TALL Flowers Stencil by Darkroom Door

 The new release from Darkroom Door contains a number of gorgeous stencils. Here is the Tall Flowers stencil on an art journal page I created:

Using a gel plate, I created a background using a number of blue acrylic colours. I then cleaned the gel plate, placed the stencil down, and added pink, yellow and burgundy paints through the flower outlines, then printed the flowers onto the blue background. When the paint dried, I replaced the stencil and added some paint to the tips of the flowers, then sprinkled embossing powder to these areas. The embossing powders give a nice opaque coat of colour over the acrylics.

I sponged some paint through the small Wildflowers Stencil, then sprinkled some purple embossing powder onto the tops of the flowers to highlight them, and then grabbed some gel pens and outlined the different elements of the page in different colours.

I stamped the sentiment from the Botanical Script Stamp Set onto cream paper, mounted this onto some boxboard, then trimmed it out into strips. I inked these with brown ink to help them look aged, then adhered them to the page. I added some bright orange stitching around the border with my sewing machine.

One of the things I love about Darkroom Door stencils is that the mask is included in the pack, and that opens up so many more exciting possibilities!

Thanks for looking!

Enchanted Doors Postcard by Darkroom Door

 Another set in the new Postcards range by Darkroom Door is Enchanted Doors. There are 6 captivating images of doors from far away places.

I decided to create a journal page with one of these images:

I created the background using the large Brick Wall stencil and some texture paste, then painted over this with grey acrylic paint. I then dry brushed some white paint over the top, and stamped images from the Gothic Arches Stamp Set.

I backed the door image with pages from an old book and some cotton gauze, then added some subtle text (French Script Texture stamp) and the coffee cup stain (Coffee Stain Eclectic stamp).

I finished the page off with a wax seal stamped with a postmark from the Montmartre Stamp Set. I simply created a puddle of hot wax, then pressed the stamp into it after inking it with Versamark ink. I then rubbed some gilding wax over it to bring out the detail.

Thanks for looking!

Darkroom Door's Journal Lines stencil

 Among Darkroom Door's latest release are a couple of stencils dedicated to journaling. I used the Journal Lines stencil to add some journaling to the front of a couple of cards. 

The backgrounds for both of these cards were created with Darkroom Door stencils and a gel plate; the small Wildflower Stencil for the card above, and the large Circles Stencil for the card below:

I stamped the birds on the orange circle card, then placed the Journal Lines stencil over the piece. I used a pencil to trace lines onto the background:

then wrote the words (happy birthday to you, over and over) using a permanent marker. I then erased the pencil lines:

I look forward to using this stencil in my art journal, in my planner, and even on envelopes!

Thanks for looking!

Darkroom Door's Creativity Stencil

Hi folks!

I had some fun with the new Creativity stencil from Darkroom Door.

First up is a page in my art journal, where I added and removed acrylic paint through the stencil:

You can find a step by step for this on the Darkroom Door blog.

Next up I used the stencil to apply some embossing ink, and then used some of the new Mixed Media Powder on it to give some fabulous texture:

 Finally, I used the stencil to apply some embossing paste over a water colour background, and then sprinkled some gold embossing powder, carefully selecting just one word I wanted to highlight:

Step by step instructions for these can also be found on the Darkroom Door blog.

Thanks for looking, and I hope you've managed to find some creative time in your weekend.

Darkroom Door Stencil Blog Hop

Hi folks!

I'm excited to be part of a blog hop showcasing the new stencils from Darkroom Door. I have a couple of projects to share that I made using the Small Blossom Stencil:

First up is an art journal page I created:

It shows the Small Blossom stencil (in white crackle paste) over the blossom image from the Bold Blossoms Rubber Stamp Set (stamped in black).

I also added some detail around the edges with the new Crackle Texture stamp, some spatters and drips with India Ink, and some doodling with a black Fude Ball pen.

Here's a close up:

 My next project is a card:

Here's how I made it:

1 Stamp the new Gazette Texture stamp onto a 9 x 13.8 cm piece of white cardstock using Archival Jet Black ink.

2 Mix some Prima White Crackle Texture Paste with Distress Evergreen Bough reinker and apply this through the Small Blossom stencil with a palette knife. Allow to dry - you will see it begin to crack as it dries.

3 Stamp randomly around the edges with the new Crackle Texture stamp using Archival Aquamarine ink. Mix a little Evergreen Bough reinker with water and spatter and drip this over the piece.
 

