Color for Fun and Happiness

Fun Colorful Weekend

We had a great weekend with Suzanne McNeill! Zentangleing, starting journals and making journals. We went home with inky fingers and full of great ideas. I am so ready to start! Here are a few photos from our fun: 

Remember: Have fun and do art today!

Lee

New Suzanne McNeill Class

Hi Everyone

 

We have Suzanne McNeill coming in mid-June and she has added another class!

 

Gelli Journal Sampler

Sunday, June 9 

$60 includes some supplies

9:00AM -3:00PM

Instructor’s Description: Printing with Gelli Plates is a fabulous process that results in handprinted papers with amazing colors, textures, and layers. The materials are basic and acrylic paints are easy to use. It is simple to make mono print artwork, colorful pages for art journals, simple greeting cards, envelopes, fabric for quilting, and much more. The process is so-o-o much fun and the results are amazing. There is no way to “mess up”! In this class you’ll learn the basics...how to make colorful backgrounds, textured pages, multiple layers, basic borders and masks for journaling, We’ll make a 6x11" journal with 14 pages. I’ll bring assorted practice papers, accordion pages, binding supplies, my stash of stencils, favorite textures, stamps and masks for us to share. Come join the fun!

 

Please bring:

• Gelli Plate 7x10" (larger is OK), 
• Soft rubber brayer (2” preferred), 
• Your favorite 3 colors of acrylic paints (Golden tubes preferred)
• White acrylic paint
• 22 x 30" watercolor paper 140#
• An old credit card
• Baby wipes 
• Paper towels 
• Water container

 

8 x 10 Gelli Plates and watercolor paper will be available for purchase prior to class!

Should be fun! I hope you can join us. Call us to register: 505-982-9862.

Remember: make art today and have fun!

 

Lee

Tri-Fold Cards

Hi!

 

I have inspired by Mark Jetton's Balloon Card that appeared in the most recent Rubber Stamp Madness. He did a tri-fold card with balloons on both sides. Love the idea and have been playing with it. Here is one of my ideas:

Fold your card stock into thirds. 

Choose stamps for the top that are symmetrical. 

You will need a stamp positioner to help get the stamp in the right place for the back side of the card. 

Stamp your three images, either all in a row or start low and work up as you move to the right. 

Cut out the top of the card, around the stamped images. 

Turn the card over, with the stamp positioner, line up your image and stamp. This is to decorate the back of the card that is visiable when the card is folded. 

Decorate the card and you are done!

For this card I used Ranger's Adirondack Dye pads and spritzed the stamp after I had inked it. This creates a watercolor effect. Only dye pads that do not dry water proof work the best for this technique. Start with your lightest color first so you don't get blue on your yellow pad!

Have fun!

Lee

Grandmother Power

Hi

 

Today's tag is in honor of mothers and grandmothers. All of whom encourage us to dream and explore. 

 

 

I started with a manila card and rubbed on the Tim Holtz rub-ons.

Then I ran the tag through puddles of Distress Stain. 

Once the card was dry I stamped the images with Ranger's Archival Ink. 

Ribbon has been dyed with Distress Stain. 

Have fun and make some art today!

 

Lee

Play Weekend

Hi Ya!

The Crafting Birder took a weekend off and went birding! My husband and I met birding, we love to get out and look for birds. 

I take my sketch book for afternoon drawing, we bird in the morning while it's cool and the birds are singing. 

We went to Alamogordo, New Mexico. The weather was great and the birds even better!

Here's a photo of Oliver Lee Memorial State Park. This park has a spring that runs year -round, an important feature in this hot dry part of the state. 

Enjoy, get outside, be inspired and make art today!

Lee

Tim Holtz May Tag 2013

Hi 

 

I played a bit with the Tim Holtz May Tag and came up with this version:

I used his rub ons in random places.

Ran the tag through puddles of Distress Stain. 

Dried the tag and then spritzed it with water. 

Dry again. 

I added a bit of Distress Ink around the edges, using a couple of different colors. 

Stamped with various stamps using Ranger's Archival Ink. 

Then added alcohol ink to the fly charm after I rubbed on the word and added alcohol ink to the number. 

