Rouge Raven's Nest

iHanna's Postcard Swap

2011-03-09T22:34:00.005-05:00

Has it really been a month?! Grad school, a new job, and a new man have been distracting me.

iHanna has opened up her inbox for submissions to enter the 2011 International Postcard Swap! www.ihanna.nu/blog/?p=1277 I already sent in my message; last year I did a series of red and gold cards featuring birds but I'm not sure what direction I'll go in this year. I've been using a lot of spray inks recently, perhaps I'll go in the stencil direction with that...

I'm currently taking a class called "The Theory of Creativity" and every week we need to try something creative and new. I recently chose to experiment with free-form embroidery, which is likely doodling without thread since you do not really preplan what you are doing and you don't use a pattern.

My kitties:

A blossoming heart for my new relationship:

Yep, more hearts. I'm very happy with my life right now.

Detail shot of the heart flower.

By the time I realized the petals were wandering away from the flower I just decided to go with it. It reminds me of falling petals and spirals.

Lately

2011-02-09T22:45:00.001-05:00

I don't know what it is lately, but I've been using less wet media and more collaged backgrounds.

Tie dye cupcakes

2011-02-02T23:37:00.002-05:00

My sister and I have a list of things we want to do together called "The Sister Lister." Last week we decided to make mulit-color cupcakes. It's very simple; you just need some white cake mix, food coloring, and whatever other ingredients your recipe calls for. After following the mix directions you divide the batter into separate bowls and dye them different colors. Then the fun begins! You pour different color combinations into your tins, resulting in fabulous cupcakes!

Mine on the left, Amy's on the right.

Mine on the left, Amy's on the right.

We didn't have enough cupcake liners so we made bite size cupcakes!

When you bite into your tie dye cupcake it explodes with color, so pretty!

2010/2011 Grid

2011-01-30T21:22:00.002-05:00

Diana Trout has been posting nudges on her blog to get people inspired to work in their journals and a recent nudge was to incorporate a grid. I chose to do a sum up of 2010/looking forward to 2011.

Be Fearless

2011-01-29T19:42:00.002-05:00

This year I wanted to start off with a mantra so I chose "Be fearless." I've already taken some large steps in the first few weeks of 2011:

1) I have started dating again (and I am having so much fun).

2) I am accepting a big promotion at work; I will be directing my own center and receiving a considerable raise.

3) I am starting grad school Monday!

So to encompass this mantra I decided to play around on canvas, which is something I have avoided because that is for "real painters." Whatever, I like it and I had fun.

One Stamp in two ways; when you lay down a layer of metallic paint and press an uninked stamp to it you will get a two tone image of the stamp.

Layering practice

2011-01-27T13:57:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I decided I wanted to work with layers so that my pages would have more depth. I have a hard time covering snippets and papers since I chose them for their colors and designs. It's silly! For some reason both of these turned out very monochromatic.

Mail art and pages

2011-01-21T22:32:00.002-05:00

I finally got off my butt and uploaded everything off of my cameras =)

The contact info. page in case I lose my journal- it should be noted this has not happened yet. *Knock on wood.*

It's one of those scented perfume ads (it smells pretty!) but mostly I fell in love with the Marie Antoinette vibe.

While working on said page I walked away for a minute and returned to sit down, only to be greeted by a high pitched squeak. This little bugger squeezed onto my chair when I wasn't looking.

Finally, a piece of mail art I made for my pen pal/former swap partner, Alison. I just took an image of a crow, traced it onto chipboard and made fold out wings from scrapbook paper and I wrote my letter on them.

Photography Lessons and New Craft Space

2011-01-19T10:24:00.006-05:00

Christmas morning

Sorry I haven't been posting! Our Internet has been down and then snow/federal holidays/life got in the way. But now things are back up and running! Grad school is breathing down my neck so I may only be posting once a week (I *really* want to make it a regular habit!)

Christmas afternoon

Over the winter holidays I've been playing with my camera more, trying to figure out which setting work with which environments. My ultimate goal is to create a 6ft x 4ft anatomical heart out of chicken wire and papermache to use in a series of photographs during the summer.

Recently I've been playing with self portraits, such as in the Christmas ball above. I learned that by redirecting the flash (by not placing the subject in the center of the photo) allows reflective surfaces to not become "whited out." (That is such a weird looking word- whited, huh.) Apparently you can also diffuse the flash by taping a piece of white tissue paper or vellum over it- I really want to try that out.

Here is a peek at my current craft space- I got rid of the old desk and replaced it with my sister's drafting table. She is switching her major from interior design to graphic design; she was sick of seeing my craft junk on the dining room table so she gave me the table so I could spread out, out of sight. It's so nice to have my own space where I can leave out my projects and come back to them when I feel like it. Now that everything is up there it's so much easier to get started.

My best friend, Chrissy gave me a Cricut for Christmas and my sister gave me an ihome, now I have no excuse to leave my room. Ever. So much playing, dreaming, and creating! Painting and journal pics to come!

Swap pages

2011-01-07T21:08:00.002-05:00

I joined craftster's "Journal for a Month" swap and this is one of my pages from the one I sent. I used Golden liquid acrylics as a wash for the background and used some scraps of paper from craft time at work for the clouds.

I also took part in Craftster's "One Tiny Historical Thing" swap and my partner wanted something WWII related so I made her a tiny art quilt of Rosie the Riveter. This the the sketch and swatches from the project. I used the colors from the image for the actual quilt, printed the image black and white, and then tinted certain parts of the image to give it the look of old hand tinted photos.

Fall journal pages

2011-01-03T19:21:00.002-05:00

Old journal pages from my early fall journal:

The background is an unfolded envelope glued down on the page to display the blue geometric pattern, then washed with watercolor. I layered the bird stencil over with plastic canvas and applied red acrylic for some texture. The boarder is a stamp I made with some left over rubber- it reminds me of branches/nests.

Counting down to my 23rd birthday (it's just like 21 and 22 but with more gray hair.)

Etsy shop up!

2011-01-01T23:06:00.003-05:00

I have spent the day writing up shop policies, taking photos of items, posting them, and wading through pages of legal mumbo-jumbo. But the shop is up: http://www.etsy.com/shop/RougeRavenDesigns?ref=pr_shop_more I never thought that selling crafts online required so much paperwork!

Today I learned:

1) Etsy sellers pay taxes not once, but four freakin' times a year! (Since taxes aren't deducted from their paychecks like at a "real" company.)

2) I need an employer identification number

3) I need a license. (I think?)

4) I should open a separate business account to make paying those crazy taxes easier.

Least to say, I'm kind of scared. This is all very new and somewhat overwhelming, but it's a bright new year and I'm looking forward to it.

And though I made this spread for a totally different thing I was dealing with this is pretty much how I have felt today:

Journal Spilling pages and learning lessons

2010-12-30T16:42:00.002-05:00

Sometimes you look back and have to acknowledge you knew full well what you were getting yourself into and it is no ones fault but you own. And that's what journals are made for.

This page is a series of acrylic and watercolor crayon layers which was then scratched into with an awl. "Mistakes"

Earlier this month I watched Jacqueline for a week while her mother was away on business. Jack's full schedule kept me busy and away from journaling so this page is a cumulation of days. I got the page layout idea from Journal Spilling- great book!

More Journal Spilling inspiration, worrying over my major and the paths ahead of me.

Worrying over money. Don't we all?

In two days my etsy shop will open, and none too soon! I was informed yesterday that my tuition is not due in March as I was originally told and thus budgeted for, but January 4th. My loan information will not be processed until January 3rd. Ah, the joys of higher education. So I'll keep hustling.

Drawing Lab prompts and making art with kids

2010-12-28T19:14:00.002-05:00

Another prompt from Drawing Lab involves drawing insects and playing with line widths- I had a lot of fun with these.

This spread began at work; the kids are fascinated by the idea that journals aren't just for writing, though I think the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books with the added doodles helps alot. I was teaching the kids how to splatter their paint by tapping their paint brushes with pencils and then showed them how they could combine the technique with masks and stencils. When I got home I filled in the writing. I highly suggest making art with kids, they are so uninhibited and love to try out new things!

Drawing lab experiments

2010-12-27T22:17:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned before, I've been working on my fine art skills with Drawing Lab. This assignment was to document your pet in motion; I wasn't planning on doing this one yet but she hopped up on the table in plain view. It was difficult to draw her as she kept moving her head to watch the leaves swirling about.

Cat sleeping on top of couch, turned away- charcoal.

This assignment requires random squiggles to be made on paper and then interpret them into a picture. Below is an elephant- watercolor

Sea turtle- watercolor with collage.

Drawing Lab and Autumn Journal

2010-12-19T13:44:00.002-05:00

This has been one of the weirdest journaling seasons yet. I had made this journal a few months ago and began using it as my fall journal; shortly after I made a travel journal for my Tennessee trip, and then in November I joined a journal for a month swap. After a flubbed "Christmas Count Down" mini journal, this book is finally getting my attention again. (Vlog to come about journaling styles and the mini journal fiasco.)

The awesome book Journal Junkies gave me the idea to use plastic canvas (that weird plastic grid stuff for yarn crafts) as a stencil = great texture.

