JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS!

As usual…I am finishing up my Christmas projects at the last minute and a few will just not get done.  Like the garland that was to be made of cork, wire, seed pods and beads.  I discovered that it was going to take more effort than simply threading a needle with twine and piercing the used corks and seed pods.  They need to be drilled! Anyway, I thought that I would show you some of my projects and explain how they were made. (Even though it is only two days before Christmas…maybe the techniques could be used for other holidays.)

MY CHRISTMAS CARDS:

Materials used:  140 lb. watercolor paper, rubber cement, watercolor paints and white Signo Uniball pen (for snowflakes).

• Optional - Tape the watercolor paper to a board if you desire a white border around the edge of the card.  I made them both ways and prefer the look of a border.
• Drip the rubber cement onto the watercolor paper in a pattern resembling a tree.  
• Allow the rubber cement to dry thoroughly.
• Once dry, paint the tree, background, star, ground etc. with watercolor paints.  I like to splash water and add salt to obtain a splotchy look. This needs to be done when the watercolor is still wet.
• When the watercolor is dry, rub the rubber cement off the paper to reveal the white negative space.  I sometimes blot the card with a white tissue to make sure that there aren't any hidden wet areas. These will smear over the white area and ruin your card if you are not careful.

WOODEN ORNAMENTS:

I have always been intrigued by the laser cut wooden ornaments but I didn't like the look of painting them with acrylic paint so I decided to doodle instead with a black Uni-ball Vision or Micron pen.  No need to seal first unless the slight feathering bothers you.  It doesn't matter to me!

And how about stringing snowflakes?  My string is 5.5 ft. long!

A CHRISTMAS JOURNAL:

Last year I made a Christmas Journal from an Einstein Bagel paper coffee cup. This year it's Starbucks with pages made from Trader Joe's Holiday grocery bags!  

• First, you need a Starbuck's paper cup with a cozy.  Mine is the medium size.

• Next, flatten the rim of the cup to get an idea where you would like the opening to be…then cut the lip and bottom off.  Cut the opening on the right hand side and with the cup folded in half, even up the two halves so that they match.

Now, you are ready to make the pages.  Like I mentioned previously, I used a Holiday paper bag from Trader Joe's.  I first cut the bottom off and slit the side in order for the bag to lay flat. (Of course, you could use any paper of choice.  Pretty scrapbook paper, lined note book paper, or watercolor paper are other options.)

• To make the pages, use the opened cup as a template and trace onto the paper bag.  Cut out the pages.  I wasn't worried where the seams of the bag were located as I knew that ironing them afterward would crisp them back up.  Also, I concentrated on the layout of the designs on the bag instead of where the seams lined up on the page.

• Stack the pages and stitch them to the cover using a pamphlet stitch. There are lots of tutorials on line to show you how to stitch them together so I won't go into it here.  I used DMC #5 cotton embroidery thread which I first waxed with beeswax.  These can be found in the notion's department of JoAnn's Fabrics.

• For the closure, I made a loop with elastic cord and glued it to the back cover with E-6000 glue.  I then covered it with part of the cup cozy.  I will eventually stitch around the edge of the cozy by machine but haven't gotten around to that.  Whew boy!  Time got away from me!  

• I found the perfect rustic looking button, made a heart shape with the remainder of the cup cozy and hand stitched both in place (covering the Starbuck's logo).  In case you are wondering…I did glue the heart in place and added reinforcement on the inside cover to prevent the button from pulling off through use.  

There you have it!  A Christmas Journal ready to decorate and write about your favorite Holiday memories of 2016!

Here are just a few of the decorated pages….

Now..time to make my Pizzelle cookies.  I already ate a dozen or so and need to make another batch.  The recipe above is for the regular cookies using sugar and wheat flour but I make a killer gluten free and Stevia Pizzelle.  I swear...I did not gain a pound pigging out on cookies!  Thanks to Stevia!  Yay!

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Holiday Season and a year of hope and good health in the coming year…2017!  

Until next time….

Hugs,

Ginny

LAST PAGE IN MY JOURNAL OF COLLAGES

Does this look like it could be a Christmas card?  Well…that was the intention but after I finished it, I felt that it was a little too weird to send to friends and family. After all...a card is a gift and as such shouldn't it be something for the recipient to enjoy and therefore, be a reflection of their tastes and not necessarily mine? Maybe if I change out the crown for a wreath of holly and berries.  Anyway, just a thought and maybe I will modify it for next year.

Finished collage

Now...on to making the cover for the journal and it will finally be complete.  (Only several years in the making.)  The cover will be fabric with a transfer of one of the collage pages and maybe some quilting. That will be a post for another time.

Thanks for stopping by and until next time….

Hugs,
Ginny

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT…CHANGE IT...

Does this ever happen to you?  

You start a collage and don't finish it because you know something is not right.  

You wait for inspiration to come but it never does.  

