How Does Your Garden Grow Plaque For Therm O Web

Hello everyone, just popping in to let you know that I have a tutorial over on Therm O Web's blog for this little garden inspired mixed media plaque created with their Deco Foil Flock transfer sheets.

I die cut some whimsical flowers from multiple shades of Deco Foil Flock and added some doodles with paint pens and markers.

Some stamping and whimsical watercolour and pen doodled leaves and stems along the bottom with some Deco Foil Green Envy Flock 'grass'!

And then some lettering done with a waterbrush and watercolour paint along the top.

For the complete step by step tutorial head on over to Therm O Web's blog and be sure to visit them all this week as we celebrate 'All Things Summertime!'  See you there,

Deb xo

Listen Art Journal Page

Hi everyone, I finished up an abstract art journal page in one of my book journals that I use to off load paint after making gel plate prints.  All the pages just start out as a mish mash of paint colours and textures and I just let them be until I can see or hear 'something' in them.  This page just told me to shut up and listen and in light of current events around the world I think that is very, very good advice.

Deb xo

Beautiful Moments Watercolour For A Vintage Journey

Hello everyone!  It's the first Friday of the month so that means it is time for another challenge over at A Vintage Journey.  I am hosting this month and have chosen the theme of 'Watercolour Wonders'.  We would love to see any of the watercolour medium projects that you create this month, here is the official brief for our challenge:

This month we want to see what can you create with water reactive mediums. There are lots of options - watercolour paints, dye inks that react with water, or any of those wonderful powders that bloom to life when sprinkled onto a wet surface. Just remember to create your project in one of our preferred styles: vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journaling, industrial, timeworn or steampunk.

I created a little floral watercolour painting for the challenge with watercolour paints and pencils.

It was super easy to do and I will have a step by step tutorial over on A Vintage Journey's blog in a couple of weeks time but till then here are a few closeups.

Make sure to pop by A Vintage Journey to see what the other Creative Guides have made to inspire you for our challenge and I hope that you'll break out your watercolour mediums and join in the fun!  Hope to see you there,

Deb xo

Spring Corrugated Cardboard Art Journal

Hello everyone, I have finally completed the little corrugated cardboard art journal that I have been working on this Spring, unfortunately I didn't get it finished until Summer had arrived but at least I did get it done!

Back in April I had shared a few of the pages with you but I've got it bound and completed now so here's a quick recap of the pages, a couple of which you won't have seen yet.

The 'cover' is just some Wildflower Stems die cuts on a mixed media background, loving the texture!

Rebekah Meier stencil with transparent texture paste and then DecoArt Media Patina Green Antiquing Medium over top.

Flower Garden stamps watercoloured with Distress Inks and popped up on some floral scrapbook paper.

That wonderful Patchwork Bird die, love him!

Wildflower die cuts watercoloured with Distress Inks on a Floral Collage Paper background.

A very old Tattered Angels stamp set, love the butterfly and the sentiment.

This page was strongly influenced by an online course I'm currently taking with Joanne Sharpe called 'Art Sparks: Words and Watercolors' (pssst!  It's only $14.95, head on over to sign up!).  Loving playing with my watercolours again.

And finally some of Dina Wakley's wonderful Scribbly Birds and Scribbly Flowers and Insects stamps coloured with her Scribble Sticks on the back 'cover'.

Hope you've enjoyed seeing how it came together, it was fun to make and think I will now make one for Summer ... hmmm, maybe a seasonal corrugated cardboard art journal series??  I think I may have to do that!  Thanks as always for stopping by today and happy creating,

Deb xo

Land That I Love Card For Therm O Web

Hi everyone, just popping in to let you know that I have a tutorial for my Happy Canada Day card that I made for Therm O Web's 'Land That I Love' week over on their blog.

I used Therm O Web's Red and Opal Deco Foil Transfer Sheets and painted the flag background with acrylic paints (Canada's flag is pretty darn easy to paint!).

The chipboard pieces are from Southern Ridge Trading Company and the dies used for the sentiment are Tim Holtz's Alphanumeric 1" dies from Sizzix.

Moose and trees might seem a little stereotypical of life in Canada but I see trees outside my window every day and have on more than one occasion seen a moose so they seemed appropriate to me!

