Final Page Spread in my DLP 2014 Journal

Hello everyone! I'm back with my photos and details of the last challenge of DLP 2014! If you do not know what DLP is, check it out here! :) 

DLP 2014

DLP 2015

The Academy where you will find the great art community!

The lovely Art5 ladies added a last challenge for this year. Week 53: Draw or collage something that begins with the first letter of your first name.

I'm not sure if this would be considered a collage or not. It's a group of four tangles that start with the letter A, as my name is Anna (in case you didn't know ;). I added some other artsy goodness as well. 

Did you know official tangles have names? I love that they have names. Is that the nerdy part of me that finds comfort in that? lol 

I have always doodled. Then I discovered tangles. I have not been the same since. My favorite website for patterns are tangles are www.tanglepatterns.com. Check them out here. Love the site! They are all listed alphabetically.

The tangle names from left to right pictured are: Arc Flower, Arukas, Allium and After-glo. I used library cards that I picked up new for really cheap at a local book shop. I drew in each design, then covered it with clear gesso by Liquitex, and lastly, added color with my go-to supply: Neocolor2 wax water-soluable crayons.

left page

right side

Chevron stencil for texture using modeling paste (It's my favorite technique right now.), added lots of color with Neocolors2 crayons, splatting color all over the place. 

I did the background of each page first by layering color with Inktense pencils and the Neos.

This photo above ^^ was taken from above, pointing down. Loving all the texures happening. I took a white Gelato to finish off the edges. I glued the library cards down with gel medium and matte medium.

The hearts were made with modeling paste and a stencil. The stencil is from punching out hearts from cardstock. The punch is a single punch of a heart trio from Stampin' Up. 

I added greyish-blackish details to the edges of the library cards with a grey Neo crayon and a Sketch and Wash pencil by General's.

I found the Arc-Flower tangle difficult to get even. But that's part of my style, I guess. I can't copy anything perfectly. It is usually wonky, off-center, etc. :)

Added lots of white gelato and neocolors for coloring. This time I told myself I could not use Dylusions sprays, as I want to try different things. 

The 2014 I started with Sketch and Wash by General's, then a Prismacolor marker on top.

I always gravitate towards the Allium tangle shown above. ^^ It's an easy one for me to draw.

Thanks for stopping by! I'm almost ready for DLP 2015! Can't wait to start!

Christmas in my DLP Journal

Another week in my Documented Life Project journal.

If you are new here, and have not heard of this project, check out the Art to the 5th Academy! I've been following along all year long, and now we're nearing the end! A weekly prompt keeps things challenging and fun! Here is the website: Art to the 5th

Had lots of fun with these pages.

I added a tip-in this week. (A tip-in is another page added in to your art journal.) The cross shown, is the inside part of the tip-in.

 For my calender pages, I did my usual sketch, then added in Neocolor 2 crayons for color.

The header has loads of layering because I just could not get it to look right. Final result has lots of modeling paste, gesso, Dylusions ink sprays, Viva Inka Gold color, and more. I used Staz-on ink for the stamping of the wise-men. The Bethlehem star is colored with the Viva Inka Gold in Rose Quartz color, making it really shiny.

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The tip-in ended up in the shape of a cross. I used a stencil by Tim Holtz called Latticework, laying it down directly on the watercolor paper, and scraping modeling paste over the stencil. I got some awesome effects with it, as the stencil was "dirty" from previous projects.Once the paste was dry, I sprayed heavily with Dylusions sprays to get the loads of color. Final touches are Viva Inka Gold creamy metallic stuff for the cross outline and a few other areas. 

Tip-in closed. Daisy Yellow has an amazing project on her Instagram that I loved very much. Lots of layers of color, so that's what I tried with this page. I messily wrote Christmas devotions by Ann Voskamp on index cards, then put them down on the sprayed background. I then added modeling paste and glitter around the edges for texture. For increased depth, I took several watercolor pencils and scribbled around the edges as well, and wet it down, to engage the colors and add depth to the edges.

Lately I have been using a water brush filled with water to work the Neocolor2 crayons and other watercolors.

I used several pieces of happy mail by the lovely Lois, a fellow moderator on the DLP Facebook group. Finally, I incorporated some of the lovely artsy stuff I have received in the mail! If you don't know what happy mail is, check out my Pinterest board called Snail Mail Revolution! :) 

My background is layered with paper towels for texture as well. I sprayed it with Dylusions ink and water for more color.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate each and every one of you. :)

My Coptic Stitch bound DLP Journal

It's nearing the end of The Documented Life Project 2014! Only two more weeks to go! 

Do not know what this project is about? Do go visit the Art to the 5th blog and Academy! You won't be disapointed!  :)

Art to the 5th blog

Academy

Finally got around to finishing my cover and binding it all together! I'm very pleased with the results. I really like how it all lies so nice and flat no matter where you are in the book.

I used a cheap, SEE-THROUGH, plastic, thin, flexible cutting-board for my front and back covers. I decorated it using paints, gesso, stencils, Tulip fabric paint sprays, and simple white letter stickers.

