And here is the article on Monotones!

Aren't I being good?!  Another article....this time in the December 2016 issue of Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine.....

This article was a challenging one since I limited myself to ONLY using black, white and gray.  At the same time, it was also very rewarding because I love limits.

A peek at some of the projects in the article!

While exploring the possibilities I discovered how much fun it was to use inky techniques with embossing folders.  (Embossing folders used are from Sizzix/Ellison.....)

Creating Curiosity Shadowboxes

Some of you have been asking for me to post when a craft project or article is published. As new feature on my blog, I will be posting whenever new issues and articles in Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine (or any other publication) are available.

So, without further adieu.....here is the latest!

Check out the November/December 2016 issue of Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine for my latest article on creating Curiosity Shadowboxes!

A sneak peek below! All the projects include materials that are part of most crafter's craft "stash", as well as recycled/repurposed items.

If you love the stamp images, check them out at Impression Obsession  Just search under Artist and then my name....

Enjoy!

Interesting how I don't post much in summer because I just don't want to lose any of that precious time outside. But, the moment it starts to feel and smell like fall, I return to my regularly scheduled blogging.

So this post will be more of a social experiment than the usual sharing photos, events and updates in the lives surrounding the Green Family Craft Zoo. Mainly because this week has had drop dead gorgeous fall weather which we all know will soon come to a screeching halt, slowdown and then....end in the world again turning colorless in shades of white, black and grey.

And so I ponder, as I look outside and marvel at the brilliance of autumn...the psychedelic trees and all the orange, red, brown and yellow leaves scattered over all the beautiful green grass. Fall is one of my most productive seasons to create art because I am surrounded by color on my walks and I am inspired by the color palette when I return.  Which is why I am always sad to see the color slowly fade and disappear.

 Do we really say goodbye to summer and fall with the turning of a calendar page or the changing of the clocks? Or can we hold on to it in our hearts and experiences? In my case, I hold onto summer in my still healing broken toe...but also in the videos and photos that capture the sights, smells and sounds of nature (OH SO MUCH GREEN all around me!) and outdoor festivals, events and fun times.

Saying Goodbye to Summer...

The summer of 2016 has been a relatively peaceful one in the Green Family Craft Zoo.  Lacy Lulu has settled down and has become a delightful dog instead of a crazy psycho puppy.

Tux is still holding his own at 14.5 years old, although he is pretty much deaf now and only responds to sight commands. Thankfully he can still see pretty well! (And this, folks, is why it is crucial to teach hand signals simultaneously with the commands to sit, come, stay, etc!!!)

And Maggie...well, Miss Maggie still barks too much but she is also aging gracefully.

Actually Miss Maggie gave us quite the scare this summer.  An undetected insect bite sent us to the emergency vet with her. That was QUITE an infection!  She wore that soft cone of shame for weeks! And, the fur still hasn't completely grown back.  She currently looks like an ad for Target!

 

Summer has been good.  Bittersweet, though, to see it turn cooler and days getting shorter.  I wish I could just hold on to summer....make it last longer.  But, I can't.  So I will remain hopeful that the next several months will be kind to us in Chicagoland and spring will arrive at the expected time.

The past few weeks have been super busy and even though I keep meaning to post, I basically got so sidetracked with the gorgeous weather, I didn't.  Oops...my bad....

Now the steamy heat has made its way to Chicagoland, I'm staying inside a little more and should hopefully be posting more frequently.  Well, at least more frequently than every 2 months...that's for sure!

One of my goals is to post projects and techniques that have been published in Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine.  Here is one to start....stay tuned!

New issue of Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine

Some people make New Year's Resolutions.  The rest of us are too busy with trade show season!  So, instead, my ideas are implemented after the shows are over...or at least, after all the planning is over....and I finally have a break to just think.

Here then is my announcement: As a new feature on my blog, I will be posting whenever new issues (and published articles) are available in Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine (or any other publication).  I will also be featuring new stamp images, along with projects.

One thing I have heard and read repeatedly is that a blog not only needs to include content that is of interest to the reader, it also needs to engage.  I am not normally in the habit of running about shouting "look at me! look at me! look at me!" whenever I have new stamps released with Impression Obsession ...or new textiles available...or even new articles published in magazines.  It isn't because I don't want to share the information,. It is because when these items become actual items and I get my samples, I'm ALWAYS in the middle of another creative frenzy and caught in dozens of deadlines. Blogging requires a whole different type of concentration and time I don't have when I'm in high creative mode or have a deadline looming in front of me. Unfortunately, there is just one of me since I haven't yet been cloned. Which is why you will often seen huge gaps in the dates of my posts.

However, I am resolving today to be much more diligent in sharing all these wonderful releases and publications and just....fun creative stuff in general with all of you! This, of course, is easy for me to say now when I am in the middle of a much needed brief break and have time to think and breath before my next deadline next week.  We will see how long this lasts....

