Sunday, May 17, 2026

Sunday Art-Pelicans and Hummingbirds

     Hi everyone. I hope your weekend is going well.   We're having some nice weekend weather and finally some beautiful May temperatures. ❤ It feels even better since we haven't had a lot of this weather so far this spring.👍

    Today I have some bird inspired art to share for a couple of challenges including Nicole's Sunday in the Art Room (Sitar) and Gillenas's Sunday Smiles. I'll also be linking a up to Art Journal Journey and  Tag Along (and ATCs too) It's a busy post for certain. 😉

    First, let me share this page for Mia's Birds challenge over at Art Journal Journey. It's part of a trip journal I just finished making, the trip being my weekend away in South Carolina. By the shore we saw lots of pelicans; they are always fun to watch. The big guy at the bottom (of my page) reminds me of one time when the hubby and I were somewhere (maybe coastal North Carolina) eating lunch on a dock and this one pelican flew in and landed on  piling. He kept watching us eat. As soon as we looked at him, he turned away like he didn't care we were there. But as soon as we went back to our lunch, his eyes were on us again. 😄


   I started with 2 pieces of paper. The base paper is covered with seagulls,  (more birds, right?), and then I cut part of this wave designed paper to put on the bottom. This paper was plain light blue wit the dark wavy lines, so I decided to add details using blue and white paint pens to color in some of the waves on the paper. 

  The tiny flying pelicans are stamped and then fussy cut before I glued them down. I created the large piling with some scrap paper, and then I stamped and fussy cut the big pelican. I lost some of the stamped details when I colored him in with the dark brown marker, so I added some white flecks to him to try to give him a few details.

   Finally I added a white cloth sticker sun that I painted yellow, and then stamped and added the quote (Impression Obsession).

    Here's one of the inspirations for my journal page today. I reminds me I should have added some white to the pelican's head. 😏


    You can see the punched holes and the metal binding rings on the right side of my page. This is the first time I made my own 2 ring binder journal cover. I hadn't known you could buy unattached binding rings up until recently.


  Here's the cover of that journal.


   I cut an old book apart and covered the actual covers with a recycled  Amazon bag and then I used cloth bookbinding tape to cover the edges of the cover and to make a spine. I used pink stencil paste and a stencil to add the texture to the cover. What I find really strange (but also interesting to look at) was how much lighter that pink stencil paste looked on the black binding tape than it did on the paper bag. That was true even when I rubbed some watery orange acrylic paint over it. Hmmm.  
 
   To finish the covers I used some chicken wire designed cloth tape along the edges and used some TH metal book corners. The Charleston stamp is something you can collect and should put into a special stamp collection book, but I usually buy them and put them in (or on) my travel journal. I use a TH metal frame that was in my stash around this travel stamp.

   And I definitely don't want to forget to share the tag I made today for Pinky's  Add Some Pink challenge at Tag Along (and ATCs too).



   I started with a brown paper bag colored tag that I rubbed some Versafine Claire Pink ink over.  Then I fussy cut the heart out of a sheet of paper, and I punched out the hummingbird (49 and Market) and the daisy  (Stamperia). I did use a light pink marker and colored in some of the daisy's petals. The quote is from a TH quote set, and I finished off my tag with some pink lace cloth trim.

   That's all for me today. Hope you have or are having a wonderful rest of your weekend and start to the new week.



30 comments:

Angie's Recipes said...

I love that Full of Wonder page! Guess I just adore the hummingbirds :-))

Tom said...

...the return of the hummingbirfs is always a treat.

Gillena Cox said...

I luv your stitched 'full of wonder'
Happy Sunday
Thanks for linking to SundaySmiles

Much love

Anonymous said...

Lovely page and tag!-Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com

DVArtist said...

Two of my favorite places N. and S Carolina. My daughter lives in N.C. This is an excellent piece of art for Mia's challenge. Very nicely done. Your photo is brilliant. I'm always impressed with your art and the book is truly a wonder. Thank you for sharing with SITAR and have a nice Sunday.

Lowcarb team member said...

That is a lovely page and tag ...

I've spent time with relations this weekend ... very enjoyable.

Wishing you a good week ahead.

All the best Jan

kwarkito said...

Bravo, c'est une page très inspirée !

Fundy Blue said...

These are lovely, Erika! I adore the pelicans and the hummingbird!

Linda's Relaxing Lair said...

