Sometimes, words just stick in your head. When that happens for me, I truly believe that it is God trying to drive home a point…he just knows that I need it boiled down nice and simple! I have been working so diligently on my blog and YouTube channel recently, and I have honestly been feeling a bit discouraged. All of the hard work is not necessarily providing tangible results yet, but I know that I am doing what I am called to do. So, the word “FORWARD” has been in my head. As in, there is only one option, to move forward. To press forward on the path before me, to continue attacking my goals with tenacity, and to trust that God has great plans for me!
Check out the process for this Art Journal video over on my YouTube channel:
To create the background for this page, I primarily used Distress Oxide Sprays. These are great tool for mixed media journaling! They provide splashes of color, create a chalky look (but not feel) when they are dry, and also react with water to create oxidized patterns on your page. I mixed several fall colors and even added in a Dylusions Shimmer Spray to create a contrast between the chalky finish and the shimmer finish. Layers upon layers of spray are so fun to play with. Quick tip – I prefer to spray inside a box so that the spray does not go all over my work surface. It can get really messy really fast!
I also included a bit of stenciling in the background for this entry. I sprayed through one stencil, but it did not result in a clear image because of the amount of spray that I used. Distress Oxide ink gave a much cleaner impression on the music stencil that I used, adding some tangible images that popped off the page just enough, but not too bold. To continue the fall feel that I was going for, I stamped Autumn leaves using Versafine onyx black ink and then embossed each of those leaves using clear embossing powder. This is a technique I have used many times before to make black stamping really pop off the page even more by giving it a glossy finish.
The next technique I used for the background was very nostalgic for me. When I was in high school, we did not have text messaging, so when you wanted to send a message to a friend, you literally wrote notes back and forth. Because I’ve always been a creative person that loves color, I often decorated those notes. My favorite technique back in the day was to create a tie-dye look by scribbling circles with markers. All you had to do was layer the circles, slowly making them bigger and bigger until they meshed into each other, creating the tie-dye look. I did the same technique around the stamped images of the leaves, and I am so pleased with the outcome! I feel like the psychedelic feel fits really well with the Simplicity woman that I have cut-out for this entry. Plus, I find any repetitive art technique really relaxing to do!
As I mentioned earlier, the title for this page is “Forward”. I stamped the title on with my go-to foam Tim Holtz alpha stamps and added the Amelia Earhart quote using a Micron black pen. While looking over the page, I decided that the leaves on the pages would be blowing in the wind, so I quickly added a few wind blown marks. Later, I highlighted those with gold “glass glitter”, really adding more dimension and sparkle to my page. IN the end, I did add additional quotes at the top of the entry, because lets be honest, inspirational quotes bring me so much joy!
In what areas of your life are you having to push FORWARD? For me, its definitely a call to continue the hard work of building something I believe in! I’d love to hear the ways that you are pressing forward in your life!
Keep it creative,
-The Scrappy Wife
Supplies Used:
- Distress Oxide Sprays (Vintage photo, Carved Pumpkin, Squeezed Lemonade, Picked Raspberry, Peeled Paint)
- Dylusions Shimmer Spray (Tangerine Dream)
- Distress Oxide Ink (Weathered Wood)
- Tim Holtz Large Alpha Stamps
- Pixie Spray (for stencils)
- Autumn Leaves Stamps from BTW4G
- Clear Acrylic Block
- Versafine Onyx Black Ink
- Clear Embossing Powder
- Tim Holtz Small Talk stickers
- Gold “Glass Glitter” from Art Anthology
- Jane Davenport Glitz-Sea Markers
- Micron Black Pens
- Tombow Liquid Adhesive
Love love it 🙂 I recently started using distress inks and all of Tim Holtz’ products. Love the different effects.
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