Documented Life Project 2016 and New Year's Goals

Hello blog!  I can't believe it's almost 2016!  As promised, I wanted to share a few of my New Year's goals and resolutions with all of you.  First of all, I want to tell all of you about the Documented Life Project, or DLP for short.  This is an art collaboration that you can sign up for.  The idea behind the group is to offer free mixed media classes online and to complete a weekly art journal project.  Each week you will receive an e-mail prompt with guidelines for that weeks journal page.  If one of your resolutions for 2016 is to create more art, you really should check out the Art to the 5th Academy website and register for the 2016 DLP program.  It used to be free, but now costs $12.00 for the class. In exchange for the $12.00, you will receive $20.00 worth of art downloads that you can use in your journals or altered planners.  Here is the e-mail I received today as a reminder to sign up (which I am).



The start of DLP 2016 is just a few days away!
If you are thinking about joining us, you may want to jump in now.  We are printing our free downloads and gathering our supplies. There are great conversations going on and friendships being built.
We would love to have you join us!
Hope to see you in the classroom!
Art to the 5th
Visit Art to the 5th Academy™ at: http://www.art5academy.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

 The Art to the 5th Academy also offers other art courses, lectures, and videos for you to check out.  I love art journaling but did not complete as many pages in 2015 as I had hoped.  I am really looking forward to signing up and getting weekly assignments for my art journal.  I can't wait to share my DLP projects on the blog, and hope to see some of your projects as well!

I do have a few other resolutions and goals I am hoping to complete in 2016.  The main goal of 2016 is to give up soda for good.  Most of you don't know that I suffer from chronic migraines.... and lately they have been horrendous.  I currently rely on soda and the caffeine it provides to keep my headaches and migraines at bay.  I do occasionally drink coffee or tea, but always end up drinking soda.  It is cheap, convenient, and loaded with sugar (which is not so great for my waist line). I have been trying to ditch soda from my diet for a couple years now without success.  I am hoping that this year will be better.

I am also hoping to get a realistic bird painting done before the first of May.  This will be difficult since I work full time and am always working on other art projects, but I am hopeful. If I can successfully finish a painting or drawing in time, I will enter it in the annual Birds in Art exhibit at Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin.  This is not a necessity, but it is a lifelong goal that I have always wanted to accomplish. I always put it off thinking that I have all the time in the world.... but that is a lie.

The last goal for 2016 is to finish my book and oracle card deck I started last summer.  I would love to finish both of those projects sooner rather than later, but lack the motivation to do so.  I will be working on the oracle cards whenever I can and hope to have them done before the end of the year.  The book will probably take much longer since I am still evolving spiritually, but I am okay with that.  I stopped working on both projects when I returned to work in October.  Not only did I have less time to work on those projects, but I side-stepped my spirituality when I became focused on the stress and drama of my life.  Now that I am passed all of that,  I can focus on my inner peace and continue growing spiritually.  I am hoping to meditate more this year and enjoy the life I get to live each day.

I hope all of you are inspired to create art in 2016 and join me in registering for the Documented Life Project. I cannot wait for the growth and changes I will experience in 2016.  Thank you so much for visiting the Copper Blossom blog tonight.  I hope all of you have a fantastic New Year!  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Halloween Mixed Media Art Journal Page - Challenge Entry

Hello again.  I cannot believe that it is already All Hollows Eve!  I wanted to share a Halloween art journal page that I finished this morning.  I tried to get it done last night, but I was just too tired after work. I will be entering this art journal page in a few blog challenges which will be listed down below.

I created this art journal page with the following materials: Dylusions Vibrant Turquoise Ink Spray, Dylusions Fresh Lime Ink Spray, Black Soot Distress Paint, Sakura Souffle Markers, Aleene's Tacky Glue, black Sharpie pen, handmade felt star stamp, Cool Grey Kaiserfusion alcohol marker, and scrapbook paper.

