Mixed Media Morsels Part 1

Yes, yes, I know. This "I am not going to craft again any time soon" idea apparently was a false statement. I have been crafting almost every day since i said it, except for days that I am doing some binge reading. So what'cha gonna do?

I found a wonderful little YouTube channel by Cat Hand called Mixed Media Morsels. It is a video series where Cat shows us different techniques to use in our crafting on a small scale. I am creating a 5 x 5 inch journal with examples of all kinds of techniques I can use in bigger projects. I will just have to browse this little book for ideas when I hit a wall.

I am a little behind on the series, but that's ok. I can catch up at my own pace. I am trying to do a small craft every night to keep the juices flowing. Also, I want to use up some of the many, many, MANY products I already own here in my studio, so I may be doing things a little differently to accommodate my situation. Here's a few samples from this week so far:

MMM 1 - The plastic wrap background

In this example we were to make our page very wet with paint and water. Then we laid plastic wrap on the surface, wrinkled it up and let it dry over night. Well, I don't own regular plastic wrap. I have Press 'n Seal which is textured. The substitute worked, but it left little spots from the textured wrap. I am good with that. I really kind of like it.

MMM 2 - Collage Background

Here we were to take tiny scraps of paper we had laying around and make a collage. Then we embellished it with pens. I used a decoupage medium that did not like my markers. I did a second collage with various letters I just had laying around the desk. The decoupage medium is all used up now and I can buy something new for next time that I can write on. Problem solved! Hee! Hee!

Using up my supplies with a second collage

MMM 3 - Alcohol Background

This one is my favorite so far. We painted a coat of paint and let it dry. Then we painted a second coat of paint. While it was still wet, we used a paint brush dipped in alcohol to create the droplet affect on the page. It was so cool!!!

I took a page I had already painted from another project. The colors were greens and browns. Then I painted the purple on top. My alcohol was downstairs. It was late and I did not feel like heading down to find it. So I had a bottle of anti-bacterial hand gel on my desk. I dipped my paintbrush in it. It's mostly alcohol anyway and it worked great! I can't wait to try it again.

MMM 4 - Glue Resist Background

This technique was a snap. Paint a background. I once again used one that was previously painted. Use a bottle of white glue to draw images, lines, words, squiggles and allow it to dry over night. Once it was dry, cover with a coat of paint. Then use a baby wipe to rub the paint off of the glue.

Simple, right? This page was a problem for me. I did not have regular white glue. So I used tacky glue which is much thicker. It made it hard for me to squeeze the bottle and create some beautiful squiggles. Then instead of using acrylic paint, I used a shimmer acrylic glaze I have had sitting around forever. I figured it would be pretty and shiny. Well that glaze did not want to come off of the glue!! So I did the best I could and told my OCD to calm down. I did not have to be perfect. 

MMM 5 - Tissue Paper Background

I also really like this one. In fact I used it before on my textured pallet I made in my Artisan group a while back.  It gives such a nice textured background. You just want to touch it when you see it.

In the journal I used dark blue tissue paper left over from a gift of the past, white craft paint and black ink. On the pallet, I used the same dark blue tissue paper and masking tape, with peach colored paints and brown ink on top. Next...

Previous project using the tissue paper background.

MMM 6 - Inchies!!!

These are inchies. They are 1 x 1 inch squares that you create using paints, stamps, stickers, anything you have just laying around. And we all know I have LOTS of stuff just laying around. I used three index cards and painted them with Inka Gold Metallic Rubs. Then I stamped and stickered with some old tiny stamps DD left behind when she moved out. I cut the index cards into 1 inch squares and used a Sharpie to doodle on the edges.

Then I glued them onto the 5 X 5 inch page of my journal randomly. Issues: Inka Gold did not like the stamp ink I used so the ink kind of smeared when I used the matte medium to glue it all down. Also, the matte medium dulled the shininess of the Inka Gold, duh. Bad choice on my part, but oh well, live and learn. Also the page is SUPER THICK because I used the index cards and covered the whole page in the journal. It feels really out of place with the other pages in the journal. Once again, live and learn.

All in all, I feel very accomplished this week with all my effort. The pages are really cool and I am anxious to move onto MMM 7. 

Until next time...

Journal By 5's - Complete!

A friend who knew I had been rather burned out with crafting recently introduced me to a new type of journaling. Well, new to me; maybe not to others. Journaling by 5s was a challenge put out by Shannon Green that was to inspire you to set aside your control tendencies and just enjoy the act of creating. After creating the book itself out of a typical composition book, we started the process with a 5 step program for completing each page. We had 15 minutes to do each set. After we had completed all five steps, we were to start at the beginning of the list and go through those 5 steps again. In total we were to have a completed journal of 20 pages in 2 1/2 hours.

Step 1: Background: Paint/Ink

Step 2: Texture: Collage/Craft, Recycled

Step 3: Pattern: Stamps, Stencils

Step 4: Focal Point: Words, Images

Step 5: Details: Pen, Pencil, Doodling, Drawing

I have to tell you, this was so hard for me. I had to do this journal twice. The first one I finished I totally had a "devil may care" attitude and just went with the flow. I did not like the end result and NO ONE will ever see it. I decided to try again but put some of my own style back into the process. In other words, I allowed my OCD to move in a little bit. I used the 15 minute timer for each section, but I limited my paint/ink colors as I had too many in the first journal. I made sure the collage materials I had available were more color coordinated with the paint/ink I had used. I limited myself to 5 stamp sets so I was less overwhelmed when choosing for each page. I specifically looked for focal point images that had the same theme as the collage materials and paints I had chosen. Finally I searched out quotes for each page that related to the focal point in some way, even if it was rather vague. I really like the end result for this one.

Tonight I completed the cover and now it is ready to share. Enjoy!

Now to figure out my next project.
Until next time...