Second Thursday Tutorial: a quicky

My Second Thursday Tutorial almost didn't happen.  The only reason it did was because I was able to take photos of a real quickie!

I don't know why I didn't think of writing this tutorial when I was working on these cards, but sadly, I didn't.  Now I have to show how I made them.  I needed something really quick, since time was my enemy this month.  I had spent way too many hours working on my annual tip-ins, so quick was what I needed for my cards.  Of course, you know I had to make something that represented a tree.

Supplies:
Green washi tape (if you have Christmas tape, use it)
Stars (a gift from my friend Valerie)
Card blank with matching envelope

Gather your green washi tapes.  If you have some that are made specifically for Christmas (I don't), use them.  One gold is for the tree trunk. Use one star for the top of the tree.

Position your card so the opening is on your right and the closed part is on the left.  You want the length to be vertical.

Tear (preferable) or cut washi tapes and affix with the largest length at the bottom of the card.

Work your way up the tree by placing a total of five pieces of washi tape in descending size on the card front.  Be sure to leave room for the tree trunk.

Place one gold star on the top of the tree.  For this I used E-6000.

Vary the position of each tree, or make them all the same.   Write a note on the inside, or use a stamp. 

Here are the seven I made.  It took me about two hours to create these.  I'm a slow crafter though, so you might be able to cut that time a bit.  I also stamped the envelopes, as I did with most of my tip-in envelopes, too.

I don't really have a lot of sentiment stamps, and I certainly didn't want to stamp the words "Merry Christmas" out letter by letter.   I think the "Handmade by" stamp was the best stamp in which I ever invested.

Since this happens to be a Christmas tree, I am also sharing this with Try it on Tuesday, whose theme this fortnight is Christmas is coming. And because Moo-Mania and More's theme is Anything Goes, I'm joining them, too.

I realize this isn't much of a tutorial, but it's better than none.  Once this post goes live, you will find it on my tutorials page.  Thank you for sticking with me through this and these rather trying times.

How she got here

Since I have a few hours between Monday Murals and T Time, I thought I would share another Art Journal Journey entry using Yvonne, aka Meggymay's theme which is Words and Numbers.  And because this entire journal entry is made from scraps, some taken from my neighbor's trash, I'm joining Moo-Mania and More's challenge this fortnight which is Use your scraps. 

This is the story of the young female mathematician who was surrounded by many males who were in the same kindergarten class.

They had to first learn to count their numbers

and write them legibly

before they could move on to 

differential equations, or diff-e-que as we called it in school.

I started this journal entry with a recycled file folder.  I added a page from an old calculus workbook.  I found these handout sheets of "children" in my neighbor's trash.  I dug them out when I got the idea to create this journal entry.  I cut three of the images from the worksheet to use in my art.  Once I began assembling the page, the story came to life.  Almost like art imitating my own life, although like most females, I didn't start out liking numbers like the girl in the story did.  The sentiment was written using a blue Deco Arts pen on scraps of lavender paper.

Bleubeard and I are thrilled that you stopped by today.  Your visits mean the world to us.  We hope to also see you at Art Journal Journey as well as Moo-Mania and More.

300 Art Lessons

I'm joining Yvonne, aka Meggymay, our host this month at Art Journal Journey.  She wants us to use Words and Numbers in our art.

It's rather obvious I called this 300 Lessons in Art.

I started with this gifted unmounted rubber stamp, used VersaMark and my handmade pouncer,

then added two different colors embossing powder.  Even after FOUR attempts,

my finished embossed "art" looked nothing like it was supposed to.

I found loads of art in various art books, but only used the words and number from the front of a book intended for art teachers.  There were lots of drawings, but no actual art in the Lessons book.

All the art came from books I picked up at the Art Fair a couple of years ago.

I tried to keep it diverse.

I even included a black and white bird.

I looked in a couple of oriental books for art, too.

Of course, I had to add the definition of art.  Ironic that art is not part of the scientific method, my area of expertise.

I was definitely looking for diversity.

Some of the art I found quite pleasing, while other I found a bit disturbing.

For this journal page, I started with a recycled file folder to which I added six diverse examples of art.  I built the layers up until the entire file folder background was covered.  Next I added the words and numbers, one of which came from a scrap bingo card, which qualifies this journal page for Moo-Mania and More's challenge this fortnight which is Use your scraps.  I cut the words and number using my deckle scissors, then added the embossed word and the dictionary definition of art.

Thanks for visiting Bleubeard and me today. Your visits mean the world to me.  I hope to also see you at Art Journal Journey as well as Moo-Mania and More.

Superstition

I find it wonderful when the stars align and I can join my three favorite challenge blogs with a single journal page.

I chose this song, Superstition for Try it on Tuesday's latest challenge, which is Inspired by a Song or Christmas Carol because it fits Yvonne, aka Meggymay's theme Words and Numbers so well at Art Journal Journey. I have used a lot of scraps in this journal page, so I'm also joining Moo-Mania and More whose theme is Use Your Scraps.

Here is the song in its entirety.

Very superstitious, writings on the wall,
Very superstitious, ladders 'bout to fall,
Thirteen-months-old baby broke the lookin' glass
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past

When you believe in things
you don't understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain't the way

There are several superstitions Stevie Wonder, who wrote and sang the song (1972), alluded to.

Thirteen is an unlucky number in most Western culture.  In fact, many high rise office buildings and housing units don't designate a 13th floor.

The 13 month old baby is quite unlucky,

because it broke the looking glass (or hand held mirror).

A ladder is another superstition.  You can't walk under a ladder or you will encounter 7 years bad luck, just like you do when you break a mirror.  Actually, walking under a ladder is DANGEROUS, and only stupid people would do that, anyway.

For some reason, black cats are supposed to bring bad luck.

I'll let you peruse these detail shots at your own speed.

I know some people are good at writing in the style of graffiti, but I'm not one of them.  In order to make the wall less naked,  I added a fortune and a scrap left from another page I'm working on. 

I got mad at myself because the washi tape I used started to peel off the image, even after I tried to re-glue it.  Then I realized when you see the posters on walls, they are often hanging askew or torn.  I decided it looked like it had been there for years.

For this journal page, I began with a sheet of 110 lb card stock that I colored with grey ink and 91% alcohol.  Unfortunately I covered over most of it. I used a chalk paint pen and my wall stencil to create the wall on which the ladder leaned and on which the graffiti was written.

The ladder and mirror were found on the internet and the mirror was fussy cut, then added to a scrap of paint chip.  The words to the song were computer generated and colored using a nearly dry green dye ink pad.  The 13 and one 7 were from two different Bingo cards.  Two 7s were stickers, as were all the letters to the title.  The two cats were from address labels my friend Sally didn't want.  The black washi tape is from TH and the white tape was a gift.  The graffiti letters on the wall were made with Crayola crayons.

Bleubeard and I are thrilled that you stopped by today.  We hope you will join us at Art Journal Journey, Try it on Tuesday, and Moo-Mania and More, too.