"Y" is for YODEL... Another Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Challenge

Hello and Happy Day Everyone!  Today is Challenge #47 for the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers and I am sharing my creations for "Y" is for YODEL, Yes YODEL... Grin.  I thought this was going to be a tough one but once I got started it was so much fun that I went and created two cards, both featuring Unity Stamps by Heidi Grace Kress. 

Firstly I want to share this sweet and sparkly card using Heidi Grace Kress's stamp set called  "She Always Knew"  and I also used one of my very favorite background stamps from Unity Stamps called "Half of Her Doily":

I inked the background stamp with Tsuniko's Kolaidescope Ink pad

and used my portable typerwriter from 1945 (a SUPER Find at my local antique shop) to type out this groaner of a knock, knock joke!  But WAIT... inside I am going to write:

"Good Friends laugh at your bad jokes, but BEST friends Yodel right along with you!"

(too true right?)  And then I was on such a roll that I created this SECOND card using another stamp set by Heidi Grace Kress called "You Are Cute" and some blackboard stickers I found at my LDS (local dollar store) and my gel pens. 

(And for those of you that want to know I used my Derwent Inktense sticks to paint these images and then fussy cut them out and added foam pop dots to adhere them to the card fronts.)

 I like to use my Derwent inktense sticks instead of watercolor because the colors are so intense and because, once dry, they do not bleed or run or wash away when I apply wet stuff overtop... 

So If I can make two cards why don't YOU give it a try?  Just create something with a YODEL/Music theme and link it up over at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Blog... You have until November 27th and we always pick a QUEEN of Snark and at least one Princess... Come ON...Smile... Wanna PLAY??

Thanks for popping by today and yes, Please do leave me a comment if you like what you are seeing!

Lynne Mizera

for the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers

Words To Live By...

Hello Web World! Today I am sharing another of my Art Journal pages featuring Susan K. Weckesser's Unity Stamp "Sail Away" and some Ranger products and my pens for my design team post today. But I also want to share some personal moments that occured while I was using my Art Journal to create.  Here is my page and what follows is a pretty honest, Hands-on, Mushy account of my emotional arty process so be prepared! Grin

Firstly you may notice that I aways type Art Journal in capitals, that is because I have found this process to be such a powerful healing tool that even in my brain it is always capitalized.  I have found that if I allow myself to just follow my "little voice" in my Art Journal, in any way I am directed, then I find Myself accessing deep pools of emotion inside of me that I was not even aware existed.  And as these thoughts and feelings rise to the surface I just need to ride them, like a boat on the waves, aways on top, always being moved and pushed to somewhere I need to go, but always on top of the waves of emotion and always toward the light.  And then KAPOW... There it is... Usually something I need to know that I have been hiding from myself... Smile

So you can see how Susan's stamp "Sail Away" really resonates with me for this particular page, as did my Stampers Anonymous stencil Traveller, as I begin the "Next Step" in my life journey with my hubby as we get ready to leave behind a life in Alberta and move to British Columbia.  I am happy and scared and sad and grateful and scared and hopeful and did I mention SCARED!  So as I created this page layering first my boat on the waves, then my Traveller Words, I heard a younger-Me talking to the now-Me saying, "What are you waiting for?"  "You have done so many brave things in your life, why would you be even a little bit afraid of walking down this road with your life mate?" and finally I heard a Shouting from my Soul... "DON'T WAIT!! Go... Explore.... Live Your Life!" and this journal page emerged...

Now a few technical, process thingys... This page was covered with Gesso before I started so the paint pens I used just glided over the page in such a lovely way that I could not stop doodling... and doodling allowed my thoughts an feelings to rise to the surface in such a gentle way that it was easy to hear those words...

Also, that the pink words "Don't Wait" seemed to overpower my page so I covered them up with a favorite technique of mine... interactive-hidden journaling... which means cut out a piece of stiff cardstock to cover it up and attach it to my page using duct tape so you can flip it open to see what is underneath and then you can write your personal stuff on the back, hidden from most eyes. 

