Giveaway! Giveaway! Awesome Artist's Journal Spring-y Giveaway!

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

It's that time - Awesome Artist's Journal Spring Giveaway!

• Starts April 1st
• Ends May 6, 2012
• One lucky winner will score the prizes pictured - plus more not shown!
• Multiple ways to enter!
• Click Rafflecopter EMAIL link below for terms, rules and to enter!

Eligibility:

Only Followers are eligible.

Only Residents of continental US are eligible.

Previous winners of a giveway from LuLu-Too-Beaucoup are not eligible.

Thanks for stopping by - and good luck!

Peace,
LuLu

Awesome Artist's Journal
Spring Giveaway Prizes!
plus more prizes not shown

WOYWW 03-28-12: Mad Scientist Experiments!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

Today while tidying up a bit for WOYWW this week, I unearthed a paper project in the nether regions of my craft table. I  had donned my mad scientist hat a while back and was experimenting by ironing freezer paper to the backs of some thin papers  - tissue, handmade, original blotter splats. So far, so good.

'Mad Scientist EXPERIMENTS'

Next, the plan is to adhere the rough side of 2 freezer papers back to back to create a sturdy substrate. When dry, I'll punch the pages with my Bind It All, then use the pages as backgrounds in art journals. This is a slow process for me - I like instant gratification with my experiments. But this project seems to be dragging on...

How about you? Have you tried ironing freezer paper to the backs of thin/flimsy  papers? What were your results? Have you tried ironing freezer paper to fabrics? Would love to see your results. Please email me or comment here with a link to your blog post if you've tried this technique.

Not shown: just got in a shipment from jetpens.com of white gel pens of various brands. So far, I'm loving how they write over all the various media in my art journals.

Thanks for visiting - would love for you to comment on this - or any - of my posts. And please become a follower while you're here. Giveaway for followers coming very soon!

To see more artist studios visit WOYWW here.

Peace,
LuLu

'So Much For Travellin' Light!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

Just returned from a 3-day weekend crop at the Archivers store in Orland Park, IL - about 25 miles from home. Loads of fun. Was not as productive as I usually am at 3-day crops - probably because this case of bronchitis I've been fighting for 2 months has whipped my butt....

My fellow member of Scrap-A-Holics, Becky, joined us on Saturday - and I met some new friends over the weekend.

Becky(left)  and Me(right)

(We're longtime members of the Midwest Scrap-A-Holics of Chicagoland - est. 2001)

These are bags and totes of supplies for just 2 scrappers!

 No one can accuse us of travellin' light!

 New scrappin' friends.

Becky (right) and new scrappin' friends.

Awsra  (2nd from left) really liked my art journals and scrapbook layouts.

Do you ever attend scrapbooking weekend crops or retreats? How many bags of supplies do you take? Do you travel light? Or do you take evertything plus the kitchen sink?

Thanks for stopping by - would love for you to comment on this post - or any of my other posts. Please come back to visit soon!

Peace,
LuLu

'Art Techniques Revealed - at Last!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

All of us mixed-media artists' techiques have been unceremoniously revealed!

• ...and you call yourself an Artist?
• 'Don't forget to seal your work!

As a rule, I usually only post my own work.  But I just had to share these with you - my hubby saw them in the newspaper paper and shared with me. We both got a HUGE chuckle!

I collect and use various materials. Is this you, too? What is the most outrageous material you have evr used in your artwork?!

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment on this post, or any of my other posts.
And stay tuned - Spring Giveaway is coming VERY, very, VeRy soon!

Peace,
LuLu

'WOYWW - 03-14-12: Art Journal Page In Progress'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and welcome,

Here's a peek at my still tidy workstation. This week for WOYWW,  I'm still playing in an art journal. There's about 6 layers of mixed-media on these background pages! I just LOVE texture!

WIP - Art Journal

Do you used mixed-media in your work? Do you like to layer? What are your fave texturing tools or materials?

Lotsa layers!

Thanks for stopping by - and would love for you to leave a comment on this post - or on any of my other posts. Please come back again soon - my Spring Giveaway for Followers is coming this month!

Visit more artist studios here!

Peace,
LuLu

'Water Brushes a.l.a. LuLu!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes


Howdy and welcome,

Have you seen the neat portable water brushes? You can find them in craft stores and online.

Last week, I saw a new water brush by Tim Holtz (Ranger). Looked like it would be a useful addition to my stash of art supplies - or would it???

Elmer's Paintastics!
Paint brush?! - or - water brush?!

At a cost of $10 for one brush, for a couple bucks more, you can buy a set of 10 brushes by Elmer's! I found a set of Elmer's Painsticks in my studio (bought the set at STAPLES office supply 2 years ago).

Just disassemble, empty out the paint (paint a quick backgound page in your art journal until empty) and fill with water. Or in my case, I fill with matte medium, or tinted acrylic glaze. Great tools for painting or embellishing in art journals on the road.

Pam Carriker talks about the water brush tool in her new DVD, too!

Have you ever used water brushes? Do you use them with water, as intended? How many different water brushes do you own? 

How many different solutions do you use in your water brushes? 

Do you fill them with water? Paint? Medium? Glue?

Another view of my main work station -
bright Northern exposure!

Would love for you to comment on this post - or please comment on any of my other posts. 

Shhhhhh! Can you keep a secret? My new Spring 2012 Giveaway is coming later this month!

Thanks for stopping by - come back again soon.
Peace,
LuLu

'Easier Than Ever To Become A Follower!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

Have you wanted to become a Follower - but didn't know how? Do you enjoy loooking through all the nifty posts and viewing my artwork while you're visitng here? Do you want to try my tutorials?

It's now easier than ever to become a Follower of LuLu Too Beaucoup! There are 2 ways you can follow my blog.

• Click 'FOLLOW' in the upper left menu bar. OR
• Click 'JOIN THIS SITE' under the blog banner.

Journal Pockets Tutorial - coming Summer 2012!

Thanks for stopping by - and please come back agin soon! My new Spring 2012 Giveaway for Followers is coming soon!

Peace,
LuLu

'WOYWW - 3/7/12 - Shhhhh! Glazing Chemist Resists The Urge!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome and Happy WOYWW!

Unusual for me this week is a tidy work space!

I was forced to clean up because I had to prepare for a scrapbooking event - and needed the worktable to organize and stage my supplies. It was painful - but the results were worth the trouble.

Before the event, I went shopping at Michaels and JoAnns and used a slew of coupons. LOVE those coupons! Most of the loot is already put away in their 'homes'.. So now I just have this last little task to do: fill the empty bottle with glazing medium.

Glazing Medium (Liquitex) and empty bottle (Michaels) -

on workstation protected with

Tim Holtz's tissue paper (Ranger)

I put a Ranger dabber top on the Michaels bottle. I prefer to spread my wet materials with a dabber instead of a brush. Quicker and neater for me.

My usual MO is adding acrylic paint to glazing medium - then I'll have a smidgeon of color available to quickly apply on the base of my art journal pages. There are drawers and drawers of different colored tinted glazes, tinted clear gessos and tinted white gessos in my studio!

But for this bottle, I'm going to resist the urge to color, and just keep the medium plain and clear.

What do you think of my idea for this glazing medium? Do you like to play chemist? Do you mix up glazes, and medium, and paint?


Thanks for stopping by! Would love for you to comment on this post - or any of my other posts, and become a Follower while you're visiting.

And 'Shhh!' stay tuned this month - for another Giveaway! Wanna see more artists digs? Go to this week's WOYWW here!

Peace,
LuLu