Blue Heron Mixed Media Intaglio Print

Hello everyone.  I cannot believe that my vacation is already over.  Oh how time flies when you are not working.  I do hope that all of you had a fantastic New Year.  I spent my New Year playing the game Pie Face with family and friends.  It is such a fun game... even if you get whipped cream in your eyes and up your nose!  I also dyed my hair a deep plum purple and got caught up on laundry. Overall I had a decent holiday break. 

Since it already is so late, I will not write too much about the art work I am sharing with you tonight.  This print in an intaglio print etched from a zinc plate. This is a colored monoprint.  Before printing the black and white image, I had painted the heron directly on the zinc plate with blue ink. After adding the second color to the etched plate, I ran it through the printing press. This image was printed on a cold pressed paper that I had previously covered in newspaper print and permanent ink spatters.  Once the print was dry, I decided to carefully add a textile pattern to the blue areas of the image. I masked off the white areas of the image using painters tape and then stamped the textile print lightly over the surface of the paper. I used a patterned rubber stamp and dye ink to achieve the results. The final monoprint turned out beautifully.

I hope you enjoyed the art I shared with you tonight.  If you enjoyed this monoprint, please feel free to comment below or share this post via social media.  I appreciate all of the comments, shares, and follows I receive.  Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend! ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

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 ❤

Mixed Media Christmas Cards - Challenge Post

Hello.  I hope all of you had a fantastic Christmas yesterday.  This year's Christmas with my family was the craziest holiday celebration ever... and not in a good way. In all honesty, I am sick of seeing ambulances and EMT's on Christmas.  This is the second year in a row that a family member had to be rushed to the hospital on Christmas.  Hoping next year our family can have a normal holiday celebration.  For now, I am glad that Christmas is over.... I love the holidays, but not the drama or medical problems that pop up during the festivities.

Today I thought I would share a couple last minute Christmas cards I made on Christmas Eve.  These cards were relatively simple and cheap to make. I used a lot of materials already on hand including scrapbook paper and lace.  I did purchase some felt reindeer and paper poinsettia flowers to embellish the cards. All other stickers and embellishments were from my crafting stash.

The materials I used:
Various glitter scrapbook papers
 Kraft paper
Tombow glue
Pop dots (foam adhesive squares)
Alphabet stickers
"Warm Wishes" holiday stamp
Black ink pad
Glitter glue
Lace
Felt reindeer
Paper flowers
Velum

The first card I made has a simple red mat and glitter paper background for added sparkle. I wrapped a 1" thick strip of velum around the background paper before gluing it to the mat paper.  I was originally going to only add one flower and a ribbon bow, but loved these paper poinsettias so much that I added three.  All of the flowers were adhered to the card with pop dots. I used a stamped sentiment for the greeting on the card.  I used pop dots to adhere the matted sentiment to the card.  I love the dimension that pop dots can add to the card. The final step in making this card was gluing the entire matted card front to the kraft paper card.  I discovered Tombow glue on a youtube tutorial a few months ago and am hooked.  It is the only glue I use for cardmaking.  I highly recommend it.

The second card is similar in layout to the first card.  I used beautiful glitter papers for the mat and background.  Instead of velum, I wrapped lace around the background paper.  I added a cute lace bow to add interest and dimension.  I wanted to make this card masculine for my brother, so I did not add paper flowers or snowflakes.  Instead I added an adorable felt reindeer diecut.  I purchased a package of six holiday felt reindeer at Hobby Lobby for $1.24. I adhered the reindeer to the card using pop dots. Instead of adding a stamped sentiment to the card, I used light blue glitter alphabet stickers to add the word NOEL.  When I was satisfied with the placement of everything, I glued the card front to the kraft paper card.

These cards turned out super cute and took no time at all to put together.  I am entering one or both of these cards in the following blog challenges:
That Craft Place Challenge - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Winter Wonderland
Anything But Cute - You've Got Happy Mail
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Make It Sparkle

I hope these simple cards inspire you to make your own greeting cards.  Thank you for visiting my blog, sharing my posts on social media, and subscribing to the Copper Blossom Blog.  Have a great day!  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

A Few Handmade Mixed Media Christmas Cards - Challenge Post

Good evening everyone.  I just want to share a few Christmas cards that I made over the past week for friends and family.  These cards were relatively simple and cheap to make.  I ended up using scrapbook paper and ribbon I already had.  I did purchase some diecut snowflakes, and paper poinsettia flowers to embellish the cards. All other gems, stickers, and embellishments were from my crafting stash.

