Friday Favorites

This week's checklist was extra long. So many loose ends that needed tying up, and a handful of new projects that needed to be started. Aaron had caught a terrible stomach bug and has been down for the count the past two days. Which really pushes the pause button for us. Any of you self employed folks can surely identify. When you are already doing the job of 3 people and  "3 others" call out sick, it's just plain ol' nuts! I attempted to pack and ship some orders today only to find that our printer was out of ink...womp womp. Adding another day to the delay. And our bubbling over emails are another story entirely. I am really hoping to get fully caught up on that sort of thing this weekend. (If you are waiting on an email from me, I promise that you will be hearing back super soon)   :)

I really look forward to not only getting caught up on things, but starting some much needed organization here in the house. My sister should be fully moved out and in to her new place very soon, which starts our shifting and settling over here.  I really am looking forward to that! We'll be moving the studio and we'll fiiiiiinally be upstairs! Really looking forward to a larger bedroom and more closet space!

So, Hooray for Friday!  Let the weekend begin...with some Friday Favorites!

I'm a sucker for garlands and this Fall felt ball garland tutorial couldn't be more charming! The above photo really brings me back to elementary school and the excitement I had for classroom decor! I remember volunteering to change out the bulletin board each month...adding a new calendar and that awesome scalloped corrugated trim that came in all colors of the rainbow! Oh gosh I loved that stuff! Did I ever tell you guys that one of my favorite places to shop when I was a kid was a teacher's supply store? I couldn't believe that we civilians had access to giant George Washington heads, and "learn to tell time" clocks, and "professional" chalk.

 Ah the memories! Wax paper and crayon leaves were one of my absolute favorite Fall art projects. I remember making them year after year hanging them in the windows of the classroom. I loved seeing them when we went out for recess. Looking back at my classroom from the playground...picking out my own.  This is such a timeless and happy project. I'll be digging out my crayolas for these!

(source)

I love the idea of pumpkins as vessels. This is such a lovely little centerpiece for the dining room table or entryway. I think I would use one of those carvable foam pumpkins that are easily found at craft stores. That way it will last all season...September through Thanksgiving. 

Of course this room isn't "move in ready" for me. That big white wall could certainly use a cluster of framed florals, (maybe some vintage paint by numbers) but as a starting point these colors are just WOW! A bit outside my box, but the mustard yellow and berry shades are just so warm and inviting. Especially for Fall. And I love the layered rug look. 

Once September hits I'm really looking to "feel" the change of season. But I don't want to be all pumpkined out by mid October. I really like the idea of this Pumpkin Icebox Cake. It's more than dipping your toe in...but not a full on swim...ya know?  I'm planning on making it,  and then laying off the pumpkin. I'm onto apples! :)

Happy Friday friends!
xo Jenny

Art Journaling with Jenny & Aaron , Fall Journal part 1

Yes, Fall is upon us, and as you can see...it has infected our Art Journaling. This is our fave season...as I have said a million times...but this week's class doesn't have to focus on Fall...it's more about capturing a theme...any theme...and creating a journal from scratch. We can't wait to see what you guys come up with.  What you see here is the chipboard front cover of our Fall Journal...just the beginning...and we are gonna fill it up with Fall goodness galore! So go ahead and check out the video...read along with our steps...and then take some time to pick your own special theme. We think this might be a whole lot of fun for you guys. The possibilities are endless! With that said, lets not waste any more time...

As with last week's class, we made a video slide show. Of course on it's own it only gives an idea of each step, so we included full detailed instructions for you to follow along. In the upper left corner of each photo in the slide show you'll see a title. In the instructions we've titled each step with those same titles so that you'll have an image to match each step. You can view the video once, or twice, or more...pause where you'd like, rewind, fast forward...watch it here on the blog, full screen, or on youtube. 

  

For this class we wanted to focus on creating a specialty journal. We chose Fall as our theme (because we love it!) but you can choose really anything as a subject. Theme journals are great because they give you a chance to expand upon a subject...give it more than just a spread...fill a whole little book with it in fact. So we encourage you guys to create a little theme journal. Find a book with a unique shape or even make your own from scratch. With a hole punch and a ring binding you can turn a couple pieces of cardboard and some sheets of paper into your own little journal...in just about any shape you please. This might take a bit more time than our past classes but in the end it'll be so cool to have your own, from scratch, theme journal.

