coffee filter..... {layered}

when the stencil and colors are good.

happiness.

coffee filter. stenciled. painted. stamped.

goodness.

happy wednesday.

xo. kristin

coffee filter..... {painted}

had a great time procrastinating and painting up a coffee filter.

stenciled, painted, wrote on, collaged, and even a little fabric and sewing.

happy friday. 

xo. kristin

taming the colorful mess..... {stenciled}

when the colorful, playful painting fun has gotten the best of you.... use a good stencil and tame that page. 

tamed.

xo. kristin

layered & stenciled

collage layers, acrylic paint, hi flow acrylics, and white paint through a stencil

happy saturday.

xo. kristin

march.... {month clip}

march.....

• spring
• shamrock shakes
• birthday month

and tgif today.

xo. kristin

tagged.... {stencillove}

i made these tags using the woodland collection art pops card and traci bautista new stencil with some payne's grey acrylic paint and a little sewing with sari ribbon.

on this bottom one i also used RobenMarie's inked rubber stamp and a woodland collection mini circle sticker on my art pop.

proof that anything can be saved....

every have one of those days when your mood is just scribbles?...... this was how i felt on monday. just woke up on the wrong side of the bed and couldn't get out of my own way......

but, that night i went to the studio again and looked at that card and thought, you know- what this needs is a good stencil. 

and poof.

proof that anything can be saved with a good stencil and some paint. even the very, very overworked.

need a good stencil? be sure to check out stencilgirl. 

love the peeks of color and the scribbles showing through. 

(rolled payne's grey over my stencil)

happy valentine's day!

xxxxxoooo. kristin

simplicity {art journal}

sometimes the monochromatic simplicity is all that i am capable of. and really, sometimes it is all that is needed. 

• had used this page as a palette; loved the simplicity of the color, with the lights and darks
• pencil
• stencil with white paint (stencilgirl)

happy monday. 

xo. kristin

stencillove

don't you just love stencils?!.....

yet another saved very-overworked painting.

• one very overworked painting; color, scribbles, drips, dabbles
• stencil girl stencil
• payne's grey with a soft sponge roller with said stencil
• jayne davenport's paint over pen- white 

happy wednesday.

xo. kristin

so good {stencil}

when the collage and stencil are sooooo good.

thank you stencilgirl!

xo. kristin

p.s.- sample for up-coming class in sept; will share details soon

tea tag {abstract}

tea tag- abstract

acrylic paint, ink, charcoal, stencil

happy monday.

xo. kristin

tag makin' {new stencils}

i had started making tags out of recycled manilla folders and of course my first folder turned out awesome and i loved it; but, this second one.....well, let's just say-i wasn't feeling the love for this poor thing.......

that is until....my new stencils from Rae Missigman had come this week! i knew when i had first seen the new stencils that i really, really liked them and would have to order at least one....

the folder had turned into a bit of a hot mess, but, the light paint through the new stencil helped pull it back and provide some desperately needed lights and some shaped distraction.

below are the stencils that i ordered from Rae. click on the new stencil high-lighted above to find all of the new stencils and sizes that are available.

happy thursday.

xo- kristin

stencil love {postcards}

last week i participated in a postcard swap. the focus was on stencils and all work needed to be done using stencils......

so i layered up lots of stencil love to make each of these postcards.

i also decided that these postcards needed some gold ink and a little stitching....so hard to always stick to the exact instructions sometimes.....

holiday warm up- tag style

here is one holiday tag i made with one of stencils from BlueTwig Studio.

i will walk you through my process for creating your own tags.

1. grab a tag....i had to make my tags, as apparently i did not actually have any premade tags. i used file folder and a template to make my tags.
2. use acrylic paint and the gelli plate to get paint down onto each tag as your background color. i did use my small 6x6 gelli plate with these tags.
3. stamp a little with an opposing color- i used a homemade stamp to make the light blue strips on the tags. i also sprayed lightly with a silver spray ink.
4. brayer some more color....i put a small amount of pistashio green onto my gelli plate and rolled the paint out with my brayer and then, rolled the brayer onto the tags in areas to add additional color. below is a sample of how the tag will look prior to the stenciling. 

    5.  use the Tim Holtz Christmas (THS030) stencil with holiday words. i used a cosmetic sponge          and white acrylic paint to pounce on the white paint.

