My Mermaid altered book junk journal Sold

I have to admit, I love to create mermaid journals. There is something seductive about the idea of maidens of the sea swimming around just out of reach. They are beautiful and graceful mythical creatures that fill my imagination. So here is another altered book junk journal that I just listed in my etsy store. I just sold it.

Here are some photos of this lovely journal that I have filled with sparkling gemstones and lots of tucks and tags for you to fill in with memories.

page folds out to reveal a tuck spot and a tag

another fold out page

I hope you have enjoyed these photos of my mermaid junk journal. Perhaps they have given you some ideas about how to create your own. It is for sale in my Etsy store. Take care.

Vintage woman photograph; Lost in Time

I have been learning how to make composite photographs in photoshop. This one is called Lost in Time.

It is a composite photograph from a photograph of a turn of the century Russian woman that has an overlay of a textured wall photo applied over it in photoshop. Then I added a sepia filter and text to it.

Medieval woman Book of hours prayer journal Sold out

I am still working on unpacking and organizing my new craft studio but I could not resist making a new journal. It is hard to not create and so here is my new Medieval woman Book of Hours, that can be used as a prayer journal. You can find it for sale in my etsy store;

As you can see I have used an old book and altered the covers and the inside. I love the colors of this cover. I choose royal purple and lavender because most of the Books of Hours used in the middle ages were owned by royalty . The beautiful lady in the gold colored frame has been decorated with Swarovski crystals to make her sparkle. The background is made with a stencil . modeling paste and diamond glitter. I added a copper dangle in the upper right hand corner that has 3 charms.

Normally, it takes about a week to make one of these mixed media journals but this one took longer because it is bigger and more elaborate than I usually make.The pages inside have been removed and the left over pages have been glued together to make a stronger substrate to add embellishments There are about 40 pages in the book with 32 tucks and tags. I have added some handmade envelops with paper inside for a personal note or prayer.

It is filled it with images from famous 14th century French Books of Hours and other medieval paintings. There are lots of blank pages for you to add your own embellishments. and photos. Swarovski crystals are scattered throughout the journal with gold glitter to highlight the images. Vellum cover pages, triple fold outs and double fold outs supplement the interactive aspect of this diary. 

A pull out tag on the top of the right page and a vellum overlay on the left page

This is a triple fold out with a vellum page on the left

Paper door opens up and there is a tuck spot on top

Several tucks in the left side of the page

Pull out tags from 3 sides of this set of pages

The vintage paper on the bottom of the left page is from a 120 year old German bible

As in all of my mixed media journals , this is one of a kind. A perfect gift for that discerning woman of faith.

I love Mermaid journals –Sold

I have been busy staying inside and staying cool and safe in this summer weather. What make me feel cooler is making a mermaid mixed media journal. Here are the photos. These mermaid journals sell fast and you can purchase this journal at my etsy store; https://www.etsy.com/shop/LDphotography

Have a cool day. This journal has been sold. Thank you

#Graphic45 Magic Masquerade art journal

I just finished this beautiful handmade art journal using Graphic 45 paper Magic Masquerade.  This paper is so inspiring.  I love the colors and the images.  So here are the photos of some of the pages.  Maybe this will give you some ideas for your own work.

The journal has 42 handmade pages and ties together with a blue satin ribbon.  I love using crystals , metallic paint, stencils and feathers in my work.

This journal has been sold  in my Etsy shop;  art journal

Happy creating and enjoy the process.

#Graphic45 A Ladies’ Diary art journal

I just love Graphic 45 paper.  It always inspires me to create new and beautiful art journals.  This is one that I just completed using the paper called A Ladies’ Diary.

I made this journal using large book binding rings so additional pages can be added.  It started as a vintage map atlas book that I took apart so I could use the covers.  After a lot of gesso, texture paste and spray paint I got to add the fun stuff.  So the crystals, feathers, ribbon roses and chain with charm all came next.

It has 41 pages that have been handmade using paper, cards and images from the Ladies Diary paper package and my vintage papers.  I really enjoyed making this journal and hope that someone special gets to use it.  So please enjoy these pictures and you might get some cool ideas for your own journals.  If you have any questions or comments just leave them below.

This is for sale in my Etsy shop at this link;

Thanks for looking at this journal.  Happy creating.

French paper kit from Paris

One of the joys of traveling and pet sitting is going to places I have always wanted to see.  Last year , at the end of pet sitting we got to spend 6 days in Paris on our way home.  There are such charming and interesting flea markets in the city.  I found these remarkable French book pages and postage stamps there. Here are 2 of my travel journals that I used these papers to make.I brought them home with me and have been using them to make my own travel and art journals but there are too many for me to use.  So I thought I would put together a kit of French papers and ephemera to share and sell in my Etsy shop.   Here is the kit and it is filled with over 22 pages of vintage French book pages and other items from my French collection.  I hope it will inspire my creative friends to add a flavor of Paris to their journals or work.If you are interested in this kit please see my Etsy store : https://www.etsy.com/shop/LDphotography.    Here is the addy for this listing; https://www.etsy.com/listing/673084840/french-paper-kit-junk-journal-vintage?ref=shop_home_active_1

 

Thanks for reading and happy creating.

