Inspiration Wednesday - Week 9 - Featuring The Crafters Workshop Stencils

Greetings from the great state of NH! Yes, we are officially back in NH, and I couldn't be happier! We are definitely missing some of our friends back in CT, but we are looking forward to a summer filled with frequent visitors! (And maybe even a trip or two to CT for us as well!)

While I've just barely started to unpack my art supplies, I managed to sneak in one project while we were still in CT, and my supplies were packed. (Hey, I had to leave a few things out just in case I got desperate!) I also received a shipment of TCW stencils to use on my design team projects, so really, they needed to be used ASAP...to make sure they worked correctly. *wink*

This project was from last week's Inspiration Wednesday video and while I've shared a few steps, I'm not going to provide an in-depth description of all of the steps, as this is a pretty literal copy of what Donna created in her video. If you're interested in following along with this year's Inspiration Wednesday projects, you can sign up here, it's only $35 for the entire year!

My project started with vintage text and the Jax (TCW599) stencil. I used Dina Wakley acrylic paint (Black) to add the stencil design to the pages. Notice that I did not start with gesso...

Next came the watered down gesso, creating a nice wash that only slightly covered up the text and stenciling. I also didn't wait for the black paint to completely dry (mostly because my heat gun was already packed!) and some of the paint smudged, but I ended up really liking how the page developed more of a gray tone vs. pure white.

My next layer was, of course, Wendy Vecchi embossing paste...it's my favorite paste! I used the Coaster (TCW621) stencil with the paste and added this fun design in random places over both journal pages. I placed the stencil off the edge of the paper each time I added paste so that I wasn't getting a complete circle.

And...that's when I finished with the step-by-step photos... :-) This is the finished piece, which features circles and the great color combo of teal, orange, and gold. Love, love, love the colors on this piece! I also used a Stabilo pencil for the shading around all of the circles. The "you have what it takes" sentiment is from a Wendy Vecchi stamp set (see links below).

The numbers inside the circles is a stamp designed by Donna Downey (sold by Unity), you can find all links at the end of this post. The stickers were once white...I painted them with Dina Wakley paint (Gilt) before applying them to the spread. The faith word is actually a chipboard piece, from Michaels, that I painted and attached with matte medium.

Since I had packed all of my tags, I needed to go foraging for a place to put my date stamp. I found this fun stickers in a basket of random goodies, and I really love the addition of the red and the speech bubble design vs. a manila tag. Might have to use more of these on future pages...

I'll end with a close up of that Coaster stencil...I just adore the look of the broken design and how the teal paint, applied with my finger, highlights small portions of the raised area. This stencil is definitely going into my fav pile!

I hope you enjoyed today's project! Now that we're firmly (I hope!) planted back in NH, I'm looking forward to unpacking all of my supplies, and getting back to more regular blog posts. Thanks for hanging in there through this crazy transition...Happy Crafting!

Supplies:

Donna Downey Inspiration Wedneday Videos

TCW599 - Jax

TCW621 - Coaster

Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste

Golden Fluid Acrylics

Dina Wakley Acrylic Paint

Donna Downey Stenciled & Reconstructed Stamp Set

Wendy Vecchi Passion for Art Stamp Set

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)