I was inspired to create this page when I found an old Martha Stewart Living magazine with this image on the cover.  I scanned the cover and printed out a black and white copy of this image on a heavy weight card stock.  I colored in the owl and pumpkin with turquoise, blue, lime green, and orange Sakura Souffle pens. I added definition to the pumpkin and owl with a black Sharpie pen. I then used Fresh Lime and Vibrant Turquoise Dylusions spray ink to cover the background. I wanted to add distressed looking stars to the background so I cut a star out of felt to use as a stamp.  I used Black Soot Distress Paint to stamp the stars on the background. I then added smaller orange stars to the background with a souffle pen and outlined the black stars. I glued the owl and pumpkin image to journal page with tacky glue. I thought that the page needed a little more oomph so I cut out a witch's hat from scrap paper and added turquoise polka dots. When the hat was dry I glued it down to the journal page.  I outlined the owl image with a grey Kaiserfusion alcohol marker to create dimension. I ended up drawing spider webs on the corners of the page with a sharpie pen to create a nice border around the journal page.  The last thing I did was distress the outer edges of the paper with black distress paint.

I wasn't sure how this art journal page was going to turn out with a blue owl, but I absolutely love it!  I like it so much that I am entering this art journal page in a few challenge blogs.

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - Halloween Word Search
I used the words Black, Owl, and Witch from this word search.

Dream In Darkness Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Throwback
The throwback challenge I chose was from August 2015 - Trio of Colors

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today.  Be sure to enjoy this All Hollows Eve and do not conjure anything up you will regret later! Have a great Friday. ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Weekend Art Journal Page

Hello everyone.  I hope you all had a fabulous weekend.  I got to spend some time with my family this warm autumn weekend. I also got to enjoy the Green Bay Packer football game this afternoon and made a few cream pies. Finally back home and able to post to the blog.

Tonight I just wanted to share a mixed media art journal page that I created this weekend. I created this page using dylusions ink sprays, acrylic gel medium, scrap paper, gel pens, a face cut out from a magazine ad, and a black permanent marker.  This page was inspired by a magazine makeup ad. I was thinking that all women should be proud of who they are and show their true colors.  We are all beautiful people and should not change who we are to fit into society's idea of beauty.  I love how this art journal page turned out, but wish the magazine paper wouldn't have wrinkled so much when adhering it into my dylusions journal.

Thank you so much for visiting the blog tonight.  As always, feel free to share this post on social media or follow this blog.  Have a great night! ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤ 

Shoot For The Moon Art Journal Page

I hope that everyone is having a fantastic Thursday Evening.  I just wanted to share a new art journal page with everyone who reads my blog.  I am obsessed with the moon and space, and was more than excited to start this journal page.  This page features my all time favorite quote: "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars".  I am the biggest dreamer I know, and love creating art that inspires others to achieve greatness. If you think about it, most of our limitations are created in our own minds.  When I was creating this art journal page, I wanted to convey the idea that life is limitless.  Our only obstacles in life are our negative thoughts and self limiting beliefs.

I created this page by first painting the background with seedless preserves, black soot, and walnut stain distress paint.  I blended the colors using a baby wipe and let dry.  Next I sprayed white dylusions ink spray on the page and created drips. I let the page completely dry overnight.  The next step was drawing the lace, dotted border, and stars with a white gelly roll pen. I added some midnight dylusions ink spray to a baby wipe and wiped the ink on some of the stars and lace to tone down the the brightness and add a bit of blue to the page.  I then cut out a moon and three stars from a piece of scrapbook paper.  I took a light lavender alcohol marker and outlined the cutouts, and then blended the lavender edges with an alcohol blender pen. I glued the moon and stars to the page using acrylic gloss gel medium. Lastly, I used a lilac souffle pen and wrote the quote on the page.  I outlined the lettering with a black permanent marker to make it stand out.  I love the way this page turned out, especially the space themed background.

