Truth Cards inspired by Melody Ross

Hello Creatives! 

Today I am so excited to share with you a project I recently made for the annual Saving Grace Mentor/Mentee Retreat.

This year's theme is "Soul Deep" and for our creative time we are focusing on Truth Cards and Bible Journaling.

If you haven't heard about Truth Cards, they are the brainchild of the amazingly talented and loving artist Melody Ross. 

In her own words, Melody says that Truth Cards are: 

The idea for Truth Cards came as a way to overpower the awful script that sometimes runs in our head, preventing our souls from feeling whole or healed. Truth cards are little messages of love and truth that are written directly to our souls….telling us the TRUTH when we are believing words that are keeping us from believing the love and truth.

For our retreat, we are focusing on Biblical Truths. 

For the project, I used Heidi Swapp's "Favorite Things" collection for Michael's, Adirondack Inks, TCW Stencils and various stamps, washi tapes and stickers. 

Here are the individual cards...

To keep them all together, I used a jump ring and added some ribbons and charms. 

I used very specific charms, each with their own meaning: 

(1) CLOCK: Ecclesiastes 3 states that there is a time and a place for everything under heaven. The clock is to remind me that my timing is not always God's timing and vice versa.

(2) BIRD CAGE: Truth is freedom. Finding truth can break the bonds of a broken past and can set you free from the cage of emotions. 

(3) 7: In the Bible, 7 is a special number...it is the number of completion and wholeness. 

(4) KEY: Matthew 7:7 says: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. The DOOR can be opened...the KEY is you have to have the faith to KNOCK. 

(5) FLEUR-De-LIS: The Fleu-De-Lis is a stylized Iris Flower. The Iris flower's history has made it the symbol for FAITH, HOPE and WISDOM...and who doesn't need some of that!?!?

So what about YOU? What do you hold as TRUTH? Maybe there is a book quote or a song lyric or words of a special person that you hold close to your heart when things get rough.

Find those. Write them out...type them up. Document them and keep the handy for those moments when the battlefield of the mind would tell you something contrary to what is TRUE.

Until next time, 

XOXO,

KERI

P.S. To see how a couple of these cards were made, check out my post on The Crafter's Workshop Blog: 

Truth Cards Inspired by Melody Ross

"This is my Happy Place" Art Journal with Faber-Castell Gelatos

Hello Lifers! 

Today, I wanted to share with you my most recent art journal piece.

I called it "This is my Happy Place."

I was searching through YouTube for something fun and creative to watch and I came across this video that Donna Downy did for Design Memory Craft. It was all out "drip techniques" using Faber Castell Gelatos.

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It was so much messy fun, I had to try it right away.

First, I started by using white gesso on my two pages. Gesso is important because it (1) allow your paper to stand up to all of the moisture you will be putting on it and (2) it allows the paints and water to roll better across the surface. Donna talks about it in the video and shows some examples.

I started with a bright green, med blue, light blue and purple for my background (sorry...the set I bought didn't tell me the colors. {insert frowny face})

When I was done, I felt like it i looked like a forest, with the green being the foreground trees and the blues and purples being the shadowed trees. 

I used a Dear Lizzy Die Cut card with a  chevron pattern and my orange gelato to add a pop of color.

I also added some stamped images using Unity Stamp Company "Dwelling Dots" stamps from their November 2014 "Layers of Life" stamp set, using Heidi Swapp's Archival Ink in Aqua.

2014 was a rough year for me, so there has been a lot of moments of "gloominess", so I added watered-down blue and black acrylic paint, using the same drip technique, to represent that...giving the feel of rain. I also splattered random colors of acrylic paint and gelatos that had been mixed with water. 

My title comes again from another Dear Lizzy Die Cut Card I used as a stencil.

I added the words "stop messing with it" because I sometimes feel like my little forest is my happy place, but there are those outside my forest who want to be the ones to rain down on my happiness.

I added a little bit of drywall tape just to add some texture and filled in some of the squares with a black Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen. 

My butterflies are made from a little thrifty secret...instead of spending money on chipboard or chipboard shapes, I cut these butterflies using a Stampin' Up Butterfly Die...from a cereal box!!

I stamped them with more Unity Stamps and Heidi Swapp Ink, this time in Navy and Aqua before adding gelato straight from the tube to the chipboard and smearing it around with a wet finger. Do add more depth, I went back with the same gelato color just around the edges. 

