Art Journal Videos from November

December is ALREADY getting the better of me. I've received a jury duty summons for next week and am desperately trying to get as much done before I have to fulfill that requirement. Jury duty is such a tricky thing because you just don't know what days or how long they will need you. So, I'm doing my best to prepare for being away. Mostly, I'm tackling some videos and Christmas shopping. And, I've let the blog get away from me. Drat! Here's a quick roundup of the art journaling and mixed media videos that you might have missed.

First, let me share the cards and projects for #CraftyHopePrompts, then anything else.

Week 5 Card: Stencil, Alcohol Ink, Crayon

Week 5 Project: Fairy Princess Shadowbox

Week 6 Card: Vintage, StazOn, Watercolor Marker

Week 6: Tags

Week 7: Black pen, Texture stamp, Two or more stencils

Project 7: Altered Coffee Can

Card 8: Baby wipe, Stabilo all-pencil, White paint

Project 8: Junk Journal Page

Card 9: Washi, Eco-dye Fabric, Fairy

Project 9: Handmade Junk Journal

As for what else was created this past month, I also participated in the Mixed Media Menagerie for November.

Art Journal Spread for MMMNov22

I also made an assemblage piece for the #4Core challenge.

Assemblage Art | Kitchen Timer to Cherub Decor

The Week 10 Card for CraftyHopePrompts is also up for your inspiration. If you have any questions about any of these, please don't hesitate to pipe up and ask!

Peek at my Week: Oct. 14-20

It's Sunday and another week begins with me sharing a peek at my previous week along with some inspiring links.

On Sunday we worked around the house. Pat continued to rebuild the deck while I stayed inside and began to work on re-organizing our large laundry/storage space.  

I stayed inside almost all day, despite how beautiful it was. Can you believe that?

Therefore, I made a point of going outside and walking the property a little on Monday.

While ragweed is one of my major allergens, I couldn't help but stop to watch the bees pollinate them. It makes me happy to see busy bees. 

Back inside, I focused in on my last two pairs of earrings for the Plaid Inspiration Challenge.

At the top of the photo is my gesso-ed piece of tin before I used the pictured stencil to create the painted plaid. On the bottom, you see my unbleached cotton and embroidery floss ready to begin my attempt at weaving. 

I ran by Southern Antiques and Accents on Tuesday to spruce up a little before Ladies Night.

My sprucing must have worked because I've sold several items from the booth since then!

On Thursday, I busted butt trying to finish up my plaid designs. 

My second attempt at embroidered weaving worked out somewhat. 

Once that was done, I started focusing on the Honey Do List Challenge at SJ Designs Jewelry. 

The inspiration image this month involves a clock, so I dipped into my watch parts. Come back tomorrow to see what I came up with!

Friday afternoon was crazy-busy, so I'm glad I pulled over to soak in the beauty of the cotton that's about to be harvested. 

I'm completely fascinated by the stuff. 

My day culminated in a high school football game. 

It was senior night, and my oldest niece was being recognized for her final year in the marching band.  I'm so proud of her.

On Saturday, my mom's work had their Family Day at a local amusement park. 

Pat and I had never been to OWA, so we went to check it out and enjoy the beautiful day.

After lunch, we headed to a friend's to watch the Bama vs. Tennessee football game.

During the game, I was relieved to find out that the ATC (Artist Trading Card, pictured above) I had sent the week before had finally been received by the recipient. I'd been worried about it all week since it should have been there Monday! What a relief to know it was received and to have Bama win the game!

As for some inspiration for you, here you go!

• These Spooky String Lights made from toilet paper rolls are such a simple way to dress up a string of lights for Halloween. 
• Enter a Bead GIVEAWAY at Wonder and Whimsy before Oct. 26. 
• This tutorial for DIY Earrings out of Aluminum Cans has a lot of great tips, information, and ideas that go beyond making the earrings. 
• Rosy Revolver shares a fantastic tutorial on making a Basic Bezel. 
• The art shared at Colossal is always such eye-candy. This week, I particularly loved:
• Woven glass bead art from David Chatt
• Fruit and vegetable carvings by Takehiro Kishimoto
• Lisa Yang shared a Simple and Fast Method of Perfect Bead and Pearl Knotting. 
• The Pumpkin Spice Earring tutorial at Spoilt Rotten Beads is quite a bit different than the literal ones I made, but still so perfect for the season. 
• Find 10 Ways to Make Felt Flowers. I had no idea there were so many options. 
• Look at What a Little Bag of Wool Balls Can Make! (It's a fab, colorful jewelry set!)
• Cross Stitch a Quote on Canvas with these great tips.
• Just go see the Spirit of the Forest Wreath that A Crafty Mix made. It's awe-inspiring!!

And, with that, I'm off to work on making this week start off in a fantastic fashion. (It is my birthday week after all ;)  )

Wishing you a wonderful week as well!!

Fairy Altered Playing Cards (ATCs)

I promise I'm still making jewelry, but as of late, my focus has seemed to be on art journaling and other paper-related arts. I think that has loads to do with preparing for and attending Art at the Beach 2018. And, creating in one art form often leads to inspiring me in another. Before even packing for the art retreat, I decided to "warm up" by participating in a swap. The parameters of it were to create three motivational cards (playing card/Artist Trading Card size) with a fairy theme to send to a partner. I made these.

I kinda love them! And, I'm pretty proud that I thought to record my process to share with you.

For all three cards, I started with basic playing cards that I painted with a coat or two of gesso as a base.

For my first card, this cutie on a swing, I stamped the Stampendous fairy image onto a piece of cardstock with embossing ink, covered it in a gold-sparkle embossing powder, and heated the image. I colored the fairy with Inktense Watercolor Pencils and a water brush before shading the background with Neocolor ii crayons and blending them with a wet paintbrush. I adhered the cardstock to the playing card, cutting off the excess. A phrase from one of Tim Holtz's sticker books was added. I went around the phrase with a black pen and inked around the card to finish it.

For the background of the second card, I used one of my own gelli prints, simply gluing it to the playing card. I photocopied an image of a girl in a ball gown from an old yearbook as my focal. To make her a fairy, I stamped petal images from EK Success' Inkadinkado stamps onto cardstock and cut them out. Her skirt was created from paper flowers that were folded and glued together. I stuck the wings on the girl, the girl on the card, and the skirt on the girl - in that order. Sparkles were added with aqua Stickles. Again, a phrase from Tim Holtz was used. The card was framed with a line from a Stabilo all-pencil and water.

To begin the last card, I colored directly onto the card with Brea Reese Glitter Inks in a pink, yellow, and blue. The colors were blended together with a little water. Basic black acrylic paint and the lid of a dishwasher liquid bottle were used to create the circles. The lady image and wings (more Inkadinkado) were stamped onto cardstock, cut out, and colored with watercolors. The lady was glued to the cards then the wings to the lady. I went around the fairy with the Stabilo All Pencil before adding another Tim Holtz phrase.  The prase and card were accented with a Faber Castell Pitt Pen to finish it.

I'm really happy with how these came together. And, I do love me some fairies! I think my partner liked them too. Yay!!

If you have any questions about how I created these or anything else, please don't hesitate to let me know!