Watercolor - Another August Challenge

I just couldn't resist trying another watercolor! :-)  This one took 1 hour and 11 minutes. I didn't think I would enjoy watercolors as much as I do. The picture on the left was the inspiration for the page I did on the right. I did what Tracy would tell me to do....I made it my own! :-) Thanks again for always teaching something new and fun, Tracy!  http://tracywburgos.typepad.com/treasure_the_momentlove_l/2013/08/august-2013-creative-dare-let-it-go.html  Be sure to check out all the wonderful entries and if you haven't done yours this month.....well, what are you waiting for????  ;-)

Watercolors - August Challenge

This was my first "real" attempt at watercolors. I like to sketch things first so I can "perfect" them.  lol  I still need to do more doodling and put a quote but I found out that it can be fun to just start painting without following lines. :-)  I didn't time this one so it wasn't for the Challenge.  This one was inspired byt this Mixed Media Mondays video. 

This is my first watercolor for the august-2013-creative-dare-let-it-go. It took me 1 hour and 2 minutes!  :-) I was so into doing this page that I finished it at the rodeo we went to.  lol  I wonder if I'm the first person to art journal at a rodeo.  haha   I also love that Yvonne and I did similar paintings without knowing what the other was doing.  Great minds think alike! ;-)

I feel like I am constantly saying the same thing over and over but I am so thankful that I met Tracy and feel so blessed by all she's added to my life!

July's Creative Challenge

I think I had more fun with this challenge than usual!  I picked something totally "out of the box" for me but a style I've always thought was so whimsical and fun. I had been in a bit of a funk creatively and had went through some things that totally threw me for a loop. I love how getting involved with a challenge from Tracy can get your mind off of things and actually make you feel better. The words I used were things that helped me get through the tough time. There are still some things ahead health-wise and other but.......I do believe the worst is behind me.  :-)

I did the background with my homemade gelli plate and I just had to try the credit card lines that Tracy makes look so fun.  lol  If you would like to join in on the Creative Challenges check out Tracy's you tube channel and her blog .  Thanks once again, Tracy!!!!!  

June Creative Challenge

I totally missed May's Challenge.  I started it...even got the hardest part done, writing the letter, but in spite of good intentions.....it still isn't done. So.....at the last minute I am blogging and uploading my June Challenge. Life threw a few totally unexpected curves with some shocks and surprises but I have learned.....When you can't trace His hand, Trust His heart!  How ironic that "Trust" is my word of the year!  I am so learning to trust and sometimes....it isn't so easy. 

Back to challenge... In spite of it all "I DO have many reasons to smile" "We are all in this together" and I will still have to work on believing that "You are amazing just the way you are" in regards to myself.  Working on it but not there yet.

The background I made using my homemade gelli plate. I got a little carried away using tape and used drywall tape and then masking tape on top of that before putting my words on. The black in the upper right and lower left is washi tape. Well, generic washi tape, that is.  lol  This is not my favorite page I've done but I'm glad I made myself take the challenge.  I "needed" this!  Thanks once again, Tracy!
Just had to add.....my daughter just read my page and informed me...."This is what you need"  :-)

Homemade gelli plate *Updated

I am one of those people that weigh it over long and hard before I make a purchase. I like to try something out multiple times to see if I'd really use it. The gelli plate looks like so much fun so since I have been laid up a bit, I have been watching lots of youtube videos on gelli plates and art journaling and also reading blogs.  I found two that seemed to make the most sense to me. I lay awake til around 4am Sat. morning and decided.....I have to do something. So I folded some laundry, put dishes in the dishwasher, did a few other things and..............made a gelli plate.  lol  I went back to bed around 5:30am so the gelatin had plenty of time to harden so my daughter and I could play.  :-) I apologize for the quality of pictures.  I think we left the camera at momma's so had to use my phone.

Here is the written recipe and the video I got it from.

Homemade gelli plate

12 packets of knox gelatin

3 cups of boiling water

3 cups of cold water

1 Tbsp of bleach 

(the bleach I found from a sweet older lady on youtube and now don't know where it's at. It will help it to last longer)

Mix (gently) the gelatin and 3 cups of cold water. Slowly stir in hot water. Add bleach. Pour into cookie sheet, pan, etc.  I used an ~9X13 baking pan.  Leave it on the counter to gel for at least an hour. wrap with plastic wrap and store in fridge. If you are going to use the top of it be careful that the plastic is smooth because it will make places in the geletin.

Homemade gelli plate video

*UPDATE  Lindsay at The Frugal Crafter is awesome!  You'll want to subscribe to her Youtube channel. Not only will you save money but if it's like me.....her energy will make you want to get up and get something done. :-) Anyway, she found a way to make a permanent homemade gelli plate. How cool is that? I am going to use mine with bleach until it gives out on me and then make one with her recipe.  

