DIY Art Journal and getting un-"Stuck"

Hello Lifers!

How are things going? Are you doing OK?

Recently, I had the the cool opportunity to mix two of my favorite things: my faith and my art.

I am doing a bible study called "Stuck" by Jennie Allen with a group of ladies at my church. We are in week 2 and in both the weeks we've done, there have been opportunities to "draw" something. However...both times...the space to draw is so itty-bitty...I could not even function. LOL 

So I decided to make my own "art journal" specifically for these 8 week study.

Here is what I came up with: 

Here's a quick step-by-step of what I did:

(1) I started with 3 plain manilla folders. I punched 5 holes in the spine with a paper piecer and then used a pamphlet stitch with nylon string to secure them together. The pamphlet stitch is super easy and useful.

(2) Add a layer of tulle and a few pieces of lace using matte gel medium.

(3) Add more embellishments and letters for your title. 

(4) Cover everything with a layer of gesso. If needed to fully cover, add a second coat. 

(5) Choose your favorite colors of spray ink.

I chose:

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist: Monster Mash, Festive and Mallard

Heidi Swapp Color Shine: Chartruese and Primrose

Apply in light layers, one color at a time. I used all three of my Glimmer Mists, dried them and then added the darker tones on top of them to add depth.

I also splattered my Primrose Color Shine and my Mallard Glimmer Mist by unscrewing the lid and using the tube to flick the paint. 

(6) For finishing touches I:

* added some Faber Castell Design Memory Craft Texture Accents in Pearl

* TCW "Hexagon" stencil with brown acrylic paint

*Outlined my 3-D elements with Black and White Faber Castell PITT Artist Pens

I hope you enjoyed today's project and I can't wait to share more as I fill it!

XOXO,

KERI

Supply List:

Manilla Folders-Walmart

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist-Mallard, Monster Mash and Festive

Heidi Swapp Color Shine-Primrose & Chartreuse

Faber Castell PITT Artist Pens-Black & White

Brown Acrylic Paint-Plaid

Tulle, Nylon String & Lace-Hobby Lobby

Faber Castell Design Memory Craft Texture Accents-Pearl

The Crafter's Workshop-Hexagon Stencil 

Embellishments-Prima Marketing, Jolee's, Studio Calico, 7 Gypsies

Stamps-Misc

Tattered Angels Week-Day 5!!

It's our final day together crafty friends!

I hope you have enjoyed this week as much as I have and have learned a few tricks to add to your creative toolbox.

Tip #5-Change up your Metals!!

This technique works best with Glazes because of the acrylic base of the paint and the finer glitter.

As you can see here, this golden metal piece from Fabscrap just wasn't working for me, so I added a little bit of Shindig Glaze on top of it to tone down the brassiness. 

You can also use Glazes on plastics, such buttons, if the color is just not quite right.

My FAVS!!

Although I didn't use them in the particular project, I can't leave a Tattered Angels week without telling your my Favorite Chalkboards (shimmery) and Baseboards (matte)!

As you might remember, we talked about on Monday that Chalkboards and Baseboards differ from Glimmer Mists and Simply Sheers in that they will give you a more intense and opaque color, whereas mists and sheers are exactly that..sheer.

JUST A LITTLE NOTE: The name Chalkboard can get a little confusing. It gets it's name because it has the solid feel of a chalkboard, not the writing surface characteristics.

Here are my TOP 2 Favorite Chalkboards and Baseboards.

(1) Cardboard (Baseboard-matte)- Essentially the color of corrugated cardboard, this will turn just about anything into a solid sheet of kraft paper with a smooth matte finish. The brown color is so yummy.

(2) Red Rocks (Baseboard-matte)-This color could not be more appropriately named. It is a very true maroon-red without a lot of purple so that it feels like a neutral.

(4) Chalk (Chalkboard-shimmer)-  This is the most multi-purpose of the Chalkboards to me. I use it to highlight images, to lighten other Tattered Angels or to splatter on a project to lighten up it up if it's gotten a little too dark.

(4) Teal High Heel-With a name like that...what's not to love!? It's just fantastic!

I'm sad to say that our week together has come to an end. 

I hope you have learned something new and maybe lost a little "fear of the unknown" you might have had about Tattered Angels.

Come join me again soon...as I live The Creative Life.

P.S. Here's the link again if you want to see the full selection of Tattered Angels colors and products!

Tattered Angels Winter Catalog

Tattered Angels Week-Day 4!!

Day 4!! Here we go!!!

Tip #4-Use with your Stamps!

Depending on which product you are using, there are 2 ways to go about using this technique.

