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How to create an altered book art journal page with stencils

It was just going to take a moment because all I was doing was using up the last bits of color on the brushes.  Don’t want to waste the any part of the rainbow after all.  No reason to turn on the video camera.  This is just cleaning off a few brushes.

And then I got sucked into playing.  Yes, forced by the muse to paint and play.

It started when I grabbed a place to wipe off the paint left on my brushes.  I grabbed an altered book journal where I had started this page eons ago with my large Union stencil.

How to create an altered book art journal page with stencilsAn altered book is just an old book that I use just like any art journal except that the pages come pre printed with words!

These brushes only had pinks and purples on them. I couldn’t leave it like that.  I had to add some more colors, like yellow. So added more paint to my palette.

How to create an altered book art journal page with stencils

Before I knew it, the whole rainbow was involved.  Instead of using up the paint, I seemed to be getting more and more out.

How to create an altered book art journal page with stencils

Out came the small Union stencil for very messy play.  I stenciled wet paint on wet paint.  And it was so much imperfect fun!How to create an altered book art journal page with stencils

For the title, I used the Verbage stencil.  It had almost all the words I needed.  But not “the” so I cannibalized the word they by just stenciling t-h-e and voilà, I had the word I needed!How to create an altered book art journal page with stencils

Whenever I ask the muse, I should to listen to what she says.  She said write neatly.  I tried.  I wrote really neatly for me.  It was awkward and uncomfortable to write legibly.

How to create an altered book art journal page with stencils

It didn’t feel right so I did it the way that made me happiest, scribbly scratchy and messy!  So technically,  I listened and took her advice and then added to it!  But I did listen to her when she said play!

It doesn’t take much for the muse to get me to play.  But it wasn’t always that way. If you’d like to know 3 ways that I used to thwart that unplayful voice in my head (the inner critic), get signed up for my newsletter here.  There’s a downloadable video and pdf waiting for you!

How to create an altered book art journal page with stencils

Here are the supplies I used. Some of these links are affiliate links which means I get a small percentage. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and you are helping me keep this blog and my videos ad free! Thank you- I don’t like ads any more than you do!


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Video sharing how I get over the urge to hoard supplies even when it is not easy for this week's Let's Play link party!

Negotiating with my muse is not a wise thing to do.  My muse is not affected by whining, whimpering, or wishing.  She was a total task master as I filmed this week’s Let’s Play video. I am so grateful she stood her ground!

Video sharing how I get over the urge to hoard supplies even when it is not easy for this week's Let's Play link party!Use it or lose it is this month’s theme and this week was the absolutely challenging for me.  I saved these fantastic glossy full color brochures from the Cincinnati Butterfly Show at Krohn Conservatory.

Can you tell I treasure them? They’re from 2005 and 2006 and more precious than gold to me because of the memories of going with all of my kids (2nd grade field trips and my own 2 kids).  So it has been sitting in a drawer for 10 years waiting for the “right” time to use it.  Until now.

Video sharing how I get over the urge to hoard supplies even when it is not easy for this week's Let's Play link party!I fussy cut out 2 butterflies…and then I looked at all the others with despair.  I was never going to be willing to cut all those out but I didn’t want to waste them either.

That is a lot of cutting.  My hands will hurt.  I’ll have to focus for how long to cut them all out? The internal whining had begun.

I begged my muse to let me off the hook and not have to throw them out.  But she stood her ground.  Use it or lose it.  Like a 5 year old, I got tired of whimpering about it so I began to look for another way.  And I found it.

The answer? Don’t fussy cut. Do big quick messy cuts and layer layer layer!  In no time at all I had used all the butterflies.
Video sharing how I get over the urge to hoard supplies even when it is not easy for this week's Let's Play link party!

In the video, you’ll also see the thing I almost missed in the brochure. I was focused on the butterflies that I didn’t see something very rainbow which actually became ended up right on the cover.

Watch Confessions of a supply hoarder  on YouTube.

Want to see more Let’s Play videos? You can find all the weekly posts here.

Now you’ve seen my play, let’s see yours in the link party below!  For this party, it can be any play on the theme or not (since play really doesn’t have a lot of rules)!

This months way to rediscover how to play is all about getting over hoarding with one simple sentence! Video and link party each week for Let's Play!
This month’s giveaway is a $50 gift certificate to Bluemoon Scrapbooking
!  Link up what you’re creating (and you get a bonus entry into the giveaway for sharing your play) or leave a comment telling something that you liked about one of the photos shared. One comment per person but you can link up to 3 images of your play each week!  Giveaway closes Sunday, May 1st at 8am EST.

New to Let’s Play?  You can find out all about it, what and how you can share (and it is almost anything- it doesn’t have to follow the monthly theme and you do not need a blog!), how to grab the blog button, plus other info here in the Let’s Play FAQs.

[inlinkz_linkup id=617133 mode=1]

Want to put the button your blog? Just copy all of the the code from under the button.

Let's Play!
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Video comparing distress crayons and gelatos in an art journal with Carolyn Dube

After sharing my video experimenting with Distress Crayons, I had a lot of people asking me how they compared to Gelatos. So, I thought I’d try them out in a video side by side and see how similar or different they are.

Disclaimer:  I am NOT a formally trained scientist adhering to strict rules of a carefully controlled double blind experiment.  I am playing and having fun with color…

Watch Gelatos vs. Distress Crayons on YouTube.

First thing I did was attempt to match up similar colors of each from my stash.   Next I used them to color in my Alternating Circles stencil in an art journal.  Notice the tape on the very left edge of the page?  It was worth the effort of taping this down so it didn’t move on me with this technique!

 

Video comparing distress crayons and gelatos in an art journal with Carolyn Dube

Then I stepped away for several days.  That wasn’t my plan.  It was an Oops (an Outstanding Opportunity Presenting Suddenly).  I meant to just let it sit over night but then I got distracted by other duties.  So these things had a lot of time to cure and set up.

After such a long time, both the Gelatos and Distress Crayons did not smear when I ran my hand over them.  Well…for the most part.  The places where I had big chunks of the colorful creamy supply would smear in both brands.

I decided to see how well they would smear with the very fancy and sophisticated tool, the baby wipe, after such a long time.  Both did smear but the Gelatos seemed to smear more easily and more vibrantly.  The Distress Crayons did smear but not to the same level.

Video comparing distress crayons and gelatos in an art journal with Carolyn DubeIs this good or bad? Depends on what you want.  Want something that will wake up and react to water at any point? Then Gelatos do that very well!  Want something that after it has time to cure doesn’t react as quickly to water?  Then Distress Crayons do that a little bit better.  No matter which one you are using, it’s fun to smear it around!

Could I use big crayons like this to get into the areas of a detailed word stencil like Fridge Poetry?  And still have a crisp image? Yup!  Super easy to do!

Video comparing distress crayons and gelatos in an art journal with Carolyn Dube

What’s my final analysis of my detailed scientific study comparing Gelatos and Distress Crayons?  They are very similar.  Not identical, but similar.

Here are the supplies I used. Some of these links are affiliate links which means I get a small percentage. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and you are helping me keep this blog and my videos ad free! Thank you- I don’t like ads any more than you do!


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