Cover art from the Harvest for Hope CD. Good punk/indie music. I added a couple of stalks from the scrapbooking section.

Over the past two months I've been playing with exercises from Drawing Lab, here are some blind contour drawings.

Tons of cats inspired by my pets. It was a lot of fun playing with different expressions/shapes. I've got a few new favorites I plan to use in future crafting adventures.

2011 Announcements

2010-12-14T14:25:00.004-05:00

Recently I've been juggling signing up for graduate classes, applying for an assistantship, nannying, and working. Among all of the craziness I have been zipping around getting ready for the January 1st opening of my etsy shop Rouge Raven Designs. The shop will feature a variety of crafts but the main focus will be journals, paper goods, and workshops that I am currently working on. I am very excited to open! I've had some of the items made for a while but I want to premiere the shop with a full, bursting inventory.

Other exciting stuff...

I have posted a new youtube video on how to complete a hat on the knifty knitter loom:

I have also signed up for Craftster's 50 Projects in 2011 Craftalong.

My list so far:

1. Teesha Moore fabric journal cover
2. Zine
3. Journals for etsy
4. Stamps
5. Plastic bag fabric into a tote
6. Complete a project from each of my craft books
7. Polymer clay doll/figure
8. "Care Free" quilt (don't stress wobbly binding or lopsided squares)
9. Handmade paper
10. Paint a vase for myself
11. Paperdoll Fridas with positional joints
12. Send out more Mail Art
13. Frida inchie book
14. Roll up field journal
15. Wooden peg gnomes and fairies for the kids
16. Foam animal targets for the kids' new bows and arrows
17. Make something with my Sublime Stitching patterns
18. Finish Kelly Kilmers A Prompt a Day Workshop from winter 09!
19. Finish Samantha Kira's Wish Journal Workshop
20. Make collage sheets for etsy
21. Doodle on photos with sharpie
22. Add grids to my art journal
23. Design a jewelry box
24. Make a white quilt with black embroidered birds on it
25. Sugar skull punchneedle pillow
26. Collaborate on a doll house with Jacqueline (the girl I nanny)

I'm constantly looking for more ideas so let me know if you have any suggestions!

Channeling my inner Frida

2010-11-14T23:40:00.002-05:00

I'm behind on taking photos of my recent crafting adventures. This spread was made when I was designing my Halloween costume as my favorite artist, Frida Kahlo. Only a handful of people figured out who I was though.

I used an eyebrow pencil to make the trademark unibrow and I wore a white embroidered shirt with a black broomstick skirt and a large shawl/scarf draped over my shoulders. I carried a set of paint and a paint brush and I even made a Day of the Dead mask to wear.

I have a vlog I intend to finally get around doing this week- I've been busy making stuff for Christmas and working on this journal swap.

See ya!

Travel journal revelations and a new swap

2010-11-02T19:31:00.002-04:00

I decided my vlog was more of a rambling 10 minutes that could be better summed up in a post. More vlogs to come soon!

By flipping through my travel journal, I have realized how different my style is when I'm on the road. This trip I packed every medium imaginable. I always work with acrylics at home, so I bought a travel set and I never opened them. Most of my pages were watercolor washes with some light collage from found papers or a bits I had packed.

This cool irregularly shaped postcard came from the mounds we visited.

I am getting photos printed tomorrow, which will help fill in the gaps.

Next time I am sticking with a very minimum amount of supplies: good pens, adhesive, some collage fodder, sketch pencils, travel watercolors and water pen. I could have saved myself tons of shoulder pain!

***

I joined a month long journal swap on craftster; you create and write in the journal for 30 days and then give it to your partner. It's a kind of "make-a-new-friend"/"see what it's like to be me" swap. I got paired with a really cool high school student who reminds me a lot of myself at 18. (God help her.)

2010-10-26T22:36:00.002-04:00

Switching back to the normal art journal, I had to play catch up. I mixed this grungy green color, slapped it onto the page and then wiped some of it away with a baby wipe (love those things!). This was a letter I received from my Secret Pen Pal partner after she got the package I sent her, so I made an envelope to stick it in. The laptop sticker is from a pack I got on clearance from JoAnns that had a bunch of dork/tech related things on it. So cute!

I have the house to myself (on my birthday, of all days) so I'll be spending it making things and recording the travel journal update vlog.

Rub-ons from the Target dollar section, oh so seventies!

Ride to TN spreads and update

2010-10-24T15:59:00.005-04:00

I'm back in Maryland after spending a crazy week in Tennessee. I wish I had been able to update the blog more while I was away but I didn't have reliable internet access and mom had a heart attack scare. (She's fine, it was an anxiety attack.)

So anywho, I plan to make a vlog within the next few days with my revelations on travel journaling and a flip through of the journal so far. Today I'm just trying to settle back in and I'm playing with my different supplies that I've been away from.

Here are some pages from the ride down:

Half an hour into the ride from MD to TN our train always switches its electrical engine out for a diesel one and it is about a 20 minute wait till we get on the move again, so I spent the time doing a word search and then journaled on top of it.

This is a nod back to my very first art journal on my first trip to Tennessee- I had created a grid with a block for each hour spent on the train. Sometime within each hour I would look out the window and doodle what I saw. I had never traveled to TN in mid autumn so I discovered there isn't much light to see by, hence the numerous black blocks. It also seems I never finish the last block since I'm so excited to see Dave and Mom.

The spreads from the ride down are fuller than the ride back up because I'm anxious and awake with excitement. The ride back is usually a bummer so I sleep more. This was a spot I had included in my hourly doodle on my first trip- the skyline has this distinct tower with a sort of halo on it so I did a quick doodle.

Tennessee

2010-10-18T16:02:00.003-04:00

Here's what I've been up to lately...

Riding the train to TN:

Etowah Mounds in Northern Georgia- these burials mounds were made over a thousand years ago and the tallest (below) is 63ft tall.

Walking with the undead:

Being the undead:

Photos of the travel journal to come as I work in it some more!

Traveling

2010-10-15T09:47:00.003-04:00

I haven't forgotten you, but everything is packed up for my grand adventure to Tennessee. I will be updating you guys tomorrow to show you how my travel journal is progressing (14 hour train ride = not much sleep thus = lots of journaling). See you in Chattanooga!

Doll house for Ceilidh

2010-10-12T21:23:00.003-04:00

I have been finishing all kinds of projects I had left on the way-side this week. I bought this doll house a year ago from Michaels (before they had the various different styles of house kits) with the intention of making it for Ceilidh's Christmas present. (Ceilidh is my would-be step daughter.) Now it will finally be given to her as a belated birthday gift when I see her this weekend! I can't wait to see her and Sage!

I had gotten overwhelmed with painting all the furniture and pieces (only a fraction of which are shown in these photos). If I could change anything about this project I would have paid more attention to the assembly before hand. There's no working door with the house but before I realized this I punched out the tab where it's supposed to stand propped open, but then your doll can't get out of the house!

I also would have chosen done more coats before putting the house together. I ended up using Folkart craft paints and I sealed it with a semi-gloss finish to protect it from scratches. Ceilidh and Sage aren't the typical kids who trash their toys with markers and stuff, but I am worried about the tiny pieces getting crushed under people's feet, so I made a little box to hold the stuff when not in use. (Not shown, I'm angry at the amount of dust that managed to get into the sealer but oh well.)

I haven't been able to get a good shot inside the bowls but my best friend, Chrissy painted an entire set of coordinating dishes and bowls with intricate designs inside and little rose buds on the outside of each dish. The adults don't fit into the chairs well but the older kids do.

The figures are called Calico Critters and I got them from Toys R Us. They have all kinds of animal families, sooo cute! I'm having fun planning extras like rugs, blankets, an outdoor scene and such for the future. I know Sage will play with this too so I'll probably buy another family of critters. So many options!

New vlog and new journal pics!

2010-10-09T13:39:00.005-04:00

Yes, that's right, another vlog! This time I'm discussing travel journaling and some awesome art journaling/craft books.

(Thanks again Kira for telling me how to embed these things!)

What's this, a vlog and photos? Madness!

This is one of the goodies I picked up at the Renn Fair- a handmade journal from India with handmade paper pages!

(Front)

(Back)

I love these colors so much! Whoever bound the journal was clever enough to keep the binding thread long and after knotting it, left the extra length to be used to wrap the book closed. Love it!

Whenever I get a new journal I dedicate a few pages to testing out different media and how I can make them work better on the paper. I had a lot of bleed through on the naked paper, but once I added gesso all my problems were solved!

Hooray! Let's see if I can keep posting at least twice a week!

The vlogs are coming, the vlogs are coming!

2010-10-08T14:37:00.006-04:00

If someone can tell me why blogger won't let me paste the embed info into this post I'll send you a little gift! So as I battle technology, you can find my vlog here: Ok, Kira is a godsend and is going to get a little gift for pointing out my error with embedding videos into my blog.

Yay! Here's my vlog, (finally), on discovering personal imagery and symbols in our journals:

Youtube also selects the most flattering frames...

Have an awesome, creative day!