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gather supplies. We wanted to create a special journal specifically for Fall. You can find creatively shaped journals like this at your local craft store. This one we first deconstructed so that it would be easier to work with. We just removed the coil ring binder. You can even make your own journal by cutting heavy cardboard in a half circle and then using it as a template to then trace and cut pages for it. And you can then use a three ring punch and make your own three ring binding.

trace shape of cover. We're covering the thick cardboard cover with a faux wood grain paper. So we traced the cover onto the wood grain paper, cut out the paper and adhered it to the cardboard journal cover with decoupage medium.

speckle. When the faux wood grain paper was adhered and dry we then gave it a top coat of matte gel medium. Once that was dry we then speckled it with paint.

speckle a few colors. We use a #6 round brush...load it with the watered down paint...hold the brush a few inches above your page...and just tap the metal end with your index finger. Do it to your desired effect. We love speckling for it's imperfection. It's messy and haphazard and perfect in it's own way.

sand edges. If a little bit of excess paper remains after you adhere your paper to your cover just use some fine grit sandpaper to remove it.

adhere floral. We cut out a floral cluster that will be the backing layer to our 3D floral. Adhere with decoupage medium.

 add wash to edges. This journal will be very earthy since it is Fall themed. So we wanted to give it an antique wash on the edges. Just water down some brown paint and brush lightly along the edge.

push through holes. The cover came with holes that fit the coil ring binding. After we covered them over with the faux wood grain we then just poked back through them with the tip of a pencil.

stamp & cut out some letters. We love these big foam alphabet stamps. We stamped out each letter on different papers and then cut them out with deckle edged scissors.

adhere word and add trims. We adhered the letters, slightly offset, with decoupage medium. And at this point we also adhered the trims with the decoupage medium.

gather some 3D elements. 3D elements are great for the cover of your journal. In this case we had a fab vintage millinery flower, some faux leaves, and gold thread. We just love how they look like they're the 3D version of floral cluster that we already adhered down.

glue them on. For 3D elements such as these it's best to use a hot glue gun to adhere them. For the gold thread we just haphazardly spooled it underneath the flower so that some would be sticking out from behind.

add glue dots. We dipped a glue stick in some decoupage medium and then dotted the medium in a few spots on the cover. You can also use an eraser, a paint brush...We just like the shape and size of a glue stick.

glitter the dots. While the medium is still wet, dust it with gold glitter.

clean excess glitter. Shake off excess glitter and then if some glitter still remains you can use a damp q-tip to wipe it away. 

Feeling good! We've got great lettering, a fabulous three dimensional floral, some glitter, some speckling...

Looks great! As far as the front cover...this looks done!

prepare to sponge some paint. Now we've flipped over the cover so that we can do the inner cover. We first gave it a coat of gesso, let dry. When dry we then squeezed out little blops of paint in our Autumn color palette, just randomly spaced and placed.

dab & blot your paint. With a piece of a household sponge we then dabbed and blotted until the colors were lightly blended.

layer until it looks right. Let these first colors dry...it'll still look semi transparent. Once dry, then add little blops of more color and repeat the sponging process. You'll end up with a varied, mottled backdrop of fall colors.

when dry, seal. Let dry and then apply a coat of matte gel medium.

speckle. Once again, speckle, and choose contrasting colors. Aqua looks so good on top of oranges and rusty tones.

add some rings. One of our signatures...bottle cap rings. simply brush paint on the rims of assorted bottle caps and stamp down on your pages. 

lay a stencil. Spraying a stencil over top of a mottled background such as this looks so good.

grab your mist. We just laid the stencil down and lightly misted the page with Mister Huey's in Classic Tan.

mist & remove stencil. Just a light coat...barely there. Gently lift off stencil and let dry.

add paint dots. Again, we used a glue stick but this time we dipped it in paint and added dots where we thought dots would look good. Anywhere where pops of color are needed.

