2016 Product Guide - Art Foamies, Gelli Plate Printing, and More!

Hello friends and happy new year! I'm wishing you the very best for 2016! Today I'm sharing some highlights from this year along with some of my new favorite products...you know, so you can start those 2016 shopping lists!

I can hardly believe that 2015 has already come to a close. Maybe it's just me, but it seems that the older I get the faster that time passes. This has been one of the most interesting, challenging, and unpredictable years for me personally and our family. Here are some highlights (I'm feeling a bit wordy tonight so feel free to scroll past the personal stuff!):

• Selling eclectic Paperie to The Funkie Junkie - This was both a hard and an exciting decision. I loved, loved, loved owning a store...it was a dream come true. The connection you make with people who share a common interest in art combined with the ability to be immersed in creative endeavors each day was an incredibly rewarding experience. However, the toll that being the primary person responsible for every aspect of owning a store was all consuming, which is great if you're a single person, but is a real challenge if you have a family. That aspect, combined with the harsh reality that you spend much more than you make when you own a small business, made the decision to sell one that needed to be made. While I still do fantasize about owning another store, I have no regrets about moving on and am thoroughly enjoying my free time.
• Job Loss - Almost 20 years with one company, half of that time spent working from home, and my sweet husband got laid off. It came as a complete shock. While there were rumblings of layoffs, my husband's group had never been affected by previous layoffs. This time his team was reduced by 30%...basically the people that had the highest salaries and who had been with the company the longest. What's sad, and is still sometimes hard to stomach, is that there were some in his group who probably should have been fired...and they were safe...and then my husband, who had nothing but glowing reviews for 17 years was the one selected. Of course we know that these circumstances don't happen outside of God's providence, but the sting of those decisions can still sometimes be felt. Now we're getting used to an entirely new routine, where my husband is no longer working from home and I'm the main caregiver to my children. It's been a challenging (I miss my hubby) and rewarding (I feel closer to the kids) experience. He loves his new job...but I'd take him working from home again in a NY minute!
• Moving - Wow...that was a biggie and completely unexpected! We've been in CT almost a month now and we're starting to feel a little more settled, but I miss NH like crazy! I LOVE NH and loved living there...I never thought that I'd live anywhere else. What's funny is that my husband and I often talked about moving to a less expensive area (PS - CT isn't it! LOL!), but the reality of moving is far different than having conversations about it over the dinner table. There are a few important things I've learned about myself in this process (and not all of it good!). I'm not as grateful as I should be and I complain far too much. My husband was unemployed for almost seven months and he found a job...a good job...one that he really loves. And instead of being grateful, I've found ways to complain about it too often. I routinely teach my children to be thankful, and yet, in my private thoughts and conversations with my ever patient husband, I grumble. In 2016, I'm going to try very hard to be really, truly grateful for God's blessings...and there are blessings...too many to even name, even when you have to leave everything behind. We don't know what the future holds for us in CT, or if we'll move again, but we are trusting in the One who holds the future...firmly...in His capable hands. 

And, with those three highlights from this year...let's get on with the product enabling for next year.....You're welcome... :-) (These photos also represent some of the goodies I've been playing with during our Christmas vacation...)

Number one on the list...Stamp Carving! I've followed Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's stamp carving adventures for a few years now, but never felt compelled to carve my own stamps until a friend had me over for a stamp carving gathering. One stamp in and I was hooked! I went out and ordered all of the supplies, watched videos, and have jumped in with two feet. It's a super easy process, although can be time consuming, and the results are so much fun! My kids have even created their own stamps!

My nine year old made these stamps! We simple traced a stencil design, from Dina Wakley, Leafy, and he spent a good hour carefully carving out the stamps. He loves them and has even starting to create his own art journal. How cool is that!?

This was a stamp I created while hanging out and drawing with the kids. I wasn't really trying to be super careful or precise, but I still loved the results. I love the look of those lines (basically areas that could still be carved away) around the flowers...so vintage!

