4x4 for Lisa B - recycled garden goodness

I belong to a yahoo group where we are creating 4x4's for each other this year . . . yes, only 4 inches by 4 inches, not very big at all. I've made a couple of already as we started in June and you can see them here (including this post, scroll down). My creative friend Frieda has shared the 4x4's she's made on her blog (we're in the group together) and the most recent one Frieda made was for me. I cherish it. You can view it here, ooh la la!
The 4x4 featured in this post is for Lisa Busch, owner of Collage Stuff. For inspiration, I started with a postcard she made and sent with one of my orders! You can view Lisa's original postcard here.

I used a sheer patterned fabric over her postcard.

* click on any photo for a larger view *

I folded the extra to the back & machine stitched!

I added a piece of Lisa's postcard over the fabric on the front of the 4x4.
Then I got out White Prima 'craftable' flowers out and started playing.

I had gotten these flowers from Lisa not too long ago . . . plus the crinkle wire
I'm wrapping around the flowers and the little gold stars. How much fun! 

I worked on the back, also using Collage Stuff items. 

A scan of the front -click on  it for details.

Even though Lisa gave us 'artist choice' as her theme, she noted she likes children and gardens and I am sure it's fun to see some of the products she carries being used too! Check out Collage Stuff - great items for collage and mixed media art, I love shopping there! Thanks to Frieda who mentioned Lisa's business in a post ; ^ )

color blast

art journal 8.28, a photo by creativelenna on Flickr.

{ art journal 8/27 + 8/28 }

This started with a bit of blue ink on the page from the previous spread that I wanted to keep. You can see it on the top and bottom of the pages. I worked with water soluble oil pastels instead of crayons this time and added the pink. I also had two stickers from a butternut squash I was compelled to use -in the corners!

I layered papers down and added more pastels

* Thanks to Valerie in Germany for the super old book pages! *

dripped on acrylic inks . . .

then spritzed with water, so everything ran.

I stopped there for the time being . . . 

notice my art table is still holding it together! I am trying to be a little neater.

the next day -

I had recently found this old photo of me taken in perhaps 1999, when I lived with my 2 sons, their father and a melange of cats and dogs in Canton, CT. It was back when we sent photos to be processed. This photo was done incorrectly so all the colours were wild and yet I had never thrown it out. The rectangular pieces on the right are trimmed from the photo on the left . . . I liked the blast of colors!

Because the photo and the pieces were more raised, I decided to add a coat of self-leveling gel medium over everything to pull all the pieces together . . . 

I added sunflower sparkle perfect pearls pigment powder, by ranger. It stuck right to the gel medium, without any problems.

a final scan is below! 

That was a lot of fun. ; ^ ) There are only 2 spreads left is this notebook, wow.

* thanks to Jewels for the special delivery stickers! *

I did finally sign up for the Sketchbook Project 2012 so I may use that in conjunction with this project - an idea!  The information about the 2012 sketchbook project is here and my artwork in the 2011 sketchbook project can be found here. My sketchbook is now part of the art house co-op's digital library!

I had some questions within the comments of this post that I thought I would repeat here within the text in case others were wondering the same, but did not check the comments.

• Sandra L asked, What brand of acrylic ink are you using? I have a bottle of the Liquitex but haven't tried anyone else's yet.  ~ Hi Sandra, I picked up 3 bottles of Daler Rowney "FW" artist acrylic inks at my local art store and have been trying them out. They're a new thing for me and different from what I am used to. The acrylic inks are more saturated and much less transparent than let's say Dye-Na-Flow or something like that. I've not tried the Liquitex yet . .. I think on the whole these type of inks are more permanent. : ) lenna
• Sandra G asked,"I've never used the self leveling gel medium. I take it that you use it to get all the collage pieces to sit at the same shelf level so things don't look lop sided? What name brand did you use?"  ~ Since the photo pieces were sticking up a lot more than the base, I thought using gel medium over all would help even things out a bit. The pieces still stick up, but the edges are softer and I think it is less noticeable. It has pulled them together for me.
  I use Golden brand. I've had good luck with that gel medium. It is a high quality artists grade. The self leveling is different from let's say the regular matte medium because of it's consistency -it flows easily across your work and levels out. It also has a gloss sheen to it which I sometimes like. You can read more about both here in my "store" where I have gathered products I like to use!
  : ) lenna

art journal every day

before and after

You may have heard me "rumbling" about the mess in my studio . . . .

I finally could not stand it anymore and I am pleased to show you this instead . . .

a h h h h h h h . . .  

i do love having lots of things around to grab and use when I am working

but in the other hand, sometimes you get closed in by all that, 

don't you agree?

I felt it was time for me to re-boot, as my husband would say! 

happy creating! with love, lenna

from our visit to Selby Gardens last sunday . . . .
wow!

sea washed sea birds

{ art journal august 24-26 }

I just had to do something with the photos I took the other day . . . 