speckle some more. Again, speckling is a big time crutch of ours. It's a look that belongs almost exclusively to the world of art journaling. We love it.

lay out your elements. These elements will pretty much make up the legend for the inner cover...sorta like the title page.

adhere elements. Figure out what goes on top of what. It's great to have varying shapes and textures. Lay the elements down piece by piece and adhere them with decoupage medium.  Let dry.

write some words. Again, this will sorta act as our title page...so we wrote something very fitting for our fall journal. 

add 3D elements and words. Written with a sharpie pen on white paper, then cut out, and adhered one word at a time. And then frame your words in with bits of trim and 3D elements.

punch some confetti. Confetti is our fancy way of adding polka dots.

adhere confetti & add faux stitching. Punch out some patterned papers, add dabs of medium, and then just lay your bits of confetti down on the dabs of medium. Since this was the chunky cardboard cover of the journal we used a sharpie marker instead of the sharpie pen to draw on our faux stitching.

add some washi tape. Washi tape is a must. Such a great detail to add to the top corner of a motif like this. Gives it a scrapbooky feel.

looking great! It's got all the colors we're looking for and notice the repetition of the circle theme...the whole journal itself is a circle...so the polka dots and the stencil, and the bottle cap rings all go together so nicely.

Love it! As far as journal covers go...this one is a keeper.

Hooray! All done...but the Fall Journal has only just begun!

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Supplies used on these pages:

Papers used:

  Actopus to Zelephant Wood by K & company

Mini Brocade by Hambly

Peeling Paint by me & my BIG ideas

vintage recipe book clippings

floral clipping from copy of vintage table cloth

assorted vintage bits

Assorted mediums and tools: 

Sharpie pen

Sharpie marker

assorted artist brushes

 assorted acrylic paints by Blick and Golden

 matte gel medium by Golden 

Blick gesso

sequins

 washi tape

lace trim

vintage millinery flower

gold thread

faux fall leaves

large letter stamps

bottle caps

hole punch

gold fabric trim 

stencil

Mister Huey's color mist in Classic Tan

glue stick

hot glue gun

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Thanks so so much again for Art Journaling with Jenny and Aaron! We are thrilled to have you here with us each week and this week should be very fun! Again, make sure to leave a comment and link up with us! We can't wait to see your journals and read all about your creative processes. Please grab our badge above and spread the word on your blogs and facebook pages. And again...please feel free to direct any question our way...we are more than happy to help. Happy Art Journaling!

xo, Jenny & Aaron

Sponsor Everyday is a Holiday in October! :)

October! My fave month of the year, is just days away! And dare I mention for the bajillionth time...my Bday month! Some people really come to life in the Spring, and that makes all the sense in the world. But Fall has always worked wonders for me...and Aaron. We've been self supporting artists since pretty much right out of high school, so October has  always signaled the start of the making and selling season. Craft shows at the Fairgrounds, and street fairs set up all along the business districts of old New Jersey towns. Families coming out, slowly strolling the aisles of vendors, the heart warming scents of pretzels and hot cider. Sometimes our little craft fairs would be set up right along side classic car shows, and during a lull in customer traffic we'd go and pick out our dream wheels (usually some little European convertible worthy of James Bond).  

 When I think back to those early days, this is what hits me...We were Kids!! It was Pre Etsy, Pre Blogs, and Pre Pinterest and Renegade. I remember sketching out ideas for the set-up of our booth...building backdrops and painting them. Ordering gift bags and polka dot tissue paper. I wish I could go back in time for just one weekend. I wanna hug those two kids. Everything we did was for the love of our art and the thrill of meeting like minded people.  

Yes, October...This is our time to come to life and gear up for some of the most exciting and magical art making of the year! Our minds are on gifts and Holiday decor. Ornaments for our/your trees, glittery snow topped Christmas plaques, Sticker sheets for Art Journaling and for adorning packages and envelopes. Ahh!! October really means the start of an entire season of creating and decorating and celebrating. 