I hope this art journal page inspires you to start an art journal of your own.  Remember, you do not need to purchase a fancy art journal or special media to start art journaling.  You can use whatever art materials you already have to make beautiful pieces of art. Enjoy the rest of your night and keep dreaming!  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Time Journal Page

Hello everyone!  I can hardly believe that today is already hump day... where does the time go?  Speaking of time, I just finished an art journal page and thought I would share it with all of you.  I am really enjoying decoupaging in my art journal, and this page is covered top to bottom in papers, cut outs, and mod podge.  This page is definitely my thickest to date.  I really didn't know what I was going to do with the journal page.  This was one of those half done pages that I despised seeing in my journal. I had lots of issues with this page, so I left it unfinished for a few months.  Last night I got inspired to work on it after thinking about daylight savings time.

This page started a few months ago when I decided to glue one of my old woodcut prints to the page.

 I used dylusions spray ink in fresh lime, vibrant turquoise, and pure sunshine over the image to create a background. I also used black soot distress paint to distress the edges of the page.  I decided at that point to color in the cogs with souffle gel pens in random colors.  I wasn't the happiest with the page, so I started to cover up some of the image via decoupage.  I used mod podge to adhere all of the random torn pieces of scrapbook paper and circle shapes. At this point, I liked how it looked, but there was no theme to the page.

I didn't know what else to do with the page until last night when I was thinking about clocks and daylight savings time.  I decided to print out a clock on scrapbook paper and add it to the image.  I added India ink randomly around the edges to darken them up more.  This took a while to dry on the areas previously covered with mod podge, so I started working on another journal page to pass the time.  When the page was completely dry, I added a couple more circle shapes around the clock via mod podge. To add a little more contrast, I used a black permanent marker and white gel pen to trace around all the circles.  Lastly, I added a title using stickers and distress paint. This page turned out amazing... it just took some time!

I hope this journal page inspires you to never give up on those pesky pages you feel are unsuccessful.  The advantage of using paint and decoupage is that you can cover up and hide whatever it is that you don't like.  No matter what, sometimes it is best to stop working on a journal page or art project and work on something else for a while.  Nine times out of ten, I can return to a piece of artwork with renewed inspiration and a different approach.

Thanks for visiting my blog and enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Life Goals Art Journal Page

Hello again and thanks for stopping by the blog. I apologize for not posting sooner, but I have been super busy cleaning my house and working on creating some new holiday digital scrapbook kits. I feel like I can finally get some work done around the house now that I am not confined to a cast and knee scooter.  I am using crutches however, so my armpits are crying for a break.  Its crazy how weak your body gets when you are not mobile for over 4 months.  I am getting a bit more mobile everyday, but my body aches from all the activity.  Today is definitely a day dedicated to relaxation and art.

Today I thought I would share another art journal page. The reason I decided to share this page with all of you is because I had a dream last night that related to this page. Since I am spiritual, I am always on the lookout for signs from spirit, especially in my dreams. Most people find this concept a bit weird, but I have known since I was little that there are spirit energies around us.  If a spirit has a message, there is no better way to share that information with us than to show up in a dream.  Well, last night my father (who passed when I was 15) visited me in my dreams. My dad only shows up in my dreams when he has something important to convey... so I am always thrilled when he comes through with a message. He was there to tell me that I should look for a career that involves both traveling and art. I'm not sure what kind of career allows for both of those things, but if that is what he is recommending, I can't wait to start the new job search. The other message I got from him was that when he visits my physical surroundings, he likes to mess with the TV and radio.  This is great knowledge to have when your TV seems to have a mind of its own.  Now I just need to figure out who is leaving all the white feathers, and who keeps messing with my laptop.... my laptop also has a mind of its own, especially when I am in the midst of doing something important.

