An Inside Look of the 2010 Olympics

I am sure there are a ton of blogs that have posts about the Olympics but I met her through an online class that we are taking and she was a volunteer for the  Olympics.   She has a lot of inside pictures that not everyone would have.   Her blog is called Tattered Edge and she lives in Vancouver, BC and loves art like I do.  

Gingersnap Creations Birthday Party Giveaway

I just ran across this great blog, Gingersnap Creations Birthday Party Giveaway.   Take a moment to check it out and enter to win.

http://gingersnapcreations.blogspot.com/2010/03/birthday-blog-candy-bonanza.html

The beginnings of Decorating Papers.........

I have had many friends ask me how I decorate my papers.   For the papers I am going to show you here, I used some acrylic paints and a lot of Ranger's Adirondack Color Spray Washes and Ranger's Distress Reinkers with Perfect Pearls.  And you can use any dye ink reinkers to accomplish the same thing.   Just add the reinkers to the water until you are happy with the color.    Since I do so many at a time, I make up a quart size bottle of water, reinkers and perfect pearls.   One Warning:   This is a messy endeavor but a whole lot of fun.

A lot of times I will lay down some color with acrylic paints using stencils, masks, puchinella, etc and be sure and let it dry thoroughly before you put on the next layer of color.  I use the excess paint that is left on the stencil from the first piece to make another print on a new piece of paper.  I just turn the stencil over and rub my hand over the stencil or you can use a brayer.   I never let any paint go to waste.  It will be a lighter print of the stencil but makes for a good design.   You will see a lot of that done on these papers where there are many different colors.   I always let it dry between each color.  

Another way to make really great designs on your paper is lay down some light weight plastic and don't lay it out smooth.   Spray it with a few colors and then lay the paper down on it.  Pick it up and let it dry.   It gives it a great design that shows up on a lot of my finished papers that I have shown in previous posts.

I just try all kinds of stencils, Punchinella, doilies, lace.........you name it and just have a lot of fun doing it.

You can make your own stencils cutting whatever design you like.  I make geometric designs and sun rays and cut them out using an exacto knife.   Joann's/Michaels has sheets of stenciling material that works great.    I made some out of wallpaper and that worked well.   Any acrylic plastic sheets you have will work too.   Just look around, you will be surprised what will work.   Chipboard and anything paper will wear down after awhile.     In order to learn more about stencils and such, I took this great class with Mary Ann Moss called Stencilry.   She uses can spray paints but the smell gets to me so I use the color washes and reinkers to color with.

Another thing I like to use for the first layer is big image stamps like big leaves, big moon and stars, you name it, you can use it.   I do this with acrylic paints and let it dry thoroughly before you do the second layer of color.   And be sure and wash your stamps right away when using acrylic paints.

I use Wausau 140 lb Exact Index weight paper.    You find this kind of paper at places like Kelly Paper and PaperZone or whatever you have in your area.   I learned about this wonderful paper from Kelly Kilmer as it is such a cheaper route to go over watercolor paper.   It holds up well to paints, water and sprays.   Kelly does a lot of bookmaking and journaling classes  and she does online classes too which I have attended and loved.  

So this is the first, second, and third layers in my paper decorating endeavors.   Once I complete these, I will show you the finished product.

Here is a couple to start with.........

Here is a link to an older post of mine where I showed some of my other decorated papers.

http://usingupallthatstuff.blogspot.com/2010/01/decorated-papers.html

http://usingupallthatstuff.blogspot.com/2010/01/its-all-about-decorating-paper.html    

Please don't hesitate to either leave a comment or contact me via email, rubbermick at yahoo dot com if you have any questions about what I did above. 

The Beginnings of New Canvas Pieces

When I decorate my canvas that I use to make purses, wallets or journal covers,    I do it in layers using stencils I have purchased or made my own.   I also use Masks, Punchinella, Doilies, Lace Pieces..........or anything that will make a design on the canvas.    For all of these pictures I used acrylic paints to make the base designs.      I am not in my studio right now so will post pictures of the actual stencils I use in my next post.   I just start grabbing stencils and paint and just do it.........    I like to mix colors sometimes or just use one base color.    The canvas I used here was some I bought from a store called SAS (like a discount mills end store with fabric, lace, trims, zippers, etc.)  as it is so much cheaper there than at an art store.

In the photo where there are two different pieces shown, they are done with a monoprint of the original piece I did.  

In the piece below, I used a stencil that I purchased that was about eight inches square full of circles.  

In the three pieces below I used strips of Punchinella and in the subsequent two photos, I did monoprints of the first piece.

If you have any questions on supplies or techniques, don't hesitate to leave a comment or email me at rubbermick at yahoo dot com.

A Giveaway at Yaya Chique

I just stumbled upon this wonderful giveaway of Vintage treasures at Yaya Chique.   It ends today.   Check it out and enter.  

Prima Giveaway.......

I just heard about this from Eileen's blog and thought I would also join in on the fun too.     

Prima is having a wonderful giveaway of creative goodness.  Click on Prima and it will take you to their site where all the rules are for joining in on the fun.   You never know, it just might be you.

Treasure Chest of Lace, Trimmings, etc.........

I guess one can never have enough trimmings, lace, mesh, doilies, straw trim, you name it, it is in this chest.  I love picking through it and deciding which will work best for whatever project I am working on.   And, of course, it goes without saying that the majority of this was picked up while I was thrift store and flea market shopping.   Another thing I like to do with things like this is give them as little gifts to people when the opportunity arises.   In fact that is one of the things that make me so happy is to be able to share with people who aren't able to find stuff like this.