Tuesday, July 09, 2024

Blog CPR

 Does anyone use this platform anymore?

Does anyone Blog anymore or is it all Vlogs and YouTube reels?

I have come back to this platform because I like words. Photos are great and they grab your attention, but I honestly feel more comfortable with words. 

I see that my last post was back in 2021. I would have guessed before the pandemic as it seems like I haven't posted on here for soooooo much longer than that. I suppose in the world of social media that is a very long time. 

I missed my daily journaling and my posts here. My daily art activities fell into the abyss and that's to be expected when Life and Death catch up to you. I am being vague on purpose. Information may leak into these pages, but this post is to simply test the waters. Not that it ever really mattered if anyone was listening out there when I first started this blog. But it grew and became a reservoir of my artsy beginnings. More about stuff and things.

I think for now, the blog will become a host of feelings. I have felt very introspective of late and need a repository for all those conflicting feelings and tangled hypocrisies. Perhaps, I have hit my Mid-Life Crisis. Journaling has always made me feel better, so I feel like the blog needs to step back into action. 

So, for anyone who has happened upon the resurrection of this blog, please take note: all my old posts are still here. All 500 of them. But don't expect those kinds of things anymore on a regular basis. I envision this blog to be like the script of a podcast, a talking to myself, WORDS without sounds. Mostly it will become my mind drippings and mental wanderings on whatever subjects might pop in there. It may be very opinionated. It may be wrong. It may be unpopular. It may be brilliant. It will be my own. 

Readers, you may feel free to leave a comment and while I will read them, I doubt I'll respond. Introverted people hate to converse so don't expect much engagement here. If you need acknowledgement or attention, go to TikTok or X. I'm no longer into drama. But if you insist on arguing, I'll write paragraphs of expletives and use small words so your small minds can comprehend them. This blog will not be family-friendly and curse words may be found in any post. The angrier I am about something; the more cuss words will be in it.

Other than that, I hope to be back to my sporadic posts soon. I have not set a schedule for new posts, but I hope to write one every week. Starting...Now.

Chill.

Wy

Sunday, August 01, 2021

The Color Palette Journal: Autumn Feast

 It's been awhile. 

I have no excuses or apologies. No one should.

But I do have a layout to share from the Color Palette Journal. I randomly selected a palette from my Pinterest board and will select another when this is posted. I work in a small Dylusions journal and my main mediums are ink and paper. This journal focuses mostly on rubber stamping and collage.

Here's the Autumn Feast color palette:

I didn't want to go the Autumn route but that's where I ended up because I just love Autumn!

Here's what I made:





I decided to make the leaves in the two shades of brown and use the colors in the background. I used a stencil set I hadn't used...ever. It's simple, faintly familiar, and just what I wanted: something to get the mojo flowing. As with many of the art journal pages I've shared on this blog, their main purpose is to spur my creativity and just settle my anxious mind. 

On to the next...

-Wy

oh, and yes...I have been contemplating this year's Halloween projects. I await a little inspiration from Tim Holtz in August but I have begun to think on some things that I'd like to get done that I have left over from previous years. Stay tuned. Halloween is coming.

Sunday, May 30, 2021

The Art Journal: Uk'otoa

 So I watch a show on Twitch/YouTube called "Critical Role". It's a bunch of voice actors playing D&D. It doesn't sound like much of a show but it is, even if you don't know anything about D&D. It's a good story telling time.

Anyway, they recently released a new game and the promo that goes with it just stuck in my head as an earworm. (as good promotions will) So I decided to make an art journal spread about it. I'm pretty happy with it even though the song is still stuck in my head. (if you want the song stuck in yours, too, you can find it HERE.)

I did another video scan over of the spread since it's so large. It's uploaded to YouTube so I can embed it here. But I've got some still photos below that. This spread is done with mostly spray inks but there is some acrylic paint in there. This is in a large Dylusions journal, the flip style that is landscape, mostly. I mainly was ripping pages out of this to use as single sheets but now I'm just trying to do up the journal as I don't really like this long landscape format. (I should have just ripped it ALL apart but I already had done some pages so....) 









Have a great weekend!

-Wy

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

The Color Palette Journal: Red or Pink?

 I finished another spread in the Color Palette Journal. I will be randomly selecting the next one from my Pinterest Board.

My main problem with this palette was the dark red/pink/coral color. I couldn't decide what color it actually was. I thought, at first, a dark coral...more orange than red. But when placed next to the pink, it appeared more like red or a dark pink. I mention this because these are usually the hang-ups that prevent me from getting a layout done in good time. I begin to fixate on finding the "perfect" match and then I get nothing accomplished. I often forget that I'm the one setting the rules, so I can be the one to break them!

So here's what I made. It's simple and straight forward mostly for the reason mentioned above. I wanted to focus on the water droplets in this photo but completely forgot about that aspect in my quest for the perfect color. 

Here's the Color Palette that I had selected:


Here is my journal page:



Despite my color confusion, I had a great time making the spread. The red color is a neon shade that I thought would look more pinkish. But I still like it and it made me happy. It gave me a chance to use up some scraps and play with some newer supplies in my stash. (Karin Markers and neon ink pads)

On to the next...

