What's Your Secret?

“Curiosity is one of the great secrets of happiness.” Bryant H. McGill

Do you have a secret you would like to share? Do you possess an interesting quality waiting to be discovered? Do you have a sincere spirit of enquiry, a sense of curiosity about life? Does it lead you to unexpected discoveries? Do share...

Continuing the playing card Art Journaling Project I produced another set to add to my collection. Much of the materials used to create “A Holy Curiosity” collection found its way as a base for the new cards. I’m a great believer in the motto that too much of a good thing can be wonderful. How about you?

Working commercially for so many years, my art is usually much “cleaner”. I’ve long been curious about how it would feel to throw caution to the wind and let the paint fall where it may. The compact size of the cards have “given me permission” to explore and discover my messy side.

With the backs completed from the previous project I set out to begin the face design. The Curious Possibility clings by Tim Holtz feature in this set as well. But added to the images are lovely rubber stamps I purchased from Leavenworth Jackson in California. The company truly has an outstanding collection.

Building the layers on the face was enjoyable. The Artistcellar Blocks series stencils were a lovely counterpoint to the Halftone Dots series. As with all Artistcellar products the quality allows you to focus on creating your work, not worrying about damaging the stencils. I have used a variety of media and the stencils always wash up easily, making them ready for my next project.

Distress Crayons are wonderful to work with. The colours in the set I have are bright and stay true when applied to the substrate. The feel is soft, smooth, and luxurious. Subtle touches of crayon completed the work.

I hope you will give Journaling on cards a try. You may discover, as I have, the joys of following your messy, succulent spirit of enquiry. You may even find a new kind of happiness waiting for you!

MATERIALS USED:

• STANDARD PLAYING CARDS
• ARTISTCELLAR STENCILS: Tibet Series, Traditional Japanese Series, Marked Series, Blocks Series, Halftone Dots Series, Sea Foam
• TIM HOLTZ VISUAL ARTISTRY CURIOUS POSSIBILITY Rubber Stamps
• STUDIO G Alphabet Rubber Stamps
• HAND CUT STENCIL: Diamonds
• PUNCHINELLA
• ELMER’S RUBBER CEMENT
• LIQUITEX WHITE ACRYLIC GESSO
• LIQUITEX MATTER MEDIUM
• DECOART Crackle Paste
• MEMENTO DYE INK Tuxedo Black
• PLAID ACRYLICS: Blue Sapphire, Amethyst, Blue Pearl, Pure Orange, Perfect Purple, Violet Pansy, Sunflower, Metallic Rose, Bright Red, Aquamarine, Pure Gold, Plum
• DECOART: Splendid Gold, Sunny Day
• DINA WAKLEY: Lime
• NATURAL SPONGE
• SANDPAPER
• TIM HOLTZ DISTRESS CRAYONS
• DYLUSION SPRAY: Bubble Gum Pink
• POCKET PAGE PROTECTOR
• VARIOUS EPHEMERA: Paper, Rubber Stamps, Dover Publications Images, Rub-On Lettering

Right Now. Right Here.

“Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing. 

Making your unknown known is the important thing.”-Georgia O’Keeffe

Do you journal? Or are you like me, jotting thoughts and sayings on random bits of paper? I have often purchased beautiful journals fulling intending to fill them. I just never do. I don’t know if it is the fear of the blank page, or what seems like the vast the number of pages that puts me off. But whatever the reason, there they sit, on my bookshelf, spotless as the day I purchased them.

Some time ago I bought a pack of inexpensive Ace playing cards. The flying biplane on the backs won me over! Who wouldn’t want to fly off to a new adventure in that wonderful plane? It was then I decided to use them as a journal. With a deck of 52, completing one card a week didn’t seem beyond the realm of possibilities. To kick off my venture I knew the best place to start was with the Artistcellar Pocket Stencil series Creative Words: Believe, Trust, Seek, and my favourite, Create.

Have you ever noticed the lovely sayings tucked away on the inserts of your Artistcellar Stencils? To me the stencils alone are creative cake…the inspirational quotes are the icing. Creative Words were just that…the catalyst I needed.

The playing cards have a plastic finish. To allow the media to attach, I sanded the cards and applied a quick layer of gesso. I didn’t want to totally cover the suits and numbers, so I removed some of it with a paper towel. On my work table, I assembled my stencils, acrylics and stamps. I wanted to have a bit of fun and see where my journey would take me. I revisited an old technique: applying rubber cement through the SEEK stencil. I tried a new idea as well: dabbing Dye-Na-Flow colour through the TRUST stencil. When dried I positioned the cards in a row and completed the backs. Though not identical, they have the same “feel”…a record of a time and place.

In the end I was happy with the results. Best of all, the stencils stood up to everything I threw at them. Clean up was a snap with stencils back to perfect condition. The cards are now part of my new journal, safely tucked away in a pocket page protector in a three ring binder.

Time seems to be racing by for me. Is it the same for you? Journaling is a wonderful way of capturing the essence of who we are. The perfect journal format is whatever suits you best. We owe it to ourselves to take the time to make our unknown known. Not only to ourselves, but sharing it those in our life. Right now. Right here.

 

MATERIALS USED

• ARTISTCELLAR Stencils: TRADITIONAL JAPANESE SERIES (Arrow, Ocean Waves), BLOCKS SERIES (Open Work), HALFTONE DOTS SERIES (Midtone 1 & 2), and POCKET STENCILS (Creative Words)
• Ace Playing Cards
• Liquitex Gesso
• Golden Glazing Fluid
• Avery Glue Stick
• Elmer’s Rubber Cement
• Memento Tuxedo Black Dye Ink
• Dye-Na-Flow: Midnight Blue
• DecoArt Peacock Pearl, Desert Turquoise,
• Plaid: Aquamarine, Bright Red, Plum, Sunflower, Bright Orange
• Reeves: Rose Red
• Dina Wakley: Blush, Lime
• Dylusion Spray: Bubble Gum Pink
• Rubber Stamps
• Sandpaper
• Post It Notes
• Natural Sponge
• Paper Towels
• Baseball Cards Pocket Page Protectors
• Vintage Paper