Getting back on track, when I picked up my art journal to start working on it this morning, I saw the very first page I completed back in April. It was my goal page.  Clearly, my goals (then and now) are to create more art and travel the world.  Thanks for the reminder and insight Dad! I like this page because it is so personal and thought out.  Not all art journal pages need to be haphazardly created (although you can create some pretty amazing pages that way).  My art journal tends to be a mix of both. I also want to mention that you do not need all the bells and whistles of art journaling to create a gorgeous page.  I know there are mediums, stencils, stamps, and gadgets that are marketed for art journaling, but they really are not necessary.  If anything, those items take away from the creative process.  I did not want my art journal to look like Dianne Reevley made it, so I do not use her stamps and stencils. (I do love her ink sprays however, and I do recommend them to any artist looking to purchase water soluble ink).  I personally feel that the art in my art journal should be my own.  I tend to use scrap paper, magazine images, and handmade stencils to create texture in my journal pages rather than buying stencils or large stamps.

 This page was created using scrapbook paper, images cut out from a magazine, white acrylic paint, acrylic matte gel medium, bubble gum pink and fuchsia dylusions ink sprays, a white gel pen, and a permanent black marker.  Every splatter, diamond, word, and cup ring was drawn on the page by hand. The background writing is from a piece of scrapbook paper. The remaining images were cut out from magazines and glued to the page using acrylic matte gel medium. Whenever I add images from a magazine or other source to my art journal, I tend to outline it in black marker and add highlights with a white gel pen.  This helps tie the entire page together. The last thing I did was add paint spatter using white acrylic paint.

I hope this inspires you to create an art journal page without the help of stencils or stamped images. There is nothing wrong with using these tools to create art, but try creating a page without them.  If you are new to art journaling, use the materials you already have to create art.  Us artists have the ability to create beauty out of nothing... why not use this ability to express our own aesthetic rather than promoting another person's aesthetic.

I hope everyone has a great hump day!  If you enjoy my blog posts, be sure to follow this blog by e-mail or google+.  You can also check out my website, facebook page, and Etsy store for additional information and products.   ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Sharing Another Art Journal Page

Hello Everyone.  I hope all of you had a great weekend and are able to relax a little before the new work week. Besides watching the Green Bay Packer's football game today, I have been working on a couple new oracle cards that I hope to share with you in a couple days. Its hard to believe that it is already football season! The cooler weather and rain here in Wisconsin has definitely made me think of fall.  Autumn is my favorite season so I am definitely looking forward to creating and sharing all sorts of fall crafts with you. I am also going to start creating a Halloween digital scrapbook kit next week.

Today I thought I would share another art journal page with you.  I completed this page a while ago but absolutely love it! I created the page using dylusions ink sprays, floral stencils, distress paint, a black permanent marker, and a white gel pen.  I started by using grey distress paint to stencil a general floral image and crackle texture on the page. Next, I sprayed Pure Sunshine and Post Box Red dylusions inks over the entire page.  After letting the page air dry, I stenciled dandelions on the page using a metallic silver distress paint. When the distress paint was dry, I used a black permanent marker to outline the dandelions, add a border, and write the word art.  Lastly, I used a white gel pen to outline the letters and add dimension to the dandelions.

As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post.  If you enjoy my blog, please subscribe via e-mail or follow my blog on google +.  Please feel free to share your thoughts or suggestions in the comments section below. You can stop by the website or my facebook page if you are interested in learning more about Copper Blossom.  I also have an Etsy shop if you are interested in purchasing one of my digital kits. All of the website links are located to the right of this post for your convenience. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your Sunday.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paper Gallery ❤

Another Day, Another Art Journal Page

Welcome back to my blog.  I hope everyone is having a super fun weekend.  I got to spend some time yesterday visiting family and enjoying the beautiful weather here in Wisconsin.  I don't get out of the house much since I am still in a cast and getting around via knee scooter, but I always enjoy getting out when I can. Today is totally dedicated to relaxation and art. I am currently working on a couple more oracle cards which I hope to share tomorrow.  Today I thought I would share another art journal page with you.

