Stacy's Paper Crafts

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Hi Everyone! I hope you all are well, I know that this conronavirus outbreak has many of us feeling anxious and overwhelmed. I've been trying to keep my mind busy by crafting, spring cleaning, and baking. I've mostly been baking bread but I got a sweet tooth and decided to make some carrot cake, one of my absolute favorite desserts! I used this recipe... Carrot Cake Cupcake Recipe. 

 

 

I recently took a free online class called The Layered Page by Kelley Wynne Studios, which is still available by the way for a limited time. It was such a great mixed media class that resulted in a several mini books/art journals/mini albums that I can't wait to create in. I shared some of the inside pages on my Instagram page... here and here.

 

I decided to use one of the books to document what I've been doing to keep busy this Spring, including baking these delicious cupcakes! I used the background image from the For Everything stamp set by Red Rubber Designs to create some additional subtle texture to the background paper. I also stamped the Speckle Background stamp randomly over the background using Versamark ink, and the heat embossed it using super fine white embossing powder.

 

To embellish my layout I used the carrot image from the Pickled Potpourri Designs digital stamp set called Flopsy Bunny. I created a little cluster and then printed them on 80lb. cardstock. I colored the carrots using Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils and then fussy cut them out. I added a flip out panel for my journaling and used some chipboard to pop up the carrots before adhering them to the journaling panel. I tucked my photo next to the carrots, inked the edges of my page using Vintage Photo Archival Distress ink, and used some alphabet stickers & a Tim Holtz sentiment sticker to create the title.

 

 

I used Ranger Distress Collage medium to adhere most items to the page including my journaling block. Unfortunately I didn't realize my ink pen wasn't permanent so it smeared a little and I was too lazy to rewrite it so I left it as is.

 

Thanks so much for looking!

*Supplies:

Pickled Potpourri Designs Digital Stamps: Flopsy Bunny

Red Rubber Designs Stamps: For Everything, & Speckle Background,

Inks: PTI Kraft Ink pad, Ranger Ink Mini Archival Distress ink pads: Vintage Photo, & Versamark Ink pad

Other: Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils, Ranger Ink White Super Fine Embossing powder,, Mono Multi Liquid Glue, Ranger Ink Matte Distress Collage Medium,

DYI mini album created using acrylic paints, Neocolor II crayons, stencils, text & gelli printed papers

 

*Some affiliate links used at no extra cost to you

 

 

Mixed Media Play: Determination

Hi Everyone! It's been a little while since I've updated... life has just been busy. I haven't had a chance to spend much time in my craft room. Although I've been working on an art journal page for a few weeks, adding a bit here and there. I feel like I want to add more layers to this but I'm calling it done...

This layout is a part of an art journal I started earlier this year. I really love the bold colors against the black background so most of the layouts in this particular journal features the color black with some pop of color. 

I used a combination of gelatos, acrylic paint, white gel pen, dye inks, distress inks, and Copic Markers to apply color to this layout. I also used a butterfly image from a Pickled Potpourri Designs set called Nature's Greetings Butterfly as well as alphabet stamps from one of my favorite sets, Distressed Typewriterbet from Red Rubber Designs.

I die-cut a vellum circle and wrote my journaling on it. I adhered some enamel dots and scrappers floss to create the butterfly antennae to embellish.

I'm entering this layout into the current Path of Positivity Challenge, which focuses on the theme of determination. My journaling speaks to the challenges that life throws our way and how they can sometimes set us off balance. This theme is so timely for me because a couple of weeks ago I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. This diagnosis has literally set me teetering.

As I was journaling I thought about the challenges I've been having with walking and with my balance and recalled how some days it just feels like I have to work so hard to just make it from point A to point B... but how I always manage to do so!

Even if you have to crawl or waddle to accomplish something in your life, keep moving forward, stay focused, be determined, you will do it!

That's my motto these days :) Thanks so much for looking! 

Nature's Greetings Butterfly

Distressed Typewriter Bet

InLinkz.com

Mixed Media Mondays with Tracy Weinzapfel

Yep, it's my second post for today.

I wanted to share a mixed media project I've been working on this week.

Tracy Weinzapfel is a talented mixed media artist who hosts a live stream every Monday night.  It's about an hour long painting/mixed media class that she conducts live from her studio.  At the end of the hour she magically presents a beautiful masterpiece!

{Photo Credit: Tracy Weinzapfel}

Last week was my second time watching live, and while I didn't paint along with her, I did create a piece that was inspired by her painting. I did not have all of the supplies that Tracy used, but I think I pulled it off pretty well!

I love mixed media art... the only thing that I hate about it is not knowing what all I did to create my piece when I'm finished! It's sort of a whirlwind of a process for me. Especially this time around because I wasn't all that familiar with how to use some of the supplies that I used.

I used watercolors for most of it, but being a novice working with preschool grade watercolors forced me to have to improvise a LOT. One tip I can share with you is that a workable fixative is your best friend when it comes to working with multiple mediums that react to water differently. I ended adding acrylic paint over the hearts, and used matte medium to adhere the sentiment. I also applied matte medium onto the entire surface to seal everything.