4 When this is dry, sponge some Evergreen Bough ink around the edges.

5 Stamp the round tag from the Tags Rubber Stamp Set using Aquamarine ink, then stamp the words from the Orchids Rubber Stamp Set over it using black ink. Punch a hole in the top and tie it to the card front using twine.

6 Mount this onto a 10 x 14.3 cm piece of black cardstock, then onto a folded white card. Stamp the Weathered Stripes Background stamp onto white card using black in, and tuck a little scrap of this to the right of the card front. Apply tiny dots of Stickles around the blossom for extra sparkle.

Now it's time for a giveaway!

Be sure to visit each blog and leave a comment. Five lucky winners will will receive 3 stencils of their choice! Winners will be drawn from comments left across all the blogs, so be sure to leave a comment on each blog for more chances to win! Comments received before midnight Friday 4th August are eligible to be in the draw. Winners will be announced Monday 7th August on the Darkroom Door blog and Facebook page.

Hop along to the other blogs here:
Darkroom Door: http://www.darkroomdoor.com/Blog
Belinda Spencer: http://happyscrapspace.blogspot.com
Autumn Clark: http://sewpaperpaint.blogspot.com
Godelieve Tijskens: http://stampingmathilda.blogspot.com
Anneke De Clerck: http://somefiddlingonthekitchentable.blogspot.com
Robyn Wood: http://purplesalt.net


Good luck everyone!

Arty Circles by Darkroom Door

I just love the new Arty Circles Collage stamp by Darkroom Door! Here are some samples I made with it:

an art journal page:

and a couple of cards:

Full details on how I put them together and complete supplies lists are available on the Darkroom Door blog.


Thanks for looking!

Darkroom Door Bunting Border stamp

Darkroom Door has released a new product line - big 12 inch border stamps! I got to play with the Bunting Border.

Here's a page I'll add to my art journal:

and this is a big 6 x 12 inch card:

I love that this stamp is big enough to go across a whole page, or even wrap around a big card.

To find out how I made these samples, please head over to the Darkroom Door blog.

Thanks for stopping by today!

The Art of Well Being

For our blog hop this month, the team at Gel Press® are indulging in a little introspection and asking how art helps maintain or improve our well being.

For me, the main attraction of art besides the colour and sense of accomplishment is the social aspect. It's a way for me to connect and interact with like-minded people in a safe, nurturing environment.

I feel fortunate to teach classes at my local craft shop. This gives me ample opportunity to interact with crafty people when they come along to learn a new technique or about a new product. I also get a huge sense of accomplishment when I finish planning the class, and then an added bonus at the end when I finish delivering the class and I see happy smiling people who are proud of their efforts.

This is an art journal page I taught recently:

We created a few sheets of fabulous arty paper with a Gel Press® gelatin plate, then die cut them with the teacup die. Elements of the designs were outlined with white gel pen, which really helped unify the very different papers. The alphabet stamps are by Darkroom Door.

 I loved that everyone's teacups all looked so wonderfully diverse, even though we all started with the same tools and materials.

One of the ladies had also booked her daughter in, and as she happens to be one of my daughter's classmates, it gave me an opportunity to include my daughter as well. Here is her design (that she chose to pop on a canvas to hang on a wall):

I love how art brings people together. It binds people across generations and great distances. It keeps me sane and functional.

To find about how art helps the well being of the other members of the design team, hop along and read following the list here:

Ann

Cindi

Cynthia

Elena

Kathy

Keri

Kitti

Jen

Sandee

Teresa < you are here now

Gel Press

Gelli Plate Flowers Art Journal Page

I have put together an art journal page tutorial:

I used Stampotique stamps and Dina Wakley paints on a Gelli Plate.

You can find the tutorial over on the Kazmos Kreations blog.

Thanks for looking!

Watercolour pencil art journaling

I have a post up on the Inspiration Lane blog showing a couple of pages in my Mixed Media Journal using Bruynzeel watercolour pencils. Here they are through a FabScraps stencil:

and here they are teamed with one of my favourite stamps - Coffee Stain eclectic stamp from Darkroom Door:

Pop on over to the blog to see full pics and step by steps. Thanks for stopping by!

Art Journaling with Gelatos

It's been a long time between posts! I have been busy (make that very busy!) with life outside art lately, but I'll be back very soon.

Here's a few pages I did in an little Mixed Media Journal by Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft:

I had the best fun with the journal, my Gelatos, some stencils and Darkroom Door stamps! You can see the whole post on the Design Memory Craft blog.

Thanks for looking!