Summer is in full swing over here and there are lots of fun things to do and places to go. If I’m not on the go, weather permitting, I prefer to spend more time in the garden rather than in the craft room… But that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped creating!

Today it’s my turn on the Elizabeth Craft Designs blog and I’m sharing a couple of ideas for crafting on the go.

So what am I up to?! Art journaling of course! I’m avidly doing my homework for Art Journal Summer School and I’m recording loads of fun things in the process.

One of the best things about art journaling is that you do not need to be in the craft room to art journal. You can take your journal and put a couple of your favourite supplies into a toiletry bag and head outside!

Next to the supplies there is always room in the bag for a couple of peel-off sticker sheets, some stencils, (home-made) fun foam stamps and maybe a couple of die-cuts that you pre-cut at home.

For my Summer art (travel) kit I die-cut a couple of stencils with some of my favourite Elizabeth Craft Designs dies.

As you can see, I don’t tend to clean my stencils, so I needed them to be as durable as I could get them. I cut them out of a mask material, but you can also use a regular transparency or even some cardstock.

If you want to die-cut stencils out of plastic mask material like this, you will need to use the Metal Adaptor Plate or something even heavier like the Precision Base Plate by Sizzix and you may need to run the material through the die-cut machine several times.

If you are not into art journaling, but you like to do a bit of colouring or maybe if you would just like to try a couple of mixed media techniques, I’ve got another great idea for you.

De Craftorij, one of my local scrapbooking/stamp stores, hosts an annual Summer challenge where they give you daily prompts that you need to execute on regular correspondence cards. I’ve played along this year and I’ve fallen in love with the single 4×6 inch cards!

The cards are cheap. You can get a big stack of them for about two dollars, so if a technique or sketch goes wrong, it’s no big deal. The quality is also decent enough for colouring with alcohol markers, inking and stencilling.

The size is just right. You can finish one card in a small amount of time. If you keep your toiletry bag of art supplies at arm’s length, you can do one at the pool or one at the park or… one just before the kids wake up from their nap!

Another thing I like about the format is, that you can bundle a stack of finished cards and make it into a mini book or journal. Or, if a particular card turns out really well… add a sentiment, adhere it to a folded note card and send it to someone!

You will be surprised at what can be done in limited time and with limited supplies. I know that I’m having a blast with just a few supplies, my art journal and that stack of correspondence cards!

What are your favourite Summer crafts? Do you have any tips for crafting on the go?

Have a wonderful (sunny) day!

SUPPLIES:

Elizabeth Craft Designs:

E111 Flower Mosaic
1033 Leafy Branch
967 Alphabet 1 – Caps
968 Numbers & More 1
1026 Pebbles
1027 Bricks
1028 Circles
1055 Quietfire “Hello” (coming soon)
2565 Dragonfly Ladies in Circle
2575 Seashells Peel-Off Stickers in Black
2595 Summer Peel-Off Stickers in Black
803 Metal Adaptor Plate

Other:

Art journal and/or correspondence cards (4×6 inch)
Mask/stencil material (Carabelle Studio Magic Mask)
Craft or acrylic paint
Make-up sponges
A small selection of favourite pens, markers, (water)colour pencils or water-soluble crayons, a pencil and favourite adhesive
(Water) brush
Ink pad(s)
Washi tape
A small container for water and a lid or something to use as a paint palette