Project Life- scrappin up your pages.

While I am loving working on my project life my style tends to be less traditional- shocker I know for those of you who know me. I love adding ink, metal & chipboard to my pages. I try to do a few simple faster pages- stick & go & than a nice scrapped up one. Here is one of those scrapped up ones.

I approach each area as it's own box of happiness and than when I have all the boxes put down I scrap it up. Adding the fun elements. I used a lot of want2scrap on these pages. Chipboard in gears & swirl, bling & their cool arrow stencil. Can you spot their brick stencils in use? 

I used the brick stencil tracing the bricks but in a straight line on top and bottom of my crab bowl. Painted it in red & added white lines with a gel marker. It is a super simple way to ink up your cards. I also used their arrow stencil with viva decor ferro on the side of the basketball card. Note the bling encircling the basketball- very sparkly. Using Want2scrap  gear chipboard I painted it with THoltz distress paint & added one of his clock parts. I love using stamps to embellish. Especially when I can't find a sticker etc. I usually have a stamp that will do the trick- hence the cute crab painted in & with some glitter to make him sparkly.

For the swirl chipboard I painted it & once the paint was dry stamped it to add that cool factor. Note the journal card below it. A light piece of scrapbook paper, spritzed with dylusions spray & the arrow stencil, stamped with a journal block & voila there is my cool journal card that adds that inky spot that I love to my project life! So get excited because I am starting a weekly project life post. Every Wednesday I will do weekly project life pages, ideas or cards to inspire you to make your project life unique like you!

Twinkling H2O's

Wow life is busy!!! I taught my monthly art journal club this week & it was fun, fun, fun!!! The girls seemed to have a great time, this is really a wonderful group of women, very encouraging, positive & welcoming of new people. This month we worked on twinkling H20's a product I was not familiar with, but have learned to love! Pigment in a cake form infused with mica with the properties of watercolor only different because of the mica - shimmery goodness!

They come in these pots of yummy colors. You start by "waking them up" or spritzing liberally with water to activate the color & the mica. Let sit for 5 minutes, a spritz more  water & they are ready to play! I must admit there is a learning curve with these. I started using them as I would an acrylic paint and wasn't doing too well with the whole blending thing. I did some blending exercises as in water color and started to get it. Lots of water is the key so the colors can pool & run together. What helped me to understand was making these swatches of 2 to 3 colors. I wrote the colors on the back & now I have some great color combinations to use in future. This was learning to use the color & water in good proportions.

I encourage you to play with this product to get used to how to use them. To make the colors richer, darker with more mica it is best to build the color in layers. Here are a few of the backgrounds I did. 

 I used stencils with metallic acrylic paint to create a resist- once dry I played with the twinks. Hard to see but the page is shimmery.

I also colored in a stamped image trying to get better at blending. Again the colors look much more luscious & shimmery than in the photos.

Here was a page I did right in my art journal to help with the learning curve.

The key is practice & practice but this product gives you a very unique look in your book and is very addicting!

Spiders & Flowers Oh My! SDC99

Just a fun silly art journal page for the Stampotique challenge. I love these stamps- and thought what fun spider flowers!!! Carrot is going for a ride on a hot air balloon. Do something fun & whimsical today!

Washi Love!

I love washi tape- addicted might be a better word. It is such a great way to quickly add color, texture & fun to a page. It is everywhere you look & one of the hottest items in scrap booking. I have rolls & rolls of it and love adding it to pages, canvas...but how else can it be used? I use a lot of tabs in my projects so I thought combine the 2! I simply adhered washi to paper & used my tab punch to cut out a wonderful fun tab that can now be used on a page, project life or art journal page. So quick & easy. Love it!