Aaron and I have some really fabulous things planned for the next few months. A brand new blog series that will chronicle a really fun makeover project that the whole family will be into! We love including the kiddos! And our Art Journaling will be in full effect...you'll begin to see it spilling over into the other days of the week. And we have some Home renovations we'll be sharing as well. Overall it'll be a jam packed season! We'd love for you to join us! 

If you are a blogger, a small or big business owner, a youtuber, or have an event to promote, and you are looking to spread the word about all the good things about you and what you do...AND if you think that you, me & Everyday is a Holiday readers would be a great match...Well then we'd love to have you as a SPONSOR in OCTOBER! 

And if you feel that we're a good fit you should definitely look into our super affordable 3 month discount option...which at this point, will bring you right into the Holiday shopping season! This is a very popular option with our repeat sponsors.

To learn more about advertising options/rates visit the Sponsor page! 

Feel free to email me with any questions!

jennyeveryday(at)aol.com

xo Jenny

A Super Fab giveaway from Chantilly Songs!

I absolutely love giveaways! Since my first days of blogging...back in 06...giveaways have been the highlight of my blogging life. When I hold a giveaway I am just thrilled to be able to give some lucky winner a prize just for reading my blog! And Oh my gosh!...I remember when I won my first giveaway! I had never been lucky like that before in my life. I remember getting the email that I had won! I felt like my lifelong losing streak was finally coming to an end. 

So, it's with a heart full of joy and excitement that I bring you guys this latest giveaway. First off, it features a prize from a a fantastic girl. I LOVE her blog to bits. Some of her posts I like to read out loud to Aaron. She's such a fun spirit and has a unique perspective. She's got a knack for creatively capturing the simple things...and for simplifying the complex. 

And those are great traits in a blogger...but even better traits in a singer songwriter!!

Yep! Chantilly Songs...in case you haven't heard of her...is a fab musician (living in Brooklyn) ...and her gift to you guys is not just one of her records...but TWO!

I love this giveaway! These are two great albums and they are yours when you win this giveaway. I'm so grateful to Chantilly for offering this fab prize! I hope you guys take advantage of this giveaway and enrich your blogging life with some fab music to fill your souls!

The giveaway prize includes

- Up to the Moon EP

- Caught Light

 

 

Here's how to enter:

Check out the Chantilly Songs Bandcamp page, and leave a comment here with your fave song title.

Please be sure to leave me a way to contact you. :)

Bonus entries:

(leave a separate comment for each)

Follow the Chantilly Songs Blog

Follow Chantilly on Twitter

 Good Luck and Happy Listening! :)
xo Jenny

bits of life

A beautiful Sunday, early evening, windows are open, Pumpkin Cupcake candle is burning, the house is silent save for the humming dishwasher. Aaron is finishing up some painting, my brother Walt & his girlfriend Val went to a Barbecue, and I'm working on some plans for an upcoming project that I am pretty excited about. I filled up a good dozen pages of notes, sketches, and ideas in a notebook over the past two days. I'm still toying with ideas and how I'd like to go about starting the project, which I hope to do within the next two weeks (fingers crossed). I'm excited to share said project with you, mostly to see if any of you share my passion. I know this is such a tease and I'm pretty much telling you something without telling you anything at all. I just really want to tidy up my ideas and plan a smidge more before sharing. But it'll be soon soon...I promise! :)

I've been sifting through cooler weather recipes over on Pinterest and really look forward to doing some comfort food cooking...and baking. I think the crock pot will be working over time, and the cookie sheets and bundt pans are going to be earning their keep as well. The above pumpkin doughnut created a monster. Just one bite was all it took to kick start my baker's heart.

This here is Carlos. The crazy old man. Ha ha! He really makes us laugh. Getting this pic was no easier than capturing Yeti or Loch ness' most famous resident on film. He has a nack for dodging the camera. He's never had a bad experience with a camera so I have no idea why he runs and ducks and zigs and zags any time I aim the lens at him.  His little brother Jack on the other hand loves to pose any chance he gets. But you won't find a pic of him in today's post because he happens to be sleeping the day away under blankies in the bedroom.

