Art Journaling with Shawn Petite Stencils and Collage

 Hello art friends.  I try to mix things up a little here and there and try new things in my art journal.  Sometimes I try different background techniques or different color schemes and today I"m doing both!  I love the bright colors on this one.  

I will also share my experience printing florals on tissue paper and tell you how I fixed a little issue with printing my some of my florals.

I'm also going to tell you how you can get free printables from Shawn Petite.

It's a a short video today, but I packed a lot of info in there so I hope you will watch all the way through!

Hope your inspired!

Melisa

(click on each of the names of stencils and collage packs for direct links.  These are NOT affiliate links.  Shawn has discontinued her affiliate program.  You can support my channel by liking, commenting, and subscribing.  Thank YOU!)

SUPPLIES :

INK : Ranger - Mustard Seed Distress Ink, Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide Ink

STENCILS : Shawn Petite - Vintage Quartrefoil, Modern Pattern 3, Little Flower Statice, Little Flower Baby's Breath, Love Always Wins

COLLAGE PACKS : Shawn Petite - Sacred & Ordinary, Wander, Vintage Butterfly

PAINT : Liquitex - Cadmium Oxide Green, Medium Magenta

OTHER MEDIUMS : Liquitex - Gesso & Super Heavy Gesso, Aleene's Tachy Glue

TIM HOLTZ Paper Doll Art Journal Layout with Video Tutorial for beginners

 Hello art friends!  Today I have sharing another Tim Holtz Paper Doll art journal layout.  I used ephemera, stencils and stamps by Tim Holtz as well.  

If you’ve watched my other paper doll video’s, you know I love what I call “the sitter’s” and finding things for them to sit on.  I paired this sitter with a bird image from one of my favorite stamp companies, RedLead Paperworks.  

And I actually have several Paper dolls already paired up with some of their stamp images sitting on my desk waiting for me to write their story.  

So this layout started with the little girl on the back of the bird.  This little girl is so cute and I imagined her peacefully laying in a field of flowers, listening to the birds sing, & day dreaming.   Her imagination takes her on adventures on the back of a bird. So like my last paper doll video, I decided to write a poem to tell her story.   If you like the poem and font I can send you a copy in a Microsoft Word Document.  Just like the video and leave me a comment and I will share my email.

Check out the video below to see how I used collage, stamped and stenciled tissue paper, gesso and supper heavy gesso to create this dreamy looking background.

Watch MORE PROJECTS using Tim Holtz paper dolls on this playlist HERE

Watch MORE PROJECTS using Shawn Petite products on this playlist HERE

Hope you are inspired!

Melisa

Supplies :

Ephemera : Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper dolls, Field Notes, Botanical, Collector, Keepsakes, Salvaged Tags   Small Talk phrase stickers

Stamps :  "She is Wating to Fly" RedLead Paperworks     "Fragments"  & "Game Pieces" Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous

Stencils : "Flourish" "Gothic" - Tim Holtz

Mediums : Matte Medium, Gesso, Super Heavy Gesso, Liquitex Prussian Blue Hue

Mixed Media Art Journaling - meARTime Day 2

Hello friends! I hope you are all doing well. I'm back today with another art journal layout inspired by the talented Marta's (Maremi Small Art) Day 2 challenge from her #meARTime series.

In her second video Marta challenges us to use an image from a magazine as the focal point.

This was soooo much fun! I have a process video for you if you are interested in how I completed the project. You can check it out HERE :

I'm working again in my new 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 Arteza art journal. LOVE and will definitely by checking out larger sizes. I love that it's bound, however I do not see my self using every page as it will become very bulky.

In this video I will be using a Tombow marker as a watercolor, spray inks, watercolor crayon, gesso, stencil, Sketch and Wash pencil to add some shadowing. I love how I created the background of this one!

Hope you take a minute to tune in. Production skills a little better this video. I learned to add music and slide word titles. Still need better lighting but it will come.

