Thriving Art

  Last week DH and I finally took advantage of a 2 night stay I had won way back in December.  It was at the Croad Inn and Winery, not all that far from here.  We couldn't have asked for nicer weather, and such a unique and pretty place.   The day we checked in we met the owners in the wine tasting room, he and his wife are there every weekend to help run the Inn and winery.  Really wonderful and gracious people.  Since it was late in the afternoon, he offered us a tour of the winery....just DH and myself.  He took us into the cellars, which was so very interesting......and we even got to taste wine straight from the barrels......one I just fell in love with.....but sadly it won't even be bottled for two more years!!  We were given a glass of wine and a plate of assorted cheese and crackers, when we finally headed for our room.   Since I am an early riser, the next morning I grabbed my coffee and my camera and went outside, there...

VERY PHOTO HEAVY     A double page layout, finished and ready for words......But what to use??  I have many sentiments and sayings that come to me when I look at these pages.  I just can't land on one that I REALLY want to put here......so, for now, it is without words.   Here is the journey of layers, with unedited photos......and no cropping....so you can see what I've been using as mediums.  Click the images for a closer look.             The final layer is a thin coat of white acrylic paint, applied with my fingers and then using an almost dry wipe to pull the stripes and mute other areas. Sometimes it takes many layers to get it where you want it to be.......just like life....but without words. What do these pages suggest to you?   Inky Hugs Krisha A tip:  When wanting to use a baby wipe, and it is too wet......squeeze it in...

  Before heading off on our "mini vacay" I had made this journal page on evening, while thinking of our oldest Granddaughter.  Of course the saying in NOT new, but it is something I've been saying to her since the day she was born.     It started with a page of "left over paint".  I traced my shapes with the masks I was going to use....just to get the layout in my mind.   Then a script stamp was used over the masks with Stazon ink.     I painted around the shapes, added music napkins and white....I'll call them motion stripe with a credit card.     A closer look, before adding the Gelatos, which I had to redo after the Gelatos...LOL!   After the Gelatos were added and more motion stripes!   Because the Gelatos have a milky, or chalky look, over other colors, I had to reline the shapes. I added the stamped sentiment, swirls, the word Dream and some stars.  The stars were ...

  Happy Tuesday! Today is an other journal page.......I think it is becoming an obsession.....*grin* More Gesso, paint, ink, stamps, Gelatos and Pitt Pens, along with some die cuts and paper doilies.   I didn't even notice how crooked the bottom looked, until I had it uploaded....LOL! My coffee cup is sitting there, (maybe I SHOULD have added glitter to the cooked table top) as I had just finished the page, to fit right in with the T-gang over at Elizabeth's blog.   I also want to join the Art Journal Journey  with this post too.........their challenge is "Journeys" (which I will have to link up too once we are back home) This how I start my daily journey........one cup at a time. *grin*    A few of the details...Stazon ink tends to stay shinny when it has acrylic paint under it (?)       Die cuts over doilies in the upper corners.   I had this post started EARLY, as in Saturday ...

    Well, do you see the face in this journal background ? No?..........       How about now?? I had made this background months ago and then promptly forgot about it!  I was wanting to finish this journal and put it away, when I came back across this page.  No, I didn't see a face either......so I drew one in.....giving her some weird hair by outlining some of the areas.  Pitt pens were used to highlight the background, face and color the facial features.   I sometimes wonder "WHY"? it takes so long for inspiration to strike.  What inspires you?   Inky Hugs Krisha

  A page from one of my art journals, that had been doodled then colored with Pitt pens.    This page represents many evenings of "sofa time" with DH.....while he watches all his prerecorded TV programs.......but wants me to watch too........only I'm not really interested in them.....sssshhhh! Don't let on about that! Happy weekend! Krisha   In memory of my brother, who would have been 62 today. Laugh, love and live it up....because this is the oldest you have been and the youngest you'll ever be again!

I know many people have one of these Lazy Susan storage thingies, most craft stores sell them.  I've had mine for a number of years, and for most part I LOVE the darn thing.  This side had an elastic band stapled onto it, and was perfect for holding bone folders and stylists......things that are just too short to put in the other deep wells.  Now, over time the elastic has stretched out and doesn't want to hold ANYTHING....grrrrr!  Has anybody else had this problem??? Then the lights came on (so to speak...*grin*)  What I needed was a divided"pocket" on that side........welllllllll............I do have some old denim pockets I had cut off DH's old work pants..................hmmmmmm!     Yep!  I drug one out and quickly stitched some divided areas, using the pocket and the piece of denim that the pocket was sewn to....ie the pants! ( notice the staples still in the LS?  They would NOT come out!!) Now the pocke...

    Last Friday  Helen Allen  had posted at video, on her blog, using many Faber Castell products.  Her video was the inspiration for this journal page.   There are layers of Gesso, Gelatos, napkins, doilies, ink and paint. I'm not crazy about the top doily covering the top daisy, but it is what it is....*grin*  It was still a very fun page to do, and she did inspire me to use more than just one or two mediums........Thanks Helen!    Thanks for stopping by.... Inky Hugs Krisha      

Butterflies and Blooms is this month's challenge at The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge.   This journal page has many, many layers of napkins, mulberry paper, paint, and ink.....stamped images and hand painted images....OH MY!!  What fun I had getting it all on this page, especially applying layers of paint with my fingers......oh yes, that child still resides somewhere inside me *grin*    I had watched a couple of art journaling videos on You Tube and just took techniques from here and there...so I'm not going to give out the links.....way to many to go and search for again.....BUT there are some really wonderful videos on art journaling out there......and I do follow many of the artist that also have blogs. So here is the challenge info:   /mixed-media-monthly-challenge-24.   Of course there is great eye candy to be held.....if all you want to do is LOOK.....BUT be warned....the inspiration you find there will kick your MOJO into high...

      I have been MIA, from my blog, for a couple of weeks.....sometimes LIFE just gets out of hand.....and I won't tell you an untruth, there have been days of just LAZINESS!! LOL!   I have been working in some of my journals (during the lazy days.....just too lazy to scan, edit and post)   This page was made for a couple of challenges (listed below) It was a fun page to make because I  used different techniques and mediums.   The first layer was Gesso with ink added to tin the background.  I used a daisy stencil and embossing ink for the background daisies, then pink and white embossing powder.  The other flowers were embossed with white EP, then the color was inked in and fussy cut.  The butterflies followed the same process.  Once everything was glued down I used a couple of leaf stems and added the greenery.  Around the edges of the page with some distressed ink for some aging and I was finished. ...

  Well we have rounded an other corner, in 2016, and have landed in MAY!! Holy Moly.....or should that be Mole'?....since Cinco De Mayo is right around the corner....LOL! Never the less it is time to meet up with the T-Gang over at the Altered Book Lover Blog and see what everybody is drinking.   As usual I am drinking coffee...black....thank you.  I came into my craft room to ponder this canvas, that is propped up on Betsy. Of course I had sat my coffee cup( didn't see the drips till now)  and glasses right in front....then remembered that it is Tuesday, grabbed the camera and here I am!   I've had this idea, in my head, for sometime and finally acted on it yesterday.  I had bought 2 of these denim canvases last summer for Camp Grandma and we never got around to using them.  I did attempt a painting on one.......might share that later.....but found denim REALLY hard to paint on....even with Gesso going down first.  So that left this...