Dust It Off Sunday - Inspired by an early Donkey photo

This morning for my Dust if Off Sunday project, I was inspired by an early photo that popped up on my computers screen saver. (I just love having all my folders of photos stream across the screen) This photo of Darlene and her "newborn" baby Diego in December 2004 came up. Made me excited all over again, as Diego was our first baby born here at the farm. And then I remembered the stamp I had made of this very photo...

Now this is digging really deep and dusting off lots to find this stamp. This is probably one of the first stamps I had purchased. I was just getting into the stamping "hobby" and ran across an ad for creating stamps out of photos. The quality isn't the best, but I this stamp made me so happy when it came in the mail. And I still love it. A moment in time pressed into acrylic.
So I decided to ink it up and create a page in my art journal with it. I started by using three colors of Pan Pastel paints on the page. (sorry the photo just isn't great today as it was just so dark) I started to use blues and pinks. Then decided to brighten it up and use yellows and greens. Really bright yellows and greens LOL . I stamped Darlene and Diego with Memento ink Cocoa brown. And while digging to find them I ran across my scrap booking stamps from Gelatins. Love these stamps, but haven't used them in forever. And it shows, these stamps have gotten very sticky and gooey. Sad... I got this one to come off the tin, and stamp, but man it was tough. But I totally loved the quote with this photo, so I was determined to use it.

Then for my Lattice and flowers! This was fun to create, I punched the Jumbo Martha Stewart punch on both sides to create the band of lattice, then I punched a couple of lengths of Jumbo MS Vine trim in green. I tore this is smaller pieces and created more of a wave of vine, instead of the straight length. None of my vines here grow so straight, do yours? I punched a bunch of MS Hydrangea flowers, the smallest of the three were the perfect size for the vine. Small dots of a light yellow liquid pearls for the centers -

Hubby asked what is the point of these pages and this art journal. I said nothing really, other than playing with products, trying new things and just seeing what I can make. Some things come out, some don't, this one... well it is still lacking something. I haven't quite figured out what. But I had a chance to try a couple of new techniques and used a couple of stamps that haven't seen the light of day in YEARS!

So have you Dusted off any of your older stamps or crafting tools and made something recently? Link it up and let me come and see it! Have a great Sunday - gotta run, late for the locals breakfast at the cafe down the road!

HUGS and

My Art Journal - and a Rosie Page

Hello - today I wanted to finally show you my art journal that I made all by myself :0)

A pair of my jeans had to be sacrificed to make this journal cover... but that is ok, cuz they were way to short... so the denim went to a better cause - And I have more to use on later projects :0)

It looks sort of plain here - I had a cricut cut out of Eeyore on it, but then decided I didn't like it, just wasn't right for my art journal - at some point I'll find something that works for the front. But now I am happy with the denim and the vintage pink and lace ribbon sewed to the edges. The inside is 10 pages of heavy card stock that I folded in 1/2 and then hand sewed together... should have taken a photo of that huh? Sorry... was just excited about it and went to work in it.

Now about my page one that I made a last week (you can see it HERE)... well it is leaning on my desk and makes me happy to see it - and well... it was a little large for the end product of my home made art journal.  So I have a new page one -

Love this new page one... my Rosie page.

I started by rubbing the entire page with a dark brown PanPastel paint. Then I gave a quick painting of Ranger Crackle paint. (Thanks to the person that told me a little water would bring it back to life!! Yea saved!!)  Love the light pink and brown - Then for my "work of art" Rosie! I printed one of her photos on adhesive canvas and then tore the edges and stuck it down. Some Distressing ink  to high light the frayed edges and the cracks in the light pink paint. I found a Heidi Grace flourish stamp and did a few stamps on the corners - Rosie needs flourishes, she is very girlie -

A EK Success punch tag to stamp my sentiment "You Make Me Smile" with all the edges inked and the high lighted with a white pencil. Now do you love those flowers or what??? I found those at hobby lobby last week, new spring flowers in the floral section. They are foam.. and small enough to use on cards and "art" - so so happy with them, I may need more! And then just cuz I love her SO much I felt it needed something else on that bottom corner. So a Fiskars Heart punch - just right for my Rosie!!