Thanks for stopping by,

Melisa

Mixed Media Art Journaling : #meARTime - Day 1

Hello friends.  I have had a long break and now I'm back with some art journaling inspiration for you.  So where have I been?  Working full-time, taking care of elderly mom, cycling, and the best all, I'm a grandma now!!  Oh how your priorities change when you look at those sweet little faces.  Unfortunately they live in Dallas and I'm in Houston.  But we get together as much as we can.  You can call me GiGi, if you like 😂

I am video taping my creative process.  I started a new YouTube Channel also called Paperlicious Designs.  What got me started again? .... I've been doing different art projects along the way.  But my daughters both enjoy crafting and both live out of town, so I decided I would start purging art supplies and send them kits, with challenges to create 3x5 art cards we could swap!

My family encouraged me to start sharing agian, so here I am.  

Today's project was inspired by a mixed media artist over on YouTube .... Marta @ Maremi Small Art.  Her website is HERE. She is posting video's for a new series ... #meARTime.  She started this to encourage and inspire those of us who are homebound due to the current health crisis.  Today's project and process video are inspired by Marta's first video-  Day 1 in the #meARTime Series.

I'm new at video taping my process and the editing process in not easy for me, but I'm learning.

The first video is about 30 min long. I would love to here what you think.

Thanks for the inspiration Marta!

#meARTime

Supplies :

Tissue Paper - green polka dots / pink stripe - unknown, collage style - Tim Holtz

Book paper

Digital image : music - unknown

Doily's

Washi tape -  unknown

Circle template

Oil Pastels - Crayola

Butterfly stamps - Hero Arts

Butterfly sentiment - The Angel Company

Matte Medium

Gesso

Blog Challenges : 

Crafty Creations (monthly) - Anything Goes

Moving Along with the Times (monthly) - Anything but a card

Creative Inspirations  (montly) - Pretty Pastels

Inspired By (thursday) - Hello Spring

Allsorts (Saturday) - Animals (butterflies ok)

ends friday 2pm

Mixed Media : Creative Dreams Art Journal Cover

Hello mixed media lovers.  Today I'm sharing the cover of my "Creative Dreams" art journal.  I've shared some of the pages from inside it in the past.   I finally finished the cover.  I'm really into these colors right now.  These are the colors I"m using  to decorate my studio right now and this book is sitting up on one of the shelves.

You can view all my mixed media journal pages HERE.  I have more pages started, just need to finish them up and will share later.

I started by covering the outside of the book with gesso.  The background was created by adding paint (aqua and green) and gesso til I got a distressed look that I liked.  

I LOVE using tissue paper in my art work.  I used some green polka dot tissue paper by Pink Paislee across the bottom.  I used yellow and pink tissue paper but didn't have any orange, so I sprayed white tissue paper.    I cut strips of each color, then rolled them horizontally, and then twisted each strip.  Then I used white glue and wrapped the twisted strips into circles to create the flowers. 

The stems and leaves were hand cut from green patterned paper.    I used a Sketch and Wash pencil to distress / add shading around outside edges of leaves, stems and some of the flowers.   I used a oil pastel crayons by Crayola.  I use the really cheap ones,  from Hobby Lobby, and I have a 24 ct Portfolio set as well.  They run about $10 and I ordered mine online from Amazon.  I used them to add shading to the leaves and on the background around the flowers.  You have to do your doodling (Pilot G-2 07 - Walmart) before using the oil pastels.  

"Creative" - I used a stencil
"Dreams" - rub-ons
"Dream Big"  - hand written, inspired by a doodling online class I took from Stephanie Ackerman

Inside pages
I adhere 4 or more pages together with gesso.  Then gesso all the pages and inside cover front and back.
The gesso is wet so the pages warp a little, but it's an altered journal, and I thing that just gives it character.

Some of the pages peel apart a little using the gesso to adhere them together.  Again, I like that look, so I don't worry about it.  

I have also started another one by altering a calender book.  I will share that one in the future as well.