On Tuesday I was going by Coquina beach after an appointment. I always have my camera with me these days and although I never go to the beach to sit in the sun anymore like I did when I was 20, I do like to wade my feet in the cool water and take photographs. So that is exactly what I did! Coquina beach has many beautiful birds. Here is one of my favorite photos of the afternoon, below-click for more details.

There are more to see -click here if you'd like to go to the beach in Florida  with me for a few minutes . . .  ; ^ ) I decided later to remember that afternoon in my art journal and I thought image transfers of a couple of these photos would be fun. Instead of doing the transfers directly in my journal, I did them on separate pieces of paper to insert in my journal. I used ink jet transparency prints of my photos and gel medium (I like the Golden brand) to transfer my photos to paper. I found instructions on the art-e-zine site that may be helpful to you if you'd like to try a transfer yourself.

peeling the transparency back, revealing my transfer

my two image transfers

The transfer on the right, above: I peeled it off the paper it was on and so it is just the gel medium with the image on it. It is the same image as the favorite photo above, but I did not "flip" it so it is reversed now in my book. Sometimes I flip my photos first, but I did not think it mattered this time.

Daler Rowney FW acrylic inks -it comes with a dropper top.

The pages were misted with water first . . .
so everything is running, like I wanted it to.

More water, more running of ink . . . I wanted a "seawashed" look.

I add kosher salt on top to add texture and patterns. When the ink dries, I brush it off.

I start journaling and making swirls with my pen and I add 

some white super sparkle Lumiere paint!

I added shells and sand with tacky glue . . . 

 * To see more photos of this journal spread in a large size, go here! 

: ^ ) it made me happy to do this . . .

black, black, black as night

{ art journal august 19-22 }

I have been working on this journal spread a little bit here and a little bit there over the past few days. It started with more of that interesting paper from Selvedge magazine in colors I don't usually work with, like black and red. I used this paper to cover just the edges of the pages and left it at that for the time being. click on any photo = more details.

I came back the next day and added leftover paper scraps of rubber stamping like you see on the paper on the table below, to the bottom of each page. Then I got out my black paint! You may also recognize part of Steven's pirate disguise laying on the table below. We had braided wax linen and added beads. He did not want to save them and I could not just toss them out!!

I glued those wax linen braids to the page with goop glue . . . then added a black feather, a shell and a piece of coral with the same glue. (click for detail)

Sometime later, I decided to start writing with a white sakura Glaze pen. My writing was done more as a pattern than anything else but I had fun rhyming and filling the page. I also drew some moons and stars, which have a great significance to my husband Steven and me. I did like those braids from his pirate garb hanging there, but I still did not think the pages were "done".

To finish the pages I added a large white feather next to the black one, plus a zettiology rubber stamp I love that says - What we want is to make something that utterly fills the sight. (true for me) I stamped it with a white Brilliance pad after practicing and it worked out perfectly, I was pleased. I also rubber stamped a bird stamp I have in both black and white, and I spread a little accent of white super sparkle Lumiere paint around the edges in a couple of places. I used my finger to apply it. On top of one of the white accents I stamped a faux postage stamp by Cats Life Press that has a woman's face -click to view it better, above on the left. I also added another shell and iridescent glass balls.

Ah, matey! The last thing I added on the right was Steven's drawing of a fouled anchor with my name below it. He tries to tell me it means we are entangled, but then he always jokes about how I am "stuck with him"! The drawing was for a tattoo I was to give him by copying his design with a Sharpie marker, all for the pirate party. We ran out of time and I did not draw it on his arm this time. But in 2006, I did give him the same tattoo! You'll have to click to enlarge the photo to see it at all! But you see, full circle . . . all these things make semse to me and end up in my art journal! 

Steven sailing Nimda in the Thousand Islands, Canada - 2006

Have fun!

do something creative!

xo lenna 

art journal every day

larger photos (and more) of my journal pages here. Use the "next" at the top to move through them at your own pace.

raw umber + royal purple

Directly above is the ATC I kept for myself, as a remembrance of what I did for our Colour Groupies July theme. This time our color combo was Raw Umber and Royal Purple! For the "Colour Groupies" exchange I belong to, I make 5 ATCs (one for each person in the group) every month. Sometimes it takes me a while to post about them as they need to reach their destinations first and then I need to remember to do it! 

I started with a full sheet of paper, brown textile paint and a combing tool . . . 

After the paint dried, i used my large paper cutter . . .

that made it easy to get them ATC size - 2.5" x 3.5"

I made extras -one I used for an ATC swap on creative swaps!

I added Lumiere paint in purple to all of the ATCs, various images from ARTchix Studio, trims and iridescent glass spheres from Alpha Stamps.

for caryl hoobler

for frieda oxenham

The backs - very simple

for tristan blakeman

for debby hariettha

I am working on my August color combo now ~ pale pink and butter yellow. Frieda's are done, sent and received (delicious!!) and you can view them here if you like!