Birds in a Nest- ATC set

Hi Everyone

Here is yet another set of ATC's.

I've been trading these a lot lately to people from around the world and I'm having so much fun doing it!! However that means I have a lot of ATC posts lol.

At least I made a video of how I created these cute birds in a nest cards.

Here is the video below:

Here are some close-ups of the cards.

You can really see all the texture of the strings and thread. 

They really look like the twigs of a nest!!

Products

Prima watercolor ATC paper pad

String and thread

Prima Finnabair black gesso

Prima Finnabair Metallic paint: gold rush, red copper, fresh orange and antique gold

Prima word stickers

Golden white gesso

Blue Fern Studios bird chipboard

Blue Fern Studios embossing powder: poinsettia and ginger

Ranger perfect medium

Tim Holtz vintage photo distress ink

Tim Holtz distress stickles

Thank you so much for visiting my blog

Have a wonderful day!!

Dreamcatchers ATC's- with video tutorial

I made these whimsical, tie-dye dreamcatcher ATC's to trade with some people in a group.

The doilies were cut out from an old crochet mantelpiece my grandmother owned. After she passed away, I tool a few of her crochet pieces and have incorporated it in my art over the years. Its a great way to recycle and remember those we love.

I have a video tutorial on how I created them step by step. You can watch below.

Here are some close-ups of each card.

Products

stained baby wipe

old doily

Prima Color Bloom- gilded, empress gold, and gold foil

Prima Finnabair 3D matte gel

Turquoise stickles

Ranger brown archival ink

Molotow brown acrylic marker

feathers

Prima word stickers

Prima Epiphany script stamp

Thank you so much for visiting my blog

Have a fabulous daydream!!

This Makes Me Happy- 7 Dots Studio May Challenge

I created this layout for the 7 Dots Studio May challenge.

The theme of this challenge is Garden or Gardening.

I thought it would be amazing to use one of my pictures from Costa Rica as this Central American country looks like paradise, a lush tropical garden you want to enjoy.

Here is the inspirational circle from the design team

I used the new Home Grown collection for this layout. The Happy paper was perfect for my natural hot springs picture that I took in Costa Rica. This tropical paradise picture needed vibrant colours so I painted the flowers and leaves from the background with water-colours. I rotated the Happy paper so the flowers would be at the top. This gave the illusion that they were hanging. Then I coloured them in with water-colour paint and added some Home Grown chipboard and flowers to make it look like a beautiful tropical garden.

Products

7 Dots Studio-Homegrown- Happy

7 Dots Studios- Homegrown chipboard

7 Dots Studio- Homegrown word stickers

7 Dots Studio- Homegrown element stickers

Prima Flowers

Prima wood icons birds

Prima water-colour confections

<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>

The rules are as simple as A, B, C:

- create any project inspired by the theme – Gardening

- use at least one 7 Dots Studio product

- publish your project on you blog with a link to our challenge

- do not forget to include in your blog post our “inspirational circle” ( you will find it at the top of this blog post)

- use inlinkz and please link directly to your blog post, not to whole blog

Link your project to the 7 Dots Studio blog HERE

Challenge is open till June 2016, 19th midnight CET

We announce winners by the end of the June. One lucky person will win four 6×6 designer pads!

Thank you so much for visiting my blog

Have wonderful day!!!

By the Sea- Blue Fern Studios Tranquility layout with Video Tutorial

Hi everyone,

I'm on the Blue Fern Studios blog with a seaside layout created with the Tranquility collection.

I used the Jubilation paper as the background because I love the woodgrain effect for my beach layout.

I have a video tutorial below on how I created this project.

Here is the video:

Blue Fern Studios Products:

Tranquility Jubilation paper

By the sea chipboard

Crackle bits- from new Attic Charm collection (coming soon)

Blue Fern Studios blooms

Fern embossing powder

Oatmeal embossing powder

Sea mist embossing powder

Pearl embossing powder

Snow embossing powder

Blue Fern Studios spray

Other Products

Prima Light Modeling paste

Prima stencil

Prima deep teal color bloom spray

Ranger perfect medium

Golden white titanium acrylic paint

Thank you so much for visiting the Blue Fern Studios blog

Have a wonderful day!!

Keren

To Plant a Garden- Art Journaling Page

Hi Everyone,

I have a fun and bright Art journaling page created in my large Dylusions journal.

