Just create - an art journal page

It's Friday again and that means a new process video on my YouTube channel! This time it's an art journal page with die cut elements.

I'm pretty sure you've seen it by now that I love tea tones and vintage vibes. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy colors or black projects as well, but when in doubt or in a hurry I tend to go to this warm palette of brows. 

Like I say in the video, it seems that not fitting every element I was thinking in the project is a monthly theme. Like with the cards when I thought to add the bird and then didn't, here I thought to add three photos to the same page but in the end used just one. But sometimes that's how it goes. It's also easier to edit things out than just to whip up more elements in the go. 

If you want to see how I made the page, please see the process video below.

As you could see from the video, there was also a clover adventuring in the page. I edited the bit out where I cut and inked it, as it wasn't an element that in the end made it to the page. I was first determined to mix that and the bigger plants, but in the end the page just seemed too busy with everything. 

What about you, do you edit the project along the way or do you have a clear picture of the project from the start? 

Thank you for stopping by today! Wishing you a wonderful Friday and great weekend!

Materials:

Sizzix - Thinlits die set Collector 665926

Sizzix - Thinlits die set Specimen 665930

Sizzix - Thinlits die set Wildflower stems #1 664163

Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Backdrops Volume #4 #TH94308

Ranger - Distress Ink Vintage Photo

Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Photobooth #TH93799

Ranger - Distress Ink Prize Ribbon, Rustic Wilderness

Ranger - Distress Ink Lumberjack Plaid, Picked Raspberry

Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Stencil Cards #TH94135

PaperArtsy - Fresco Finish acrylic paint Vintage Lace

Ranger - Adirondack Earthtones alcohol ink Terra Cotta

Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Tiny Texture hammer

brads, twine

aluminium tape

paper trimmer, scissors, water mister, brush

craft glue, double sided tape, foam tape

Suomi Finland - FB live announcement

Hello there! Today's post is bilingual again as it's an announcement post for a Finnish FB live happening this Friday. I'm going to mainly babble in Finnish but you are very welcomed to join anyway and ask questions also in English! I'm going to make a couple of ATCs using dies, gel printing and inks! The time is this Friday, 22nd, 7 pm Finnish time. That's 6 pm CET. Hope to see you then!

Moikka moi! Tänään kaksikielinen postaus, sillä aiheena on suomenkielisen FB-liven info! Live tulee olemaan Facebook-sivuillani perjantaina 22. syyskuuta klo 19 Suomen aikaa. Aiheena on ATC-korttipari.

Vaikka ATC-kortit ovat pienikokoisia, yllättävän paljon kaikkea niihinkin saa mahtumaan. Näihin ATC-kortteihin käytän gellipainantaa, leimailua, musteita ja teenpä itse kuvioteippiäkin. Kuten yleensä, kommentteja ja kysymyksiä saa esittää niin suomeksi kuin englanniksikin. Pääosin kuitenkin siis puhun suomea.

Tuttuun tapaan alta löytyy vielä materiaalilista, jos haluat tehdä kortteja samaan aikaan taikka haluat varmistaa jonkun materiaalin. Laitoin nekin kahdella kielellä. 

Toivottavasti perjantaina nähdään linjoilla! Kivaa keskiviikkoa!

Materials: 

(linkit menevät Heidin Korttipajaan, joko tuotteeseen tai kategoriaan)

ATC pohjia / bases

GelliArts - Printing plate 3x5

PaperArtsy - Fresco Finish acrylic paint Summer Sky, Persimmon

Stampers Anonymous - Perspective stamp set

Ranger - Archival Ink Jet Black

Ranger - Archival Ink Paradise Teal, Vibrant Fuchsia

Ranger - Archival Ink Sunflower

Sizzix - Thinlits Specimen die set (665930)

Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Photobooth Vintage Photo Strips #TH93799

Ranger- Distress Ink Vintage Photo

Korttipaja - Suomi Finland stamp set

Mimmilä - Summer Sweetness die cuts set

Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Christmas sticker book #TH94294

Uni Posca - PC-1M black

ekokartonkia / kraft cardstock

silkkipaperia / tissue paper

vanha kirjan sivu / old book page

vanhoja nappeja / old buttons

scrap paper

brayer, brush, die cutting machine

double sided adhesive sheet, foam tape, double sided tape, craft glue

scissors, stapler, acrylic block, stamping tool, inking tool

Sunshine and love - a set of ATCs

Heippa hei! It's definitely autumn feels here in Finland but still I share these ATCs I made with summer styled PET-tape. Maybe these bring warmth to the already chilly mornings!

