INSPIRE Art Journal Page

The theme this month at Art Journal Journey is - Inspired By

I am inspired to make art by practically everything I see on many social media platforms.  Recently on Pinterest, I was inspired by a dragonfly that had a clock hand for the body.

I won’t even bother describing the troubles I had.  BUT, I have to say I’ve had the most frustrating best time getting an art journal page finished.  

I see loads of painted backgrounds that I love but I find it difficult to get an acceptable result.  There is so much acrylic paint, and watercolor paint on this page!  By the time I get an acceptable result, I cannot seem to remember to stamp my images BEFORE using modeling paste!  

I trashed one page, I wasn’t going to trash ANOTHER!  I stamped the words on a separate piece of paper, tore it around the edges and glued it on.  Not exactly the desired look, but that leaves room for improvement, right?

I’ve had some silver metal words in my stash forever.  I darkened the metal with Timber Brown StazOn ink.    

The butterfly is a die cut from the first ruined page.  Until I ruined the first page attempt, I really liked it and managed to salvage most of the page to use in other ways.

I love the clock hand and a brad idea for the butterfly body.  I’m pleased enough with the page not to rip it from the journal.  Always an accomplishment for me still.

Easter Postcard

HAPPY EASTER!

The theme this week at Sunday Postcard Art is Easter.

Which reminded me that I needed an Easter card to mail out.

I started with spraying a piece of heavy sketch paper with Shabby Shutters Distress Oxide Spray.  I layered it with a piece of design paper purchased on Etsy.  I cut a scrapbook paper shape with a die.

I mixed some of the Shabby Shutters Distress Oxide Spray into white modeling paste to tint the paste and pressed it through some stencil designs.

(I changed my mind for the die cut paper)... I glued everything down, stamped and embossed the bunny and greeting, inked the edges of the postcard with Peeled Paint Distress Ink with a final darker edge using Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

When my postcard was finished, I glued it to a heavier 98lb mix media paper.

A mysterious dark blotch appeared that I tried to fix but did not work well.  The 93 year old eyes of my recipient are not even going to see that.  That’s what I’m telling myself.



Normally our Easter weather is snow or rain or howling wind.  But this year here in Wisconsin in the USA, we are being promised gloriously nice weather for the Easter weekend.  What a wonderful Easter gift.

March 2021 Calendar Journal

That was a whole month of fun!

Lavender Postcards

Lavender is the theme this week at Sunday Postcard Art

I’ve made two postcards for this theme.

The first is for the color and shades of Lavender.

I used Distress Oxide Spray on 70lb heavy sketch paper.  Then a rubber stamped image, a die cut alphabet, modeling paste through a stencil, the “hello” die cut, distress inks to darken the edges and Washi tape to trim.

My second postcard is my attempt at Lavender, the plant.

Again I used Oxide Spray on heavy sketch paper and again through a stencil.  Die cuts are the plants cut from the heavy sketch paper and painted with watercolors.  The bee is a rubber stamp and a strip of Washi tape at the bottom for ground.  

Both cards were then glued to a 90lb mixed media paper for mailing stability.

These are the address side of these postcards.



If you would like a chance at finding one of these postcards in your mailbox, let me know which would be your choice in your comment.  I will contact the winners for mailing info.

Happy Mail Day!

On Day 25

On day 25 of March, another single flower appeared for my art journal.  Sheila of  

Orange Esmeralda is hosting the theme of a single flower at Art Journal Journey for the entire month of March.  

I had one more single flower idea so I got my page ready to receive the flower.  I do like how the page prep came out.  I hoped I wouldn’t ruin it.  I kinda just wanted to stop here.  

My original flower idea just looked blah.  So I moved on.

I have been inspired by the white flowers in the other entries that were cut from music paper or had text and other markings added to them.

No more drawing for me....

I traced the outside of the flower die onto fabric that I backed with paper so that I’d be able to glue it to my page.  I stitched around it twice then cut outside the stitching.  I also die cut the flower from black paper to add interest and somewhat disguise my poor choice of fabric.  I added a paper punched center and a large brad.

I glued the flower to the page only around the center so that the petals are loose.

I haven’t played with stamps like this for awhile and had a fun day with this page.

Salt and Sand Postcards

Welcome to day 3 of the Salt and Sand blog hop.

Many thanks to Carol of Just Let Me Quilt for her hard work organizing this fun blog hop.

When I decided to join in the fun of this blog hop, I wasn’t ready to make another quilt of any size, nor any other sizable project, so what to sew???

Yes, POSTCARDS!

And I will mail them out to 5 of my followers.

When I think of salt and sand, I think of the ocean/sea and the beach.

And the ever present seagulls.

I always complain that I cannot draw.  I did draw the seagull, but practically used up an entire eraser trying to make him look somewhat like a seagull.

Next came to mind a lighthouse.  I couldn’t make the light light up but the lighthouse building glows-in-the-dark.

From there my mind traveled out to sea for a fish or a boat.  What came to mind were those thieving salty sailors of the high seas...Pirates.

The skull and cross bones on the pirate hat glow-in-the-dark.

Can’t have pirates on the high seas without a ship.

This ship has already been in a battle...with me. The eyelets and I did not see eye to eye.  It’s a battle ship...it should show some battle scars...right?   