My week

2010-10-07T14:31:00.003-04:00

Vlogs are coming tomorrow! Until then, here's what my week has been like:

Full of adventurous art by children:

Dorky excursion to the Maryland Rennisance Fair:

Oh, and here's a cute cat named Gizmo for you:

Vlogs

2010-10-02T21:21:00.001-04:00

Sorry about the lack of photos- I'm just so excited to tell you I've been making some short vlogs that I'll be posting this coming week! See you soon!

Resolutions and Swap Pics

2010-09-27T22:47:00.006-04:00

It's late September and I'm already making New Year's resolutions:

Take photos of swap items before sending out

Post twice a week on here

So I was in craftster's "Head Start Journal Swap" and we made journals for our partners then prepped half of the pages for them. I used kettle and running stitches for the binding with canvas strips. The exposed spine allows the book to lay flat while you work in it. There are around 50 pages, the majority of which are Canson mixed media weight paper, other pages include watercolor paper and various scrapbook papers. The covers were cut from an old game board, then covered with 70% recycled scrapbook paper.

Here is the back cover (upside down though)- maybe it's just me but I love mismatched covers that color coordinate.

My partner's themes were "what inspires you," found poetry, and "random thoughts." Very open to interpretation to say the least, but it wasn't the situation where you put off crafting for weeks because you're stuck. Kartiana was awesome to craft for! This was one of my favorite pages and it was also my first time playing with alcohol inks.

Exciting News!

2010-09-17T19:19:00.006-04:00

For those of you who haven't heard, Connie from http://www.dirtyfootprints-studio.com/ has organized an amazing art journaling class called "21 Secrets." Meaning 21 amazing teachers teaching you 21 different techniques and projects. And guess who that list includes! Don't bother, I'll tell you! Three of my favorite bloggers and artists, including Samantha Kira from journalgirl.com, Hanna Anderson from ihanna.nu.blog, and Sarah Whitmire from souljournaling.com.

Sam is showing us her latest obsession with canvas journal pages and the many things you just can't do with paper.

Hanna will be teaching various techniques for using tissue paper in our journals.

And Sarah is dedicating her class to travel journaling- what to take, how to incorporate materials you pick upon the way, and extra prompts.

For a list of all of the lessons and the instructors you can go here:

http://www.dirtyfootprintsworkshops.com/2008/09/21-secrets-art-journal-playground.html

You may sign up as of September 20th- registration ends December 1st. The cost is $59, but considering the fact that you're buying 21 classes, it's truly a steal!

Class begins October 1st

Punch needle

2010-09-08T21:02:00.002-04:00

Just putzing around the "studio" today, cutting and folding folios for my journal swap. Now to acquire some book board...

I took a shot at punch needle work recently, I've since completed the piece and I am happy to say the second half looks a lot better! Now I just have to iron it and stretch it over a canvas =)

Swaps,workshops and pages

2010-09-06T21:08:00.002-04:00

I've been up to all sorts of mischief! I've signed up for two awesome swaps: craftster's "Head Start Art Journal Swap" where we create journals for our partners and complete half of the pages, and Samantha Kira's "Secret Penpal Swap" which is where you create a small piece of art for your partner and send them an encouraging letter. I can't wait to get started!

I also just got done making some projects for one of the workshops I've been talking about hosting. So maybe I'll finally be getting that idea off of the ground.

It's a super simple page but I love how these three pieces work with each other:

Jump

2010-09-02T00:38:00.002-04:00

There are just some times when you know what you're about to do will have horrible repercussions but you do it anyway because the experience will be worth it.

Loot

2010-08-30T21:26:00.008-04:00

Hampden is a magical place in Maryland that is made up of kitsch and glitter, and it is also the home of Hon Fest. Google it, seriously. It's amazing. It has an alternative, art district feel and has a ton of amazing shops you won't find anywhere else. Anyway, the girls and I went Saturday to see what we could find and I made out like a bandit.

It should be known that I am addicted to Mexican folk art and anything Day of the Dead or Virgin de Guadalupe related. When I found this Loteria set I knew it was destined for my stash. The hand and heart are almost Victorian looking but it will go with my scared heart collection. The postcards are from the early 1900's and feature different places in Baltimore. The more I think of leaving for Tennessee the more I want to collect from my home town. I plan to make photo copies to use in my journals and I will frame the originals.

Milagros are small metal charms thought to bring you good fortune and are often offered to saints. I chose a praying Virgin Mary and a scorpion since I'm a scorpio.

I love the tarnished finish on this piece.

Super yummy recycled silk yarn that will soon become my autumn scarf.

A magnetic double sided bracelet that is called the "Sweet Jesus!" bracelet. My sister got a matching one. I love this so much!

It's amazing the adventures you can have just a skip from your house! Go out and explore!

Me time

2010-08-28T19:22:00.002-04:00

I recently had the house to myself for a week and it was glorious. My summers are usually spent traveling and couch crashing at different people's houses so the quiet time was a nice change.

I'm trying to get comfortable with layers on my pages but I always feel bad painting over the papers because I chose them because I already like the way they look and I'm worried I'll ruin them otherwise. Life is so hard. By the way, if you have never had a Hank's orange cream soda, please do. It's sooo good!

Journal Girl Swap

2010-08-26T15:30:00.004-04:00

Sorry I've been gone all week! I've been babysitting a very hyper 7 year old over night since Monday. Now that it's over I feel like I don't know what to do with myself! So much free time!

Exciting cool stuff:

1. Samantha Kira from Journal Girl is hosting an international mini art swap. The idea is to spread the love around the craft community. When you sign up your information will be given to your partner, but you will not know who they are until the package arrives. Each package will include a flat piece of artwork about 6"x6" (about 15.2cm). You can choose to make something larger/bulkier but there isn't an option to send within your country only so that will cost more. Additionally, you'll also send your partner an encouraging, warm, fuzzy letter.

I've already signed up and I'm so excited! I don't know how I managed to go all summer without a single swap! So far 83 people have joined and Sam is still taking applications. I can't wait to get my partner's information.

2. You know how you can be in a rut for a while when all of a sudden you make a page you really, really like? Yay!

3. I quit my evil job! Yaaay!

4. I'm going to take a trip in October to see Dave and the kids! Aaand there is a zombie walk, craft show, and SCA event all that week. It's going to be EPIC! Muhahaha!

It has been such an awesome week!

Results of my break from the crafting world

2010-08-20T11:23:00.004-04:00

A little while ago I took a mini vacation from the craftsphere for a week to avoid outside influence and comparing my work to others'. No craft blogs, craftster, or craft books/magazines for a week! It was (mostly) successful- I just couldn't give up my weekly devotion to Samantha Kira's vlog! But I crafted while I watched it so that made it ok in my eyes.

I instead ventured out into the world seeking inspiration, which of course led me to book stores... Can I just gush about Borders for 5 seconds? They are so freakin' amazing with the stationary section! (Let's not get into the fact they have coupons unlike other book stores *cough* BarnesandNoble) I found an awesome pack of stickers featuring large headed girls with wide, tiny eyes and I had to get them. This doodle is inspired by them but I like my girl more because she has glasses and a grin.

Shades of Gray

2010-08-19T19:06:00.002-04:00

Do not attempt to adjust your screen, I actually did a muted spread. I've been doodling more lately- I like it because it makes my journal more personal. I really like the look of white on gray.

Pink, blue, and white whales

2010-08-17T15:55:00.003-04:00

Dave is my white whale- I'm forever chasing him. Such is life.

I love this page though! Dandelion puffs are one of my favorite motifs and all of a sudden they're everywhere in craftland! Love love love Receipts in the background for texture, painted over with cheapo acrylics.

Summer fun

2010-08-15T13:48:00.001-04:00

Just a fly by post today!

First pages of my summer '10 journal

2010-08-14T16:10:00.004-04:00

I finally got to take some photos of my summer art journal using my Mcgyver-ed light box since the lighting sucks by the time I get home/it occurs to me to take photos.

All of my journals start with a contact page on the inside cover should I, craft gods forbid, I ever lose one. (I haven't yet!) The book Art Journal Junkies gave me the idea to use plastic canvas as a stencil to create texture. The girl is wearing a button that says "I am a wizard" because it's a clipping from an article about Wizard-rock. I am an all encompassing dork- it doesn't stop at the crafting and bibliophilia.

This summer's journal is a deviation from my normal journaling because it's not just collaged and written pages, but includes more notes and "just art" pages.

Some distant relatives from the infamous photograph-suitcase

2010-08-13T19:37:00.003-04:00

Kira has been having back problems so I sent her some craft goodies in hopes of cheering her up. She was sweet enough to send me a thank you package! It really cheered up a crappy day of yelling kids and no running water.

Cute little doodahs including tiny yellow feathers, teal leaves, trim and sequin butterflies!

An amazing raven stamp for my craft name! I am in love with him!

A tiny inchie book with chipboard backed pages!

This amazing ATC (Artist Trading Card) titled "Imminent Nom" How awesome is this!

Sorry for the angle, the glossy paper was flirting with my camera flash. I love how defeated the cat looks. Now I just need to clean my bedroom craft space so I have somewhere to put all my new treasures!

