Painted Circles - Another New Obsession

I picked up another idea from The Documented Life Project - making painted circles.   Mary, over at Me, With My Head in the Clouds developed this technique of making freehand circles with acrylic paint.   She even posted a step-by-step tutorial, so I'm not going to go into all the details as her tut is clear and already done!

Suffice it to say, this technique is fun and addictive.  I seem to be in a playing phase, not an actual competing a real project phase.  On the plus side, I now have all kinds of stuff to add to those real projects - one of these days.

The basic technique is done by hand - dip your finger in acrylic paint and paint a small circle with one color.  This will be the center of your finished circle.  Then paint other colors around your center circle - going half way or a quarter of the way around with each new color.  Add white highlights, again with your finger.  I used a small brush on some of the white highlights so I wouldn't get a big blob- I either have fat fingers or limited fingerprinting skills or both!  Then use a bottle top to stamp a black circle around your painted circle.  I love the double circle stamp I found on my desk-  it's the round doohickey from an empty roll of tape. Don't worry about precise circles - the look should be loose and grungy.  I stamp two or three rings  before adding more paint to my stamp so some are dark, some lighter.  Then flick on some of that black acrylic paint - I use an old toothbrush loaded with slightly watered down (just a little water - you don't want it too runny).  Be sure to cover/protect the stuff on your table- I stand an old spiral bound book behind the pages I'm spritzing to contain the splatter.

It's fun to experiment with colors.  After several pages of these, I found I like the lighter colored ones best, but that's just me.

You could make these on any paper,  but the text or sheet music peeking out is half the fun.

Here are some made on pages from an old book with seriously yellowed pages.

I made these with water-soluble crayons.   I felt like I had more control and could make the circles smaller.  Same technique - keep adding colors around the center color - half-way, quarter way around so you don't just get rings of distinct,  different  colors.   Once the circles were done, I blended them  with a water brush..  I stamped the rings with Distress Inks  and used white paint for the splatters to mix things up a bit.  (You can see where I tried adding petals to a few - not a success.)

This is great messy paint fun !  

Dryer Sheet Flowers

I came across a the idea of making flowers from dryer sheets and decided to give it a go.  That lacy, slightly ratty fiber left over after banging around in the dryer seemed the right texture for some shabby blossoms.

I've been saving the dryer sheets and put the used ones back in the dryer with wet clothes several times to really soften them.  First step is to spray the dry sheets with color - I used homemade sprays - a few drops of ink in a small mist bottle.  Spray evenly and then let dry.  My sheets were pretty shabby and had some small holes after their frequent trips through the dryer, and the color obviously saturated the intact fibers more than the more beat-up spots.  I wasn't all that happy with the purple (top right) as it looked almost black.  I also tried just swiping Distress Ink right onto the sheet - the  blue flower in the bottom left of the  photo below was done just by swiping - I like that technique as well as the sprayed version.

Next, cut out three or four different sized circles - I did this by hand, using various paint containers as templates. Don't be concerned about getting these circles perfectly round - round-ish works fine.

I used two layers of each size circle for the flowers to make them fuller, except for the purple which really looked black with multiple layers.  I only used three circles to make the purple one; the others had five or six.  I liked the look of a contrasting center, so cut out some extra small yellow circles for the centers.  I snipped the edges on some to add some texture interest to the centers.  The purple one got a drizzle of glitter glue to lighten it up some.  Stack the layers , each one slightly off center .  I sewed small white buttons  through all the layers to hold them all together.  You could used brads - must try that next time!

These quick and easy cards showcase the flowers nicely.

I stamped text on an uncolored sheet and really like that look!

And now, a PSA about dryer sheets .  While investigating dryer sheets online ( now  you know how exciting my life is!), I found some frightening things - turns out that dryer sheets are filled with toxic chemicals and, get this, animal fat!  I use the fragrance-free kind, but even those have harmful chemicals and that pesky animal fat, hiding under the fancy name "stearate".  Apparently the heat in the dryers melts the softening agents and  it coats the fibers, making them slippery, which we interpret as "soft".   Check out some more information here and here.   Makes me think I should start investigating some of the other stuff I use!

