{ make a change without a reason }

For some reason, I woke up the other day with a page idea in my head; beige and red, with some columnar paper I found when cleaning. I knew my current journal wouldn't be able to handle the size I had in my head, so I grabbed a 9 x 12 watercolor book I'd picked up on a whim last summer at Michael's since it was 50% off...how could I pass that up?!

Anyway, I took a trip to Hobby Lobby to grab some spray paint and a wall decor stencil. My spray paint had been depleted from last summer's spray paint adventures (not to mention being thrown unceremoniously in my trunk) and the stencils...well, I don't take the best care of my stencils or stamps, so they get caked with paint and such...and warp...but yeah! I wanted something new! The stencils I had from last summer can't work now -- I was a different person, then, as we all are after any passage of time.

I forgot the fun of spray paint, not to mention the immediacy...you can cover an entire page in a minute! And it covers awesomely, and there's just something about the way it LOOKS on the page....I love it so much! It's certainly different than stenciling with paint or whatever. I meant to do it earlier today, but I ended up getting my hair cut, then seeing WALL-E (AMAZING CUTE!), so I didn't get out there until the sun went down. But I set up my little station and started playing...now I'm just working on embellishing while watching 'Animal Cops' with the puppies.

So yeah! Now I'm working in a BIG journal. I've never worked in this size before, so I'm excited to see what happens. Sometimes, you just have to change things up to see what happens!

Do YOU have any questions about spraying or what you see? Ask! I want to start giving little tips, but I need to know what you're curious about.

Comments

[Sandy]

I love the idea of using stencils and spray paint, I just can't handle the fumes. And what kind of stencil is the middle one in the last photo? I love that pattern it made. Love the larger size too. Hope you're feeling better. Great job.

[sharedbalance]

hi samantha,
love the idea of spray paint. Love that it's quick dry. Or is it? do you just hold it or apply adhesive to keep it in place? really looking forward to seeing these after embellishments. Wall E was great. my boyfriend and i saw it last week. GREAT messages.
Sandy

[sues]

Spray paint & stencils sound like fun, I'm going to have to try it. Pages look great.

[apple]

I am going watch Wall E today. :)
Where do you store all your stencils at? I would love to see where you create your art and how you store some of your things. I am always looking for storage tips and ideas.

[DJ]

Lovely results, Kira!
I just spray-painted some gold pages for a tiny book made of watercolor paper tied together w/red ribbon to send as a giftie to a friend.
You know the saying,"Great minds think alike!"
Create On, Girlfriend!

[swiss girl]

wow, i found you at youtube! and i like your stuff you make!! and this idea with spraying paper ist just like wow! i will go and buy some spray stuff tomorrow ;) yesterday i made my very first journal art page. i scrapbook now for maybe 4 years. thank you for your work, it inspires me very much!!

swiss girl

ps: sorry for my bad english... i am 18 and swiss ;)

[Nicole]

I need to buy some spray paint! That looks like so much fun! Thanks for the inspiration!

[Connie]

Those journal entries are amazing!! I love what happens when you overlap. I'm totally inspire to go out and get some spray paint and stencils!! You are always an inspiration!

I'm having a free give-away contest on my blog. Come help heal Mother Earth and win one of my new Dirty Footprints reusable grocery bags!!! Check it out:
http://dirtyfootprints-studio.blogspot.com/2008/07/help-heal-mother-earth-and-win.html

Peace & Love.

[Connie]

Samantha, I also wanted you to know that I awarded A Girl and Her Journal with the Brillante Blog award. You do a fantastic job here and well deserve some recognition! Please come on over to Dirty Footprints and pick it up...then go out for an ice cream sundae!!!

Peace & Love.

[Lela]

I'm a new comp journaling/altered book artist and I've found your tutorials *very* helpful. Thank you for being so generous to share your time and talent with the world. I appreciate it.

I have a question about the lace looking pattern on the right. Is that a stencil? Also, what type of paint do you use? Do you have to seal the page afterwards? Do you have to gesso before hand? Thanks much!