Create Art

Today's post is about being inspired by art wherever you find it!  My kids belong to a monthly subscription plan from Kiwi Crate (if you have kids, check it out...great stuff) and last month's projects were all about modern art. 

One of the projects was to create a Mondrian painting.  About half way through the project, I realized I could create the same look in my journal!  I love how it turned out...so different than the free form of many art journal pages but it's great to have a different look gracing my journal pages.

 

 

 I started by painting two pages with gesso.  You'll always want to prep your pages with gesso whenever paint is involved.  (Using Dylusions Ink Sprays, don't gesso!)  I then used low tack tape (you could use washi or tissue tape) to create my boxes.  I actually used a Configurations Box for the design!

 

 Then I got busy with paint!  I chose four colors that worked well together and then added two neutrals, black and cream.

 Once the paint was dry, I decided to decorate the boxes.  Now I would normally use Archival Inks with stencils but I adore Wendy's new ink colors and they were the perfect match for my paint colors as I wanted more of a watermark look.  I used a bunch of new Wendy stencils as well as a few of Catherine's new stamps.  (See supply list links at the end of this post).  I kept the tape on when I was stenciling.

 

 Once all of my boxes were decorated, I removed the tape!  WooHoo!!  I was so excited by the final look...so different than what I normally create but it was so much fun!  (I need to go back and clean up a few of my lines...makes me twitch that I had a little paint sneak under the tape!)

 Here's the full journal spread.  Super fun and quick project...what have you been inspired by this week?

Supplies:

Dylusions Journal

Adirondack Paint Dabbers

Wendy Vecchi Stencils (2 Fancy Flowers, 3 Flourishes)

Crafters Workshop Stencils (Well Rounded, Cursive Alpha)

Catherine Scanlon Stamps (Journal Words, Random Shapes)

September Get Altered Challenge Winner

 

So...have you ever gotten so busy that you completely forget to do something...for a long time...Yup, that's what happened to me last month!  Goodness!  I totally forgot to pick the winner of last month's Get Altered Challenge (which was to alter a piece of mail).  I am so sorry!!  We had a mini vacation, combined with two huge blog hops, regular every day work stuff, and then I battled two weeks of bronchitis...it was the perfect storm and I totally spaced!  I had a participant email me to remind me so a big thank you to Debra for pointing out my mistake!!

So enough of my carrying on...let's announce last month's challenge winner...it's

Tracey Fitzgerald

Tracey created this darling tag from an advertisement she received in the mail and...wait for it...toilet paper!  Genius!  I adore the completed look!

A HUGE thank you to Tracey and everyone else who participated in last month's challenge!  We'll be announcing this month's challenge shortly so stay tuned...

Tracey, please contact me at kim@eclecticpaperie.com to claim your $15.00 gift certificate!

Pumpkin Canvas

Oh my goodness, I am SO excited to be making my first post as an eP Design Team member!! I just love working with paper, glue and paint . . . this project uses them all!! 

There is a corner down the street from us that always the  booth for 4th of July fireworks,  Christmas trees and the pumpkin patch.  I was super excited to see the lights going up, the inflatables wiggling in the wind and the rows of pumpkins being set up last weekend. We might not have the 'coolest' fall weather here in  Atlanta Georgia, but the pumpkin patch means that fall is here!! Yeah!!

Here is my pumpkin canvas decoration I made for the house this year!! I hope you enjoy it!! 

I started with a free printable from Pintrest and used Matte medium to glue it down.   

The white of the paper was a little bright so I added Titan Buff from Golden all around and a couple of smudges of orange! (Just stick your fingers in the paint and move it around on the canvas until it makes you happy!)

One of my favorite types of paper are the brown bags you get at the grocery store.  I store them (it really isn't hording if I plan to use them, right?) and use them sparingly.  I ripped this one up into the branches and the curly-cues for the canvas. 

 I cut several thin strips of the brown bag and coated them in matte-medium and curled them into corkscrew shapes.  You have to do one at a time, because the matte medium dries really quickly and there isn't much time to make a good corkscrew.  When the medium dries though, the paper stays in shape!  Love this!

Decoupage is a little bit stronger (but much goopier) than matte medium in my opinion, so I used it to glue the 'branches' down.  This way, the branches can bend out from the canvas and not fall off the canvas!

Random black paper from my stash made some random black bats to hang from the branches.  And I used twine to actually suspend them from where the branches pull away from the canvas. This way the bats move around in the wind! I stapled the bats to the twine and then added a dot of Helmar glue to make sure they didn't slide off!!

Next came the rub-ons and doodling to finish the canvas off!!

 Thank you so much for taking a look today!! I hope you have a chance to sit down and create a pumpkin canvas of your own this season!! 

Check out some of the awesome products I used from the eP store!!

- Karen

Love Christmas Angel

Hello!! Giovana here with my very first post as an ep Design Team Member!! I am so very excited and I hope you like the project I have for you today. The wonderful ladies have been posting Halloween projects, so I decided to make a Christmas card this time around ;) Maybe you can start your Christmas projects using this wonderful image.
So, I prepared a picture tutorial for you, so, let's get started:

Step 1: Stamp Christmas Angel image on a piece of Ivory Cardstock in Gold Ink.