So that's it for today... I hope you enjoyed or at least were entertained by my bit of personal sharing and please do leave me a comment and let me know what you thought!

Lynne Mizera

for the Susan K. Weckesser Design Team

Products used on this project:

Susan K. Weckesser/Unity Stamp "Sail Away"

Stamper Anonymous Stencil Traveler

Idea-ology Tissue Wrap - Composer

Ranger Distress Paint - Salty Ocean

Sharpie Oil-based Paint pens

Sharpie ultra fine black marker

Sharpie White Water-based ultra fine pen

Ductape Brand patterned Duct Tape

Exploring An Art Journal Page

Hello all you AWESOME blog followers (hugs) I cannot believe it is already November 4th, can you?!  Today is my first post in November for the Susan K. Weckesser design team and our theme this month is "Exploring Our Backyard" and we will be using our Art Journals to share with you what we have discovered.  This really resonates with me because I want to share with you something near and dear to my heart: How I use my Art Journal and What it means to me.  Here is my completed page:

This was a week-long Art Journey with many, many layers, and lots and lots of soul searching was done and emotional connections were made while I was working on this page...

Now when I am working in my Art Journal I try to allow myself total free expression with no final outcome in mind and not worrying about making "pretty pictures".  What I want to do is allow my ART SOUL to fly free, so I do whatever comes into my mind at the time, with whatever product or color I want to  use without ever stopping to THINK or to QUESTION myself.  Taking all the pressure off myself to "make something pretty" or to achieve a final outcome allows my Art Soul to fly free and allows me to really explore Who I Am as an Artist, a Crafter, a Woman, a Beautiful Soul, a Child of God, a Human Being Residing on this Earth... See what I mean? (smile) there are No Limits to who I am when I take all the limits off myself!  

Here is my photo-heavy tutorial that will allow you to follow my process from a blank journal page to this amazing finished work that is not only beautiful but also has so much more meaning for me because of all the emotional connections made while I was working on it. Note: I started with a page in my Art Journal upon which I had already cleaned my brushes and used up product left over from other projects - this is a really good way to use up excess Expensive Stuff. 

At this point I went in with my Ranger Stickles and Liquid Pearl and used them like paint pens...

And then I pulled out all my pens (gel, paint, etc.) and used them to enhance colors and pull out details and add doodles and line details that were pleasing to me...

And by taking off of myself all the pressure to make a "Pretty Picture" or to copy someone else's "pretty picture" I ended up with something I would be proud to hang on my wall.  To me THIS is what Art Journaling is all about... Smile.

Thanks for popping by today and please do leave me a comment if you like what you are seeing.

Lynne Mizera

for the Susan K. Weckesser Design Team 

Products used on this project:

Susan K. Weckesser/Unity Stamps "Sail Away" and "Journal Doodles with a Heart"

Close to my Heart Liquid Glass
Derwent Inktense Blocks 
Golden Fluid Acrylic Paint
Idea-ology Tissue Wrap - Composer
Ranger Archival Ink, Stickles and Liquid Pearls
Sharpie Oil Based Paint Pens
Sharpie Black Ultra Fine Point
UniBall Signo White Gel Pen

And the Sisterhood says "K" is for KITTY!

Hello all my loyal blog followers and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  I love when Halloween falls on a weekend because you can stay up sooooo much later.  As well as being Halloween, today is also the beginning of another two-week challenge over at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers and this week the  Challenge is "K" is for Kitty!  

Here is my project featuring another of my favorite Suzi Blu stamps called "Witchy Ways" from the Unity Stamp Company and I picked this stamp because this is the ONLY kitty stamp I own!  In honour of it being Halloween I chose an orange, brown and black color pallette, and if you have ever owned a cat you know the sentiment is so TRUE!