The materials I used:
Various foil and glitter scrapbook papers
 Kraft paper
Tombow glue
Pop dots (foam adhesive squares)
Ribbon
Winter and alphabet stickers
"Warm Wishes" holiday stamps
Black and brown ink pads
Glitter glue
Sakura star dust gel pen
Sakura Gelli Roll white gel pen
Double sided tape
Lace
Alcohol markers
Paper flowers
Diecut snowflakes
Pearl and gemstone stickers

 The first card features the layout I used the most this season when creating Christmas cards.  The main focus of this card is a tree image that I cut out from old scrapbook paper. This card layout also has a vintage key ribbon and bow embellishment. I used a brown ink pad to distress the edges of the tree image.  All of my cards this year have different mats and backgrounds.  I tried to use metallic and glitter papers as much as possible. This card has a stamped sentiment (that was used in most of the cards I made) and pearl accents. This layout is extremely simple... I had no problems manufacturing a bunch of similar cards quickly.  You could use a family photo or old Christmas card image instead of the tree image I chose to use.

This card has a similar layout to the card above, except the sentiment replaces the image.  This greeting card features a diecut snowflake and paper poinsettia flower.  The stamped sentiment is the same as the cards above. This card was embellished with clear gemstone stickers and a burgundy ribbon.  Just like the card above, I was able to quickly create a bunch of cards using this layout.

The layout for this card is the same as the first two cards, except their is no ribbon detail.  Instead, I used white lace behind the winter tree chipboard sticker.  Both the sentiment sticker and chipboard tree image used to create this card came from a winter scrapbooking kit.  I added pearls to this card to add a little extra bling.  I decided to make several winter cards this year as apposed to only Christmas cards.  I usually only make cards for close friends and family, but this year I wanted to give cards out to my doctors, mail man, city bus drivers, and co-workers. There were a lot of people who helped me this year both before and after surgery, so I wanted to give them all cards as a way of saying thanks.

 Here are a couple more winter cards with a horizontal layout.  The top card features snowflake diecuts, wreath ribbon, and a sentiment from a winter scrapbook kit. The bottom card features purple ribbon, a stamped sentiment, diecut snowflakes, and gemstone accents.  Almost all of the horizontal Christmas cards I made this year feature this layout, or a slight variance to this layout.  Just like the vertical cards, all of the horizontal cards have different mats and background papers. 

One or more of these cards are entered into the following Blog Challenges:

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge
 
Emerald Creek Dares
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge
Deep Ocean Challenge
The Mixed Media Card Challenge


I do have a few other handmade cards to share with all of you, but will be posting them in a couple days.  Those cards will also be entered into various contests and challenges. I hope these simple cards inspire you to make your own greeting cards.  Thank you for visiting my blog, sharing my posts on social media, and subscribing to the Copper Blossom Blog.  Have a great night!  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Halloween Mixed Media Box - Challenge Entry

Hello everyone!  I hope all of you had a great weekend.  I finally finished my mixed media Halloween project and thought I would share it with all of you tonight!  I have been working on this project for a few weeks now and am finally finished... just in time for Halloween this week.  I love how this Halloween box turned out and hope you like it too!

I didn't have a lot of money for this project, so I went to Dollar Tree and found a paper photo box to alter. I was not sure how I was going to cover the box, but knew I wanted to use a skull from a broken gravestone decoration I found in my basement.  I also had a partial autumn leaf swag remaining from the wreath I made last month. Other supplies I used include DecoArt acrylic gel medium, DecoArt orange acrylic paint, black soot Distress Paint, Dylusions ink sprays, white Academy Art acrylic paint, DecoArt Media modeling paste, masking tape, various scrapbook papers, Aleene's Tacky Glue, hot glue, fabric netting, fabric flowers, ribbon, spider stickers, and recycled gems.  I literally only spent $1.00 on the entire project!

