Art Play in my handmade Junk Journal

Hi everyone!

Once in a while I share a video tutorial specially for my lovely blog readers! Check out the video by following this link:

https://youtu.be/tbxGXtZ1irM

I've created a fun page in my handmade junk journal and I'm working with a set of creamy watersoluble crayons to make the background and also to color in the focal image. This art page uses limited supplies - I've listed them in the video description box. This is a beginner-friendly page.

Enjoy!

A trip to Castle Moyland

Hello lovelies!

Summer is here and longtime readers will know this is my favorite season - although, lately the weather has been all over the place - from steaming hot to rainy and quite chilly! On this particular occasion it was overcast and very windy, but we decided to tour the Castle Moyland anyway. Some of you might remember that I live in an area that has plenty of castles of all sizes and some even privately owned, however, we hadn't visited this particular one yet, which is quite close to Xanten, one of the oldest towns in Germany and famous for its Archaelogical Park, a place we visited some time ago. 

Schloss Moyland, as it's called, dates back to 1365. The estate changed owners several times until  WWII, when it was almost completely destroyed and plundered. It lay in ruins for many years until 1986, when it was decided to have it rebuilt. Under the direction of the architect Karl Ebbers, the exterior was restored to the state of the Zwirner neo-Gothic reconstruction. The interior was reorganized into galleries, cabinets and halls for use as an art museum, based on the historical room layout.

The historic and well-tended gardens comprise baroque and geometric elements, a herb garden with over 300 varieties, a sculpture park and impressive hydrangeas, for which this particular garden is well known. For those with strong legs there is the opportunity to climb up a hundred steps to the viewing deck at the top of the North Tower!

Adjacent to the castle there is a little café where we had coffee and cake after our tour.

Below, I'm sharing a few impressions from our trip to the castle. We went inside to view the current art exhibition as well, however, taking photos inside was not allowed. I hope you enjoy these photos from the gardens!

Art Journal Spread with handmade Collage Fodder

Hello artsy friends!

On most days I like to make some art, even if it's just 20 minutes of enjoyable art play in my handmade junk journal. One such session resulted in this colorful and messy page! The papers in my junk journal already have some color on them, so this gave me a nice starting point to create a background. I did some mark making with my creamy crayons and added a few bits of collage. I stamped my text stamp in a few places for interest and texture. As a finishing touch I adhered some colorful leaves as a focal point on each page as well as a title.

Here's a step-by-step:

Step 1 - There were already some blue marks on the pages, so I spread some more blue - a bright sky blue - on both pages. 

Step 2 - I used my fingers to spread the color on the pages to get a unique "messy" look.

Step 3 - Next, I added acrylic ink in burnt sienna and used a small brayer to spread it around.

Step 4 - I spread some more ink around - in bright pink. I also grabbed my creamy crayons and made some random marks. Colors used: black, light orange.

Step 5 - I grabbed some paper scraps and collaged them in some areas on the spread.

Step 6 - using my text stamp to make marks in some areas for interest.

If you would like to know how I made this junk journal, check out this video:

Finishing touches: I glued down colorful leaves and a title to each page.

The point of this mixed media art play is not to create a masterpiece. It's to simply enjoy putting down colors, making random marks, using your favorite tools - yes even your fingers - and since it's done in a junk journal there's no need to be precious about it. Just make art the way that pleases you. I guarantee you will feel re-energized afterwards :)

Here's a quick video on how I made my collage fodder:

I hope you enjoyed this post. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

P.s. Pin / Share this project ☺

Mixed Media ATC's Tutorial

Hello lovely creatives!

What are ATCs? The abbreviation stands for Artist Trading Cards. These are small artworks that measure 2.5 x 3 inches (64 mm x 89 mm) which are typically traded between artists, either online or exchanged at trading sessions. Each ATC is a unique piece of art signed by the artist usually on the back of the card. Artists can use multiple techniques to create them. Here I used blank white cards as my base and covered them in handmade collage. I worked with black gesso to get a grungy look and added more layers, such as stamping and mark making on top. Final touches include a piece of thread for texture, a stamped motif and a title. 

