Allsorts Challenge 538: Leaves and Trees

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Please note: This post includes some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, at no cost to you! Thank you so much for your support!


It's Saturday again and that means it's time for a new theme at Allsorts challenge. Mervi is hosting this week and she picked the theme of "Trees and Leaves". We're still enjoying summer weather but with the squirrels running around busy gathering acorns. They do love to sit up on the oak tree and throw them down at us and the cats. So funny!! Still a few weeks until our trees will turn color but what a perfect theme for this time of the year!

For this challenge I decided to make an art journal page. I'm actually hoping (and planning) on making more of these, maybe once a month to fill an art journal. I love all kinds of poems and inspirational quotes and I think some of them will be a perfect inspiration for art journal pages. Today's inspirational quote is by F. Scott Fitzgerald from The Great Gatsby.

Traditionally when art journaling I think you're "supposed to" work directly in a book, but there are really no rules when it comes to art, so I decided do make single pages and then add them to an art journal. Since I plan on stamping in mine vs. drawing (I cannot draw!!), working this way is easier for me. Mine will be a 9x6 inches journal. I also read somewhere that some art journal creators carefullly take out pages from ring bound journals then put them back in when complete.

For this page I started with a 9x6 piece of Canson Mixed Media paper. (My paper pad is larger, I used a paper cutter to cut to this size.) Same process as a card... I added a circle mask made with a circle  die for the moon (or sun) and began applying the distress inks with a  blending tool  ...I used Antique Linen, Victorian Velvet, Seedless Preserves, Faded Jeans,  and Blueprint Sketch inks. I go from light to dark, and may repeat this process.


For the grass portion I tore some copy paper to use as a mask and inked up with Peeled Paint distress ink. Before I removed the circle mask, I added some rays around it using Tim Holtz Rays Stencil and Antique Linen ink for a subtle design. While I had my stencils out I also decided to add some clock stencil designs (TCW Stencil) to the background. The words you see stamped with blue ink are from the retired Stampin Up set Natural Beauty.

The tree I used is an old silhouette stamp (Spotted Winter) by Penny Black. While this specific stamp is no longer available, I do really like this tree stamp from Penny Black. I also think this tree stamp by Deep Red would work well for this technique.

I first inked it up the tree with Tea Dye distress ink, then using waterbased markers (I used distress markers)  I added more color to the trees. I do this by simply tapping the marker held sideways onto the inked tree. Some of the trees I stamped with huffing onto the stamp first to re-activate the ink, and at other times I lightly spritzed with water for a messy watercolored look. I did have to re-ink/re-color the stamp a couple of times for this page. The birds are from the Hero Arts set Layering Sea and Sky, stamped with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.

On the grass portion I used another stencil (Circle Explosion by TCW), some were inked with distress inks in Mustard Seed and Rusty Hinge, and then I also used modeling paste for a little bit of a texture. The modeling paste is white, and I sponged a little bit of seedless preserves ink over it once it dried. The printed quote was cut apart and attached to the page with double sided tape and I used a black Micron pen around the words to make them stand out. I also used some Faber Castell Gelatos on the grass area and around the words. A quick inking around the edges using Blueprint Sketch ink finishes off the page. When I was happy with the end result, I used a foam brush to apply a coat of matte Mod Podge over the completed piece.

Penny Black Tree - retired, similar option, similar option // Hero Arts Layering Sea and Sky //  Stampin Up Natural Beauty // Distress Inks: Antique Linen , Victorian Velvet, Seedless Preserves, Faded Jeans, Blueprint Sketch, Peeled Paint, Tea Dye // Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink //  Distress Markers // Rays Stencil // Circle Explosion Stencil  // Clock Stencil // Modeling Paste // Mod Podge // Foam Brush // Mini Ink Blending Tool // Faber Castell Gelatos // Black Micron Pen // Canson Mixed Media Paper

Thanks so much for stopping by! This challenge runs until next Friday .... hope you can join us for your chance to win a beautiful die set by Tattered Lace.

I'm linking up with these challenge blogs:

Path of Positivity - Anything Positive // Art-Journal-Journey - Polka Dots, Patterns, Plaids or Stripes // We Love 2 Create  - Anything Mixed Media // C.R.A.F.T. - Autumn // Crafty Gals Corner - Fall Colors // Creative Moments - Fall Colors // Moo-Mania & More - Autumn Glory // Crafty Sentiment Designs - Fall Colors // Unicorn Challenge - Fall // Always Fun Challenges - Fall Colors // Life in a Snapshot - Everything Autumn // Crazy 4 Challenges - Include Dots // Penny Black Saturday Challenge  - PB Stamps (Tree Stamp: Spotted winter by PennyBlack)

Anything Goes:

Creative Fingers // Aud Sentiments Challenge // Crafting With An Attitude // Crafting By Designs // Through The Craft Room Door // Stamps & Fun = Creativity // LeAnn’s World 101 // Not Just Cards // Crafter's Castle 

Some affiliate links were used in this post, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, at no additional cost to you. Thanks so much for your support!