(1) If you are using a spray-able mist, then you will need to either spray it on a non-stock surface or (my personal preference) is to spray it on a scrap piece of felt, essentially making your own ink pad and then stamp like normal.

(2) If you are using a Glam or a Glaze, simply paint it onto your stamp and stamp as normal, like I did!

You can see I stamped my "2" using Camel Glam and once it was dry, because of the composition of the paint, I was able to spray over it with the Moss Glimmer Mist and my Glam color stay true!

NOTE: Because of the loose consistency of Tattered Angels, it's always best to test your stamping on a scrap piece of paper before doing so on your project so that you can "feel out" how much paint your particular stamp will need to give you the best image. 

My FAVS!!

For the longest time I didn't use Glazes because I thought "How is it any different!?" but now, I use it all the time! The fine glitter adds a solid shimmer and gloss to your project, while the small applicator brush helps you control and get your color EXACTLY where you want it.

(1) Cowboy-This dark caramel color is VERY multi-purpose. Use it to distress, to darken metals or just to splatter to add dimension.

(2) Aloha Green-This green is perfect when you want to add just a little bit of shimmer and color because the light green doesn't compete with your project.

(3) Pinata-The FIRST Glaze I ever used! As you can see, it's a fun POP of pink. The first time I used it was coloring over some pink flowers. It really brought them to life!

(4) Saffron-This is the Glaze I use the most. Like Cowboy, it is very multi-purpose, but since it's a little bit light in color, I tend to use it more.

(5) Shindig-I would call this my 2nd Favorite! The color is hard to show in a picture, but it leaves your project with a fantastic dark steel gray shimmery finish.

Well...tomorrow is our last day together...see you then!!

Tattered Angels Week-Day 3!

Happy Wednesday!

We've had two fun-filled, glimmery days...are you ready for another?

Tip #3-Think Outside the Bottle!

Monday we talked about how great Tattered Angels products worked with each other, but you can stretch your TA dollar even farther by looking beyond those little Angel bottles. 

You can easily mix Tattered Angels products with your favorite acrylic paint colors to add some sparkle or mix with your favorite texture medium for a unique sparkly "chunky" look.

Here...I mixed my Golden Goddess Glam with an army green acrylic paint. 

You can see the fun glittery flicks it adds to the paint and because of the base of the Glam, when I heated it with my heat gun, it added texture to my plain acrylic paint. 

My FAVS!!!

Glimmer Mist is the original product that Wendy Senger made in her kitchen one day when she just couldn't find what she was looking for in her local craft store. (She made it in her BLENDER! I've seen the pictures...it was a mess! LOL)

With so many awesome colors, it's really hard to pick my top 5, but I'll try!

(1) Coffee Shop-My FIRST EVER Glimmer Mist and still at the top of my list. With a reddish-brown base and a copper shimmer, it is PERFECT to add a copper/weathered patina to any project.

(2) Mallard-My most recent LOVE! It is a dark blue-green with a lighter turquoise shimmer. (If you need one with a little more green....try Bahama Blue!)

(3) Coral Reef-Using this yummy coral color 

always makes me happy 

and adds a BIG punch of color to any project.

(4) Kraft-Just like the name suggest, this can turn just about any project into the appearance of kraft paper. The base is a darker kraft, while the shimmer is a lighter kraft so it adds a lot of dimension.

(5) It's Black-This is the darkest Tattered Angels color ever and adds a HUGE punch because of it's black base with black shimmer. It's THE Little Black Dress of Tattered Angels. (Need something a little softer? Try Black Magic (golden shimmer) or Beetle Black (silver shimmer.))

We're over half way done with our week...how sad! :(

Keep tuning in for more tips, tricks and my top 5 Favs!

Tattered Angels Week-Day 1!!

I LOVE Tattered Angels...I use it all the time on just about every project. I love the colors, the sparkle, the not sparkle...you name it...I LOVE it!!

A few months ago, I had the privilege of writing a tutorial for Scrapbook News and Review Magazine on "5 Ways to use Tattered Angels That You Might Not Have Thought Of." The project featured in it was one of my FAVORITE mixed media covers ever because it just had a little bit of everything!

Here is the finished project:

This week, I'm going to take you through my "5 Ways..." Tutorial, plus show you my FAVS from all of their lines and give you some tips on picking the RIGHT TA product for your project.

PICKING THE RIGHT PRODUCT

With so many options, it can be intimidating to know which one to pick.