I'm still trying to decide if I like watercolors, I definitely find acrylics easier to work with, but I may give watercoloring another chance. I'll just have to get a better quality to see if it behaves differently.

You'll find a list of some of the products I used below, thanks for looking!

 

Words of Imagination	RRD Dotty Flowers	Script Background	Mixed Media Paper
Caran d'Ache Classic Neocolor II Water-Soluble Pastels	Black Spray Mist	Dylusions White Linen Spray Mist	Archival Ink
Pitt Artist Pen	Matte Medium	Krylon Workable Fixatif	Liquitex

InLinkz.com

Gelli Print Art

Hi All!

I'm hosting a challenge over at Two Peas in a Bucket for their annual Winterfest Stamping Event. My Challenge is called A Little of this & A Little of That. I'd like to encourage you to explore Mixed Media art, and incorporate your stamps in your design whether they are traditional stamps or digital stamps. The premise behind the challenge is to use multiple types of product or mediums on your design. You can create something that is clean & simple, something really artsy, or something that falls somewhere in between. I hope you'll join in on the festivities.

When I starting planning this challenge I knew that I wanted to use at least one of the mono-prints that I made to go with my Counterfeit Kit this month...

I love the power of words and inspirational quotes. I have quite a few "Pinned," but the only time I read them is when I'm logged onto Pinterest, so I decided to incorporate some of them into a little art journal, something that is a little more accessible. This is the cover...

 

I used versamark ink to stamp the floral images from Dotty Flowers and Gift of Friendship, both sets are by Red Rubber Designs. I applied white embossing powder over them, although after being heat set, the embossing powder looks more like a cream color. I've had it for a very long time, I might need to replace it! LOL If you know of a "true white' embossing powder please let me know. 

The sentiment is from a digital stamp set called Words of Imagination by Pickled Potpourri Designs, I printed it out on laser jet paper. I had a slight mishap when I went to adhere it. I used liquid matte medium, and it smudged the printer ink. I remembered that I had a bottle of Krylon Workable Fixatif, so I sprayed a little of that over the text and allowed it to dry. When I went to adhere it the second time around it didn't smudge, so yay for that! Be sure to spray it in a well ventilated area, preferably outside.

I added a few scribbles using a black pen, and red & black water soluable oil pastels, scribbled a little of the red oil pastel on the mono print background, and finally added a few domed glitter enamel dots.

I used quite a few items for my art journal cover...

Laser jet paper

Acrylic paints

Rubber stamped images

Digital stamped quote

Versamark Ink

Embossing powder

Matte medium

Glitter enamel dots

Water soluable oil pastels

Black ink pen

Mixed media heavy weight paper

I love how this turned out and can't wait to start creating additional pages. I hope you'll check out the other Winterfest Challenges. Thanks so much for looking!

 

 

Words of Imagination	RRD Dotty Flowers	Gift of Friendship	Mixed Media Paper
Liquitex	Caran d'Ache Classic Neocolor II Water-Soluble Pastels	Krylon Workable Fixatif	Matte Medium
Pitt Artist Pen	Versamark

InLinkz.com

Art Journal Monday: Cultivate

Good morning! Today I'm sharing my first art journal page... featuring my One Little Word for 2013. I really love the concept of OWL... it's "a word that I can focus on, mediate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life."  

For the past 10 years or so I've struggled with chronic pain. My Dr.'s have been unable to explain what's causing it. Sometimes it's pretty unbearable. Other times I feel good, like really good and then out of the blue the pain just emerges, sometimes gradually, and sometimes it comes flying out of no where like a ton of bricks. There's no way to predict it, and just when I think I've figured out something that might be triggering it, it turns out it's probably not related at all. 

Sometimes the pain makes it difficult to walk, or sit, or stand. Sometimes it affects my speech. Sometimes it keeps me lying in bed for days at a time. I don't know about you, but when I'm feeling this terrible I'd much rather curl up in my blanket with my heating pad and hibernate. That's pretty much what I've done... hibernate for far too long! Some days I feel like life is just passing me by... without out me! It's a strange feeling...

But I've decided that enough is enough. Although I've tried to advocate for myself to find answers as to what is causing the pain, no Dr. or specialist I've seen has been able to tell me anything. I've accepted the fact that I just might not ever know what is causing the pain. I'll just have to manage the pain as best as I can, and focus more on what I do know, what I can do, and what I would like to do, and nurture those things instead. 

So this year I'm focusing on cultivating... relationships, my health, my art, and eventually a business, once I figure out what that will be. This art journal will help me to document the process, the progress, and allow me to experiment with some art journaling techniques. 

I normally do not get so personal on my blog, but I know that many people struggle silently with  chronic pain and/or what I refer to as "invisible illnesses"... illnesses that may not have visual symptoms such as lupus, fibromyalgia, post traumatic stress disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, lyme disease, and many others. I hope that sharing my story will help someone feel a little less alone in this struggle. Sending hugs to all of you! Thanks for stopping by today.