Happy New Year 2015!

So as the old year close and the New Year comes closer

My you join me on my new journey 

to grow in my creativity

And in my confidence!

I hope to see you in more challenges in 2015!!

Happy New Year
Everyone
Joan
XXOO

Family together

This jounal page was heaps of fun and was a great deal to figure out.....

Let me explain...

I wanted to do blues as my back ground so out of my scrap pattern papers

I started to select the pattern blue tone pages I wanted.  

I began to cut two pieces of each in random sizes. 

I used broken china - distress ink to edge each piece of paper.

I then stuck each of paper down with mod podge.

I made sure that neither pages are the same with the layout of the

pattern papers although I have the same pattern papers. 

I then added my photos and my embellishments. 

Happy journaling everyone

Joan

New Beginnings

New Beginnings

So if you have followed or been on my blog.... Thank you!!

Thank you for your time, your efforts and your kindness!

This has been a year I would like to close the door on and let 

2015 be a New  Beginning for Me and my family...

As each family carries burdens through life some are 

Just to heavy to let you do what you love....

I have let my worries stand I the way of 

My creativity and I do hope that I can find it again,

And re-ignite the flame within me to inspire others,

In the years ahead.

I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas

And May 2015 be filled with all the Love and joy for you

You and your family's seek for yourself!

God Bless

Joan

Butterflies

Yes.... I do love butterflies...

I  stamped heaps of butterflies out until it was covered over my plain white cardstock

I cut them out and glued them down on my journal page.

They are randomly placed as I wasn't sure if they are going to be a main feature or just a background!

I then found gelatos - colours I wanted and began to blend over the page.

 I applied gel medium to seal the page. Added the finish touches.

Love to you all

Joan

Xx

Antique Bottle

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi All this is my first attempt at doing a bottle...

 

so for you that are so very talented... please be bear with me!

 

This is how I started.

I got an olive oil bottle washed it well and removed the label.

I used masking tape around the neck of the bottle first,

then did a thin layer of gesso first and repeated. Once both layers were dry I applied two layers of cream.

I used burnt amber and watered if down and used a tooth brush and flicked it all over the bottle.

then let it dry.

 

 

whilst drying I cut out from my collage sheet and serviette the pieces I wanted.

I mod podged it done and then used bark brown ink and rubbed the edgings of the

bottle and blended the images once they had been added.

I then took off the masking tape and add my twine.

 I finally added a butterfly and a key with my two cogs.

I glued down my key so it doesn't swing every time I pick up the bottle.

 

 

hope you enjoyed my bottle as much as I enjoyed making it

 

Happy scrapping

xxoo

 



Egg dairy ... New look

Well accidents happen and it was going to happen sooner or later....

I dropped my journal and dammeged the cover... Not just a small crack..

But the top came off!!! Smashed!!

I was shattered (no pun intended!!) to say the least but then I thought this was the chance to pull it off

And fix up my changes I wanted to make the last time and add some more... Well let's see what I can do before I say some thing that doesn't happen!!!

Evidence of the disaster!!

So I started of by re-sanding the cover and doing a thin layer of gesso and then

Did a second coat of gesso thicker this time.

I then put my eggshells down. Egg shell up and glue it down mod podge.

Once dry I reapplied mod podge and dried.

I then put the colour cream. I again did two coats.

Once dry I applied a serviette. 

I put it one side to dry and took a arch chippie and did a thin layer of glue over

The entire chippie to give it dimemsion. I dried it with my heating tool. Once dried 

I applied gold paint. Dried and then over the top used picked fence distress paint and rubbed with my finger

over the gold to tone down the gold. I still wasn't happy with the colour so I used spun sugar distress paint

over top of the colours I had already used. 

I then took my dress mannequin and sprain with Dylusions -

chocolate, campso teal & turquoise  

I did a paper doily as a skirt and glued it down.

 I left it white and put a silver ribbon over the top.

I then put a piece of lace across the cover and glued it down.

I then glued down my arch that was dry.

I then glued down my mannequin.

I then added more lace to the mannequin which I had sprayed with garnet. 

I found the agent to pink so I added  abit of picket fence over it to tone it down.

I then placed a rhinestone on the centre of the lace and a bit of stickles - pearl at the top.

At the top of the mannequin I added a large rhinestone as well.

 

Super stoked with the final out come and I must say this is more of a ladies dairy.. so between you, me and this blog kinda happy it needed a new lease on life!

 

Happy scrapping Ladies

"Little boy"

       Thanks YouTube this has been my most enjoyable clip to watch and learn from....