I've been gathering up some vintage ephemera for a Fall Journal I'm working on.  I've mentioned that I'm really not an orange gal, but come Fall and I LOVE it! I'm totally down with the classic Halloween color palette of Orange, Black, and White. Keep that newfangled Purple out of the picture. It doesn't work for me. But you know what does?...Aqua. It's the perfect outside-the-box addition to the Fall spectrum.

This weekend was also spent working on orders that will soon be shipped to happy new homes all over the globe. We are very excited about one large order in particular. It's a nice assortment of stuff...a great cross section of what we do best. And this is the fun part...it's going to a newly opened retro style bakery in Kuwait! :)

So these are some bits of life here at casa de Holiday. What have you guys been up to? Any fun outings or vintage finds?  Recipes you think I'd like? Tell me, tell me, tell me... I'd so love to hear! :)

xo Jenny

ps. Be sure to visit me tomorrow...I'm really excited about a super cool giveaway from one of this month's fabulous sponsors! :) 

I'd love for you to meet these fab gals!

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Here at The Glamorous Housewife I discuss all things pertaining to being an elegant wife, a charming mother, and an enchanting hostess. From cooking the perfect roasted chicken to setting your hair in curlers, I hope to encourage you into living an inspired life; because deep down, we are all glamorous housewives.

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20% off with code: XOXOHOLIDAY

 I love painting and crafting and have a slight obsession with buttons and vintage etiquette books. I have a fine art background but also love to craft and try to combine those as often as I can, which creates a lot of mixed media pieces. I like to embroider on paper and canvas and I use pink way too much (or not enough depending on how you look at it!). My blog is a place for me to share progress on projects, inspiration, ideas, and info on upcoming showings of my work. 

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Alli Woods Frederick is a photographer, artist, writer, & reiki master. She has a deep & abiding love of big shoes, Bob Hope, Bruce Campbell, zombies & her feline companion, Mischa The Wonder Cat™.  Her new book "Welcome To The Zombie Apocalypse: A Primer" is available now.  She is a lover and collector of all that is lost and forgotten and she gathers her thoughts and passions on Kisses & Chaos where she invites readers to "Come for the weirdness.  Stay for the love."  

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Hi there, I'm Nat over at Take the Cannoli and I see everyday is a new day. Some days are fabulous and some require extra mascara to accentuate the only thing I have going for me when I’m still rockin' the leggings I slept in when my hubs returns home from work.  Though I have no idea what each day will bring I do know God is faithful and good. And so I blog about crafts, fashion, DIY and if I’m feeling really spunky I may even toss in a recipe here and there. I also own a little shop filled mostly with hand -stitched lovelies  a.k.a embroidered hoop art, which has kind of become my therapeutic outlet. The pieces in my collection are inspired by affirmations, scriptures, hymns, sweet sayings and even sweet treats! My hope is that these hoops will be a blessing to others as they are displayed in homes and workspaces.

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I'm Chantilly- your friendly neighborhood singer-songwriter/ crazy cat lady.  My my blog features style posts, music, and chronicles the life and times of a creative gal living in Brookyn, NY.  Most recently, I made a magical new set of recordings, which is available for listening and purchase on my bandcamp page!  

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For 15% off use code:  HOLIDAY 

Hello! My name is Crystal & I am the owner of a fashion & family blog called, Billie Jean. I also have a small jewelry business on Etsy called, Billie Jean Jewels. The name, Billie Jean, is a combination of my two grandmother’s names, Billie Loree &  Sandra Jean, put together. I have a serious addiction to antique shopping & I am a huge fan of past decades. My grandmothers in any & every way inspire me & are my motivation to be the best woman I can be. I blog about my life in both Louisiana & Texas, my beautiful daughter & my handsome husband. I do also love posting about my home & my ever-growing closet. And with a huge collection of clothes, I can never seem to find anything to wear! One last thing, designer jewelry is a new passion of mine &  I hope that you guys can take the time to check out my shop! Enjoy the 15% off for Everyday is a Holiday readers! 

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My name is Laura McHugh and I love sharing my art, passions and creations on my blog.  Vintage2Glam is my idea of reusing colorful vintage finds, salvaging items most would consider old or used and turning them into something Glam. I Love recycling the past and incorporating these items into my own vintage inspired accessories and artwork with a modern twist.

