ICAD2: Still playing along...

...but not caught up!

I have zip zero zilch desire to sit at my desk when the sun is just so darn shiny. My mojo must be out there somewhere working on a tan. And in the meantime, sitting outside and reading during Ben's afternoon nap has become my new favorite thing.

Seriously, how do people in sunny climates get anything done? EVER?

So, what does that mean for ICAD2? Well...I'm behind. Obviously. At this point, we should have 39 cards done and I have about 32 done. Though strictly speaking, some of those aren't quite finished. 

Here's what I have been working on recently...

Day 27



Sadly, this card did not turn out as planned. Once again, finding the right focal image eluded me and...well...I kept adding things hoping it would help. It didn't. Oh, well.

 I was art journaling with my friend, Tina, on Saturday night and borrowed the nib stamp that she had borrowed from our friend, Sara. I was really impressed with the detail in the stamp - it's lovely and it's on my wish list.

Day 28



I started this card with some gesso and embedded book paper.  Then I painted the whole thing with Quinacridone Magenta (which Tina calls "cry-baby" magenta because she can't say Quinacridone - hee!)  I've been watching Donna Downey use it for ages in her Inspiration Wednesday videos and just had to get some for myself.  FYI: it's awesome.

I used the nib stamp again and some old old old AC rub- ons. Sadly, it was too pink and the quote stamp was illegible so I covered a section with book paper, more "cry-baby" magenta and then it was ready for the quote stamp from one of Tina's Dylusions sets. 

Art journaling with friends is fun - just as it should be. We share ideas, techniques and products and we laugh - a lot. If you haven't tried it,  you should. 

Thanks for stopping by!

zove

Cathie

Art Journal Everyday: the Tinfoil Experiment

Oh, how I love experimenting. And right now, my experiments usually start with "I wonder what would happen if I painted this?" Never fear, I'm not painting everything in sight but anything that comes close to my desk is fair game.

I've been participating in the Index Card a Day 2 challenge, created by Tammy of Daisy Yellow. A little while ago, I created a card which started with crumpled tinfoil and mult-medium.  Many layers of paint later I had this.



I loved this card so much, I immediately went to my art journal to see if I could recreate this look but on a larger scale. So, I created a background (like you do) using the same colors and techniques. It was just the paint - no circle and no letter stickers. And there it sat until I decided to add some more to it this week.

Here's what it looks like now...



I liked the white paint from the original card but made a line across the center instead of a circle. I wanted it to drip so I sprayed it with water. Then I decided to spray it with spray ink - much better. The inks mixed with each other and the white paint and created all kinds of neat colors and drips.



I liked the letter stickers from the card, too, so I started putting them down randomly.  I think I need to add more - I'm not sure.

I also stamped some script on the page for added texture. Why not, right?



And that's where I am.  I have no idea what to do next so I'm not doing anything but I love it! I think this would make an excellent canvas.  And It's really fun to take something that was once a card and recreate and reinvent it. I love it when experiments turn into such good fun, don't you?

Thanks for stopping by!

zove

Cathie

the Undones: Valentines

note: on Thursdays I blog about projects that aren't quite done.  Maybe they needed some journaling, or photos or both.  I call them "the Undones" and I have a box full of good intentions. In this series, I pick a project, finish it and share the results. I'd love it if you would play along and share a link to your newly finished project in the comments.

I know it's July but I found this year's stack of Valentine's hanging around the kitchen.  Usually, I punch out squares and make a layout but I didn't feel like it this year.  Today,  I decided to either do something with them or throw them out. I guess the sentimental-sucker-section of my brain panicked because I immediately knew what to do. 

I popped down the stairs and grabbed these...



Then I loaded in as many cards as would fit into 2 page protectors. I didn't keep them all.  I'm not a hoarder, people! But I kept the ones from Gabriel's closest friends, ones with handwriting and pictures of things they are into right now (like Transformers, Hot Wheels and Elmo).  I left a couple of blank spots for a title block and used some Studio Calico/American Crafts Thickers. I like how that turned out.



Here's the back...



Here's the next page...



And finally, I put the odd sized Valentines in a We R Memory Keepers page protector that I pinched from one of my 5.5x7.5 albums.




These pages are going into the album I'm making in Sara's Yearlong Album class. My friend, Sara, teaches the class at my LSS, The Paperie.  Each month we add pages to the album and this is perfect for February. Right now, it's the only thing in that album - ha!

There are so many reasons why I keep the kids' Valentines. Mainly because Gabriel is writing his name now and I'm a sentimental-sucker. I would be over the moon with joy if my mom found a stash of my childhood Valentine's. Seriously.

Anyway, I think this will be my solution from now on. It's easy to do and the Valentines are easy to enjoy as you flip through them.

And that's another Undone project done!  I hope I've inspired you to do something with that ephemera that's hanging around your kitchen (or wherever). Slipping it into a divided page protector is a really easy way to get it into an album and out of your undone pile. 

