It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World so Let's Art Journal—Journaling with Julie 1

The world is all kinds of nuts right now...the Corona virus is keeping everyone at home and on edge and we've had some personal stuff going on here too, so I've been awol from the blog. HOWEVER, I'm back and ready to get back into the swing of things every Friday here on the blog.

My sister, Julie, lives in New Jersey and she's a crafty chick too and while texting one night we found out we had the same art journaling book...so we decided to each do the chapters together. It's so fun! It's this cool book by Tamara Laporte.

The first lesson is a butterfly with a lot of thought and introspective and then you follow the steps to create the page. This is my process. I went with a 2-page spread and used my Distress Oxides spray inks, along with some Dylusions spray inks.

Then you add some stencils and water and more spray inks.

Then you Zentangle in a butterfly and, if you're me, you add rhinestones. I also added white gel pen, chipboard words and written words.

Obviously, my sister had different spray inks and stencils and she actually does Zentangle doodles so ours are different, but they both turned out dandy! 

It was super fun and interesting to do long-distance but together. We've never been able to take a class together, so this was kinda the same thing. With less poking at each other. I imagine we'd be picking at each other and elbowing each other and borrowing each other's stuff. But it'd be a blast, so one of these days, we'll have to try to do a real one.

Wishing you calmness and health during this weird, mad time.

Happy Friday,

Chark

Hello And Feel Better

Thought I'd post a card I made for a DT member, the very talented Lisa (aka The Purple Place) who had some surgery and is on the mend. Here's hoping the time will fly by and you'll feel better than ever very soon, Lisa!

I used my favorite butterfly stamps from Hero Arts, lots of Stickles and my new flower stamps from Hero Arts. I used a hello die cut from Papertrey Ink—it also gets a lot of use! 

If you're looking for these stamps, a2z Scrapbooking Supplies has them in stock and ready to go. The butterfly also comes in a digi stamp that you can download right away if you're interested in inking these lovelies up soon! a2z Scrapbooking has the exclusive rights to Hero Arts digi stamps, so pop over if you want to see what's available. And, since you're such a loyal reader, you can use my name (CHARK15) to get a 15% discount!

And, you can also join me in the Colorful Challenge at A Blog Named Hero this month. You do need Hero Arts products for this challenge too, and you'll find some wonderful inspiration over there! 

Happy Wednesday and I'll see you back here on Friday!
Chark

Sneak Peek

Thought I'd give you a little sneak peek at the project I have over at a2z Scrapbooking this week. You can head over there to get a better look, but I do want to tell you how much I love gold embossing! I bought some Zing gold powder and used it on my butterflies from Hero Arts and it turned out beautifully. I ended up embossing lots of stamps in this gold just because!

I stamped on watercolor paper and painted the background and the butterflies.

Hope you'll emboss some of your Hero Arts products and join us this month in the February Challenge. You could win $25 to the store, where all the new Spring Release goodies from Hero Arts are available! And, don't forget, you can whisper my name to get a discount just for my readers. Ok, you actually type in CHARK15 to get 15% off, but it sounds more fun this way. All month we're highlighting embossing of all kinds to inspire you. My friend, Barb, has a beautiful heat embossed project up over there today—pop over for a visit! 

From the new Spring Release, I think I may need to get a monogram stamp like this to make some gifts for relatives.

 

And I already bought this fun set (there are congrats and thanks and hello sets too) and can't wait to get started. So versatile! Send the owner of a2z an email and ask for a product if it's already sold out. She can get more! And you can get your 15% discount! Love new stamp goodies!

Happy Wednesday!
Chark

Bring On The Glitter

I've been glittering butterflies like crazy over here (see here), using my best friend, Stickles glitter glue. I try to stay away from regular glitter, as I make such a huge mess with it, but with Stickles, I can get my sparkle and containment all in one handy product. Try Some Stickles Today! ok, end of my commercial...but I do prefer it over glitter :)

Here it is up close and personal. I used the Gold Stickles on this after inking it with Distress Inks and letting it dry. I stamped with Sta-On Black so it wouldn't smear and used Hero Arts Antique Engraving stamp set found here at a2z Scrapbooking Supplies. I love this set, it's so realistic and easy and fun to color. If you do a lot of flower stamping, the different-sized butterflies look fab with flowers. I used the Leafy Vines Hero Arts stamp for my background. The gems are also at a2z.

Now, remember, folks, if you love glitter but hate the mess, try the brand Stickles today! 

Oh, and just so you know, it is still possible to make a glitter mess with Stickles...if you smoosh it in a stencil, for example, your hands and the stencil will need lots of deglittering. Don't ask me how I know that. 

Happy Monday!
Chark

p.s. the content of this post does not mean the author has stock in Stickles and will profit if you buy it...but if she worked for Stickles, she'd be a very happy woman.