"Mother's Love" by lindys stamp gang.

I started of by choosing a black card stock and then glued down old book pages.

I then watered down gesso over the pages. I wanted the black edging on the card stock to show.

I then started sorting through my scrap pattern papers. You will need about 10 variations. I cut them into strips of 0.7cm thick and at least 25cm long.

Before sticking the strips down I mark where I want my photo down.

I then measure 1cm in from from the edge of both sides of the photo marks and 

draw a fine line to start placing my strips down. 

Place them both horizontally and vertically. 

I staggered my layers as I placed them down.

Once they where down I gessoed over my patterned paper. 

And dried with my heating tool.

I then took modeling paste and my circle stencil and did random circles. 

Once I was happy with my circles. I dried with my heating tool. Making sure that the pages well dried. I then took my two colours - poppy red and sky blue. 

I sprayed my page in the areas I wanted my colours to stand out.

I then dried the sprays again.

Once it was dry I took my charcoal pencil and edged all the strips I had stuck down.

I also went around some of the circles. This just makes the images pop!!

 At this point I was so stoked with how it was looking I 

stood back and enjoyed what I had done..... 

I then stuck down my picture with glue, and began to add my embellishments.

I've loved doing this page... I do so badly need to learn how to improve on my 

photography work!!!

From the light to the angles.... 

Happy scrapping guys

XXOO 

Joan 

Garden Bottle

So I wanted to try doing a bottle... It seemed easy and so...

Here goes..

I got an empty sundries tomato bottle and washed it well and removed the Label.

I then did a thin layer of gesso.

Once it dried I applied antique gold -Folk art papier glitter paint 

Over the hole bottle covering the gesso.

Once dried I did a second coat.

Once the second coat was dried I then cut out the images off the serviettes 

 I wanted and then applied with mod podge.

I then got string and strung it around the top a few times and then

Added an image with the bird on and glued it down, so it

Doesn't swing every time I pick up the bottle!

 For my first attempt it's okay... Most certainly would like to try another bottle but this time going to hunt a different shape!!!

Thanks for stopping by

Cheers scrappers stay warm

XXOO 

Mother's Love

                               So ..I had one idea, but as soon as I started my idea was straight out the window and I headed off in new direction...

I started with a 8 x 8 canvas and covered it with tissue paper already preprinted.

I took a piece of lace and adhered it the the base of the canvas.

I then got my "Love" sign and two ticket stubs.

First I sprayed the "Love" sign with Dylusions - bubble gum.

I glued it over the lace and place my two ticket stubs.

I then applied a thin... Watered down layer of gesso over the whole canvas.
I then used my heating tool and dried my canvas.
I then placed my masking tape down we're I wanted it.

I then glued down butterflies that will resist the sprays. 

I took my charcoal pencil and went over the word "love" and enhanced it. 

I turned on my heat gun and.... Well the fun begins!!

Take the heat gun and run the glue over the masking tape

Were you want the glue. You must let the gun get hot before applying the glue or it 

will be thick as it has happened on my canvas.

Once the glue is dry - it dries quickly!!

Choose your two colours to spray.

I started with poppy red. Dry between spraying colours.

I  wiped of the excess spray and dried with heating tool.

I took my charcoal pencil and again went over the 'Love''.

I took wet wipes and placed then over the areas I didn't want sprayed with my next colour.

I took my Burnt umber and sprayed over the areas with masking tape and glue.

Again cleaning off excess spray off the resist butterflies once finished.  

I then dried with my heating tool. And started to decorate with the embellishments I wanted.

I backed my picture with black card stock. Placed a white flower  in the cornor and put rhinestones flowing out the flower.

Hope you enjoyed this new technique as much as I have enjoyed playing whilst learning...

Happy scrapping everyone 

Joan

XXOO                                  

Blue eyes

Hello every one...

This is my favourite page of all...

It's the first page of my journal and I found this ATC card on Pinterest that I love so I turned it into my journal page.

I started of with broken chine - distress stain and dried the page well.

I took tissue paper and covered it with script stamps and made sure that it was flowing and that the staZon ink was consistent through out the tissue paper. 

I modge podged it over the whole page covering the broken china

I then measured the size of card which was 13cm (L)  X 20cm (H).

I covered with oriental script and used vintage photo - distress inks and inked it over the whole page. Until I was happy with the effect I was looking for....it turned out great and blended in with the blue until it made me so happy it gave me goosebumps!!

