Decorating my Datebook - Mixed Media - Flora's Art Adventures

Flora's been helping me with my 2014 Daily Planner - Mixed Media Techniques - ©CindyRippe2014

For the last few years I've been using a planner that has a full page for each day. (more room to write the lists that I love to make)  The DayMinder that I bought this year doesn't have monthly calendar pages or dividers.  I decided to get creative and make it fun. Flora inspired me to paint flowers, but then again, that's the first thing I think of when designing a new project anyway.

Before and after - Mixed Media Daily Planner for 2014 - ©CindyRippe

I cut page dividers and tip-outs (pages that fold out) from watercolor paper. If I do this project again I would use bristol board, the watercolor is a little thicker than I like but it worked.

After drawing a blank calendar template on the monthly pages I taped the edges with washi tape (butterflies by Tim Holtz) and then taped the divider directly onto the first page of each month with matte transparent tape.  While sketching a flower for each month I laid a piece of tracing paper on the top of the template.  My original intention was to only paint/sketch over the blank squares but as you can see I got carried away. I just reinforced the inked dates and lines after I finished painting.  Freehand sketching gave me the freedom to make the plant grow in any direction that I like.

Each page has a different color scheme that I carried out to the border with a wash of acrylic paint.  I painted right over the transparent and washi tapes.  I chose one butterfly on the washi tape to paint and detail (SEE ARROW above)  To add more color to overall look of the planner the tip-out pages and loose "TODAY" divider are decoupaged with scrapbook papers. (not shown here)  I used matte medium for that.

Finding Flowers - part 2 - Playing with Paint

Finding Flowers ©CindyRippe2013 - quote by  Henry David Thoreau

As I promised in yesterday's post, Life's Canvas, this is what I ended up doing on the painted background layer.  Once the paint was dry I found areas that could be flower centers.  All I did after that was to sketch a few daisies with a fine point permanent pen. I thought it might be finished but then I decided to soften the background with a layer of translucent white. (the bright colors were a bit much for me)

I added the frame and quote with PicMonkey.  Don't you think the black frame pulls everything together? Yep, I think this one is finished.

Have you ever created a project like this?  It's a challenge sometimes to let yourself make a mess and just let the paints flow.  It's really fun to discover shapes that you can turn into a completed design though.

Delight in the beauty that surrounds you.  Author unknown