The backgrounds in these are made using watercolors. I first made a bigger, A5-sized piece and then cut it to smaller pieces. I cut the backgrounds a bit smalle than ATC sized, so the kraft cardstock frames the pieces. On top I then stamped a mandala styled ring, embossed it using purple embossing powder and added some splashes, too. 

The focal points in these are made using My Indie Co.'s PET tape. I mounted the tape on top of white cardstock and cut the images loose. Each card also has some florals cut from a patterned paper pad by Fabrika Decoru. I finished the cards with some stickers - some epoxy dots and a sentiment.

As always, these cards are ready for swaps. Just send me an email - address is in the sidebar. 

Thank you for stopping by today! Wishing you a sunny week!

Materials: Mic&Mim, Ranger, Fabrika Decoru, PaperArtsy

The wonderful lady of the post office - A.B.Studio

Hello there and happy Friday! Today I have an art journal spread to share with you. I made it with a process video for A.B.Studio. As often, I again mixed different collections.

Even though collections are usually "color coordinated" so their palette matches and you can mix the patterns freely, I still like to mix things up. Maybe it's got to do with the patterns and everything matching so I wish to have a bit of contrast or juxtaposition. But what I often use as my guide when mixing collections is the colors. In this project, though, I had another rule of thumb, too. I wanted the elements to have a vintage air about them. 

If you want to see how I made the spread, please see the process video underneath.

What I also love, besides mixing collections, is to make stories. Like in here I chose letters and envelopes as the motifs behind the main character. In the first stage this meant that I had a wide range of stories available with pen pals, genealogy, reporters, politicians and so forth. Along the way I started seeing this lady as a post office clerk. From that a bigger story spun in my head and I chose the little snippets of text to accompany it. I might have said it before, but I say it again - I often don't journal the whole thing to my project but more give little details so that others can make up a story of their own.

Thank you for stopping by today! Wishing you a nice Friday and a great weekend! May it be a crafty one!

Materials from A.B.Studio:

Never too late - Old fabric 12x12

In love with you - Simply beautiful 12x12

In love with you - Still in love 12x12

Love for old things - My library 12x12

Paradise lost - Find me 12x12

Big Eyes - Happy day 12x12

Sewing bazaar - bonus page

Stamp ID-1384

Rustical Time die cuts ID-61

Other:

Paper Garden - Aava tape

Prima Marketing - Art Basics Clear gesso

PaperArtsy - Fresco Finish Snowflake, Firebird, Taro Milk Tea

Ranger - Archival Ink Jet Black

Ranger - Distress Ink Vintage Photo

Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Paperdolls Portraits #TH94233

craft glue, double sided tape, foam tape

scissors, paper trimmer, stapler, brush, brayer, palette knife

Pet bats - a FB live recording

Hi there! Last Saturday I kept the first live of September. Yes, first as I'm keeping a Finnish one this month, too. In case you weren't able to catch the live when it was happening, there's a recording in this post. 

During the live I made a Halloween inspired easel card. I used inks and paints to make the background and then decorated the card using die cuts. Both the moon and the bats are cut using the same Sizzix die set. If you want to see a list of the materials I used, there's on in the live announcement post (link).

As you can see from the recording, I used the moon die in a couple of ways to create the textured moon. First I used a die cut sticky note as a mask, then adhered a moon cut from crumbled tissue paper on top and lastly added the shadows using another cut out piece. While that took some time, I still think that the stringing of the bats was the slowest thing in the card! What do you think, after watching the recording?

Thank you for stopping by today! Wishing you a fine Wednesday! 

Materials: Sizzix, Ranger, Tim Holtz, PaperArtsy

Beauty in the moonlight - a set of ATCs

Moikka moi and happy new week! Last Saturday I kept a Halloween inspired FB live and same theme continues in a way. Here's some Gothic styled ATCs with beautiful crow stickers. When I saw those in the shop, I just had to get them and I got two sets immediately. I mean, you probably know by now that I just love crows and ravens.

The backgrounds for each card is out of a label sticker I bought some years ago from Pharmacy Museum in Turku. They seemed to fit the theme and mood fantastically. As the stickers had a somewhat smooth, plastic-like surface, I first gave them a coat of clear gesso. On top I then added some watercolors and stamping. I then paired the gorgeous crows with another sticker set, using the other stickers as the background and the crows mounted on top of black cardstock on top. Final details included some golden thread, a foiled text sticker and some golden sequins. 

As always, these cards are available for swaps or just to travel to a new home. If you'd like to have one, please send me an email - address is in the sidebar. 

Thank you for stopping by today! Wishing you a pleasant start to the week!

Materials: Mimmilä, Prima Marketing, Tim Holtz, Sinelli, Sizzix, Ranger