How cute is this one?! This is a stamp I carved for my 11 year old...it's a little Yokai (think Pokemon) figure. He was so excited with the finished product and I can just see him stamping this little guy on any outgoing mail!

Want to try stamp carving? Here are some helpful links to the products that you'll need:

-Julie's CarvedDecember Projects (for inspiration!)

-Julie's Book, "Stamp, Carve, Play"

-Speedball Linoleum Cutter

-Speedy Carve Blocks

-Glass Mat

-You'll also need a ruler, ink pads, and ballpoint pens or Sharpies

Next up...Gelli Plate printing!

Gelli printing is so much fun! You can create all kinds of custom background, using just acrylic paint, stencils, and even household items. I finally purchased some deli paper (link below) and spent an evening creating a bunch of prints. The prints below were all made using the exact same color paints and the exact same stencils. Can you even believe how different they look? I can't wait to use these pieces in my art journal and to create cards...love! (The one in the lower and upper right are my favs...)

Want to explore gelli printing? Gelli Arts shares a ton of great videos on their You Tube channel and their Facebook page. Check out the following links:

-Gelli Arts (They just introduced some mini plates that are to die for...I'm giddy!)

-Gelli Arts You Tube Channel

-Gelli Arts Facebook page

-Gelli Plates at Dick Blick

-Brayer (a must have item)

-Deli Paper

-You'll also want to have stencils, acrylic paint, and any other mark making tool on hand

Third on the list...and a new product for me...Art Foamies! Art Foamies are very sturdy foam stamps. Each stamp comes with a stamp buddy, which can be used to create custom ink pads, utilizing acrylic paint. The Art Foamies are great for use in art journals and even on walls! They are super fun! And...Julie Balzer just introduced her own line of Art Foamies...so you know I had to get a few.

This is probably one of my favorite designs and the large size is perfect for art journals. For these pages I started by painting them with black acrylic paint. Once that I was dry, I loaded up my stamp buddy with two colors of Dina Wakley paint. (Tip: You're going to need a lot of paint to fully load the ink pad). Once the pad is loaded with paint, press the Art Foamie stamp onto the ink pad and stamp away! It took a little practice to figure out how much pressure to apply to the stamp....as evidenced by some of my smooshy images. I found that you do not need to press hard, but you need to apply gentle, even pressure to the entire stamp. I think I'll probably add some gel pen doodling to this page...

I also stamped a bunch of the same image on to deli paper. You can see how many impression you can get from the one ink pad. You can even get multiple prints from one application of paint. I did all of the stamping in my journal and on a bunch of pieces of deli paper and I could have kept going! (Tip: Be sure to rinse your stamp and stamp buddy with water before the paint dries!)

Here's another of Julie's new designs. Since I was just playing, I stamped this sweet flower all over two art journal pages. We'll see what I end up doing with these pages in the future...

Want to check out Art Foamies?

-Art Foamies Store

-Julie Balzer Video on using the Art Foamies

This is just a quick little project, featuring paint that was left on my gelli plate and packing tape. This just might be the best and coolest way to clean your gellli plate! You have to check out the video here.

Lastly, I'll leave you with two photos that I just have to share...

First, the art journal covers my youngest created for his art journal. In the past I've mentioned Julie Balzer's Junque Journal class and how much I enjoyed creating my own journal. My youngest liked my journal so much that he wanted to create his own. I took a bunch of left over pages, from when I created my journal, and made one for him. I just love his pictures and his excitement over wanting to create art.

My oldest is all about video games and all things Pokemon. His favorite art form is to trace print outs and then add color. This picture doesn't have color yet, but he has a great collection of this type of art and it's fun to see him engage with drawing and shading.

Whew! You still with me? This was a long post! I wanted to share some of the projects we've been working on during our vacation. We're back to school and work next week...back to our regular routine. I hope you enjoyed seeing a few of my favorite things and I hope to be back with a finished project next week!