Free tutorial on making mixed media art & travel journals

I seem to be on a roll the last couple of weeks making several mixed media art journals.  I just love journals.  I keep one in my purse to write down creative ideas that come to me while shopping or walking.  I also keep one for each year ( though I should say I keep a couple for each year as I fill them up) .  Here is the one for 2017   It is getting filled with my thoughts and experiments quickly.  But that is good because then I get to make another one.

I make and sell mini art and travel journals in my Etsy shop .  I do not charge much for them because I just want them to go to someone who will enjoy my art.  Here are some that I have listed right now;   Then I make a large mixed media art journal that is very complicated and takes about 3 weeks to complete.  Here is my currant one called Steampunk Woman;   This started out as an old 1930s book that I rescued the covers ( the inside pages are being used for other projects),  I cut out the pages and painted the covers white.  Then I used clear gel and stencils to make the textured background.  I painted it with metallic teal paint and edged with gold paint.  I used Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante paper for the cover and the inside pages. I painted the woman on the cover with crackle paint and added the metal gears and a name plate.  

 

There are 3 large book rings with fiber hangings.  There is a key and a cherish token hanging from the front.  There are 33 double sided pages inside.  Most have been made into envelops and tags to attach photos or write journal insights.  Here are some photos of it;

  I even made a small book of secrets that fits in a pocket for those private thoughts.The back cover is plain except for the mixed media collage that I made on the front cover.The beauty of this journal is that you can use the book rings to open and add your own pages or to rearrange anything.  I love this type of premade journal when I travel because all I have to do is tape or paste items into it as I go.

Well I hope you have enjoyed this post.  Drop by my Etsy store to see more. http://www.etsy.com/shop/LDphotography     Stay creative everyday!

Free Art journal Tutorial; quick journal page using Neocolor water soluble Pastels

Sometimes I want to make a colorful art journal page quickly. I also prepare my travel journals ahead of time using this technique so that they are ready to use on the road.  I also sometimes take the smaller set of pastels in my travel kit.

I use these Neocolor water soluble pastels.  I thought some of you might want to try this fast technique.

I bought these online from an art outlet.  They are not inexpensive but they last a long time.

First I glue 3 pages of my journal together to make a substrate that can handle the water you will be adding.  I normally use only 3 complimentary colors for a page.  Here I start with a sky blue on each corner. then a yellow , followed by a gold in the middle.You use the pastels like a crayon. The next step is where you have to be careful.  You want to start to blend using a moist (not too much water) paint brush., just blending the colors together.  If you use too much water with these pastels it dilutes them and makes your paper wrinkle a lot.

Dry this page now.  I like to add a frame to the page which I do after the page is dry using two colors of brown ( one dark on the outside, one lighter on the inside)

Dry the frame.  Here is the finished page that took about 15 mins.   Finished , dry and ready for me to write my day’s adventures down.

Here is a page in my journal that I did with lots more preparation.  I glued pages, used 3 coats of white gesso ( they need to dry between coats) and finally when completely dry, applied spray paints.  This took a day since you need the gesso to completely dry.  Now I will admit I like the effect better but sometimes I do not have the time to do it.   Thanks for looking at this tutorial;  I hope you enjoyed it and can use it in your creative work.  If you have any comments please leave them below.  You can find my mixed media journals and journal kits in my etsy shop .  If you want to see my photographs and our travel adventures dog and house sitting in England, look here.

New Graphic 45 paper Enchanted Forests arrives

Today I got a new pad of Graphic 45 designer paper from Amazon;  Enchanted Forests.  Be still my heart, it is so exciting for me to open a box with such a happy gift inside of it.  I can imagine all the beautiful art journals and mixed media collages I can make with this pad of exquisite fairies, forests, and color coordinated papers.  ( disclosure; I am not associated with Graphic 45 and I purchased this paper myself ).    After I get through playing with this pad, I will cut up some of the papers to make a paper kit with lots of items from my stash to sell in my etsy shop  ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/LDphotography )  for other people who want to experiment with this fun paper but do not want to go to the expense of purchasing an entire pad.  This is recycling in a fun way and sharing my excitement at getting to use this stunning paper line.Here are two photos of an art journal that I made using some of my Graphic 45 papers.  It is so easy  to create when the papers and images coordinate so well.

Just thought I would share my excitement with you today.