Now for those of you who may be interested here is a bit of a photo-lesson on how this card came to be:

So why not come Plaaay! Smile... Just create something with a kitty/cat theme and link up your project before November 13th to the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Blog to be in the running to become either the Queen or Princess of Snark.  Winning this crown comes with all the badges and bragging rights that entails as well as a chance to be our Guest Designer for the next challenge right along side of us.  And don't forget, the more snarky or sarcastic your sentiment the better.   There is a winner every challenge and it is just TOO FUN!

So thanks for popping in to see what I am up to and please do leave me a comment if you like what you are seeing! 

PS:  Just for fun, I am adding my card to the Cat Lovers' Blog Hop that has been extended to November 1st over at Her Peaceful Garden. 

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera
for The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers (SoSS) 

Products used for this creation:
Ranger Archival Ink and Stickes and Liquid Pearls
Tsukineko Kaleidacolor Ink Pad (Cappuccino)

ColorBox Pigment Inks
Foam Pop Dots

Another Take on "Home"...

Happy DAAAY everyone!  I am happily here today to share with you one more take on what "Home" means to me for my Susan K. Weckesser design team post.  Here is my re-purposed CoffeeMate Tin Featuring Mr. Gnomey and his sentiment "Home is where you plant your Flower Seeds."  I LOVE THAT!

Now about my process:  To alter this coffeemate tin (which I LOVE to use because it is made from paper not tin) I start by embossing some scrap paper... the heavier weights work better because it will hold the texture better and not flatten out when you glue it down and apply gesso and paint overtop. 

Apply the paper to your tin using mod podge or a gel medium.  I like to use a matte gel medium or a matte mod podge because the matte surface takes other products much better than the glossy finishes.

After your embossed paper has dried apply a layer of gesso, as thick or as thin as you like, thinner lets more color show through, but since I am painting it I am only interested in the texture.  NOTE: this is a GREAT way to use up scrap paper.  Now you have a blank canvass to create whatever you like.

I started by stamping Susan K. Weckesser's Little Haven stamp on some Ideaology Tissue Wrap by Ranger using Stazon ink

and then using my gel medium I apply my images to the tin...

For this project I finally broke open my brand new stash of Silks Acrylic Glazes by Colour Arte and applied them in between my houses.  I was thinking gardens and sunrise/sunsets while I was painting.

Now these glazes are wonderful to work with and a little goes a long way.  I love the shimmery sheen they have after they dry and the way the colors layer when they are wet without mixing and turning to mud!

Now while my tin was drying I stamped an entire page of Susan K. Weckesser's "What's Up Gnomey" on white tissue paper and then I applied them all over the tin using matte gel medium. (I forgot to take a photo at this stage) When you apply them with a gel medium or modpodge the tissue disappears and it looks like you stamped the images right on the lumpy, bumpy tin without the "lumpy, bumpy" badly stamped effect.

I stamped Mr. Gnomey onto cardstock separately and painted and "Liquid Pearl-ed" him to created my very own home-made diecut, because I wanted him to really stand out.

After all this has dried is when the REAL fun begins for me... I used my waterproof pens to outline everything in black to make it really stand out.

But that was when I realized that the houses were just too white ...

...so I painted them using my Derwent Inktense Sticks because they act like a watercolor paint but dry to be waterproof and do not bleed or run when I add more wet stuff.

 The final touch for me is to accent, embellish and highlight using Ranger's Stickles and Liquid Pearls... Swoon!  (I also added some shading with my grey Copic markers to make some things pop.)

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how happy this tin makes me feel and I really like how all that texture comes through without overpowering the images.

So THANK YOU for popping in to share my creativity and please do leave me comment if you like what you see!

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

for the Susan K. Weckesser Design Team

Product Used in the Project:
Susan K. Weckesser's "Little Haven"  and "What's Up Gnomey" Unity Stamps 
Ranger's Stickles, Liquid Pearls and "Ideaology" Tissue Wrap
Stazon Ink
Colour Arte Silks Acrylic Glazes
Sharpie Black Marker
Copic Markers in Neutral Greys
Liquitex Ultra Matte Medium
Derwent Inktense Blocks