e-Team Picks Challenge - Gel Medium

Hey, I'm back after a short break. Had a little hiccup in my usual schedule due to some girly surgery junk I had done this past Monday. All is well and I'm recovering nicely here at home with a shiny clean uterus and one less ovary and set of fallopian tubes. (I know, TMI, right?)  I've been "trying" to take it easy, but after reading so many creative blogs and watching lots of YouTube videos, I got so antsy I had to get up and do SOMETHING creative.

So I decided to start with a challenge. eclectic Paperie’s eTeam Picks Challenge. The eTeam Picks Challenge is held on the third Thursday of each month and each challenge is an opportunity for you to be inspired by one of our eTeam’s creations. This week it’s Julie who is challenging us to use Gel Medium in a project. Be sure to hop over there and check out her gel medium photo transfer technique on her art journal page. She's even got a video to show you how it's done. 

You're invited to share your work too, and to be entered into our challenge prize drawing of $15 in the eP Store! Keep reading below for more details on that.

I also did an art journal page in my Dylusions journal. Here's a look...

I didn't want to push it, so I did a single page this time.

I remembered my first art journal page and how the multi-medium I used turned out a pretty nice resist effect, so I thought "why not use the medium on a stencil and see what happens?" So I grabbed my new Vintage Lace Mask by Christy Tomlinson and dabbed matte medium over it on several areas of my page.

Looks like a mess here, but I used another stencil and started layering paints mixed with the medium.

More layering with just the medium. Not sure where this was going. Just experimenting. That's what it's all about.

Then the fun part of spraying with Dylusions inks. I stuck with yellows, oranges and reds.

I wasn't happy with how muddy the painted areas looked in the upper right and lower left, but I really loved the rest of it. The medium created a nice resist, but not a complete one. Interesting...

I glued down some pieces of a large paper doily to hide those areas I didn't like. 

Then I toned down the bright white doilies by stamping some script using Sepia Archival ink.

Then to tone it down a little more, I rubbed pink Gelato over the doilies and spread it with my finger. Much better.

Then I went a little stamp crazy. The large butterfly has some sheen to it...

because I stamped one buttefuly with Perfect Medium and then dusted it with Copper Perfect Pearls. (another technique from Ranger University) Then after misting with water and letting it dry, I stamped another butterfly offset slightly with a burgundy archival ink.

I added some rub-ons in blacks and whites as an added accent here and there.

I like how you can hardly tell there is a doily here. A messy, but interesting effect.

Lots of layered goodness here. Wendy Vecchi's and Tim Holtz's stamps always work so nicely together.

I was happy I got up for a little while and had some fun. Now it's your turn. Wanna play along?

Here are a few things to keep in mind for this challenge…

• You do not have to use products sold in the eP store…but we do love it when you do!

• Share a direct link to your creation, not just your blog, using the Linky Tools feature at the end of the eP post.  If for any reason the Linky Tools doesn’t cooperate, please add a link in the Comments section of their blog.

• When uploading to any online galleries, please use any of the following keywords; eP, eclectic Paperie or eTeam Pick Challenge.  Link your creations to the eP blog.

• If you’d like to be considered as one of our featured projects and be entered into our prize drawing, please be sure to add your link no later than 6pm EST on May 30th. They’ll announce the winner/featured project that evening. HAVE FUN!

Mother's Day Card with French Country

Mom and I had a great afternoon yesterday, celebrating Mother's Day a little early. We met for lunch in quaint Cocoa Village (Cocoa, Florida) at one of our favorite restaurants Cafe Margaux. A perfect sunny day to eat outdoors, then do a little antique shopping afterwards.

Here we are enjoying lunch...

I made this special card for her along with a mini album I also created in her honor...

Made with Graphic 45's beautiful French Country papers, cardstock stickers, ribbon, and flower cardstock cut-outs.

I adore the entire French Country line. It's right up my alley with all it's vintage fruit and floral images, postage stamps, tags, and trims. You can't go wrong here.

Here I've layered up three of the cardstock cut-out flowers, curled and inked their edges, then added a bow using the printed twill ribbon, a black button and some red waxy twine.

This tag is a large sticker from the French Country cardstock sticker sheet. I stamped the sentiment with Archival Black ink and popped a pretty stud over the tag's hole.

This little queen bee is also a sticker. I layered it onto a large black button for added dimension.

The inside of the card should be pretty too, don't you think? So more stickers (borders) and pretty French Country paper. Mom loved the card. She gets only the very best cards!

As for antiquing after lunch...

Can you tell I'm dreaming up altered projects? 

With the exception of the Fire King bowls on the left, which my mom surprised me with. I had been oohing and ahhing over them in the shop when we first arrived and later she snuck off and paid for them and had the shop owner wrap and bag them up for me. Then when I checked out, the lady added my items to the bag. I didn't open my things until I got home, and there they were! (I thought my bags felt a little heavy.) Of course, I called Mom right away and thanked her, but asked her why she did such a nice thing. It was Mother's Day after. Her day. And she said, "Well, you're a mom too, and it's your anniversary, and you are always so thoughtful, so I wanted to do something nice for you too."

