'Mixed Media / Art Journaling Workshop - Summer 2016, Chicago!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

This summer,  for the second year in a row, I've been invited to teach at the Beverly Arts Center in Chicago!

I'll be leading a 2-day mixed media workshop focused on Art Journals. Here are some samples of my Art Journals.

Paris Commission 1 - Back Cover

 

AJ - Front Cover
 

 

AJ - Silk Ribbons on wire binding

Save the date and mark your calendars now!

Starts: Tues June 14, 2016 - 3 hours

Concludes: Thu June 16, 2016 - 3 hours

Time: 1pm to 4pm both days.

Doors open: 12:45pm both days

Doors close: 4:15pm both days

Hope you can come to Chicago for this fun workshop.

Registration info coming soon!
Thanks for visiting - please become a Follower and come back soon!

Peace,
LuLu

'FREEBIE - Background Text for Art Journal and Altered Books!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome!

Here is a FREEBIE to use in your personal artwork only.
Do not use it an any work that you sell.

 Collage text background -

antique book page, clip, printer symbols dump paper -

created by LuLu Haynes

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Please become a Follower - and comment on this post - or any of my other FREEBIE posts!

 

Peace,

LuLu

'Schedule of Craft Events - Published!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes


Howdy and Welcome,

Here is my current schedule - hope you can join me this year! The two retreats that I am hosting near Chicago, Illinois, USA in 2015 will be loads of fun - and relaxing, too!

Sample Art Journal views - by LuLu Haynes

SCHEDULE

2015

Jun

·        17                          Scrapbooking and Crafternoon – AnniversaryPotluck Crop, Michaels, Tinley Park, IL, USA 1-8pm

·        23 and 25                Art Journaling 2-day Workshop, Beverly Arts Center, Chicago, IL, USA, 1-4:30pm

July

·        17                          3^rd Friday Crafternoon – All crafts (Art Journaling, etc), BAPA Room, 11109 S. Longwood Drive, Chicago, IL, 60643, USA, 1-8pm

Aug

·        14 – 16                 Retreat with Workshops, Hampton Inn, Aurora, IL, USA, 3pm Friday – 5pm Sunday

Sep

·        18                          3^rd Friday Crafternoon – All crafts (Art Journaling, etc), BAPA Room, 11109 S. Longwood Drive, Chicago, IL, 60643, USA, 1-8pm

Oct

·       30 – Nov 1           Retreat, Hampton Inn, Aurora, IL, USA, 3pm Friday – 5pm Sunday

Nov

·        20                          3^rd Friday Crafternoon – All crafts (Art Journaling, etc), BAPA Room, 11109 S. Longwood Drive, Chicago, IL, 60643, USA, 1-8pm

Dec

·        16                          Scrapbooking and Crafternoon – Holiday Potluck Crop, Michaels, Tinley Park, IL, USA 1-8pm

 

2016

Jan

·        15                          3^rd Friday Crafternoon – All crafts (Art Journaling, etc), BAPA Room, 11109 S. Longwood Drive, Chicago, IL, 60643, USA, 1-8pm

Mar

·        18                          3^rd Friday Crafternoon – All crafts (Art Journaling, etc), BAPA Room, 11109 S. Longwood Drive, Chicago, IL, 60643, USA, 1-8pm

 
BAPA Room (Beverly Area Planning Association Community Room) - map and schedule
 

YOUR TURN

Have you ever attended an art retreat? If so, when and where? Did you get a lot of art work done?

Thanks for stopping by. Please become a Follower and come back soon!

Peace,
LuLu

'Make IT! Mark IT! Mask IT! Mixed Media Midwest - Chicago Retreat!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes


Howdy and Welcome,

These are the current SPONSORS of our August 2015 retreat.

Many thanks to our 2015 Sponsors of Make IT! Mark IT! Mask IT! Mixed Media Midwest Chicago Retreat for their generous support.

• Patron - Highest Praise Dance Fitness
• Friend - Creative Media Wizards
• Donor 1 - Aurora Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Donor 2 - GOLDEN Paints
• Donation - GELLI Arts
• Donation - Piles to Smiles 

Click here to register or for M6 mixed media retreat info. Hope to see you in August!


Thanks for stopping by. Please become a Follower and come back soon.
Peace,
LuLu

2015 mixed media retreat, Chicago, altered books, assemblage, collage, artist book, book binding, art journal, prizes, smash book, steampunk, washi, workshops, playtime, fabric, scrapbooking retreat, fusing, workshop

'Early Bird registration is now open for Mixed Media retreat!

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes



Welcome,

Do you want to learn and play near Chicago this summer?

Come join us at this new mixed media retreat in the US!

Make IT! Mark IT! Mask IT! Mixed Media Midwest - Chicago Retreat!

Thanks for stopping by - please become a Follower - and come back soon.

