A peek in my Art journal

Did everyone on the east coast survive the storm? There was some snow and ice where I am, but not much accumulation. A wonderful day to spend sipping warm drinks and getting lost in projects, no? I spent a good portion of the day playing in my art journal, here's what happened!

'I am your own way of looking at things,' She said. ' When you allow me to live with you , every glance at the world around you will be a sort of salvation.' And I took her hand. 

I am really terrible at "finishing" journal pages beyond interesting backgrounds, so I am happy I got so much on the page.I decided to draw out a muse, today she is purple! I used stamps, crayola markers, gel pens, gesso, and a healthy amount of glitter. The qoute is from William Stafford's poem called "When I met my muse," very appropriate! Overall I'm happy with how it turned out, but the halo still bothers me a bit. I intended it to be a paler kind of glowy look, but instead I have a Dragon Ball Z look, oops! How do you find words or quotes to use in your journals?

A week worth celebrating!

Happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope everyone got the chance to spend it with the important people in their life. I was lucky enough to come home from visiting family and find this lovely package sitting outside my door!The beautiful Mary at Uncustomary had a giveaway to celebrate 444 followers, and I was the lucky winner!

CONFETTI EVERYWHERE

It makes getting dressed in the morning a celebration!

The confetti is quite possibly my favorite! Or is it the garland! Many thanks Mary, your package was a great reminder to celebrate life everyday, not just the holidays :)

December is already here! Have you started your shopping, crafting and baking or are you a procrastinator like me?

I moved!

Yes, I am still here! Sorry for disappearing on you! I can't believe it is already mid-November and I haven't posted anything since July! So much has happened since then. One of the biggest was that I moved to Annapolis  the end of July. I have spent most of that time adjusting, working on my career, and exploring this stunning town!

Stay tuned for posts on my lovely new apartment, experimental cooking adventures, and of course, crafty endeavors!

Mail Pile!

I can't believe it's already July! Happy Memorial day to those in Canada today! So I will start with some mail from Canada!

Postcard from Canada

Altered Playing cards from MMSA

Postcrossing from Russia

Security envelope craft swap!

Mail from MD!

More altered playing cards, this time from swap-bot!

Green pcs that I sent out for a thank you and green swap

I love beautifying the backs

Altered cards from Swap-bot

Great mail art envelope from Amy

With a lovely artwork tucked inside

Another altered card! From ATCs for all

My boyfriend when to Denmark and Finland and was nice enough to  send me some postcards during the trip!

A note from a close friend! I wish I had a typewriter in every color!

Envelope sent out. I made this with sticky drawer lining that I found at the dollar store

DR Who themed cards going out

Postage stamp cards sent out

And one more pair of outgoing cards!

Anyone get notable mail this June? Hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July this week!

A very lovely parcel!

I participated in the Free Spirit swap over at Paper swap. I got a wonderful partner, Maria, from Germany that sent some amazing treasures!

Postcards from her area, stickers, museum fliers, airmail labels,  art postage stamps

Beautiful variety of stamps! 

And a few more...

In the stamp-collector folder (is there a real word for that thing?) there are tags from tea bags, I thought it was a cute way of displaying them. 

My favorites of the pile! One is a map of Paris the other  is different types of buildings in Paris

They both look vintage and they may be frame worthy!

 I can't believe it's been a month since my last post! Look forward to some more mail postings this week! Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Washi tape: or how to not spend a whole paycheck

Everyone seems to have an obsession right now with washi tape, and it's easy to see why! All those bold colors and eye catching patterns make them hard to resist, at least until I see the cost!

I have been fortunate enough to get some basic  decorative tapes on clearance or sales but most of the "best" looking washi tape rolls can easily cost 5-10$. If you do decide to buy your washi tape, I recommend looking at Target's office supply section and Micheal's clearance sections. I was able to get a 4 pack of basic patterned tape at target for 4$, which comes out to just a dollar a roll. In the clearance section of Micheal's I have been able to nab rolls for as low as $.75!! I've noticed that the brand that usually ends up in clearance, at least at my store, is Recollections.

The polka dots are from Micheal's ( $.79), the  label tapes are from  American Science Surplus  (all for a dollar!), all of the tapes that are still in packaging are fabric/lace tapes that I got for $.79 each.

First 4 on left are from target, the shoes from micheal's (2 rolls for $1), the two flower rolls are from World Market but I think I spent about $6  

If you don't have an  luck shopping around, or maybe your purchases have left you wanting some more creative tapes, you may want to consider making your own! I did some research on the topic and there seem to be two ways to do this, either with masking  tape or double sided tape. Both ways are super easy and you can basically use anything that you have around the house!

For the double sided tape method you will need:

My creations! The tape is from American Science Surplus which is a great resource for mail art supplies! This tape is 3" wide so you can always cut it down, and it's extra sticky! The tapes here were made with tissue paper and wrapping paper.

Double sided tape! (the kind I use has peel off paper and makes it easier to store)
pretty papers, tissue paper, tracing paper (thin paper is best! Heavy scrapbook paper will not work particularly well!)
things to decorate with like stamps, ink pads, markers, paints
wax paper (if you do not have tape that has a paper peel off)

If you choose to decorate your  tape with any kind of markers, paints, or pencils, you may want to do that first.

Tear off a piece long enough to get your desired pattern and put it on your paper. Try to line it up as close to the edge as possible so you have less waste, then cut the strip out! If you are using the tape with a paper back, Congrats!! You have made your first piece of  patterned tape! If you are using the other kind of tape you just need to stick it to a piece of wax paper for storage. You can either cut it out from the sheet or use the sheet as one big storage spot!

This is a great way to use up some of those smaller sized pretty papers or gift paper from a birthday!

The first 4 strips are made with your average found around the house masking tape. The ones below it are  artist's tape which is whiter and a less waxy finish. I looked online to try to find more and it runs about $5 a roll it seems, but I'm sure you could find something similar at a hardware store!

For the masking tape method you will need:
Masking tape, artist tape, paper tape or any other name it may go by
wax paper
Markers, stamps, or anything for decorating

You will want to cut a big piece of wax paper if you want long pieces of tape. Stick the tape to the wax paper. This method goes faster since you can work on multiple strips at the same time.

And decorate to your heart's content!

I used two different types of tape and found that one type was a bit waxier which meant my markers didn't really stuck to it like I expected it would. So, I decided to ink up both sides with two marker colors to create an ombre sort of effect and smeared it with a tissue. The other tape I had was like working with regular paper, so my drawn designs stuck better.

Regardless of which method you use, you will be saving your hard earned money! Even if you have to go out to buy the tapes, it is only about a dollar per roll versus $3 and up! If you have any other diy washi tips, I'd love to know!

In the mail!

A pink postcard from a swap at Mail me Some Art

Incoming! Postcard from China and swap for security envelope rolo!

The new Florida stamp!

A very nice security envelope rolo and goodies!

The BIGGEST stamp I have ever seen in my life! 

This one next to it looked like a baby in comparison

Outgoing

Tape themed mail art swap, 3 postcards to three people!

The back

Intro letter swap on swap-bot to someone I already know! Ever happen to you?

Received tape mail art!

Fancy packaging

And stamps!

All for this beauty, from the kraft paper craft swap

Outgoing to someone from Sendsomething.net

This was actually a huge project that unfolds to about the size of a poster. I thought it would be an interesting thing to write on!

Some outgoing!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial day weekend!