While art journaling, this scar wasn’t a mistake, it was an Oops (Outstanding Opportunity Presenting Suddenly). And it had a very strong message for me.

Scars aren’t always seen but every person has them.  Maybe they shouldn’t be hidden but shared instead.  Maybe they aren’t something “ugly” but a reminder of the journey.

Random stenciling with my Verbage stencil created a foundation of action, words that are all about taking charge of your world, your life, your future.  The edges have a touch of Distress stain.

Using up leftover paints to add some paint here and there.  Absolutely no plan here and it shows in how randomly paints are placed.

Decided to add a woman to the page.  That’s when  then came the Oops.

The stencil stuck to the damp paint and created a tear in her forehead when I lifted it up.  Is she disfigured? Not in any way!  She was sharing the message she had for me.

I muted down the paints in the background bit with some white paint while I listened for her message.  Once I had that message, I knew what word to stencil with the Vintage Typewriter Alphabet.

She has a scar. Front and center on her forehead.  And she is proud of that scar. That is a scar she earned standing up for what she believed in, for what was right.  It wasn’t easy but it is a reminder of her strength.  A reminder of the battle she won.

As her story and message became clear in my mind, I scribble journaled out my thoughts with a fine liner filled with paint.

By the time I finished this art journal page, I had a new respect for scars- both in myself and in others.  Once again, my life is fuller and gentler because of art.

Supplies Used

• Verbage stencil
• Vintage Typewriter Alphabet
• Talaya stencil
• Distress stains
• Fine Line Applicator and High Flow White Paint
• Acrylic paints

Downton Abbey has me under its spell.  I have avoided it until recently and now am an addict devouring seasons as quickly as life will allow.  While listening to the video of Downton Funk- okay, watching the video while pretending to straighten up the studio- I ended up with an art journal page instead of a clean studio.  So I called it a good day!

http://youtu.be/IO7t7fRk4IU?t=3s

Leftover paint on my brushes led to this…couldn’t bear to waste a drop of paint.  I know, Downton Abbey tends to have more muted colors but the characters are oh so colorful.

My 1700’s Building stencil jumped out at me as a manor so I let my imagination run wild that it was Downton Abbey.

I did not have a stencil that said Downton so I used letters from other words on my Verbage stencil to create what I needed.  Just some little Post it Notes for some quick masking.

What would Carson say!  My letters weren’t perfectly spaced. I always chuckle when I see him with the ruler measuring the spacing of place settings.

I covered up the stencil breaks with a little touch of white paint…had to keep things prim and proper in honor of Mrs. Hughes…

But I can’t keep things too proper…there had to be even more color. Oil pastels added bits of color here and there with some messy smudges.

 Supplies Used

• 1700’s stencil
• Verbage stencil
• oil pastels
• acrylic paint