Peace,
Mary Lou

'WOYWW 12-4-13 - GIVEAWAY, The Mess, Spray Mini-Move and Eye Candy!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes


Howdy and Welcome,

Here's the mess...The table really was tidy a few days ago - didn't take a photo then. This was the state of things on my craft studio table after I had attended 2 back-to-back weekend retreats. And had moved on to play on another project. Now 'the mess' goblins attacked again...

 The MESS

EYE CANDY

When I went to upload 'the mess' pix, I found pix I had taken a while back and forgotten about. Months ago, I spent a few hours embellishing some acrylic tags by painting them with Copic markers and alcohol ink. Don't they look luscious? I call them eye candy. That was a really fun and easy project!

 Eye Candy Tags

 

 Eye Candy Tags

 

 

SPRAY MINI-MOVE

 

Hubby and I are in the process of moving portions of my craft studio to our basement - more space and shelf units down there. Yes, it is a long walk when inspiration hits, but the studio is just too crowded. I had to do some re-organizing. Spray painting in the basement made sense to me because this is where I will be closer to the water faucets.

 

He gave me an old table he had used for BBQing - it was just storing some old supplies. Below is the BEFORE photo of the sprays in my studio corner cabinet (under my owl collection and Granny White's bust). Next are the AFTER photos of the sprays in the basement plus the giant spray box my hubby had made for me.

 

This spray box was on the front porch. So now all the supplies I need for spray painting are consolidated into one area. The papers inside the box are ready and waiting to be spray painted... Yes, the basement IS ugly, but I don't care as long as I can spread out and work comfortably.

 

 Before Spray Mini-Move

 

 After Spray Mini-Move

 

Giant  Spray Box and

repurposed table

 

GIVEAWAY

If you are a scrapbooker or do art journals or altered books, visit my Blogoversary Giveaway. Fun prizes for one lucky winner. Ends in December!

Want to see more artists work tables? Click here for Julia's WOYWW!

Thanks for stopping by - please leave a comment and come back soon!

Peace,
LuLu

'Two Sisters - Then & Now!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

Have you been enjoying the summer? It sure is zipping by for me!

I just got back home from a long weekend road trip -  visiting my youngest sister and her brood near Door County in Wisconsin.

Marly and Mary Lou -1980's
Chicago, IL
 (when I was leading my pop-rock band!)

Marly and Mary Lou - July 2013
Wisconsin

Isn't it amazing how much our appearance changes over the years?!
Thanks for stopping by - I would love for you to comment on this post, or any of my other posts. Please become a Follower, if you're not already....

Stay tuned! I plan to post a tutorial soon PLUS some more freebies PLUS..............

Another GIVEAWAY is coming this Autumn for Followers - to celebrate my 4th BlogOversary! If you love mixed-media, altered books, scrapbooking, assemblage or art journaling, this is the GIVEAWAY you will want to enter!

Peace,
LuLu

'My Top Ten Pix of Twenty Twelve! Art Journals, Tips and More!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

Happy New Year!

Here's a peek at my fave pix of the past year, plus a few tips - enjoy!

 'Top Twelve + 1 and

Timely Tips of Twenty Twelve Review!'

Full Frontal Fan

Interesting composition I created for this background spread -

light, glowing middle within dark borders around the edge.

 

I practiced doodle 'stacking' on left page

using a gray pigment chisel tip marker

(writes over everything  just like a Copic alcohol marker,

but no stinky fumes)

 

Just love the color gradation (spray ink), stencil,
 and gold (my acrylic paint concoction) that I painted on the back
cover of  father's day brag book / altered book / art journal!

P.S. Spray ink and paint are VERY messy.
I use a store bought spray box to protect my studio somewhat -
but it splatters everywhere if I'm not careful...

Reminder to myself!
This image is also layered behind the lovely lass
on my blog banner above.

 

Top view Fan

 

 Printed pattern tissue paper!

 

Makes a great blotter on the art table.

This is Tim Holtz - comes on a roll like wax paper - various patterns.

Clean your bushes and test paints, medium, tapes etc.

When it's filled up and all grungy, tear it up and use in collage,

 backgrounds, art journal pages, altered books.

Makes a geat layer because it's translucent when glued down

with wet ashesive. Also use it with dry adhesive 

(run it through my 5" Xyron to take in travel supplies).

Easy peasy!



First prize I won in 2012 -
1st Place in a scrapbook LO contest!

Backgound page laying on a grid blotter.

This huge grid desk blotter was a gift last year.
That's more grid blotter in photo below.
When I used up all the blotter pages I switched to the
Tim Holtz tissue paper now on my table.

 

  Cheap 'watercolor' brushes.

 

The best travel tool for details with watercolor paint I found

are  kids watercolor brushes by Crayola.

They are refillable with your own watercolor paint recipes,

diluted arylics, paint glazes, India ink - or even diluted medium!

I found a cheap set of these brushes at Michaels.

