Life is what you make it

The Alpha Challenge at The Craft Barn is a year long creative challenge,

using a letter from the alphabet every two weeks as inspiration. 

The next letter (as it is not being done in alphabetical order) is

L

& we must include a definition of our chosen word.

I am making a set of Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) for this challenge.

I have chosen the word
Life

Artist Trading Card (ATC)

One of the key factors of Resilience,
which is my chosen theme for my art this year,
is realistic optimism,
making conscious decisions to turn negatives into positives.

Understanding that with each and every experience,
you can learn valuable lessons.

Ultimately, life is what you make it.

The words were cut from the same old book that I use as a resource for my work.

I love searching through it to find just the right words.

The image of the girl is from The Graphics Fairy.

The patterned paper is by K & Company.

This ATC will have a place in my Art Journal for Week 8.

Art Journal Week 7

With Valentines Day during week 7, thoughts turned to those I love & those I have loved.

Art Journal page inspired by the Colour Me Positive prompt.

I used acrylic paint to create the background, aiming for a watercolour style.

I used a Stabio All pencil in black to draw the outline of my grid,

smudging the edges with a damp paintbrush.

I cut the flowers & heart from the cellophane & paper

that were used to wrap a bunch of flowers,

a gift from Valentines Day.

I searched through my blog for all my "heart" postings

& came across one from eight years ago,

in which I wrote a poem for a very dear friend of mine,

who sadly is no longer in my life.

The words do overpower the page,

but after hesitating for far too long, I just went with it.

I decided to cover over some of the words, so added a hinged ATC.

The base paper is more of the bouquet wrapping paper.

The other papers are from a very old patterned paper pad by Lasting Impressions.

I added a square of textured paper, a gift from my dear sister.

The final touch was a few more words,
this time from a sheet of Tim Holtz Idea-ology Remnant Rubs
& a little Tissue Tape.

Remember to cherish those you love & care for.

Art Journal Week 6

This is the completed art journal page for Week 6.

The Artist Trading Card (ATC) was made for The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge.

Click here to find out more about this piece.

Artist Trading Card (ATC)

I have followed the week's prompt on Colour Me Positive.

I used the same technique to create the page background as per Week 5,

but this time used a black pen to outline the sections & doodle.

The words in this section were cut from the same old book that I use as a resource for my work.

Here are Week 5 & 6 side by side.

I added a butterfly from BGU to help tie the two pages together.

On point

The Alpha Challenge at The Craft Barn is a year long creative challenge,

using a letter from the alphabet every two weeks as inspiration. 

The next letter (as it is not being done in alphabetical order) is

F

& this time, we must include a heart
in addition to the definition of our chosen word.

I am making a set of Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) for this challenge.

Following my theme this year, I have chosen the word
Flexible.

We should be flexible in our thinking, adapting to new situations
& improvising when we come across different types of challenges.

The image of the ballerina is from The Graphics Fairy.

I chose her as she was forming a heart shape with her arms & hands,

& she needs to be flexible to dance ballet.

I have given her a little pink heart.

The butterfly is from a collage sheet included in this month's BGU Soul School class.

The patterned paper is by K & Company.

This ATC will have a place in my Art Journal for Week 6.

Art Journal Week 5

Week 5

I have followed the prompt on Colour Me Positive,
although I have put my own spin on it.

The image of the couple is from The Graphics Fairy.

Truth Card

The Truth Card is from this month's Soul School class from BGU,

together with the patterned papers & butterflies.

I have added a few glitter gems to add a little sparkle to the page.

The journal page background is acrylic paint applied over gesso,
with some paint removed by using a wet wipe through a Tim Holtz stencil,
to reveal the white gesso underneath.

I have then used a white uni-ball Signo pen to outline the sections
& doodle around the edge of the page.

Art Journal Week 4

I have followed the prompt on Colour Me Positive,
by using a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I have added journaling on the reverse side of the card.

This is my Artist Trading Card (ATC) for The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge.

Click here to find out more about this piece.

The image of the girl is from Lisa's Altered Art

& the papers are from K & Company.

The background is acrylic paint, with gesso applied through a Tim Holtz stencil.