Thank you so much Kira! You're too sweet!

My first hand bound journal

2010-08-04T23:01:00.004-04:00

My first hand bound journal! I have the terrible habit of hoarding craft books and then never actually making the projects. So I decided to stop being intimidated about binding my first book and I just jumped in. The book is Re-bound by Jeannine Stein; all of the projects incorporate repurposed materials so it's eco friendly.

The book I chose to make is an accordion fold with signatures sewn into the valleys with a pamphlet stitch. The "green" part of the project is the use of old game boards for covers but I chose to cover mine with pretty paper instead. I also used my favorite mixed media paper by Canson from an old journal I didn't finish for my pages instead of drawing paper. I also used cotton cord meant for kids crafts to bind my pages and it works great. (It's also really pretty!)

One of the coolest things about this journal is the additional jewelry box adhered to the inside to hold your paints and pens when you're traveling. This puppy is reserved for my trip to Tennessee this fall.

Behold the slew of photos:

Pages pulled right

Pages pulled left

Envelope

Angled pocket

Slash pockets to hold goodies

Long Over Due

2010-07-08T20:26:00.002-04:00

I am a huge procrastinator! These are the postcards from ihanna's international postcard swap (back in February!)

I've got to get off my butt and take more journal photos!

Kira's 365th post giveaway!

2010-07-03T23:21:00.002-04:00

Kira over at Oops, I Craft My Pants has been blogging for a year now and has made over 365 items. That's a ton of crafting! To celebrate, she is generously holding a giveaway at her blog:

http://www.oopsicraftmypants.com/2010/06/365th-post-giveaway.html

The prize is an assortment of Kira's favorite art supplies and her own art work!

You have two chances to enter and two chances to win:

1. Comment on the post and say you want in.

2. Link back to her giveaway on your blog.

But you only have until July 13th, so get going!

Calendar Page

2010-07-03T10:41:00.002-04:00

You know how you can make a background and like it so much you don't want to do anything to it? That happened here. I managed to get these two elements on but didn't want to cover up the colors anymore than I had to. I found the huge calendar stamp at Michael's but couldn't afford to buy the huge acrylic block too, so I just used the back of one of my watercolor cases. Starving artists need to make do! I really like having calendar pages because you can reflect on a month at a glance and then go into detail about the days on their own pages.

What I've been up to the past week:

1. Went to the midnight premier of Eclipse. You may call me crazy, but I tell you no, the people who were there for the 3:30am showing are the truly crazy. Over 3000 came to our theatre for the midnight showing, then an extra couple thousand came so they had to do a later showing. Wow.

2. Signed up for a gym membership. My abs = ow.

3. Thought about cleaning for two seconds and decided to craft instead.

Let them eat cupcakes!

2010-06-27T09:51:00.002-04:00

Just a simple post. Today's going to be a crazy one- tutoring, gym, house cleaning, applying for grad school! The background is acrylic with a few collage elements- the green scrap was from a recent swap package I had sent. I tried drawing lines to journal on but I somehow got confused and messed up the flow. Oh well. I think it's a neat idea! I've seen it in a number of others' journals and thought I'd give it a shot.

I love cupcakes but I can't have them!

Sister Lister 2010

2010-06-25T22:37:00.002-04:00

My sister and I are really close (yet total opposites). This summer we decided to make a list of things we should do together and document through our journals. I have dubbed it "The Sister Lister." We plan to check off two more items off of our list tomorrow: shopping at Towson Mall (it's huge- like 4 levels and hundreds of stores) and getting steamed crabs!

First I doodled in watercolor with my water pen, then collaged a bit and washed over it with slightly watered down acrylic. The birds were made with a stencil and gesso. The title letters were stamped on and then done over with the yellow Sakura glaze pen. My tag was too shiny for my camera =( but it says "To Do" in neon green.

Bad Romance spread

2010-06-23T20:25:00.002-04:00

Sure I make mistakes- my last one was named Terry. =) It may not have worked out but I like this page. I started with a credit card scraped base using metallic acrylics and then layered on silver flecked tissue paper. I painted the doilies and just collaged the rest. The frame is printed on a kind of plastic and I found a pack of them on clearance at JoAnns a while ago.

Sorry I haven't been posting more often, my new job is kicking my butt! I just bought a new book called Creative Wildfire- if you art journal you'll love it! It's got a lot of great ideas (some old techniques and some new) including some binding techniques plus a bunch of interviews with well known art journalers.

-Aly B

My first blog award!

2010-06-19T16:58:00.003-04:00

Kira is an awesome blogger I linked to recently for her new blog with Audio, and she has given me my first blog award! Thank you!

These are the guidelines for accepting the award:
1. Put the logo on your blog within your post.
2. Pass the award on to 7 bloggers.
3. Link to the nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and the link to the person from whom you received this award.

After giving it a lot of thought, I'd like to give this award to:

1. Samantha Kira - one of my favorite art journalers! I love her messy/playful style and her weekly vlog.

2. Alisa Burke - a wonderful artist/crafter who is constantly posting tutorials and amazing stuff! She's also published her own book and working on the next one.

3. Audio - I've been swap partners with her and she knows how to spoil people! Her tiny houses and ATCs are wist worthy =)

4. Michelle Ward - an awesomely inspiring crafter with an eye for detail and patterns, I love her art journals! She also has a project call "The Crusades" where you can play along with the monthly craft challenge.

5. ihanna - a crafter of all trades, there isn't a project she won't tackle! When I want to step out of art journaling and need a craft idea she's the first blogger I look to.

6. Kate Crane - Her art journal spreads are always vibrant and often have that doodle quality to them that I love so much!

7. And of course there is then Kira . But she already has this award =)

Happy 100th post!

2010-06-16T20:40:00.002-04:00

Today is finally the 100th post! I know this is a humble little blog but I hope it will continue to grow with time. My next blog project will be an international inchie swap =)

But I digress, you're waiting for the giveaway results! Five people entered and I submitted the numbers into a true random number generator (http://www.random.org/) and the winner is:

#5 Spooky!

Please email me at rougeraven @ ymail . com (with no spaces) with your address so I can ship you a bunch of goodies. Weather permitting, I'll be taking photos of the loot tomorrow. If I do not hear from you within a week I'll draw another number.

**I know this is a day early for the giveaway but my friend is in the hospital and I'll be visiting her tomorrow. Thanks for entering everyone!

99th post

2010-06-15T20:47:00.003-04:00

So this is the 99th blog post according to my post counter on my dashboard. Tomorrow's giveaway will be announced at 9pm now due to a bonus day of work (= more $$$). So far only 3 people have commented to be in the running for the giveaway prizes, go do it if you haven't yet!

http://rougeravensnest.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-flaps-and-giveaway-announcement.html

See you all tomorrow! Good luck!

NSFW spread

2010-06-15T11:06:00.002-04:00

Today's spread is not safe for work because some people find correct terms for body parts offensive. (I still don't get it.)

This spread was from my friend's V-day production, if you haven't been before I highly suggest you go. I've gone every year for the past 4 years but haven't performed yet but I hope to in the future. The Vagina Monologues are a collection of various women's memoirs based on their sexuality, womanhood, and sadly for some, the abuse they have suffered. It's not all depressing, there's always lots of laughing too. Proceeds always benefit a local women's shelter or other women's organization as well as the annual cause. I believe this past year was Africa and preventing FGC/FGM (female genital cutting/female genital mutilation).

Tomorrow is the giveaway!

#2

2010-06-14T22:35:00.003-04:00

I've been a fan of Post Secret for years and I have so far found 2 secrets in the various books of them. This secret came from my local library and says, "I'm scared that I won't be able to make it through college because I'll get homesick. Harford County is all I've ever known." If I could have written a note back to this person I would tell her, "You're going to do great. You'll miss home but you're also going to discover how big and amazing the world is."

Four years ago I left home for the first time to live with my boyfriend in Tennessee for the summer. For the following 3 and a half years I'd leave my family in Maryland and travel all over the country with Dave, I've seen so much and met so many people. If I hadn't jumped in and just took a chance I would have missed out on a lot, including learning who I am and what matters most to me. Dave and I didn't work out but we're still on good terms and I had so many adventures. I don't have any regrets.

But since I couldn't talk to this girl I journaled about it instead and meditated on my college experience. It's hard to believe I'll be going to grad school in the fall!

I just found out two of my favorite crafters just started a new inspiration blog! Check it out at:
http://eyeinspires.blogspot.com/

Post #1

2010-06-14T22:14:00.003-04:00

Sorry about not posting yesterday! I thought I would be able to post sometime before or after the party but I spent all of the morning cleaning and the last guests didn't leave till 1am. So... two posts today!

This was one of my first experiments of mixing gloss gel medium by Golden with my cheap-o acrylics (Folkart/Americana/etc.). I liked how the paint became glossier (glaze like). It was a lot of fun to layer but after sitting in a hot humid room, closed on the shelf, the pages have since stuck together. This photo is prior to the damage:

I started with a base of green acrylic paint that was scraped onto the page with an old gift card. Next I collaged some scraps on, including a vintage photo of some distant relative. I mixed 2:1 gloss gel medium and acrylic violet paint and scraped that on with the card. I repeated with the gray and then collaged more scraps on top. Finally, I used a palate knife to smear 2:1 of gloss gel medium and brown acrylic onto the top papers. I tried a number of pens (check fraud prevention, various ball points, etc.) and I found only sharpie and Sakura medium point gelly rollers work. Here I used the Sakura and I gave it time to dry overnight.

