This is BIG

It's an Elegantly Elephantine Mandala Monday thanks to this gorgeous Pink Momma and Baby Elephant Sticker from my friend Gina's Redbubble Shop where there are pages and pages of stickers, stationery, tees, accessories and sooooo much more... all adorned with Gina's colorful stylized designs, which I would call Whimsical Realism. You should probably go take a look... afterall... it's Cyber Monday, right?!

This mandala was created with Black Letter It Fineliners in my (now sadly discontinued) Dina Wakley Blue Edition Journal both from Ranger Ink. The gorgeous orchids, which serendipitously match the pachyderms perfectly, were cut from a freebie calendar.

BIG-Time Mandala Monday

After two months of index card mandalas, it's always a little bit of a shock to go BIG again, but my Dina Wakley Blue Edition Journal and Distress Watercolor Pencils definitely help with the transition!

Dina Wakley + Perfect Pearls = Journal Joy

Ranger's Perfect Pearls add a beautifully soft shimmery effect to any project. My art journal is my favorite place to experiment with new (to me) products and techniques. Since there are so many ways to use Perfect Pearls, and they look different on every shade of paper, I think I could fill an entire volume! I haven't quiiiiite done that yet, but today on the Ranger Project Page you can follow along as I use them three different ways with Dina Wakley's beautiful "Everyone is Welcome" stamp set, in my Dina Blue Edition Journal.

I'd love for you to head on over and check it out!

Collaged Mandala Monday

It’s time to FACE a new week… with a collage mandala in my Dina Wakley Blue Journal from Ranger. Dina Wakley Media Collage Paper layered over Dina’s Typed Ledgers; with punched heart and circle accents of vintage paper and flowers from a falling apart book of Cath Kidston fabric illustrations. Enhanced by lots of glorious Peat Moss Archival from Wendy Vecchi. 

Inspired by the collage on the facing page from a couple of weeks ago:

Windows and Flowers

Playing in my Dina Wakley Media Blue Edition Journal from Ranger. I love how the windows from Dina's beautiful "Everyone Is Welcome" stamp set look stamped in Wendy Vecchi's Peat Moss Archival atop a vintage paper collage that I was not in love with; I matted them on dark green patterned paper to make them stand out better. Collage background built from Dina's Typed Ledgers layered with Gridded Collage Paper; then finished off with some roses cut from an older, falling-apart book advertising Cath Kidston fabrics. I feel a little bad leaving that heavyweight cotton paper un-altered since it handles paint, ink, stain and literally any type of wet media one throws at it so superbly; maybe it'll see a bit more action when I work on the facing page...

A Very HEART-y Mandala Monday

Practicing shading with my Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Pencils from Ranger. I love that if you start out fairly dark at the edges and pull the color inwards, this method basically does both shading and outlining for you! I was debating what additional details to add when I spotted half a jar of pink sequins on my worktable; I dumped a few onto the page with the intention of arranging them neatly around the edge, but then I thought, "Nope, I like them scattered" so I just grabbed the adhesive and stuck them on. This mandala created in my Dina Wakley Media Blue Journal which has denim and burlap pages as well as the sturdiest and most wonderful DWM Heavyweight Watercolor Paper, which is truly luxurious to work upon.

Flashy, Splashy Mandala Monday

I've been shamefully neglecting my Dina Wakley MEdia Blue Edition Journal, and this page isn't nearly mixed media enough to do it justice. But I had a lot of fun blending (and blending and blending) lots of blue and green shades of Distress Oxide Inks, both wet and dry, on one of the super-heavyweight cotton rag paper pages, then flicking it with White Gloss Spray and adding outlines. I almost feel like this needs... one... more... thing...; so if you see it again in a few weeks' time, act surprised, k?

Uncharted Mariner, Tumbled Glass, Salvaged Patina, Cracked Pistachio Twisted Citron 

and Squeezed Lemonade Distress Oxides; Black Letter It Fineliner; White .7 Posca Paint Pen

 

Scribble Sticks!

It's a softly colorful Mandala Monday made with Dina Wakley MEdia Scribble Sticks in my Dina Blue Edition Journal. 

Like most mixed media adventures, this was composed in a few sessions, to allow drying time (and occasionally thinking time, lol) between steps. I drew and colored the basic shapes with wet Scribble Sticks (from Set Three, which has the cool metallic shades) on one of the bright white super-heavy watercolor paper pages in the journal (there are also blue denim and creamy colored burlap pages). After it was completely dry, I added assorted stencil patterns (including Tim Holtz's Bubble and Flourish Patterns) in coordinating Distress Oxide Inks and outlined with a .01 Letter It Fineliner. To finish up, I added a few additional details with colored pens and a tiny bit of handstitching around the central circle.

If you've never used Scribble Sticks, I highly recommend watching a Dina Wakley video or two to see how they work and get a few ideas. Actually, I highly recommend Dina's videos to everyone because she is just such a joy to watch when she's creating! In fact, here's a great demo that shows the Blue Journal's variety of page styles and ways to use them.