 The Frugal Crafter Homemade Gelli Plate Recipe 

 Here is the permanent gelatin plate recipe, remember if you damage the plate you can nuke it on high in the microwave for a minute and reset it!

7 packets of gelatin (6Tablespoons)

mix into:

1 cup of alcohol mixed with 1/2 cup glycerin (room temperature)

then add:

1.5 cups boiling water and pour it into a shallow pan to set.

My daughter and I played with the one I made again and had so much fun. I did check to see how much the ingredients would cost for this one and it's approximately $9 - $10 give or take some. Since I already have the alcohol it will be less for me. :-) *

Below you can see me getting it out of the pan and after I had laid it on the baking sheet. The bottom photo is my daugher using stamps in the paint to make a print. She and I had so much fun and I loved that she "wanted" to create with me. <3 p="">

Here are some picture of my daughter creating and some of her pages. 

More pictures of the pages my daughter did.  I love the one on the right. She used bubble wrap.

Here are 4 prints I got from one time.  I put the stencils on and got two, and then after I took them off, was able to get two more.

If you use too much paint.....you will get what happened below.  Still pretty but not quite what we were going for. :-)

On this one the first print is with the stencil on, the second is with the stencil off, and the third is where I laid the stencil down on a piece of paper after I took it off. 

This one is the same...first one with stencil on, second with stencil off.  

TIP! If you are using a stencil with words place it backwards on your gelli plate to get it correct on your print. :-)

 I hope this was helpful to some of you. And I'm thinking.....with as much fun as my daughter and I had....it would be well worth my money to get a gelli plate. It was an inexpensive way to try it out and see if I would want it and......I plan on having lots of fun with it next week.  If you have any questions feel free to ask.
Hugs!

Mixed Media Monday's April Challenge

Once again Tracy has given us a great challenge that so often makes us work outside of our comfort zone and then.....we are so glad that we did.  :-)  April's Challenge was to create a page and come up with 5 words that we would want someone to think of when they remembered us.   I put a lot of thought into some of my words....others just came easy. 

My first word "Faith" - Definition of FAITH

1

a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty

b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions

2

a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God 

I hope that my faith is one that will leave footprints to lead others straight to God.  God, who is so full of mercy, love and forgiveness that they realize they "can" overcome things that they thought impossible and be the amazing person God made them.

"True" -

¹true

 adjective \ˈtrü\

1

a : steadfast, loyal

b : honest, just

I want them to remember that I was true to God, true to my family, true to my friends.

"Compassion" - 

: sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it

I truly care about others, sometimes I kind of wish I didn't so much :-), but I want to always have compassion and do what I can to ease the load.

"Laughter" - enjoyment or happiness expressed by laughing

Wow, was this an emotional word.  :-) I have always been a happy person.  I love to have fun and I love to laugh. I don't have a soft, quiet laugh. No matter how hard I try....if it's funny or I'm happy.....it just bubbles out. 99% of people enjoy my laugh and have told me so, but that 1% can sometimes be so cruel whether alone or in a crowd of people. I wish I didn't care and it didn't bother me but......it does.  So, I thought....I'll just put the word "Fun".  I explained the challenge to my daughter and that I needed to have 5 words to be remembered by and her reply.....your laugh. She did not like it that I wanted to put fun because of some not liking that I laugh lots and I laugh loud. She loves me "for me".  Do you know how much that meant to me? Needless to say.....for those that love me "as is".....For you......remember my laughter.  :-) 

"Creative" -  someone who is creative has a lot of imagination and new ideas

And I "love" to get inspiration from other people creativity. Tracy has not only inspired me in more ways than she could ever know but has given me a whole group of inspiring, caring friends that I will be ever grateful for.  Thank you, Tracy, for how much you give of your time and yourself to all of us! We are truly blessed because of you! 

Faux Gelli Plate :-)

So many of us have found the gelli plate printing so interesting and would love to try it, but sometimes.....life gets in the way of us spending the extra money for "just fun" things.  The company my husband works for decided to save money on insurance and make higher deductibles, dr visit fees, etc. so after 3 surgeries since last August and another coming up.........I can't justify the extra money for too many of those things right now. I know Von is just one who would like a gelli plate....but is patiently waiting.  :-)  Well, I saw something online that gave me the idea to try this and since it worked....I thought I'd share it for Von and anyone else who would be interested. 

After trying it with one sheet of craft foam/fun foam I realized that it really needed to be 2 thick or buy the thicker foam. Since I already had the thin I glued 2 together.

I used one of the plastic sheets you use for your oven on top, put 3 different colors of paint on, used my brayer and.......it worked.  :-)

 I should have used more paint but I actually like the way it came out.  This was the first page.

This page was after I sprayed on some water and used what was left. I'm anxious to try this with stencils, masks, and whatever else I can think of.  

By the way.....I met Von through Tracy Weinzapfel Burgos and we have so much fun on our Mixed Media Monday Nights at 6pm PST. We'd love for you to join us.  :-)