    6.  hi-lite one word with a stabilo pencil. spritz with water to blend a bit. be careful with the   water, it is easy to use too much.

here are some other samples that i made using the stencils from BlueTwig Studio and this same process. 

the other supplies i used in the tags below are: 

• Tim Holtz Holiday Knit (THS028) stencil 
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Gumdrops that attached with Gorilla Glue

getcha in the holiday creative mood?....

round 2 for recipe card

i made another recipe card- this one is actually more of a recipe holder with a pocket on the back to hold the recipe written out on small sheets of paper.

i cut down a file folder to make this recipe card because it is a bit sturdier than paper and not overly thick like cardboard. i like the tab i left and it was perfect for adding the words i had found, "licking his lips."

when i cut down the file folder- i made the card 4" x 6". i used acrylic paint and a stencil for the larger circles, and spray ink and another stencil for the smaller circles. i applied the green with the edge of a gift card.

i added the little swatch of fabric for a soft touch and stitched around the very edge of the back paper to make my pocket for the pages.

stamping up a storm

i signed up for a stamping swap recently and made a tag and an ATC.

my tag was made with a base of scrapbook paper on the front and music paper on the back. i painted the tag with acrylic paint and added some silver spray ink to my background before stamping with some of my favorite stamps.

i added the ribbon that matched my paint to finish it off.

here is my ATC below. i gesso'd the front to start to cover most of the background before using spray ink and stencils to add more color. i also used walnut ink and more of my favorite stamps.

29 faces challenge 2014: day 1

i did decide to give 29 faces challenge a try.....faces are something i feel like i struggle with- so this will be the perfect push outside of my comfort zone.

here is my face from yesterday-

i am using an art journal that i had used my gelli plate to print the backgrounds first. i also used stencils and spray ink. my image came from a fashion model i had pinned and knew i wanted to draw. 

she is interesting and i am hoping that as this month progresses, that my abilities will get better......

gelli plate and stenciled backgrounds- love....

i have been making additional backgrounds in my art journal and thought i would share these additional backgrounds. check these out....

 i love the colors and shape on this one....i had simply cut a piece of card stock to block out the shape found on the right hand side. each time i have used the shape, it gathers a little more color and i keep thinking i will actually use it in my art journal and cut another one- but, it continues to be "seasoned" and look even cooler with each use.

 this one i used paper scraps i had on my counter to block out when printing- love the bold shapes in the red. the yellow was printed onto the page and the green i used a stencil.

this last one was the end stage printing....the red was probably the third print off of my gelli plate onto the previous layers. the circle is actually a stamp. i stamped off onto this page when using it for something else i was making. sometimes it is dangerous to decide that you want a lighter version of a stamp- because i tend to "stamp"it off onto anything that is handy. i love the big circles though with the little polka dots peaking through the layers. great fun!

excuse logic

i like to "use" a vacation to purchase more art stuff. observe the following:

1. exhibit A- vintage carry-all bag used for taking art supplies with on vacation

2. example B- inspirational magazines and creative items able to easily be pack into said vintage carry-all; please do note the variety that is able to be packed into said bag.....almost enough, but, not complete.

now, this is where the excuse comes in.....the defendant will claim that she needs to go to the craft stores while on vacation. different stores= slightly different stuff at said store and the defendant will claim that she is being limited in her creative abilities by only being able to bring the carry-all. so, just a quick sweep through the craft stores at the vacation spot- especially for small items that will still easily fit into vintage carry-all....which leads us to:

3. example C- small crafty, creative items purchased at said craft stores, which totally made the defendant's heart go pitter-pat. 2 new 6x6 stencils, 2 new ink color circles, and 2 rolls of washi tape.  all of which would easily fit into carry-all- and all that could be used in art journal packed on said vacation.

all of this leads to the final point.....art journal pages....

watercolor turned into a pair of collages

playing this past weekend had good results....i took an old watercolor painting that was a dud and turned it into a pair of collage paintings....i used a washi tape and painted strips with some tissue paper to add interest and the contrasting color.

the yellow-orange underneath is the original painting of a flower. i used stencils with both acrylic paint and glimmer mist to add additional layers to the painting to disguise the flower.

here is the pair of mixed media collages......the colors look most wonderful with a mat around them to really make the colors pop!