/* */ Beulah Bee: December 2014

December 31, 2014

Polaroids


It's cold in many places this New Year's Eve--even at my house (in the desert southwest) where my frost tender plants have been tucked in for the night with a layer of blankets and I'll be celebrating in a quiet way with the cozy comfort of a space heater.

I'm sharing a journal page (linked to Art Journal Journey, where this month's theme is Collage) that I made today with left over paper scraps pasted randomly to fill every inch of the background. I washed it out some, applied color, added scrolls, visualized a carriage, image transferred a horse, and stamped the face and wheel spokes.

I added the lines of script just to see what it would look like and it's an interesting effect. In white are the lyrics from a song I discovered this year that's become a favorite. It was released in 1992 (I don't know how I missed it) by Shawn Colvin called Polaroids. I wrote some personal thoughts about the new year in black.

This holiday is another reminder of how quickly time passes and I've noticed a common thread among the bloggers I follow who wish they had more time to make their art.

So, as I express my thanks to you for stopping by to see my creations this year (I really do appreciate it) I'm also sending my wish that you find all the time you need to be creative in the new year.

December 30, 2014

Rose et Noir


As the year comes to a close, I've begun my annual clean-up of the many bits of paper left-over from art projects made during the last 12 months that were saved "just in case." Some will be tossed, a few will be kept but most will be pasted on journal pages to commemorate, I suppose, what amused me this year.


This page began by randomly pasting old calendar stickers and later, dabs of white paint onto a pink tinted background. I used an adhesive silkscreen for the first time (by Martha Stewart) and it worked really well (lower left corner). You'll also see a bit a random stamping (Lace by Anna Griffin) and script (made with a homemade stencil) along with lots of tiny dots (Zig paint pens).

One thing led to another (which is my favorite part about working in art journals) and even though the end result would look better cropped, I'm happy with the color scheme just the same. The are no rules in art but I seem to prefer abstract collages with a stronger focal point than this one has.

I'd be curious to know if others save their scraps like I do and how they manage them. I could easily keep everything but the risk of being buried alive forces me to purge now and then. Now all I have to figure out is where to keep the accumulation of art journals that stand in their place. Pity the poor relation that will have to toss it all when I am dead and gone.

(I'm linking this post to Art Journal Journey, a blog I've just discovered that offer's monthly challenges for artists worldwide and a most clever way of displaying the work via Pinterest.)

December 21, 2014

Snow

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Far from a traditional Christmas card, this one was made for my good friend Thelma who introduced me to card making. Over the years, we have traded creations and pushed the envelope in an almost "can you top this" fashion. So it will be no surprise when she receives this year's card from me.

The group photo came from Tim's Merriment paper stash and the background is a chalkboard line from The Paper Studio. I embellished it with strips of book paper, a white Gelly Roll pen, black and white Stickles, and silver Liquid Pearls.

It's hard to see but the children in front are sitting on a toboggan, a large sled that seats many. I grew up in Colorado and my family had one. I remember the great fun of cold winter days spent speeding down hills and the long hard walk to climb back up again. I feel very fortunate to have such good childhood memories and am grateful for my parents who made them possible.

I'm linking to this week's Monday blog challenge at Simon Says Stamp which is "anything goes."

December 18, 2014

Believe


Tim introduced a new product this month called "Frosted" during his December tag tutorial.  It looks interesting and I hope he demonstrates other uses for it in future posts.

I substituted old-fashioned drafting vellum for my background and text by using the Falling Snow stencil (Simon Says Stamp) and a section from Tim's Christmas Words stamp along with some embossing ink and powder to create a similar effect.

The reindeer was embellished with Perfect Pearls and you may recognize the leaves from Tim's Wallflower paper stash. The number 25 is an Idea-ology Plaquette.

I'd like to share an embossing technique seen on the leaves as it comes in handy when you want fine details and better control.

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I used a gel pen to draw in the areas I wanted to emboss. In this case, it was the veins on the leaves.

The ink stays wet long enough to apply embossing powder. I used various pen colors and clear powder in this example.