I had so much fun with this one... and I totally love the way it came out. What will page two be? No clue, I am going to dig through my stash of products and see what else I have that I haven't used in forever... and then play!!!

Have a great Monday! HUGS and-

Dust It Off Sunday - No Stamps Today - the start of my Art Journal!

This still qualifies for Dust if Off Sunday I think - you see I dusted off a bunch of different products for this. Some I have had for YEARS... some a few months. All I have needed and wanted to play with!

Let me start off with explaining what this is and what I am thinking here - I LOVE Donna Downey. I just think she is a fun bubbly personality, that isn't afraid of trying anything new, and isn't afraid to show that art is not suppose to be perfect all the time. The important thing is to enjoy yourself, and learn about yourself in the process of playing with art. I totally love that. And heck she is just fun to watch on her blog. And of course in person.. He he Since I got to meet her at CHA I can say that!!   She makes these "Art Journals" They are basically notebooks of small pieces of art. All different, trying new things and new styles. For months I have been wanting to do this. But kept finding reasons to not go for it. Too busy with work, Husband, Family, Animals, House and needed DT items. But you know there is no reason that I can't work all my life into my Art Journal. It is about what I want it to be. So you may see a piece from time to time under Dust if Off - and then next time a challenge. And then from time to time just cuz I do something fun. Now Donna does most of hers with a video camera and shows from start to end. One I am just not that techno yet, Two I start and stop things and am just a mess right now, but who knows one day I may figure things out enough to show step by steps.. LOL

So here is page one - I say page one loosely here, as I don't have my book to put this in yet. I plan for the book to be a 6x9 vertical ... so hopefully I can find what I want to use. I have seen it in the past, now I just have to find it again!

Here are the products I dusted off to make this pieces -

Tim Holtz Fence Mask - had this for litterally years and never even opened it.

PanPastels - I wanted these forever, and end of the summer last year I was given the green light to go ahead and order a set to play with. I really got busy and didn't get to do much with them, but now... ok - loving these and will be trying lots with them! I got mine HERE - you can get them as sets, or individual colors. They are really fun to work with! So Smooth!

Basic Grey Sticker letters and scrap paper - For some odd reason when I purchased Basic Grey paper collections years ago, in my scrapbooking days,  I saved all the letter stickers that came with them. I cannot tell you how many times I had a bunch of these sheets in my  hand saying... why am I saving these letters I will never use them! Well.. ta da! I used them!  Then a scrap of an older Basic Grey paper for my leaf.

Old piece of Sassafrass Lass paper from long ago for the flower leaves.

This isn't a Mona Lisa or anything - it really is a VERY simple piece. I just stuck down the mask. Painted on the pastels in two shades and blended. Removed the mask. Then made my cloud with an eraser... yep.. just erased the blue coloring from the paper to show the white through as my cloud. I then tore out my flower petals, and leaf. Painted on my stem, and stuck down the pieces. I took my Copic Brush tip multi-liner to give a loose outline of things. and a fine point for the fence. Added my sticker words, hand wrote the word "Art". I sewed the edges of the entire piece and then backed with a dark red card stock with a bit of a mat to show. Tied some bakers twine in a white button and done.

The main thing for me is that I "PLAYED" for a while. No set rules or plan - and used products I have been really wanting to use. May be dorky... but it really made me happy. Not sure if Hubby understands this at all. He gave me a really odd look when I showed this too him when done. But that is ok, it is the journey of making this Art journal for myself. Just to see what I can do... and can't or shouldn't do.. LOL But to try new things and new styles myself. Instead of just surfing the web saying "Man I wish I could do that" ... Well why can't I? May not be as good as most, but I want to try and see how I enjoy it.

Hope all of this ramble makes sense... if not oh well.. I at least hope you enjoyed seeing my little flower today :0)

HUGS and-