PaperArtsy 2016 Topic 24 - Mail Art

I'm here with the final PaperArtsy topic which is Mail Art. I missed the previous three challenges - but wrote a short post about them if anyone's interested.

With this topic, I knew I wanted to incorporate envelopes on my journal page rather than decorate an actual one.

I created a template for the envelopes and cut them out of cardstock. I didn't want the page to get too bulky so I only cut the parts/flaps that would show.

Here are some details. I used Infusions and Distress inks for the background. I did some stamping and also some stencilling.

Finally, I added a tag (I believe this is a Stampendous stamp - I had the tag all stamped and inked in my stash) and a quote from Tim Holtz's phrases sticker sheet.

So, that's it for this year. My PaperArtsy Journal 2016 is (almost) finished - I still have one page (or maybe two) to work on. When I'm done, I plan to record a flip-through video and post it on my YouTube channel.

Documented Life Project™ 2016: NOVEMBER

I'm here with the penultimate post of the Documented Life Project 2016. As there will be no DLP in 2017 [insert a sad face here], I'm already thinking about what year-long project I'm going to embark on next year. I have my journal(s) ready, but there is still December to fill in my DLP unPlanner.

November Challenge: 
A Changing Seasons: Redefining Priorities 
I used a very similar theme for a different project and loved it so much so I had to recreate it for my monthly divider.

PaperArtsy 2016 Topic 21, 22 and 23 [updated]

Topic 21 - Typography, fonts, quotes

I did a guest blog post over at PaperArtsy for this topic so I was out of ideas for my "regular" journal page.

I made four quick backgrounds. I started with the Infusions powders, then I stamped some images on top, first tone-in-tone, then using darker ink.

Then I cut the quote on my Silhouette Portrait machine. (For some reason, this was the day my cutting machine wasn't cooperating. It does that sometimes. That's why I start to dislike it...)

I cut the backgrounds into smaller pieces add glued them under the cut windows. Finally, I outlined the letters and the page edges with white gel pen.
 

Topic 22 - Alcohol inks and pens

I'm not a fan of alcohol inks. I don't really struggle with this medium...

First, I created some ink splotches. Then I added some stamping and embellishments.

I called it a day but I still think I might return to it and add a quote or something...


Topic 23 - Bleach Techniques (unfinished)

I took blue cardstock. The only bleach I had was in powder form (the one you add to your washing), so I diluted it and sprayed it over the paper and let it drip. It looked dull, so I sprinkled a bit of Royal Blood Infusions powder over it. I heat embossed the grass.

Then I had an idea I needed to "seal" the background and went over it with clear gesso - which reacted with the Infusions powder and created visible brush strokes. So I added more brush strokes deliberately using a mixture of gesso and the powder.

And then I got stuck. I have no idea what to do next. To be continued (or maybe not).

[Update]
I went in and added a quote and some "snowflakes" (or whatever they are).

So, that's it. 

Pavla

Documented Life Project™ 2016: OCTOBER

I'm a little behind with documenting my Documented Life Journal progress. So here are my October pages:

October Challenge: A Fresh Start: Clear your Palette
I did just a simple quick background using washi tapes and paint for my monthly divider.

I'm not sure why, but this colour combination works the best for me. Even though these colours are my least favourite...

Week 40 - Hide something under your art
I cut several of the dipping circles on my Sihouette for a different project and these two were left over. So why not use them.

I "hid" a collage of my old handwritten text, some old book paper and other scraps.

Week 41 - Start with a doodle
I didn't start with a doodle - I ended with one - but it counts, right?

Week 42 - Draw a line down the middle and create 2 scenes
In my mind's eye, this layout looked so much better...

Word of month / Dare2B™
I signed up for this detox program where you drink fruit and vegetable juices for three days. During the last year or two, my body received a fair amount of abuse from me (in form of junk food, lack of sleep and exercise) so I thought I might benefit from something like this. To help me restart my life a bit and detox not only my body but also my mind and soul from all that toxic thoughts and ideas.
While the body detox turned out to be a big fail*, I'm not giving up on my mind detox. But it's an ongoing process...