I haven't figured out how to prevent the pages from sticking yet but I know Samantha Kira (Journal Girl) has a video about it so I'm going to review it tomorrow. Here's the link! http://kirabelle.squarespace.com/video-downloads/ (It's the second video listed). I'm wondering if it making it a 1:1 ratio would make it less prone to sticking. I'll be playing around with it in the future.

2 more days till the giveaway!

Artist Loft watercolors

2010-06-12T09:20:00.002-04:00

I was so tired from cleaning yesterday that I went to bed at 8pm (which is ridiculously early for me, it's usually 2am) and didn't get up until 8am. I was out. I can't wait for this party business to be done with so I can get back to crafting! This is another spread from when I was still agonizing over whether to go to grad school to get a degree in secondary education to teach high school or a degree in writing to teach college.

The pattern and colors were inspired by a label from some organic scones I had bought. I usually use acrylics but these are Artist Loft watercolors, they only cost around $4.00 and they work beautifully. I have found the Artist Loft brand is great for crafters on a budget and the quality is great too. The woman's face is actually cut out of an amazing Indian bridal magazine I found buried in the magazine racks at Barnes and Noble. I love Indian fashion- the colors and embroidery is fabulous! Love love love!

Remember the giveaway!

Possibilities

2010-06-11T12:55:00.002-04:00

My color palate for this page was inspired by a peacock feather- greens, blues and purples... it's my favorite color combination! This photo was taken by a 4 year old I was babysitting some years ago and it has become one of my favorites. There's just something about the idea of peeking at the vast blue sky behind your hands that makes you feel youthful and like your options are endless. The star stamps were carved by my sister; I love the uneven, doodle quality they have.

Oh, and I decided to get my masters degree in professional writing to become a professor. =)

Only 5 days left till the giveaway ends: http://rougeravensnest.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-flaps-and-giveaway-announcement.html

Valentine's Day spread

2010-06-10T20:58:00.002-04:00

Don't worry, I didn't forget you guys! I'm super sore from scrubbing floors in preparation for the party Sunday, I feel like I'm 90. I've spent the time not at work just laying down and reading Stephen King's The Dome. (It's a good one!) The only thing I hate about having guests is that I can't pull all of my supplies out and play. I need to spread out when I create or else I feel claustrophobic.

The giveaway is in 6 days! Have you commented yet?http://rougeravensnest.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-flaps-and-giveaway-announcement.html

Today's photo is from this past Valentine's day. You could say I was a little bitter. (It was the first V-day I spent without my ex in 4 years.) The torn playing card is from the day care center I work at- if you ever want something grunged up just give it to kids to play with for a while. I have an entire deck of these banged up cards that my boss was just going to throw out. It just goes to show that you should always keep an eye out for potential supplies. You never know where they may turn up!

June Snowflakes

2010-06-09T11:54:00.003-04:00

It's rare for me to have a journal spread without words but sometimes it's nice to take a break and just make art. This is the result of Michelle Ward's Snowflake Crusade (www.greenpepperpress.com) from this past winter.

First I painted my spread with blue acrylic paint with a second layer of light blue paint applied with a wad of plastic wrap. Next I cut out a snowflake to use as a stencil with various stamp pads. I love how the silver ink looks! One of my art journaling goals is to allow myself to play more often and to let things be pretty for pretty sake rather than writing all the time.

Don't forget about the giveaway next Wednesday!

Comment here to enter:
http://rougeravensnest.blogspot.com/2010/06/more-flaps-and-giveaway-announcement.html#comments

Inspiration, muses, and glitter wands

2010-06-08T13:31:00.004-04:00

I work in my art journals according to the "seasons" (not the specific date the season starts but by the month ex. Summer = June, July, August or winter = December, January, February.)

No matter what size or type of book I use I never seem to have a problem timing it just right; I rarely have pages left over by the end. This is the last spread of my Winter '09-'10 journal. I used metallic flecked tissue paper over acrylic paints to create a snowy look. The bluebird in the right corner seems to be popping up more and more often in my journaling- I think he's a combination between a symbol for my muse and my late mother. I like how he's peering over the girl's shoulder as if whispering what to draw and write in her book.

My mother passed away on Halloween 2008 from emphysema. She was obsessed with fairies (especially Tinkerbell) and the color blue. One year for Easter my mom bought an egg decorating kit with gems, feathers, paper, the works and she made her egg into the "bluebird of happiness." Now when I see bluebirds zip by in their bright blurs it reminds me of that Easter and fairies, which remind me of mom. She got my sister and me started in crafts at a young age and it has stuck with us. My mother and I made our own YaYa Sisterhood hats (I'm wearing mine in the photo below from her 50th surprise party) and she made the wand she's holding. Even though she's passed on she is my muse: now that I'm not pressured with grades I feel like I can focus on beginning an altered book dedicated to her, along with a pink high top shrine inspired by the Crafty Chica and an art journal workshop dedicated to coping with the grieving process. I love my mom

Fly By Post!

2010-06-07T09:56:00.003-04:00

I don't have much to say today, I'm scrambling around the house trying to get stuff ready for my graduation party this Sunday. This spread is an example how art journaling isn't just for fronds, flowers and happy thoughts. Sometimes we're just cranky and need to let 'er rip! I really like this color combination.

More Flaps and Giveaway Announcement

2010-06-06T16:47:00.002-04:00

This is my 90th post! To celebrate the 100th post I will be hosting another craft supply giveaway and posting everyday for the next 10 days. To enter you must submit a comment on this post by next Wednesday, June 16th at noon (east coast time). The number will be selected by a random number generator; the winner will be announced on Thursday's post.

Etsy and duct tape

2010-06-04T21:42:00.003-04:00

I've been crafting nearly every night, it's so great having time to myself! I am beginning to create items for my etsy store- tonight I'm gathering papers for some spiral bound journals and collage packets. What products do you believe are hard to come by/you love? My goal is to provide the kinds of things the major chains just don't offer (I'm to the point that when I walk into Michael's and JoAnn's that I already own it or have seen it all. I want variety!) I can't be the only one!

This page is from my winter 2009 journal which was falling apart by the end (I overlooked the poor spine for the cute small size). So I reinforced the spine with some duct tape and decided to just cover the whole page. I wrote with colored sharpies but oooh boy did it stink!

Inside my pocket

2010-05-29T14:37:00.004-04:00

Every day when I come home from work I'll realize I have something in my pocket, it never fails. When you work at a day care center you pick things up or are handed things that you absent mindedly stick in your pocket. Here are some of things things that have come home with me over the past few weeks.

Starting at the top left and moving clockwise: a die, green butterfly ring (given to me as a gift), pirate action figure, a gray crayon, animal shaped rubber bands, and a building from Star Wars monopoly. What I haven't photographed includes: band-aid wrappers, fuzzy bits torn from our tablecloths, and a good bit of lint.

Follow Me!

2010-05-26T20:57:00.002-04:00

I've given in. I own a twitter account: http://twitter.com/RougeRaven You can follow me to get blog updates- I'll announce new posts and contests this way, and I'll be using it to share links when I don't have to time to create a full post.

-Aly

Embracing Mistakes and Learning From Them

2010-05-26T11:09:00.003-04:00

We all make ugly journal pages, it happens.

I started this page while watching Samantha Kira's vlog at journalgirl.com I was playing with my watercolor crayons and using my hands to spread the paint. I enjoyed the process but I decided I hated the shape. It reminds me of a bubblegum tumor. This lovely mental picture has been brought to you by Aly. I also hated how all the different inks I used for the fonts I think it looks disjointed. So I decided to see what I could salvage from this icky page: I liked the colors, techniques and the layout so I tried again...

And made this:
= a much nicer page with a happier journaler behind it. The calendar is actually an acrylic stamp from Michael's and I LOVE IT. Moral of the story: try to find something you like about your failed attempts and try again. I didn't rip out my ugly page or work over it, it serves it's own purpose- it's just not to be pretty =)

Flap and tape love

2010-05-24T19:18:00.003-04:00

I've become very fond of flaps, I love the extra layers and dimension they add. This falp is from a flyer for the Charm City Roller Girls (which is Baltimore's roller derby league. I love them!) I find them in the girls' bathrooms at Towson all the time. Tapes are also growing on me: printed packaging tape (new ones are in at JoAnns), masking tape, colored duct tape, etc. I have yet to buy the cute Japanese tapes but I'll be keeping an eye out for them. What's your latest crafting obsession?

Short Post

2010-05-23T12:19:00.003-04:00

Just a quick, fly-by post today I have to head out to tutor one of the kids from my daycare and then I'm off to my friend Pam's graduation party. I can't believe I have my degree! I'm so happy!

Onto the art- I love these two pages because they seem more coordinated. I made the flower stamp for the top page to mimic the design on the bottom page's background. They kind of look like the wheels on the bikes too.