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures  of the process again. I need to remind myself to grab my camera and place it on the work table right in front of me :)

If you are short on time, you can watch the quick version below or scroll down further and watch the full-length tutorial:

I hope you enjoyed watching the video. And if so, a "thumbs up" would be very much appreciated! You can also use the above picture to pin to your pinterest board for future reference and share with other ATC artists out there. Have a great week!

Duni's Flohmarkt ♥ Sammlerstücke zum Liebhaben ♥

[Werbung]

Hallo ihr Lieben!

Nachfolgend biete ich diverses Porzellan und Keramik von Designermarken zu einem sehr guten Preis an. Die Teile sind weitestgehend zu Dekozwecken benutzt worden oder sind noch in der Verpackung. Die Bilder sind durchnummeriert. Die meisten Teile sind Einzelstücke, aber es gibt einige, die ich mehrfach verfügbar habe. Bitte die Kurzbeschreibung zu den Bildern genau lesen.

Bei Interesse bitte mit Angabe der Nummer an folgende Email schreiben: duni.buesken(at)gmx.de Bitte NICHT via Instagram - das ist einfach zu unübersichtlich ;-)

• Alle Preise sind Endpreise zuzüglich Deutsche Post/DHL Paketversand. Die Versandkosten werden nach Größe und Gewicht berechnet.

• Keine Rücknahme - da Privatverkauf • Wenn weg, dann weg - keine Garantie

Viel Spaß beim Stöbern!

GreenGate

Latte Cups drei verschiedene Designs Euro 7,50 / Stück 1 + 2 VERKAUFT

Fassungsvermögen: 300ml

Spülmaschinen - und Mikrowellengeeignet

Espresso Cup Rot mit Herzen Euro 4,00 / Stück (Verfügbar: 4 Stück)

Mini Porzellanschale Rosa Ø 8cm  Euro 4,00 /Stück (Verfügbar: 2 Stück) VERKAUFT

Porzellanschale geblümt Ø 10cm Euro 5,50 VERKAUFT

Porzellanschale getupft Ø 10cm Euro 5,50 VERKAUFT

  Kaffeetasse mit Unterteller Rot Punkte Euro 9,50

  Kaffeetasse mit Unterteller Rosen Euro 9,50 VERKAUFT

  Kaffeetasse mit Unterteller Mint Euro 9,50 / Stück (Verfügbar: 2 Stück) VERKAUFT

Eierbecher Steingut Euro 3,00 / Stück

Porzellankrug Rot Geblümt Höhe 12cm 0,5 l Euro 10,50

Backform mit Herzen Steingut Euro 4,00 / Stück (Verfügbar: 2 Stück)

 Greengate Kuchenteller Ø20,5 cm Euro 10,- /Stück

Nr. 15 (Verfügbar: 2 Stück) VERKAUFT

Nr. 16 (Verfügbar: 2 Stück)

Nr.19 VERKAUFT

Nr. 17 / 18 VERKAUFT

Ib Laursen

Die nachfolgenden Teile sind aus der MYNTE Serie. Keramik. Geeignet für Ofen, Mikrowelle und Spülmaschine.

Ofenform Rosa Ø28cm Euro 14,00 VERKAUFT

Rührschüssel Groß Rosa Ø 18cm Euro 10,00 VERKAUFT

Rührschüssel Klein Mint Ø 11cm Euro 4,00 VERKAUFT

Muffinschale ca 10 cm

Rosa Euro 2,00 / Stück (Verfügbar: 2 Stück) VERKAUFT

Rot Euro 2,00 / Stück (Verfügbar: 2 Stück)

Weiß Euro 2,00 / Stück (Verfügbar: 2 Stück)

Mint Euro 2,00 / Stück (Verfügbar: 1 Stück) 

Sophie Allport Feines Porzellan

Teebeutel-Ablage mit drei verschiedenen Designs.