* There is this "juice bar" chain called UGO in my country. They make fresh juices and do this detox thing twice a year. It's basically a 9-day detox plan. For the first three days, you are recommended to avoid certain foods (sugar, caffeine, meat etc.) to get you body to slow down and be ready for the shock that comes next. For the next three days, you only drink juices. 2,5 litres per day... You pick them up every morning, they are nicely labelled - breakfast, lunch, 2 snacks, dinner and dessert. The hunger you experience is one thing, the tiredness and headaches is another... I love their juices. Even the weird combinations of fruits and veggies. But some of the special mixtures we had during this detox were awful. During the second day, I had allergic reaction to ginger - there was this mixture of orange, carrot and ginger - but there was so much of it inside that it tasted of nothing but ginger. My stomach was recovering from this for two weeks. Never again. 

Week 43 - Repeat a pattern
I had a page with two unfinished backgrounds from months ago waiting for the right prompt to be finished. The final two prompts of the month we "compatible".

The original background had some mesh tape on it and it didn't look good, but adding the repeating chevron pattern over it helped.

Week 44 - Incorporate the first letter of your first name
This background had a flower pattern - I was cleaning the left-over texture paste from a stencil from another project. I didn't do much with the background, just added some colour.

As usual, there's a brief flip-through on my Instagram.

Only two months left!

Documented Life Project™ 2016: SEPTEMBER

Unlike the previous month, the month of September was really productive. There's a recurring theme this month. Dreams... It was unintentional. I didn't know what my word of month would be until it just appeared on its own. I had some quotes about dreams, signed up for a Dreamcatcher class, played with a dreamcatcher stencil...

September Challenge: Roll Call - Being Accountable
I found another stencil I'd cut ages ago and never used. I created this simple layout for my monthly divider. I used some distress paints and some metallic sprays.

Week 36 - Add an organic element
I don't use organic elements in my art - not that I'm obsessed with archival quality, but there's nothing worse than crumbling dry leaves all over your journal pages. So I used chipboard branches and metal "flowers". I went over the whole piece with black gesso and then used the Pentart wax pastes (similar to Viva's Inka-gold) to add some shimmer.

Week 37 - Add stitching / Word of Month
I followed Roben-Marie Smith's tutorial - if you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend it - and did a folding card (you can't probably see it on the picture - it folds in the middle - I photoshopped the fold out...). I don't sew... fast moving needles frighten me. So I hand-stitched the spiral shape.

I used the background for my "word of month" page - the word is, of course, DREAM.

Week 38 - Mark making in black & white over colour
I cut several new stencils and was dying to try them on something. I loved the background so much I didn't even want to mark anything over it. But in the end, I made some tiny marks - arrows in black and some small lines in white. The quote is from a movie I was watching while painting this page (Soldier's Girl).

list TEN™: Things I hope to gain as I grow older
I painted this background and waited for a prompt to use it with. It's quite dimensional, because I wanted to hide the stitching from the previous "word of month" page. I cut the words on my Silhouette Portrait machine and glued them on top of the background.

I have this love-and-hate relationship with my Silhouette machine. I was cutting two things out of the black cardstock - and I didn't notice that each had a different outline colour and the software cut only one of the shapes. Never mind, I told myself, selected the other shape and hit "cut". The same setting, same blade, same everything - only this time it didn't cut all the way through. Not sure why, this is not the first time it happened. It took 15 minutes to cut, and 1 hour to clean the edges with a craft knife...

Week 39 - Add stripes

This one was a quick one - I had the back of another project I was doing (see below) so I decided to fill it with stripes. I was a bit limited by the fact that the page was done on acetate (I had black page underneath for photo taking) and other elements were showing through. I added few strips of paper cut from some of my many background starters/left-overs. I added a bit of gesso, some stencilling and a quote. About dreams, of course.

Extra pages
As I mentioned above, this month was a bit more creative than usual and I painted some extra pages.

I made a tutorial for a shop I'm sometimes writing some articles for. There is a tutorial (in Czech) over on their page if you want to see the step-by-step photos.

it says "Catch your dreams"

I saw many people over on YouTube doing wonderful pieces using drops of paint and an ordinary drinking straw. It looked so easy. Well, it isn't! I guess some proficiency in directing the flow of air is required. But I turned out OK, in the end.

I had another back side of a page I needed to fill so I did this quick layout using my dreamcatcher stencil.

And I also documented the Dreamcatcher class I took.

As usual, there's a brief flip-through on my Instagram.

See you next month.