 Dryer sheets are a marketers dream-come-true, convincing us we "need" something and then creating a product to meet the "need".  Natural fiber fabrics don't get all clingy in the dryer, so using more natural fibers and fewer man-made ones can eliminate the static problem.  I've been cutting back on my dryer sheet addiction, using them only in every other load, but I'm going to check out  Mrs. Meyers Basil Dryer Sheets. I love the natural smell of MM basil counter cleaner, so I'm looking forward to basil- infused towels! There are all kinds of recipes out there for homemade versions as well.   Of course, hanging clothes outside would be another solution and while that makes clothes smell great, I'm not that noble!

Check out all the great DIY projects over at The 36th Avenue Link Party!

Toilet Paper Roll Painting (The Toilet Paper Roll Fascination Continues)

My art video watching continues - as long as the news is so depressing,  I'm watching more art videos   in an attempt to limit my daily dose of outrage.    This piece was inspired by another video by Marta Lapkowska.   We've moved on from toilet paper roll dandelions to using those elegant tubes to paint backgrounds.

As usual, I got carried away with the process and forgot to take a picture at the beginning.  The technique is pretty simple- you essentially use the paper roll like a brayer.  Because of the texture and flimsy nature of the roll, you don't get full coverage, but something more abstract .  Roll tube in paint and roll onto your paper.  I really couldn't get the tube to do much actual rolling, so did some sort of "drop, roll, drag" on the paper.

I used a combination of acrylic paints:

After getting the paint on the paper and while it is still wet,  rub some circles in the wet paint with your finger.

Then I  added some black and white circles around the smudged ones using a cardboard tube - white paint for the white ones and stamped the black ones with StazOn ink.   

I added some white paint dots , some text stamping,  and a quote that seemed appropriate for this experiment.

Check out Mart's videos and FaceBook group - she does such fun stuff.

And in case you don't have a supply of toilet paper rolls ( who doesn't ?),  you can purchase them on Etsy ,  Ponder that thought for a minute !!

DIY Calendars Done!

 

 

My 2013 calendars are done - whoo-eee!  Coming up with twelve ideas is challenging; executing them even more so.   The calendars have evolved with my interests; I started out with some fairly simple stamped images on small calendars.  This year I've done more playing with backgrounds and images, trying to use some of the lessons (and art work) done for my online class with Claudine Helmuth.

 

I did lots of background work on the page above. I bought a pack of scrapbook paper ages ago that just doesn't do it for me anymore, so I've been using the papers as canvases for more interesting backgrounds.    Here is peek at some of the steps - sorry for the bad yellow tones: it really is the same background, minus a shot of the turquoise paint put on before the final coat of gesso. 

 

Started with a layer of gesso , then attached random bits of paper and covered with some acrylic paint that I wiped off in some spots.  Add texture with some stencils and grout, more gesso, a wipe of turquoise acrylic paint and a final layer of gesso.  I'm obsessed with circles, so some circles stamped with paint caps are mandatory!

 

The beautiful image of the woman came in a gift of vintage ephemera from my SIL.  The woman looks like she story potential, so I added hints about what she might be hiding -  a padlock, a number and postcard- and those men outside the grand building...

 

 

Here's another page using a collage done for class.  I added some script paper and a piece of vintage linen tape. 

 

I've always copied all the art work, then glued the copied art work onto blank calendars.  This year I made the calendars online at Staples. Uploaded all the images and the gremlins in The Internet will print them onto calendars.    Not sure why I didn't think of this sooner!  No more gluing, no more big, fat calendars, plus it means the calendars are done lots earlier than usual.  Priceless! 

 

(More pages to share once the calendars are gifted!)

Calendar Page - Getting Started

I am frantically trying to get my pages done for my 2014 calendars.  A sensible person would start these, oh say, in September , but that would be cheating.  Somehow December always sneaks up on me   even though it has followed November for as long as I can remember.   Last minute panic is a wonderful motivator.

I saw this idea on Pinterest and apparently didn't actually pin it so I can't give credit to the artist who shared the technique.  (If I find it, or if you know, please let me know and I'll add it to this post).

I started with a piece of artist paper from a Somerset Studio magazine and added punched squares of Gelli print leftovers.  Actually liked it at this point and hated to cover up my Gellies, but I pressed on.

Covered it all with a coat of gesso, added  text circles from an old letter, stamped the text circles (Jenny Doh) and smudged on some Broken China Distress Ink.   Enter the Grunge Paper butterfly - yikes - several layers of colors before it seemed right - Dylusions Aqua spray , more Distress ink, Perfect pearls mixed with gel medium, a bit of yellow and finally a swipe of white to tone it down a bit.

Now, eleven more and I'm done!

