14 DAYS OF LOVE - DAY #12

I can't believe we're on Day 12 already.  2 days to go.  I hope you aren't getting "loved" out, but rejoice in the knowledge that there are only 2 more prompts after today! <<hehehe>>.  Your journals should be overflowing by now with all kinds of lovely expressions of the heart.  We've been so thrilled with all you've shown us so far, so hang in there!

TODAY'S PROMPT: HEARTS IN A GRID

I love hearts. Doodly hearts. Big hearts, Cut out hearts. Any kind of hearts make me smile.

Perhaps today you interpret this prompt literally.  Perhaps you "hide" a heart grid behind some fantastic images and words and let them peep through.  Draw a grid and doodle up hearts every which way imaginable. However you interpret today's theme, we know it is going to be creative, just like you!

Here's a look at our interpretations.  We hope you find something in our work that inspires you for your own creation.

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MELODY ELZY -  For this prompt, I pulled out my small dylusions journal and decided to use this spread I had started a few weeks ago....The background was done with my gelli plate....I honestly don't remember what colors or stencils I used, but for the tic tac "heart" I used Liquitex Basics in Mars Black and Quin magenta....This was pretty much the only way I could figure to do the hearts in a grid....plus I think it's kinda cute in a cheesy sort of way...lol

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TAMIE RODRIGUEZ WILSON -  I found this cool graphic in an old calender. Painted my index card black. Wrote in white a quote that was in calendar. and added stamped hearts.  Voila! The perfect grid!

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BETTY RICHARDSON - I was running a little short on time and did a literal translation of today's prompt by creating a grid and doodling all sorts of hearts in my Canson mixed media journal.  Watercolor, gouache, Sakura Gelly pen and Signo Uniball pen.  Did I mention I like to doodle?

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LYNN JACKSON - Just a piece of cardstock that I painted with satin blue bird and for the grid I used a China marker. My first time using it and I liked it. Stenciled some fuchsia color hearts and then stamped little hearts over the bigger ones. Added some heart Washi tape for the border and a little heart stencil and I'm calling it good! Thanks for looking.

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Thanks for stopping by the blog to look at how we interpreted the prompt this week.  Can't wait to see your take on it!  Remember to show us your images over at Artful Journeys!

We're keeping it artful!

~~Betty, Melody, Tamie & Lynn

ARTFUL CHICKS

14 Days of Love - Day #6

Day 6 is here!  Tick-tock, the time is flying by already.  Today's prompt should prove to be challenging and fun and easily worked into your journal.



Our prompt for today:  USE HEARTS AS BORDERS


You can use doodle hearts, stamped hearts, punch cuts, tissue paper hearts, any 'ole hearts that you can think of to make your page both pleasing and creative.


Take a look at our interpretations of this prompt and hopefully you will find some inspiration or perhaps a new path to go down to represent this prompt.

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MELODY ELZY -  This was done on a background in my large Dylusions journal. Just some medium magenta acrylic by Liquitex , a makeup sponge and some punchinella. Since I'm planning on using this spread for actual journaling and not art, I wanted to keep my border simple. I flipped the punchinella over when I was done with a section and rubbed over it with the heel of my hand to get the paint off that side as well.

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LYNN JACKSON - Day 5...This page is in my Canson art journal. Bought a new tube of paint called Craft-Smart Premium Satin in the color of pacific coast and boy that paint was a joy to work with. It went on really well. On the border I used a handmade heart stencil and put the hearts all the way around the page. Cut out some hearts and put 3 on the page. I spread some of the Pacific Coast paint over some of the hearts. I think it gives it a dreamy quality; at least softer!  This was a fun prompt. I hope you ladies give it a try.

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TAMIE RODRIGUEZ WILSON - Today I am using a 4x6" lined Index card. We don't always have to make things in our journal right away, and I can tip this in later or even next year!  I used my new stencil of the Skull (that everyone knows I love!) with just waterered down black acrylic paint. Used some stickers of hearts and black pen, them I took a purple Papermate Ink Joy pen and went around the black dots. Used a white and pink paint marker to add some dots. The flags are from a new stencil as well. I just wrote some lovey words with a white pen, then used some brads to apply my ribbon.

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BETTY RICHARDSON - I did a few different things in response to this prompt.  The first was a little spread in my Graphique pocket journal that I use quite frequently for documentation, experimentation, quickie doodles, sketches and the like.  I wanted to see how many different kinds of heart borders I could come up with to use on future work.  I used a .05 Micron pen and Sakura Glaze pens and Prismacolor pencils.

As you can see, I came up with several different variations in using hearts as borders.  











This page is in my large Dylusions journal.  I received some awesome steampunk-y stamped images in happy mail from the talented Delores Miller and knew that I wanted to use them along with some fabulous sheet music from our own Lynn Jackson that came with my birthday present in September. Music and Valentine's Day goes together, right?  I rarely, if ever, lean towards steampunk, although I do love it, but I don't have any stamps and bits of my own--other than what others have generously shared with me.  So I tried to create the feeling of an "antique" page by first tearing all around the edges of two pages of sheet music. Applied to the journal with fluid matte medium, and smoothed out with my palette knife so there wouldn't be any bubbles or wrinkles.

So then, in comes some lovely tissue paper with big, bold hearts.  I cut that into strips and applied all around the edges with fluid matte medium.  Blast with the heat gun.