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Aloha, I live on the Island of Maui Hawaii. I am an avid surfer enjoying my days at the Beach with my family. By Trade I am a Professional Airbrush Painter for Timpone Surfboards Maui.  When the Surf is Small I am in my Studio with my Chihuahua Creating Mermaids, Fairies, Surf Art and More for my Etsy Shop.  To see more of my work visit my blog.

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I'm a mixed media collage artist that loves everything vintage.  I went to art school, owned a brick and mortar store and now I enjoy the freedom of selling on line.  I use old photos, fabric, etc. in my art.  I live in an old house in Irvington, Indiana just a stones throw from downtown Indy with my nerdy husband and our little basset hound.  Vintage mixed with 

new and handmade makes for a warm and interesting home.

................................................................................

I consider myself a very lucky girl to be able to play host to all of these fabulous sponsors. All of these bloggers are a big part of Everyday is a Holiday. Not just because they are sponsors and they help to get the word out...but also because they are all big inspirations for what me and Aaron do. They're fellow bloggers, artists, small business owners...and all of them have something in common with what I do...they have LOTS of things in common actually. So when I take the time to put together a sponsor spotlight like this it's because I really am so psyched to share these fab people with you. So please, try to take the time to check out what they do. They certainly inspire me and I hope they'll inspire you too! :)

Happy Weekend!

xo, Jenny

Friday Favorites

I can feel it in my bones...Autumn is upon us. The nights are chilly and brisk, and I'm busy doing things like taking my cardigans out of storage and putting them in the forefront of my bedroom closet. I just love this time of year, and since our summer came to a very stressful end I'm definitely guilty of rushing things along...looking at the calendar and saying "c'mon...move it along September...we've got October all dressed up and ready to go!" 

Yeah, the end of our summer was a solid two weeks of Murphy's Law and I'm looking forward to forgetting it all and getting cozy with some warm apple cider, sweaters, my new array of candles...all that Fall goodness. I'm hoping this transition time will work wonders on my soul...and I wish the same for all of you guys!

Ok, that said...Welcome to another edition of Friday Favorites! Let's start with Gladys. And right now you may be asking..."who in the world is Gladys?"...and the answer is that Gladys isn't exactly a who, she's a what. And what she is is this ultra fabulous airstream trailer that the fantastic Tif, who is the gal behind Dottie Angel  , turns into a dreamy pop up shop this time of year. I've been a huge fan of Dottie Angel forever and I had the chance to actually meet Tif in person when we taught at The Creative Connection. Well, Tif lived up to her legend and then some. Wow, would I love to take a walk through Gladys and just soak in the vintagey magic that Tif creates. Definitely check out Dottie Angel's site and blog...and if you are super lucky...maybe you can even visit Gladys!

How absolutely fantastic are these tights?! Again, I've got Autumn on the brain...and Autumn is synonymous with Fashion. We get to pile on the layers and colors and just get as creative as we please with our Fall wardrobe. I'm in love with fashion as an art form and all summer long I feel absolutely stifled and naked...not being able to wear layers and layers of amazing clothing. These are actually a stretch for me...I'm really a black tights kinda girl...heck, I don't know if I'd personally wear them. But fashion touches my soul even if I'm not the one wearing it. It's wearable art...walking inspiration. There's something about these...I don't know...to me they've got an Art Journal-y feel. They almost look like fun colored ledger paper.

I just adore adore adore this painting. The colors make me so incredibly happy. I see so much happening here. Aaron and I both laid in bed just staring at it and picking things out. Fireworks, and teapots, and cave paintings, and tents...to name a few.

I haven't looked into the official details of it...and I think I prefer not knowing. This is just one piece from the incredible works of artist Marti Somers.

This vintage Scotch Tape ad had me cracking up. Growing up my mom always waited till we couldn't see...till we looked like shaggy sheep dogs...and then finally, she would grab the scissors and free us from our blinding manes. My brothers on the other hand, always had fresh cut "bowls". Haha! I may or may not have considered trying this scotch tape trick. My bangs are under control at the moment...but maybe, just maybe, sometime in the near future Aaron may walk into the bathroom and find me with a strip of tape across my forehead and scissors in hand. I'm crazy like that. Anyway...this ad makes me smile.

