Fifty Cent Prize

What could you possibly buy these days for 50 cents?  An ART Journal, that's what!!!!  And actually, it was 53 cents because I bought it in MD, and they have sales tax.  I found an awesome, hard-bound book, about 9X6 inches and on inch thick, for sale for 50 cents, at the Elkton, MD Big Lots!

 It looked sort of interesting, if you like mysteries, I guess.  I didn't get it for reading.  I got it because of it's awesome size and it's hard cover!  I loved it for 50 cents!!!  I got it home and proceeded cout out 3-4 pages, then tear out 8-9 pages, then count 3-4 pages, then tear out 8-9 pages, until I got all the way done with tearing.

I got as close to the seam as I could when I was tearing.  The reason I tore so many pages out is to give the book room to expand once I start adding my touches to each artsy page.  I tend to add a lot of 3D elements to my projects.  Before long, all my books are quite bulky!

I then glued the 3-4 pages together using mod podge, so that my Art Journal pages are thick and able to handle all the mixed media I will put on them.  I also began gessoing my pages, so that I can use my Faber Castell water color pencils, and pitt brushes, and pastels, and oils, and acrylics on the fresh canvas with libetty, and my pages will hold up well.

The gessoing took out some of the written words, but they are still peeking through.  I didn't gesso that thick because I like the look of the book paper as a background to my art.  I may end up covering each page in patterned paper or in paint, but I will know the words are there as the foundation.  

Here's a side view of the closed book, with the pages ready for art:

I will probably put things in here that I may not want to share with anyone, so I'm liking the fact that this journal will sort of look like a regular 'ol book on a shelf, while the inside will be rich in colors and textures.  

But part of me thinks I will end up personalizing and colorizing the outside.  What do you think I should do? 

Saturday Craft Project

After a long, cold morning and early afternoon of Car Washing for the Newark High School Men's Lacrosse team, I am happy to say I came home and still had the energy and desire to finish my craft sample for the Newark AfterProm Party next month!  I will show you a pic of the completed project but you must promise not to divulge a peep about it to any Junior or Senior from Newark High School!  They are not supposed to know the theme until they walk in the doors of the school.

Here it is:

This is a 5X7 chalkboard. I painted it with Paint Dabbers, which dried in about 5 minutes, then hot glued thick twine around 3 sides of the chalkboard.  Then I added a bunch of "game elements" on two sides, and some letters to the top.  The kids will be able to pick from one of 3 Paint Dabber colors, and they can pick from 10 different game pieces.  They also will be able to personalize the chalkboard however they wish, with up to 14 sticky letters.  Lastly, they will be given 2 sticks of chalk to start them off on their old fashioned tablets!

It is a quite "retro" craft, as these days, most kids don't get to use chalkboards ever.  Most have electronic tablets, instead of the old chalk ones.  But I think it turned out real cute!  Let me know what you think about this craft.  And if you have ideas for me for next year, I would love to hear those ideas too.  Next Spring will be my last AfterProm Craft as Elliott will be graduating and my kids' high school years will be officially over.  I'm sure I will look back on these years and remember them fondly.  I have no regrets about my involvement in my kids' lives!!!

Oh, and for the record, the Lacrosse team worked real hard today in very cold temps, to wash a grand total of 53 cars.  Between the cars that were washed, the snacks that were donated and sold, and the amazing generosity of so many people that gave big tips, we made $533.25.  I am, however, glad that this fundraiser is over now.

My Painted Bunting

I will soon be starting an online class with Christy Tomlinson, and for these past few weeks, we've been invited to work on some journaling ahead of time, to get us ready for when we start the artwork.
One of the gals taking the class shared a picture she took of a birdie that landed on her back porch.  It was gorgeous!

This is a Painted Bunting in Florida!

I told Ann Margaret I had to paint it in my journal.  Here it is:

The lighting is awful, but I love the way my little birdie turned out!

Collaging Day!

My son left for Salt Lake City, Utah today.  He is competing in a DECA challenge.  DECA is an international Business and Entrepreneurial organization, with over 180,000 high school and college members that offers competitions in finance, business, and management fields.  Elliott competed at the state conference in February, and came in First Place in Finance and Marketing.  So today he flew out, with 3 of his DECA and Lacrosse buddies to represent his school and the state of DE!!!  I am so proud of him.  They will meet up with one other buddy while out there.  That buddy is in IL competing with the Business and Professional Association!  