Ahhhhhh.... I love my mom.

I hope you all have a fantastic Mother's Day out there.

Oh, and by the way, it WAS my anniversary yesterday, May 9th.  21 years and counting with my hubby and best friend Paul.

May Kit of the Month - "For Always"

My kit of the month club pages for May feature Close To My Heart's beautiful "For Always" paper packet. Classic black and white designs with a neutral Whisper gray background and a pop of Ruby red accents, these pages would be great for any occasion from wedding to anniversary and more.

Glitter rimmed buttons, Cricut cuts and silver shimmer trim. (adhesive backed glitter tape)

A few doilies help embellish the pages.

Stamped images in Ruby and Black.

These pretty images are from the stamp set in the "For Always" Workshop on the Go.

The Kit of the Month Club always includes two layouts like you see here, plus cutting directions and detail photos for assembly. Kits are as low as $20 per month for 12 months, but I offer several different price ranges for a shorter commitment. Contact me at AnnetteGreen@me.com for more info.

Have a wonderful day!

My First Art Journal Pages

What an adjustment for me - Art Journaling. Using bright colors, not over-thinking it, not finishing it in one sitting. All foreign ideas to me. But you know what? I really enjoyed it! The part I really REALLY liked was not worrying about finishing it in one sitting. It's a mood thing for me, as I am guessing it is for most art journalers. I started putting some color down and moving fast so I didn't think too much. I tore tissue wrap and slapped it down! I grabbed Dylusions sprays and some stencils! Rub-ons were next! Then stamping! I was on a roll. But then, something told me it was time to stop. Step away. And I did.

Then tonight, a few days later, I was in the right frame of mind again and wanted to add more. Stamping positive phrases and cutting them out was what I had in mind. I wanted this first spread to be motivating. I wanted it to talk to me when I open my journal each time without a plan, or with a slight fear of where to begin, and I wanted it to reassure me.

So here it is...

(please click on the photo for a larger view)

There are several techniques that I learned at Ranger University here. So let me share...

On the journal page I tried out Dyan Reaveley's "Dylusions Ghosting" technique. I misted the page with water, sprayed several Dylusions colors and allowed them to settle and blotted the excess. I took a small plastic cup and dipped the rim in water and pressed it onto the page. I let that activate the inks, then blotted the excess to expose the ghosted circles you see here.

Here the technique is "Building Layers" and follows the same basic idea as above. I first laid down a stencil on this page and sprayed water first then the pinks and oranges. I lifted the stencil (and pressed it down on the other page which you'll see in a sec), blotted the excess, heat set it, then sprayed the yellow. Blotted again. If you know Dyan and her kitchen roll, you know it's an essential tool.

Because the stencil from above was still wet, when I laid it down onto another area it created a watermark effect in the colors on my page.

Here was a happy accident. I had used Studio Multi-Medium (before the pink layer) to adhere the tissue wrap to the page, then I swiped it sloppily over the top of the tissue wrap as a sealer. When I went to spray and pink, the dried multi-medium created a cool resist effect. I would like to think I created this technique, but I'm feeling pretty sure it's been discovered before now.

I love how there is so much depth and layering on the tissue wrap. You see some colors coming through from underneath, and other colors are on top.

When learning about the properties of different types of inks, sprays and stains, we got a better understanding of what type to use in different situations. For example, the hand is stamped with Archival Ink to ensure it didn't react with the water based inks below it and to allow more layering over the top without bleed.

For the word strips on my pages, I used a technique Tim Holtz taught us called "Distress Paint Stamped Resist." I used Tim's "Way With Words" stamp set and rubbed Picket Fence Distress Paint on them and stamped the phrases on several manila tags. I heat set it, then rubbed over the top with several Distress Stains.

I gave it a generous spritzing of water and let the colors flow and run together.

Once the tag was completely dry, I stamped the same phrases slightly offset using Archival Black ink. Then I cut around the phrases and stuck them all around my journal pages.

I inked the edges of each cut-out phrase with Vintage Photo to help them pop. I knew I could use a water based ink like Distress because I was done with my page and am not going to add more water or sprays.

Even now, I look at it and wonder if I'm done. Maybe I am. Maybe not. For now, I am. But who knows?

Many of the fantastic products I used on these pages can be found in the eclectic Paperie store. Just click on those little linkies below and they'll take you there.

EP Get Altered Challenge - Glass Jar

I'm trying out some of the techniques I learned from Ranger University today on eclectic Paperie's Get Altered Challenge. This month's Get Altered Challenge is to use a glass jar or bottle. Hop over to this link to check out Donna-Marie's stunning jar, then create something of your own and enter the challenge yourself. You have until Thursday, May 16th to submit your project, and you could win some spending money in the eP store! Details at the end of this post.