These repurposed crates are just beyond adorable. Cute, stylish storage. And I love that the whole assemblage is on wheels...can you get more convenient? You've seen me post things similar to this in the past. I love stacked up, make-do wall units made from repurposed materials. With these it's all about your fabric choices...the sky's the limit really.

Ok, thanks so so much again for joining me for Friday Favorites. I hope you've found something here that tickles your fancy. This is the season for inspiration. I know personally that inspiration is one of my most valuable commodities. So I wish all of you guys, from the bottom of my heart, an abundance of inspiration this Fall. Time to get cozy!

xo, Jenny

Art Journaling with Jenny & Aaron Class #7

Wow, the weeks are flying by! We so so look forward to our Thursdays with you guys. It's chilly here today and it had us thinking of HOME. Warm cozy home...with family, friends, fun, food, festivities...

This spread came together fairly quickly...and that's a good thing. We hope your art journaling techniques have become second nature to you. It feels so good once you've developed your own "thing"...and work comfortably in your zone. It makes escaping into your creativity that much better!

As with previous classes, we made a video slide show. Of course on it's own it only gives an idea of each step, so we included full detailed instructions for you to follow along. In the upper left corner of each photo in the slide show you'll see a title. In the instructions we've titled each step with those same titles so that you'll have an image to match each step. You can view the video once, or twice, or more...pause where you'd like, rewind, fast forward...watch it here on the blog, full screen, or on youtube.

This week we wanted to focus on the "piling up" method of art journaling. A very popular approach in scrap booking. It's fun to take your elements and stack them up...with edges and corners peeking out...using fabrics, papers, lace, doily, even some thread. Layering textures is the name of the game. Another thing we wanted to do was work on top of a black base. We've done white...and now it's time for black. It's a great look...your colors really pop on top of black. And to do an opposing page in a lighter contrasting tone really brings attention to the black. A fun part of this approach is when you gather your elements in the beginning...you then have a choice to make...what elements will land on top of the black?...and what pieces will land on the lighter background? You then separate the elements into two camps. So, give piling up a shot...and give BLACK a shot.

back your photos with watercolor paper. This spread pretty much will focus on the two vintage photos. Since these are going to be piled up on top of other elements we first backed the photos with watercolor paper so they were sturdy and so that they wouldn't crease. Just use your favorite decoupage medium to adhere them to watercolor paper, cut out, and set aside.

paint your pages. We wanted to work with bold solid colors for our backgrounds. We used acrylic paints by Blick.

we chose tan & black. We like the idea of having opposing color schemes on pages that face each other. And since we were going for a very aged, vintagey feel, we went with tan and black. We thought these colors were perfect contrasts to our vintage photographs.

speckle. Speckling light colors on top of dark and dark on top of light is a good rule to follow.

speckle some more. And also, try to carry through your color scheme by selecting matching paint colors for your speckling. You'll see that the pinks match our pink florals and lace, and the aquas tie in the lace and the washi tape.

add paint rings. One of our signatures...bottle cap rings. simply brush paint on the rims of assorted bottle caps and stamp down on your pages. 

color wash. In this case we wanted an aged color wash. Just mix brown or tan tones of paint with a bit of water and brush wherever you'd like the wash to appear. Then dab with a dry paper towel.

"distress" edges with paint. Simply rub paint on the edges of your pages. We call it distressing because it's similar to distressed edges of painted furniture. Only on furniture, the paint is rubbed off...but here, we're rubbing paint on. Use a paint brush or even your finger.

distress some more. Just as with the speckling...use light colors on top of dark, and dark on top of light.

play around with layout.  This is the time to pull all of your elements together...pick which page they're going on, etc...We're kinda going for an 'opposites attract' theme. It's all about contrast...light colors on dark, and dark colors on light.

