Greetings artsy peeps! Spring is officially here and it happened so quickly. The birds have been singing me awake every morning this past week and the roses are blooming. Susan here with this week’s Gallery Gem Goodness.
Our first page is by Sylvie using the AJC Itinerary No. 12 for inspiration. Her page is filled with lovely layers, lots of blending and a few pops of bright color. Everything works so well together.
Sylvie’s credits: Art Journal Caravan Itinerary No. 12, various collections by Tangie Baxter, Paula Kesselring, Angie Young and Captivated Visions.
Our next gem is by Donna. I love the muted color scheme and different bits of paper peeking through her collage.
Donna’s credits: Art Journal Caravan Itinerary No. 11 colors, quote and challenge box. It's a combination of collage and acrylic paints.
Joanne is next in the spotlight for her fantastical little Art Dolls. She did an amazing job with each one of them.
Our last Gem for today is by Theresa using AJC Itinerary No. 11 quote for the week. I love the sun, composition, colors and quote. It all goes together perfectly.
Theresa’s credits: Art Journal Caravan Itinerary No. 11
A big shout out and thank you to Sylvie, Donna, Joanne and Theresa for sharing their wonderful masterpieces in the gallery. Please leave them some love….
Tangie Baxter & CO’s Art Journal Caravan is in full swing and it’s never too late to join the fun.
Don’t forget the Monthly Grab Bags are only available for a limited time once a month and priced on a sliding scale. Act fast for the best deal. For more information visit TB&CO Grab Bags.
Do you ever need some more motivation in your life? Maybe a little extra oomph to push you over the edge? If so, today's project may just be the kick in the pants you need!
I've been teetering on the edge of some big decisions in my life over the past few months, but I still haven't taken the plunge. Lucky for me, art journaling has a way of helping me through the tough stuff. Today's project, while fun and explorative, helped me delve a little deeper and focus on the issues at hand. The result was a gorgeous visual reminder that dreams are only the first step in the process of creating a new reality for myself.
I started things off with an 8x10 canvas and some liquid watercolors that I've been jonesing to play with. I've found quite a few cool uses for liquid watercolors in my pre-k classroom, but today I decided to try something new and spray paint with them... a technique I've not been so brave to attempt with my 4 year olds yet!
This step required some test sprays and blotting as the watercolors were too runny for the canvas surface.
Next, I wanted to add some texture to the piece so I used my newly discovered method for printing digital elements on tissue paper to print some cool elements from Tangie's prolific splatter and graffiti collection:
Once I decoupaged the tissue paper, I added some extra spritzes of color to add a layered look. Unsurprisingly, it took to the tissue paper much better than the raw canvas.
At this point I felt like the piece was a bit too edgy, so I added some white paint around the edges, giving it a cloudy ethereal touch.
Lastly, I added some hand lettering. The script was done with a glossy puff paint, and for the rest I used a white Gelly Roll pen.
The final piece is going to look great in my office, along side my vision boards and framed My Little Word for 2016. I hope this project will bring you as much motivation as it is sure to bring me over the coming months.
What kind of visual reminders keep you motivated throughout your daily life? We'd love to hear your answer in the comments below.
Tangie Baxter & CO’s Art Journal Caravan is back for 2016 and we’d love for you to join us on the adventure!
Did you know that you can collect rewards for being a loyal member of the Art Journal Emporium? These gifts are EXCLUSIVE to loyalty members and you will automatically be given access to your reward on the 1st of the month after you earn your reward!
REWARDS: You will receive a new exclusive workshop every 6 months. You receive access to these workshops at 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and so on! In between workshops at your 9 month and 15 month anniversary for example, you'll get an exclusive gift, product or coupon! It pays to stay and play!
Rewards are based on continuous payments. If you have questions about these rewards or your reward date, please email Stacy at tangiebaxterandco@gmail.com
There’s still time for you to participate in the monthly challenge over at the Art Journal Emporium. All you have to do is use one of the ideas below, create and upload your digital or mixed media entry by March 31, 2016. If you participate in the monthly challenge you could be one of two winners chosen at random – each prize is a $5.00 coupon to Tangie Baxter & Co. Woo Hoo!
March’s challenge is to use at least one of the following ideas:
Use the Following Quote:
“The mind can weave itself warmly in the cocoon of its own thoughts, and dwell a hermit anywhere.” James Russell Lowell
Create a "found" poem by using word bits or random phrases.
