Believe in Your Magic - A Video

In July, I shared this tutorial with you to make a quick mixed media canvas.  It's a great way to use up those bits and pieces of paper and gelli prints you have laying around! 

Well, I finally got around to editing the video I had made while I was working on it.  And here it is!  You can also watch it on You Tube here.

Please feel free to share this video, and/or do your own canvas in response to it.   I would love to see what you make!

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

 

"Hands" Stencil Test Drive!

Welcome to another Stencil Test Drive!   I have 7, yes SEVEN, amazingly creative friends driving along and to show you how they have used my Hands Stencil designed for Stencil Girl Products.

 It is a 9 x 12" stencil with a variety of hands in various gestures.  I designed it so that it could be used either as a border, if you mask off the middle hands, or as small detail stencils.

I've been playing with it for a few weeks.  Individual hands have been making appearances on altered books:

and Art journal pages.

For this test drive, I thought it was time that ALL the hands in the border show up.  So I started playing with my gelli plate, and made several prints:

The last one was my favorite.  I glued it into my journal.  I used magenta acrylic paint and glazing medium to tint the paper a bit.  Then I cut out more hands from another gelli print, and glued them on to add some dimension.  I scribbled around the face with a white wax pencil. 

The hands reminded me of the voices I sometimes hear, telling me I'm not good enough, original enough, likeable enough, or that I'm too thin, too heavy, too nice, or not nice enough -- you get the drift...  Do you have inner critics too?  

Sometimes it's easy to silence these voices -- other times they get the better of me.   I wanted to remind myself why it's so important to shoo them away.  So  I used a white Posca Pen to write in a quote I found on Pinterest -- I love this quote, and have been waiting for an opportunity to use it. 

I think I'd rather have space for dreams -- wouldn't you?

And now for a GIVEAWAY!  I am giving away one Hands Stencil!  Comment here for an entry into the giveaway.  Then go and comment on all the other blogs.  Why?  Because you'll see some fantastic creativity at work, and because all comments in all participating blogs will count towards the giveaway.   How cool is that?  The more times you comment, the more chances you'll have to win!  You have time to comment until Saturday, September 28, 10PM EST.

So get busy, comment here, and then go visit:

Michelle Rydell 
Natasha May 
Carolyn Dube
Marjie Kemper 
Maria McGuire 
Janet Joehlin
Kirsten Reed

Is that a great line up or what?!!!

Linking also to Paint Party Friday and Art Journal Everyday, as well as to Carolyn Dube's October Gelli Plate Party - which is coming up in just a few days.... YIKES!

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

 

Gelli Plate Goodness

On Friday night, I taught a gelli plate class at Little Bird Creations in NYC.  This is a wonderful studio on the second floor of a walk up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  Michele Luxenberg has created a warm, inviting place for people to get together and play with paint!

We started gathered around a lovely, clean and organized table.  All but one of the students were new to gelli plate printing.

 
Before long, the paint started flying, the brayers were rolling, stencils were being shared, and everyone was laughing and having a good time! 

Rosie rocked her metallic paints.  All of her prints shimmered and shined!  You can see the dots and dashes stencil to her left...

Robin was the silhouette wiz and also created a beautiful print using the doors and windows stencil!

Michele got into the act, and created such a beautiful print using the Hebrew Calligraphy and Hamsa stencil that everyone wanted to swipe it from her!

Emily brought gorgeous hot pinks and reds from Dick Blick, and created beautiful lush prints with them:

Chi loved scribbling onto her painted plate with a q-tip, and created gorgeous sea-toned pages.  She even purchased the 8 x 10 and 6 x 6 inch plates at the end of class -- she was such a convert!

Karen had purchased the large gelli plate, and particularly enjoyed the medieval leaves stencil.

After playing for over an hour and making prints, we bound them into hand made journals.  Michele can't wait for the Israel motifs stencil - shown on her journal cover - to be live at Stencil Girl!

I hope to be back at Little Bird Creations soon! 

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

 

Frida's Going Around the World

I recently signed up for a circle journal collaboration organized by the lovely Tracy Woodsford.
There are 7 of us spread out over 5 different countries!  We each had to create a journal (8 x 10 or smaller) and this month they will embark on their journeys!

We each picked themes for our journals.  Mine is "Exploring the Inner and Outer."

 
I made front and back covers from cardboard.  I painted the cardboard black, and used metallic paint to stencil with my Hebrew Calligraphy stencil.  Then I mixed fluid acrylics and glazing medium to tint the stenciling.  (This is the same technique I used to make these trades for Art is You next month.) 

