'WOYWW - 01/30/2013 - A Peek at Pretties in Smash Book / Scrapbook / Art Journal!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes


Howdy and welcome,

This week for WOYWW, take a peek at my current commission on the work table. It's a smash book/scrapbook/art journal of my client's Paris 2012 vacation!  These pix show the progression of assembling the front cover - and a glimpse of the back cover. All photos were taken under 2 Ottlites, except where indicated.

When I first visited Paris, way back in the mid 1990's, it was wintertime. The weather was cold and dreary. So I didn't get to see Paris in all her glory. But I DID manage to have lunch in the Eiffel Tower - delicious food, but tres expensive! Next time I will go to Paris with my hubby - hopefully for our wedding anniversary celebration some June, when it's nice and warm.

I was thrilled to get this commission - and because of my previous visit, I was able to coach my client in advance and give her lots of tips on what ephemera and other goodies to bring back for her book.

Five handmade paper flowers (whick took FOREVER)

 stuck to a piece of freezer paper. (The flower in top right is not used).

Flowers made with many layers of different brands of

dies cuts using textured Bazzill paper.

After assembling and gluing the flowers I 'painted' them with

various Stickles using a tiny brush and toothpicks.

I learned how to make paper flowers by watching a

slew of youtube.com videos.

 

Smaller flowers (store bought) in center right that I hand

painted red, spray painted gold (Heidi Swapp spray shines) and added Stickles.

Center left is a painted black mesh ribbon that I added MANY dots of Stickles

(this took FOREVER too)

The 'Stickled' mesh ribbon attached to front cover

over a piece of patterned scrapbook cardstock.

 That's a tiny castle on far right. It's game token that

I painted and added glitter glaze - very sparkly -

in homage to Disney Paris.

Dotted black tulle is floating over front cover -
tulle is adhered adjacent to the spiral binding
 under the 'Stikled mesh ribbon

Glimpse of back cover on right,
ruffly ribbons in center spiral binding,
tulle of front cover on far right

 

Front cover,  with temporary
placement of my handmade paper flowers

 

Front cover (right),  and another temporary
placement of my handmade paper flowers
+
titles and a sparkly round mirror top right

 

Front cover (right)
+
strand of faux pearls placed temporarily on left with
glass cabochons cascading from left to right and top to bottom

  

Same as above except with Ottlites off

Front cover with flotaing black dotted tulle

Front cover with 'sandwich'

(gold glitter netting + holiday wired ribbon + scrap of red netting to cover castle token)

floating OVER black dotted tulle

 

Vice Versa:

Front cover with 'sandwich'

(gold glitter netting + holiday wired ribbon + scrap of red netting to cover castle token)

floating UNDER black dotted tulle

Everything is glued down, or will be glued down with heavy gel medium (Golden) or soft gel medium (Golden). I'll publish the final version of the completed cover soon.

QUICKIE POLL
I'm not sure wich I like best - the black dotted tulle OVER or UNDER the netting 'sandwich'. I'm using the tulle and the netting sandwich to 'hide' the cover. The 'sandwich' has a little arrow on it so the viewer knows where it opens. These are interactive elements added  to make exploring the book more mysterious!

I'm leaning towards the black dotted tulle floating UNDER the 'sandwich' Which do YOU like floating on top?
1) Black dotted tulle?
2) Netting 'sandwich'?

Fyi, I made the sandwich, by ironing the gold glitter tulle with the scrap of red netting inside. I used my dedicated craft iron (my old beat up iron that I never used to iron clothes anyway) with a sheet of parchment paper under the iron and the sandwich on top of my heat resistant craft sheet (Ranger). The sandwich was a work-around, because I didn't have any MistyFuse or Angelina fibers on hand. Waa-aa-ah!

YOUR TURN
Have you ever been to Paris France? What did you like most about your trip? Least?  If you haven't been to Paris, do you want to go? What are the 3 attractions you most want to visit?

Thanks for stopping by and check out the Giveaway in the side bar!

Visit more artist studios here at Julia's WOYWW.

Peace,
LuLu

'Playful Purple!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and welcome,

Last November I ordered some custom yarn to be handspun from a spinner on etsy. It's purple with gold thread, clear sequins, invisible thread and gold beads. Was hoping to get it in time crochet Christmas scarves, but it came too late.

I LOVE it. Planning to use it in a scarf I want to weave - hopefully in the fall, if I can get all the pieces to my old rigid heddle loom that I need (inherited 2 looms  from a friend).

Many months ago, I bought 2 Martha Stewart craft looms (with coupons) and connected them together to make a longer loom for weaving a scarf) But after warping the loom, I decided that I need to buy better tools than those that were included in the MS loom kit...I need some sort of rigid heddle to make a bigger shed (space) between the warp threads to pass the weft thread. The MS Loom kit comes with a type of comb that was ineffective. I tried using a ruler - which worked somewhat but I need something with notches like a comb. But all the combs I have with the correct space between the teeth are too large...Nice challenge.

YOUR TURN
Have you ever spun yarn? Have you ever woven on a rigid heddle loom? Have you tried SAORI weaving?

Thanks for stopping by - and check out my Giveaway in the right sidebar!
Spread the word!

Peace,
LuLu

'WOYWW - Jan 16 2013 - Clean Sweep for A Fresh Start with Art Journal Projects!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes
 
Howdy and welcome,

Hope you all had a lovely holiday season.
 
For the New Year, I finally cleaned off my table in the craft studio. Now I can have a fresh start to create more great art journal projects in the coming year! We'll see how long this neat and tidy work space will last - he, he!

 Straight Ahead - Directly Forward

 Left

 Right - seated view

 Close-up right standing

Cart at right of table,

with new holder for Stickles and Claudine Hellmuth Studio products!

 

 

More artist studios are here this week at Julia's WOYWW!

 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check out my Giveaway. If you're a mixed-media artist, you don't want to miss these goodies!

 

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

'Giveaway deadline extended!

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and welcome!

Happy New Year!

Giveaway deadline is extended. Deadline Feb 13, 2013!

How to win (Please read carefully) 1) Enter a comment on this post including: your name, and your blog address, and link back to your post.

2) Your comment must contain the TITLES of your 3 favorite posts on this blog 'LuLu Too Beaucoup'.

3) Include a link to this Giveaway post in a post on your blog - or in your sidebar.

4) Your post title on your blog should read 'LuLu's 3rd Blogoversary Giveaway!'

5) Enter as often as you like, but each new entry comment must contain 3 additional favorite post titles AND include the link back to the post on your blog.
Click here for prizes
Good Luck,
LuLu