Euro 4,50 / Stück

Rose (Verfügbar: 4 Stück)

Herz (Verfügbar: 6 Stück)

Ilex (Verfügbar: 8 Stück)

Porzellantasse mit Henkel Herz Grau Euro 7,50 /Stück (Verfügbar: 6 Stück) VERKAUFT

Porzellantasse mit Henkel Weihnachtsspruch Euro 7,00 / Stück (Verfügbar: 6 Stück)

Porzellan Eierbecher mit Rose Euro 3,50 / Stück (Verfügbar: 8 Stück)

Keramik Milchkännchen Grau mit Goldrand Euro 6,00 / Stück (Verfügbar: 3 Stück)

Diverses

Krasilnikoff "Sweets" Schale Dunkelgrau mit Sterne Euro 6,00

Bei Anfragen / Interesse bitte an die folgende Email schreiben: 

duni.buesken(at)gmx.de

Liebe Grüße,

Flower Pop Series 2025

Hi everyone!

At the beginning of this year I set out to create a series of floral paintings. I wanted them to be colorful, cheerful and expressive. These 20 x 20 cm artworks are painted with acrylics on wood panel, which give them a unique textured feel. While each original painting can be displayed on its own, the whole series comprises six panels, and when displayed together will turn an otherwise plain wall into a colorfeast for the eyes! I used premium wood panels and primed them before adding a base color. For my motifs I drew inspiration from flower shops, magazines and my own garden to create little bouquets of expressive flowers. I built up the layers over several days, shading and adding details. I sealed each panel with a semi-gloss finish. I enjoyed painting this series. Which one is your favorite? 

20 x 20 x 2 cm acrylics on wood panel

Thanks for reading along and Happy Friday!

Wordless Wednesday

...well almost :)

I planted these Azaleas last month. They are only about 30 cm tall, but happy to report they have started blooming. I love those clusters of tiny funnel-shaped blooms. I'm sure by next year they will be more lush.

Last year I planted a very young cherry tree. Actually, you can barely call it "tree" - it's more of a thin stalk with a few branches shooting from the top. Nevertheless, it gifted me with a few cherry blossoms a couple of weeks ago. I had the presence of mind to take a picture before they wilted. Their flowering time is sadly short lived.

I felt like I needed a bright pop of color in the garden, so I treated myself to this gorgeous pink rose (Leonardo da Vinci). It's currently in a plant pot just outside my studio. I might have to replant it when it grows. Pink is such a cheerful color!

And finally, I had a sweet visitor the other day! There are a few regulars who pass through my garden every now and then, but I haven't seen this tuxedo cat before. It was resting on the mat, but when I opened the door to gently put food out it scurried away. A strong indication that it's a stray cat. I will keep my eye out for it and who knows? I just might become a cat mom again :) After all, this is how Leo came into my life all those years ago.  

Easy Mixed Media Tags

Hello crafty friends!

Making tags is one of my favorite paper crafts. Type "gift tags" in the search bar at the top right of this blog and plenty more tag tutorials will show up.

Today I am creating my tags from scratch or rather from one of my gelli prints. The paper I used is 160 gsm, as I find this is a good weight for making tags. Scroll down to watch the video, which also explains how I made the gelli prints. Be sure to read the info in the description box as well. Today's craft is all about layering. I adhered tiny paper scraps including ticket stubs, which I found in the back of a drawer the other day. Looking at the date...wow, they are so old :)

Here's a step-by-step instruction - unfortunately it was an overcast day, so the photos aren't the best.  Scroll down to watch the video, which is a lot brighter.

Step One: measure a rectangle 7 x 14 cm on the gel print, mark with a pencil and cut along the lines. 

Step Two: flip the tag over and using a set square align the top edge with a parallel line and until the corner meets the edge. Mark with a pencil and snip off. 

Step Three: Add stamping

Step Four: Add marks with crayons

Scroll down to watch the video in full.

Step Five: Glue down pieces of collage.

Step Six: Embellish with a focal image (leaves, flowers, animals, words etc.)

Step Seven: Loop a ribbon through the hole

Tip: Plan a gelli printing session a day or two beforehand, then flatten the prints with a stack of heavy books. This way they are ready to go when you decide to make those tags. Happy crafting!