So, without further adieu....here is the new issue of Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine with an 8 page technique article by yours truly!

Just the first page of my 8 page article on Wet Media Spritzing!

And some of the projects within the article...different styles...different mediums...

Published in Just Swap Art!

It has been a super busy spring so far! Some of those projects I created (and showed you in an earlier post) have been published in a BRAND NEW publication in the "Just" series....Just Swap Art!  (scottpublications.com)

The craze of trading or swapping miniature projects keeps growing as groups form and existing swap clubs expand (or, actually shrink) to new sizes and formats that  streamline production of multiples to send in the mail.  Interestingly, when I first fell in love with rubber stamping and inky techniques, stamping was just transitioning from its roots as mail art /envelope decor into cards, wall decor, textiles and other uses.  So here we are all these years later, looped right back tino sending hand stamped, decorated, inked or otherwise creatively embellished little works of art through the mail to help bring joy to another human being!  How cool is that?!

And...this is ONE cool publication series!  Just Swap Art is just one of several "special" magazines filled from cover to cover with TONS of inspiration to get those creative juices flowing in new directions.  You can find the magazine in most craft chain stores, Barnes and Noble, (and online at all these sources.)..plus Amazon or even direct from the publisher at scottpublications.com 

The photos below are just a sneak peak at just 3 of my 12 published projects.  Knowing there are SO many cool projects in the magazine by designers such as Marjie Kemper, Judi Kauffman and Carol Heppner should entice you to pick up a copy for yourself.....and maybe one for a friend.

As always, please leave a comment for me!  Enjoy!

  

Prime Publishing Best Blogger Contest is LIVE! #FaveCrafter

Remember the projects I was working on? Good news....two of my projects are now on the Prime Publishing FaveCraft site. And...they are entered in a contest. A very competitive contest.  

This is where I could really  use your help!

Voting for the Prime Publishing Best Blogger Contest is now live but only for the next 5 days! Please vote for one or both of my projects (Mixed Media Embossed Decor....and further down Decoupaged Flower Pot Crafts)
 PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE share with your friends and family!  #FaveCrafter, @FaveCrafter, #Sizzix, @Sizzix, #LeisureArts, @LeisureArts, #plaidcrafts, @plaid crafts, #Clearsnap, @Clearsnap
Here is the link to go for voting:    http://www.favecrafts.com/voting/Blogger-Contest/ 
And you will get the full instructions for BOTH projects at this link!  Meanwhile...here are photos to get you started....

                                       Mixed Media Embossed Decor

and

                                            Decoupaged Flower Pot

Happy Spring! Happy Crafting!

Spring has sprung, the grass.....oops.  Well, here in Chicagoland, spring is still hiding.  We may have had a very mild winter by Chicago standards, but it has decided to stick around a bit longer and give spring a bit of an attitude.  Kind of a seasonal sibling rivalry thing.

So, while outdoor temps are not at all tempting, the indoor crafting climate is still quite warm and inviting! I was recently let loose and unsupervised again in my craft room last week to develop techniques and projects for Prime Publishing.

Here is a sneak peak.....more info to be posted next week....

Faux Hammered Metal Frame with Dimensional Flower Power (shown below)

Can you believe this frame was made just using an ordinary pre-cut mat (plus a secret ingredient)?  Now...can you guess how I made the dimensional flower?  I'll reveal all next week.....

And...here is yet another approach to this cool look.  This time, the project takes a more literal 3-D approach, transforming a GLASS container into something totally upscale!

I call this my Mixed Media Faux Hammered Metal Container

I used a double embossing faux antique hammered metal technique to create the container.

Here you see the same container in both photos BUT with different approaches to the container lid.  Stamped and inky sprayed canvas flower and leaves above.....button collage below....

Stay tuned for more info on these projects......

Super Nova Craft Explosion!

Most people dread deadlines. Ok some types of deadlines fill me with dread and the instant desire to find ways (ANY ways) to procrastinate.  Like doing taxes or making a doctor appointment.  But....deadlines that involve creating art or writing articles filled with lots of creative projects fill me with an instant desire to move full throttle into high creative mode!

Which is exactly what I did this past weekend.  Two magazine articles and multiple projects for a third magazine later...this is what just a corner of my craft room looked like....

And another corner.....the spillover still in process to be completed this week....

IT IS a SUPER NOVA CRAFT EXPLOSION!  Wowza....


Keep your eyes out for Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine.....and Just Minis, a brand new magazine!

But meanwhile, check out the latest issue of Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine www.scottpublications.com/ssa/  and Just Mixed Media! scottpublications.com/jcmag/ for some of my latest published creations.....

And, of course in addition to the images above, check out more of my latest stamps at Impression Obsession.... iostamps.com ...Just search under Rubber Stamps > By Artist> Gail Green and you will see all my cool images!