Tag: butterflies

Robyn Wood - Hello Flutterbye
Card making, Colour, Stampendous Stamps, Tutorials

Hello Flutterbye!

Robyn Wood

Come join the Stampendous Blog Hop……

Calling Aussies for this great competition run by the Australian wholesaler for Stampendous stamps. Each month I will be designing some inspiration cards for the monthly blog hop competitions run by The Stencil Specialists.

This month we are using the very versatile Flutterbye stamp designed by Laurel Burch.

Robyn Wood - Hello Flutterbye

 

I’ve created a bright, watercoloured card to inspire you. These cards are so quick and easy to make but look like you might have spent hours on them.

  • Start your card by stamping the image onto some watercolour paper using clear Versamark ink and emboss with clear powder.
  • Once cool, get out your watercolours and swish some colour over the image.
  • Once the paper is dry add a greeting. I’ve added a simple ‘Hello’ from the Stampendous Happy Messages set.
  • Give the butterfly a bit of bling with some self-adhesive gemstones.
  • To finish the card, tie with some ribbon in a contrasting colour, mat with complimentary cardstock and attach to a card front.

Make sure you also pop over to the other blogs to see what the designers have created –

Julie – The Stencil Specialists

Dot Leathbridge – Ink Art Designs

Donna – Luv to Emboss

Contest details –
To enter please visit each blog post and comment on the March blog hop post. Each comment is one entry so comment on each blog and you will have three entries into the contest. Make sure you only comment once per blog. This competition is open to Australian residents only and the winner will be selected randomly by Julie after the end of March. The prize will be LBCP001 Cling Flutterbye rubber stamp.

Good luck!

PS Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog so you will receive updates and sneaks for the next challenge.

Bella Paperie, Colour, Mixed media, Quotes

Butterfly art journal page

Robyn Wood

I’m happiest when immersed in creative play and I’m lucky to be able to share this through social media and in person classes. This coming Sunday I will be teaching how to create this page using a range of different techniques and a couple of mystery kitchen staples.

 

I’d love you to join me! Bella Paperie is located at Shop 33, 302 South Pine Road, Brendale. Phone 3205 5911. Class costs $30 and you will need to book.

 

We will be working in an A4 sized art journal and please have on hand:

  • Dylusions spray inks, please bring whatever inks that are non-shimmery you would like to use. I used yellow, pink & orange sprays but anything non-shimmery will work
  • A couple of your favourite stencils that feature patterns of different sizes which you can use for stencilling with texture paste.
  • Butterfly stencil if you have one or something with an image you would like to add to your page.
  • Shimmery watercolour powders that will be used to paint the butterflies or image of our choice. Lindy’s or Ken Oliver metallic powders are perfect. I will have a limited number of both to share.
  • I’ll bring the quote I have used on my sample printed onto paper, but if you would like to use something different please bring along small stamps, stickers, rubbons for use.
  • Liquitex white gesso
  • Palette knife
  • 1” wide brush
  • Variety of smaller brushes
  • Soft lead pencil (6-8B) & eraser
  • Black permanent pen
    White Sharpie paint pen or white gel pen
  • Gift card for scraping paint
  • spray water bottle
  • Paint palette
  • Non–stick craft mat
  • Baby wipes
  • Paper towel
  • Container for water
  • Heat tool
  • Gloves if you don’t wish to get colour on your hands

Thanks to everyone who entered the Aussie Stampendous blog hop competition last week – congratulations to Crece Thomas!

Robyn Wood, Purple Salt, www.purplesalt.net
Art Journal, Bella Paperie

Fly – an art journal page

Robyn Wood

I have long been fascinated by all things flight related – quotes, images, birds, butterflies, balloons, dragonflies, moths & anything insect with wings. I love that whoosh of excitement as a jet plane gets ready for takeoff, going so fast that you think it might run out of runway, only to lift impossibly off the ground and take to the air. It is probably no surprise that such imagery often pops up in my art and this page is no exception.

Robyn Wood, Purple Salt, www.purplesalt.net

I’ll be teaching how to create it this Sunday at Bella Paperie and I’d love you to join me. Last month we explored backgrounds and texture, this month we will focus on adding stamped images to a page using a variety of techniques.