I was a little stuck about what to do next, until I received the gorgeous stencils Pam Carriker designed  for Stencil Girl's September Stencil Club!  They are of, and inspired by, Frida Kahlo.  And her whole body of artwork was inspired by exploring her inner and outer worlds.  Serendipity!






I found a profile picture of Frida, and created a silhoutte. 

I rubbed around the mask with a mix of gesso, glazing medium and yellow paint, and then scribbled some of my thoughts about being part of this circle journal.  I've never participated in anything like this and I'm very excited!  

I  mixed Modeling paste and different colors of red and yellow for the roses in her hair.

Inside the front cover, I created a random pattern using the leaves Pam designed. 

Inside the back cover, I stenciled Frida surrounded by the roses she loved so much.

I used duct tape for the spine.  Inspired by Carolyn Dube's class, Transform Your Tape, I stenciled the tape with my dots and dashes stencil.  I created one folio with sheets of watercolor paper bound with a simple pamphlet stitch.  I used the Hebrew Calligraphy and Hamsa stencil to add interest on the back cover. 

I am so happy that the September Stencil Club stencils arrived in the nick of time and inspired my handmade journal!  

And ... I am the designer for October's stencils for Stencil Club!  They are inspired by my yoga and meditation practices and I think you're going to love them.  They are exclusive to Stencil Club members and there's still time to sign up!  Stay tuned for some sneak peeks!

 

Tomorrow, this journal will travel to California, to artist Susan Jane.  Bon voyage Frida!

Linking to the challenges at Anything But a Card (hit the Books),  Mix it Monthly (hope it's ok that I was inspired by Frida and not Da Vinci!),  Tuesday Taggers (Make Your Flowers - hope my  Modeling paste roses count!),  Frilly and Funky (Anything Goes!).

Linking also to my favorite Friday hops: Paint Party Friday and Art Journal Every Day.

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

 

Inspiration for the Week Ahead!

I'm starting off my week super inspired by posts or videos I've seen around the web.  Here are some things I can't wait to try!  I don't know if I'll get around to all of them this week, but thought I'd share!

I just love this art journal page.  I found it on You Tube and it was created by "Mixed Media Jenn."

I stumbled upon it via this You Tube video.  

I've messaged "Mixed Media Jenn" to find out if she has a website, but haven't heard back.  In the meantime, I'll have to content myself watching her awesome tutorials, which were collected on this Pinterest page. 

Tracy made the most beautiful quilt using masks from origami cut outs and her gelli plate.  I just love how this came out!

Her blog post has lots of how to-s and step out photos.

Carolyn Dube made this gorgeous ribbon.  Her generosity in sharing her process just astounds me, as does her ease and humor about conveying her techniques.

Carolyn has a new online class starting called "Transform Your Tape."  Check it out!

Last week, Marjie Kemper created a gorgeous page in tribute to her mom.  She used a silhouette, and the effect was stunning. 

You can't believe how much this beautiful page inspired me!  I have been creating my own silhouettes like crazy, and hope to have a blog post about them soon. 

I hope your week is full of inspiration, and that you'll share it with me in your comments below!

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

 

DO! One Little Word - September

This month's word at "One Little Word" is "DO."  But what to do?

I thought about it, and thought about it.  I googled quotes with the word "DO," and found so many that I wanted to use.

I thought some more, and finally decided:

I got out my gelli plate and started making prints.  And I used most of them by making a handmade journal with a favorite "DO" quote on every page!  Here's the cover:

 And some of the inside pages...

The best thing is that I got to use a lot of my stencils that I've designed for Stencil Girl!  Here are sneak peaks at "Cascading Feathers" and "Positive and Negative Flowers."









Here's Rain Girl -- opening up to DOING... because "sometimes what you're most afraid of doing is the very thing that will set you free..."

On another page, I started stamping the words "do" and "be," and realized they made a song -- do be do be do!  That deserved a little "Jump for Joy" stencil action...

I love making journals like this, because I get to play with my gelli plate, and use up lots of bits and pieces from my stash...

 

Even my "Borders" stencil got into the act...

And yes, I made a video!  You can watch it on You Tube here, or click on the image below.

I hope you'll check out all the other great work at One Little Word, and consider linking up yourself!  JUST DO IT!

Does making a journal like this seem like fun?  Join me at Little Bird Creations next Friday night (9/20) and make your own unique journal at our Gelli Plate party! 

Linking up to Carolyn Dube's Gelli Print Party, and to my favorite Monday blog hops:  Make It Monday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Creative Every Day, Inspire Me Monday, and Be Inspired.

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.