This polka-dot paper is my favorite out of all the hundreds of papers I have. It's from a K&Company specialty pack. (The bike paper above is from the same pack.) But I can't find it in stores anymore =(

I'll be posting more often now that college is out!

See you soon!

-Aly

Ephemera spread

2010-05-18T14:12:00.003-04:00

For some reason blogger didn't like uploading more than one picture at a time the other day but at least I figured out why I couldn't post. These pages are from my winter journal,which seems so long ago already:

I used a lot of ephemera for this spread- the name tag is from my university's annual Multicultural Conference where I was able to talk to the famous sociologist and author Patricia Hill Collins! The envelope and stamp are from ihanna's postcard swap (sorry I didn't post the front, it has my address on it and I have neglected to blur it out for the time being. I love flaps/hidden words so I added my Dunkin' Donuts gift card envelope one of the kids at work gave to me.

For the spread I used a variety of different pens: the white and fuchsia are Sharpie paint pens and the gold is a metallic (Galaxy?) marker. The thicker black letters are from my go to Sakura black glaze pen. The fine letters are from my black Sakura gelly roller medium point.

Some Internet Inspiration

2010-05-17T09:30:00.003-04:00

I have an hour to kill before turning in my final exam so here are some great links I found:

Lolly has created a beautiful owl camera bag complete with step by step photo tutorial- http://www.lollychops.com/lollychops/2010/05/edna-the-owl-bag.html

Daisy Yellow has already begun planning inspiration boosters for the summer- http://daisyyellow.squarespace.com/vividlife/a-summer-project-list-part-1.html

If you love whimsical, delicate photos then you're going to love A Field Journal- http://afieldjournal.blogspot.com/

The Crafty Chica Kathy Cano-Murillo is at it again! This time it's all about shoe shrines. I am absolutely going to make one about my mom using her pink high tops- http://thecraftychica.blogspot.com/2010/05/shoe-shrines.html

I hope these help!

-Aly

Spring journal page 1

2010-05-17T09:14:00.002-04:00

It seems something went wrong with certain photos from my winter art journal but here is the first page of my spring journal:

The kids at my work have expressed an interest in altered books- I may make it one of our craft projects before the end of the school year =D

Disappearing Act

2010-05-13T20:59:00.003-04:00

Monday is my last final, which means I get to spend a lot more time with you lovely people! I am so sorry for the month hiatus! I haven't been able to work in my journal for weeks since school has been taking up every last waking moment of my life.

I just got hired as a preschool teacher so I'm sure there will be plenty of kid/teaching related posts in the fall =)

I have photos to post yet blogger keeps telling me there has been an error. I plan to spend the day at the library tomorrow so I'll try again from there

-Aly

Day of the Dead Package II

2010-04-19T14:01:00.004-04:00

After much delay I'm back (again)! I've been swamped with papers and exams and now I'm torn between what to masters program to apply to.

Here are the goodies I made for trampycouture's Mexican Kitsch Swap package:

I bought a pack of three bud vases from JoAnn's and a separate set of glass paints to make this sacred heart vase. The bottom of the vase is actually a vibrant green and purple but the red and blue colors in the photo are fairly accurate.

My partner asked me to make her a fabric sandwich wrap- I never made one before but after looking at some patterns I was able to come up with my own washable version. Most of them were PUL and could only be wiped clean but since this is cotton it can be tossed in the washer with hand towels.

I love how the necklace turned out, I actually made it at the last minute because I couldn't think of what else to make. The metal frame and glass pieces are from the Ranger collection and the background text in this photo is from the Crafty Chica collage pack. The mini Frida is actually from a collection of stickers I have that feature her artwork. The wings were pulled off of some 3-d insect stickers I had.

This side of the pendant is all from the Crafty Chica collage pack- viva Frida!

Finally, I sent along a yard of this fabulous Day of the Dead fabric for her to use- I always snatch up a yard or two when I see it because it's never there when I need it!

- x Aly B

Mexican Kitsch Swap Rd. 2 Goodies

2010-04-06T22:59:00.004-04:00

I received my package from trampycouture for the craftster.org Mexican Kitsch Swap and I am in shock! You can visit her blog here: http://craftyenglishteacher.blogspot.com/

She made me a travel blanket with a giant sugar skull embroidered on it, two embroidered towels, an embroidered Virgin de Guadalupe piece, and even the note was on a Dia de los Muertos postcard. Although we only needed to send a large,medium and small, she sent an extra towel.

Her stitches are immaculate. They are neat, tiny, and delicate. It looks like she only used one strand of floss and she used a back stitch, stem stitch and satin stitch on this piece. I travel on the train a lot so this is one of the best things she could have possibly make me.

I believe this pattern is from the Sublime Stitching Dia de los Muertos pack- I love the colors! I haven't found a place for her yet so she's hanging out on the book shelf for now.

These may be from the Sublime Stitching kit too, but I'm not as positive. My future kitchen will be Day of the Dead themed so these are perfect!

I am spray painting frames this weekend and I plan to mat this =)

My "Studio"

2010-04-01T22:17:00.006-04:00

All the cool kids are doing it so I figured I'd show you what my work space looks like. I normally work on the dining room table in a state of chaos but I'm trying to move back up into my bed room. It's a lot more personal and my sister can't yell at me for the mess. This is the cleanest it's been in months.

The "studio" side of my room in it's messy-cleanish glory. You can see the floor, thus it is clean.

The Crow protects my button collection

The crochet zombie and cross stitch are from one of the Zombie swaps on craftster and the house is from the Tiny House swap and actually lights up.

My Edgar Allen Poe action figure collection

I have a BIG thing for sacred hearts.

Paper, sewing stuff, books and magazines. The tree piece is actually a wood burning from the Book Lovers swap, my sister and I collaborated on the tree painting on the right.

This is my craft desk as of right now, I just finished up my stuff for the Mexican Kitsch Swap on craftster.

These are my "go to" books, they're right above the desk since I reference them the most. I also have my first 4 art journals, each numbered and labeled with the season and year. The butterfly is a vintage handmade patch from when my dad was a hippie.

My book shelf that illustrates my obsession, I've run out of room and have to stack books horizontally on top of vertical ones lol. On top I have the deer representing Lily from a Harry Potter swap, my crow, little Gandhi, and an incomplete canvas my sister made with a sequined gas mask

One day when I'm brave enough I'll show you my "natural habitat" in the dining room- you'll feel so much better about your housekeeping abilities once you see it.

Library Spread

2010-03-17T12:10:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I made my first journaling video of this spread and now I'm finally getting around to posting the photos. I would love it if you guys would let me know if you get annoyed while watching a video that is fast-forwarded and if you prefer to have music playing with the video or not.

The art journal page swap I've been hosting is finally closing- and what a relief it is! It gets crazy when you sign in to find an average of 5 to 10 pms in your inbox a day, respond to them all, clear up misunderstanding and update swap statuses. Ugh, I'm not hosting again until summer.

I have been also working on my swap package for the Mexican Kitsch Swap- I can't wait to post the photos of the stuff I'm sending! My large and small (I think, maybe medium) is done, just one more to go and then I can send out early.

I love being able to say that!

Close up of the lower right hand corner:

I am going to take photos of my new art journal today to share with you. It is an all media book by Canson and I love it! I haven't been doing as much writing in my spreads this time and I think it is linked to the lack of words already on the background. When I alter books it seems as though the English major side of me says, "There's some words, you have to add your own!" then working with the blank clean pages of the all media book I feel like I "should" be doing more "art" and less writing. It's interesting. I think I'll be sticking with this specific type of book for a while- I love not having to gesso pages before sketching up ideas!

Heart Strings and online classes

2010-03-15T14:35:00.002-04:00

My love of Frida Kahlo has been showing up more and more in my journals.

The concept of being tied to loved ones through physical strings comes from a portrait of her with her parents. These are my would-have-been step children, with the strings attached to the heart. The other is my ex fiance with the string that had snapped. It's one of my favorite spreads.

The masks used to create the title are from the Tim Holtz collection at Michaels- they're sticky so they don't move when you don't want them to =)

In other news, I am working on concepts for two online classes. They're at the roughest stages- the first class will be about art journaling techniques and combining them to create new looks. The second class is much more specific, it is going to be (I think) a 30 day art journal workshop focusing on the grieving process and working through it. I'm just brainstorming for now and getting all the ideas down. Next I'll begin filming videos and creating page examples. It's going to be an interesting ride, most of which won't be done until after this semester is over, the term papers and reading assignments are keeping me busy =[

Returning

2010-03-12T22:24:00.006-05:00

I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!

I know it's been forever since I updated. I am going to rant through an explanation for 30 seconds: between filling out FAFSA's (twice and waiting to make corrections), midterms, work, and school I got really sick and I'm in a budding romance. It's been a hell of a ride the past couple of weeks!

I still don't have wifi at home so it makes updating harder but I want to get back to posting at least 3 times a week- I was doing pretty well there for a while!

Moving on:

More knifty knitting videos to come within the next week- THANK GOD for spring break!