I edged my butterfly clusters with my water-soluble Scribe-All pencil in black and then added a little water-down gesso around them and some splatters. 

The butterflies, for me, are a sign of being reborn and leaving the old behind. They are in front of the rain and gloom because they choose to leave it behind.

I hope today inspires you to try something new...and to be like these little butterflies and fly beyond the gloom that life sometimes tries to keep you in.

XOXO,

Keri

Art Journaling is good for the soul

Hello Lifers! 

I haven't been blogging as much as I would like too...I'm going to try to pick it up. :)

Lately..life has been a little rough. There are a lot of outside circumstances that are weighing on my heart, but they aren't things that can be easily fixed and my personality...I'm a fix-it person. I can't stand having to stand back and watch people I love hurting. 

So...i decided to pour some of those feelings into an art journal spread. 

Why? 

Because....

Sound  familiar to your situation? 

I have a huge love for vintage music, particularly vintage hymnals, so I started looking through an old one I have and was just reading the lyrics, looking for comfort. I came across the hymn "Blessed Assurance" and the lyrics jumped off the page. 

Here is where they led me....

I used acrylic paint and Heidi Swapp Color Shine and stencil to make my background. Then I layered pieces of my hymn and allowed it to speak to me. I highlighted lines that stood out to me with a stabilo pencil. 

 

I used white gesso with a Crafter's Workshop stencil. I love this shape but once I was done, I realized it kind of looked like teeth (weird thought, I know), but then I took a closer look at the left page... 

I realized that the starburst from my Heidi Swapp stencil seems to BURST through the "teeth"...which fits perfect with the hymn title "Blessed Assurance." 

As a Christian, it's because of the Assurnace in Christ that we can break through and be triumphant no matter what the situation. 

Here is a closeup of a few other of my favorite places. 

I hope today has not only inspired you creatively, but has empowered you to take hope that no matter what the situation, you have an Assurance of victory in Christ. 

Until next time...xoxo. 

Keri 

PS. I made the quote pic using Rhonna Farrer's app, layered over a pic I took and edited with PicFX. 

Blog Hoppin' with Graphic 45 and Scrapbook Adhesives!!

Hello Lifers!!

Today, I am so excited to be participating in a blog hop with my fellow Graphic 45 team members and the amazing designers at Scrapbook Adhesives. 

Today, I want to share with you a mixed media art journal piece I made using Graphic 45's new An Eerie Tale and great adhesives from Scrapbook Adhesives.

Here is what I came up with for you!

I do have to tell you a funny story about this piece...last month I was on a long road trip with my family and I decided I wanted to challenge myself to CREATE in my CAR. yes...this was all created confined in the passenger seat of my sequoia on the way to the beach. 

I took pictures along the way and made you this Snapguide when I got home: 

Check out How to Create an Art Journal With an Eerie Tale-Graphic45 by Keri Sallee on Snapguide.

With this art journal piece, you'll get to play with Faber-Castell Gelatoes, Heidi Swapp Color Shine, Mister Heey's Mist and lots of layers using 3-D Foam Squares from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L

Here are a couple of my FAVORITE close-up shots!

Thank you so much for stopping by!!

Are you ready to hop along to my fellow designers? A little birdy told me if you made your way around the blogs you could win a prize!

Today's blogs are:

Ginny Nemchak - USA 

Katie Zoey Ho - Singapore 

Keri Sallee - USA <----You are here!!

 AJ Otto         http://www.thewillowgarden.blogspot.com

Latisha Yoast   http://crafteebee.blogspot.com/

Thank you again for stopping by and remember...make your art intentional...not an afterthought.

XOXO,
KERI

Graphic 45 Design Team 2014 Audition

 Hello Lifers!

Today, I have something a little different on the blog.

I decided to take a BIG leap and audition for the 2014 Graphic 45 Design Team and they require something a little different from any other DT I've ever auditioned for: a blog post dedicated to your audition projects.

Oh....and did I mention...you have to submit at least 6 (!) projects?

So grab a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine, depending on when you're reading this!), get comfy, and hopefully be inspired. :) 

Steampunk Spells

When I decided to audition, I decided to design all new projects (as opposed to using older ones) and I wanted to challenge myself to use things I had on hand.

My project featuring Steampunk Spells by Graphic 45 uses a 8 x 10 Chunky Canvas from Canvas Corp that had just not worked out. So, I turned it around and turned it into a shadowbox. 

