Press On

Several months ago I was playing with my gel press and pulled some prints using STAMPlorations
Ethnic Organic Two stencil. 

Truth be told I didn't like it. I did it with just blue, turquoise and white. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. And my favorite saying is "If I don't love it it just means it isn't done." I save almost all the prints I make. I decided the other day to pull those unfinished prints out. I added more layers.  This print I added a pink and yellow layer and that was all it needed for me to love it. 

I decided to put this print in my bible junk/art journal. I decided to journal Philippians 3:14. PRESS ON.  I stamped with alphabet stamps on top. The butterfly is from STAMPlorations: Layered Butterflies. 

and the roses are from 

STAMPlorations Brave One

I stamped the butterfly and roses using black stazon. I then painted the insides with white acrylic paint. When that paint dried I painted them with watercolors. I added white gel pen to the butterfly's wings.  I hand lettered the scripture at the bottom. 

This year has seemed long because of all the trials. It would be so easy to get discouraged. This week I have just been feeling that I need to press on. Take just one more step towards the goal. 

Bubbles, mist, only here for a little while

This is one of my recent pages in my bible junk/art journal. I really like how it turned out. I was inspired by a video that my daughter shared of my grand daughter sitting blowing bubbles. How quickly the bubbles pop and disappear is how short our lives are. A mist that is here today and then gone. 

I put a circle stencil down on my gel press. I laid  a floral stencil on top of that and used chalk that I applied with q-tips. I only did the flowers in the open circles.  Then I rolled white acrylic paint over the stencil and lifted it.

This is how my gel press looked when I pulled the stencil up. (I know it looks black, but it is just stained a pretty teal color.  Gel presses are clear when they are new. This one is very loved. I would rather have a stained Gel Press that is played with than a clear one that never leaves it's box. ) The pretty chalk is "trapped" between the Gel press and the acrylic paint. 

This is the print that I pulled.  I loved how it turned out. I doodled and added stamping and stenciled bubbles and I added highlights with a gel pen. I wrote the scripture with a black pen. 

Mixed Media- Cubism

This week's Splitcoast Stampers Mix-ability Challenge. MIX388 is to be inspired by the art of Georges Braque.

I made two entries in my Bible junk/art journal.
I started with a couple of prints that I made using my gel plate and STAMPlorations-ARTplorations
All Bloom Stencil

and
Peonies All Over

I drew a drawing with a guitar theme. 3 curved lines make the guitar, plus the circle and half a circle. I added a heart and lots of lines. Then I traced it to make a pattern that I could use to cut my mono print into pieces to add to my page. After I cut out the pieces and glued them down I water colored the in between spaces with complimentary colors. "Vision" is the monthly theme of a facebook(bible/journaling/gel press) group that I am part of. 

I was thinking that cubism style is party because the artists see things a whole lot different than reality. I decided to play along with the vision theme and add the words for

 "BE THOU MY VISION" one of my favorite hymns. I pulled out 7 or 8 alphabet sets and used a different set to make a poison pen letter look. 

I used a sharpie marker to go around the panels. I also added music notes. \

The second journaling page was actually the one I started on at first.  I didn't get a photo of the print I cut up. but I used the same stencils as I listed above. I kinda got carried away with the colors. the red really stood out and I really didn't like it. That is why I made the second one. But as I have mentioned so many times, "If I don't like it, it isn't done." So after finishing the other page I saw this page sitting on my desk. I got out markers and started doodling. I doodled the piano keyboard. I added flowers to the one guitar and drew lines on other and added music notes and a treble clef in another. I also went around the edges with a sharpie marker. I added the words SHOW ME. Not only does it go along with the scripture that I picked it also had meaning to me because I live in the SHOW ME state. 

STAMPlorations Main Store

STAMPlorations Digital Store

STAMPlorations Outlet Store

My discount code now works for STAMPlorations' Main and Digital Stores. 

Happy July 1st

I used two  STAMPlorations - ARTploration Stencils

Peonies All Over

and

All Blooms

I made 2 prints. One print didn't complete turn out, but I knew it was going to be covered so I cut the print and turned it so the blank space was towards the center. 

These two prints were the background for a self-portrait that I made with a pencil sketch. I added my one of my favorite bible verse

My discount code works in the STAMPlorations Main and STAMPlorations Digital stores. 

If you would like to laugh, here are some of the self portraits I did yesterday. I like how today's looks a lot better. Each time I did it, I found things I would do differently "next time".  But seriously don't be afraid to laugh at these. I did.