Fun Stuff

Ugh...I need to calm down. Frustration is not good for my blood pressure! So I'm going to think about the fun things I made this week and share them with you. Maybe that will inspire me to go make something else before I go to bed tonight.

Here are some photos of what I've been up to. This first collage was made with paper I printed with my Gelli Arts plate. I'm really, really loving that tool -- one of the best investments I've ever made! (A one-inch square section of this collage will appear on the back cover of Issue 4 of Featuring Magazine when it comes out in the near future. Here's the link to their web site.

Featuring is a great resource for lovers of creativity. It's expensive because it ships from overseas, but it's never disappointed me. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

I made my own washi tape this week, too...something I've been wanting to do for awhile. I love washi tape and have used a lot of it lately, mostly in the little Junque Journals I made. It gets expensive, though! 

Using paper tape (from the pharmacy), I laid it out in strips on a piece of plastic backing (from a sheet of stickers). I used a Sharpie to doodle and/or write on the tape, then I printed over that using my Gelli Arts plate. Lots of fun! (Two sheets are shown, they are just side-by-side for the photo.)

Here is a journal page I did using some of the washi tape I printed. You can (barely) see the writing: Spring has sprung!

Did I mention it snowed again? Did I mention that I live in the snowiest spot in the nation? Am I smiling?!

If you are reading this, thanks for stopping by! Leave a comment, as it's always fun to know that someone has actually been here. Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself when I post all this stuff!

More fun...

I made these tags a couple of weeks ago and meant to show them in my previous post. These were made with one of the stencils from my Stencil Girl subscription. Every month, I receive three new, unique stencils in the mail! Talk about fun. You can get more info here: http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com

Here are the tags I made.

I'm looking forward to having more fun with my new stencils!

In like a lion...

March is here, and everyone - everywhere else, at least - is lauding the presence of Spring. Well, here in New England, we've had more snow in late February and early March than we've had in the last three winters combined. So we're happy to hear that there is hope for a change of seasons!

While all this weather has been going on, I've been playing some more (a lot, actually) with my artistic muse. Here are some examples of what I've been up to. All of these are from my art journals.

I'm taking a class "Alter Me Silly" from my friend Laura Thykeson (find it at http://lthykesonsmixedmediauniques.ning.com Laura is one of the most talented people I've ever known, and she is fun. The first task was to acquire a "big book" so I was off to the used book store to explore. I ended up purchasing an old Children's Atlas of the US. Our first instructions were on how to decorate the cover. I didn't follow any of Laura's directions for that (I am known to her as a problem child). Instead, I used some of the scraps of mine from my Gelli-Arts printing plate. I have so many, and it just seems right to use what I have and not go purchase fabric. Besides, I don't have a glue gun, either. So here is my initial result. I may add a little embellishment to the front cover, but part of me says "The box clicked." We'll see.

FRONT COVER: For the front cover, first I spread a thin layer of gesso over the shiny finish of the book board. Once that dried, I painted it black. It was a new, blank palette! I loved it, but had to finish my job.

BACK COVER: I did not gesso or paint the back cover. I simply glued the Deli-wrap prints right onto the original cover. Some of the printing shows through, which I really like! That was a happy mistake!

I've just been having all sorts of fun, and feel very blessed. We are one day into Daylight Savings Time, and already it feels like life is more bearable. Perhaps it has something to do with that promise of Spring. Oh, and just to prove my point about the weather, here is what it looked like here last Friday morning!

Having fun with my Gelli Plate!

I've had my 8X10 Gelli Plate for several months...maybe even since before they became all the rage! Since then, I've ordered the 6X6 and the 12X14. I love all of them, but have to admit that the 12X14 is still in its original packaging. I just don't know what to do with it yet.

Anyway, I have a great big stack of  Deli Paper with beautiful monoprints. I've used these monoprints to make covers for little Junque Journals, in collages in my art journal, on note cards...the uses are wide and fun and amazing. I must admit that I was blown away today when I watched a video by Carolyn Dube. She used her Gelli Plate to decorate a pair of white canvas shoes! Is that awesome or what?

So here are some of my favorite Gelli Print monoprints so far. It may appear that I prefer to doodle in my paint, but that's not really true. These faces, however, made me very happy and I'm happy to share them with people who will appreciate how excited I was when I pulled that paper off my Gelli-Plate!

Remember that when you write on the Gelli-Plate, it has to be backwards

in order for it to come out forwards. I know that sounds confusing, but it's true!

Thanks for looking!