I want to tell you about a new (looks like it started up in April)  blogozine I found that has lots of Mixed Media / Altered type projects and posts with technique tutorials.  Looks like they are hosting 2 challenges a month.  You can find them by clicking on the RAQ 1 and RAQ 2 tabs along the top of the blog.  And if you like to right "articles", then it looks like they have calls as well.  You can find out more about becoming a contributor to their blogozine HERE.  I love monthly challenges because it gives me lots of time to plan.  I'm off to work on my scrapbook project for RAQ 2 !!!

Thanks for stopping by!!
Melisa


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Fabulous Mixed Media Classes I have taken

Christy Tomlison - She Art 44.95
She Art 2  $44.99
Your Living Canvas $109  (purchased this one, but haven't had time to watch it yet)
Junelle Jacobson - The Art of Wild Abondonment  $44.99
Roben-Marie Smith - Art Journal Conversion $24.99
Stephanie Ackerman - Doodle, Too!  $35
Sue Pelletier - Burlap and Paper Clay $35

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Challenges

4 Crafty Chicks (thur) - circles

Paperplay (thur) - recycle (I used and old book to create my altered journal)

Wags and Whiskars (fri) - favorite color combo (this is my favorite color combo right now.  I'm actually creating an entire shelf of altered items for a shelf in my studio using these colors!)

2 Sisters (sat) -  In the Garden

Unruly Paper Arts (monthly) - Dear Diary (this is the cover of an Altered Joural)

Catered Crop (sun) - distressed ( I used ink, paint, and a Sketch and Wash pencil to achieve my distressed look on the cover of this altered journal / book)

Mixed Media Art Journal Project

I finished 2 more pages in my art journal today.  So much fun!  I started with color inspiration from the Color Throwdown challenge blog and added the scripture from this weeks Word Art Wednesday challenge.

1. I started with 2 gesso coated book pages.  I used a thin layer so that the words were visible.

2. Scribble some blue (#47 Lyra Aquacolor) over the background and then brush water on to spread the paint.

3. Lay stencil (I used a circular medallion from Layers of Color) and sponge on purple watered down acrylic paint over the openings on the inside of the medallion and very lightly around the edges. 

4.  Pounce on watered down yellow acrylic paint over sequin waste (punchanella). 

5. Smear on some green paint with finger.

6. Spray with Work Fixative and dry with heat gun.  May not have been necessary, but before I started layering more color, I wanted to set what I had already added.

7. Roll on brown ink (Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate by Tsukineko) using Jumbo Rollagraph Stamp Wheel with the Floral Flourish image around edges and in a few area's in center. I didn't want the full image, so I rolled lightly. You could use any type decorative stamp, but I like that the Rollagraph makes it easy for me to lightly roll and get a partial image. 

8. Wipe brown ink around edges. I used a little water on my fingers to smear it.

9.  Apply white acrylic paint with bubble wrap.

10.  Stamp Stampendous Music Score  on watercolor paper multiple times with water resistant ink (I used Palette Noir and then ran the heat gun over it a couple of times just to be safe).  Brush watered down white acrylic paint over some of the music score images (for picket fence and flower centers) and yellow watereed down paint over the rest (for sun). 

11. Hand cut fence and sun pieces.  Scribble around edges of all pieces with brown #59 Neocolor II crayon and smear with ZIG H20 Brush.  LOVE these brush's!  They come in different sizes and I just wipe them off on paper towels in between colors.

12.  Tear green patterned paper and adhere along the bottom of pages.  Only adhere along the bottom edge so you can slip the ends of fence and stems in later.  Use brown watercolor crayon around edges of grass.

13. Adhere fence and sun.

14. Cut flower #1 / heart flowers from purple patterned paper. Brush on yellow watered down yellow paint onto watercolor paper and cut flower #2.  Cut all flower centers from the white music score paper created earlier.  Cut leaves / stems from green patterned paper.  Add / smear brown watercolor crayon around edges of all pieces. 

15. Print scripture and cut into tag.  Tear one end.  Add / smear brown watercolor crayon around edges of tag.  Adhere tag to page and add bow.

