Be Gentle With Yourself . . . for AratStacks!

 Hi everyone!  I'd like to share a page that I made for ArtStacks with you today:  

 

I made a mixed media art journal page using one of ArtStacks' new releases!  This time, I used Tracy Verdugo's Artist Series pack entitled  Love Lives Here:

And  to mix things up a bit, I added images from the amazing Wings and Things pack:

I am still crushing on these packs and couldn't wait to create with them again!

Here is my mixed media art journal page:

I started with a watercolored background and added some texture using machine stitching with black thread.  Next, I fussy cut one of Tracy’s beautiful angels from her Love Lives Here pack:

and adhered it to my page.  I popped the colorful title from the same pack after I cut it into a heart shape:

Finally, I gave the angel some beautiful blue wings and added 3 butterflies from the Wings and Things pack:

 

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed making this page and hope that I inspired you to create one, too!

 

You can find out what is in all of the packs in detail at www.artstacks.com.au/shop!

Thank you for stopping by my blog today!  Hope you are having a great September!

Life is a Balancing Act . . . for Challenge YOUrself and Art Journal Journey Monthly!

Hi everyone.  It's September 7th and time for a new challenge at Challenge YOUrself!

Challenge YOUrself #117 opens today:

This month we would like you to think about what balances your life, then scrap about it. It can be about anything you like!! For instance, it can be about friends that bring you balance, family members, pets, what you like to eat, and drink, activities that bring you balance -- anything! You can use the pie chart as a reference, and remember, you can interpret this theme any way you like!

Don't forget, it's not just a scrapbook challenge. Art Journal pages, Project Life pages, Digital Scrapbook pages are all accepted for Challenge YOUrself. They love creativity!

Here is the page that I created for the challenge:

I started by using patterned paper that I had on hand from Blue Fern Studios.  I also had Vicki Boutin's Color Study speciality paper with pie charts that I thought would be perfect here:

I fussy cut a number of the pie charts in various sizes and added them to my page with different labels that I thought needed to be part of my life balance.  I added  the matted photo of my family and dog taken at Jacobsburb Park a few years ago.  Next, I incorporated some inking, ink splatters, tea staining, and finally, adhered the title to my page with Vicki Boutin's Print Shop Thickers.  I really love how it turned out and had so much fun participating in this challenge.

I hope you get a chance to check out Challenge YOUrself this month and play along with us!

I am also linking my page to Art Journal Journey Monthly's theme for September.   

This month is hosted by Elle from Empire of the Cat.  Elle's theme for September is "Books, Cats, and Tea."

 

Elle says: "Feel free to use any of the elements from the theme separately or all together!  You can use book paper, tea bags, tea packaging, tea staining, etc.  Or you can use any kind of feline, or make it about your favorite book or tea."  There are so many options!

I want to thank Elle and Art Journal Journey for September's wonderful challenge.   

As you can see, part of my life balance includes reading a book and adopting a pet!  (We have a beautiful dog as our pet for the past 4 years.  We adopted her from a local rescue shelter.  And we had a beloved cat as our pet for many years, too.)   I also added some tea staining to the upper right hand corner of my page to complete my entry.  

I hope you check out the entries from the talented artists that take part in this challenge every month!  And we would love to see YOUR art there, too.

I want to thank YOU so much for stopping by my blog today!   Enjoy the rest of your September.

Be Unique . . . for More Than Words!

Hi everyone!   It's September and time for a new challenge.  But first, I cannot believe that September is here already and for those of you who live in the northern hemisphere, it will be Fall soon!  WOW.  Time sure flies by so quickly these days.

Now back to the challenge . . . the September Challenge at More Than Words is now open:

More Than Words is an art journaling challenge blog with one main theme to inspire you each month. 

Here is the September Challenge :

"This month, we want you to take a lovely walk in nature and then translate that onto your pages. We can't wait to see where you take us this month. Feel free to interpret the theme in any way that speaks to you!" Use the #MTWartjournalchallenge

Here's my art journal page:

We love a NATURE WALK! We used to walk with our daughters almost every day. Now that they are grown, it doesn't happen as much as we'd like, although my husband and I still try to walk every day. This is a photo of them, taken at Jacobsburg Park, in 2017.

I hope you can play along with us this month at More Than Words!  If you are interested in participating in the challenge, please head over to the More Than Words blog for all of the details. It's so easy and fun!!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  I hope you all have a wonderful September!

Trust the Process . . . for ArtStacks!

 Hi everyone!  I'd like to share a page that I made for ArtStacks today:  

 

I made a mixed media art journal page using ArtStacks' newest releases!  They are Tracy Verdugo's Artist Series packs entitled Under the Sea and Love Lives Here:

Aren't they beautiful?  I couldn't wait to rip open the packages and start using them when they arrived in the mail.

