Light it Up Blue PLUS Friends with Flair 4-3

I don't have any blue-eyed cats right now, but I do love Siamese eyes!!!

“The cat is the animal to whom the Creator gave the biggest eye, the softest fur, the most supremely delicate nostrils, a mobile ear, an unrivaled paw and a curved claw borrowed from the rose-tree.”
                                                                                ---------------Sidonie Gabrielle
Hi, Friends......

I am here with my first ever art journal page....YAY!!  I made it for the Light it Up Blue Autism Awareness Blog Hop...and also for this week's Unity Friends with Flair link up.

This Autism Awareness blog hop is important to me because my beautiful daughter has Asperger's Syndrome, which is often considered to be on the Autism spectrum.  Although she is 28 years old, we have only understood this about her for a very few years.  Who knows how much difference awareness of the unique gifts and challenges she faces as an Aspy would have made if we'd known this while she was young!

  

I made this art journal page as a positive statement of love and to shower support for my dear daughter.  So often, her problems and difficulties are the things that get noticed and she doesn't get much positive feedback for the many gifts she has......or that she has tremendous value for just being herself.


YOU........

LOVED.

BEAUTIFUL.




  


Since this is my first attempt at an art journal page, you will have to bear with my bumpy page and other first-timer problems.  :)  I know you will be gracious!!  

My art journal project is inspired by this fabulous tutorial by Daniella Hayes.  I know I am not doing it exactly "right" but this is all experimental on my part.  I am not brave enough to do the actual work in a book that is put together, so I will put the finished pages into a book later.  :) 

I started this page by spraying some Dylusions blue ink all over the page.  While it was still damp, I stenciled the words by sprinkling Perfect Pearls (original color) over the scripty words.  Then I lightly misted with water.  The stencils are Tamara Laporte's "Tam's Inspiration Set" from Artistcellar.  LOVE!!!! 

My butterfly is from the Unity Itty Bitty - Antique Butterfly that Rachel Kleinman sent me.  (THANKS, Rachel!!)   I embellished the main image, but you can see bits of the unadorned image around the edges.

I was super-excited to dress up this butterfly using some pastel glitter glue (I got the opal/blue/pink pkg on clearance for 50 cents!) and some tiny glass beads I found at a thrift store.  They are called Beads-2-Fuse Refills like this ebay page shows and I have no idea how they are "supposed" to be used, but I knew what I wanted them for!  I've had my eye on the glass bead gel medium products used in mixed media projects.  When I saw these loose beads at the thrift store, I thought it was worth buying and mixing with glitter glue to see what would happen.  I TOTALLY LOVE IT!!!  Now I will be on the lookout for some true gel medium to use with these little beads for my projects. 

I also played around with my teal Stampendous Frantage Encrusted Jewel elements,.....since I was in a highly experimental mood!  :)  Here you can see some of the tinseled embossing powder and the teal mica flakes.  I put some of the mica on the butterfly, too.  Pretty!!!  I outlined mostly everything with my brand-new black Faber-Castell Pitt Big Brush Pen, that I bought especially to use with my art journal attempts.  :) 

In April, I noticed that a whole bunch of challenges are themed around "April Showers".  I decided to use that theme and add my own little twist of "April Showers of Love and Encouragement" for many of my cards this month.  This is the first in my series.  Be watching for more.  :)

Thanks for all the love and encouragement that each of YOU bring into my life!!!  My prayers and love to all those families dealing with autism and related challenges.  I've got your back.

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this project in the following challenges:
1. Light it Up Blue - Autism Awareness Blog Hop
2. Unity Friends with Flair Link Up
3. Dreamweavers Stencil April Challenge - Showers (I chose showers of love and encouragement!)
4. Tombow USA April Challenge - April Showers (I was inspired by the light lettering against the darker background and the "showers" theme.)
5. Add a Little Dazzle Dazzling Diva Challenge #69 - Photo Inspiration or Anything Goes