Wednesday, July 8, 2009

new project!

I have had the worst time trying to get this to post. It is a long story. The good thing is that I FINALLY got it together enough to get my pics! ARRRGGGHHHH!

SOOOO! I hosted book club last week, OH MY GOODNESS! I was so inspired by these ladies, they have a way of getting my creative juices flowing..it has been snowballing since last Wednesday! I have been happy as a lark since my sweet friends came over to make STUFF!


(just for the record, our book club is NOT a book club where we read....we actually learn to make different books and albums....I KNOW, so freaking cool! I love it!)


so as a supplement to what we did last wednesday, becasue some werent able to make it, AND some were a little confused....so I am going to post step by step my book I did....hopefully NOT to confuse you EVEN more! HA!

First of all I chose my supplies.....

I chose two transparencies for each page, and I will tell you why in a minute, some plastic place mats and some cool felt placemats, as well as some patterned paper that goes with the colors I am already using. I cut them all down to size, 9x6..9 wide 6 tall and I am going to bind them on the 6 inch side....so cute!







The next thing I did was choose some random stamps and stamped one side of all 10 transparencies.


I glued and glittered, and used stazon ink making sure that I only stamped one side...heres why.....I am now going to flip the tranparencies to where the stamping is on the inside....cool huh? this way the glitter is on the inside...won't get rubbed off and when you turn them inside they OVERLAP and make an even COOLER design.....YAY!


NOTICE...ASTERICK!!!! wait a minute...at this point do not atach anything yet, its getting to the fun part.!

Now we are going to put some paper in between, when you choose paper, one, it doesnt have to cover the whole page, it can be a a sliver, BUT make sure that it is a two sides print, OR that you glue two pieces of solid or patterend paper together so it will sow through both sides.
ISN"T THIS NICE......I LOVE love LOVE clear pages.....I used some of those clear frames on them ....I love it!

Once you have the paper on the inside you can attach the two transparencies together with eyelets, tacky glue, just a few drops around the edges, or pop dots in strategic places....remember it applies to both sides...but you can hide it with things like rhinestones, stickers, stamping, chipboard embellishments. This is a page(both sides) where I used a strip of paper in between the transparencies.
Once I finished the clear pages I sandwiched the clear pages with the plastic placemats. and bound them with my bind-it-all. I <3 the bind-it-all......so check out the pics of the finished book below......





This is page five.......front on the bottom and back on the top...................................................

Here is the 4th page top is the back and front is onthe bottom.....................





Here is the 3rd page front on the bottom and the top os the back of the page................










Here is the 2nd page the top is the front and the bottom is the back....not sure how that happened.....this one I used paper under the entire transparentcie, becasue I didnt like the stampimg together...so there are always fixes.










This is the first page the back is on the top and the front is on the bottom. This one I used one strip of double sided paper in between.






okay I realize this post is HUGE, but I thought I would let you guys know what the pages kinda looked like when you are done....this is the first clear book I have done....hope you all like the pages......a little SHOUT out to all my book club buddies! you all rock! can't wait to see you all in August!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

It has been a busy week!

It has been a UBER busy week! YOU would not believe what I have been doing, and what MORE I have to do....quite frankly I am overwhelmed and really am not sure where to start....(between packing up my classroom, getting work out, finishing claywork, grades, and the checklist that I have to complete before friday...HUH! )that's why i am blogging, I guess....escape...ahh! sweet esape...

anyway...enough of that...( I really need to make lists, don't I?)

Have you checked out GUTTER GIRLZ BLOG ? SeRiOuSLY! YOU need to check it out...just hit the link...The pictures alone will inspire you to be a more meaningful scrapbook...journal artist...so fabulous...you need to put that on your TO DO list...I am so serious about this one....

That brings me to another subject...Why in the HELL is there an negative connotation to scrapbooking among fine artists and well, artists in general...


