Jazzing up some wall board tape

Wall board or fiber tape is a popular product to use to create texture in mixed media art and other craft activities right now. I wondered if I could jazz it up a little by making it patterned. So, I experimented with acrylic paint and stencils on the tape and found the results pretty cute!

Here's a link to the video:
Drywall Tape Decoration Tutorial

How to Bind Single Sheets Into an Album

I've been using mat board as a base for my mixed media projects.  (You can find it near the framing department in your local craft store or ask a framer if they have any trimmings you can have.) I like the mat board because it's sturdy and because it has a background color on at least one side. I have some that are metallic that make really cool backgrounds without needing to paint!

Here are a few of my first attempts...

I wanted to bind some of my projects into a book, so I worked on both sides of the mat board.  When I had around eight to ten "finished" pieces, I tried to figure out how to bind them into a book. I knew that sewing the mat board with traditional book binding stitches wouldn't work because the board is too thick and rigid.  I found a tutorial on YouTube by My Creative Spirit where she binds chipboard pages into a mini album. It didn't look too difficult and it seemed to fit what I was looking for.  I made a larger album with my first mixed media art pages and really liked the result.

Here's a flip through of the first book I made.

I cut some of the mat board into quarters and made some more art on those. I decided to record the process of binding these into a mini album. Instead of using cardstock to bind the mat board, however, I tried using fiber tape (wall board tape) to connect the pieces instead. It turned out okay in the end, though I think I would glue the tape down the next time as it is so flexible that the book isn't square.

Hope you enjoy tutorial!

The bound album!

Mixed Media Art Tutorial - Index Card a Day (ICAD) "Green"

Here's a little video I made showing how I interpreted mixed media artist, Daisy Yellow's, index card a day prompt, "Green."

I've decided to document my experience as a newbie to the mixed media arts. I will be posting videos and pictures in the coming months and hope that you will follow along as I learn! Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel and click the "thumbs up" button on my videos so that I know that someone is enjoying what I'm sharing. Please also leave comments/questions/critiques for me! I love feedback! Happy crafting!

Mixed Media: The Perfect Art for a Creative in Withdrawal

After closing my eBay and Etsy stores, I found myself feeling out-of-sorts. Something was missing in my life... I was enjoying my marriage and new baby, but I didn't feel myself. While browsing the internet, I stumbled upon The Documented Life Project, an art journal group offering weekly prompts to help you "document" your life through art. It's a really cool project! Here are a few pictures of the pages I made following the weekly prompts:

Week 8: Add a flap to your flap

 This was a really "tame" attempt... all stamping and paper scraps. I do like how it turned out, though...

Week 9: Collage something you recycled

A little friend!

I collaged a cake mix box from a cake I made for a co-worker's retirement party. It was also my birthday, so I made a little "Happy Birthday" scene on the other page (I can't find a picture of that right now).

Detail Week 9

Week 11: Draw, photograph or collage a bird onto your page

I used some name-brand 3-D items I had purchased (I don't recall the brand though, sorry) for the cage and the red bird but I drew the other bird and cut the word, "Chirp" out of decorative paper free-hand.
There is a light coat of white gesso on top.
















I followed along for a few months, but I found myself creating/experimenting in-between the weekly prompts. So, I decided to attempt to make an art journal on my own, no prompts, just whatever came to mind.

I went to the second-hand store and found an old sewing book from the 1970s. I used a pen knife and cut out every other page or so (and kept these for the awesome vintage pictures and fonts) to make the book more manageable and to create room for the dimensional objects I was planning on incorporating as I built my art journal. Note: If you want to create an art journal out of an old book, you'll have to use one that is bound, not glued. When you start cutting pages out of a glued book, your journal won't hold up and you'll likely lose pages you don't want to lose!

Here are my first attempts...

I don't like how the yellow and purple look on this page. The whole thing looks amateurish to me. Of course, it was my first attempt, so I should be nicer to myself...

 My next attempt... I like how the sewing book's original pages show through. I didn't really have any "mixed media" tools at this point so I used scrapbook paper, acrylic paint and mixed acrylic paint and water to make the green spray. The radiating circle stencil is actually one of those plastic picnic plate holders from the dollar store!

Page left

I don't have a good picture of this two-page  put together. I really like how it turned out. I used gesso, scrapbook paper and paper cut-outs of birds. I used watercolor pencils to draw the branches and leaves. The lattice work was accomplished by using a stencil and a compound made for creating a "snow" look for dioramas. I think I used some teal acrylic paint, too.

Page right

Texture detail

My sewing book journal really got me excited! I've been a busy girl and will post more pictures soon! Hope you enjoyed a peek at my beginner's attempts at an art journal!