16. Adhere stems, leaves, and flowers.  Before adhering leaves, crumble and crease.  Adhere ends of grass to page.  Embellish with buttons.  Doodle.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Melisa

See all my MIXED MEDIA TUTORIALS HERE

See all my MIXED MEDIA / COLLAGE PROJECTS HERE

See all my ART JOURNAL PROJECTS HERE

View all my Faith Art projects HERE.

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Linked to :

http://www.uncommondesignsonline.com

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Challenges

Color Throwdown

Word Art Wednesday (wed) - Psalm 28:7

For Fun (wed) - tags (handmade tag with scripture on it)

Little Red Wagon (wed) - spring

Crop Stop (thur) - buttons and bows

Lily Pad (fri) - flowers

Crafty Emma's (sat) - paper piece

Inspiration Emporium (montly) - watercolor

Sketchbook Challenge (monthly) - open

MIXED MEDIA / ART JOURNAL PROJECT

When I started the "Art of Wild Endangerment" class, I told myself I was going to just stick to sketching in a sketch book right now, because I seriously have sooooooo many other things I need to be doing.   But ....... the more I watched Junelle add her art to her altered book  .... I had to take the time to get my own started.  So I selected an old book, tore / cut out pages about every 4 page and started adding gesso.  I used gesso to adhere 4 page together at a time so my pages would be sturdy.  After I removed pages and adhere some together, I started adding gesso to all the pages and outside of the book.  Then I added my first sketch / art journal project!  I haven't journaled yet, but left space so I could add that later.  I'm addicted!  I have to work the next 2 days, so I really do need to get some house work done, teehee.  But I just want to work on my journal!  This is what my daughter would refer to as a "first world problem".

So I decided to take the time to share my step by step process, just in case someone is interested in giving it a try.  Below you can find my VERY long, and very boring explanation!  Other wise that's it for the day!  thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a joyful day creating!

hugs, Melisa

See all my MIXED MEDIA TUTORIALS HERE

See all my MIXED MEDIA / COLLAGE PROJECTS HERE

See all my ART JOURNAL PROJECTS HERE

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Project Details 

I started out creating a blue background using water color paint and a "mop" paint brush.  I would put a little on and then use a paper towel to dab some off til I got the look I wanted.  I didn't wand a solid background on this one.  Not sure you can tell on the photo, but some of the white gesso is showing through. 

I had a old flourish stamp that had the cool deco leaves on it, so I used that as my inspiration and started by sketching (with a mechanical 07 pencil) flourish's.  Then I sketched the "deco leaves".  At this point you could just paint them in, but I decided I wanted to paper piece these.  Sooooo ...  I used tracing paper to trace each one, then positioned the traced deco leaf over the patterned paper.  After I was happy with where it was positioned over the patterned paper, I slid some carbon paper under the tracing paper and lightly penciled over the design, transferring onto the patterned paper.  Now you just trim and adhere.  I had to decide how I wanted to adhere the paper.  I could use Mod Podge, but that gets a little messy and usually ends smearing from underneath whatever I gluing down, leaving a shiney area.  Or I could use my Aleene's Tachy Glue.  When I took Christy Tomlison's "She Art" class, she Mod Podged everything.  I think because she liked how she could continue to smear her Neocolors or other mediums over it.  She also applied the Pitt pens over the Mod Podge as well and then was able to smear it to add shadow / distressing.  So I decided to go with Mod Podge.  But at this point, I didn't cover the whole page, just used it to adhere my paper pieces.   The smaller leaves were much easier.  I did't bother sketching them, because that's such and easy shape to cut.  So I cut a bunch of them from differnet patterned papers, positioned them on the page, and adhere.  Next I used a green water color pencil add added paint over all my sketched stems / vines.  I didn't put the color directly on the page.  I wet my brush, wipe the end of the brush over the end of the pencil to pick up the paint and then apply it to the page.

