/* */ Beulah Bee

April 04, 2017

Happy Place


Has spring arrived where you live?

It's full-on here in the southwest desert and pity the poor allergy sufferers as our winter rains have brought a profusion of flowers.

The tiny, yellow, desert-kind that flock every tree and bush like snow and eventually fall to the ground covering it in drifts.

The bees are having a heyday and so am I now that I've returned to my happy place and I've made a collage.

I took step-out photos of the project hoping to share my technique but they just didn't turn out (my camera skills are rusty). So if you are interested in how it was made please read on and I'll describe it for you instead.

I covered a piece of heavy-weight drawing paper with random bits (including an alphabet die-cut scrap), then white-washed everything with a light coat of gesso and pasted it onto an old textbook cover.

I enlarged then laser-printed an image which was transferred to the background using gel medium. I sanded the surface here and there to age it's appearance.


I stamped flowers (Tim Holtz Flower Garden) using archival ink then tinted them with acrylic paint.

For the sentiment, I used Tim's new metallic stickers (Quotations) which I distressed a bit with sanding and Distress ink. I used his new design tape (French) just behind it.


The striped lines you see in the tape are the result of scanning my artwork (since I am currently camera-impaired). This is a digital anomaly only--they do not exist on the original tape.

March 30, 2017

No Reminders


Good to be back posting and SO grateful that more time is trickling in to spend crafting. Being away for awhile, it felt curiously awkward to start in again (some of my paints had even begun to dry).

I used this week's theme (Things With Wings) from the Monday challenge blog at Simon Says Stamp as inspiration for my tag.

I collaged two photos (a butterfly and a ballerina) on a background made with paper from the Idea-ology Etcetera stash.



I've used the butterfly before (see here), it's called a Luna Moth and I just love it's long, drippy wing span. I added a phrase from the Idea-ology Clippings Stickers which describes perfectly how I've been feeling lately.


I enhanced the values with colored pencils and Distress ink.

I'm also sending a Happy Birthday (No. 3) wish to A Vintage Journey where they are celebrating "Tag Friday" with a special gift and link-up.

March 05, 2017

Ponder

pon·der


pändər/

verb


think about (something) carefully, especially before making a decision or reaching a conclusion.








Stressful times and too many responsibilities have made me keenly aware of how, under these circumstances, I lose my patience and control and can be down-right mean to others.

I took a desperately needed day off yesterday to ponder my situation and produced a journal page that was very therapeutic. I can't change my ways overnight but plan to make a real effort to manage this. 

Click for larger, lightbox view

I enlarged a photo from the collection I inherited from my great aunt Esther (that's her on the right) and cut out the background. The image on the left was found on the net. I tore it into strips, pasted it down then tinted it with colored pencils. I finger painted the background of the page, added some stamped masking and washi tapes and journaled around the border.

It felt really good to have this time to play and I can't wait to get back to the quiet and solitude of my studio. It's a luxury I cherish more than I ever realized.