I've always LOVED the look of Steampunk, but it's never been a style I could embrace easily. However, I think G45's use of oranges and turquoise brighten up the usual neutral steampunk pallet and made it much easier for me to work with.

My favorite part is at the center...gears from Want2Scrap that I altered using nothing but Tattered Angels Paints. 

Gears--naked and dressed:

So fun, right? :)

Here are a few close-ups: 

My flowers were made 2 ways: (1) the colored flowers are cut using Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Die for Sizzix from Tim Holtz Nostalgic Kraft-Core Collection from Coredinations. I then embossed it with a gear embossing folder from The Paper Studio and Distressed it with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Walnut Stain. (2) The Metal looking flowers are cut using Spellbinders Dies and then colored using Tattered Angels paints (like the gears.)

 

French Country

Still feeling fall? Next up is some beautiful G45 French Country.

This project was made by doing a mixed media collage background using French Country Paper, Liquitex Matte Gel Medium and Tattered Angels Paints all on top of an 8 x 10 canvas from Hobby Lobby that I had on hand. 

I then cut about 40 flowers using Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals, wet them, scrunch them and Tattered Angels them (is "Tattered Angels" a verb? LOL)

I used a stack of mat board to lift my wrought iron piece up so that I could then tuck the flowers all around it.

Nutcracker Sweet

From Fall to Christmas!

For this project, I found an empty ribbon spool that once held 2 inch wire edge ribbon.

How "sweet" is this little scene!?

To make my 3-D scene, I fussy-cut out my characters from a sheet of G45's Nutcracker Sweet paper. I distressed them and then used pieces of bend mat board in the same of an "L" to make them stand. I was very strategic on the size and placement so the supports were not easily seen. 

A Place in Time 

G45's A Place in Time had so many options for styles-12 to be exact! Since I am tired of winter and longing for spring, I decided to use the paper for April, as well as a little throwback G45 line "Romantique."

For my base, I had this small 9 x 9 wooden tray that used to hold wooden veneers. (I've been hoarding this one for over a year just waiting for the perfect project!)

I colored my plain wood with Heidi Swapp Color Shine in Chartreuse. 

The green/gold color went perfecting to make this:

A few of my favorite close-ups:

The flowers are stems from Petaloo and the butterflies are from Heidi Swapp (colored with the same Chartreuse Color Shine as the base.)

Wanna guess what's in my little bottles? CHIA SEEDS! Don't they almost look like little pebbles?!

Phew! Are you doing OK? Do you need a break? 

No? Let's Keep going!

Magic of Oz

This collection has long since been one of my favorites from G45. They did a BEAUTIFUL job interpreting "The Wizard of Oz." I was so inspired by it that I made 2 projects with this collection.

First...I was inspired to make this amazing (if I do say so myself!) mini album.

From the outside, it just seems like a mini album, but the inside holds a secret...

Both the front and the back covers have 5 little flaps featuring the good on the front and then bad in the back, BUT...that's not the secret...do you see it?

All 5 of the center pieces open...making 5 even smaller albums. Each on has a small magnet to keep it closed and features one character on the cover.

Can you tell I LOVE this collection? No...then this one will change your mind.

This was the last project I made and I have to say it is one of my favorites of all time because it is so out-of-the-box...or should I say "out of the closet!"

Yup...that's a high heal shoe. It started out as an ugly plain black pump (purchased at my local thrift store for $4.) Then...came the glitter. I used the AMAZING Glitter Blast Spray Paint from Krylon in Cherry Bomb to transform it in to my own ruby slipper. 

Inside my ruby slipper is a mini tag album: 

And of course you can't talk about the "Wizard of Oz" with the Yellow Brick Road:

Or high heal shoes with bows and bling:

So there you go! My 6 audition projects for the 2014 Graphic 45 Design Team. 

To my readers...I hope you enjoyed looking at them as much as I enjoyed making them. These were definitely a labor of love. I hope to use these as tutorials soon, so check back to see how I did it!

To Graphic 45...thank you so much for this opportunity and for visiting my little blog. I hope you had fun.

To All..I will leave you the way I leave you every time we are together: Remember...choose to make your art intentional...not an afterthought. 

XOXO,

KERI  

P.S. Thank you for forgiving me for some of my pictures going outside the limits of my blog frame. I wanted my pics to be SUPER big! :)