I applied a thin layer of gesso with the edge of a gift card, then used 3 shades of Apple Barrel craft acrylic in Khaki, Cinnamon Brown and Taupe along with DecoArts Honey Brown and began dabbing all around and all over the page, covering the hearts here and there as I went along to give them some "age".  They were pretty bright red, and after I applied them, I decided it was too bright. So I dulled them up!  I smoothed some areas with the sponge and others I left "dappled".  I thought it was looking pretty good.

I fussy cut out the designs I wanted to use and while my sponge was still damp with paint, I smudge painted them as well.  I then used a Micron .02, Sakura pen in black, and a fine line Sharpie to add back in some of the image details.  They were glued to the page with good 'ole Elmers Glue.

I applied some black and white washi tape, and highlighted parts with my Signo Uniball pen. I felt the washi was too bold so I "schmeared" some taupe paint over it with my finger and smoothed with the cosmetic sponge.  Much better.


While I was making this page, my mind wandered far, far away to a time long ago to one of the first loves of my life.  My heart felt full, and I smiled.  Sadly, this person has passed on, so it is just a sweet memory.



So, with that sweet memory, I created the saying "A fleeting thought of a long lost love can still make the heart smile."  Hand lettered with a Micron .08 black pen.

"A fleeting thought of a long lost love can still make the heart smile"

And here is the whole, finished two page spread.  I hope you like it as much as I do, and enjoy making your page with heart borders"  as much as I did.  Thanks for stopping by! ~~ Betty

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We're keepin' it artful!

Betty, Melody, Tamie & Lynn
ARTFUL CHICKS

14 Days of Love - Day #5

Day 5 has arrived!  How are you coming along?  Are you keeping up?  Plan to catch up over the weekend?  So far this has been so much fun, and we certainly hope you agree.  Spreading love, one day at a time warms the heart.




Today's Prompt is an art prompt:  USE HEARTS AS BALLOONS!



Don't balloons bring a happy smile to your face?  Who would think some rubbery-plastic stuff  or some mylar sheets filled with helium could make the heart sing so wildly?  Add in some fancy, curly ribbons and you have won hearts for sure!  Don't you bring bright, happy balloons to a sick friend? Send them for special occasions?  Take them to your momma just to see her smile?

Reflect that love on  your journal page today.  Float them in the air, maybe ride on one, draw them, paint them, stick them on with some embroidery floss or fancy ribbon.  However you express yourself today will surely make you and someone else very happy!

Have a look at our interpretations of this prompt.  Are you smiling yet?

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TAMIE RODRIGUEZ WILSON

Tamie has her art mojo back on today, and created this whimsical page that is just adorable and very Tamie-esque.   The background is three shades of acrylic blues and teals over a lightly gessoed 4x6" index card. The girl is from a collage sheet by Crafty Button Designs.  I did add some more color to her with Posca marker pens. The heart stamp is a freebie I got from Viva Las Vegas Stamps that  I colored in with gel pens, Stampin' Pastels and Papermate Joy Ink Pens, outlined with a black Posca marker pen. Used my new Faber Castell Stamper's Big White Pen (Love it!) and added black dots with Posca marker pen.  Isn't she just adorable?

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BETTY RICHARDSON - Gosh I had fun with this prompt, and amazingly, it all came together in less than an hour.  The vintage ballerina image was the cover on a Victorian Trading Company catalog that came in the mail.  I cut around all the logos and advertising and glued it into my 9x12" Canson mixed media journal with ordinary Elmer's school glue that I scraped on smoothly before applying, and then used a clean gift card and scraped the front of the image to make sure there wouldn't be any wrinkles or bubbles.

I knew I wanted to try and match the background colors as closely as I could so I used a combination of Apple Barrel craft acrylics in White, Kiwi and Khaki, applied with a cosmetic sponge in color layers, and then by mixing and blending the colors onto the background image to give it a soft "painted" finish.  Being as impatient as I am, I zapped it with the trusty heat gun.  The match turned out pretty well I thought, and that ballerina just popped off the page.  Yay!  Then I cut some 1/4" wide strips of watercolor paper out of some scrap and lettered my saying, "She loved feeling loved" and outlined the words with a black Sakura Gelly Pen and colored with E55 Light Camel Copic marker.  As an afterthought, I added the yarn in a swirly pattern to to the top and bottom of the page, tying in the colors of her tutu.  This also served to partially obscure the bottom edge of the clipping which didn't blend very well.  I added the "heart" balloons that I had that were some kind of felt stickers I got a few years go, along with some red and white baker's twine.  I think I successfully covered up that cigarette she was smoking!

I hope you like her.  She makes me smile.  Sorry some of the glue was still wet when I photographed her.

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LYNN JACKSON- Lynn got her "bling" on today in a big way!  She cut a 6x6" brown craft card stock then cut 3 hearts and added bling to make them look like balloons.  She was kinda trying to twist them so they looked like they were flying. White pen for the lines and a little Washi tape. On the hearts was some bling received in a mail art swap. This prompt was a lot of fun to complete.

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MELODY ELZY -  Working in my small Dylusions journal I first created my background by putting down some light blue and whit acrylic paint using a wider paint brush. Then I used some hi flow acrylic with a water brush to create a wash of "sunlight" from above. My hears were cut from a larger piece of underpaper and glued down. I then drew strings to turn the hearts into balloons. I found the quote on Pinterest.

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So now you've seen our takes on this prompt -- let's see yours!

Be sure and share your images in the February Photo Album at Artful Journeys with a brief description of your process and materials and your post will show up automatically on the feed!


Keepin' it artful!
Betty, Melody, Tamie & Lynn
ARTFUL CHICKS