Next I trimmed patterned paper to create the bird house and a few of the banner flags (green).  I didn't have the right color patterned paper for the other colors, so I applied watercolor paint to some watercolor paper and cut them.  I used a font stencil for the letters on the banner.  Punch little holes in the corners (Fiskar's 1/16" ?? I think) and ran jute through them.  Adhered those pieces on with Mod Podge as well.

I sketched my birds on watercolor paper, add watercolor paints, and trimmed.  Adhered with Mod Podge.  This was my first time sketching birds.  I used a couple of my stamps (the ones on the project I posted monday) to inspire me.

Junelle likes to add little splatters of color to her art.  She makes it look so easy.  Hers look way better than mine.  Basically I just soak a brush wtih watercolor paint and then lightly tap it over the project. 

Next I tried to do some doodling.  I had some new pens from Prismacolor and started with those.  Basically I was trying to outline / sketch the lines in now with a black pen / marker.  But it wasn't working out over the Mod Podged area's or watercolored area's (stems / vines).  I think I ruined my pens trying it, because they stopped writing  : (  and I haven't been able to get them going again.  I also tried my Micron Pens, same problem.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe I just needed to let it sit a little longer.  I thought the watercolored area's were dry.  I used the Prismacolor 03 pen and my sharpie on Monday's project over the watercolored background and they worked fine ???  I was very frustrated, because the heart of Christy and Junelle's art is their sketching / doodling with the pen.  The project just isn't finished without it.  So at this point I decided to Mod Podge the whole thing and try a pen Christy recommends.  Here's the problem with her pen ... you can only by it at her shop (seriously ... the company discontinued them and she had them specialed ordered) and they have a wider tip, which I'm not crazy about.  I prefer an 03.  But this pen will write on anything.  After I dried the Mod Podge, I decided to give one more pen a try,  a fine tip sharpie.  I had issue with that one as well : ( .  So I finally went with Christy's pen.  You can find it HERE. 

Next I used acrylic paint and punchanella to add the circles you see here and there.  I started wtih the brighter colors and then went over them with white paint to tone it down.

The set from the photo above is HERE.

Scarlett Lime actually has some Punchanella in a "texture" kit HERE.  Christy showed us how to use these pieces in her She Art class to add interest to our backgrounds. 

All that's left to do is add some journaling.

If you are new to mixed media and are interested in online classes.  Check out THIS post for a list of online classes (some of them FREE) I am aware of.

MIXED MEDIA / ART JOURNAL

I'm so excited!  Last week I started a new online class through Scarlett Lime called "The Art of Wild Endangerment".  I'm loving it so far.  It's actually an art journal class taught primarily by Junelle Jacobsen.  Christy post video's on wednesdays with her version of whatever Junelle teaches us and adds lots of tips and inspiration from her point of view as well.   I'm not so much into journaling so I almost passed it up.  But I'm glad I didn't.  Junelle is so much fun and I love her whimsical/fun sketching and doodling.  Junelle sketches things that surround her (like the sheep that she adores on their farm) or that are meaningful to her in some way, into a sketch book as she is inspired.  And then she uses thoses sketches to create mixed media art in an altered book. 

I was so inspired last week that I picked up a mixed media journal and decided to give it a try.  So while my daughter was shopping and trying on clothes, I was searching around the clothing stores for inspiration to sketch.  It was a lot of fun!  Probably because I am not much of a shopper, teehee.  So I found several idea's that inspired me.  We went in one clothing store and they had a huge bird cage (flat) hanging on the wall with photo's clipped onto it.  So above is my first page.  It's no Van Gogh mind you, but the process was sooooo much fun.  And Junelle is right.  There is inspiration all around us!  I don't have an altered book to put my art in yet and honestly, I may just stick with this little mixed media journal for a while.  Just sketching it and adding some watercolor was a joyful process for me.   Plus I'm in the middle of learning to oil paint, and I have 3 mixed media canvas started already to match my spring bird houses.  I'm stuck though.  I haven't decided on the journaling on them yet.  There will definitely be butterfly's though!  I took step by step photo's of the background process though and will share whenever they are finished. 