Here is a down and dirty, cliff notes version of the difference between all the products:

GLIMMER MIST: A sheer water based spray-able ink that contains a fine glitter. This will give you a sheer wash of sparkly color. Don't want the glitter: Use the Simply Sheer from the Plain Jane Collection. USE ON: Paper, Fabric, Wood, Canvas, Over Paints

CHALKBOARD: An opaque water based spray-able ink that contains a fine glitter. This will give you a solid surface of glittery color. NO GLITTER NEEDED? Use the Baseboard Products from the Plain Jane Collection. USE ON: Paper, Fabric, Wood, Canvas, Over Paints

GLAM: An acrylic based paint-able chunky glitter. This is what you use when you really want to WOW factor. USE ON: Paper, Fabric, Wood, Canvas, Acrylic, Metal, Over Paints

GLAZE: An acrylic based paint-able FINE glitter. This has the fine glitter of your GLIMMER MIST, but in an acrylic form with a built in baby brush for easy control. USE ON: Fabric, Wood, Paper, Canvas, Acrylic, Metal, Over Paints

STAINED GLASS: An acrylic, sheer paint that is the first of it's kind to be MEANT to paint on acrylic/slick surfaces and stick, giving the appearance of stained glass. (although...there are many applications other than that!) USE ON: Paper, Wood, Fabric, Acrylic

HIGH IMPACT PAINT: Acrylic based paints that are your door way to CUSTOMIZE all of your Tattered Angels products to the perfect color for your project!

OK...enough school...Are you ready for a fun, fabulous and creative week? Let's go!

TIP #1-LET EVERYBODY JOIN THE PARTY!!!

As great as Tattered Angels products are alone, they are even better when you mix and layer them together!

Take a look at this hinge...it's just a simple hinge cut from chipboard. BUT...by layering 3 kinds of Tattered Angels, you get the rustic look of metal. 

Here's how I did it:

Step 1: Dab GLAM (here I used Camel-my FAV multi-use GLAM) here and there around your piece. Make sure to leave a good amount of vacant space. Using your heat gun, dry your GLAM and, you'll notice because of it's acrylic base, if you concentrate on a few areas, the GLAM will crack and bubble adding a fantastic texture to your piece.

Step 2: Coat your project with GLIMMER MIST (here I used Pomegranate.) Because GLIMMER MIST is water based, it will not mix with your GLAM (which..remember is acrylic...) so it will only "fill in" the spaces to covered by your GLAM.

Step 3: Next, using a paper towel, you will add a light wash of GLAZE (here I used my FAV-Shindig!) The purpose of this step is to antique your piece and tone down any "too bright" colors.

FUN, right? This technique is fun to play with, varying the color combinations to make your own unique piece.

Join me the rest of this week for more tips and tricks and learn my FAVORITE and MOST USED TA colors and products.

Until tomorrow my friends...get caught being creative!!

PS...Wanna know all Tattered Angels has to offer?

You can download their NEW catalog HERE. It shows all the products, colors and has some AMAZING inspiration pieces.  

NEW Memories...NEW Project...NEW Series!!

It's time for another round of NEW-ness here at The Creative Life!!

NEW MEMORIES!

This past Saturday I did something NEW...I ran my first 10k!

 I started running back in August with the app Count-to-5K for 2 reasons: (1) I wanted to be an example of a healthy lifestyle to my kids and (2) I had my SILs and some great friends who had started running and I was totally inspired by the confidence it had been giving them.

So I just...started running. The Couch-to-5k (and eventually the 5k-to-10k app) really helped hold my hand through the process. Being someone who's never been "sporty" I had no clue where to start.

I had a lot of cheerleaders like my SILs Kelly and Leslie, my sister Leslie, and my friends Kristen and Kelly, but my biggest was this girl right here!

My friend Deana has already run a half-marathon and a full-marathon and was my go-to person for all my questions, my "OMG...what am I doing?" moments and my confidence builder when I was injured a few weeks ago and wasn't even sure if I was going to be able to run at all.

We ran the 10K together and even though she finished about 10 minutes ahead of me, she made her way back on the course after she had crossed the finish line to run the last 1/4 mile with me. 

Here is my first metal:

And here is where my family and I went for my "victory" breakfast afterwards!!!

So what next? Well...this race was my "practice" race for a half-marathon I am scheduled to run in just 2 weeks. Since my injury put me behind on my training schedule (I had to take 2 weeks off), I am a little more nervous now than I was when I ran 10 miles 4 weeks ago, but I'm not going to give up!

NEW PROJECT...NEW SERIES!!!

Heidi Swapp's Color Pop is one of my FAVORITE new things out there in the paper-crafting world. I've always loved the "resist" products, but where as all other products resist white, Heidi has taken it up a notch and made her resists BRIGHT Colors and Fun, Bold Patterns.

