To Begin....

Inaugurate, initiate, embark on, launch, create, pioneer, originate, set in motion...arise, come into being...

Happy New Year and Happy New Decade to everyone! I used to be a resolution maker at the beginning of every year. Now I am hopeful to be better at certain things that I know need improvement. Actually we can look at everyday as a new beginning. Trying to be better than we were yesterday.

In my life, I am hopeful for new ideas for creativity this year. And I am hopeful for all of your endeavors also.

Now, to get on with an idea for this year: I have had a pile of inspiration pictures thrown into drawers, notebooks, and other places! I want them all to be in one place, so I decided to make an inspiration journal out of a notebook that has just been hanging out in my room. I covered it with some DP and started distressing it. This picture is just the beginning.:

This second picture is one of the items that will get taped down on the pages of this journal. I'll also write notes about each picture and what inspired me about it specifically. I loved the colors of this bedding set and lines and doodle shapes. Isn't it beautiful!!

Make ~N~ Take #3

**NOTE** The stamp sets used for this project are:
Tim Holtz Paisley Prints and Wendy Vecchi Art Rules

This is another piece of chipboard cut with the Accu Cut machine and then embellished.

First paint the top of a large brad with Studio Charcoal Black paint and let it dry. Paint 3 coats of Studio Altered Orange paint on to the flower and let it dry after each coat. When completely dry, scratch surface in a cross hatch with the Tonic Craft Scratcher.

Use Broken China distress ink over scratched surface and dry with heat gun. Repeat this 3 times. Let it cool well because the paint can still be sticky after all that heat!!

On a piece of white cardstock, stamp the sentiment from the Tim Holtz stamp set and cut out the words as on the example. Use Broken China to rub color over the word and a little extra on the edges.

Stamp the grid stamp from Wendy Vecchi's set with memento ink over the whole flower. Sprinkle clear embossing powder over it and heat set.

Use Studio Matte Medium with a brush to decopage the words onto the petals and cover whole flower. When this is completely dry, place the dried black brad in the center and take the tip of a small paint brush dipped into white paint to make the dots in the center of the flower. Heat set this and be sure to let this whole thing dry completely. Also edge the petals with Tiara Glitz Stickles.

...2 days to go and counting...

Angel

Make~N~Take #2

This flower was cut out of chipboard with the Accu Cut machine and then embellished with the following:

Wendy Vecchi Mail Art Stamp set; Broken China Distress ink on the edges until the preferred depth of color, then Shabby Shutters on the inside of the flower petals until the preferred color is reached.

Next stamp a mask of "remember make art everyday" on a piece of white paper in Black soot ink and cut it out. Place the mask on the center of the flower. Stamp the tree with Brushed Cordurly Distress ink around the petal edges, then use Brushed corduroy around the edges of petals a couple of times to darken it.

Remove the center mask and stamp the same stamp onto the center of your flower with Black Soot Distress ink. Top with Lime Green stickles and Broken China Distress Stickles.

I just love these distress ink colors together! You'll probably see more of these colors in other projects! Have a great week!


4 days and counting.....

Angel

Make ~N~ Take #1

With all the wedding planning going on these last few weeks, I found a couple of projects that I wanted to post but haven't had much time. This is the first of three small make-n-take projects. Since the wedding is this Friday, I am thinking I'll be back into the creative mood soon afterward!

This chipboard shaker frame was cut with the Accu Cut machine. I used the Tim Holtz Mini Muse Stamp Set. The other "Tim" products I used were: Scattered Straw Ink, Tea Dye Ink, Frayed Burlap Ink, Worn Lipstick Ink. Stickles Distress in Worn Lipstick. The beads inside the shaker box are Metallic Rose Glass Beads.

5 days to go.....and I'll be going through empty nest syndrome again...

Angel

Part 2 - B Line Designs - Altered Book Workshop Examples

This workshop was so much fun, but very intensive! There was no time to just sit and think because so many great ideas and techniques were introduced to us that we had to act quickly. This book is really my initial experiment with ideas and techniques. It's my "HOW TO" book!

This first picture shows the niche and drawer that we created at the back of the book. This technique required overnight drying of the paste that holds all the pages together before you cut out the drawer space. The next one shows what the book looks like from the side after some pages and the niche have been done. I didn't realize how thick the book would get from all of these additions.

The inside title page was created with my name tag and a fabulous crown stamp from B Line. Also this page has green paper background added to the page in the book. This needs a little more work. The blue paper is glued down to the inside of the book cover.

The torn paper on this page shows how you can add torn paper to create more of an altered look. This page also needs a bunch of distressing!! That will have to come at a later date...(after the wedding)!

A window into the pages of the book is a great way to give your reader something to look forward to. Just remember...make it something that is really interesting and the reader will be glad they continued looking at your art work. The gold paint is Lumiere and I love the shine!! The next layout is a piece of paper with a pop up on it. This can be done in so many ways!

This crown was a template sprayed with glimmer mist, then I added a cut out of the queen. Also the words are directly from one page of the book that I cut out to work with the clock and the queen.
These pockets were created with basic envelopes glued together. Another fabulous idea! The envelopes were also distressed before gluing them together!

This is a direct to paper technique and stamping directly on to the pages of the book. I used Adirondak pads. I love the colors!

This is a tag pocket page. Beverly's ideas were endless. I wish the class were a week long just so I could get more done!

This is an example of a fold-out with information or art deeper into the pages of the fold-out. It also has a direct to paper ink technique.

This is a fold over pocket page with paper on the backside. Also, you can sort of see the stitching with beads (on the left side) that added a special touch to the book.

There are other pictures that I couldn't get onto my blog because of space, but you have SO many options when creating an altered book. Although I have TONS of work to do to each page in this book, these beginning steps are all I needed to break out of the box.

Maybe you have an idea to create your own??!! Give it a try..I think you'll like it! (I've already started my second book and tried some other creative ideas of my own to accomplish depth of color on those pages)...

Happy Altering....it's definitely relaxing and satisfying to see your own ideas in book form!

Angel

Part 1 - B Line Designs Stamps and Images

Happy Monday everyone! These images are from a fabulous altered-book workshop that I attended in May. Beverly from B Line Designs taught us so many fabulous techniques for creating beautiful altered books. Many of these stamps were included in the workshop and were ours to keep. Others were ones that I purchased because I liked them so much!

These beautiful and very unique images are all from her company and you can see them all at this link: B Line Designs . You can download all the catalogs onto your computer and look at them at your leisure.

Part 2 will be a few pictures from the altered books that we created while at the workshop. Thank you for checking in.

Angel