Aren't those little clothes pins cute!  The are from my Pink Persimmon "Baby Clothesline".  I stamped the 2 little birds as well.  My mixed media journal is Strathmore's "Visual Journal".  I picked mine up at Michaels.  So if you have ever been interested in giving mixed media a try, then you might enjoy this class or one of the other Scarlett Lime Classes HERE.

Another great source for mixed media video's is Donna Downey.  She post free weekly video's on her blog as well as some classes you can take. 

Cloth, Paper, Scissors offers a few free video's HERE.  They have video classes available for purchase as well HERE.

Shabby Cottage Studio has online classes HERE.  

If you know where to find more mixed media / collage e-courses, I'd love to know.

Hope you are enjoying your monday!

Melisa

See all my MIXED MEDIA / COLLAGE PROJECTS HERE

See all my ART JOURNAL PROJECTS HERE

MIXED MEDIA / ART JOURNAL PROJECT

Hello Papercrafters!  I am very excited this week, because I started a 3 week Mixed Media Class taught by Christy Tomlinson and it is based on her "SHE Art" series.  While the inspiration is Christy's "she art", the fundamentals/techniques being taught on how to build a mixed media background with lots of layers and texture are the real lesson here.  And I think my first project based on this weeks video lessons is different from anything I have ever created.  Christy will be offering this class again in the future :  http://www.christytomlinson.typepad.com/

I decided to practice these techniques on canvas paper, before trying to create an acutal canvas for the wall.  I'm not new to using textured mediums like pumus, tissue paper, modeling paste, crackle paste, etc or paint, ink and stamps. But I have never brought them together in this way, with so many layers!  I did hold my breathe a couple of times when adding more stamped images. After I got to a certain point and had invested so much into it, I was afraid I was going to mess it up.  Our "SHE Art" Flickr group HERE.

And I chose a verse that I was reminded of over on the LOC blog for Faith Art Friday.  When I was reading it, I immediately remembered a song that used to me a favorite of mine years ago, by Steven Curtis Chapman called Free.  Please stop by and check out a new Faith Art Friday project each week HERE.
FREE by Steven Curtis Chapman

I get so caught up in my daily life, that is so easy to forget those years so long ago when I was not free.  My life in comparison is so different now and I am so thankful for my Saviour who set me free.  If you have never experienced the freedom that comes through salvation, then this may be a foreign concept to you and may not make sense at all.  But believe me, once you have experienced it, you know how real it is.  As always I welcome your emails if you have questions regarding this spiritual topic!

I hope you weekend is a beautiful one!
hugs,
Melisa

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You can view my other Faith Art projects HERE.

See all my MIXED MEDIA TUTORIALS HERE

See all my MIXED MEDIA / COLLAGE PROJECTS HERE

See all my ART JOURNAL PROJECTS HERE

MIXED MEDIA / ART JOURNAL

Good Afternoon papercrafters.  On a previous post I shared with you that I had been inspired by the "Inspiration Wednesday" video's by Donna Downey.   Every wednesday Donna explores different techniques and ways to apply color.  She does this in her "inspiration journal".  You can view a list of all of them on her blog HERE.  I am enjoying learning about different ways to apply color. 

I have decided to display my "journal pages" on my 7 Gypsies Photo stand and will share these with you as I create them. 

So for this page I started with water color paper.  Apply a water down yellow acrylic paint.  I used a green water color crayon around the edges.  I just colored it on and then added a little water with a wet paint brush, blending with the yellow.  I wanted it a little lighter in the middle so I used some white acrylic paint here and there til I got the look I wanted.  Next I used my Layers of Color Natural Flourish art stencil .  So easy to use.  I applied VersaMagic Tea Leaves with this in 2 of the corners.  My butterflies and the floral center in the large flower are from "Flutterescent" and "Flowering Gem" clear art stamp sets by Layers of Color.  I needed a center for the flower so I started digging through my stash and found this neglected pack of metal brads.  Just big enough to fit.  To tie everything in, I decided to add some gold around the edge of my frame (really old as well) and butterflies.  I think the ruffled ribbon works great for the stem and leaves.  The quote is from Inspirational Quotes.

