Flip Journal...

Today I received some great new products from DecoArt, they are from the new media line and gee what a fun time I had.. Some I had never used before so I wanted to try them out on something small. I also received the Code Breaker Stencil from Andy Skinner. Well when I pulled the stencil out of the packaging all I thought of was, wow what a great little flip journal this would make. 

So I left the top part and then divided the longer part into 3. So scored 2 lines and folded. That was it, pretty easy hey. So I then had 8 sections to play with and use the new products that I had ordered. First I painted both sides with white Gesso. For my cover I used the Cobalt Turquoise Hue and Titan Buff Fluid Acrylics mixed together. Then I used the Patina Green Antiquing cream and buffed it with a baby wipe.. Andy Skinner has a great tutorial on how to do this here.  I sealed the Antiquing cream with DecoArt Satin varnish. Collaged some papers and happiness was the word I chose to pop on the cover.  Yep this is filled with happiness I had such fun with this little flip journal

The next page I used the same technique as the cover but I used the white antiquing cream. I used a Kaisercraft stamp and all the papers I used except for book paper and music paper where all Kaisercraft.

So was thinking when I first did this I would just cover up the tabs with paper, but then I thought hmm, they would look good with some paper on the other side.. Then that turned into an opportunity to use the DecoArt crackle glaze. Gee it dried quick. I am a huge fan of crackles and usually have to wait overnight for the other one that I use to dry. But this was dry in no time at all and I was able to continue to play..  

More crackles this time through the Americana Old Script stencil and I used DecoArt White crackle paint. It oozed a bit but hey that is what this little journal is all about trying things out. So I used a bit of the Patina Green antiquing fluid and covered up the edges a bit and I was happier with the look of it then 

Then I used the DecoArt Texture sand paste. I coloured it with the Cobalt Turquoise hue. You only need like a drop and it was such a pretty colour. I just spread it all on with a palette knife. Scraped a few little lines on it and yep that was it. I love the gritty feel of it.  

Next was a background of Primary Magenta and Titan Buff mixed together. I got a really pretty pink colour. I love pink and black so time to use the Black Gesso for the Andy Skinner code Breaker stencil. I had to use the stencil after all that was what started all this.. 

Americana Old French Script stencil for the background in this one with more Media line Black Gesso.

 I had this die cut of the dress form sitting on my desk. It was all done with a french script stamp and book paper so thought that kind of filled this page quite nicely for this side of the flip journal. The background is a dress pattern Prima stamp.

So last page to show was the Andy Skinner stencil making another appearance this time I used some of the Media line, Black Modeling paste.

So what did you think? Did you like my little flip journal. I hope next time you go to throw the packaging away from something you buy you think, hmm could this be my next flip journal?? Oh forgot to show you my palette for all these techniques. What did you use? I can hear you asking me.  

It was the plastic packaging the stencil came in of course. Thinking of ways I am going to reuse this with all the blobs of paint on it.. Yep it will make its way into my art journal somewhere. :)

Linking this up over at Creative Every Day

Have a great day
Sandy :)

Dreams...

I have been finishing off the last 2 pages in my watercolour art journal. This is in my travelers notebook.. Teesha Moore has been giving us the most amazing collage sheets to play with and I grabbed one to finish this off. I had this big blank bit where the girl on the top right is now and did not know how to fill it till last night.. I really like the way the bits flows out of the collage from her to the page to blend it, it looks so much better. This has been unfinished for months just waiting patiently for me.  Then well I grabbed the collage sheet and started cutting it up and look what appeared. When you start to cut and paste and not think, that is when things get finished.. Then I followed one of the tips Teesha gave about looking at the collage on the edge and seeing what is there to continue onto the page. So that is why there is spots, lots of spots. I used some more of my arms for the guy lifting the weights.. I made a collage sheet of all different arms and legs it comes in handy.. Quote is from Eleanor Roosevelt 'The future belongs to those that believe in the beauty of their dreams" I used one from Theodore Roosevelt on another page in this journal so thought it was great to have one from Eleanor Roosevelt too.

Have a great day
Sandy :)

Salvaged...

This last weekend I was in a local Arts Trail and I wanted to make something that was a bit bigger. Something I could have on an easel or a wall. So I experimented and did something bigger.. I looked through my journal and went hmm what pages do I like in here.. So then thought about how to take them further onto something bigger and this is what happened.. First I made the heart. I grabbed a piece of cardboard from my stash and cut out a heart shape. Then I wet it and crushed it all up..  Painted it red and roughed up the edges and added distress ink Then added some stamping with a Prima honeycomb stamp. I folded some of the crinkles and and inked with my distress tool that made the creases stand out. 
So painted my canvas with long brush strokes just more or less to cover the whole thing.  I liked the streaky look that happened.  Added some coloured texture paste through a honeycomb stencil and black distress ink through a Dylusions letter stencil. I am just loving the layering of different papers at the moment collaging them together and then sewing them in my sewing machine to bring them together as one element. The papers I used where all from Kaisercraft. 
So I sewed all the pieces of the collage and then I adhered them on with Helmars tacky glue. Made the tags with the big bite and really like the little metal eyelets.Tim Holtz washi tape here and there added some more Helmars tacky glue under that with my finger so it adhered better to the canvas. Then I thought I really wanted more metal on here, so I bought some of the metal Tim Holtz word bands and looked through what one to pop on here. Thought this was the perfect one for my heart with all the sewing on it. The heart looks like it has been wounded and then sewed and stitched back together so it has been salvaged. So I added that on there with some brads for more metal.
So stepping out of my comfort zone with this and working outside my journal on the biggest canvas (15 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches) that I have ever done.. It is good to challenge yourself sometimes.