Cheap plastic 'putty knife' from the hardware store!

Best tool for applying Yes! Paste -
I slightly trimmed the right and left sides of the putty knife
with Tim Holtz Tonic scissors so that the
 putty knife would fit down into the paste jar.
Putty knife is also great for spreading gesso and other texture medium.
Same concept as the plastic hotel key / old credit card - but
 I wanted a tool with a handle....

P.S. I use Yes!Paste mostly for laminating/gluing 2 facing book pages together -
Yes!Paste is acid-free/archival and makes the paper very stiff and
no wrinkling of paper. Buy Yes!Paste at Michaels.

 

 Lots of layers.

 

Tim Hotltz tissue paper, deli paper,

metal tape (from hardware store) that I embosed a painted with acrylics -

 over lined pages of a small, store bought diary/journal.

 

Great dimension - wow!

My first assemblage for a journal cover.
Collections of game tokens, dice, watch parts, 
foreign and vintage coins, keys,
calculator guts - all adhered with
soft gel medium - gloss (by Golden).

Outstanding tool! Papermate EAGLE ballpoint pen.
Great for writing over gook on art journal pages.
When ink is gone, this makes a great stylus for
scratching textures into wet gesso, too!

What are your fave pix on your blog? 

I would love to see your faves! Please leave a comment including a link back to your blog.

And if you're a mixed-media artist or art journaler, check out my Giveaway in sidebar!

Thanks for visiting - please come back soon!

Have a great art-filled New Year!

Peace,

LuLu

'WOYWW 10/10/2012 - Let The Art Begin - and Giveaway coming soon!"

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

For WOYWW this week, I've actually tidied up my table in the craft studio.A rare event. Here are a few views is a view with daylight streaming in. I love to work in this studio when it's sunny outside. But I'm not a morning person - more of a night owl. So usually I'm playing in here when it's pitch black. Now that it's tidy, I'm ready to let the art begin!

On our recent road trip during my birthday week, I finished writing in my travel journal. So I'm prepping this next travel journal that's on the table. Just a couple tasks and it will be finished.

Most of my travel journals are altered books that I made from old Golden children's books. I prefer to use Golden books which are nice and skinny to fit in the side of my train case, which I take on every trip. Yes, I travel 'heavy'. But I AM improving. On our last trip I only took 3 bags - which is a first for me!

Also on my table are a few other odds and ends, bits and bobs - a paper flower, stack of business cards in a zip top bag, the foam tip that came off of a stamping stylus, and some paper notes that need sorting.


YOUR TURN
Do you write in a travel journal when you take a trip? What type of journal do you use? Is it an altered book? Or a regular store bought journal?

Would love for you to comment on this post - or any of my other posts.
Thanks for stopping by and please come back soon. Now that summer is over, I'll be doing a GIVEAWAY - it's my 3rd Blogoversary time!

For more artist's desks, click here to check out Julia's blog hop for WOYWW!

Peace,
LuLu

'FREEBIES! Art Journal Page Backgrounds / Textures - celebrating 100 Followers in 2012!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

 

Howdy and welcome,

 

As part of the celebration for attaining 100 Followers of my blog , I'm offering this mixed-media collection of  backgrounds - FREE! FREE! FREE!

 

These FREE backgrounds are from my art journal (a giveaway prize) that I created using custom designer tape, custom labels, custom stamps, patterned scrapbook papers, die cuts frames, tissue  papers, painted wax paper, deli papers, custom embossed metal tape, copyright free images, Rollagraph stamps, Stampin' around stamps, printed tissue paper, Tim Holtz tissue paper, ink, acrylic paints, custom glazes and gessos (clear, black, white, custom tinted) using a wide variety of mixed-media techniques.

 

Yep! You read it right - these backgrounds are FREE for you to use in your artwork!

 

So...
how will you use these FREEBIES?

 

• Will you create textures by printing a page for your art journals, altered books, visual journals and assemblages?
• Or will you make image transfers by inkjet printing onto deli paper, copy paper or transparencies - and adhering with soft gel medium?
• Or how about dishing up some digital layers by using these FREEBIES in Adobe Photoshop or in Microsoft Digital Image Editor?!

 

All I ask is that you:

1. please give credit to  'www.lulu-too-beaucoup.blogspot.com' when you use these in your art work.
2. please send me a link to your blog post of any work you create using these  FREE FREE FREE backgrounds. I'd love to see what specatacular stuff you come up with!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Small journal from Staples Office supply store - lined paper.
• Pages glue laminated together for strength.
• Pages 'under journaled' (a Pam Carriker term) with pencil resists (graphite and colored pencils).

 

Thanks for visiting - please leave a comment while you're here - and come back soon....My GIVEAWAY for 100 Followers Giveaway will start this summer 2012 - with fun and artsy prizes for one lucky Follower's creating pleasure!

Peace,
LuLu