Robyn Wood - Fly page.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will be working in an A4 sized journal and here is a basic list of what we will be using in class so please bring what you have available – dye based markers in butterfly colours, permanent stamping ink in black & dark blue (Archival brand), Liquitex white gesso, Liquitex matt medium, texture paste, palette knife, approx. 1” wide brush, variety of smaller brushes, scissors, pencil, rubber, black permanent pen, white Sharpie paint pen, 2–3 matt acrylic paints in warm & cool colours (Distress & Dylusions paints are perfect), small sponges for paint, collage material if you have it, spray bottle, non–stick craft mat, baby wipes, paper towel, container for water.

Bella Paperie is located at Shop 33, 302 South Pine Road, Brendale. Phone 3205 5911. Why not join us on Facebook?

Art Journal Challenge, Darkroom Door, Mixed media, Quotes, Tutorials

Spread Your Wings…

Robyn Wood

Until you spread your wings,
you’ll never know how far you can fly.

Wings - Robyn Wood - Purple Salt 4.jpg

The last few months seem to have been full of activity in our house so I’ve been sharing bits & pieces on my Instagram feed. If you aren’t sure where to find me – look here. I’d love you to pop by and say hello.

Every year I start with great plans for participating in various challenges and online classes only to peter off after a few weeks/months. I decided to be a bit gentler on myself this year – I will intend to participate but if it doesn’t happen then all is good & I’ll go back to them if/when I can or feel like it.

Robyn Wood Purple Salt www.purplesalt.net

Today I’d like to share a page I did for week 12 of the LuLu Art Colour Me Positive challenge. I’ve loved watching this challenge group evolve and grow, there is currently over 2500 positive art journalers in the Facebook group – isn’t that fabulous? I am sure it will grow from strength to strength.

IMG_4268.jpg

This time around the extra journaling prompt was to add wings so that is where I started – butterfly wings and a corset from Darkroom Door stamps. Of course you can’t have a torso without a skirt of some kind, so I created a textured & collaged one using dictionary paper, handmade paper and a paper doyley. Layers of colour and texture gave it some form.

I wish I had photographed the background before I started but it was one of those pages that I use for scrapes of left over paint and spray. I’d kept them to greens and blues so that the page would match the opposite side. I added some stencilling and collage (Kaisercraft have some great collage papers!) before I started so that the page had an interesting base.

Wings - Robyn Wood - Purple Salt 2.jpg

The corset and wings were fun to layer with some pretty lace – it was well stuck down with gel medium! Once everything was stuck down and coloured with the new Ranger Distress Crayons, I painted just the wings with some clear crackle paste. I decided to experiment with colour a little and dripped Dylusions spray ink over the wings to give a mottled effect. It was so hard to just let it dry so I could check how well the effect worked.

Wings - Robyn Wood - Purple Salt 1JPG.jpg

While that was drying I carefully added some gold touches with gold Texture paste – I love to smear this stuff around a page a little to give a swipe of gold.

Wings - Robyn Wood - Purple Salt quote.jpg

As a final step I added the quote, gradually thickening the lettering until I was happy with how it stood out from the background.

Wings - Robyn Wood - Purple Salt 5.jpg

A flutter of sequins finished off the page and added a nice touch of bling to the skirt.

Supplies:

  • Darkroom Door stamps – Collage Butterfly, Corsetry set
  • Stencil Girl stencils – Rembrant’s words, Honeycomb, Transform
  • Ranger Distress Crayons
  • Dina Wakley paints – Ocean, Lemon, Turquoise
  • Golden Gel Medium
  • Faber Castel – Whipped Spackle, Texture Luxe gold
  • Prima Crackle Paste – clear
  • Ranger Dylusions spray – Pink Bubblegum
  • Ranger Liquid Pearls
  • Kaisercraft paper
  • Black permanent pen
  • Sequins, lace, dictionary paper, handmade paper, paper doyley

Robyn Wood Purple Salt www.purplesalt.net

One tip that I’d like to share is about texture paste – too much of it will weigh a page down but I have found that if you use the Faber Castell Whipped Spackle there isn’t a lot of extra weight. Which means I can stencil away with texture to my hearts content! Don’t forget to clean the texture paste out of your stencils right away – it can set hard and ruin them if you aren’t careful.

Have you been playing along with the challenge? I’d love to see if you would like to post me a link in the comments.

Art Journal, Art Journal Challenge, Darkroom Door, Mixed media, Quotes

Today is the Day!