Best wishes for a very happy new year!

XXOO

Christmas Art Journal

Hello friends and happy holidays! After a very long silence on my beloved blog, I'm actually back with a project! And I even turned it into a short photo tutorial...shocking! LOL!

Our family is finally settled in CT, and while I can't say that I feel 100% "at home," we're comfortable in our new house and enjoyed the Christmas holiday with family. (We even packed in a day trip to NH last weekend to celebrate with our church friends)

The new house is fully decorated and we just need to hang a few more curtains before calling it quits. The unpacking seems to go on forever... My new craft area is actually part of a huge loft that also contains our guest bed, the boys Legos and toys, and our school area. I have one large enclosed cabinet and one bookshelf for my supplies. And because we're in a rental, I opted to only unpack supplies I felt that I'd use on a regular basis. (Everything else is in bins that I can easily access, if needed) 

Because the loft area is multi-functional, I don't have the freedom to leave all of my supplies out on a table like I did when I had my own space. While this initially had me feeling like I never wanted to create art again (translation - I've been feeling very down about our move), I realized it actually helped me be more purposeful when I create. Rather than being overwhelmed by everything sitting on my desk and around me, I now need to think through what I want to make and what supplies I'll need...reminding myself that if I want anything that is still packed, I'll need to go searching through bins. The need to be mindful led me to really sit and think through what I wanted to create yesterday. I knew that I wanted a holiday theme, and I wanted to use Christmas tree ornaments. Creating a mental list of supplies before I started meant that my art journal spread came together pretty effortlessly. It felt really great to begin and finish a project, after doing nothing for so many weeks. I even commented to my husband that I felt the desire to be back on a design team...maybe this is a good sign for my emotional state. :-)

Without further delay...here are more photos of my project, along with the link to the video. The supply list is at the end of the post. Enjoy and thanks for hanging in there!

One thing I didn't mention in my video is that I used the Brushed Pewter paint to add silver to the edges of each ornament.

Supply List:

1. Wendy Vecchi white embossing paste
2. Distress Paint - Spun Sugar, Brushed Pewter, and Seedless Preserves
3. Tim Holtz Stencils - Flourish
4. Jet Black Archival Ink
5. Faber Castell Big Brush Markers - Cool Gray
6. Ranger Matte Medium

Art Journal Every Day

Hello friends! My apologizes for the long silence and lack of blog posts. To say that life has been busy is an understatement. So much has been taking place over the past month that it's been difficult to create much less remember to take photos and post on my blog. Relax...this is going to be a long post.

Today I'm sharing the only art that I've been creating over the past few weeks, along with details on some major changes taking place in our family. First, let's get to the art!

Early last month I ended up signing up for Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's Junque Journal class, which is offered online. It's $125 for the class, but so worth the price! I think I mentioned this class previously, but I ended up taking close to 100 random pieces of cardstock, paper, half finished art journal pages, and lots of other odds and ends and turning them into two journals. They are spectacular! I can't say enough good things about this class...it was amazing.

Once I finished my journals, I ended up taking Julie's 30 Days in Your Junque Journal class (another online class), which includes 30 individual videos. Each video shows Julie's creating something in her journal each day. To be honest, I wish there was more of Julie creating her beautiful art in her journals (I could sit and watch her videos all day!), however, she does really break down how she uses her journal and how to get the most out of your journal. I felt like I learned a lot of tips and tricks attending both of these classes. (There's a discount if you bundle these two classes together)

Since the majority of my art studio has been packed for our pending move to CT (insert weeping and wailing), I've been only working with paint, some stencils, a whole lotta new pens (Julie has me hooked on Jelly Roll pens and white Sharpies!), and my journal. It's been refreshing...

I have also found that my journal has been a wonderful way for me to work through my many varying emotions about our move. Moving is not something I have desired and so there have been many days filled with a deep sadness and feeling of loss. We are giving up a lot to make this move. Journaling has helped me put those feelings down on paper, it's been a place to capture encouraging words that have been spoken to me by friends, and a location for special Bible verses that I've read. It's been a rewarding and somewhat therapeutic experience. 

