Natural Beauty

Art journaling can be one of the most rewarding forms of art. This journal page was created with a DIY foam stamp.  Making your own unique foam stamps from craft foam is easier than you might think! All that is required is to transfer or draw a design on the craft foam. Any bold design will work well.

Directions:

1. Create a tag template from a piece of scrap paper.  Trace and cut the template out of craft foam.  Mount the craft foam tag to a piece of cardboard.

2. Stamp the butterfly, flowers, and tag with Rich Cocoa Memento ink onto scrap paper. Set aside the butterfly and flower images. 

3. Ink the edges of the craft foam tag stamp with Memento Rich Cocoa ink and stamp in the center of the journal page.  Place the tag template over the stamped image and stamp again slightly to the left of the original image.  Ink the word background stamp with Memento Rich Cocoa ink and randomly stamp the background.

4. Press the Kaleidacolor ink pads in Autumn Leaves (used green, brown and orange) and Bouquet (used pink, yellow and blue) onto a craft mat. Dilute the ink with water and apply the colors with a wet paint brush as indicated in the layout.  Let dry. Use a palette knife and mini tile texture stencil with molding paste on the journal page.

5. Press the Rich Cocoa Memento ink onto a craft mat and dilute with water. Apply the diluted ink over the molding paste. Let dry. White wash three pieces of cardboard with diluted Gesso and mount two strips to the journal layout.

6. Press the Kaleidacolor Bouquet ink pad onto a craft mat and dilute with water. With a wet paint brush color the butterfly and flower images.  I used pink and blue colors on the images. Let dry. Cut out the images and set them aside.

7. Staple the ribbon onto the tag. Add the tag, twine, butterfly and flowers with dimensional foam tape. Apply Crystal Effects to the center of the flowers and add gold beads. Add the last piece of white wash cardboard and words to the journal page. Then shade the edges of the journal page and words with the Big Pitt pen in brown. 

Time: 1 ½ hour + dry time.

Level: Beginner to Intermediate 

Supply List

Imagine Crafts featuring Tsukineko:

Kaleidacolor Ink Pads: Autumn Leaves, Bouquet

Memento Ink Pad: Rich Cocoa

Imagine Craft Mat:

 

Other: Stampin Up Natural Beauty stamp set, Crystal Effects and Big Pitt Brown and TCW Mini Tile Texture stencil. Miscellaneous: Paint brush, craft mat, water, heat tool, twine, dimensional tape, gold beads, cardboard, Gesso and craft foam.  

Directions with photos available on Imagine Crafts blog here.

I created this page for the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - inspirational photo (below).

I was inspired by the colors in the inspirational photo.  To give the impression of glitter I added gold beads to the center of the flowers. 

Creative Artiste Mixed Media - Anything Goes, March - I added a stencil to create texture to the background.

Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes, March.