Gratitude Junk Journal Day 8 - A Quote of Gratitude

Hello folks! 

I have an art journal spread to share today for Leah's Art Every Day Month Challenge Day 11. It's a spread I made for the Gratitude Junk Journal course, with a gratitude quote.

I started with a background of teabag papers, scraped some Seaglass Fresco acrylic across to pick up the textures, then painted my tree with DecoArt burnt umber. I added some hanging hearts and a quote, then finished with red paint splatters. I sanded the tree lightly to bring out some texture also.

Here's a closer look at the textures and quote.

You can see what everyone else has been doing at AEDM HERE.

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xox

Live Life Gently

Hi Everyone!

I made another page for my Pockets and Tags theme at Art Journal Journey.

My substrate is a gel print I made recently with some heart-shaped leaves I found on one of my walks. You can just about make them out if you look carefully. I added some torn pieces of painty paper and a teabag packet, popped a shipping tag and teabag tag in the pocket, then used Dina Wakley's Sunburst stencil with Primary Cyan paint. I scribbled some black pen journaling, attached a little heart-shaped leaf to the pocket, then added my hand-written words 'Live Life Gently'. I finished with some black paint splashes.

I hope you're all having a good week,

Alison xx

Wishing It All Away

I imagine we've all wanted to wish something away at many times in our lives. I have a gastroscopy booked for this afternoon that I'm wishing was over and done with. I'm definitely going for sedation, as fortunately my dear husband will be going with me.

So this morning I escaped from my fears for a while by creating this art journal page for Eileen's Dreams or Wishes theme at Art Journal Journey. I think it looks like a far off galaxy that I want to escape to! Or maybe this is what the doctor will see when he puts the tube down my throat!

The base layer is some tissue paper that I crinkled up and adhered with gel medium. Then I used my finger to add colour with cobalt turquoise hue, quinacridone gold and paynes grey acrylic paint, and white gesso, building up layers to create lots of depth. I finished with splashes of gold acrylic.

Big hugs,

Alison xxx

AJJ - Anything With Eyes

Morning Folks!

Here's another page for Gill's Anything With Eyes theme at Art Journal Journey.

A layer of gesso, then DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics blues and green gold, then face sketched with Dina Wakley Night Scribble Stick, activated with a wet paintbrush. Finished with black Bombay India Ink scribbles and outlines, then splashes of black ink and white Posca Paint Pen.

I'm linking up to Try It On Tuesday's Splatters and Splodges challenge also.

Wishing you all a creative Monday,

Alison xox

AJJ - We're All Going Primary!

Happy weekend Everyone!

As promised yesterday, here's the page I made for Kim Dellow's Colour Challenge, to use primary colours.

There's a book page base with white gesso, then I used DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics to create an abstract design. I'm linking up to Chris' We're All/Going theme at Art Journal Journey too.

Have a creative day,

Alison xox

AJJ - We're All Going...For A Ride

Happy Friday Everyone!

Here's another page for Chris' We're All/Going theme at Art Journal Journey, with some more of my Hubby's train tickets.

My arty friend Kim Dellow, who regularly inspires us with her fabulous YouTube videos, has challenged us to use primary colours HERE. I used them in the background for the above page, but I also made another page with them playing a starring role, and I'll share that with you tomorrow.

Alison xox

AJJ - We're All...Trying To Be Creative Every Day

Hello dear friends!

I think we'd all love to be creative every day, if only there were enough time.

After reading Elizabeth's comment on my post yesterday, I decided to use half the amount of random prompts to create another page for Chris' 'We're All/Going' theme at Art Journal Journey. Yesterday I used 12 prompts, so today I used 6. Maybe I'll try 3 tomorrow :-)

1. Add some paint dots. (Turquoise Fresco acrylic)

2. Make marks with the end of a paintbrush. (Black dots & large crosses)

3. Scribble some circles. (I used Dina Wakley pink Scribble Stick)

4. Make marks around border with a pen or pencil. (Black Posca Paint Pen crosses)

5. Draw a flower with non-dominant hand. (Black Posca Paint Pen)

6. Paint some marks with bright colours. (Orange DecoArt acrylic & Cerise Fresco acrylic)

Wishing you all a creative and happy Sunday.

Alison xox

Awaken Sleepyheads

Hi Everyone!

Josie & Ollie, my two Russian tortoises have awoken from their hibernation, and they've been creating havoc, spreading their food around their box this morning. Josie's worn herself out now in the corner, but Ollie is climbing the bridge on another circuit.

I decided to create an art journal spread to celebrate their awakening.

The tortoise stamps are from Stampotique, and I painted them and the background using DecoArt Fluid Acrylics. I cut some leafy foliage from a piece of painted under paper, adding details and words with a black gel pen.

I'm linking my pages to Jo's Springtime theme at Art Journal Journey.

Thanks for popping in,

Alison xox

March Art Journal Calendar

Morning Folks!

Here's my mixed media art journal calendar spread for the month ahead.

I collaged lots of painted paper scraps and round teabags for the background, adding scrapes of DecoArt Crackle Paste, and making marks with lego, a paintbrush, an old credit card and DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylic in teal, green gold and carbon black.

I die-cut tickets for journaling from painted papers, outlining them with a black Posca paint pen, then stamping the numbers. The title was hand-written on painted masking tape. 

I used a small round paintbrush and white gesso to create the flower petals, adding a dot of Tango orange PaperArtsy Fresco acrylic, then lightly brushing it out onto the petals. I finished with some splashes of white paint.

I'm linking my spread to Jo's Hello Springtime theme over at Art Journal Journey.