Here is my mixed media art journal page:

I absolutely loved working with these new releases! I started with a pink background and added texture with stencils and white texture paste. I used Tracy Verdugo's Under the Sea pack and a couple of dies that I had in my stash to cut my pieces.    Next, I added the pieces that I had fussy cut and die cut from Tracy's beautiful art.  Finally, I added my title with pop dots.  The title was taken from Tracy's Love Lives Here pack.  

 

You can find Tracy Verdugo's Artist Series packs at www.artstacks.com.au/shop!

 

I am also linking my page to  Art Journal Journey Monthly's theme this month, which is

Where in the World?  

August is hosted by Chris from Pearshapedcrafting.   Chris says:  "I would like to see places, people, and customs, in fact, anything memorable about your chosen destinations.  It can be about somewhere you have visited, but it doesn't have to be."  

When I saw Chris's challenge this month, I knew that I wanted to enter! My page is about Under the Sea, which is an imaginative destination.    I visited "under the sea" when I swam in the ocean numerous times, and also when I was on a glass bottom boat off the coast of Florida a few years ago!

Thank you, Chris, and everyone at Art Journal Journey Monthly for your never-ending inspiration and encouragement!!!

And thank YOU for stopping by my blog today.  I hope you are enjoying August!

Dressed to Impress . . . for Challenge YOUrself!

 Hi everyone.  It's August 7th and time for a new challenge at Challenge YOUrself!

Challenge YOUrself #116 opened today:

The theme for this month's challenge is "Dressed to Impress!"  For example, you can scrap about being dressed up for a special occasion, about how you dress for work for a job interview, anything that is special or meaningful to you!  You can interpret the theme any way you like!  Just remember to include a photo with YOU in the frame somewhere on your page.

Here is the page that I created for the challenge:

Last year, my sister, Patty, had a Halloween party and John & I dressed up as Darrin and Samantha Stephens from the TV show Bewitched.  I wore a blond wig and a black witches costume that I put together from things I had a home and I purchased a new witches hat.  John wore a sweatshirt that had McMahon & Tate Advertising, where Darrin Stephens worked!  I'd say that we were dressed to impress!!!  LOL!  I made a Halloween themed layout to go along with the photo.

I hope you get a chance to check out Challenge YOUrself this month and play along with us!

And thank you so much for stopping by my blog today! 

You Are Awesome . . . for More Than Words!

Hi everyone!   It's August 1st and time for some new challenges.

The August Challenge at More Than Words is now open:

For those of you who don't know, More Than Words is an art journaling challenge blog with one main theme to inspire you each month. 

Here is the August Challenge :

This month, they are giving us a choice! You can make a COLLAGE page or a page about COLLEGE. This means you can choose to make a page using COLLAGE techniques or you can make a page inspired by COLLEGE (your college days, going back to school, etc) OR you could combine them and make a collage page about college!

And here's my art journal page:

I made my art journal page about both COLLAGE and COLLEGE! I used Nadine Karen Design beautiful images to make my collage and gave the highland cow a graduation cap to fit the college theme. I also used a quote from ArtStacks' "Fabulous Faces" pack to complete my page.

I hope you can play along with us this month at More Than Words!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  I hope you all have a wonderful August!

Have Faith . . . for ArtStacks!

Hi everyone!  It's nearly the end of July and I have one more page, made for ArtStacks, to share today:  

 

This time, I made a mixed media art journal page using ArtStacks' Art & Nature pack from the Gelatin Printing Enthusiasts' new releases:  

Here is my art journal page:

I absolutely love and had to feature the ArtStacks image entitled "Light in the Trees" by the very talented Vicki Reid from their "Art & Nature" pack. The serene image of the birds, trees and light spoke to me and inspired me to create my art journal page made about faith. I also stitched on sentiments from Tamara Laporte's "Fabulous Faces" pack to help convey my feelings.

 

You can find the "Gelatin Printing Enthusiasts" packs at www.artstacks.com.au/shop!

 

I am also linking my page to  Art Journal Journey Monthly's Come Fly With Me theme: 

This month is hosted by Alison whose blog is Craftytrogs Arty Adventures and theme for July is "Come Fly With Me."

 

Alison says: "For this theme, you can use anything that flies.  Birds, Insects, fairies, aircraft, hot air balloons, etc,  can all be used on your pages.  I hope you have fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing your beautiful art!" 

If you look closely at Vicky Reid's beautiful image, you can see birds sitting on the ground, in the trees, and one is even flying!

*********************************

I want to thank ArtStacks and Vick Reid;  and Art Journal Journey and Alison for their  inspiration this month. 

And thank you so much for stopping by my blog today!