The journal spread above was created with red paint (Dina Wakley), a leaf stencil (Crafters Workshop), and some embossing paste (Wendy Vecchi) that I colored with gold paint (also Dina). I put my journaling on two small tags, I love the look of the text against the red pages, and the butterfly was a scrap piece of chipboard left over from a die cut (Sweet 'n Sassy). I just added some paint and stamping (Prima stamps) to the chipboard before attaching it over another manila tag.

This page already had a gelli print on the paper (you can see the print through the bird), and I just added black paint around the bird mask (Donna Downey), poured out my thoughts on the page, using a white Sharpie, and added some red color to the bird. I also did a bit of doodling (love those Jelly Roll pens), and a piece of washi tape. I might add more to this bird, but no rush on making any changes right now. I'm finding that I work in small sections once or twice a day. It's all this mom has time for right now!

The page on the left was one that I created a while ago, you can read the details here, and I simply painted the page on the right to match. I journaled in the circles (fun stuff!), and added a few other elements to make the two pages flow together.

This spread was super, duper fun! The hearts on the right were already on the page and then I started doodling...and I just couldn't stop! I created this giant flower and used some watered down gesso to fade out the background behind the hearts, but left some of the text and design peeking through. The doodling was all done with Jelly Roll pens and Sharpies. The hearts were the perfect focal point for my journaling as my pages included a wonderful note from a friend who encouraged me about the decisions we're making as a family. (All of the date, day, and shape stamps are from Julie Balzer).

I have a few other pages that are in progress and hopefully I'll be able to pop back in sometime soon to share more.

As for our personal news...we are indeed moving to CT. I'm more at peace about the decision now as each day brings more conversations with my hubby, more news about his new position (he LOVES it), and closer to finding a new home. We've been faced with a host of challenges with this move, but we're finding that God is continuing to open doors so we've been encouraged that we're on the right path. We hope to close on our new home this week and we will be out of our beloved NH home right after Thanksgiving. 

This also means that I will no longer be teaching at Michaels in Epping or offering classes in my home. It's a bit sad to be closing this chapter of my life, but I confess that I have been overjoyed with the amount of free time I've had with my children. Being free from the stress of store ownership and creating only for classes, design teams, or my blog vs. creating just for fun and only when I have time has been liberating. I have missed so much with my boys...even though I've been home with them for many years...I haven't been as present as I should have been, and I'm grateful that I'm getting an opportunity to spend more time with them now...it's a tremendous privilege and blessing. 

I'm not sure what all of this means for my blog...I do know that things are going to be very quiet for the next month or so as we pack up the rest of our house and then unpack in our new home. I may share more art on Instagram so please follow me there, if you'd like. My user name is Kimita46. (You'll also see lots of photos of our cat! LOL!) I'd like to think I'll be back to regular blogging in a few months, but we'll see...I've been on design teams and blogging for close to 10 years and a big part of me wants to take a break and just work on my own art. However, I may miss this wonderful community too much to stay away for long! I do hope you'll remain on my mailing list for now and if there are any other big changes (you know, other than that whole moving to another state thing), I'll send out a note. (Maybe I'll share more of our moving journey on the blog...)

Thanks so much! Much love!

Document the Everyday

Hi friends! I'm back today with another art journal layout. This is one that I created as a sample for my Art Journaling Made Simple class, that took place at the beginning of October.

The goal of the class was to create three different backgrounds, and then work to add layers on to the pages to create finished pieces.

This spread started with a layer of Wendy Vecchi embossing paste and a circle stencil from Donna Downey, named Grunge Halftone Dots. (Click on product names to be linked to stores that sell the mentioned supplies) 

Once the paste was dry I added color with a few ink sprays and watered down paint, which I allowed to drip towards the center of the journal.

