed" to score 2.5" sections, measuring from the folded edge.  The two end sections were smaller, but that's fine.

Next I found various pieces of paper to glue as backgrounds to each section.

Then I went through my ephemera to finds bits and pieces to add, and pulled out some stamps too.  There are some retired Stampin'Up! sets that I didn't/won't get rid of - and this is one of the reasons!

The following are close-ups of each section.  Once I had attached everything I wanted, I used my watercolour crayons to outline each piece.  I dipped the crayon into water before drawing with it.  Never did that before, but it was what Tammy did in her tutorial video.

Believe me, I won't always have two postings in one day!

I had a lot of fun - and that's what counts!

Create something mini

Joan

DDP - Stamped Mandala

Daily Paper Prompt #21 - Stamped Mandala

This was easy for me - being a Stampin'Up! demonstrator - I have tons of stamps to choose from.  Tammy's other criteria for this though was to use alphabet or number stamps.  That made it easier for sure!

I'll also share today, a page I did while I was in Winnipeg this summer.  It's in a small 6x6 found paper book.

Have a good day.

Create Something everyday.

Joan

More Blues…..

Okay - I know I already did this challenge - last year - but I just had to do it again and I'm very happy with the results. Much more involved than last year. On the musical theme, I added initials for favorites- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Michael Jackson and George Gershwin - can't say I don't have eclectic preference in music! I decided to redo it after having  completed a project for prompt #19…..

Prompt #19 - Mail Art

I watched one of  Tracy Scott's videos on her mixed media ICAD projects.  I love all the layers she ends up with - so I tried it out on a card I'm going to mail to a friend.

Last night - I finished this creation.  I ended up reworking this page and I'm much happier with it now. The image on the right is something I did as a child in oil pastel. Probably a Christmas art project at school 'cause I'm pretty sure Sunday School would not have oil pastels. After adhering the tattered paper to my art journal I extended the stained glass lines further out into the spread. I had originally painted everything yellow because I had so much in then original piece, but while I was in Banff I decided to paint different colours in the sections. I always intended to do zentangles in the boxes, but I decided to keep the original piece clear and not "clean up" the original smudges.

So - I've got a lot of arting done today - in-between cutting the corners between the ceiling and walls.  My husband and friend painted our ceilings today - they look much better!   Next……preparation for hardwood floors.  It's going to be a busy time before school starts again!

Have a great day - 

Create something blue!

Joan

DDP - The Blues

Prompt #20 - The Blues

I used my watercolour crayons for this one - creating designs and then adding water.  The paper in this booklet is not watercolour paper - so the effect was  completely different - but still fun.

I guess I'm sharing a bit of last year and this year.  The DPPs I did last year, and some of the stuff I've done this summer.  Here is a mandala from my Firebook that I took with me to Winnipeg.  I worked in it everyday while my husband was at meetings, or while we were sitting with friends at dinner.

Daily Paper Prompts

Last August, after I finished all of the Index Card a Day Prompts, (which I fell flat on this summer!!!) I started in on Tammy Garcia's Daily Paper Prompts.  I didn't finish them last year, and this year she has posted the same list and is going to extend beyond 61 days…..so…..I'm posting the ones I did last year and then carrying on with the new ones I create.  

Today's post includes Days 1-18.  I really did enjoy these exercises!  I didn't like everything I created - but that's normal.  I went outside of my  comfort zone a couple times, and that promotes growth - I'm looking forward to finishing off the prompts this year and then seeing what Tammy comes up with for new ones.  I thoroughly enjoy her inspiration!

The first prompt - shown at the top was "rainbow".  I am using a spiral notebook that was sold by Stampin'Up! a couple years ago.  It doesn't have heavy paper, and it's one that I already had prepped for another purpose.  So sometimes the paint is covering up things, and other times they are included in the prompts creation.  

For the rainbow, I painted the page with an acrylic rainbow.  Once it was dry I covered it with a layer of white acrylic paint and splattered it with water.  After the paint was dry - but not the water - I dabbed of the water spots created a mottled look.  This is a technique I learned from Emily Lagore - and I love it!

Prompt #2 - Windows.  I did a gel transfer of this wonderful window in Montmartre, Paris.  Well, maybe the window isn't so fabulous - but it's the gentleman making crepes and the HUGE bottle of Nutella!  Anyway - after laying down the gel transfer, I did zentangles around the window echoing it's shape.

Prompt #3 - Drips

Prompt #4 - Flowers.  I don't draw flowers well, but I can draw Mandala/Zentangle flowers!

Prompt #5 - Linear

Prompt #6 - Certification

Prompt #7 - Leftovers

Prompt #8 - Faded

Prompt #9 - Games

Prompt #10 - I'm going to have to do this summer - stitched paper is the prompt.  

Prompt #11 - Ogee Pattern

Prompt #12 - Round 

Prompt #13 - Grid - I painted the grid just using "squares" of paint - then I drew lines on the paper and doodled in each of the boxes - shown below

Prompt #14 - Saturated Colour

Prompt 16 - Words

Prompt 16 - Dictionary Love

Prompt 17 - Chandelier

That's it for now.  

Create something everyday!

Joan

Watercolour tulip

I have been lucky this summer in that I have been able to spend time on three occasions with my mentor Emily.  On one of those days, she took me step by step through the process she uses for her watercolour paintings…..

She selects a photo that she has taken - she let me use this tulip of hers…..

After rubbing graphite onto the back of the photograph I attached it to a piece of 400lb watercolour paper.  Attaching it just enough to keep the paper still and then using a pencil, outline all of the lines of the photo.

Once all the lines are drawn, tape off the area to be painted with painter tape.

Emily uses purple to begin her shadowed areas - I learned a lesson with this first attempt - DON'T PUT ALL THE PURPLE DOWN AND THEN EXPECT IT TO MOVE EASILY!

I may have flubbed on the purple, but in the end I am totally blown away with what I produced!

I can't wait to do another one!

Create something everyday!

Joan

Repurposed Calendar

I bought the best calendar for my classroom this year - it already has some cool "paper collage" creations on it of me to enjoy through the months - and then I'm taking each page and reworking the elements into my own collage.

I love the dragonfly above - its a complete piece from the calendar and I just highlighted the sections of the wings with Sharpie.  I covered the base of my page (in my big found paper book) with different coloured pieces of mulberry paper that I've had for years.  Then I tore up the rest of the calendar page around the words and the calendar section itself and added them.  Finally I added a bit of paint here and there.

I have a thing for umbrellas and loved this page in the calendar.  The background is painted very similar to the page in the calendar.  I cut out the umbrella and separated the words so they could travel across the spread.  The raindrops have been cut from my bits and pieces of paper left over from my gelli prints.  I had a lot of fun picking them out.  They've been glued on and I drew around each one with Sharpie, added a bit of a shadow and a touch of white to each.  

The flowers along the bottom have been torn from a paper napkin.  

Fun fun fun!  Create everyday!

Joan