In her Color Pop Collection, she has her trademark Memory Files in all sorts of yumminess like Teal Chevron, Pink Polk-Dot and Black Diagonal Stripes, shown here in front, which is what I used to make MY first ever Memory File!

I decided I wanted to do a fun Yellow and Black color scheme, so I used Tattered Angels' Jingle Bells Glimmer Mist on my folder.

I wanted my Memory File to be all about my hottie hubby and me, so I had this really cute picture my SIL had given me of us from a few years ago. From there it was just all about adding fun. I popped a lot of it up to give it a lot of depth and allow me to "tuck" embellishments here and there. (See below for a complete supply list!)

So fun, right? 

You can join me over the next few months in my NEW SERIES as I add to my File and join me in building more memories!

Until then my friends...enjoy YOUR Creative Life...where ever it may lead you.

Complete Supply list of today: Memory File: Heidi Swapp; Patterned Paper: Echo Park, Glitz Design and My Mind's Eye; Chipboard Arrows: Pink Paislee; Washi Tape: Sandy Lion and Recollections; Enamel Dots: Teresa Collins; Lace: May Arts; Title Card: Glitz Design; Stamps: Fiskars; Glitter Dots: Mark Richardson; Button: Teresa Collins; Gem: Paper Studio;  Paint: Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Jingle Bell; Misc: Harlequin Felt (had it so long....no idea who made it! LOL!)

Feeling Springy!

Here is Arkansas, our weather can not seem to make up its mind!

In the last week our temperatures have varied from 14 degrees to 67 degrees. I think our state forgot that it's winter!

These warm temps have me dreaming of springtime fun, so I decided  I was going to jump the gun and make a little spring home-dec project.

For this Project I used: Canvas Corp's 10X10 Chunky Stretched Canvas, Burlap Pocket Shape, Easter Sampler (not released just yet!)Mixed Media Glue and some misc Canvas Corp patterned papers. From Tattered Angels I used Glimmer Mist in a Blue that I can't remember the name of (WOOPS! LOL) and Leap Frog, Baseboard in Ivory and the NEW High Impact Paint in White. (Other supplies are a little bit of Krinkle, floral wire and foam, random buttons and May Arts ribbon.)

Here's a couple of close ups of the background:

I used the Blue Glimmer Mist over the entire surface of the canvas and honestly, after I did it, I thought "That is way too bright!" So I took my Baseboard in Ivory did light spray over all of it and then a few heavier sprays. I did this while the blue was still wet so that it would give it more of a watercolor feel and less harsh lines.

For the clouds, I used 1/2 flat brush and the Tattered Angels High Impact paint. (I'll give you more info on those later in the post!) Once again, I did this part while the background was wet to avoid harsh edges. It really is just a "play with it" kind of thing. For the larger clouds, I made my base cloud and then added more paint where I wanted highlights in my clouds. 

(Note: White Acrylic paint mixed with a little water will give you a similar effect.)

For my grass, I poured a little of my Leapfrog Glimmer Mist on my Pink Tattered Angels mat and starting from the bottom of the canvas, drug my paintbrush up. (The one thing I remember from elementary school art "Grass grows up, so you should paint it that way.") To make the variations in the green, I added a little High Impact paint next to my pool of Leapfrog and then just picked up a little of both in difference amounts. 

The rest is all in your creativity! You don't have to use the sampler I used (the flowers were made using an Accu-Cut die cut machine.) You could use flowers cut from your Cricut or Spellbinder or whatever your die cutter of choice is!!

Wants some more info on the High Impact Paint? 

Debuted at the Winter CHA Show in Anaheim, these paints are ready to revolutionize any Tattered Angels fan! They come in 6 metallic and 6 basics and although they can be used along (like in this project) their main purpose to allow the artist to begin to CUSTOMIZE their current and future Tattered Angels paints.

Love the color Rosey Simply Sheer in the Plain Jane Collection, but you need it to sparkle? In a separate sprayer (or a small mixing container if you are using a brush), just add your Simply Sheer and a little of your choice of the 6 metallic colors. Voila! You have your own unique color!

 High Impact paint is compatible with the entire line of Tattered Angels paints. Can you tell that I am super excited about this!!?? The possibilities are endless! (Now if it was just the end of March so they would be ready.) 

Kylee on Fri-Dee

For those of you who stopped by on Monday, you saw the Valentine banner I made.

Well, my 5 year old (Kylee) has a love for crafting just like her mama so she decided she needed to make a love banner, too.

Thanks for stopping by and remember...each day...get caught being creative!!