Two volumes: One bound in pink embroidery floss, the other in yellow. I used all six threads that make up embroidery floss and covered it with beeswax. Next time I will use less threads, as it got a little thick. There are gaps between each signature for that reason, I believe.

Yellow thread stitching in the middle of the September signature...:)

To see what materials I used inside the book, and how I put it together, and links to Youtube videos for the Coptic Stitch method, go to my older blog post here: 

My handmade Journal for DLP

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

My Friendly Neighborhood Map

♥♥♥ 

First of all...can't quite believe it, but I'm the Spotlight Artist for the awesome The Documented Life Project! I feel very honoured to be featured! Thank you, thank you, thank you Roben-Marie, Rae, Lorraine, and Sandi! 

See it HERE! 

♥♥♥

Edit: I have to post my favorite picture of this post. Why I like it so much? It's testament to what I've been learning from all the amazing artists in the DLP group! NEVER EVER thought that I'd be able to create something like this! So, if you feel like a total newbie, unable to create anything fantastic, think like that no more. If you want to learn, you CAN! 

Week 47 Challenge - Add a map of your town, state or country.  Document about this map.

Week 47 weekly spread with tip-in closed. I chose to create a map of my own backyard. :) I wasn't going for accuracy, but to highlight my favourite spots. I used various watercolor paints.

Spent HOURS pouring over map designs, both in books in our home library, on Pinterest, etc before I started my own. I have often wanted to make a map of where I live, and this challenge gave me a good reason to do it! The main feature is our acreage, with notable areas where we have created memories in the two years since we moved here. :)

Most of the acreages in the subdivision are covered in trees, so the trees represent forest. 

Love the compass rose. I remember learning about it while studying geography and mapping with my kids. I chose to go with a doodle-style instead of the many intricate traditional designs out there. I made up names of our roads. Fun to create a "story". 

Open fields, ponds, picket fences, lots of trees, great neighbors...I love our home and neighbors! 

Good friends, chicken coops, dandelion fields.

See the letters A to O? I have labeled special spots where I've taken photos of the kids playing or areas of interest and beauty. On the other side of the tip in I have included the photos with the corresponding letter and the journaling. Will get to that part after I've shown you what the tip-in looks like on the other side  (opened).

♥ Photo "M" is of my youngest amongst the dandelions. He just loved the dandelions this year, and pointed them out to me often on our walks. 

♥ Photo "O" is of the neighborhood "lake" during spring run-off, which was a result of a clogged culvert. Mine and the neighbour kids all collected their "boats" (the winter sleds) and had a day of "boating". :)

♥ Photo "P" is our mailbox. My boys leaped up onto the mailboxes to look at my youngest's happy mail he received one day. :)

See the letter A on the map? It's my sweater tree! Actually I have two that I've yarnbombed.  

I love close-ups! I crocheted these happy circle motifs last summer. Or was it winter? I can't remember!

Back to the opened tip-in.

Four tags displayed that flip UP to see photos and the journaling. The tags are index cards I have arted up that were among my art journaling stash.

The header design for Week 47 in my planner was inspired by a Target body pillow cover I own. :) Inspiration is everywhere, right? :)

I love type written with a water brush filled with ink. The tags are all tied with old waxy flax from my scrapbooking days. I made a border and colored in with a water brush as well.

The black and white alphabet is just a sampler of letters I created using a font on my computer. I used my scrapbooking software program called Lumapix FotoFusion to make it. I attached each of the four tags with thin washi tape. Need to go back and glue the tape in, as it is coming apart...

This tag was created with layering multiple of colors and mediums. I learned about layering methods in the Create It Mail It Alter It class. I am absolutely thrilled with all the techniques I have learned! Do check out this great class! It's by the Art to the 5th Ladies, creators of the Documented Life Project. The class is geared towards learning all about altering your mail art, but you can apply the techniques elsewhere. I think you have to join the Academy first before you are able to sign up/purchase the class.

The tags overlap each other when they are open. 

Each photo I included are from my Instagram. I printed them off for free at Prinkl, cut them out, and adhered them to the tags. The journaling is done on the facing area of each tag. These are older photos. I basically just copied the words I had written on IG to this project.

A different view of the first two tags open. I colored reinforcements you find in the stationery aisle of any store, and attached them to the tag. Each photo has the lowercase letter matching the uppercase letter on the map. I punched a small opening in each photo to accomodate the little letters.

View of the last two tags open. Can't have them open all at once, as they're attached facing each other on the page. For the journaling area, and the back of the tags, I smudged some Dylusions ink to the white cardstock to add some color. 

There are actually THREE flips. You lift the page of tags to reveal the last page. See below.

Completely open, It's kinda plain at this point, but it'll be filled in as I journal our days. See what I wrote on Tuesday?!? Yes, Artist Spotlight for DLP. Pinch me, as I still can't believe they would choose me. Thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog, everyone! (My feature got bumped up to Wednesday.)

An old Gelli-print, using a doily for texture and stencil. White Signo Uniball pen for the words and doodles.

And, there you have it! Thanks for coming by! Always appreciate comments to let me know you were here. 

Happy Creating! Loving DLP 2014! Looking forward to next year! See you all on the Academy and the FB page. :)