Thanks for stopping by!

zove

Cathie

You know it's summer when...

...family and friends come to visit on their vacation. It's one of my favorite things about summer in Newfoundland.

It's a sad but true fact that I a lot of my family doesn't live here. So, when they come home for a visit, I make the most of it. I put our regular lives on hold (as much as possible) and cram in more quality time than you'd believe possible. (Vacations don't last forever, after all.)

This is a page about a trip we took to a cabin in Hopeall when my friend, Louise, was home in 2010. The men-folk went to pick up fish and chips for supper and we piled all the kids in our wagon and went for a walk to pass the time. Such a simple thing and yet such a wonderful memory from that summer.



All the paper is from Echo Park's Sweet Summertime collection. This is an old collection so you won't be able to find that fab cloud paper anymore but it was perfect for this page. I punched holes in the background paper and threaded the My Mind's Eye twine right through before tying a bow. I find it easier to work with twine if it's anchored in place with brads or holes. And, of course, a little washi tape from Freckled Fawn to finish it off.

My favorite part of this page is the stenciled border framing the pictures.  I used the Number Jumble stencil by Dyan Reaveley and some white paint. Her Dylusions stencils are available in 5x8 and 9x12 but I only have the smaller size.  I had to mask and line up the stencil a couple of times to make the framed area big enough for my pictures but it was worth the effort.

Well, that's it for today. I hope you're having a wonderful summer with lots of family, friends and sunshine, too.

zove

Cathie

ICAD2: Days 25 & 26

Hey, hey!

I'm still plugging along with ICAD2 though I have fallen behind. I couldn't be less worried about it though. I have friends in town and add to that glorious days of sunshine and long weekends and I'm running out of time (and energy) most days to make a darn thing. I am not complaining. If only all my "problems" could be so fabulous.

So, here are my cards for Days 25 and 26. I actually made them at the same time so it only makes sense to share them together.

Day 25



I was experimenting with my Dylusions ink sprays (again) to get that bright pink background that you can barely see.  Then I covered the card in gesso using the Balzer Designs Mini Blazonry stencil.  Once the gesso was dry, I covered the whole card in Claudine Hellmuth Studio paints in Classic Teal. I let that sit for a minute then wiped off the excess with a baby wipe.  I didn't wipe too hard as I wanted a fair bit of the teal to stay but I love that white section. The note was inspired by a book I'm reading, Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer.

On to card 26...



This card has more Dylusion spray ink experiments as the base. Then I took the mini Blazonry stencil from the previous card and stamped the stencil onto this card. I might love this image even more than the stenciled image above.  Then I dripped some Golden Quinacridone Magenta fluid acrylic on the card and stamped the quote.  Finally, I dotted paint in various colors all over the card.

All in all, I'm very happy with how these 2 cards have turned out. I usually have no idea what I'm doing when I start so it's interesting to see how each card turns out. Although I'm moving way outside of my normal color palette, I like that too. 

Thanks for stopping by!

zove

Cathie

Art Journal Everyday

Hey, hey!

I usually post about my art journal pages on Friday but this week I'm a little late. Clearly.

I mentioned in this post, that I find it hard to move past the background phase of my art journal pages. So, this week I went looking for inspiration and found it in the video below by Christy Tomlinson.

I love Christy's style and how she creates her canvases and thought, "why not?" I dug out my old Stampin' Up! rub-ons (the only ones in my stash) and made flowers of out book pages colored with Dylusions spray inks. The branch is a twig from my backyard.

Here's my page...



I think this page looks better in this pic than in real life. The page is very dimensional so I guess it's one you need to stand back and look at.

One of my favorite parts of the whole thing is the jar/vase. I followed Christy's shading technique in the video and was able to make a flat piece of paper look dimensional. I hope it's something I can replicate on other pieces.

So, that's my art journal for this week.

Thanks for stopping by!

zove

Cathie

Happy Canada Day!

Hey, hey!

July 1st, being Canada Day, is usually a low key day for us. Today was no different. The weather was perfect and we spent the whole day outside - pretty much. The kids got wet in the pool and sandy in sandbox. There was lots of bbq and even Moo Moo's ice cream cake for dessert. 

It was perfect.

And yet, it is also Memorial Day in Newfoundland. A day when we all remember the battle of Beaumont Hamel on July 1, 1916 when approximately 90% of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the Blue Puttees, was wiped out in 15-20 minutes. That's almost 700 young men.

This morning when I sat on my deck watching the boys play, I could hear a church bell ringing. Calling us to remember.  I thought of all those mothers getting that most horrible news and of all those families that were changed forever almost 100 years ago.

I thought of them.

The rest of the day was pushing kids on the swings, and sorting out squabbles, naps and snacks.  Just the regular stuff but also just plain wonderful. I hope that your day was wonderful too because a life well lived is one of the best ways I can think of to honor the sacrifice of others. A way to show that we are truly grateful.

zove

Cathie