Hey Lovelies!

Today I’m sharing with you a little project I have completed for Oddball Art Stamps. Using a super fun digital stamp for the monthly Theme Challenge, I decided to jazz up one of my art journal covers. This month’s theme is “Feature a Creature”. I decided to choose this stamp & channel my inner Unicorn Fairy Cool Chick!

So let’s dive in! Here’s the starting cover:

BORRRRRRR-IIINNNNGGGGG!

So I grabbed some papers

Painted it white and affixed the papers

….. looking like a hot mess, but hang in there with me!

Next I colored my digi stamp with colored pencils & picked a spot for my girl

Getting cuter…..

Next, time to grab some paint pens, pastels, more paper, pens, and some Tim Holtz Ideaology sticker phrases & play! This whole process was really a quick, don’t think about it too much, art journal play. Sometimes, when you just trust your instincts and just create, you end up with something you really enjoy. Art Journals are the perfect place to play, experiment, try new things & try out new products! Why? A few reasons: 1, it’s a journal just for you, no one ever has to see it if it turns out to be something you don’t love, 2, it’s just 1 page, so you can create for fun & it won’t take all of your allotted creative time.

If you don’t have an Art Journal, I really encourage you to get a notebook or journal & start by using a page as a warm up. Don’t think too much, just get started. Give yourself 15 minutes(or whatever time frame you’d like) & just start flexing that creative muscle. You’ll be amazed at how freeing it is to just create for fun as well as how much you grow by allowing yourself to play.

So here’s my finished cover. I love all the encouraging phrases, a great reminder as I open it up to create! Let me know what you think!

Now go embrace your inner creature…whether it’s a Unicorn Fairy Chick or something else altogether! Go grab a journal or notebook, head to Oddball Art Co. Shop (remember to use code: DTALEXA10 for 10% off your purchase) & create an inspiring cover to greet you each day!

I love this sweet piece & think it would be totally adorable in a nursery! Check out the whole process here:

Process Video

Materials used:

Scrapbook paper & book pages

Chevron Stencil

Large palette knife

Aqua Green Marabu Art Crayon

Paint:

Craftsmart acrylic in: light yellow, ocean breeze & spearmint

DecoArt acrylic in spa blue

White & black

Fluid Acrylic: Daler Rowney FW ink in turquoise

Pen: papermate Ink joy Gel

Mini alphabet stamps

Jim Holtz Idea-ology Alphabet Foam Stamps

StazOn Black Ink Pad

White Gellyroll Pen

Artists Loft Black pastel (water soluble)

Those of you who have followed me for a while may remember how much I loved making kid’s art & decor in the beginning of this journey. Since fully moving to mixed media, I haven’t done a lot that is specifically geared towards kids. Tonight, I decided to “play” and make something with kids in mind.

Here’s a peek into the process:

Finish it off with cutouts, outlines & pops of color & you’ve got yourself a super cute piece for your kid’s room, playroom or nursery.

Fun, whimsical, not too fussy & easy to make! Get out your craft supplies & go PLAY!

So, this is really my first year actively picking my “one little word”. Obviously, as years go, you find yourself coming back to a certain theme or living in a way that leads you to a specific idea or driving force. But this year, I’ve chosen a word to guide me. Instead of watching my year unfold and discovering my word, I’m actively choosing to live with trust. Oddly, I wouldn’t have guessed this to be my word, it hasn’t been a recurring theme in my life or something I’ve latched onto before. Instead, it sort of just rose up out of my heart, bubbled to the surface. I kept finding that my internal dialogue would progress a certain way & inevitably, my heart would reassure me to trust, trust my instincts, trust my path, trust the journey. So. Here it is. My #olw.

 

This piece was truly a testament of trust. In creating this grungy background, there are many moments where it does not look the way you envision, where it looks like, frankly, a hot mess. But then, with trust to keep moving forward, it suddenly comes together just as you wanted.