-Wy

Friday, April 23, 2021

The Color Palette Journal: Fabric or Feathers?

 The random palette selected this time had a photo that was difficult to say what it was exactly. At first, I thought it was fabric but on closer inspection, it might be feathers. In any case, I took neither of these to heart.


This palette is difficult for me as many of these colors are ones that I rarely, if ever, use. Reddish purples aren't my faves and the dusty colors aren't in my wheelhouse. I managed to scrounge together some ink pads and markers that came close to this palette and I just did a simple watercolor background. 




The completed pages aren't any masterpiece, but I like the final outcome. Hey, it's just a journal page and now that it's done, I can get on to a different set of colors. Hopefully, ones that are more inspirational. 

-Wy

Monday, April 19, 2021

The Scrap Stash Project: Finished Projects

 Here's a quick photo display of some of the cards and projects I completed from the Scrap Stash Project.





I made mostly A2 size cards but I got a few slimline done as well. I had quite a stack by the time I was finished.
Best of all, I also have an empty scrap bin!

-Wy

Friday, April 16, 2021

The Scrap Stash Project: The Motherboard

 I've been using up my Scrap Stash recently and I'm rather surprised at how well and efficiently I've managed to whittle down the pile of parts and pieces. From a file folder stuffed with patterned papers, I've used up my larger scraps. But what to do with the smaller or odd-shaped bits?

Here's where it gets interesting. I am not the originator of this method. I read about this in a magazine article years ago and it was called The Motherboard. If you want to use up a lot of scrap bits all at one go, this is the method I highly recommend. And I've recently discovered a way to jazz it up a bit. But first, the original method.

A Motherboard is just a collage of paper. I used to make them in large sizes (like 8.5 X 11) and cut them down to card fronts. But I've changed my method as it's easier for me to work in the card front size from the beginning and I don't have to worry about cutting through multiple layers of paper with my trimmer. 

So here's how its done: cut a piece of paper/cardstock to A2 size. This is your base. Add a selection of paper pieces to the base with adhesive. I have found that I have lots of long rectangles and square shapes in my scrap pile. I like to make stripe backgrounds with these. Just cover the whole base and voila, a background ready to attach to a card base.



Wanna know how to make this even easier? Use sticker paper or an adhesive sheet as your base. You know those sheets of label paper that you can run though a printer? THOSE are awesome. Just cut them up to base size (or just use the whole sheet and then cut it down), remove the backing to expose the "sticky" side, and add your scraps to it. I like to just hang the scrap paper over the edge of the base and trim it off with scissors. That way, I don't have to get frustrated trying to line up an edge. It's all scraps anyway!


Wanna jazz this up? Make it look a little more cohesive? When you use the sticker paper, leave gaps between your pieces where the adhesive is still exposed. In those gaps, you can make a little magic.  



One thing you can do is add embossing powder to the sticky gaps between your papers. Once heated and melted, you get a glossy layer in your background. Just a reminder that embossing powders come in many forms and not all are great at sticking to the back of a sticker. But if you like this textured look as shown in the photos, it's pretty easy to do. If you prefer a smoother look, you'd have to use a very fine embossing powder or apply layers of embossing powder. That is not so easy as you'd have to apply an embossing ink over only certain areas. I like the textured look. (Though, I didn't try it, you could also apply very fine glitter in this space and burnish it in. Not sure if it would stay attached and I'm not a glitter girl.)

Or you can make it even easier (but no less messy) by adding foil to the sticky parts. I tried this a couple ways and here's what I discovered.

If you want to use those foiling sheets, like Deco Foil, that run through a laminator, it might work. I tried that. However, I discovered that because some of my scraps were more heavy-weight papers, the thickness prevented those foils from adhering everywhere. I couldn't get the foil in contact with the adhesive on the paper without having gaps. Those gaps, of course, would then stay sticky. If you had larger open areas, those types of products will work. For my applications, they didn't. As you can see from the photos, I wanted the foiling to simply fill in the gaps. (I will also mention here, that I did not try running it through a die cutting machine. It may be enough pressure to make the foil adhere without heat. In this method, I am not using a laminator to apply the foil: I'm relying on the adhesive, which is not heat stable.)



To fill in the small areas, I used a product called Mega Flake. (Cosmic Shimmer makes a product called Gilding Flakes. Same thing.) There are several products like this on the market and it's not anything new. It used to be called "gold leafing". This product is a jar of very thin, metal flakes. Imagine a very thin piece of aluminum foil chopped up like a salad except you have a mixture of metals like gold, copper, and silver. These flakes can then be applied to a sticky surface (some have a special glue that remains tacky when dry) and burnished into the surface. This type of product works sooooo goooood for this application.