The font style is totally inspired by Donna.  To finish it off, I used a charcoal pencil around the edges.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

MIXED MEDIA / ART JOURNAL PROJECT

Look what I whipped up last night!  I have to tell you that I am having the best time playing with canvas and background techniques!! I have been watching some of the background techniques that Donna Downey teaches over on her blog. She does weekly video's in her Inspiration Art Journal. I had been looking for some raw canvas to work on, but I'm wasn't sure where to find it. I just happened to be looking around in the artist section of Michaels and found this "Medium Texture Real Artist Canvas" by Fredrix in a pad format and decided to give it a try. I knew I needed something that would hold up against lost of wetness, me spraying it with water. AND IT WORKED!! I'm so excited.  I will say that I have also created a panel with a heavy watercolor paper and it works as well.  You can check out Donna's art journal pages HERE.  And her "Inspiration Wednesday" video's HERE.  Now some weeks may not be your style or you may not like them at all, but take away the technique and create your own version.  That's what I did with this one.  This doesn't look anything like what Donna would create!

Donna used a "journal" to explore techniques. But I don't have one. So I decided to finally use that 7 Gypsies Photo Stand I've had forever. I'm going to hang each panel on it, so I can flip through my pages. I trimmed the sheets down to 6 x 8".

 LOVE mixed media, but really don't have any skills in that area. So this will truely be an artistic journey for me. You should have seen me staring at the blank canvas when I first started this one.  It took me forever to get me background done.  If you are interested in this kind of art / growing as an artist, then I encourage you to check out Donna's Blog! I also found some downloadable Mixed Media Video's over at Cloth Paper Scissors. Here is a link to some FREEBIES.  And here is a link to some you can purchase for 14.95 (scroll down the page to see them) : HERE.

I got a chance to ask Donna about here journal in a video chat the other night.  They are handmade using a very heavy cardstock.  You can check them out HERE.  Or be a rebel and do your own thing, like me! 

Since it's Fall it just seemed like the logical direction to go in for this panel.  And when I think of fall, I think of rich colors and texture.  I started with some acrylic paints then started layering old book paper and some tissue paper, then more paint and Glimmer Mist - Harvest Orange.  The 2 large dies are from Creative Cuts and More - HERE.   Mine started out a bright orange.  I ran it through the Big Shot with an embossing folder and layered on some acrylic paint and Glimmer Mist - Harvest Orange.  I used some really old "Provo Craft" dies to create the smaller leaves.  Again adding acrylic paint.  Adhered to front of panel and traced around the edges of the leaves and edges of panel using a charcoal pencil (you can get these in the artist section at local craft store).

Next I opened up my Fall embellishment drawer and found these old rub-ons.  I did a google search and found this great quote.  I typed it up (leaving lots of space between the sections of words and printed.  But I didn't want the background to be white, so I cut some thin cardstock chalked up the paper, lightly adhered it over the words on the computer paper and then ran that same sheet through the printer again.  Now the words printed on my chalked paper.  I sprayed the paper with "Fixative" spray, tore close to the words around each one, and inked up the edges.
BTW the creamy chalks are the best.  I used my Craft T Products set for this project.

The other chalks I like to use are the Pearlescent ones from Pebbles Inc.  I think you can get them at Hobby Lobby.

Thanks for letting me ramble along again!  Hope you were inspired to create something fun and make sure and email me if you have any questions!

See all my MIXED MEDIA TUTORIALS HERE

See all my MIXED MEDIA / COLLAGE PROJECTS HERE

See all my ART JOURNAL PROJECTS HERE

I'm linking this one to the following inspiration challenge blogs!
The Shabby Tea Room posted a gorgeous fall colored cake to inspire us.
and The Pink Elephant challenged us to use orange and brown!

Don't forget to hop over and join us for the Creative Cuts and More blog hop tomorrow.  Lots of holiday idea's!!