I took half a face out a magazine and only used the the eye and the lower nose,lips and cheek.
I then tore the part of the lower face and placed it on the right side of the vintage photoed card.
I cut out a butterfly in baby blue bazzil card stock and then stamped and embossed with platinum  pearl. I then split my butterfly down the centre as the eye must be placed at an angle with the butterfly wings coming off the eyes.
Once I was happy with the layout I glued it down.

Really stoked with the out come!!

Happy journaling and thanks heaps for visiting...
XXOO 

All Boy

Great page heaps of work....

I started with my Stanley knife and mat, 3.5hours later I had cut out every square and rectangle

to create the edges on this layout.

With my circle punch I punched out 3 circles for each page in different colour papers to

blend with the tones of the pages.

I did the same with my star punch. 3 stars per page.

Remember to use your Distress ink - Vintage photo

to ink the edges of both the stars and the circles.

Choose your two main photos - one being landscape the other being portrait.

I then using an oval stencil and cut out my second photo as an oval and backed it in green and again edged it with my distress ink - Vintage photo

Joy. joi n. Mummy's  pride and joy

My third photo is cut out in a circle and backed in Orange paper and again inked with distress ink - vintage photo.

Like photo's one and two they are backed and edged in the same manners as above. A green piece of paper  which is square (8cm x 8cm) is placed in the centre of both pages.

I then started the work methodically in placing the pieces of cut squares and rectangles around the edges of the pages. to give it dimension I used foam tape to lift some of the squares and rectangles of the page. the foam tape was used in the same way with the stars and the circles to give it lift.

Handsome, hand' sum Attractive
Handsome

I added a small pocket with a tag so i could journal about my day with my little man Ethan and the rest of the family... but Ethan in my arms is always a pleasure I enjoy! Hes outgrown that.. but the cuddles they will last forever!

I found some rub-on's that will go with this page so I added them and then added the title..."All boy!"

Love how the colours pop...

Hope you enjoy this page as much as I enjoyed creating it!

Love to you all

Autumn

Challenge time...

So we had Autumn colours with a related image for this challenge. I chose only to use the autumn colours and did my journal. I started with torn strips of and old pattern and modge podge it to my page. I then chose my browns and started with my lightest brown then brought in my burnt umber. I the. Dried with my heating tool. I then used serviettes with leafs on and tore them to how I wanted.

 I modge podge my serviettes on in random places. I made sure that when I modge podge I put it over the whole page as it was my final layer. I then tool my vintage photo - distress ink and inked over the whole page to lift the colour. I used distress ink - walnut stain on the edge of my pages.
I instinctively pick up my black Pitt pen and write my saying on my pages.... But then realise it is blending in with my page!!! I go back over the black with my white paint pen to enhance the saying and add stitching to the edging of the page.

Have a great week and enjoy what ever the weather my bring you:)

Happy journaling :)

My yellow brick road

 

 

 

I wanted to try a different background, so I took ring reinforcements and placed them randomly on my pages. I then took my squeezed orange and dirty martini - Dylusion sprays, and sprayed my pages. I did love how the ring-reinforcements repelled the sprays and stayed white. I then dried with my heating tool.

 

Once dried I drew in the foot path and with modelling paste filled in my path to give it dimension. I then painted the  path with Martha Stewards - Meadowlark. I then drew in my black lines with my Pitt pen. I used a red archival ink and a rose stamp and stamped around the path.

 

 

I cut legs out of the magazine and then painted over them to get the effect I wanted. Teal is used for the skirt colour and then I used red glitter embossing for the shoes. For the phrase I found words on a card but wanted to change what was already on the cards so I gessod over the words and when it was dry I wrote in what I wanted to say...

"Whatever your yellow brick road may be, don't be afraid to take the first step!'

 

I do love this saying.... it most certainly gives one strength to take the step in ones life to move forward and not look back!!

Go forth and take your first step....

love and kisses
xxxoo

Travis' 2nd Birthday

 

 

Loved doing this page!!!

 

 



So to start you need a large piece of tissue paper and as many of your favourite stamps... if you love them all then go for it use them all!! I used a mixture of both stamps and after I had stamped I chose 3 different stencils and added them as well.



Take your stamps and your staz-on ink and randomly stamp over the tissue, leaving as few, if any gaps as possible. if you over lap that's okay as well. Then using your modge podge stick the tissue paper down on to the pages. Then dry with your heating tool. Once it's dry chose your colour sprays you want to add to your page and spray randomly.

 

 

 

Dylusions: Bubblegum Pink ; Dirty Martini; Campso Teal; Squeezed Orange

 

I then took some stencils and added more images on the background with my staz-on ink....BUT

BEWARE: You must bleach your stencils directly are use with staz-on inks.