I am posting this over at Creative Every Day
and over at Paint Party Friday

Have a great day
Sandy :)

Note cards...

I just received the small Gelli plate in the mail and I could not wait to play.  So of course when I want to play I get those 2 favourite colours out that I love and off I go. So DecoArt Vivid violet and Sea Breeze in the Americana range.. Those paints work so well on the Gelli plate.. So time for fun to be had.. Got my box of Gelli plate printing goodies down and grabbed a hexagon stencil and off I went.. I had precut some cards and opened my journal all ready.. I popped the Gelli plate onto an acrylic block like this Youtube tutorial Stamping with Gelli from Gelli Arts. You have to watch they explain it so well.. Just makes it so easy.. It's very clean with the rubbing of the deli paper over the back of the print when you press it down, which is such an awesome tip.. So I made 6 note cards and 7 envelopes. For the envelopes I just had a piece of torn paper across the middle so I had a blank piece to write the address in..  I also stamped in my art journal as I was going along. As why not have a background ready for something fun in the future.. 

I so enjoyed this small Gelli plate, it was a lot easier for me to handle and practice the layering techniques with the small plate.  Just a few drops of paint and look at all the note cards I have to send off with my parcels, how terrific is that.. 

Have a great day
Sandy :)

Purple and Paint Party Friday

Some days you just have to have some purple.. Well that is what I was feeling when I did this page.. It was one of those smoosh pages when you make something else and you smoosh the ink in your journal so you don't waste it. So just lots of purple Crushed grape Dylusions ink. I have made lists of quotes and printed them out on my computer onto a page and was looking at a few of them to pick out just one.. Then I thought hmm. Why cant I have more than one? So I cut them out into strips and then sewed them onto a piece of scrap watercolour paper that I sprayed with Vibrant turquoise. Then well that is where my idea for this page stopped.. Do you get those days where you get so far and then just stop? So looked at what else was on my desk and saw the tags. Butterflies you can never go wrong with butterflies. So I grabbed a Typo stencil and some distress ink and a blending tool and popped some butterflies on the tag.  Stamping is done here and there with Prima stamps and the spots are with a new stamp that I have from Typo.. You just have to have a spot stamp when you see it..  So then I collaged music paper, a strip of the scrap watercolour paper with more spots and a piece of a baby wipe from the clean up.  They always work well in a background and hold everything together well in the sewing machine..  Some folded up lace on the bottom of the tag. So popped some of Tim Holtz washi tape on the page and then glued everything down with Helmar's Tacky craft glue.. 

I am going to post this over at Paint Party Friday and pop around and say hi.. 

There is still time to enter my giveaway. I made a watercolour journal and to celebrate my 3rd blogaversary I am giving it away, if you would like to enter pop on over.


Have a great day 
Sandy :)

My blog turned 3 and a giveaway...

Lonely Cards turned 3 today!

We hope it was a great year, and we look forward to sharing many more!

Well where did those 3 years go.. I got this message in my email from Tumblr to say my blog had turned 3 yesterday with the little cake and candles. How cute is that. Wow feels like it was only last year when I thought hey it would be fun to start a blog.. So thought hmm how will I celebrate.. Well what about I have my first ever giveaway.. That will be a lot of fun. So what to give away... Well what about one of the inserts that I make for my recycled leather travelers notebook.. I have made a few of these little art journals now and they are just awesome to use..  I make them out of file folders for the cover and it has 16 pages of watercolour paper sewn in. It has a copy of my collage art, collaged on the front some more of my printed random art on the back cut out into circles. He is a cute little blue guy. I cover all the collage with some packing tape so it keeps it clean.. This is what I do for the ones I use myself I find it works really well.

Front

Back

So if you are interested in winning this little art journal.

1. Be a follower of my blog.

2. Pop a comment on this blog post.

Easy hey, so from there I will assign you a number and pop it in the random number generator and see who is the lucky winner. Winner will be drawn on March 17th. Good luck to all.. 

Have a great day 

Sandy :)

Edit 

This competition is now closed and Melody Roberts was the random wheel winner.. Congratulations Melody.. Thanks everyone for entering my little competition..