Let's Have a Little Fun! - Gel Press & ColourArte

Yesterday, I shared a layout that had a pretty neat little tag on it. Today, I want to show you the technique I used.

First, let;s gather our supplies: 

• Gel Press
• Paint, (I am using Vivid Ultra-Metallics by ColourArte)
• Stamp
• Various Papers
• A brayer, (mine is a little camera shy!) 

Close Up of the Gel Press: 

The next step, dot up your gel press:

Now, using the brayer, roll the color out on the Gel Press... oh! it looks so pretty! 

Using the stamp, you will stamp on to the Gel Press. When you lift the stamp, you will be lifting color off the press. Have paper to stamp on to ready. This gives you a very cool multi color stamped image and allows you to not waist any paint! 

Now lay your paper, face down, on the Gel Press and rub down with your fingers.

...and wa-la! 

You will be able to get several images from each painting of the Gel Press. The first one bright and the ones after a little less each time. Here are some of my go at its...

Happy Creating! 

You Met Me Here

Good Morning Loves. I hope you have had a wonderful weekend so far and have managed to squeeze a little creative time in there too! Today, I am getting lost in my studio! I have been finding myself in there more and more or on my patio with my sketch book. This is what makes me happy. Creating. Drawing. Painting. Losing myself in my art while music is playing.  

I have talked a little here and there about the journey I have been on the past couple of years. As I sit here with my cup of coffee and write to you all, I smile. I am happy. My smile is genuine and I finally feel like me again... a bit different, but back to my basics and stripped of all the things that weighed me down. 

As scrapbookers we document our lives: birthdays, holidays, special events. We need not forget to capture the day to day and moments in our personal journey, good & bad. 

The next couple days I will be sharing layouts I created capturing a very special morning. At the beginning of August I went to visit my family in North Carolina. One morning I woke up very early to get to the beach in time to see the sun rise over the ocean. I walked on to the beach, it was breathtakingly beautiful, but when I turned around there was a full rainbow over the city. I spent hours there taking it all in, taking pictures, journaling, and sketching. God met me there that morning to show me, His child, that He is there and has it under control. To let go and let Him. He met me there and covered me in His comfort and grace. 

I started with a black piece of cardstock and ColourArte Vivid Ultra-Metallics. 

A little ripping and tearing and some paper from Heidi Swapp's Sugar Chic line... 

The strip of vintage newsprint is from a bag that I received from a little boutique I went to while there.

The title is a mix match of letters from my letter box... They were not very pretty put together at first, but ColourArte Vivid Ultra-Metallics stepped in and saved the day! 

Once I started piecing the layout together I ended up covering up the music note paper. I added a little bit of mesh for texture, a ribbon that I colored with left over medium from my mat, and a little heavy gesso & painted arrows. The letters "You Met Me Here" were white resist lettering stickers. I used Twinkling H20's to color them and to paint the lines around them. 

The tag... the tag was a lot of fun to make. I used The Gel Press and Vivid Ultra-Metallics. I made several to use throughout the layouts I am doing on this special morning. 

Tutorial coming tomorrow! 

Every time I look at these photos I am reminded that I am truly blessed. 

To me that is what my scrapbooks are meant for... to remind me how blessed I am... family, friends, holidays, events, laughter and love;  my journey through life.

Sending you a wonderfully, blessed day. 

XOXO, 

Pushing Myself Outside My Comfort Zone

Good Morning Loves. It is early here... too early for me to be awake, but yet here I sit, coffee in hand, writing to you. 

Life is a roller coaster. It takes you up and down, all around, flips you, spins you... all the while you hang on tight, laugh, cry, and cope the best you know how. Being a creative soul, I see it come out in my art. This past year has been liberating for me when it comes to my art. I have pushed myself outside my comfort zone... even though just a little, I went there. It's exhilarating! 

I have gotten into zentangle, art journaling, bible journaling, sketching, watercolors, and have dabbled here recently in teaching myself writing with dip pens. I have also been writing and playing with photography. On top of scrapbooking, mixed media canvases, and altered art that I was already playing with... 

I tried out for, and made! the ColourArte design team. This has been a game changer for me. Being able to create with such phenomenal products where the sky is the limit when I sit down at my studio table. 