Magnets - Another Quick and Easy Gift Idea

These magnets are all over blog land and with good reason - quick, easy, inexpensive and look like the ones you find in chi-chi gift stores.   The glass mimics a magnifying glass, making the images even more impressive and the technique is very forgiving.

You  make these from supplies you probably have - artist papers, glue and glass marbles.  I found the glass pieces at The Dollar Tree - Michaels, Joanne's and Hobby Lobby were all out of the clear ones.  Apparently everyone else already made their magnets!

There really isn't much to this project.  Select papers with an element you want to emphasize.  Look at your stash of papers with an eye towards small details.  I also stamped some - green lady at the bottom and script above it.  I found that heavier weight (scrapbook style) works better than thinner paper like wrapping paper which tended to wrinkle more.  Papers printed on both sides have the added bonus of making the back of the magnet look better if these things matter to you.  Check your stash of previously stamped images or bits of paper - here's a perfect time to use them.

Then cut out the circles of areas you've selected.  I thought this would be easy, using my 1 inch paper punch.  It would have been, except the glass pieces were and inch and a half!  So I just drew around the glass piece and cut the circles out by hand. 

Now spread glue onto the flat side of your glass piece.  I like using Aleen's Paper Glaze with its narrow tip applicator that you can use to smooch the glue all over.  You want to completely cover the glass.  Then lay your cut-out circle (face down) onto the glue and slide it around to cover it with glue and to push out any little air bubbles.  (I did get a few with some small bubbles - sort of makes it look like hand-blown glass, so not to worry!).  Once dried, trim away any paper that extends over the edge.  Oh, and try not to get glue on the front of the glass - it is very had to remove.  (Don't ask me how I know this!)

Glue a magnet to the back and you're finished. 

You could make these tonight, but you probably should just have a glass of eggnog and file this away for next year or a less-crazy gift-giving future event!

Canvas is done!

I finally finished my canvas! In my defense, I had my company - my daughter, her husband and our lovely granddaughter, so not much art happening for awhile. The canvas is a birthday gift, so I'm not showing the whole thing - I don't want my daughter getting a sneak -peak here! So, here are a few close-ups of some of the elements.

A couple of rusty pieces - one old, flattened spring and a small key-hole. I glued an image of two children to the back, so they appear to be peeping through the key-hole.

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The main theme of the canvas is birds. I cut out some eggs from an old Cavellini calendar, brushed them with Rock Candy crackle paint for a little shine. The text came from an old children's book of poems and I printed the words onto it. Then, pushed in some big grommets I got on sale at Marshall's for next-to-nothing.This is a glimpse of another section - the round gold piece has been looking for a home for quite some time. I stamped a few flourishes with white acrylic paint onto the corners. It seemed that this spot needed something more, so I staple-pleated a short piece of ribbon and glued it on.

These flowers were a first time attempt. I cut out circles from different fabrics - burlap, muslin and some old quilt squares. I sprayed them with fabric stiffener, then scrunched them and let them dry. I swiped ink on some of them to add some color. The flower centers are three old buttons, stamped with Staz-On for some added interest. I cut the leaves out of an old text, sewed the center "vein", swiped them with Diamond Glaze and folded to add some texture.

I learned a few more things working on this project. Nothing like a loaded hot glue gun to inflict pain and suffering! Don't you just love how acrylic paint sticks to nail polish!! I seem to time my creative urges to coincide with the day after I give myself a manicure!! Nothing says polished and put together like paint stuck to your nails!

Also, it's hard to know when to quit with collage. Not sure if I went a few steps too far or not far enough. I need to get more comfortable with blank areas or embrace the excess - not sure which.

In a recent issue of Somerset Studio, one of the letters to the editor set me off! (I know it's dorky, but I always read the letters to the editor, and the prologue to books, and the acknowledgements). Anyway, this person wrote in to say how she'd "outgrown" the publication and felt what she does is art, and what people are submitting to the magazine is (tisk-tisk) "crafts". Clearly there was a judgement implied : art = good; crafts = not so good. Anyone familiar with Somerset knows that this magazine showcases fantastically creative artists. Of course there are many different styles and not everything in the magazine appeals to everyone, but really, is it necessary to be so petty? I'm reminded of the saying, "Some people need to chop down the trees around them in order to make theirs look taller".

