Sunflower Shine!

Hi there!  Today I'm sharing a page I created in my art journal for my grandmother, Iris Cheek.  She was one of the most beautiful people inside and out that I have ever known.  My mother passed away when I was 4 and my grandmother stepped in with all the love and hugs she could give.  She loved plants of all kinds but flowers were her favorite.  What started out as a simple walk in the country turned into a special moment between us when we stopped to admire some sunflowers.  We were looking at them and my grandmother asked me how anyone could be sad looking at such a happy flower.  She explained to me how they follow the sun throughout the day always keeping their “faces” to the sun.  She told me I should keep my face to the sun as well and always try to be happy.  She knew that I carried a deep sadness in my heart over losing my mother and I know she wanted so badly to lift it away for me.  She carried the same deep sadness I did, after all, it was her daughter she had lost.  So this page is for her and for our day together admiring sunflowers.  I've left room for myself to write some thoughts of her and I've decided to keep those private for now.  

I used Dylusion sprays for the the background and the birds and mushrooms are stamps from Dyan Reaveley as is the sentiment.  The sunflower is from Stampendous and is one of my new favs!  It's called Cling Jumbo Sunflower and it comes with a FREE 2-part template that lets you do very cool masking of the flower or the background! I stamped all the images with my black Archival ink pad and colored with Derwent Ink-tense pencils.  The grass is a combination of Dylusion inks and Ink-tense pencils.  

It's a simple page in honor of a woman that lived and loved simply.  I hope you like it.  Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you again soon.  In the meantime, don't forget to shine!

Hugs,

Lea

Upside Down!

When my dad passed away last September I felt like my world had been turned upside down.  I had a really difficult time with his passing.  I found out he was sick in July, discovered it was cancer in August and before my brain could really wrap itself around the inevitable, he left me on 9/11.  Kinda appropriate for a hero to leave on a day honoring and remembering other heros.  So, this page is for my dad and when I can write on it without breaking down in tears, I will.  

Yes, this page IS upside down in my journal, I wouldn't have it any other way!

This was done with Ranger Dylusions and a couple of different Dyan Reaveley stamp sets.  I did use a glimmer spray on the sun to make it sparkly.  The flowers were colored with Dylusions and Pitt Pens from Faber-Castell.  Just something fun I thought I would share with you today.  I've really enjoyed getting into art journaling.  I find it very soothing to the soul.  If you haven't tried it, you should!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!  Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

Lea

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's a quick post to share my a page from my art journal.  Well, actually it's a two-page spread for those that like to get technical!  This page is for my sweetheart, Danny.  I love him heart and soul and have loved him since I was 12 years old.  Hard to believe I've loved him for 40 years already!

The background was created using Dylusion inks.  Most of the stamps are Ranger's Dyan Reaveley line and stamped with Archival Ink.  I did stamp the "angel" with Memento and colored her with Copics, cut her out and adhered her with Beacon Zip Dry.  The arrow and "Lovestruck" sentiment were from a little set of clear stamps I picked up somewhere and no longer have the label so I can't give proper credit.  I did add a little Smooch to the arrow hearts to give them a little sparkle.  I used my Ranger Inksentials white pen to do a little outlining and doodle some hearts.  I used my Faber-Castell gelatos on the heart stamps and a black Pitt Pen and Pink Pitt Pen for other doodles.  A fun page to express my love for the love of my life!  Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

Hugs,

Lea

Happy birthday, Brenda, I love you, too!