Everything is so beautiful, Erika! I absolute love this!

Jeanie said...

Wow! Now that's a collection of art. I'm so impressed with how you create your own books, too. That makes your travel journals extra special.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

They're all lovely, but the "Full of Wonder" hummingbird is my fave!

Andrea @ From The Sol said...

Your journal is a masterpiece. I know you will love filling it with pages and pages of your art. And your tag ... I love Hummingbirds. We used to have a lot of them at the Lake, but I haven't put out any feeders where we are because there don't seem to be many birds around :( . Any way you look at it ... it is a lovely post.

Andrea @ From the Sol

hels said...

And I loved "fussy cut" 🤗

DeniseinVA said...

These are all wonderful Erika! I love the colors too.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Well done! A pelicans is a fine choice, white head or not! All the best - David

Iris Flavia said...

I absolutely LOVE your artwork!
Despite I´m afraid of pelicans since once one chased me!
Great journal cover. Such happy colors - chicken wire, clever.
And who does not love wonders! Have a great start to the week, hugs

Anita said...

Lovely journal page, and I really like the the binder cover that you made--it's so pretty! Your tag has turned out wonderfully, the components look like fabric no matter how much I look--and whether it is or not, it's got a wonderful texture.

Your bear encounter sounded exciting, and I hope the bees are settling in nicely now. So much wildlife, I liked your national park photos too. Belated Mothers Day wishes as well, looks like you had a grand time. (And the hot dogs story, lol...)

We've been having a bit of a wet spell lately, it's wonderful when the weather cools down, but it does go up the minute the clouds disappear, and this whole seesawing of temperatures has given me a head cold. Hope your May continues to be great! Anita xx

CJ Kennedy said...

Awesome page. Glad that big pelican wasn't as aggressive as the seagulls. If he was , you and your lunch might have ended up in the giant pouch. Hope you're enjoying the beautiful weather today

Shari Burke said...

My eye went straight to the tatting on the tag--LOL Lovely work and what a great way to preserve memories from your trip! Bill and I used to live in a place that had an abundance of white pelicans. I've never seen the kind you photographed in person.

Carola Bartz said...

Your pelican page is lovely, Erika (I love Brown Pelicans). I'm not sure I could make my own journal the way you did yours - it's fantastic. You are so creative and I love what you make. I wish I had a fraction of your creativity. Hugs - Carola

Mary Kirkland said...

That came out so nice.

Gillena Cox said...

Happy new week, Erika
Thanks for dropping by my blog

Much love

Christine said...

Erika I can't seem to pull up your latest post

Top 7 Scenic Road Trip to Embark on with a Rental Car said...

That’s a really inventive bit of upcycling — turning an old book into something completely new with such a mix of materials gives it a lot of character and texture. The contrast you noticed with the pink stencil paste is especially interesting; it’s the kind of unexpected material interaction that often becomes part of the artwork itself and makes the finished piece even more intriguing.

The Power of Travel Credit Cards for Business said...

What a creative transformation — taking an old book and rebuilding it with recycled materials gives it a whole new identity. The layered textures and experimental use of stencil paste and paint add a really tactile, almost unpredictable quality, especially with those surprising color shifts between surfaces.

Aimeslee Winans said...

Hey there! Took an unscheduled break but am back now. Love your tags and pages, I went back to April to catch up. And a really cool journal/cover too. xoxo

Linby said...

Your tag is so pretty, it reminds me of a Victorian card. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Tag-along (and ATCs) challenge. Also a wonderful journal page and great memories.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

WOW. This is a bit overwhelming. I LOVE the pelican and was in awe of the fussy cutting you did. It's certainly a great entry for Mia's theme at AJJ.

I was impressed with your new journal you made. That ring binder you bought was a good find. And I really liked the tag. It is so pretty and even carries the bird theme through as well. Hope your weekend was great.

pinky said...

Erika your journal page, such a great take on your photo. Oh go you, your file folder makeover is gorgeous and that cover is so bright and full of texture. Love it. Ach I do love your tag, it is so so pretty. The stitching around the heart is so sweet.
Thanks for playing along with us at Tag-along (and ATC's) this month.
Pinky

Mia said...

My dear Erika, your page is beautiful. Your pelekan, even without white on the head, is perfect!
What an amazing idea to make your own ring binder journal cover. I think I will try it.
Thank you for your entry in my challenge at AJJ. Hugs, my friend.