There is NOTHING I hate more (especailly as an art teacher...) to hear someone say...Oh, you scrapbook....(you can imagine...a monotoned, unenthused...voice...blah!) UNTIL....until they see my work..then they are like....OH! YOU ARE A SCRAPBOOK ARTIST! YAY! RAH! RAH! can you TEACH me how to do THAT?...what can you say to that...? well, I CANT teach you(this..you know... it's taken YEARS AND YEARS to PERFECT my..er....style...*hint o' sarcasim inserted")_ I guess thats what you call it.., except we can hang out while we scrapbook.....that would be so cool!, because I love LOVE love to scrapbook with people...(thats no joke) its probably the main reason I got into scrapbooking...other than the SUPER COOL, OUT OF THIS WORLD tools...that I can't get enough of ....I truly love being around people, thats were I get my inspiration from....things said, things done, things unsaid or undone...in my own fashion, kinda giving it a little torque for good measure....so I probably should be planning a crop of sorts....
maybe I will...that would be cool, huh?

I love all my scrapbook friends, they are freaking awesome...so kind, and generous, and absolutely creative...They inspire me & I love them....

so to get back....I hate that some people dont get the gist of scrapbooking....really I hate the old stereotype of the old school CM...style...picture, picture, picture...sticker sticker,,sticker there too...and a title...usually not big enough to balance out the pictures....kinda floating....with WAY too much negative space.....now....fast forward 10 years ...hell, even five years...scrapbooking has been changed....by pulling fine art media into the mix...its awesome...I love it....it feels good and I am sure that this hobby...lifestyle of mine has just evolved....for most....I have always used paint, and ink and glue and collage techniques....but now it is HIP and cool...you know what I say about that? ITS ABOUT FREAKING TIME!!!!!
This is a cover of a book I did at the beach during spring break...its a paper bag book, like a medium bag, not a lunch bag....it has been bound by a zutter bind it all...i painted, doodled and embellished it with stickers and my dymo...have I mentioned before that I LOVE the SIGNO pen...SIGNO ROCKS! the stickers are a mixed bag and the hearts came from a valentine collection from Making Memories.

As far as I am concerned, I see scrapbooking as journals...my GIANT 12x12 journal pages....(I obviously don't ONLY do 12x12....) but even those pages I slip into sleeves and put in a scrapbook are still moments that i have journaled in a very artful and meaningful way....I am really trying to find a way to share that with people....

I really hope to get on a Design team this summer, If not I will be here...on my blog....sharing my artwork and general ramblings...life is good....life is UBER good....

Sunday, May 31, 2009

SO Excited!!!!!!!!!!

I just finished this canvas....I had a book club meeting at my house last Wednesday nite...some of my FAVORITE ladies in the world came over to play with me....(oh! SO MUCH FUNFuN fUn!!!)


Anyway, I was the host so I thought we would do some altered canvases...It was a blast....we painted, stamped, sewed....glittered...we did it all, it was AMAZING!


I got a little caught up in the painting and stamping of my background, I hadnt really planned what I was doing...I just knew I wanted something for my studio wall, and i wanted it to be about me...(I dont seem to do a lot of that...)


So for the past 2 days..on and off...Kade(my youngest) and I have been creating together...so I dragged out a BOATLOAD of scrappy goodness and I think i came up with something pretty good......I like it, I guess thats all that REALLY matters....


so without further adue...(I am guessing thats how its spelled...)


Its called " I'm not a princess" (that is a truism, for sure!) I layered, stamped,(yeah, I layered those too) I think i broke out EVERY bin of embelli's i own.....no not really...it just felt like it...but it feels good to use up some of the stuff i have...I took the picture, myself, just screwing around with my camera after i got it back from repair....i was out in the yard on my swing...I can only imagine what my neighbors thought, but WHOS LAUGHING NOW? HA! HA! I doodled....of course....my fave...and used my junk...woo!whoo!

Have a good sunday! I hope you like what you see.....