Next, I added another layer using Donna Downey's Numbers Repetitive stencil. (Side note: I have to add that I adore Donna's stencils...great designs and the perfect size for art journals. The generous 8x8 design makes it the perfect fit for most journals!) I used Jet Black Archival Ink and a blending tool to add the stencil design. The last layer, before my collage was added, was some orange spottie dots, created with Golden Liquid Acrylics and a brush. I love the pop of orange against the background.

The last step was to create the photo collage, which is really just a combination of a bunch of scraps I had sitting on my desk. The photo is from Tim's Found Relatives collection, and the Noted card is also from Tim, the Pocket Cards. All of the other pieces are just random bits of ribbon, a die cut that I painted orange, a piece of cardboard, and a manila tag with bits of stenciling and text paper. It's a lot of fun to gather together a bunch of random pieces and make them all fit together...it's like a super artsy puzzle! 

After the collage was finished, I added a quote, "Document the Everyday," using stickers from my giant alphabet sticker stash. The circle around the quote was created using a Stabilo pencil, and then tracing over the pencil with a waterbrush.

That's it for today's art journaling installment...hope you enjoyed!!

In other news...

My Art Journaling Basics class at Michaels in Epping is this Friday! Details here. We'll be making this art journal cover:

Personal news...We are moving to CT, my friends! Our house sold, after being on the market only two weeks...it's nothing short of a miracle! We're now in the process of looking for housing, starting to wrap our minds around packing (oh, how I dislike it), and trying not to think about how sad it's going to be to leave our friends and family. We're excited about new opportunities, but sure wish leaving our loved ones wasn't so hard...Stay tuned for more details! I'll only be teaching a few more classes in November and then it will be the start of a new journey!!

Hugs!

Live Beautifully

Hi all! Today I'm sharing a completed art journal spread that was created during my "Art Journaling Made Simple" class, which took place at my house a few weeks ago. (Be sure to sign up for my newsletter, link on the right hand side of the blog, to receive class updates!)

During the class we focused on creating three unique backgrounds. I managed to fully finish two art journal spreads...the third one still needs finishing! (We're planning a round two of the class to complete our pages)

This was a really easy page to create and most of my details were added with Faber Castell Big Brush Markers. (Link to products at the end of my post)

I started by covering both pages with Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap (we worked in the small Dylusions journal) using Matte Medium to adhere the pages.

The next step was to cover the pages with a combination of Distress Paint colors. I used Evergreen Bough and Weathered Wood.

Once the paint was dry, I used an older Prima stencil, Floral Rose, and embossing paste to add the flowers and small white dots. (I confess that I got a little crazy with the tiny dots on this layout!)

When the paste was dry, I used Dina Wakley acrylic paints to color in the details. You'll notice that I colored a complete flower, not just the areas with the paste, which is what is seen using the stencil. The purple sitting on just the paste didn't look right so I filled in all of the flower areas. I loved the end result as the flowers look more dimensional.

I create a lot of shading using Faber Castell Big Brush Markers and more paint. As a final tough, I went around a few of the paste spots with a black Stabilo pencil. Using a waterbrush, I went over the Stabilo pencil to blend the black and create shading.

The quote on the right was part of the stencil so I just used black paint to stencil the letters. I did go over the letters with a black Sharpie to beef up the width of each letter. The tiny black dots are from the Tiny Circles stencil from The Crafters Workshop.

I hope you enjoyed today's art journal layout! I'll be teaching an art journal basics class next Friday (October 23) at the Michaels in Epping, NH. Details can be found here. 

Supply List:

Small Dylusions Journal

Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste

Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap

Distress Paint

Dina Wakley Acrylic Paint

Stabilo Pencil

Tiny Circles Stencil from The Crafters Workshop

Floral Rose Stencil from Prima

Gesso Resist Technique

Hi friends! Today I'm sharing a quick and easy technique for creating amazing backgrounds....Gesso Resist! Here are the materials you're going to need:

I'm using a piece of watercolor paper (you'll need a heavier cardstock for this technique), gesso (Liquitex is my fav), a sponge, and background stamp, I'm using the Typewriter Text background stamp from Sweet 'n Sassy.