The ribbon I colored with the Distress Stain. 

This one is on a white tag. You can see that the colors go pastel rather than bright. 

Have fun and make art today!

Lee

 

Back at It

Howdy

 

I am back after a week of the flu. It was nasty, I had no creative mojo in me what so ever. Seven days later I am starting to feel somewhat like my old self. 

Since I haven't done much of anything this last week, I am sharing a couple of my journal pages that I started playing with today. 

Spraying with Dylusion Ink Sprays on the page.

Then I sprayed water through a stencil on the page. 

Next I tore strips of Judikin's masking paper and laid it on the page. 

I took StampaFe Art Stamps and Archival Ink by Ranger and stamped all over the pages. 

Then, with a similar color as on the page, I sprayed the ink over everything. 

When you remove the masking paper you have cool windows to the bottom layer of color. 

Have fun with this technique and build some layers. 

Make art today!

Thanks for stopping by. 

 

Lee

Distress Paints Play Time

Howdy!

I have been playing with the new Tim Holtz Distress Paints. The metallic colors arrived this week and I have been having fun with them. 

 

I did a quick tag this morning to share  with you. 

The stamps are from StampaFe and the swirl background is a Dreamweaver Stencil. 

I put down puddles of color on my craft sheet. 

Spritzed the paint with water and ran the tag through the puddles. 

Once it was dry, I embossed the group of fish on the tag. 

Then stamped the leaves and red fish with Ranger's Archival Inks. 

The stenciled swirls are done with Distress Ink -- Salty Ocean. 

A little project to experiment with the new paints. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Have fun and make art today!

Lee

Birthday Card

Hi Ya!

Today's post is my husband's birthday card. Today is his birthday and I actually got a card made in time!

Ingredients

Dictionary Pages

Card Stock - white and green

Tim Holtz Distress Paints

Tim Holtz Frosted Film

StampaFe Rubber Stamp DB74

Ranger Glossy Accents

Saying printed on white paper with a Laser printer

Sizzix Album Accordion Flip (658035) and  Frame & Label Bracket (658037)

 

Method

Glue dictionary pages to card stock, set aside to dry.

Once it is dry, color the paper with the Distresss Paints. 

I put three puddles on my craft sheet and spritzed with water. 

Then I smushed the paper through the colors. 

Spritz the paper with water to get the paint to run. 

Set aside to dry.

DIe cut the green card stock with the Album Accordion Flip die, cut two pieces. 

Cut two pieces of the frosted film that will be a bit larger than the center piece of the Label die.

Peel off the backing of the frosted film and stick to the sayings. 

Spritz with water and gently rub off the paper. 

You should be left with the sayings, be gentle with them as you can rub off the letters. 

Die cut the now dry dictionary pages.

You will need two pieces. 

Stamp the center piece and the frame piece with stamp and brown ink.

Mount on the card.

Trim the tabs on the right hand card piece.

Glue the transparency saying on top of the dictionary piece. Use Glossy Accents.

Adhere to the center of the cards.

Glue the left hand tabs to the right hand piece.  

Let dry and you are done!

Have fun and make art today!

 

Lee 

Beetle Tag

Howdy!

It's the weekend and time to make a bit of art. I made this tag using the new Tim Holtz Distress Paints and StampaFe Art Stamps. 

Ingredients

StampaFe Art rubber stamps

Tag 

Old Dictionary page

Tim Holtz Distress Paints

Embossing Ink and powders

Adhesive - I like Glossy Accents from Ranger

Archival Ink Pads from Ranger

 

Method

Apply adhesive to the tag and lay the dictionary page on top. 

Smooth out the air bubbles. 

Trim off the extra paper. 

Once the adhesive is dry it's time to add some color.

Put a small puddle of a couple of Distress Paints on your craft sheet. 

Spritz with water.

Run the tag through the colors. 

Set aside to dry.

Time to emboss. 

Ink stamps with embossing ink and stamp on the tag. 

Sprinkle with embossing powder.

Heat to melt the powder.

Ink stamps and randomly stamp on the tag. 

You are done!

It's a fun tag and feel free to riff on the theme, I am going to. Check back to see what I come up with. 

Have fun and make art today!

 

Lee