Its not entirely my style but I really wanted to create something outside my comfort zone. It wasn't the easiest task but I continued working until I was happy with the results.

One of the cool things about this spread its that it has two small journaling pages glued inside the large spread. I taped the curved pages that I cut from another spread right in the middle of this two page spread. You can flap the smaller pages open and it reveals more flowers and words.

Dyan Reaveley was the original designer of this idea and I thought it was great so I just had to try it. She has her own tool to create these pages but I just freehanded it.

For the background I just blended Dylusions paints with the Groove tool. Then using the same paints, I stamped the flowers using Prima's Donna Downey stamps. I've had these stamps for awhile and never used them, so I was happy to get them out and play.

I added texture, shading and lots of doodling around the flowers and stems.

As you flip the pages all flowers connect and overlap to make it see as if its one whole garden. The only thing that changes is the quote which I hand wrote and highlighted with white marker.

I worked on this spread a lot as it took me awhile to be happy with those flowers. 

Products

Dylusions journal- large

Dylusions paints

Art-C groove tool

Golden white gesso

Prima Stencil

Prima Donna Downey flower stamps

Painters white marker

White gel pen

Molotow black acrylic marker

Dyan Reavley's border stamp

ranger black archival ink

Thank you so much for visiting my blog,

Have a wonderful day!!

A Happy Soul- 7 Dots Studio fortune Teller collection

Hi Everyone,

Here is my layout for the 7 Dots Studio blog.

7 Dots Studio has two brand new collections and they are just stunning. One is called "Fortune-teller" and the second "Homegrown." You can see the full collections HERE.

I used the new Fortune-teller collection to create this outdoor themed layout of my daughter walking our dog. 

I wanted to incorporate  similar elements to the background paper so I used the Fortune-teller stencil to create the 3D pattern in the background. First, I used modelling paste through the stencil, then I sprinkled some embossing powder on it and heat set it. I really love how it stands out from the page.

  The dots on the background and the stencilled pattern created the vertical movement I wanted for my page to make it seem as if my daughter is walking down the path.

Products:

7 Dots Studio Fortune-teller dots stencil

7 Dots Studio Fortune-teller fortune

7 Dots Studio Fortune-teller word stickers

7 Dots Studio Fortune-teller tags

7 Dots Studio Fortune-teller 6x6 paper pad

7 Dots Studio Fortune-teller element stickers

7 Dots Studio Fortune-teller die-cut elements

Prima Finnabair Light paste

Lindy's Stamp Gang embossing powders

Ken Oliver's color bursts

metal flowers, butterflies and leaves

coarse salt

Thank you so much for visiting my Blog

Have a wonderful day!!

Art Journaling Tribal Elephant Face

Hi Everyone,

Here is an Art Journaling double page spread I created. Its a piece I experimented with as I had this idea in my head for several days.

I really wanted to use an elephant in my art as I used to collect them when I was younger.

I really love how it turned out!!

Although I had this idea in my head for quite a few days, It took me a few tries to get it the way I imagined it. I wanted to create a page with an elephant head on it. I wanted the elephant to look tribal as if it was painted by natives to the land. I also didn't want to use the full two page spread in my art book, so I cut off parts of the page in a curved shape. I haven't created the pages on the back or front of this spread so the background is just white.

I used Brushos to paint the head of the elephant. I sprinkled them on the head and then sprayed water.  Then I sprinkled coarse sea salt and kosher salt on the wet areas to create a textured background for the elephant's skin. This is a salt technique and you can see a video on how to do it right HERE on another art journal tutorial.

I added metal adornments in certain areas to make it look even more tribal. I had to cut some of the pieces in half to make them fit in the middle of my book.

Other texture was done with Finnabair's Rust paste and Tim Holtz distress inks.

Products

Ranger Dyan Reavley's art journal

Prima Finnabair clear Gesso

Prima Finnabair soft matte gel

Prima Finnabair rust paste

Prima Finnabair metallic paints gold rush and patina

Brushos

Sharpie white acrylic marker

Painters black marker

The Crafters Workshop stencil

Metals: unknown

Coarse sea salt and Kosher salt

Prima Oil pastels

Tim Holtz distress inks: walnut stain and spiced marmalade

Viva decor gold pearl pen

thank you so much for visiting my blog

Have a wonderful day!!