Then finally inspiration strikes…only to take you in a completely 

different direction! 

I started the page below over a year ago and didn't complete it because the 

colors and composition just didn't "speak to me."  

I love bright colors...it's no wonder that the neutral tones just seemed blah!  

Also, I felt that the composition was boring because the oriental people 

are too much the same size…it needs a large focal point to add interest.  

Soooo…it demanded a "do over."

Soooo...out come the bits and pieces of collage material and before I know it…

I have completely transformed the boring collage!

Finished collage with added pen work.

 

transformed collage prior to pen work

That's all for now folks!  Thanks for joining me and until next time…

Hugs,
Ginny

ONLY IN DARKNESS CAN YOU SEE THE STARS.

This is one of my favorite collages.  I think that it is because of the dark background.  It's bold…it's rich…and it demands your attention.  I just love contrast!  Don't you?

Here is a tip that I would like to share:

The white lettering is done using a UniBall Signo UM-153 pen which is a water soluble gel ink that sometimes rubs off the page through handling with damp fingers.  Has this happened to you?  If it has a great solution is to use Tim Holtz Distress Glaze.  Distress glaze is a water resistant sealer that is for use with distress inks, markers, stains, watercolor and other water reactive paints.  It has a greasy/wax like consistency that you rub over the painted surface using your finger and buff when dry.  Thus...making the surface water resistant.  I love this stuff!  It is a bit pricey for a little 1 oz. jar but I have used it on everything and hardly put a dent in it.  It should last a long time.

Those of you who are fans of Teesha Moore's work will recognize bits from her collage sheets.  The face is borrowed from my own art work.

THE FINISHED COLLAGE

COLLAGE PRIOR TO PEN WORK

Well, that's all for now…

Until next time…

Hugs,
Ginny

EVERYTHING CHANGES

"Everything changes when you start to emit your own frequency rather than

 absorbing the frequencies around you, when you start imprinting your intent 

on the universe rather than receiving an imprint from existence."

I will be posting over the next few days several collages that I finished many months ago and for some reason just didn't get around to posting.  Maybe life got in the way or maybe it is because I have moved onto another art medium. Whatever the reason…I am going post them now and close the book on collage making for a while as I pursue other art forms.  So stay tuned for some new and fun things.

THE FINISHED COLLAGE

COLLAGE PRIOR TO PEN WORK

THAT'S IT FOR NOW FOLKS!

Until next time….

Hugs,
Ginny

THE CUPCAKE GIRLS

I call these the "cupcake girls" but I really should call them the "paper napkin girls" because that is what they are made from…decorative paper napkins!

I first painted the background with acrylic paint and next painted the faces and hair.  Except for a few doodles in the background, everything else is patterned by using napkins.  Easy peasy!

The technique for the faces are borrowed from Danielle Donaldson's book " Creative Girl."

The technique for the faces below are borrowed from Karen O'Brien in her book "Imaginary Characters."

I am soooo thankful for the generosity of artists like Karen and Danielle who share their techniques with others…they are an inspiration to us all!

Until next time…

Hugs, Ginny

WHATEVER YOU ARE..BE A GOOD ONE.

"Whatever you are…be a good one."

Sorry….I have been "MIA" for a while and I have lots to share with you all.  

First, I have been finishing up my "Teesha style collage journal."  Which is taking FOREVER!  I think that I have been struggling with it because my interests have changed.  I have been exploring different medias such as watercolor and acrylic abstract.  Never, ever would I have dreamed that I would be interested in abstract painting…well, I am here to tell you that I have a 36" square canvas hanging over my fireplace just waiting for me to add more layers of paint and to call it finished.

I sometimes wish that I was an artist that concentrated on one media and style but I want to do it all!!!  Watercolor, acrylic paints, inks, crayons, pencil, abstract, collage, whimsical, portraits…all of it!  

Second, I have been busy taking Danielle Donaldson's "All Creatures Lovely And Small" on-line watercolor class and fell in love with watercolor again!  I have her book "Creative Girl, Mixed Media Techniques For An Artful Life" but Wow...her video's are so jam packed with techniques and tips that I somehow didn't pick up from the book.  Don't get me wrong….the book is fantastic and I would recommend anyone interested in painting like Danielle to add it to their library but also think about taking one of her classes because seeing how she actually paints her girls and little animals will get you painting in no time!  More about this fantastic teacher and her class in a future post.

Now…on to "Swamp Girl."  lol.  Those of you who have ever ordered anything from Teesha Moore will recognize the donut packing tape (or something similar) at the top of the page…I save everything for future use!  Also, there are a few pieces of her collage papers here and there.  And…of course, swamp girl needed a few "worm" doodles dripping down the page to make it complete. 

Finished collage

This is the collage prior to the pen work.  I hope you can see that it really didn't take a whole lot of pen work to change it up.

collage prior to pen work

Until next time…..

Hugs,
Ginny