Thanks for dropping by,

Alison xox

Yellow Tree Flowers

Good evening blog friends. I had a little painty play in my gel print art journal again, and created some yellow tree flower thingys for Rike's The Colour Yellow theme at Art Journal Journey. I used DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylic, and outlined using a nib pen and Bombay India Ink.

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xox

Art Journal Journey - Geometric Shapes

Happy New Year Everyone!

I'm thrilled to tell you that I'm starting the new year, hosting Art Journal Journey's January Challenge. I've chosen the theme 'Geometric Shapes', and here is my journal page inspiration to start you off.

I look forward to seeing you over at Art Journal Journey, joining in with the challenge.

With love and best wishes for a very blessed 2019,

Alison xox

365 Somethings - Remembrance Teabag Art

Hi Everyone! As you can see, Remembrance is still on my mind. I'm taking my crocheted poppy brooches down to the Royal British Legion stand this afternoon, as they having been selling well.

For my 365 Somethings' Week 44 Teabag Art, I put together some tiny collages, painting poppies on the punched circles, and stamping some relevant words. I also added some splashes of red acrylic paint to represent the French poppy fields.

Here's a closer look...

Thanks for dropping by,

Alison xxx

5 Minute Art Journaling - Day Five

Hi Everyone! Crikey, is it day 5 already?! Here's today's 5 minute spread.

I had some paint and collage, and a sticker picked out ready, set off the timer, and voila! So fun and freeing, and I really love this page!

I'm linking my spread to Try It On Tuesday's 'Book Paper' Challenge.

Hope you all have a wonderful day,

Alison xox

5 Minute Art Journaling Day 3

Hi Everyone!

My 5 minute journaling today was inspired by a wonderful visit to the Frida Kahlo exhibition with my daughter, at The V&A museum in London. It was amazing to see Frida's art, her beautiful clothes, and the awful corsets she had to wear after her many operations. Also lots of photos of her looking so beautiful. She really was an amazing and inspirational woman and artist in my opinion. The exhibition is well worth a visit if you can get to it.

Anyway, here's my page. I got a few elements ready this time, as the 5 minutes goes so quickly! It really is a rush! Hahaha!

Hoping to enter this page last minute for Chris' Art For Art's Sake Challenge at Art Journal Journey.

Hope you've had a great day too!

Alison xox

365 Somethings Week 27

Hello Folks! 

I almost forgot to do my teabag art this week! I blame it on the heatwave, it's been too much for me, especially the hot and sticky nights when I can't sleep. Anyway, I did remember eventually, and here are my 7 teabags for week 27 of the 365 Somethings Challenge.

A bit of gesso, a spot of cobalt teal hue acrylic spritzed with water, green gold printed with bubblewrap, a scrap of book page, some dried paint blobs, and finally, a few splatters of black and iridescent bronze paint.

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xox

Teabag Art Journal Page

Hi Everyone! Here's a journal page I made a couple of days ago, which started off with the same background as my this page. By the way, thanks for all the lovely comments you left for that page, they were much appreciated.

Another page for Chris' Art For Art's Sake Challenge at Art Journal Journey, with lots of layers of collage, stencilling, stamping, splashes and drips. I used one of my teabags from my 365 Somethings week 26 collection.

Hope you're surviving the Summer heatwave, I've been hiding from it mostly!

Happy weekend,

Alison xox

365 Somethings - Week 25

Hi Everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend, and enjoyed some lovely Summer sun.

I've got my Week 25 teabags for the 365 Somethings Challenge, to share with you today.

On this set, I started with a scrape of DecoArt Crackle Paste, then when it was dry I added a wash of DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylic in Prussian Blue. I stencilled some Primary Magenta dots, stamped with a Lego piece and some Cadmium Orange Hue. I used a plastic tube to add some Prussian Blue circles, then attached some hand cut hearts and words, mounted over white thread. I circled the magenta dots with a black pen, and finished with white paint splatters.

Until next time,

Alison xox

365 Somethings - Week 23

Hello Everyone! I have some more teabag art to share for week 23 of the 365 Somethings Challenge, and I think that brings me up to date.

I did a little background stamping using archival ink and a PaperArtsy Sara Naumann stamp set, and also printed with white acrylic paint and my plastic aida circle (this is normally used for cross stitch, as enquired by Eileen). I then used black acrylic through a fine nozzle to draw some flowers, and painted them with acrylic. I finished with some white paint pen doodles and partially stamped words.

Wishing you all a happy and creative day,

Alison xox

Art Journal Calendar - June 2018

Hello Everyone!

As it's the first of June, I have my calendar page for this month to share with you. Over at Art Journal Journey, Gill from Gibbyfrogettcraftations has challenged us to be 'Inspired By' someone or something. The background of my calendar was inspired by some tags made by Joyce Shaulis, that I saw in Mixed Up magazine.

I used DecoArt Media Acrylic paints with some PaperArtsy Ellen Vargo stamps. The journalling circles were stamped onto some gelli-printed book pages, cut out, then glued on. I added doodles and dots around them.

Happy June!

Alison xox

A Final Collage Page & Week 17's Teabag Art

Hi Everyone! We have Winter here again in Kent today, with wind and rain, and only 5 degs C! Perfect weather for creating, so I've a final page to share for my Recycle & Collage challenge at Art Journal Journey. I've used up lots of the scraps that were lying on my desk, and added a paragraph from a page of Tolkien's The Return of The King.

And I also used up some scraps on this week's 365 Something's teabag art. I added stamping with Dina Wakley stamps, paint marks, book text (from The Return Of The King again), and finished with some gold pen splatters.

Thanks for visiting, hope it's warmer where you are!

Alison xox