Put some gesso on a non-stick craft sheet and use the sponge to apply a thin layer of gesso on to the stamp. Use a light hand to apply the gesso as too much will create a puddle of paint and will keep the edges of the design from being crisp. (You can see how the top of the stamp has a little too much paint)

Stamp onto the piece of watercolor paper. You'll see that some of the archival ink, that was on my stamp 'cause I never clean my stamp, came off with the gesso. This won't affect the results. Be sure to clean your stamp immediately after stamping as the gesso will harden and effect the use of your stamp.

Next, grab a few Distress Stains and a water bottle. Apply the Distress Stains to a non-stick craft sheet, you can see my bottles above each color, and then spritz the stains with some water. This will allow the color to freely move over the watercolor paper.

Swipe the cardstock through the ink. Be careful not to move the cardstock around too much or your colors will become muddy (well, my colors would 'cause I'm using colors on the opposite side of the color wheel! LOL!). Spritz your cardstock with more water if you want the color to move around more.

Check out these results! Ohhh...love it! The gesso resists the stains, making the background design pop out...love it! You can see how I allowed the stains to drip off of the page. I had originally intended to cut a shape out of this piece of paper, but I loved the drips so much I use the entire piece!

I finished my card by adding a flower from the Lovely Lotus stamp set, colored with Faber Castell watercolor pencils, a few dragonflies, from the same set, and a sentiment.

Hope you enjoyed today's tutorial!! If you're interested in more of my video tutorials, including other gesso resist projects, subscribe to my You Tube Channel, here.

Introduction to Art Journaling Class Details

Hi all! My next Michaels class has been scheduled! Full class details are below:

Location: Michaels in Epping, NH

Class: Art Journal Techniques

Date: October 23, 2015

Time: 6:30-8:30 pm

Cost: $15

This class we'll explore a variety of mixed media techniques as we create an art journal cover. I'll demonstrate the use of different mediums, including gel medium and modeling paste. We'll also review collage techniques, stenciling, and shading using Faber Castell Big Brush Markers. You'll leave the class with a completed art journal cover and lots of blank art journal pages ready for more art!

Please contact the store directly to register for this event. Below is a list of supplies that you either need to bring or purchase for this class:

• Canson 7x10 Mixed Media Journal (or the equivalent)
• Recollections 6x6 Paper Pad - Fashionably Chic (or bring a variety of collage papers)
• Gel Medium
• Acrylic Paint to match  your collage papers
• Modeling Paste
• Fok Art Stencil (or two stencils of your choosing, one should be a focal floral image)
• Background Stencil
• Tim Holtz Chit Chat Sticker Book
• Palette Knife
• Paper Towels, Baby Wipes, and Paint Brushes
• Non-Stick Craft Sheet

Art Journal Layout Featuring Donna Downey Stencils

Hi friends! I'm popping in today to share a sample of an art journal page that we'll be creating in this weekend's "Art Journaling Made Simple" class. (Actual class samples will vary, but the techniques used on this page will be used.)

I have a few photos to share of some of the steps taken to create this journal spread. Contact me at ksdm@comcast.net if you have an interest in signing up for the October 3rd class, where we'll explore more quick and easy steps to creating your own beautiful art journal pages.

This spread started with Tim Holtz tissue wrap and Distress Paint. I love tissue wrap! It's a great starting point in art journaling.  The tissue was applied with matte medium and then Distress Paint was added on top. Don't mind that blue peeking through...these pages contained some extra paint from another product. That will be covered by the time I'm finished.

Next, I used Wendy Vecchi's embossing paste and the Flower Bed stencil from Donna Downey to add these beautiful, textured flowers to my page. The blue paint, any paint, will be absorbed by the paste so remember that if you want your paste to be pure white. No worries on my page as I painted my flowers.

