3 To Inspire with Ashley

Hello, crafty friends! Ashley @magmagandme here today with a 3-to-Inspire challenge for you! This month's #gracebox is so colorful and packed with pieces, paper & stickers to play with.

For today's 3-to-Inspire, the categories are:

+ Background: use only the colors in the kit
+ Paper: Fussy cut something
+ Stamp it: use the stamps as a pattern

Here is my take on the challenge:
Revelations 5:9-12

 

The first thing I did was the background. 

Watercolors picked out to match the paper pieces I loved for this page.  

Stripe and splatter - my favorite patterns.

 

Then I fussy cut a floral burst & a few birds from the 12x12 papers included in the kit.

 It takes awhile but it is impactful in a project.

I lay everything out before I glue it down.

 

Then I added some die cuts that are in the gracebox kit.

I only used two stamps from the set - the little triangle and the word AWESOME. 

I liked how stamps add one more layer of interest. 

A few outlining shapes and dots here and there. 

 

Finally I added a date stamp & bowed up the fabric (in the kit too!) for the perfect topper. 

The colors in this kit truly have me hanging onto summer for dear life. 

I hope you'll take the challenge & create something inspiring! 

 Happy Crafting!

Using Cut-Outs with Ashley

Hi'ya! Ashley @magmagandme here. I am opening my August GraceBox and pulling out my Bible today. I am going to show you a simple technique that has great impact.

"So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."

Deut. 31:6

I choose my verse in Deut. 31 because it went nicely with the stamp set in this months box. But in the end didn't end up using the stamps at all. opps! But look how cute it is....

First, I picked a background color scheme. Pink. It's almost always pink. :) Knowing that I was going to make the white layer on top, I decided to go with one color, but used different shades of it. 

A bunch of colors would be very busy and distract from the main layer. I used the .50 cent acrylic paint from Walmart. 

Brush stroked on some layers & a bit of splattering.

Then I pulled the white cut out flowers and played around with placement. One trick to making your pieces go further is cutting them in half. You can put them on the edge of the page and people are non the wiser. It stretches them and helps the page look like it was snagged out of a larger piece of work. 

 Next, I glued them down and used the white alphas from the box to write out the main point from the verse. 

I love how clean the white looks on the pink. 

I also love how it pops right off the page.

The last step was taking a white and pink gel pen and adding a few subtle details on the painted background. It adds interest and layers without being too busy. 

Not only was this verse a great reminder, I hope the process will inspire you to try a cut out layer over color! 

Happy Creating!

GraceBox Kit with Dedra

Hi there sweet friends and happy Wednesday! Today I wanted to share a bible journaling page I created using the latest Citrus Twist GraceBox Kit and the most common process I use when I'm bible journaling, especially when using watercolors.

First, I always prep the page with clear gesso. My two favorite tubes of gesso are from Dina Wakely and Prima. Both will give you very nice, smooth coverage and will prevent the watercolors from transferring to the opposite page. 

To apply the gesso I have a bowl of old gift cards I use to "scrape" it across the page. When I first started using gesso I was struggling with how to scrape it on the page without ripping it. Since the pages of a bible are usually super thin, the best way to apply it is to turn the bible sideways with the page turned closest to you. Put your bible mat, cardboard or a piece of cardstock under the page so you don't transfer the gesso onto the pages below. Grab your bottle of gesso and squirt it directly onto the page. Take your scraping tool or old gift card and spread the gesso from the center of the bible toward you until you have covered the entire page or the area where you will be using watercolors, stamps or any medium that you do not want to be seen on the opposite page.
Since I'm really impatient I use a heat tool to dry the gesso. Your page will be a little wrinkled and feel limp, but that is totally normal.

Next, I grab my watercolor tins. I use a spray bottle to mist the watercolor pans I would like to use. This gets them wet and ready for my watercolor brush. You can get your watercolor and wet with your watercolor brush as well, but I just prefer to use the spray bottle so I'm not refilling my watercolor brush constantly. Just my personal preference. :) :)

There are many ways and different techniques that can be used to create a watercolor effect. For this particular page I used some plastic packaging I had laying around. I added watercolor directly to the packaging and "smooshed" it onto the page in the areas I wanted color. Through a lot of trial and error I found one of the most important things to remember when using watercolor is to let each layer dry before adding another and that each time water is added the layers of color will react. So, have fun experimenting and if you're feeling nervous try experimenting in an art journal or notebook, etc. something that is not important if you mess up. 

One of my favorite things to do in my journaling bible is to stamp. Whether it's florals, patterns or in this case, hearts, phrases and arrows. 

When stamping and using watercolors or any form of mixed media the archival ink from Ranger is my go to. The awesome thing about archival ink is, once it's dry it's permanent. You can use any form of mixed media and it will not effect your stamped image. It's truly magic and hands down the best option.

I like to add stickers, washi tape, die cut cardstock pieces, tabs, etc. anything that will add that "finishing touch."

Lastly, and most importantly, I make sure to leave room in the design for journaling. Sometimes I have a long message, whether it's a prayer that I have for my girls, husband, mother or talking directly to our heavenly father. Sometimes I'm thanking Him for all of the gifts he has bestowed upon us. Whatever he is putting on my heart is what I want to document. For journaling my favorite "go to" pen is the Micron .03 or .05. Once dry it never smears. 

One of the things I love most about the Citrus Twist GraceBox Kit is the exclusive, wonderfully designed, stamp sets and journaling cards and the amount of embellishments that seem endless!

Wishing you a blessed week! 

xoxo

Dedra

May Grace Box Kit - Dedra Long

Hi there friends!

It's Dedra here with you today and I'm SO excited to be here! I just wanted to share a journaling bible layout I created using the May GraceBox kit. 

When I opened the kit, the first thing that intrigued me was the little wooden crosses. These crosses are perfect to include in your journaling bible or faith planner or notebook. They are thin, come in various sizes and I couldn't wait to use them.

If you follow me on any other social media outlets you will know that I LOVE to use stamps, watercolor and mixed media in my journaling bible. This kit includes the CUTEST set of layering floral stamps and words of encouragement.

For this journaling bible entry I chose Romans 12:9-13.

Love must be sincere. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Reading this piece of scripture was such a good reminder to be kind to one another. Be giving, loving and it also reminded me of a quote that I see often and love - Spread kindness like confetti! 

For this entry, I first prepared the page with clear gesso, once dry, then watercolored some leaves to "frame" the page. 

Next, I pulled out those cute floral layering stamps and got started adding them around and in between the leaves. 

The "be kind to one another" and paint stroke stamp was added as a header to start the journaling off. 

To finish the layout I added those super cool wooden crosses, as well as some yellow paint splatter.

Thank you SO much for stopping by and hopefully you were inspired to dig into His word and create something beautiful that makes your heart happy! 

You can snatch up the May GraceBox kit here.

Much love friends!! 

xoxoxo D.