The first thing I did to create this spooky box was line the inside of the box with striped scrapbook paper. I added orange and purple ink to the stripes to give the interior a grunge appearance. I then used black soot distress paint to distress the edges and corners of the box. Since I will be using this box to hold extra paints and art supplies, I coated the inside with two coats of acrylic gel medium.

Next I covered the exterior of the box with paper.  I decided to use 4 different papers (2 of which were glitter papers) and cut them in strips of various sizes. I then glued the paper stripes around the full exterior of the box. When the glue was dry I put two coats of acrylic gel medium over the papers to prevent the glitter paper from shedding glitter. I absolutely love glitter paper, but really hate the mess! I added a painted masking tape trim around the top of the box. I also distressed the outside edges of the box with black distress paint.  Lastly, I added a grey tag in the label holder that says "31".

After finishing the box, I decided to work on the lid. The first thing I did was line the inside of the lid with black paper. I distressed the inside of the lid with black distress paint to match the inside of the box. I then covered the exterior of the lid with a grungy grey paper.  I sprayed Dylusions ink spray on the cover to add color. I then used black distress paint to distress the lid.  I absolutely loved how the black distress paint captured the wrinkles of the glued down paper. Once the glue and ink was dry I coated the entire lid with acrylic gel medium. Lastly, I added painted masking tape trim around the edge of the lid.

I cut out this skull from a damaged gravestone decoration that I had stored in the basement.  The skull was a bit damaged, so I used modeling paste to fill in some of the damaged areas and smooth out parts of the skull. The paint was pealed off so I used black distress paint and white acrylic paint to repaint the skull. I had a bunch of recycled gems I wanted to add to the piece, and found two gems that fit perfectly in the eye sockets.  I drew cracks on the forehead and added a spider sticker to make this skull extra creepy.

To finish this box, I added a bunch of elements to the cover. I placed a "Wicked 31" note first on the cover along with a few leaves.  After gluing those elements down, I decided to add black fabric mesh to the box cover. I glued down the skull, leaves, and purple ribbon next.  The cover looked good at this point, but I wanted to add some fabric flowers and a few extra sticker spiders. The leaves and fabric flowers were painted with distress paint, acrylic paint, and alcohol markers to match the rest of the box.  In the end I decided to add a couple black fabric covered gems around the skull that looked like arrowheads.

 This is the finished box lid. I absolutely love the end result. This box is one of my favorite mixed media pieces to date!















Here are a few more pictures of the finished Halloween box.

This Halloween project is being entered in a few contests and challenges this week.  Here are the links to the challenge blogs!

Simon Says Stamp Monster Mash Challenge
DecoArt Mixed Media Haunts Challenge
That Craft Place Challenge - Anything Goes
 Anything But Cute Challenge - 31 Days of Halloween
Our Creative Corner - Halloween Horror Challenge
Frilly & Funky - Something Wicked
Emeral Creek Dares - Trick or Treat Dare

Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out my mixed media Halloween box.  It is amazing what you can create with $1.00 and a bunch of stuff laying around your house.  Never let your lack of time or finances hinder your creativity. Nothing is impossible.  If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to follow this blog or subscribe via e-mail.  I do appreciate all comments and social media shares.  Again, thank you!  Have a fantastic week everyone! ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Watercolor & Ink Altered Barn Owl Print - Simon Says Stamp Blog Challenge

Hello Everyone!  I normally do not blog twice in a single day, but I want to post a special watercolor print I created for the Simon Says Stamp Blog Challenge.  This print was created using a really bad artist proof from my signed and numbered "Barn Owl" edition.  The original Barn owl prints were created using a hand carved linoleum block and an oil based ink on Reeves BFK cold pressed paper. During the printing process, I ended up with several artist's proofs (prints with mistakes, different colored inks, smudges, etc.).  As an artist, I never throw away any art or paper.  You never know when those "junk" papers will come in handy!

I think that the finished print above turned out BEAUTIFUL!  I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out because I was using water based paint and ink over an oil ink print, but I love the effects and colors.

