Ronda Palazzari Designs

2014 Summer Stencils: Positive, Chrysanthemum, & Heartstrings Fragment

 
Positive in 6x6; Chrysanthemum in 6x6

Summer time is in full swing here which means it's time for my summer TCW stencil release!  i have 9 new stencils and 9 new stencil fragments this release.  Today i am sharing two new stencils & one new stencil fragment: Positive, Chrysanthemum, & Heartstrings Fragment.

Positive (TCW 471)

i am Positive you will love this stencil!  This great handrawn plus design is right on trend! i love the rows of these little beauties that are offset for a great background.  It comes in both 12" x 12" and 6" x 6" sizes.  

On this layout i used both the 12 x 12 and 6 x 6 sizes.  In fact you saw this stencil on yesterday's layout titled "Hello Again" on the middle diamond shape. i decided to color the background and stencil in the images in black.  

i used a black pen with the 12 x 12 stencil to outline the shapes on the page.  With a simple quarter turn, the plus signs become these wonderful cross-stitched shape.  i love how they look with just the outline!

i used the 6x6 stencil with black ink to add just a touch of design to the manilla tag.  

Chrsythanthemum (TCW 477)

Chrsythanthemum. Such a fun word to say.  Such a fun stencil to use.  This stencil has wide open areas that are begging to be used in a variety of ways.  Fill them in with colors, pictures, texture, and every thing in between.  It comes in both 12" x 12" and 6" x 6" sizes.

i did use a variety of materials in those delicious open spaces. i had so much fun creating the above black tag that i started my layout on black cardstock.  i used a white pen and filled in the inner star petals with doodles.  I then added patterned paper and neocolorII to the other shapes and then more doodles.  Did you notice i didn't use the whole shape of the stencil?

Heartstrings (TCW 2049)

Heartstrings is a great Ronda's Fragment that is nearly 4 x 4. i have a thing for hearts and could collect a variety of them.  i even have a Pinterest board titled the art of HEARTS & LOVE.  i wanted this heart a little different so i added in those strings to create a fun design and tied them togethter with that little center heart!  It also fits nicely in project life pages, looks great on scrapbook layouts, cards, tags, or art journal pages.  Imagine the possiblities with a gelli printing plate!  

On my sample, i first colored my background and then used gesso through the fragment to create some texture.  Once the gesso was dry, i went back in and added more color and then journaled on top.  So very cool!

So what stencil(s) caught your eye today?

 

2014 Summer Stencils: Diamond Lattice, Beaded Curtain & Poppy Fragment

 

Diamond Lattice in 6x6; Beaded Curtain in 6x6

Summer time is in full swing here which means it's time for my summer TCW stencil release!  i have 9 new stencils and 9 new stencil fragments this release.  Today i am sharing two new stencils & one new stencil fragment: Diamond Lattice, Beaded Curtain, & Poppy Fragment.  

Diamond Lattice (TCW 475)

Up first is Diamond Lattice!  This fabulous trendy stencil has great wide spaces for lots of possibilities.  Some have been filled in with designs that can be used alone or with the entire stencil, some have been broken up into halves or quarters, and some are outlined. It comes in both 12" x 12" and 6" x 6" sizes.  

Here's a layout using the 12" x 12" stencil. i had so much fun cutting up my photos into all the different shapes. i also cut up some patterned paper into diamond & triangle shapes. On the "Hello" diamond i used some Dina Wakley Media Paints for that burst of color.  

Beaded Curtain (TCW 478)

Beaded Curtain is a great fun stencil that can be used in so many ways. i love the small and larger circles to create the strings of beads. It comes in both 12" x 12" and 6" x 6" sizes.  

My "Here i am" layout uses the 12" x 12" stencil to create a lovely aqua backdrop on the grey cardstock.  i love how the color pops off the background and looks so beautiful layered with the patterned papers found in my Cocoa Daisy kit.  

Ronda's Fragments: Poppy (TCW2043)

This Poppy stencil fragment is just under 4" x 4" and is perfect for all your creative needs.  It fits nicely in a project life page, looks great on scrapbook pages, cards, tags, or art journal pages.  Imagine the possiblities with a gelli printing plate!  The open petals leaves lots of room for fun designs or that burst of color.

On my 4" x 4" piece of watercolor paper, i used both distress inks and acrylic paints.  i love these colors together with this uber cool poppy design.  i can see myself picking it up over & over again to use in all kinds of fun projects. 