What’s a pirate or a pirate ship without a pirate parrot.  He keeps his share of the booty close.  Dare not to take his treasure!

What a fun time I had with this challenge theme!

If you’d like to receive one of these postcards in your mail, mention it in your comment.  Tell me which postcard you’d like to receive and your name will go in the drawing for that card.  If you want to get in more than one postcard drawing just mention which ones.  I will contact winners for mailing info.

Check out my fellow bloggers that are sharing their Salt and Sand projects today.

March 24
Ms P Designs USA
DayBrook Designs
Vroomans Quilts
Kathleen McMusing
Quilt Schmilt
The Darling Dogwood
Daughters of Dorinda
Annie’s Musings

Me vs. Paints and a Flower

Me vs. Paints is typically a battle and the trash bin wins the prize of a quite unfortunate painting.  This time is different.  I think this painted watercolor flower is not completely unfortunate.

I think me and my inexpensive paints did a fairly decent job of it.  

I struggle with several painting issues.  The most debilitating of which is not being able to visualize the finish during the process.  So I don’t know when to quit fixing it.  Or even whether or not it needs fixing.  Another is not waiting for layers to dry.  For once I did use a heat tool at times to get it dry faster.  But I kept painting on it and making it worse.  It was destined for the trash bin.

Once I finally drew the scribbles, I could see it so much better.  But that just started a whole new fix-it process.  I thought one of us has to give in and I didn’t want it to be me.  I think I ended up with a fairly decently painted single flower for Sheila’s (Orange Esmeralda) A Single Flower theme at Art Journal Journey .

I haven’t actually pasted it into my journal yet as I’m undecided as to what I might want to do, if anything, with the page it will get pasted to.  

Update:  I have finished the page.

This theme runs for the entire month of March.  All mediums of art are welcome to join in.  It’s such a great theme to welcome the arrival of Spring.

A Single Flower

The very talented Sheila at Orange Esmeralda is hosting this month’s theme, A Single Flower, at Art Journal Journey.  Sheila inspired me to join in on the challenge as I discovered a single flower start piece in my box of odd pieces.

I decided to finish the flower as a page for my fabric book.  Which I realize is a type of journal of my textile art bits.

I created the flower by tracing two spirals onto Wonder Under and fusing them to the fabrics.

Cut them out.

I chose a base fabric for the flower.

I layered the pieces and fused them all together.

I did raw edge appliqué around the spirals and chose a decorative stitch to sew around the outside just catching the edges of the base circle.

A stem and leaves were added as well as some select selvedge words and color dots.  The base fabric for the page is a printed scrapbook paper onto Magic Fabric.  On the right side edge is a scrap of stripe fabric and another strip of selvedge.



Adding selvedges to my pieces is becoming a signature thing for me.

Thanks Sheila for suggesting and inspiring me to join in the challenge and adding to my fabric book art journal AND getting another odd piece finished up.

Anyone can join in for the monthly challenges.  All mediums are welcome.  Have a look at the other talented artists works here and be inspired to join in the fun.

Patriotic Sewing

It has been a week of patriotic sewing.

The theme this week at Sunday Postcard Art is using the first letter of your name.

Annie - A

Since I was already working on a patriotic piece, America came to mind immediately.  I’ve stitched a postcard of our American symbol, our Flag.

This small 12” X 12” craft storage box contains odd sewn pieces or blocks.  It is all that remains of unfinished items.  I’m keeping these pieces in mind, waiting for inspiration to sew them into something...other than potholders.

These three paper pieced blocks were in that box.  I think they were originally intended to be potholders.  But now, years later, I’ve changed my mind.



I decided that they would become a table runner.  I have had zero patriotic home decor items and it is time that I did.

I went through my stash of blue fabrics hoping for a piece that would blend well enough to put these blocks together.  I got lucky.

Then I went through my stash of red fabrics hoping for a binding piece.  I got lucky again.  I really love how the staggered stars in the fabric show up at odd intervals when used for a binding.



I normally mail the postcards I make, but I’ll keep this one for decor.

A Mini Pincushion

I have had a tiny paper pieced dress form lying around for some years.  I have been seeing quite a few mini pincushions of late and decided to stitch the dress form into a pincushion.  It measures 1” X 3.25”.

I don’t need another pincushion to use when sewing.  Turid, at densyendehimmel , makes lots of adorable mini pincushions and collects them in a jar.  I thought that makes a creative sewing space decor.  So that is what I plan to do with this mini and others that “might” follow.  Now I just need the perfect jar.

Isn’t this bathing beauty a delight!  She steals the show from the pincushion.

I drew the paper piecing pattern myself and have enlarged and reduced it for intended uses.

The backside.

February 2021 Calendar Journal

I considered not bothering to share it with so much of it in hiding, but what the heck, why not

This new format is no fancy keepsake book or artsy pages.  But they’re simple and quick to gussy up with Washi Tapes, of which I have a large collection of.

Bloom Fabric Postcard

The theme this week at Sunday Postcard Art is “Bloom”.

I get so excited when their themes can be worked into a fabric postcard and I have the time to play along.

I am not a Winter girl, so I’m looking forward to Spring and Summer!

Now to fill in the backside and get it in the mail.



Happy Mail Day!