I then backed my photo's with black and white paper and edged with distress inks - vintage photo.

I then took mesh tape and cut pieces and placed in various spots and then took my versamark and rubbed over the mesh and put embossing powder over and heated. you can either heat until the embossing powder melts and leave or you can heat past the melting of the embossing powder so that the meshing tape begins to melt adding a different effect.

I then painted Travis' name with a stencil... not my best work!

I lastly added the sticker flowers to keep with the black and white photo's

i found velum phrases and words for parties so I added that to finish of my party page.

I do love how the page came together in the end.

Cheers all happy journaling
XXOO

Don't react in the same ways....

Yes it has been awhile, but I have done heaps of crafting.... So today I have got bloggers fingers on so here goes!!

I did spoil myself with a new set of water paints and wanted to try them so with my background I took my round stencil I and gessoed over the whole page. Once that was dry I used the water colours to do random colours of various sizes over the gesso and my background. 

I do love the vibrant colours of the waters colours!!

I took a serviette and use my mod podge and placed it over the whole page. Once I dried my page I added my phrase... Simple yet so effective... Love it!!

Love to you all
XXOO

Believe in yourself

Masking tape can be your best friend on a journal page....Yes it adds texture and depth on your background - Thanks Marjie Kemper.

First what you need to do is take your masking tape and stick it over your page randomly. I folded some of the masking tap. Then I took Tom Holtz distress inks... I started with the lightest in and worked it over the page and covered the masking tape.
Distress inks used: Tattered Rose - covered the whole page
                               Frayed Burlap - again I started from the edges but didn't cover the centre
                               Spiced Marmalade - this ink again I worked only around the edges.
                               Fire Brick - this ink I work more randomly over my page adding a                                                     little colour to the centre.
                               Vintage Photo - I edged the pages with this colour.
                                Black Soot - finished the inking off with edging the page in this colour.

I then took my heating tool and dried the ink. I wasn't  sure what to do next ,so I thought about adding a tag but wasn't going to follow the norm but do my own thing. I love tissue paper so what I did was stamped back ground images on them and used modge podge and sponged it on to pages. You will need to dab it down as if you rub it the ink will run. Once it's dry I used Indian ink and a bottle tops (two different sizes) and randomly put rings on my page. I then chose a phrase and wrote it down on white paper and cut it out and glued it down. I edged it with black and white pens.

I had felt embellishments and added them to m pages and am super stoked with how my page has come out!!

Hope you enjoyed my layout!!

XXOO

Pate knife MiniCanvas

 

Finnabair inspired....

 

I started by walking around the house and gathering all the broking trinkets that could be used on my canvas...Lace keyboard pieces, broken earring, tag from jeans I had just bought, a keychain, buttons and any extra bits and bobs. I was given a Pate knife and so I decided that 

 this was going to be my centre piece.

 

 

 

I started off by gluing down the book pages. I was rather selective of how I wanted the pages to be laid out and not really thinking of I was going to cover the whole page at the end but we will see at the end... I then started to add layers to the canvas. I put on my ribbon which I folded and added various other forms of lace with flowers and florets. I used a zip and kept it open and placed it as a base on the canvas. I put buttons and a key on and the a shell. I have added  two pearls a paper clip and even hangers for the curtains. I had a glass bead with a broken earring which also which was stuck down. I placed the pate knife down where I wanted it and then also stuck down my embellishments around the centre piece. I want my pate knife as the focal point.

 Once you have glued all your element's, trinkets & flowers down. let it dry. I applied everything with a heavy body medium before I left it to dry.

Next step is to gesso over the canvas and let it dry. Make sure you get it in all the gaps and holes.

Once all dry I made a cup of black tea...Not to drink but to use on my canvas....This is something that if you are a Finnabair fan will know that this is something she loves to use and Anna has a spray bottle on hand in her kit of the black tea!

So once the gesso was dry I took my dry LuminArte powders and put it over the canvas in the area's I decided I wanted the colour to be. I then used water to blend the powders and bring colour to the canvas. I then dried it before I used the black tea. I sprayed tea over the page. I then took my toothbrush and dipped it into watered down black paint and flicked it over the page. 

 

 

I enjoyed doing the canvas, loved how the colours have come together and how the tea on the canvas adds a different tone on this image.

Hope you enjoy

 

XXOO 

 LuminArte colours used: Mandarin Citrine

                                     Blushing rose

                                     Lucky Apple 

                                                                                         Mediterranean Blue

Shoe box transformed...

