Upcycling a 2004 Art Journal

I've joined an online 

Art journal group, 

Effy's Book Of Days.

It's completely free and

chockfull of cool techniques

and lots of glitter flinging by the 

workshop leader,

Effy Wild from 

Wild Precious Life.

There is also a 

supportive and generous  

face book group 

to participate with.

I've met many

very talented women

and am having a great time. 

For my Book of Days

I am recycling a 

Somerset Studio

Art Journal Calendar from 2004.

Below are pics of the 

front and back cover.

 

I'

Above, 

I've taped up the inside pages

to protect them from paint.

I gesso'd the hell out of 

both covers. 

Added some kind of thin fabricy 

stuff that a Christmas present was 

wrapped in a few years ago.

Yup. I save everything.

On top of the fabricy stuff

I used gesso with a palette knife 

to create texture.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do 

with it, 
I may try to make it look leathery

or like the surface of an old stone building.

 From the cover of the

original calendar

I only kept the word 

"TODAY"

which I covered with
Dimensional gel

and now has a cool

raised effect highlighting it.

Part of our practice in this 

journal is to pick 

a word for the Year.

I've been struggling mightyly

with choosing the right word.

I have been thinking 

for months about my 

focus for the upcoming year

and I keep coming back to

"use what I have"

and that phrase does not 

boil down to one word.

DAMN IT.

So, like all things,

I'm learning that the word

Mindfulness

pretty much covers 

everything.

If I am practicing mindfulness

I am using what I have!!

I probably have thousands

of rubber stamps

but I really 

don't use them anymore.

I came to a realization a

year or two ago that

I really don't want to use 

anyone else's art in my work.

Sooner or later I will start

organizing them and selling

them on etsy or ebay.

These 4 stamps are among

my favorites. 

"Be Still" is "still" 

one of my favorites.

On these tags I journalled

about the things

I am looking forward to in 2012.

On the back of Be Still 

I journalled about learning

more about Buddhism and

practicing Mindfulness.

On the Frida tag

I journaled about looking 

forward to making strong friendships

with women who create.

On the dragonfly tag I journaled

about the upcoming Milestones 

I am looking forward to this year

taking place in Sam's life.

Prom, choosing a college,

senior trip, and the continuation

of her independence.

And on the Venus tag,

I journaled about 

"using what I have".

 

Pan Pastels

 add the color to the tags.

I originally embellished a 

baseball pocket page 

with alcohol inks intending

to attach the page into the journal 

to hold the tags.

You will see that idea

never made it into my

Book of Days.

After I got a start on the book

the feel of the plastic 

is not organic enough with 

the pages I have so far.

 My next post will show 

pics of the progress I've made

on the first few spreads.

I deviated somewhat

from the instructions

but Effy encourages

and nurtures our individuality

in a funny, wise,and

completely stress free

environment.

Good times!!

Now tell me,

how have you started

this new year?

Have you picked a word 

to support your endeavors 

in personal 

and creative growth?

Or do you play it by ear?

Spill it, sisters.

xoS

It's A Secret

Just got over a BORING 2+ Hour power outtage. Got real hot in here. Thank goodness all the important prep for going back to work ie, laundry, ironing, cooking was finished. Read my book, took a nap, woke up inspired to create, heard a weird hum and it went black. Dammit, why didn't I put off that nap. Know what I did instead of creating?? took a looooong shower, deep conditioned my hair, did my nails by candlelight, moisturized everything. I don't usually take the time to do that stuff. So tomorrow I'm going to look especially well, buffed and groomed. No one will recognize me!!! Yesterday the muse was kicking, I completed one ATC and started 4 others. I have been so inspired by the amazing artists in blogland. Because of the talent out there, I've noticed that I am taking more time and care with my Art. All you Artists are making me make, well, cleaner Art. There are a lot less glue blobs on my ATC's. teehee. Seriously though, each and everyone of you gals on my blogroll are an inspiration. Oh uh, PMS alert I'm getting all, well, moved and shit. teehee.



Anyhoo, I spent a lot of time and care on this one because it is a gift for a very special Artist Friend. I can't tell you who, yet, cuz I haven't mailed it to her yet. Can you guess who? This one uses my own handmade painted background, part of a rubber stamp, german scrap, Marvy markers, and the words are from one of those magnetic poetry kits. They are great, if you ever see one at a yard sale, snap it up. The words are easy to cut down with tin snips.

I have become enamoured of my rubber stamps again. They fell by the wayside with the advent of Purell Transfers. I'm not using that technique until I buy a new Epson printer that is Compatable with the Apollo 7039 and Purell. Huge HUGS and SHOUTS go out to Andre for giving me this INVALUABLE information. He and I are both COMICALLY Addicted to transfers. Here's another dirty little secret, I have a hard time thinking outside the box. I just started "experimenting" with stamps, using portions, cutting them up and well, altering the results. The advent of a new addiction I think......xoSusan

Brokn Block

Yeehaw, Thank Goodness, and Hallelujah, I found my muse again. Now I just wish I had the time to indulge her!! Here are 3 ATC's in styles a little different for me. The first one has a bleach stamped background, a pretty successful transfer using Golden's Soft Gel Medium and an Apollo transparency (no paper to peel off ,yeah!) stamping and an image from a book:

Next up showcases my bitter humor with a new take on my PhrenMen series with the addition of PhlyingPhren:
I am addicted to Phrenology images. I don't Phight it any longer . teehee. And lastly, after briefly perusing my new book by Ann Baldwin, "Creative Paint Workshop for Mixed-Media Artists" this is what emerged:
I just got the book and I have absorbed only a smidgen of the huge amount of information she shares. But I did use her technique of softening the edges of the collage material. I used Soft Gel Medium and then dry brushed gesso around the transparencies. The angel is from ArtChix, and I glued her down using gel medium, the second I tried to do a transfer, but it failed so I just glued it down. The lines were too delicate I think. Either that or I didn't use enough gel medium. I'm still working the whole transfer process out. It's a work in progress, just like everything else in life! xoSusan

Fred Mullett Swap

For the last swap at ArttechniquesATC's yahoo group, we are doing ATC's featuring the stamp genius of Fred Mullett. His stamp work is incredibly detailed and so realistic. I plan to take a class of his some day. I'm hoping he will be teaching at The Queens Ink in Maryland this summer.He mentions teaching there as a possibility on his web site.
I can see it now, driving down the day before, awesome blues CD's blaring, crab cakes for dinner, slumber in cheap hotel, wake up and get my Learn On!! Now who wants to go with me?? We will have a total blast. I have never taken a class at TQI but, Claudine Hellmuth is doing a day class for a Very Reasonably priced $75. I've already had the privilege of attending a class with Claudine at Art and Soul. The class at A and S was double the price. Which is OK. I am so sad to be unable to attend A and S this year. Damn belt tightening. I wish my actual belt needed tightening. Sigh. But I digress.
I have ONE Fred Mullett stamp, the sea urchin one. It is about 2 1/2" across, kinda big for an ATC. So, what to do?? I was envisioning a tropical beach with the urchins strewn about. So I started with this paste paper for background:

Cut it into ATC's. Need 4 for swap, made 7, cause well, mistakes happen!

Added some Goldens Clear Granular Gel medium:

It was a lovely day Friday and I was soaking up the sun! Next I added some mica powder:
Next I stamped the sea urchin onto some Shrinky Dink plastic I had laying around.
The sheets start out 8 x 10 ". I used several layers of inks, letting each one dry between stamping. Don't forget to clean the stamp between colors or you will muddy up your stamp pad:
Here comes The Worst part, cutting the Shrinky Dinks. Horrible. Never Again. The plastic cracks, chips and flys up into your eyes. I'm gonna try another brand. Any advice?? I figured the texture of the rough edges was ok for this ATC so I went with it.

The alternative was throwing a fit in the middle of the floor but I did not want to upset Buddy Guy, he was so relaxed on the window sill:

Here I am deciding arrangements of the urchins on the cards:
After adding a little more mica and glueing on some sand, here are the finished cards:


Well, there you have it. My Swan Song for ArttechniquesATC's. Comments?

xoSusan

Off Topic No More!

Wow, I realized I have been off topic A LOT today. I'm going to blame it on the fact that Buddy Guy (my cat, not the man, sigh, I wish....) woke me up at 2, 3 and 4 o'clock am. Digging his claws into my face, neck and hair, thinking he was building a nest or something. Jeesh! I got up at 4, I was so mad I couldn't get back to sleep. After this post, I am so napping.
Anyhoo, Below is a pic of how I decided to finish the back of my Dragonfly ATC's for the swap. I used purple embossing powder with the stamp. The best part is the paper I used. One of my customers knows I dabble in mixed media. He works at a printer, who he says throws away a lot of paper stuff. He brought me a stack of this sticky backed paper. When you peel off the back, the sticky is black. This shows through the holes in the star eyelets and looks good. Thanks, Daniel!!!

Here is my inspiration for my ArttechniquesATC's swap, Arabian Nights. My sister gave this book to my daughter when she was quite small. The illustrations are by one of my favorites, Maxfield Parrish.

I was lucky enough to see 40 of his original works at a show in Philadelphia many years ago. His colors and techniques are so inspiring.

So I took some "Mirage" playing cards (how apropos), glued on paper, enhanced the blues with gel pen and gold embossed the edges. That's all you get to see for now! I need to make 5, will probably make 8, so I'll have extras to trade on Flickr.

xoSusan

Here Comes My Dark Side

Two more ATC's. The First is "Loving Cup".

Acrylics, foam stamp, vintage image, transparency image transfer, sharpied photo corners, gel pens, chalk pencils.

The second is "Principal Architect":

Vintage image, transparency image transfer, metal corners, scrap paper, gel pen, chalk pencils.

Hope you like. If you need me, I'll be in the studio.

xoSusan

Getting Back in The Game

Taking this whole break up thing an hour at a time. I'm OK, then I get sucker punched by a song or a sweet or sexy memory. I tried to keep really busy. I spent the day at the UPS store, shopped at Tuesday Mornings, (a cool designer type discount store) grocery store, bank, taking my daughter to the salon, and the veterinarian. My kitty, Buddy Guy, was neutered today. Poor confused boy was humping my 9 year old declawed Cat, PT Barnum. Declawed or not, BG was about to lose an eye if he kept up with the unwanted attention to PT's nether regions. I also did some gift wrapping, banking online and planning our trip to visit Grace and Tori in Adamstown tomorrow. After the 2 hour drive, we will antique, eat and laugh our asses off! Our teenager's will go off and talk about how mortifying we are to be around.
Obviously my mind set has influenced these ATC's I made tonight. Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid.

This exhausted girl is hitting the sack. Wonderful Sunday to you.

xo

Phren Men

Having a blast doing an ATC series with altered ancestors and a phrenology stamp. Add some acrylic paint, stamping, embellishing and I'm addicted.

Here are my PhrenMen so far:

OOOOHHH I love them. Gonna do more......