This is a spread of Lady Gaga's "Monster." The background is a layer of gesso using the credit card scraping technique and then drybrushed with acrylics.

Somehow I'm related to this guy, again from the photos we found at Pop's house- he looks like he was a play boy, I think the pipe sells it. I regret writing the lyrics in metallic gold because it is difficult to read

For some reason my Sakura gelly roll pens haven't been liking my acrylic backgrounds lately. I'm beginning to think it's because I use the cheap Folkarts but I'm not ready to let go of them yet. I'm using the Sakura glaze most often, followed by the souffle and sharpie paint pens. Yes, the oil based ones. I don't know why everyone is hating on them- I just can't find the water based anymore!

Knitting video, journal spread, and online class

2010-02-24T13:46:00.007-05:00

I've posted another video- a beginner's video for nifty knitting. This is a part of a series of videos to show how to make a hat on the nifty knitter and how to change yarn colors/make stripes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP9E_hw7zNg

I've not only been knitting and making videos, but also playing around in my journal. This page was a midnight blue acrylic layered with dark metallic inks and then border with lighter metallics.

The quote is from Lady Gaga's song "Monster" I seem to be obsessed with song lyrics in my spreads these days.

The photograph is actually from a collection of photos we found in my grandfather's house. We are most likely related to them somehow. This is a photocopy and I scribbled out the guy's face because I'm feeling whiny lately about boys =) The "jerk" tag is from my label maker I got on clearance from Michael's. (The only true love of my life!)

A final note: I just signed up for Kira Harding's first online class showing us how to make our own journals from scratch. I'm going to give it a go over the spring break in March and I'll give you guys a review about it when I'm done. It looks great, here's the link:

http://www.journalgirl.com/wish-journal-workshop

*Also- it's her birthday! Happy birthday Kira and congrats on the first class!

New Video

2010-02-22T13:20:00.004-05:00

I finally posted a new video showing some different texture techniques including: embossed paper towel prints, gesso applied roughly with a plastic palette knife, and bubble print wraps. Please ignore the ducky pj pants!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZZ-tTyBuhw

*Please tell me what you think- is it annoying to have it move so quickly? And do you like to hear music while watching videos?

Vegetarian Spread

2010-02-20T22:40:00.002-05:00

Acrylic background and stamped border, the letters on the fold-out sheet are rub-ons from JoAnns.

I was vegetarian for over 2 years and stopped because I planned on doing some charity work. It sounds weird, right? I was going to go to Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, and in the Sioux culture it is extremely rude to turn down food when it's offered to you. I have been told stories by native friends about people getting chewed out for politely turning away coffee so I wasn't going to take any chances. Now a days most of my volunteer work is done from home: knitting hats, making blankets, the Christmas gift drive, etc.

I'm starting to go back to being vegetarian and I've been trying out new brands and products and decided to make a list and scoring system for all the new stuff. A warning: Tom's Baking Soda toothpaste tastes god awful. It's icky.

Stuck in a Rut

2010-02-19T00:21:00.002-05:00

The background was painted quickly with acrylic then dabbed with crumpled plastic wrap lightly dipped in more acrylic. Once dry a white stamp pad was used to stencil the alphabet letters. Finally, I wrote out my frustration in sharpie.

Worm Angst

2010-02-17T22:39:00.002-05:00

Angsty page, feel free to not read the text on the spread.

For this spread I glued down this image of some kind of sea worm (maybe?) from National Geographic and the scrubbed acrylic paint over the page, wiping some of the paint from the image so it melded with the page. I outlined it in a Sakura gelly roll pen and then stamped over it.

Childhood Neighborhood Map

2010-02-14T21:42:00.002-05:00

I believe I got the idea for this from an example in Authentic Art Journaling. The background is gesso spread with a plastic paint spatula to give it an uneven, raw texture. The houses that didn't hold special meaning to me are painted gray since they're "fuzzy" in my mind. I know for sure some houses are missing or added, but oh well! I'm very happy with this spread.

Thekathrynwheel and my 2 cents

2010-02-13T00:11:00.003-05:00

I have a confession to make: I have a love affair with Somerset magazines. Among their multitude of inspiring publications, the newcomer- Art Journaling magazine holds a special place in my heart. I was browsing through flickr to find some cool spreads to share with you guys when I stumbled across thekathrynwheel's flickr account- and it turns out she was just published in the latest edition of Art Journaling.

You can find her photostream here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thekathrynwheel/
She is primarily a paper artist- art journals, inchies and atcs abound, but every so often the fiber arts sneak in there with banners, stuffed creatures or cushion covers.

One of my favorite techniques that she uses is her calendars-

It appears that each day is an inch square, she's essentially making an inchie to represent each day. How cool is that! You could either write a tiny entry like she did or create an inchie to represent a highlight of your day.

She also often includes descriptions of the materials used in case you what to snag them for yourself

Kathryn's blog: http://www.thekathrynwheel.blogspot.com

***

One of the things I love most about the crafting community is how small it really is- there are people you'll interact with on your favorite craft site and then one day they tell you they're first book is being published (Like Aimee Ray's Doodle Stitching) or you'll follow someones blog and then recognize them in a book you just bought (I found ihanna in 1000 Journal Pages) or you've read someones book and find out you are in a swap with them (Diana Trout, who wrote Journal Spilling is in ihanna postcard swap!).

The craft world seems wide and vast since we're connected through the internet but when you look around you begin to see that it can be intimate if you make it that way. We get to know one another's styles and quirks- often recognizing who made what just by looking at the elements and colors they used. If anyone is on the fence about starting up an account on the website they've lurked on for months or joining a swap because they are confident in their art- go for it.We all have our shining successes we treasure and flops we'd prefer to forget, but you can only grow as a creative individual if you try. Just go do it and have fun for crying out loud!

Crafty Chica Love Shrine Challenge

2010-02-12T16:39:00.002-05:00

*The* Crafty Chica, Kathy Cano-Murillo is hosting a love shrine contest! This woman is responsible for my ability to let go of my OCD nature when it comes to crafting. Her approach to creating is to play around and love what you create, flaws and all- you should always be having fun and not sweating the small stuff.

The entries are due by 11:59pm PST on March 11th, 2010.

Winners will be announced on March 17th.

The grand prize winner will receive a Crafty Chica gift basket, a copy of her novel Waking Up In The Land of Glitter, *and* a $50 gift card to The Maker Shed

3 Runner ups will receive a Crafty Chica gift basket and a Crafty Chica bobble head.

You enter by posting photos of your shrine on the Crafty Chica Challenge: Love Shrine Flickr group here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/ccc_loveshrine/ and "include a description of your project, inspiration, and materials were used in the process. (250 words or less please)"

**I'm sorry but our international friends unable to participate- it's only for residents of the US.
=(

- I got all my info from the Crafty Chica's facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/kathycanomurillo?ref=ts

I have a god awful tiny cabinet I bought as a part of an overpriced gift set (and I bought it just to get the cabinet!) I am going to prime it tonight with some gesso and I am going to dedicate to Ceilidh and Sage, David's kids because I love them as if they were my own. Who says the love shrine needs to be about a man?

Doodle + Collage spread

2010-02-12T16:30:00.003-05:00

I can't draw people to save my life. So when I wanted to represent myself laying in bed I tried doodling in the scene- my head is supposed to look like it's under the pillow and my arm is outside the blanket but maybe there's just a severed arm in my bed? (Note the professional way I used red squiggles to highlight soreness!) I kinda like it. I tried paying attention to the light source (upper right side of the page where my bedroom windows should be). At the end of the day it's just a journal and I'm not perfect, but it's mine.

Watercolors and using your Acrylic Stamp Sheets

2010-02-11T12:58:00.002-05:00

I bought a set of Artist's Loft watercolors (extremely cheap) and wanted to play around with layers. Turns out they're really nice! They're very vibrant but require a lot of water to release the pigment. I love them anyway:

This is a really old photo of me from high school- my best friends and I used to get together to take crazy pictures and this is one of them. I scratched the photo with a fine grit sandpaper and then stamped over it with the swirl design.

This page was made in response to the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas. The two brushstrokes are supposed to represent the World Trade Towers. I know you're supposed to keep the plastic sheets for your acrylic stamps but I take the sides with the designs on them and use them in my spreads =)

"Crystal Ball" lyrics page

2010-02-10T00:26:00.002-05:00

A phone call from my would-have-been step kids the other day got me thinking about my relationship with their father and how's it's changed since we split up. Songs that are close to my heart are popping up more frequently in my journaling. This spread is Pink's "Crystal Ball" off of her Fun House album.

The "highlighted" words in white are: "Sometimes you think everything is wrapped inside a diamond ring."

"Crystal Ball"

Drinking wine and thinking bliss, is on the other side of this
I just need a compass and a willing accomplice
All my doubts that fill my head are skidding up and down again
Up and down and round again, down and up and round again.
Oh, I've had my chances and I've taken them all.
Just to end up right back here on the floor.
To end up right back here in on the floor.

Pennies in a well, a million dollars in the fountain of a hotel.
Fortune teller that says maybe you will go to hell.
But I'm not scared at all...hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
Of the cracks in the crystal, the cracks in the crystal ball.