So we needed to take a wooden box for this challenge with Creative Jump start 2014 but I didn't have one... I had a shoe box!! I taped the wholes closed. I then applied gesso to the box... The gesso said " I don't like the tape!!" It flaked off and didn't bind! I needed to find an alternative to cover the tape  so that the gesso could be applied... I did a layer of PGA glue... No go, with the gesso... So know the box had gesso on as a base I then painted it with midnight blue... Super stoked with the colour!!! So I hung back and enjoyed it for a few days before moving on to the next step....

  

 Then I tried Matt medium...still no go with the gesso!! At this point I was ready to dump my idea and just buy a box and start over but then I mixed the PVA & gesso together and applied it in the hope this would hold!!! When I woke up the following morning I was all to grateful to find that it worked!!

 

So know the box had gesso on as a base I then painted it with midnight blue... Super stoked with the colour!!! So I hung back and enjoyed it for a few days before moving on to the next step....

 

Know once all dry you take your candle and rub over your box well. This will create a resist for the next coat of paint. I then chose a yellow oxide to paint over the midnight blue. Once dry you will sand gentle to get your desired effect. Once sanding has been completed apply a coat of clear vanish. Two coats would be better than one but let the first dry before applying the second. Using your distress crackling apply two coats, then let it dry. Get a soft cloth and with brasso metal polish you apply a thin layer of the brasso on the box. The brasso will sit in the cracks. It doesn't take long to dry and it will have a white residue which needs to be rubbed off but will leave behind what needs to be in the cracks. I then used to different ribbons to embellish the main ribbon I put around the whole box the top ribbon I only added in front. I then used brads to add a bit of bling. My clock face I embossed and then I used perfect pearls to add colour  and placed a pearl in the centre of the face. On the left hand side I place a metal flower with gears over it and a key. I sprayed it plum purple and black tea to enhance it. On the top of the box it kitchen foil embossed in my cuttlebug with my butterfly spellbinders and I added a white butterfly.

Here you can see the 3 different boxes I have made for sprays, inks and my stamps...Love my boxes! These boxes are always a new challenge. Doing the crackle was different and I most certainly will do this again. Keep watching busy with my next one...

 

Happy box making

XXOO 

Sunflowers

Heaps going on...Loads of inspiration and lots of journaling!! So this journal was whilst we had a rainy day and I decided to bring a bit a sun into the home. I have a love for sunflowers much thanks to Catherine Matthews-Scanlon who did a drawing which was amazing and showed me a new side to an already stunning flower!!!

Started off by placing 2 random colours on the page - blue and yellow (see product list below)

once dried I used stripes of paper to edge the page. Then using my serviettes I cut them out and place them where I wanted them to make my picture. I modge podged it down and then used matt medium over the page. First I wet the page before starting with the gelatos then I added the colours I wanted to add depth to the page. Then I dried the page and reapplied matt medium and let it dry.

I then took my stencils and with my white paint I added extra texture to my page. Then mixed teal paint with  textured medium. once dry again I added matt medium again. Then I wrote a phrase that for me

will make a statement in my life!

Enjoyed bring sunshine in to my home!!

Hope you enjoy the page...

XXOO

Products used:

Martha Stewards Satin paints: Meadowlark

                                                  Aquirium

Gelatos: Blue

              Yellow

              White (for blending)

Betrayal

 

 This journal was inspired by France Papillion...Love her work!!

I started with Tim Holtz Distress Broken china and rubbed the full pages. I then dried the page completely. I took my stencil and with versamark I inked the pages. I took clear embossing powder and covered the page, hence the reason we need the page to be completely dry or the embossing powder will stick on the paper that is still wet! Heat the page with your heating tool.

 

 

 

You then need two(2) different distress inks to blend around the edges of the page. I used fire brick red and fryed buryb from the rangers inks. I then used vintage photo on the edges of the page to enhance my page. I then measured my page and divided it in 3 to make sure that my gaps are even. I then used blue twine and glued it down. I took two pieces  tissue paper, stamped images on them and sprayed them in two different tones of blue and then I also sprayed red pepper on the enhance the fire brick ink on the page. Once the tissue paper is dry I folded it to the way I wanted it. I  then stapled it to the page.

 

I took corrugated cardboard and put gesso on it an tore it down to the sizes I wanted for may pages. I edged in gold ink. I stamped butterflies and then added my chosen phrase, ribbon & embellishment.

Each page I do in this small journal is a journey for me. I have to learn to let go of hurt & betrayal and through my art. I'm hoping with each step I can heal a wound. Grown stronger and become a better person. Thank you for taking this step with me.

Happy journaling
XXOO