Saturday, May 30, 2009

It's the weekend..









I thought I would show you a few things I have been working on...if you didn't know I am working on writing a book...yeah, can you believe it?
I have been coming up with so many freakin' ideas....
Here are a few things i have been working on lately....
this is a page that I did about Kade....I love the picture....he is really a cool kid....

Here is one of Bran, I thought the quote fit him perfectly....he is such a kind soul. I doodles the border around the picture, around the edges, and the words...the picture was taken at the race this year....such an awesome kid, he has grown up so fast.














one last thing, a book I constructed...its kinda cool, i guess....


I sewed the buttons directly onto the cardboard...

Here is the cover...........















Here is the binding, I sewed buttons to both sides of the binding and tied ribbon around the buttons that lined up...I think it turned out pretty...I really like ribbon, BUT coupled with corrugated cardboard....it is the best thing since sliced bread...I mean, who would have thought to put ribbon with cardboard that i got from a pallet at Cotco?
As soon as I get the pages done, I will post them...
Hope you like my projects.


















Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Something new....

I was thinking and I didnt post a picture of the journaling i did on my page for gutter girlz....you guys have to check that site out.



The site is definitely up my alley....they use things that are not usually meant for scrapbooking, and when you see it on a page you think....WhY In The HeLL dIDnT I ThINk oF THaT?



I just thought i would put up a quick message and show you my journaling...its kinda cool, I guess...in a dorky kinda way...my husband was like...DamN JeN! i thought scrapbooking was all about happy things....well...no...HELL NO! this is like therapy...very cheap very fun therapy...it felt good to put this moment to paper and use it in my life art....



so here it is

I like how the G in "GOD" overlaps and partially disappears when the journaling flap opens...

I hand doodled the border and the journaling is hand written and cut and pasted...I like it, it still has legibility....SO there IT is....hope you like...

catch ya later....and check out what it is like to be in the gutter

Monday, May 25, 2009

Check this out!

I have been surfing the web lately, with all this free time on my hands, i have been looking for some inspiration.....well, since my computer crashed about a month ago, i lost all of my bookmarks....(shame on me, I need to upload those all to delicious, i know, i know!!!!)



ANYWAY! I found this this kick ass site...actually, I should say, KICK ASS site...it's call Gutter Girlz....Can you say OH-MY-GOD? These chicks are freaking awesome, I must say....



okay, so they are doing an open call for their Design Team....they rock so much...



I did the challenge and I am going to submit my work for concideration...it would be so great. It looks like an amazing place to get inspiration. I bookmarked it and i am definately adding it to my blogroll....FOR SURE!



I have 14.....count them....14 days of school left...so it is definitely where i am going to be spending my mornings this summer, while the house is quiet....I can't wait...I am shivering with anticipation....woo!



okay, so the prompt was to use the song Rock Bottom by Eminem, the quote to use was It's not all roses. and Use of Perfume.



So heres my submission.....



I used corrugated cardboard to quill the tiny roses...Man! I love LOVE love corrugated cardboard...it is the best...not to mention the cheapest...and I love the look of it...let me know what you think ...I would love to hear any suggestions or comments....

toot-a-lue till later.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

my first blog entry.....

This is my first blog entry on my new altered art blog. I am going to post pictures of art I am working on and give directions to how certain peices were done, especially when I have learned a new technique that is especially YUMMY!

I can wait to get started...so stay tuned, I will updated this evening with my first round of pics and a cool technique or two...

Here's the gist.....

Richmond, VA, United States
art teacher,artist,mom to little boys,wife,daydreamer, lover, giver, laugher,thrift store junkie, tomato gardener, technophile, beer drinker, painter,black and white photographer, friend, follower,believer,music buff, leader, outsider, educator, no-so mass producer, scrapper,straight talker,printmaker,nascar wannabe, deal breaker, risk taker..lots more than meets the eye....

jens art

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