Here are some of my favorite projects, sketches, etc... from this past year: 

I have not given my little blog the attention it deserves. I am going to try to make more of an effort to come here more often... with my art, my thoughts, or latest adventures. 

Until next time, Happy Creating Loves! 

Creating through the Pain - Broken Red Thread

Hello creative loves. It has been a moment since I have shared with you and what I am sharing today is very personal and meaningful. The past couple months have been a whirlwind. One that was absolutely beautiful and then proven to all be a lie. I have learned and grown, and for that it is hard to be angry, but my heart is broken. 

Awhile back I shared that I was apart of the ColourArte Design Team... it has been so wonderful and I have enjoyed it so much. I have been sharing over on their blog. A couple of my projects were inspired by someone who was brought into my life and whom I loved very much. I have since found out that it was all a lie and a sick twisted game to get his ex back. Needless to say I was devastated and heartbroken. 


In my studio I always find healing and creating is a release. So, that is where I turned. One of the projects I did for ColourArte was a layout, the first of what I thought would be many... 

I poured my heart and feelings into this layout. Unlike his "feelings", mine were true and pure. I never thought I would love again and he showed me that I could and THAT is one reason why I cannot hate him. 

But what the hell am I suppose to do with this layout? I sure as hell do not want it in my album... AT ALL! So, I took to my Art Journal.

Starting by covering the entire page in Radiant Gel by ColourArte.

I added a little more color using Silks in Pomegranate and some Greens:

Using inspiration from another project I did out of love for us, I drew hearts in the top left corner and the bottom left corner. Each heart is made up of shredded up notes. His is from a note he wrote me and mine is the journaling from the layout. 

I then proceeded to rip up and tear the layout. There was something so therapeutic about this step... I was such a fool. I should of known better, but the red flags were covering my eyes. I have never been one to destroy and rip photos and memories, but I am so hurt, so completely hurt, that I ripped in half every photo I had of us. It was all a lie. When it came to this particular one, I slowly ripped it in half. Making sure I left myself in tact. I may be heartbroken, I may be sad, and I may be very hurt, BUT I am not broken. He never defined who I was and he did not complete me. 

I took the pieces and slowly put them back together, but differently this time, with a whole new meaning.

I use to look at you and see the rest of my life, but now I look at you and just see a chapter in my life. A beautiful chapter because of all I learned, how much I grew, and finding my way back to my relationship with God... That is why it is beautiful, NOT BECAUSE OF YOU. It is now a chapter that is closed. One I will never re-read or open again. It is a chapter full of lies and deceitfulness. 

...but I have the rest of my life in front of me. A life I will go out and live and be unapologetically me. A life that I pray you are not a part of at all. I have too much to offer and am worth far too much to give my heart to someone who's sole intent was to use it to gain back, and I quote, "a relationship that was always toxic." So, I have started my new chapter and am happy for the first time in weeks. Letting go took the weight of the world off my shoulders and I am holding on to God and my Faith to see me through. 

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

"I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." -Psalm 139:14

T

The pole that is painted down the center is very significant. Based off a conversation that we had  on my patio one day about God and Faith. The red string is from a Chinese Proverb: 

The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical chord may stretch or tangle, but never break.

The red thread wrapped around the foundation of God... what a beautiful picture.

Have I mentioned what an absolute fool I was??? 

So here is the red thread, connected to my heart, and wrapped around the pole, and then cut. The other piece connected to his heart and just hanging. 

So what is left of all the love I had for you mixed with all your lies is this:

Creating this page was definitely part of the healing process. I know only God and time will heal me. I will never understand how you were able to say and do the things you did when it was all a game to you. Some answers I am just not meant to have.... that is were I just have to trust God with all I have. As hurt as I am right now, I know that God saved me from becoming apart of your toxic cycle. 

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. 

I still pray for you. I still pray for C and your family. I can't help it, that is what I am being lead to do. I pray for me. That I can move on and I pray so hard that I do not allow anger and bitterness in my heart. I also pray that God will guide me so that I am never such a fool again and that I am able to recognize bullshit when it comes my way. 

Creating heals. Don't be afraid to create art that is inspired by the difficult times, by the hard times, the times that break you. 

I love you, my creative family. I pray for your happiness and inspiration and a life full of blessings. 

Until next time... Happy Creating!