I love creating art in an art journal.  I am a perfectionist by nature, but what I create in a journal does not have to be perfect.  Its actually kind of an intuitive practice.  You are making choices and layering media as you go rather than sticking to a set plan.  Sometimes I do start with a plan, but other times I just start working with what I have until an image or idea comes to me.  I usually start by picking out a few paint or ink colors, and go from there.

In this image, I used dylusions spray inks, distress paint, a black permanent marker, adhesive, spray fixative, and gel pens. First I adhered a shimmery brown paper to the page and trimmed the access off.  Once dry, I sprayed turquoise, crushed grape, and London blue dylusions ink in random spots and let air dry.  I do not have any heat tools, so all of my projects are forced to air dry.  When dry, I used spray fixative to set the water based ink so that I could continue to work on the image without ruining the background. Next I daubed spots of white distress paint on the image. It was at this point I decided to draw an inverted sunflower and added the quote. I also created a border right away to frame the image.  I had no idea how I wanted to color in the sunflower, so I created zentangles and different designs within each petal. All of the petals were then colored in using random gel pens and a black marker. Lastly, I outlined everything with a black marker and white gel pen.

I really love how random and intuitive the art in my journal is.  It is somewhat like a sketchbook where I can try new ideas and techniques. I get to discover what mediums work together, and which ones don't.  I encourage everyone to experiment in their journals, and used the materials you have on hand.  In the end, if you do not like what you have created, paint over it and start a new project. 

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Please comment below and share this post on your blog, google + or social media page if you find this helpful or inspiring.  Have a happy Sunday everyone! ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paper Gallery ❤ 

Throw Back Thursday- Art Journal Page!

First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone who is supporting my blog and artistic Journey.  I am so flattered to have such a vast audience from around the world!  Your support motivates me to keep working as an artist and sharing my work and ideas with all of you.

 I wasn't sure what I was going to post today, but decided I would show a page from my mixed media art journal.  My journal is the full size dylusions journal.  I absolutely love this journal but wasn't a fan of the price.  I ended up using a 50% off coupon at Hobby Lobby and paid $12.49 for the journal last winter.  This journal was a rare splurge for me, but I absolutely loved how big and sturdy it was.  In all honesty, an art journal can be made from a planner, old book, sketch book, or anything you have.  I also used dylusions ink, old scrapbook paper, spray fixative, glue, a black pen, and a white gel pen.  The dylusions inks I purchased on Joann's website when they were 50% off plus got an additional 20% off with coupon.  I am on Joann's mailing list and love receiving coupons... I rarely pay full price for art materials.  If you don't have dylusions inks, you can get the same effect using watercolors, watered down acrylic paint, or any dye ink.

First, I sprayed the page with lime and turquoise dylusions spray.  While that was air drying, I cut out two birds, a bunch of hexagons, and 2 Moroccan style windows out of scrapbook paper. When the ink was dry, I positioned all the cut out pieces on the page and glued them down.  I used a thin layer of tacky glue hoping it wouldn't warp the page, but it still warped a little bit.  I would recommend a glue stick or alternative adhesive. When the glue was dry, I sprayed midnight dylusions ink on the page, and added water to create drips.  When that step was dry, I outlined all the shapes with a permanent black pen and wrote the word color in the hexagons. I also drew in a few shapes and swirls. Next I sprayed the entire piece with a fixative prior to using a white gel pen.  I have found that if I use a gel pen directly on top of dylusions ink, the white pen will pull up the color from the paper.  Lastly, I created dimention by adding white gel pen to the tops of the shapes. I also created a border around the page and added 3D letter stickers to create the word Imagine.

I hope this has inspired you to start an art journal or new mixed media project.  Please feel free to comment or share this blog post with your friends. Thanks for stopping by! ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paper Gallery ❤