Trying to shake off this annoying issue, I've been thinking about why some styles speak to us and some don't, and why our preferences can change over time. While I love the "no success like excess" style of Tim Holtz and have shared some tags based on his work, I am also curiously drawn to the minimalist style of Jenny Doh. I love her simple, uncluttered look, clearly a "less is more" approach. I like to think that as we grow and have new experiences, our tastes change. That doesn't mean what we liked before is suddenly bad, it just means that we've opened up to something different. Life would be mighty boring if we didn't keep changing and growing, both as "artists" and as people.
In the spirit of experimentation , here are some tags I made in a more minimalist style. I love the background "grunge" stamps from Glitz It Up ! I punched out the little hearts and made the circles with the top of an acrylic paint bottle. The "stitches" are a stamp from Clearly Impressed- a whole lot easier that sewing! I trimmed the bottom of the tags with the Victorian blade for my Fiskars paper trimmer ( a great gift from my son). This is the first time I've used a decorative blade and I may become addicted.
Then, back to more complicated tags. I love this acrylic paint resist technique. I used a white paint dauber on the swirl stamp, then some text, Distress inks and a swirl or two. The large tags were a learning experience - in my enthusiasm I got ink all over the backs of the tags - grrrr! Think I may glue them back to back and hang them from something. Lesson learned - the backs of the small tags are pristine!

There, I think I've banished the evil humors with this pile of tags.

Summer Memory Book

 I've blogged about our far-flung family and how we try to stay connected.  My favorite idea is the family compound, but since that's not likely to happen, we try other ways to stay connected.  Google chat ( in our experience much better than Skype),  shared photo-streams, lots of calls, emails and packages mean we  get to share in their every day lives.

 I've been making memory books for our Montana granddaughter for several years and usually much sooner than this!   She visits us every summer and I want her to remember all those fun times.  This year I found these cute book covers at Pick Your Plum.  The covers are made of very thin wood with a name cut-out at the bottom - so sweet!

I forgot to take a "before" picture, but here is one from PYP:

I colored the covers with several shades of blue Distress Inks and paints.  I just happen to have a set of alphabet stamps that fit the letter cut-outs and like how the stamped letters make the letters easier for to read.   (Names with lots of letters are a bit harder to read than the ones with just a few).

I used plain white paper for the pages and let Washi tape do double duty - securing the pictures and adding some fun color.

Some stamped circles toned down all that  white space.

I like making flags with wash tape for some outside the page interest.

 Not surprising, this is my favorite picture.  Siobhan loves to spend time in my studio investigating all my stuff and making art.  This was her first experience with embossing .  Don't you just love how she's concentrating on the process?   She was pretty impressed with how embossing works - another convert is born!

 Heading out to Montana to deliver this book in person.

Altered Journal Project

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I've just finished altering eight journals from my stash - totally from my stash.  Sometimes the amount of stuff I have even astonishes me !    These are in the "less is more" category.   I opted for a simpler style that might appeal more to folks who aren't excessives.  Don't you love that term, "excessives" - I first saw it used by the talented Tish at  A Femme d'un Certain  Age.    I abandoned my no-success-like-excess approach for this project.

To start - this unusual journal is from my friend, Shiela - and yes, auto-correct, that's how she spells it.  The journal was made by Heather Carter,  a Texas artist who now specializes in wonderful wooden sculptures, but in the late 90s made handmade journals.  I found one on eBay - a parallelogram shaped journal, same paper as mine,  for $60.00!   This triangle shaped journal was fun to work with and a bit of a challenge.

The pages are a slightly rough ecru colored paper - lovely.

This Tim Holtz stamp is perfect for the quote stamped on scrapbook paper.

The journals are a not-so-subtle ploy to encourage people to start keeping a journal.  I added interest to some pages to help avoid the dreaded blank page stress.   I purposely left plenty of room for writing and gluing in stuff.   

I made the label stickers by making a master board on a sheet of labels.  A bit of paint, some stamping and some doodling .  The magic happens when you lift off the label and get a slice of artsy goodness. I used a circle punch on some.  

These circles were so much fun to make!

Stamps from one of Shiela's famous packages.

A couple of sea-inspired  pages with white embossing.

Love this wide Cavallini washi tape.

I added a small pocket at the back with  extra strips of washi tape on freezer paper to encourage people to stick things in the journal.

Making these journals was so much fun.  (I'll share some of the others later).   It was fun to rummage through my stuff and make discoveries about things I forgot I had.     This kind of minimalist embellishing is a stress-free way to let the creative mojo rip.  And thanks to my friend for this lovely journal.