Hope you can pop by for my how to over on Therm O Web's blog, see you there!

Deb xo

Beauty And Grace Accordion Fold ATC Booklet

Hello everyone, hope this finds you all well.  I have a little ATC sized accordion fold booklet to share with you today that has been many, many, many! months in the making.

It's one of those projects that you work on and then set aside and work on ....  and finally I have completed it LOL!

I started out with an experimental design for another project, using ATC sized pieces of cardstock and sandwiching a length of fibre between them to form an accordion style booklet.

I painted the cardstock, front and back, with a slip slap of taupe and white acrylic paints.

The backgrounds were then completed with a variety of techniques, mostly using Tim Holtz's layering stencils and various mediums: Distress Crayons, Distress Paint, embossing powders and Prima Finnabair Patina Effect pastes.

The backsides were similarly finished with tape transfers, Distress Crayons, Scribble Sticks and Deco Foil foil transfer sheets.

I then embellished the ATC's with elements from my stash in an endeavour to make a slight dent in the myriad of bits and bobs that I've squirreled away and added phrases from Tim Holtz's Clippings Stickers.  Here are the completed 'pages' in my accordion booklet.

Detailed Butterflies die cut.

Wildflowers die cuts.

Stamped Fragments Charm, reverse painting with Alcohol Inks.

Deco Foil foil embellished Wildflower Stems die cut.

And on the other side of the pages:

Wildflower Stems die cut from Metallic Kraft Stock.

Fragments Charm inked with Alcohol Inks and lift off stamping technique.

Mini Detailed Butterfly die cut and Bird Feather stamp set.

Layered Leaf die cut embellished with Deco Foil foil.

I'd like to link my ATC booklet with Mini Album Makers Challenge blog's June challenge:

 Hope you've enjoyed seeing my little accordion fold booklet, it took a while to come together but I really love how it turned out.  Thanks so much for stopping by today and happy creating,

Deb xo

Gone Fishin' Frame For Therm O Web

Hello everyone, we're celebrating Dad and the great outdoors over on Therm O Web's blog this week so I decided to make a little Gone Fishin' frame with their Deco Foil Flock transfer sheets.

I used one of Tim Holtz's Mini Framed Panels along with his Tree Line die, cutting out the trees from three different colours of green Flock.

I had the chipboard fish in my stash (it was from Southern Ridge Trading Company but I can't find it on their website any longer) and I painted him with acrylic paint and then used Rainbow Deco Foil on his belly, a true rainbow trout!

And the finishing touch was a little hand stamped tag coloured with Distress Inks.

I have a step by step tutorial over on Therm O Web's blog, so pop on over for the how to.  Thanks for stoping by today and happy creating!

Deb xo

A Stroll Through The Garden

Hello everyone, it's a thunder-stormy day here today and since it's a tad damp to be outside I decided to edit some of the pictures I took yesterday as I wandered about our garden.  We live at quite a high elevation here in the Thompson Okanogan region of B.C. so our trees and flowers are blooming a few weeks behind everyone else who lives down in the valleys which just means that we get to enjoy the profusion of blooms for weeks at a time as we travel to and from town on our infrequent shopping trips.

One of my favourite spring blossoms is our Flowering Almond bush, the blooms only last a short period of time but are so incredibly delicate and beautiful.

As the petals fall to the ground, the grass beneath the bush looks like it's been hit with a pink snowstorm!

The fruit trees are now coming into full bloom, this blossom is from a little gnarled and ancient apple tree that was here when we bought our home 20 years ago.  The apples aren't all that tasty but the blossoms certainly are!

And here are the blossoms from our sour cherry tree, can hardly wait to reap it's bounty in a few months time, sour cherry pie is the best!

The ornamental crab apple tree is just bursting with blooms this year, I adore the colour of the blossoms and also the colours of those beautiful variegated leaves.

And last but certainly not least, the fuchsia in the hanging basket by the front door is just starting to open, gorgeous don't you think?  They always remind me of petticoats!

Soon the columbine, irises and peonies will be in full bloom along with the day lilies and tiger lilies, how I love this time of year!

Hope that you've enjoyed this little tour around my garden and that you are able to get out and enjoy your gardens where ever you may be.  Thanks as always for stopping by,

Deb xo