I grabbed my technique tags from Ranger U and started to review what might work on glass.

One of the techniques we learned was Distress Crackle Paint Shattered Stains. So I'll lead you through my version of it. First, here is my finished jar. After looking at the colors from afar, I think this would be a great gift for a Red Hat Society member. LOL! I got started with purple and didn't know where I was going with it until the end.

It started with this 6-inch tall jar from my local Hobby Lobby. (Glassware is on sale 50% this week.) 

I tore a large long piece of Melange Tissue Wrap by Tim Holtz and used Studio Multi-Medium to adhere it to the jar. When that was dry, I globbed on a fairly thick layer of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint and let it dry overnight.

By morning it had cracked nicely all over. I wasn't sure if Distress Stains would hold up well to the heat from a lighted candle inside the jar, so instead I used alcohol inks. Tim taught us with Stains. You simply squeeze out colors into felt applicator tool and start pumping color all over the cracks. If I had used Stains, I would have just used the dabber on the end of the bottles.

What I learned today: Stains would have been preferred because the color isn't so intense, but I had already started and had to commit. (It was at this stage in the process that my husband walked in and said something about how icky it looked. Thanks, hon.) Next time, I will stick with the Stains.

Forging ahead, I cut some pieces of grungepaper and colored them with Distress Paints. I used grungepaper because of it's ability to accept color and for its flexibility to wrap around the jar.

 When dry I gave them a spritz of Dylusions White Linen spray. Not sure if you noticed that detail in the photo above.

I have tons of these tan flowers, which are easy to color with Dylusions sprays. I used Cherry Pie on a bunch of them and then hot-glued them to the jar.

Another technique we learned at Ranger U was how to work with Vintaj jewelry pieces and patina glazes. For the leaf charms we used a combination of Lapis, Jade and Marine patinas on our non-stick craft sheet and picked up colors with a paint brush and layered them onto the leaves one by one. After heat-setting slightly, we used a reliefing block to buff the raised surfaces to highlight them. Even though these were intended to adorn a pair of earrings we made, I opted to use them as embellishment on my jar instead.

I popped a small white candle down in the jar and voila! All ready for the Red Hat Society.

(Hey, if we can't laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at, right? Although MY answer to that question would be "that girl over there.")

Now it's your turn. The Get Altered Challenge is about exploring your creative journey, about stepping outside of your comfort zone, experimenting with new products, and creating altered and mixed media art.  We want to see your work and hear about your inspiration. All of those who play along with our challenge will be entered into a prize drawing for a $15.00 gift certificate to the eclectic Paperie store. So grab your supplies and play along!  

Here are a few things to keep in mind for this challenge…

- You do not have to use products sold in the eP store…but we do love it when you do!

- Share a direct link to your creation, not just your blog, using the Linky Tools feature at the end of eP's Get Altered Challenge post.  If, for any reason, the Linky Tools doesn’t cooperate, please add a link in the Comments section of their blog.

- When uploading to any online galleries, please use any of the following keywords; eP, eclectic Paperie or Get Altered Challenge.  Link your creations to the eP blog.

- If you’d like to be considered as one of our featured projects and be entered into our prize drawing, please be sure to add your link no later than 6:00 pm EST on Thursday, May 16th.  They’ll announce the winner/featured project right before the eTeam Picks Challenge.

Dream Pop - Campaign for May

The new Dream Pop promotional paper packet is here, but only for the month of May. And there are THREE ways to get it...

1. Shop with your Close To My Heart consultant (if you don't have one, simply click here) and spend at least $35 in products and you'll get this fantastic paper packet for only $10.

or

2. Host a CTMH home gathering (either in home or online) and if your group sales is at least $400, you'll get the packet for FREE!

or

3. Sign up to be a consultant in the month of May and you'll receive a Dream Pop packet in your new consultant kit FREE!

Here's what you'll get:

Twelve Background & Texture sheets of bright, colorful happy prints. 12 x 12 and double-sided, of course. Two of each sheet shown above. (What you see is the front and back side of each paper.) Just click on the photo for a close-up view.

PLUS

Twelve sheets of coordinating card stock. But it's no ordinary card stock. Each and every sheet has a glossy resist pattern printed on one side and solid on the other. Tiny dots, chevrons, diamonds, stripes, woodgrain and more!

Here are a few added bonuses: 

1. If you LOVE the May Stamp of the Month "Pinwheels" (which goes perfectly with this paper packet, by the way) place an order of $40 before shipping and tax, then accept the Dream Pop promotion for the additional $10, which then qualifies you for the Stamp of the Month for only $5.00!

Double bargain!

2. When you qualify for a Dream Pop paper packet, your consultant will provide you with a full-color PDF file full of suggested projects and patterns to follow.

Kick off National Scrapbooking Month 

with this unique paper packet!

I'll be working on some samples this weekend to share with you next week, so stay tuned.