This print is the original black and white "Barn Owl" print.  Like the print I used to create the watercolor print above, this too is an artist's proof due to imperfect printing (uneven ink, unintentional white spots, and smudging within the feathers).  The artist proof I used for the watercolor print had lots of background areas that were poorly inked resulting in a lighter, splotchy background.

The materials used include:
 - artist's proof linocut print
 - tracing paper (to create a mask over the owl)
 -  black permanent marker
 - Dylusions ink spray in colors White Linen, Pure Sunshine, London Blue, After Midnight, Cherry Pie, and Cut Grass
 - Distress paint in colors Black Soot, Mowed Lawn, Chipped Sapphire, and Salty Ocean
 - Distress Ink in colors Peacock Feathers,Picked Raspberry, and Faded Jeans
 - Archival Black Ink Pad
 - Water in a spray bottle
 - Masking tape
 - Stamp with script
 - Fineline masking fluid
 - Workable fixative
 - White Gelli Roll pen

The first thing I did was create a mask for the main owl. I also used a little masking fluid and masking tape to preserve key white areas without over doing it.  I did not perfectly mask the owl because I wanted the colors to bleed and drip into the image a bit. I then started to layer areas of distress paint on the print and sprayed the print with water to get the colors to move. When that layer was dry, I started to spray Dylusions ink spray over certain areas of the image. I blotted some spots right away, and other spots I sprayed with water to create drips.  My After Midnight ink sprayer was clogged a bit, so I accidentally created large splatters on the image. I ended up using other colors to purposely create splatters similar to the After midnight spots. I let the image dry and removed the masks. I decided to use a workable fixative at this point so I could add more layers of color without disturbing the layers of paint and ink underneath. I ended up blending distress ink into the background and into the owl's feathers to get rid of a bit of the stark white. I also added a bit of Chipped Sapphire Distress Paint to the shadow areas of the feathers to bring more color into the owl image. I ended up layering colors until I was happy with the print.  I then stamped some script on the image using black Archival ink. The last thing I did was use a white Gelli Roll Pen to add back a few of the white details in the feathers. Viola, the altered print is complete!

In the end, I loved how the different mediums interacted with each other.  The distress paint worked well on the oil based ink, but the Dylusions Ink spray and Distress Ink seemed to avoid those inked areas and preferred to seep into the Reeves paper. I absolutely love how this altered print turned out and can't wait to try this technique again!

This image is being entered into the watercolor challenge at  Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog.  I am apologizing in advance if I do not post to the blog for a couple days. I have been physically exhausted all week due to returning to work after a six month medical leave. Despite my surgery being successful, my ankle continues to be extremely painful and swollen.  Anyway, I will try to post to the blog and create art if my body allows it.  I hope all of you have a fantastic Thursday tomorrow. Take care. ❤ 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 ❤

Gel Medium Image Transfer

It's late here in Wisconsin but I thought I would share a how to video from The Frugal Crafter.  She has an excellent assortment of how to videos and product demos so you know which products will work best for your art needs.  I absolutely love her videos, and definitely wanted to share this one she recently posted.

Image transfer using gel medium is a great technique and can be applied to nearly all types of projects.  I've seen this technique done with photos to create beautiful coasters or canvas art.  This technique is also a great way to create shabby chic or grunge art. The project possibilities are endless.  This technique does work best on flat porous surfaces like gesso coated cardstock or chipboard, but can be used on wood, canvas, fabric, plastic, or stone tiles with a little finesse.  I also want to mention that you can substitute mod podge for gloss gel medium.... they both do the same thing and create the same results.  I have found that white school glue will transfer an image, but the image does not transfer as cleanly.

The only supplies you really need to create an image transfer is a photocopied image on plain printer paper, gloss gel medium/mod podge, sealant, and the surface you plan to transfer the image on.  If you do not have acrylic gloss gel medium or mod podge, Wal-Mart sells both for around $4.00.  You can also skip the sealant and use mod podge or acrylic gel medium to protect the transferred image.  I do recommend a spray sealant if you are using this technique on coasters or projects that will have some wear and tear.