So what stencil(s) caught your eye today?

 

Create Daily: Layers

i absolutely love layers in my work.  For me, it's not just about the finished piece, but i love the journey of building each layer.  Laying one layer down and then adding the next, affecting each other, bringing the piece to life, and telling a story and evoke emotions.  

The slow build just starts with adding texture to the background.  It sometimes includes wiping leftover paint onto the page and letting it sit for awhile.  i will add things here and there and see what strikes me.  i know that if i don't like the way a piece is heading, i can always add more layers.  I get to decide how many layers there are in my pieces and to push myself.  

Sometimes just journaling my thoughts really helps focus my directions and makes the next layers so apparent to me.  It could be color choices, techniques, texture, or tools.  Funny how those thoughts really spur those layers. 

Nothing makes me happier than seeing those first layers peek through and seeing the relationship of the layers.  It feels like a reward for taking the leap and being ok with losing layers to gain layers.  i love seeing how they come together to tell my story or express my emotions.  

 

 

Summer Stencil Sneaks

Hello!  It's been a busy, busy couple of weeks for me.  i have been buried under multiple deadlines & fun projects that i cannot wait to share with you.  One of them includes lots of samples for my summer release.  So while i cannot share the details of all my creative work just yet, i thought you might like a sneak of some stencils you will see soon!  

Happy Friday!

 

Artsy Travel Mini Album, Pt. 3

 

My trip with my Martha was a much needed and lovely vacation.  We headed to the Pacific Northwest to spend much time on the Pacific Beaches and wander the Olympic National Forest.  Lots of photos coming soon.  i always want to remember these moments, so why not soak up that precious time together in an artsy travel mini album?  A couple weeks ago i began prepping the album before the vacation and shared it on this blog post.  On the trip, i wrote out some thoughts, added some more color, stamped here & there, and collected ephemera to add later.  Now that i am home i could print out photos from the trip.  Here's how the album is progressing so far.

i decided to use two 2" x 2" photos on each page, plus a smaller 1" photo to document each day.  i love repetition in my albums and photos are great design element to repeat.  

i added some color to my previous pages to give them a little pop.  i used my Neocolor II over the sprayed stencil patterns and love the way it turned out.  

i added some hand carved stamped images to the page along with the label stamp & date stamp.  The punched heart at the bottom of the page adds such a cool touch to the album. 

The background of this page got a little too busy for me so i added white gesso on top of the color.  i love that touch of white.  Have you noticed all the doodles around the page?  A black pen is one of my favorite ways to accent my pages.

Some pages i didn't add additional color because they were already colorful.  i decided to repeat hand drawn titles to every page.  i added journaling to each page and even used some some hashtags from my instagram posts.  

i love the days of the week washi tape so i decided to label each page with that specific day.  i also used a date stamp and repeated in various ways on each page.  

Those little kraft labels are another great repeated element on each page.  i sometimes like hanging them off the side of the page as a little tab.  

i love adding doodles to the page including drawing some frames around the photos.  Now that the majority of the album had come together, i will go back and add those final touches to make it complete.  i also need to add my title page & front cover.  i am so excited to see this finished!

 

 

Create Daily: Travel Art Journal

 Even when i travel, i cannot help but to do something creative.  So while we've been hopping around the Olympic Peninsula, i've been breaking out my art kit to create on the go.  Sometimes when i am creating this way, i included bits & pieces of my travel.  It can be simple things like the local newspaper or items i use daily.  It's a fun way to incorporated tidbits from your holiday.  Here's a look at a few pages i created along the way.  

i prepped the backgrounds before leaving like i talked about in this previous post.  This gives me a jumpstart on my journals without having to bring lots of supplies with me.  I always carry white & black pens with me on my journeys to fill in those little touches.

i really love the colors with the subdue top layer of white over the rose window stencil.  i doodled into the window a little each day.  i decided not to fill in the whole piece and break up the page with journaling vertically on the page.  The butterflies were leftover punched pieces i threw in my travel bag to use as "fillers" on my pages.  Love the pop of color they bring to this page.

If you know me then you realize i drink tea every day.  The Anglophile in me enjoys tea morning, noon, and night.  On this trip i brought a box of one of my latest favorite blends. It became a ritual to steep the tea, take a sip, and then read the words of wisdom the tea tag offered me each day.  i laughed and loved how poignant each tag was and had to use some on my pages.