My flowers were colored with paint and then shaded with Faber Castell Big Brush Markers. (I put the stencil back over the dry paste. This protected my background and allowed me to easily color all of the flowers and leaves without worrying about paint getting on the background). I did add a bit of stamping, used a cracked glass stamp from Tim Holtz, around the edges of the page, as well as a bit of aging on the page edges, using Potting Soil Archival Ink from Wendy (love that color!) And, of course, I had to add a few white splottie-dotties using watered down white gesso. The sentiment is actually from a Donna Downey stamp set, You Are Important, but the sentiment in the set was too small for my page so I used alphabet stamps to add the saying. 

Interested in learning more? Check out the details on my Art Journaling Made Simple class, coming up on Saturday, October 3...There's still time to register!

If you've been intrigued by the idea of art journaling or have recently jumped into this wonderful form of creating, but are overwhelmed by all that's involved...this class is for you! This class is perfect for beginners and intermediate students.

During our four hour class, we'll create three different art journal pages. I'll walk you through the steps taken to create beautiful, quick and easy backgrounds using a variety of mediums, such as Distress Paint and embossing paste. We'll also discuss which tools you'll need to produce the best results, along with providing you with a quick list of some of my favorite go to products. Lastly, I'll teach you how to create beautiful collages and art in your journals. 

Also during the class, I'll demonstrate a number of techniques, such as gesso resist and coloring pastes. We'll work with ink sprays, acrylic paints, Distress products, collage, embossing pastes, and stencils. Our goal for the day is not only to experiment, learn, and have fun, but to also show you how easy it is to create beautiful art work, quickly and easily! The added bonus? The class includes an 8"x5" Dylusions journal!

The cost for this class is $50.00. Please email Kim at ksdm@comcast.net to register, an electronic invoice will be generated once your request for registration has been received. A supply list will be sent once payment has been received. Please note that class fees are non-refundable after September 28, 2015. Registration will close on October 1, 2015...

Class location: Fremont, NH

Date: October 3 - Time: 1:00-5:00 pm

Cost: $50 (includes 8"x 5" journal)

Gelli Plate and Texture Sheets Tutorial

Do these projects look familiar? My apologizes for the repeat...The card above was posted in early June of this year. I had, at the time that I made the card and mini book, recorded a video, which ended up being "stuck" on my iPhone. (Call me technically challenged) 

Fast forward three months and I finally managed to get the video off of my phone and uploaded to my You Tube channel! WooHoo! So...you're getting the photos again, but the video of how I created both projects for the first time. (As for that video...the framing is all wrong...I still need technical help! LOL!) Check out the video at the end of today's post.

In class news...

-I have one more seat left in this weekend's (10/3) Art Journaling Made Simple class. The class runs from 1-5 pm and the cost is $50. The cost of the class includes a Dylusions journal, which we'll work in to create three art journal spreads. Email me at ksdm@comcast.net to register and for other questions.

-Michaels in Epping, NH - I'll be teaching at Michaels on 10/23, 11/6, and 11/13. More specific details to follow, but each of the classes run from 6:30-8:30 pm. Two will be focused on art journaling and the third will be a card making class. I'll share class samples just as soon as I have them!

In personal news...

After six months, I'm pleased to report that my husband has found a job!! We're thrilled! The down side is that it will require our family to move. UGH! We'll be looking in the western NH and northern CT areas. While we're excited about a new career chapter, we're all a bit overwhelmed at the thought of moving. Our house goes on the market this week...sigh...and in preparation we've been in major packing/clean up mode. I just had to share how my studio looks now...it's never been so clean!

Almost all of my craft supplies have been put into storage. I only left out paint, stencils, and my art journals. I'm curious to see if I can go without much of my other supplies....if so, I think there's going to be a big purge on the horizon! Now on to the video; I hope you enjoy!