So I used a sticker label sheet cut down to the size of a card front. Exposed the adhesive. Laid down all my paper scraps and applied the flakes to what was left sticky. These flakes are very light and full of static so be prepared for a mess as bad as a 4 year old with glitter in a sprinkle jar. But the results are worth it. I would recommend working on a bare, hard surface that is easy to wipe off because the little bits of flake will become glitter and get everywhere. (I personally worked on my floor. My floor is covered with vinyl tiling and it was a simple matter of sweeping up when I was finished.) Be sure to follow the directions that the product provides. It requires a little burnishing and some buffing. Mega flake and the Gilding Flakes come in mixtures of colors and these flakes provide a more mottled look as seen in this last photo. Heads up: Flakes of this nature are also less shiny than the foil sheets. Just a FYI.
Also, you can use the two products together. Just use the foil sheet first, then add the flakes to fill in any gaps the sheet leaves behind. This will also give you a bit of a mottled interesting look.

I didn't count how many backgrounds I got from my scrap pile but I had a large stack on my desk when I was done. I'm still working through finishing some of them but next post I'll try to remember to share how I finished these.

-Wy
PS: Here's what those "flakes" look like.


Saturday, April 10, 2021

The Scrap Stash Project

 I don't know a paper crafter that doesn't keep their small paper scraps. Some keep them for the duration of a project and some keep them for years (or decades). I keep them but, for the last few years, I have been good about using them. Once the pile gets to the point that I can no longer find things in it quickly, I pull it all out and use it. If I can't use it then, I pitch it. (Yup, you heard me; pitch it!)

I'm dedicating this post to how I managed to use up a pile of scraps and the things I made with it. I hope some of this might help you conquer your scrap stash. I'll probably have a couple posts regarding this ongoing project so stay tuned.

First, I pull out all the paper scraps. I sort them by color. I put them into rainbow order and put patterned papers in with the color that predominates. (If it's pretty equal, I'll just put them into the color family with which I would pair it.) As I am doing that, I am pitching any paper that is too small or is looking a little rough around the edges.

Any white or black (or sometimes ivory) cardstock is kept separate. I put these scraps into another pile. I use these scraps to stamp sentiments on for my cards or if the pieces are large enough, I'll also stamp images to be colored and die cut. I'll also use them as bases for ATCs, ATC Coins, and book marks. Colored cardstock scraps I am keeping to die cut as I recently invested in a die cutting machine. 

Second, for each color family, I sort the stack by size. Larger pieces may be big enough to be a A2 size background or they may be a good mat for a focal image. This is where I'll usually begin. It's easy. I start matching background paper to card bases and I assemble them right then and there. Do I have a finished product? No. What I have is a start. When I have a background all ready to go, all I have to add is an image and a sentiment or word, perhaps. I find my cards appear more cohesive when I have the background all selected as I can color a stamped image to match the colors of the card base.



For large pieces, it's easy to think in terms of a greeting card. But when you get down to the smaller pieces or odd sized pieces, you need to think in terms of other things. For instance, I use a lot of smaller pieces to make ATCs (artist trading cards or coins), bookmarks, or layered embellishments from geometric shapes.


The nice things about ATCs is that these could be used on a greeting card as a focal point. But I also keep a lot of my ATCs because I tend to use my favorite papers on them. Bookmarks can be laminated if you keep in mind not to use 3D embellishments or layer too many papers. If it's too thick, it won't laminate well but regular cardstock with a couple layers of patterned paper or stickers work pretty well.



Now you may wonder why I bother to sort things by color if I'm making backgrounds for cards and small projects. It's easier for me to see what papers I can pair up together. When papers are sorted into the same color family, it's pretty easy to see how many shades, tones, or values of color you have. If you're going to pair multiple colors together, you want to make sure those match between color families. It's also easier for me to match stickers or embellishments that I already have to these colors as well.

So that's the first step with the larger scraps. In the next post, I'll share my secrets of the Motherboard.

-Wy

Monday, March 29, 2021

The Color Palette Journal: Cold Stone

 Hey, I finally got back to my Color Palette Journal! I often forget how much I enjoy working in this journal until I sit down to do a page spread.

Here is the randomly selected Color Palette:


I named it Cold Stone but my journal page doesn't quite reflect that.

My pages began with me pulling out my Distress inks to match some colors in the palette. Dusty Concord and Speckled Egg. I found some solid cardstocks to match the light blue and gray as well as some scraps on my table that matched the purples.

But my plan didn't come together until I found a scrap of paper in my "scrap file" that was exactly what I needed. The paper was of two deer on a snowy day looking off to the distance. It had the purple tones I wanted as well as the steel blues. I had saved this paper (it was the top of a small notepad) because I did love the image so much. So I knew I had a scene on my hands (again) but what to put in the background? I was onto Spring things, not Winter snow. That's when I decided to look through the stamps sets that I hadn't used yet. I found one from Altenew with a layered cloud, rain and lightning. Yup, lightning struck!

Here's the page spread without much more exposition.





Overall, I really like it. It ain't perfect, it ain't great art. But it has some of my favorite colors, a favorite sheet of paper is now preserved, and I learned a few things. All my ideas didn't come to fruition but then again a lot of this page spread came about through serendipity. 


Thanks for stopping in for a look! I will be randomly selecting another Color Palette for my next spread from my Pinterest board. Take a look over there if you need some color inspiration!

-Wy

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The Scrap Stash Project: The Motherboard