Envelop
What "envelops" you when you feel your best? Luck, love, harmony, peace, rest?
Easy as pie!
To give you an idea of what you could do, here is my interpretation of the James Russell Lowell quote.
The butterfly and butterfly t-shirt are from the March Collage Sheets. The cocoon is clip art from the web.
The Collage Workshop materials need to be downloaded before the end of each month so there's only a few days left to join the AJE and get this month's workshop.
Get those creative juices flowing, you could win a super prize! Come and join the fun!
Good day fellow art lovers! Spring has officially sprung at Tangie Baxter & CO, as evidenced by this week’s spectacular Gallery Gems!
Feast your eyes on the rich, vibrant hues of this inviting piece by Marilyn Curttright. She used TB&CO’s Art Journal Caravan Itinerary No. 11 word of the week - embrace - as well as elements from the Challenge Box, to create her beautiful page.
Credits: Tangie’s Envelop, Spark 2, Stamps Branches, Collage Fodder, Ultimate Art Doll. Rebecca’s Mara, Carys, Crispin, Hannah, Kendra. Fonts: CK Journaling, CK Ali’s Hand.
Next we have Heather Sullivan’s visually stunning page also created for TB&CO’s Art Journal Caravan Itinerary No. 11. Simply a mystical delight!
Credits: Mercado Salvage by Tangie and De Crow Designs, Jungle Salvage and Goddesses by TB&CO, Fonts: Orator, Bakery, and "Imprint" painting by DestinyBlue, from DeviantArt.
And now we have a thought-provoking piece created by sbpoet for TB&CO’s Art Journal Caravan Itinerary No. 11 word of the week - embrace. Texture, movement, mystery - a treat for the eyes!
Credits: Elements from Tangie Baxter, Christina Renee and Sugary Fancy. The "passport" circle was made for a previous Art Journal Caravan with Tangie Baxter. The art doll is made with elements from Tangie and SherrieJD; the feathered quill is from Eenas Creations.
I leave you with this particularly intriguing piece by Jeanet for the TB&CO March Challenge. Using the “found poetry” prompt, Jeanet has created a simple yet striking page that keeps me wondering...
Credits include the Envelop Word Paper Bits by TB&CO available as part of the March deliveries in the AJE.
Whew! Those were some sparkling Gems! Special thanks to Marilyn Curttright, Heather Sullivan, sbpoet, and Jeanet for sharing their wonderful pieces! Please leave them some love!
Tangie Baxter & CO’s Art Journal Caravan is back for 2016 and we’d love for you to join us on the adventure!
Don’t forget the Monthly Grab Bags are only available for a limited time once a month and priced on a sliding scale. Act fast for the best deal. For more information visit TB&CO Grab Bags.
Hey guys, Carolyn here, Art Journal Emporium Crew Member, taking over the TB&CO blog again!! Today I’m here to welcome you to a brand new monthly blog post: a challenge put out by Tangie to her Crew called “1 Collage Sheet, 7 Ways”. What’s this all about? Tangie has challenged seven of us to use one collage sheet to be the primary focus of a project that we create then share with all of you to show you just how versatile the collage sheets really are.
This month we’re using March 2016 Sheet #10 for our challenge, it looks like this:
We all created journal pages this time, some are digital, some are cut and paste. Even though 6 out of 7 of us used the house they all look SO very different. I found this challenge to be SO much fun, but I love using Tangie’s collage sheets in my art anyway.
So, enough yapping, on to the good stuff…
Glenda is up first with a digital page “Our Town”:
Next is Jan’s page, she incorporated some of her coloring book images into hers. She calls it “333 Butterfly Lane”:
Audrey made a digital page using the Collage Sheet 10 and the March Grab Bag:
Katrina made a cut and paste page in her art journal:
Amy also made a cut and paste page in her art journal:
Anne made a cut and paste tag:
And here’s mine, also a cut and paste page in my art journal:
I hope you all enjoyed this little challenge as much as we did. We’re already looking forward to starting next month’s challenge! If you’ve used March Collage Sheet #10 in your projects we’d love it if you left a comment below with a link so we can all see.
The Collage Workshop materials need to be downloaded before the end of each month so there's only a few days left to join the AJE and get this month's workshop.