I spent the rest of the day, once I dropped Ell off, just reading my blogs, watching technique shows on the internet, and cutting out things from magazines to collage in my Living Canvas new journal, which I will be using a lot next month, when I take Christy Tomlinson's Your Living Canvas class.  I'm feeling the empty nest right now.  Have tons of projects to work on, but not too much more motivated than just collaging.  This will have to do.  

Tomorrow is Lacrosse Car Wash day at the high school.  I feel compelled to be there all day because I am a Booster officer and because Ell won't be there doing his part for the team.  But it makes for a long, day.  I hope it's sunnier and warmer than last year!  I don't even know what I will bring for the bakery sale.  Again, not motivated to cook either!  I miss my son!  But I'm so happy for him.  He is thrilled to be going to away.  When he returns next Wednesday night, he will leave that same day for Boston, to do a "remote shoot" with his Newark High School Camera Crew.  That will be fun too.  Ell is so excited about that as well.  All in all, he will be gone 10 days!  

Two Peas in a Bucket Rock!

Yesterday when I got home from work, I found a package from Two Peas in a Bucket!!!  I won a prize packet for leaving a comment on one of their Personal Shopper videos!!!

There are Thicker letters and some smaller swirly ones and two sets of journaling sticker from Basic Grey and some Studio Calico rub on clouds.   Awesomeness!!!

What a blessing!  I will use a lot of this stuff when I make the layout of my recent trip to Boston with my son.  Waiting to hear when my dear friend wants to get together again to do some more scrapping!!!  

Speaking of my son, he leaves for Salt Lake City tomorrow to represent his high school and the state of DE in the DECA international competition for Finance and Marketing.  He'll be there 6 days!  Without me!!!!!!!  In the Scrapbooking Capital of the world . . . . without me!!!!!  Seriously though, I am so proud of him for coming in first place here in DE and getting to go out there for this competition.  I pray he wins so he'll get scholarship money for college next year!!!

IBS Art!

Ok, so in case you missed my post yesterday, I am going to re-post the original "canvas" for my newest

Inspire Believe Soar Art!  I love the vibrant colors, can you tell?

I also love the texture.  It is most definitely NOT smooth!  I decoupaged wrapping paper onto the box and it was all wrinkly and left beautiful ridges. Then I added coarse texture gel medium to the yellow acrylic paint and it gave it a nice grippy feel to the box.  

Next came the fun painting, starting with the orange colors on top of the yellow:

Now some more shades of orange and some reds and some more yellows.  These are the happiest colors for me!

 And I just kept adding layers until I was happy.  The red hearts are diecut fabric.  The other hearts are diecut doilies that I misted and painted with my Faber Castell pens.  

 

What do you think?  Leave me a comment!

Late Afternoon Crafting

On Tuesday this past week, I received a gift I was not expecting:

A pair of scissors may not mean much to you, but I love scissors, almost as much as pens and all my multi-media products.  But these scissors are especially special to me because they are a gift for me, directly from Fiskars, simply for becoming a Fiskateer last year.  Why am I just getting them now??  I don't know.  I didn't even know that they would be sending me some new orange and lime green scissors (my favorite colors) in a really cool olive green burlap bag!  I just love them though and feel real blessed to have them.  So thank you Fiskars! 

But here's something that is extra special about this specific gift:

Can you read what is engraved?  It says: Fiskateer #8263.  These scissors are exclusive for me, stamped with my official Fiskateers ID number!!!  I am officially part of a community of creative people who love sharing their passion for crafting!!!  Hot-diggity Dogg!!!  Ain't I somethin'!!!

Here's another cool thing:  The box the scissors came in was a really nice, sturdy box, that I decoupaged with wrapping paper and will use as a box canvas for a major piece of art.  It is almost the traditional 6X12X2 size canvas that Christy Tomlinson loves so much.  It is actually 6.5 X 11.5 X 3, but that is close enough for me.  So here is my progress so far on this new art piece.  I will call this piece my IBS Art.  And no, it does not stand for irritable bowel syndrome!  

No, it is much grander than that!  

It stands for Inspire, Believe, Soar!  

I will write more about that in a future post.  Perhaps when I get closer to completing this project, or when I've completed it!  

Right now, the canvas is calling me.  It has a lovely layer of primary yellow mixed with coarse texture gel, and it will be further texturized in the next few hours.  This is a wonderful project for my last day of vacation.  Tomorrow I go back to work and have a lot to accomplish in the coming weeks.  

Till next time, happy crafting!