Intention Cards

In early 2019 I was introduced to new idea in small art: Intention Cards. My friend Karen Musgrave had been making them, and we decided to trade a few. We have been cyber friends for years, first "meeting" in art quilting groups, then being part of several splinter groups that traded small art like ATCs, tags, bookmarks and prayer flags.

We decided to trade five, but made them double sided so there were 10 designs in all. There would be enough for each day of the week plus a few extra. I debated about whether to use inspirational quotes or just a word or two, and ended up keeping the words very simple. Rather than choosing a word and making art to illustrate it, I chose to make the art, then let the images inspired the words for each card.

At the top of the post, side one of the Intention Cards, and just above, the flip sides.

I used a combination of my favorite techniques: stamping, stenciling, and collage. Most of the stencils were from StencilGirl, especially from one of my favorite artists, Gwen Lafluer. I used grunge techniques that I learned during a workshop at Ink Pad NYC with the fabulous Seth Apter, and embellished many of the cards with my go-to supply: embossing powder. Vintage images from The Graphics Fairy were printed on paper and used in the collages.

I also added strips of washi tape and dots of Nuvo Drops and edged the cards with Archival Ink in sepia and/or black, using a fingertip dauber. The words were added last, hand written or hand printed. I debated whether to use pre-printed words, word stamps, word stencils...or whether to try and use perfect calligraphy, but in the end, I threw caution to the wind, grabbed an ordinary Sharpie and wrote freehand on the cards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The idea is to place one Intention Card in your home in a room where you will glance at it several times a day, and change them daily. It is intended to be a gentle reminder. I chose reminders to be myself, to not be afraid of expressing my feelings, to notice the little things that are beautiful and often forgotten in our daily rushing. Some people choose to make their intention cards with religious quotes or universal symbols. Whether religious or not, the cards should be positive, inspirational and gentle.

I am busy making more cards to add to my collection, and hope to teach a class on Intention Cards later this year at The Ink Pad NYC.

Shine!

For the past few years, like many other artists and creative souls, I have chosen a word of the year each January. This year it was SHINE. After a difficult 2017 marred by corporate downsizing and a shift to a new job, on the heels of the loss of our beloved Maltese Coco, and followed by a steep learning curve of a new job throughout 2018, I decided that 2019 would be my year to shine.

My journal page not only features the word SHINE, but has shiny gold gesso and some of my favorite Gwen Lafluer stencils done with Emerald Creek embossing powder. 

The word was a good omen: the shining for 2019 even began a little early--at the end of 2018 I taught my first mixed media art class at the Ink Pad NYC and it was sold out. There was even a waiting list. I figured I was on a roll and shine was a good indicator of a great year to come.

More good news at the end of 2018 was being selected to be one of the StencilClub Voices. As part of Voices, I get early shipments on some new stencil releases. My upcycled shoebox was on the Stencil Girl blog a few weeks ago, and more work will appear on the Stencil Girl blog in March.

My first StencilClub Voices project: an upcycled shoebox

Here's a peek at what I have been making (and forgetting to blog about!) lately:

ATC paper doll sample for my first Ink Pad class

Intention Card side 1

Intention Card side 2

Sample 1 for Ink Pad: Industrial Modern journal page

Sample2 for Ink Pad: Industrial Modern journal page

Samples for Ink Pad class featuring Character Construction stamps

Frida Santos Cage Doll from a Character Construction kit

Tag with inspirational words for 2019, using Stencil Club designs

Journal page for The Stencilfied Journal 2, with music prompts. The first theme was Bohemian Rhapsody

Handmade books constructed from painted and stenciled paper, with button/grommet/ribbon closures

Articulated paper dolls made from paper scraps

Paper doll made with Character Construction stamps, Dina Wakley face stamp and The Graphics Fairy body parts

envelope front, made from stenciled and embossed deli paper

envelope back, made from stenciled and embossed deli paper

Mail Art envelope front, made from collaged paper scraps and washi tape

Mail Art envelope back, made from collaged paper scraps and washi tape

Faux Antique Ephemera Box

Serendipity would have it that for my very first StencilClub Voices post, I had the joy of working with some brand new Stencil Club designs that were a collaboration between Seth Apter and MaryBeth Shaw. Using Seth's grunge technique and his Emerald Creek Baked Texture Embossing Powder seemed like a perfect compliment to the new designs.

I live in a small space, so storage solutions have to be both functional and attractive. I keep many of my supplies in decorative shoeboxes, which are then artfully arranged on my tables, bookshelves and closets. Since I had recently purchased some new clogs, there was a nice clean Dansko box waiting to be transformed.

Last winter I took a class given by Seth at the Ink Pad NYC. (And I am happy to announce that I am now teaching there! Can you see me happy dancing?)  The class was called Radiant Rust. I decided to apply the grunge and bling techniques I learned from Seth to my humble shoebox.

Ready to paint the shoebox with black gesso.

I started by painting the outside with black gesso.

When it was dry, I began the grunge process.

The box was dry and ready for the "grunge" process.

Color 1 was applied with Seth's special technique.

Color 2 was added.

Color 3.

Almost done with the grunge technique.

Grunged box, ready for the "bling" of Baked Texture through the new stencils.

Once the grunge effect was dry, the magic began: I added Ancient Amber embossing powder through the new set of stencils. I used a VersaMagic stamp pad first, then sprinkled on the powder, tapped off the excess, and zapped it with a heat gun. I repeated the process all over with most of the January StencilClub set. When the light catches it right, the effect is magical, like petrified wood in an ancient forest.

The VersaMark goes on clear, but is sticky and holds the embossing powder.

Ancient Amber embossing powder was generously sprinkled on.

Excess embossing powder was tapped off, leaving the stencil design.

After a few minutes with the heat gun, the embossing powder melted and shimmered.

A closeup of the new stencils over the grunged background.

 The effect was great, but I felt that a central focus was needed, so I pulled out one of my "go-to" stencils: a fleur de lis compass rose, which was part of Gwen Lafluer's recent StencilClub set. This time, I used Patina Oxide embossing powder. The fleur de lis compass rose was just what the box needed to add some extra magic.

One of the stencils from the July 2018 Ceramic Tiles design set was added to the box.

I added the fleur de lis compass rose on the top and half on the front.

An extra touch was a keyhole shaped brad that I placed in the center of the outside.

I decided that it needed just a little something more...maybe legs? Maybe a knob to open it? I searched around my art storage drawers and found a set of beautiful aqua floral knobs that I picked up on sale a while ago. The color worked...the design was not a perfect match, but the shape and color were right. I threw caution to the wind and poked a hole right through the center of the compass rose fleur de lis shape.

 

It was just right!

 

Now the big decision: do I fill the box with stamps? stencils? pencils? paper scraps? Decisions, decisions! Maybe I'll have to make a few more of these Faux Antique Boxes since I'm always adding to my art supply collection!