Robyn Wood

Hi, Happy New Year! I hope the year has started well for you. Today I’m sharing an art journal page as part of the new  Colour Me Positive art journal challenge run by LuLu Art. The theme for the first week of the year is gratitude and I’ve created this page while reflecting on and celebrating the things I’m grateful for.

Robyn Wood Purple Salt www.purplesalt.net

There is something about the first week of the year. A chance to start fresh, a time to get started on that project, plan a holiday, tackle the completion of a long overdue assignment and any number of things. Don’t waste that time, those minutes of each new day, as you never get ‘today’ back!

Robyn Wood Purple Salt www.purplesalt.net

For me this time is a chance to celebrate my multiple sclerosis diagnosis. Time to reflect on the changes and blessings that came into my life 11 years ago which culminated in a dreaded, life changing diagnosis, one that forever altered the path of my family and I. It is a time for celebration because having MS has meant staying at home with my sons instead of returning to full time work. I’ve continued to volunteer in my community and participate in all types of groups and events and I firmly believe that my life is better for it. So far I’ve been lucky – only a few minor issues and one pretty major attack 18 months ago that I’m mostly recovered from. I realise that could change any day, I could wake up tomorrow and some part of my body might not work quite as well as today.

Long ago, an MS researcher mentioned that studies were showing that each year that passed without significant disability could mean another two of the same. If that holds, and so far it has, then I might get to the magic ‘three score & ten’ without a lot of neurological damage or noticeable disability. Here is hoping anyway!

A few years ago, increasing fatigue meant reducing my part time working hours. But having MS meant that I had to go searching for something else to give me a challenge, to help my brain retain some level of neuroplasticity. This is the magical bit of our brains that helps us grow new thinking pathways – important when you have a disease that affects cognitive function! I am a long time paper crafter, creating cards, scrapbooking, bookmaking and such but I needed something a little ‘more’. Thankfully I discovered the world of mixed media. It was pretty new and there was a whole gamut of new techniques to discover, learn and practice. Many years later, I’m still firmly in the grip of this wonderful form of art and I couldn’t be happier!

Robyn Wood Purple Salt www.purplesalt.net

Today is the Day!

Supplies:

  • Darkroom Door stamps – Poppies & Butterflies sets, French Script Texture, Bingo Numbers Eclectic, French Script Background
  • Dina Wakley stencils – Essentials, Halves, Spinners
  • Faber-Castell Whipped Spackle
  • Acrylic paint, paper napkin, washi tape, tissue paper
  • Liquitex – matte medium, gesso
  • Words – Ali Edwards Old + New Story Kit

Edited to add: if you wish to read another perspective on living with a chronic illness, check out my friend Bree Hogan and her article ‘Who knew I would ever feel grateful for having a chronic illness‘

Art Journal, Gelatos, LuLu Art, Mixed media, Tutorials

Becoming a Butterfly

Robyn Wood

IMG_7746

Last week it was my turn to share a project on the LuLu Art blog and I’ve chosen to use a set of brand new Dina Wakley stamps to create an art journal page. I tend to love anything insect themed so these were perfect for the page I had in mind.

IMG_7724

This page caused me to muse on the theme of transformation and what it can mean to each of us. It can be learning a new skill, taking on a new challenge, making new friends or making a major life change. Often, we don’t realise how big the change is until it is well past.

Here is a list of the supplies I used, don’t forget that you can find them all online in the LuLu Art store.

  • Dylusions – Creative Journal
  • Watercolour Paper scraps, Strathmore
  • Dina Wakley Stamps – Scribbly Insects
  • Dina Wakley Stencil – You Can
  • Gelatos – various colours for butterflies
  • Ranger Distress paint – Squeezed Lemonade, Mowed Lawn, Spiced Marmalade
  • Dina Wakley Heavy Body Acrylic – Night, Ruby, Turquoise
  • Ranger Archival Ink – Jet Black, Watering Can, Monarch Orange
  • Pearl Ex – Macro Pearl
  • Non-stick craft mat
  • White Sharpie
  • Matte Medium
  • Tissue paper

RW Sept 14-2

Thanks for joining me again today, I love inspiring you to create something different and to give you some ideas on interesting techniques to try. Don’t forget to comment below with a link to your blog if you try something similar or have a project you would like to share with me.