 

prepare to adhere elements. Before setting everything down permanently, first play around with the elements on the page. This is an important step especially when you are piling elements up. It's good to see what piece you'd like on top of what piece...etc...

adhere papers & trim. Once you've got your layering all figured out then adhere your elements a piece at a time.

when dry, seal. Once they are dry, then apply a coat of your medium to seal them.

stamp some photo corners. To give an old washed out photo some importance and some pop...stamped photo corners like these are great. We stamped them with Staz On ink in jet black onto watercolor paper.

cut out and adhere corners. Once dry, cut the corners out and adhere them to your photo with a little bit of your decoupage medium.

paint a tiny border. The other photo needed some pop as well so with some black paint we painted a quick scallop border. This is easier than the end result would indicate. Really, just freehand it...don't worry about it being perfect...it's like doodling but with a paintbrush.

add gold thread. For this piled up effect we thought some haphazard twists of gold thread would look great peeking out from under the photo. We simply brushed some decoupage medium down, pressed the thread down and let dry.

adhere photos. Now it's time for the focal points, the photos. It's a little harder to adhere elements that are backed with watercolor paper since they are sorta thick...but they will stay down. Just apply medium, then lay photo down and press firmly until the corners stay down for good. We usually press down with a clean dry paper towel so that we don't smudge the face of the photo.

add decorative elements. It's the little details that count. We thought this applique rose was perfect for this photo of these gals in their dresses.

shade with watercolor pencil. Watercolor pencils are great for adding shadow...underneath this scallop totally called for a shadow. Just shade in with the watercolor pencil and then blend with a damp paint brush.

add faux stitching. Sharpie pens are an art journal's best friend...and faux stitches are a paper scallop's best friend.

add some words. We were going for a home/family theme and had just the phrase to bring it all home.

adhere words.We wrote it on watercolor paper with a sharpie pen, cut it out, and adhered it word by word with decoupage medium.

to both pages. We like to carry a theme from one page to the next and what better way than with a two part phrase?

grab a hole punch. We needed more texture and color...and we're gaga for polka dots. So grab a hole punch, some patterned papers, and punch a bunch of confetti.

add some confetti. Adhere to your pages by just tapping dabs of medium to the page with a small paintbrush, and then lay a piece of confetti on top of the dab.

and some washi tape. I don't know if I can resist the washi tape urge. The page needed something...and all it took was one strip...and bam...color, pattern, and fun.

add a date tag. Again, a date tag is essential. Capture this moment of creativity...give it the importance it deserves.

Looking good! At this point we always assess the situation...is it done?

Loving the black! Isn't the black just so striking? Everything pops on top of black.

feels good! Believe it or not...this is kinda minimal for us. But that was the point. We wanted to essentially focus on two piles of elements.

Hooray! All done with Week 7! wow...we hope you guys are having as much fun as we are.

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Supplies used on these pages:

Papers used:

mini black and white floral, 1429-black bouquet, doodlebug design inc.

newsprint, Timeless Collection, Kaiser Craft

 mini rose print, Lullaby Small Flowers, Daisy D's Papers

amber toned floral, me & my Big ideas

black and cream stripe

 French text paper

old photos

Assorted mediums and tools: 

Sharpie pen

 assorted acrylic paints by Blick and Golden

 matte gel medium by Golden 

Blick gesso

aqua striped washi tape 

aqua lace trim

 pink lace trim

vintage rose applique

stamped photo corners

standard hole punch

assorted bottle caps

artist paint brushes

gold thread

paper doily

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Thanks so much again for joining us! Please feel free to grab our Art Journaling with Jenny & Aaron badge and share it on your blog, facebook page, etc... And in the comments please link up with us to share YOUR Art Journaling. It's unfortunate that we will no longer be using the link up widget that we have been using each week... as per usual on the internet...someone linked up some adult material to last week's page. And I couldn't just remove the one triple X link...I had to remove all of the links. So to avoid that issue from now on...please link up with us in the comments section. I know, I know...there are always gross party poopers out there. Oh well, no prob...we can still all link up. And please do...we LOVE seeing your stuff and reading about your methods, etc...Thanks so much again for joining us! Keep up the awesome work!

xo, Jenny And Aaron