Category: Friday in the Studio

Hand made journal cards

Creating your own journal cards is very satisfying. You can create them in your own style or colour to match your planner or bullet journal and have fun on these small surfaces at the same time.

I made these two while testing out a new stencil for Paper Pen and Plan (which will be included in their Sweet Treat box for December).

I used a piece of smooth watercolour card so I could add a watercolour effect on top. Smearing Shaded Lilac Distress ink on a craft mat, I sprayed it with water to activate the ink and smooshed (very technical term there) the card through it to pick up the colour.

With the background dry, I stencilled first Salty Ocean then Dusty Concord through the stencil. My stencils for Paper Pen and Plan go almost to the edge so I masked the edges.

I gave these a spritz with water to give them a mottled look.

Once dry I could then add my details on top like the stickers from Simple Stories which I’ve been hanging on to for ever, some stamping with a Prima Travelers Journal stamp set and a Micron Pen to draw the lines.

If you’d like to get hold of the stencil it’s available as part of the December Sweet Treat box with Paper Pen and Plan which you can pre-order here.

The Distress inks can be found in my shop following this link as well as the Spray Mister bottles and Micron Pen.

Have a great weekend

Jaine

About Post Author

blogmanager

webadmin@basementstudio.lu

Playing with lines

LINEAL :Composed of or arranged in lines :Consisting of or being in a direct male or female line of ancestry :Descended in a direct line.

This little collage of papers, tea bag, flowers and another scrap of that tea dyed muslin I’d used before, was fairly easy and quick to put together. Dipping into my collage box, I chose the papers for their colour and arranged them pretty much vertically. I took this little photo to help me put them back in the same arrangement after I’d added glue and tape.

I added some stitching and staples to give some extra texture as well as holding things in place. I like to create my collage pieces separately like this then add them to the background in one piece.

Once added to the textured background, to stop the whole piece looking too random and bitty I trimmed it down to square off the edges making it much neater. As I’d cut off the word lineal I decided to add it back onto the collage by tucking it under the muslin.

The collage is filled with lines, from the texture paste in the background to the stitching lines and staples. All horizontal or vertical to create a harmonious whole. I love the shabby chic look but it has to be structured and tidy for me to accept it. A bit of a contradiction I know but it’s just the way I like to look at things.

The muslin and flowers come from this month’s box from Paper Pen and plan on Etsy.

Have a good weekend

Jaine xx

About Post Author

blogmanager

webadmin@basementstudio.lu

Micro Journaling and why it’s so satisfying

Last week I showed you my little micro sized gel print journal and thought it would be cute in the leather cover I’ve had for a while now.

Already bursting at the seams and even with half the contents emptied out, it was still far too small for my little journal. So the only thing to do was to make a brand new one.

The extra pink bit came about simply because the piece of leather I wanted to use was too short to wrap around the front when all of my journals were inside. I added the fancy edge to it to stop it looking a bit like an after thought!

This little journal which is no bigger than a fat cheese sandwich (or doorstop), with its pre-printed backgrounds, is the perfect place for a quick art fix or to try out a new purchase. Its size makes it far less intimidating to work with as the pages are the same size as an ATC. More to the point the whole journal and cover is just too darn cute on my shelf and takes a great photo.

Creating a journal from pre-printed pages or mop up papers gives me an instant place to start from. This page just grew as I was trying out these Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks from Paper Pen and Plan.

This little page was completed in a few short minutes as the background was already there.

This little journal will grow and grow I think and before long I’ll need to make a few new inserts.

Have a good weekend

Jaine xx

About Post Author

blogmanager

webadmin@basementstudio.lu

Outdoor Inspiration

It’s a real treat to be able to create outside, I relocate to a shady spot at the bottom of the garden as often as possible. Inspiration is all around me and when it’s too hot to stay indoors, the shade of a tree is the perfect place to be.

On this occasion I put a few bits and pieces in a tray along with some pre-cut gel printed papers so I could put together this little gel print micro journal.

I say little, it actually turned out to be quite chunky by the time I’d added all my pages. Once I’d sewn it all together I thought it was so cute I didn’t want to cover the binding or bright print up, so left it as it was simply adding a little collaged embellishment on the front. The quote on an old book page jumped out at me and begged to be added to the front. After all it did sum up the afternoon quite nicely!

On another occasion I took out my sketching supplies and sat under the tree. I used the flowers in front of me as inspiration for this page in my watercolour journal adding doodles and paint.

I hope you have a little outside space to sit and reflect or use as an inspiration spot. It’s great for recharging the batteries.

Have a good weekend

Jaine x

About Post Author

blogmanager

webadmin@basementstudio.lu