Step 2: Die-cut a Watercolor Cardstock piece using Rectangle dies.

Step 3: Paint all sides of Watercolor paper with Viva Décor Amber Gold Paint. Love the antique look you get.

Step 4: Cut another piece of Watercolor cardstock (dimensions: 5" x 3.75"), position the Mini Chicken wire reverse stencil, add Viva Colour 3D Stamp Paint Gold

Step 5: Cut "Love" rub-on from Remmant Rubs idea-ology and adhere it to panel.

Step 6: Ink all edges of your panel with Walnut stain Distress Ink.

Step 7:  Mount image on die-cut gold piece (step 3) Tie-on ribbon and add panel to card base. Add image to card. Make a triple bow, add hemp and a Trinket pin.

This is the final shot.

I hope you like it!!
I would love to read your comments.
Have a fantastic day.

A Book of Spells in a Box

Hi there!  It's Erin here with you today to show you some Steampunk Spells fun!  I created a neat little Halloween box for you!

I created a "Book of Spells" to go inside the box.

Below is a front view of the box.  (I apologize for the picture quality.  It's 1 in the morning!)

Here's the inside of the box, also decorated!

Below are each page in the Book of Spells.

I love creating little surprises throughout this book!

Ok, so how did I create this?  I took a Graphic45 box, and sponged all the edges w/ Memento Black ink.  I then took several pieces of paper from the Steampunk Spells stack, cut, sponged the edges with Black Memento ink, and covered the box inside and out.  To create the outside of the box, I simply cut out images from the stack and adhered them to the top and front of the box.  I added embellishments from my stash to complete the details.


To create the Book of Spells, I cut out different rectangles found within the Steampunk Spells pack, and inked the edges.  I cut out black cardstock to put between each rectangle and to make each page sturdy.  I added hinges and twine to finish the book and bind it.

Product Links!
Steampunk Spells 8" x 8" paper pack 
Memento Black Ink Pad 
Charcoal Twine 
Matchbook Box 8" x 8" (I did actually use a smaller matchbook box)

Have a wonderful day!!!
Erin
 

Spooky

Hi! I'm Jules and I am honored to be the Guest Designer for the month of October.  This is one of my favorite months as I am just a bit witchy at heart.  Every October, I create a few new things to help celebrate one of my favorite holidays.  Thanks to eP, this  year, I am creating five!!

 The Tim Holtz Idea-ology Burlap Panels Bare Minis were perfect for this project. I turned the two smaller ones backwards and  glued the four panels together.   Rubber bands held them in place until the adhesive set.  I painted beige lace with Splash of Color Silk Acrylic Glaze in Black Ice leaving areas of the beige showing through.

While the paint and glue were drying, I cut various pieces out of the Graphic 45 Steampunk Spells papers and placed them into the Tim Holtz Idea-ology Corked Domes.  I used Ink Essentials Crackle Accents on the insert pieces to give them a vintage appearance.  I placed a skeleton rub on from the Tim Holz Remnant Rubs pack onto acrylic and carefully trimmed around the edges.

I added thin brown ribbon between the seams of the panels, added a couple of more of the rub ons and used adhesive to attach the ribbon and the assorted elements to finish the project.  This fun piece can be hung on a wall or can stand alone on a table for display.

                                 So, what are you creating for this wonderful holiday?


Tim Holtz Idea-ology Remnant Rubs Halloween , Apothecary
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Burlap Panels Bare Minis
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Corked Domes

Graphic 45 Steampunk Spells 12 x 12 Paper Pad

Splash of Color Silks Acrylic Glaze-Black Ice

Inkssentials Crackle Accent

To Be Continued - a journal page

~
Happy Tuesday, and happy first of October to you all!  Can you believe it's already that late in the year?

It's Broni here and I'm back again to share another journal page that I created.  I was experimenting and may have gone a little overboard.  Somehow I had a hard time stopping.  I just kept adding and adding different elements.  Well, it is what it is and I had fun!  Isn't that what it's all about?
Here's my "To Be Continued" journal page:

First I spritzed on some Dylusions Bubblegum Pink and Pure Sunshine ink sprays.

Then I laid down some die cut circles in a random pattern.

I spritzed on some White Linen.

Next I drew a face using a black fine point Sharpie, but I didn't really like it.  So I used a negative die cut and spritzed some more White Linen over it.  Then I stamped some text using Distress Picked Raspberry ink.

I stenciled on some Ripe Persimmon ink using my Mini Confetti stencil and my Mini Chevron stencil and a blending tool.

Next, I stamped Grungy Circles in Picked Raspberry and sponged some Black Soot ink through my Mini Art Is stencil and my Tiny Circles stencil.

I stamped the paper clips and sentiments in black as well, and then spritzed some die cut hearts in the Bubblegum Pink ink spray and applied them with a glue stick.

I spread some embossing paste using the Dotted Flowers stencil and then re-inked the eye and lips.  I colored the lips with a neon pink Sharpie.

I drew lots of lines with arrows and semi-outlined the hearts and circles with a fine point black Sharpie.

Finally I glued on a wood heart and added a strip of black rhinestone webbing.

Here's the finished page again:

I hope you like it!


Thanks so much for stopping in today!  Happy crafting!