Sometimes you think everything is wrapped inside a diamond ring
Love just needs a witness and a little forgiveness
And a halo of patience and a less sporadic pace and
I'm learning to be brave in my beautiful mistakes.
Oh I've felt that fire and I've been burned
But I wouldn't trade the pain for what I've learned
I wouldn't trade the pain for what I've learned.

Pennies in a well, a million dollars in the fountain of a hotel.
Fortune teller that says maybe you will go to hell.
But I'm not scared at all...hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
Of the cracks in the crystal, the cracks in the crystal ball.

Irony, irony, this hate and love, hate and love
What it does to me, what it's done to me.
What is done...done

Pennies in a well, a million dollars in the fountain of a hotel.
Broken mirrors and a black cats cold stare,
Walk under ladders on my way to hell, I'll meet you there.
But I'm not scared at all, hmm...
I'm not scared at all.

Of the cracks in the crystal, the cracks in the crystal ball

Snow Day

2010-02-08T10:32:00.003-05:00

Due to the snow over the weekend my campus and work are both closed and I'm stuck in this house for another day. But I'm making the most of it, I slept in and went straight to crafting for my Art Journal Page swap. I've already finished my three pages (they were only 3.25" by 2.5") and I'm about to go look for extra goodies to tuck into the package.

Snow is pretty to look at but a real pain to drive in.

New blog crush: I found A Little Imagination and a Pile of Junk on ihanna's links and her journals are amazing! She does all kinds of crafts so the eye candy is an assortment of amazing projects.

Link*: http://www.littleblackkitty.typepad.com/

*The html is failing me today, sorry! But I'm learning

Back to school

2010-02-07T14:48:00.002-05:00

Yep it snowed 2 feet and I am stranded with a computer that is too old to upload videos to youtube. I miss wireless access. Anyway, this is a more cheery spread celebrating my last day of freedom before returning to college for the spring semester. The photo is from Christina Aguilera's latest CD pamphlet- I'm starting to use a lot of scraps I've been hoarding so I can start making more room for new stuff. I've also gotten sucked into having stuff stick off the page- there really isn't any reason for it other than it looks cool when you close it =) I think it also helps me break away from my OCD nature.

I'm in love with alphabet stickers right now, like the numbers above. I just can't get enough of them- brownie points if they're glittery too!

NSFW Cursing spread and new journal cover

2010-02-05T09:46:00.003-05:00

I give up doing the outdoor shots for a while, a blizzard is supposed to roll in within the next few hours and they're calling for 3 feet! This is part 2 of my winter art journal since I chose smaller books for this season. The cover is actually painted metallic gold but the light didn't really catch the shimmer.

The dangling charm was on clearance from JoAnn's- it's Ganesha! (The Hindu god of obstacles)

I wrote this before I found out the boy I was seeing was going to dump me over text message. Hrmuph. You live and you learn.

Scrap paper nail art

2010-02-03T12:33:00.002-05:00

WeisserRegenbogen from Craftster.org has posted the coolest nail art ever:

You can check out her post and instructions here: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=335974.0

This would be perfect for any bookworm or English major (such as myself!) or even a little pampering session for your book club =) I can see the Twilight fans now, look out used bookstores- here they come!

In other news, when it hasn't been foggy and overcast it's been snowing. I've scraped off the porch so I'm going to try taking some more photos. Additionally I've gotten my camera and tripod set up so I'm off to make some Knifty Knitter videos for the youtube account. See ya!

Missing You!

2010-02-01T11:57:00.002-05:00

I feel terrible about not updating more often (and even updating now without photos- I forgot to bring my camera!). But I do have exciting news- I figured out how to use my big sony camera *and* I got a flexible tripod so I can start making more videos! I am especially excited to do the art journal montages all the cool crafters are doing, which I fondly refer to as "craft porn." You know the videos- the fastforwarded clips of people creating an entire art journal page. I love seeing how everything comes together and the layers that build up.

I also plan to make some videos teaching the basics of Knifty Knitting, because the printed directions are difficult to interpret and it's sooo much easier to just watch someone (at least for me, anyway.)

Otherwise, I've been churning out postcards for ihanna's swap and taking on members for the craftster art journal page swap. I thought it was going to be harder- the only real problems I've run into are the system entered some people's swap start dates as 1969. No idea where that came from, but it's been remedied.

Photos to come very soon! I promise!

Postcard Swap 2010

2010-01-23T23:57:00.002-05:00

Hanna of the ihanna blog is hosting an international postcard swap and I have already joined. See post here: http://www.ihanna.nu/blog/?p=1047

Each person makes 10 postcards and will receive 10 in return. Sign ups close Feb 7th and sendouts are Feb 14th, so hurry up and get started! I'll be tracking my progress and arriving postcards.

Swap and a break up spread

2010-01-23T15:01:00.003-05:00

I am starting signups on craftster today for a 1000 journals type of swap. In this swap we are sending individual pages to our partners in order to avoid flakers keeping entire books of hard work, should there be any. Check us out on the swap sign ups board!

Sending love out to the Sakura company, did you know you can buy their pens according to color?! I complained just the other night how quickly I go through the black glaze and white souffle pens and said how they should sell colors individually- well they do! You can buy them in sets of two, which is pretty amazing (to me).* I found this lovely information here: http://www.shopatron.com/products/category/294.0.1.1.9960.10718.0.0.0?pg=2*

Here's another page that was featured in my first video about journaling the unhappy things. This is about my breakup with my ex fiance: the background is made up of bits of journaling I did on scraps of paper leading up to the breakup then covered in blue acrylic. The "singles ad" is from a quilting magazine and I think it summed me up perfectly. An old photo of the two of us has been distressed with sand paper and stapled onto the page.

I have a boat load of spreads to photograph and if it's dry out tomorrow I will get it done =)

*They don't pay me. But perhaps they should =) I love them.

Additions to the Blog

2010-01-14T14:31:00.004-05:00

In addition to the new wintery background, I have also added a slide show feature in the sidebar of photos from my flickr account- Rouge Raven. I am still working the kinks out of the youtube channel feature; every time I try to specify only my channel I get weird videos not made by me. Until I can figure out why it isn't working you can find my channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/RougeRavenDesigns. Subscribe or leave a comment so I can see your videos too- I am always looking for new inspiration!

Skull and winter spreads

2010-01-14T13:10:00.002-05:00

You've been starved for too long, I finally made it to the library- 20 minutes early in fact. I am trying out a new blog layout, let me know what you think! I picked it up at Smitten Blog Designs. (Please suffer me, I am learning html slowly.) Here are some pages from both my A Prompt a Day journal and my winter 09/10 journal.

I achieved the ink color by first writing my text with a orange sakura souffle gel pen and allowing it to dry and then very lightly going over the letters with a orange sakura glaze gel pen. I love the color I got from this and I will be using this technique again. It is very important to be light handed with the second layer, otherwise you'll scrap away the first layer of ink- give it plenty of time to dry. The skull is from the mojito paper pack by
the Crafty Chica- Kathy Cano-Murillo . The semi circle is actually a watercolored coffee filter.

This spread was created by squirting paint on the pages and then shutting it. I allowed it to dry over night and then covered it in a thing layer of gesso so that they colors would peek through.

Returning

2010-01-08T12:01:00.003-05:00

I know I haven't posted in forever- my wireless is down and I am relying on the library for the time being. The giveaway didn't go as planned but I've learned a lot from it and will approach it differently next time. I will be awarding Tasha with prize because she posted on the contest post and I feel like someone should get it =)

No photos at the moment, I will have to snag them from my laptop but I do have a lot to share.

I'm in a funk at the moment. I don't feel inspired to make things right now, I want to create but I just don't have any ideas and my pages are turning out "blah." I don't know what's going on but I am trying to work through it.

How do you get out of artist's block?

Blog Give Away

2009-12-22T11:23:00.003-05:00

I am nearing my 50th blog post and I am going to celebrate it with a give away!

The rules:

Put a link back to this blog on your blog/facebook/website/etc. and talk about the contest- I'd like to get lots of people on this so there is more than 3 or 4 people.

Once you have linked back to here, post your name and a link to your blog/facebook/website. (We all get a bit of networking out of this). Finally, post one topic/thing you'd like to see a video or post of in the future or one suggestion to improve the blog.

The prize:

A flat rate envelope crammed with papers, stickers, rub ons, charms, and doodads for your mixed media/art journal/crafting mayhem, along with one craft book from my collection.

The winner will be chosen using the random.org true random number generator.

The contest ends on New Year's Eve, at 12:01am I will announce the winner.

Good luck!

Feel the love =)

The videos are finally here!

2009-12-20T20:52:00.003-05:00

So I have finally mastered the confusing world of videos and youtube, on top of that I dug out 2 and a half cars out of over a foot and a half of snow. I have been quite productive today, I believe! The video is in two parts because youtube hates videos over 10 minutes long and mine was 11. Anyway, here's the goods I've been promising for ages now. I am so excited- please give me some ideas for more videos =)

Part #1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsRv30YwwMQ

Part #2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l2Stx65-L0

Please ignore how often I smack/tap/fondle the pages- I just love my journals that much! =P