ICAD #3

Things you would take on a journey or trip:

Since I did this one while sitting at my desk at work, I mostly just used my copic markers...

I wanted it to be colorful! 

Don't forget to drop by daisy yellow and join in her Index Card a Day Challenge! 

It really is fun and easy!

What would you take on a trip or journey??  How could you fit that onto an index card?

Coffee makes the world go round... or at least mine!

Coffee...

Oh sweet coffee!!! 

I do literally think it makes my morning brighter, 

and is the cure all for any headache!

I'm not a huge fan of regular Starbucks coffee,

but when I heard their Fraps would be only $2 over Memorial Day weekend

I knew I'd be there... (to clarify, they were only at the Starbucks inside the Safeway stores!)

Friday I mozied on over to my local Safeway and ordered up a nice cold 

Cookie Crumble Frap!

MMMMMMM sweet goodness... 

I spied these little cards on the counter, and picked up a comment card to boot...

Perfect for some smashing

Then the next morning I finished off a can of White Chocolate Carmel Latte 

Creamer.. so I ripped the wrapper off that bad boy 

hit it with a little heat gun, and voila... perfect for smashing...

Finally, my favorite piece of the smashing puzzle...

This little tag.. the coffee ring is made with real coffee, out of a real coffee cup! 

Super easy, just splash it over the edge, like what happens when your cat jumps up and the coffee sloshes 

over the edge.  Let it dry, stamp a little saying in the middle, add a rusty washer and some twine (from the twinery of course) 

And you've got yourself a smoking hot (and great smelling) smash* page.

FYI, I modge podge'd a napkin to the page as the background. 

What gets you up and going in the morning? How many cups does it take??

10 tips to get past the blank art journal page

10 Tips

to get past the blank art journal page!

1. Put down a wash of color... Use watercolors, or acrylics.

2. Tear out a page of a magazine and modge podge or glue it down on the page.   Any magazine page will do... after all, you're probably going to cover it up again!

3. Distress just the edges and corners of the page.

4. Stamp your page directly from the ink pad and then quickly spritz with water.

or my favorite.......

This seems to work very best with the ranger distress inks as they stay wet longer.

5. Glue or modge podge a ripped up dress pattern to the page.

6. Haphazardly stamp with any of the rubber stamps you have not yet used, or haven't used in a long time!

7. Glue or paste that old calendar right onto your page!

8. Use something unexpected... try rubbing with charcoal, or how about some of those retread tires we see on the side of the highway? (Please be careful!!!  Don't get hit!!!)

9. Stick all your drink wrappers on a page... think the green tea bottle you just threw away, or the cup of joe you drank this morning.


10. Use that punchinella!  Abuse it!  Use all the ink pads you have!

After I put down a background on a page I usually shut my journal and leave it... Then when I'm ready to do a page I already have a bunch of backgrounds ready to choose from.

Translating a hobby!

#5 Hobby

My list of journal prompts from Mary

includes this beauty...
When I was at a recent meet up one of lovely ladies triggered an idea for this page. 

You see art journaling was not my first love... In fact, I had a whole life as a sewer and quilter prior to this adventure.  I even tried to sew a pair of pants once... that was a MAJOR fail!  

I am a lover of all things sewing though...
 I would love to have a dress form just for the inspiration it might lend to me!

I was super excited to use a leftover apron pattern in my art journal. 

I modge podge'd up the page and slapped that bad boy down!

Then it tore... and it didn't fit quite right... 

So I added some more pieces, and I stamped it up some using my Ranger distress inks!

It was starting to look better.... Then it hit me... since I was already going for a little sewing theme, why not actually sew on the pages??? 

So I pulled out my embroidery threads that mom had given me last time she was here.. and I went to work on the edges! 

Then I added a little sewing in the middle of the page with a piece out of my scrap dictionary about a "pattern." 

On the opposite side I used some glitter glue to write "Sewing Machine" 

and some ribbon that looks like a tape measure.  

Finally I added a quick sewn paper flower that I adapted from this tutorial.

I hope you enjoy!
What is a hobby that you would journal about?? 

Art Journal Travel Page

I am totally in love with learning new techniques and trying out new crafts.  I tend to jump from project to project, and am super excited when I finally finish one thing!  While the Journal itself is not done... NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!!  I did however finish this page! 

Hubby and I made a quickish trip to California at the beginning of April, and this is the page that ensued!  At the prompting of Mary (Mary's blog link) I am trying to do 30 pages of my journal, and this one came together lickity split! It's very nice to have those prompts to fall back on when in-spi-ration (as Chef Ron Ben-Isreal from food networks Sweet genius) would say!

There wasn't too much technique/ magic involved in this page, lots of modge podge and some fun postcards that were a give away at the restaurant we fell in love with.  I started with a wash of water color for the background, and cut up a piece of a larger touristy map that I picked up at our hotel,

then added the fun postcards, tape and travel page (K&C) and voila! Super Easy, just add a little journaling and it was done! 

I do find that it's much easier to start a page if I put some color on it first!  There is something about that big blank white page that is very scary!  

Please feel free to leave a post!  All input is greatly appreciated!