I hope the video inspires you to try this image transfer technique.  If there are any other art projects or techniques you would like to see on my blog, please feel free to comment below.  Also make sure to follow this blog and like our facebook page. Thanks for stopping by!  ❤ 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 ❤

An Intaglio Print Photoshoped On Scrapbook Paper

Hello Everyone.  Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  Its hard to believe that summer is almost over.  Labor day is right around the corner, and before you know it, Halloween will have come and gone.  Kids are returning to school and college this week, and it is nice that life is returning to normal again. I have nothing against summer, but I absolutely cannot wait for fall to get here.  I love sweater weather, and adore the bright autumn colors here in Wisconsin.  I also enjoy decorating the house for the autumn season and upcoming holidays.  The best part of fall is that my house will be scented with pumpkin spice (my all time favorite smell) and I can drink pumpkin shakes from a local custard shop once again.

The image below is an intaglio print I created in college. Intaglio printmaking is by far my favorite form of printmaking. I love etching copper and nickel plates with acid baths and and metal engraving tools to create lines and texture. I find that this style of printmaking is very time consuming and tends to not go as planned, but I absolutely enjoy the process of etching metal.  The printing of the metal plates is my favorite part.  The paper has to be wet when it is printed on so it is important to use a cold press archival paper like Reeves BFK. It would be impossible to actually print on scrapbook paper due to the quality and additives in the paper.  Unlike block printing or stamping, this type of printmaking makes a print when the ink settles in the groove of the metal plate.  When the plate is run through the press the ink is deposited from the groves onto the wet paper.  As you may have guessed, a print will not come out cleanly unless you meticulously clean the surface of the plate after inking it. This form of printmaking was common in the 18th and 19th century due to the longevity of the metal and it ability to stand up to the wear and tear of multiple printings.

In order to have this image on specialty paper or scrapbook paper, you must use Photoshop or a photo editing software.  I used Photoshop to achieve the results in the image above.  Instead of using the wand or eraser tool to remove the white areas of the picture, I was able to invert the white area with the digital scrapbook paper.  This technique is much faster and creates a cleaner appearance if you are simply looking to change the background appearance.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Monday.  Thanks for stopping by. ❤ 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 ❤

Making Old Art New Again

I have a ton of old screen prints, linocuts, and intaglio prints from college sitting around collecting dust. Many of these items are over 10 years old and have been sitting in the basement in art portfolios and storage bins. Most artists probably have similar issues.  Any art pieces you personally are not thrilled with get tucked away and forgotten about.  I was thinking to myself today, what should I do with some of these things?  I am a mixed media artist, and have been using a few prints in my dylusions art journal, but what about the rest?

I found one screen print in particular that I was always on the fence about.  It was close to being awesome, but never quite made it.  Today, I scanned that image into photoshop and posterized it into 3 colors. I then removed/cut out all of the lightest color so that those areas would be transparent. I have several digital scrapbook papers that I had purchased a while back, and decided to use one to fill in all the areas that were transparent.  There are several ways to do this depending on what photo software you use. I ended up compressing the layers into one image so I could remove/cut the other two colors from the image. All that remained was the digital scrapbook paper where the lightest colors in the image are.  I ended up printing this over the original screen print using my ink jet printer.  Viola.... the old art is new again!

I do want to point out a few things before you try this.  Firstly, do not attempt to put a painting, photograph, or non porous surface through your printer..... it will not print on that smooth of a surface and you will end up with a big mess.  This would work best for alcohol ink drawings, screen prints on paper (as long as the surface is smooth), and matte surfaces.  Secondly, the digital image will probably not match up perfectly with the piece of art.  My ink jet printer is a beast and as you can see from the image above, the digital image did not line up perfectly with the art.  I personally kind of like that for this type of project.  I wouldn't recommend this technique if you are looking for perfection. Thirdly, make sure you put your art in the printer the right way! If you have a printer that jams every time you try to print, I wouldn't try this technique. Lastly, ink from an ink jet printer is not permanent and will react with water.  It is best to use fixative on the art when the ink is dry.  The ink may take a little longer to dry since you are printing on an alternative surface.  For best results, let the ink completely dry overnight before applying spray fixative.  I like to use Krylon, but it is up to you.  Acrylic medium or Mod Podge may reactivate the ink and therefore might not be the best choice for sealing your project.

I hope you try out this idea!  Please comment and share your results.   ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paper Gallery ❤