This & That: Art Journal Roundup, Scrap for Help, & The Color Room

Hello, hello!  It's the beginning of a new month, so it's time to share a few of my latest art journal pages.  Autumn/fall is the overall theme of my art journal.

Supplies: recycled envelope & denim jeans scrap; patterned paper scraps from Authentique, October Afternoon, Teresa Collins, Echo Park, & My Mind's Eye; die cut paper by Graphic 45; kraft paper by Cachet; black pen by Zig; white pen & blue paint by Ranger; orange paint by Plaid; texture paste by Deco Art; embroidery floss by DMC; bird sticker negative by Echo Park; label stickers by October Afternoon.

^First up is a two-page spread, from which the detail photo at the top of this post originated.  This page celebrates the beauty of orange leaves against a blue autumn sky.  The top part is an airy, simple design, while the bottom part is a heavily-layered collage built on top of a used envelope.

Supplies: sticker negatives & paper squares by Cosmo Cricket; other paper scraps by My Mind's Eye; punch by EK Success; paints by Ranger; pens by Zig; assorted colored pencils; recycled clothing tags.

^Next up is a page with the red/blue color combo that I'm lovin' at the moment.

Supplies: alphabet stickers by Lawn Fawn; acrylic paint by Deco Art; Distress Stain by Ranger.

^Finally, I have one more double-page spread to share.  I kept this one very simple, so that the focus remains on the photo.  I love how that snapshot turned out--almost like a painting!

The beginning of the month also heralds a new Scrap for Help challenge.  Your mission in March, should you choose to accept it, is to create a project that incorporates recycled burlap.  Here are a few ideas from my portfolio, to jumpstart your creativity...

blogged here

Burlap pairs well with other fabrics and fibers.  For the card above I created a fabric flower and added handmade burlap leaves.

blogged here

For more contrast, pair burlap with different textures, like the hard  buttons and smooth staples in the banner above.

blogged here (toward the end of the post)

Pressing burlap into wet paint can create interesting textures, as on the chipboard frame above.

There are many, many more ways to add burlap to craft projects.  I'm excited to see what the Scrap for Help participants will create this month!

Note: At present, the winners of the February challenge have not yet been chosen; check back in a few days to see who won.  The March prompt is already up on the Scrap for Help blog, though, so you can get busy creating right away.

Remember, Scrap for Help is partnering with the Color Room all year.  If you wish, you can create a project using burlap and Palette #145, and then enter your project in both the Scrap for Help challenge and the Color Room challenge.

^ my winning entry ^

Speaking of the Color Room, my project from the end of February is currently being featured there--hooray!  You can read the good news on the Color Room blog.