For a look at all the different subscriptions available HERE.
Select option A through E to get the digital version of the collage sheets (option C includes printed collage sheets mailed to you) or Option I to have access to the printed collage sheets ONLY mailed to you.
This month’s Mobile Art Challenge in the Art Journal Emporium took an unexpected turn for me. Previous challenges have focused on the technical aspects of using a particular app to create a certain look. I love using apps in unintended ways to break the rules about what we think a photograph or a piece of art ‘should’ look like. But, this month something different happened. This month the challenge wasn’t about what we can create with our tools. It was about how we can create in our life - more specifically in the mindful moments of our life.
I think this is the true beauty of mobile art. We can be present and create right where we are. We can share those valuable and precious moments with others from wherever we are.
Here’s a bit of the story and one of the pics I shared this month:
Have you ever driven to work, arrived without incident and realized that you don’t remember anything about the drive? Yet, somehow, you arrived safely without paying attention to the journey. I do this all the time. I’m on automatic pilot thinking about a million other things and I let muscle memory drive the car for me. In the meantime, I’ve had three imaginary arguments (and won all of them). I’ve worried about my mom, my kid, my dog, the house, and losing my job. I fantasized about buying that fabulous purse I saw in the store and how marvelous it would look with everything in my wardrobe. I’ve berated myself for not fitting comfortably into my jeans and I’ve mentally joined Weight Watchers and magically lost 40 pounds. I thought about my friend, Charla, from high school talking about zipping her pants with a pair of pliers because they were too tight. And, somehow, I’m in my office ready to work, but I can’t really remember how I got there. What a morning!
How many of us repeat the same journeys day in and day out? Driving to work. Walking from the car to the office. Grocery shopping. Walking around the neighborhood. Running the weekly errands...
I decided to notice what I noticed and take three pictures on my walk from the parking lot to my office. This is the first picture I shared from this month’s challenge.
The water droplets on these tree limbs were sparkling like little jewels.
I woke the other day to find frost on the back window of my car and pollen on the front. That can only mean one thing... Spring has officially sprung in North Carolina!
Today I wanted to celebrate the coming of spring with a project that is quick, festive, and above all: fun!
Sometimes I can pinpoint my inspiration for a project with laser focus, but other times it seems like my muse is a little more subtle. Needless to say, the reasoning behind my sudden hankering to make handfuls of pinwheels eludes me. But, more important than the why, I am here today to show you the how, so let's get started.
You can make pinwheels out of any type of paper you like; I chose some really beautiful digital papers from Tangie Baxter's Art Journal Caravan™ Workshop Expedition 2014 {Self-Study} and printed them on white cardstock. The papers can be printed any size, depending on how large you want your pinwheel to be. I chose to make a handful of mini pinwheels, so I printed them at 3.5 x 3.5 inches. For this project make sure you're printing on both sides of the paper. I decided to go with a solid and a pattern combo, but there are tons of other options.
Once the papers were printed and cut, I folded the paper on both diagonals and made incisions from each corner toward the center of the paper. Next I created five small holes, one in each corner and one in the middle. Then, using a brad, I poked through the first corner hole from the back, bending the paper inward toward the middle hole. Do this until you have all four corners stacked on your brad. Lastly, I poked the brad through the middle hole and secured it in the back.
Now that you have your very own pinwheel its uses are practically limitless. Today I decided they would make a great addition to a seasonal bouquet I made for the kitchen table, but you can use them as party decorations, home decor, scrapbooking embellishments, or even as good 'ole fashioned pinwheels!
What spring projects are calling to you this season? Drop a line in the comments and let us know.
This month’s grab bag has so many great pieces, including vintage envelopes, torn hearts, and the cutest art doll. I sized and printed out an envelope back and front, the art doll Mara and three torn hearts.
Prepared a background: “credit card” scraped acrylic paint (Golden® Heavy Body Acrylic Teal) over the page. Stenciled a strip of circles down middle of page (Golden® Heavy Body Acrylic Hansa Yellow Medium).
Cut out and/or tore out the printed elements. Glued the bits and pieces onto the page. Printed “I feel loved” on the hearts.
Don’t forget Monthly Grab Bags are only available for a limited time once a month and priced on a sliding scale. Act fast for the best deal. For more information visit TB&CO Grab Bags.
