Creativity is Contagious!!

Sometimes it feels like my life never stops being crazy!! I I had a lot of crazy days in the last few weeks and this is totally reflected by these crazy birds ... There were a couple of fun bird doodles in my sketchbook and I just had to get them onto a canvas for my favorite store design team ... Eclectic Paperie!

 I started with a square of scrap wood and some clear gesso.   

I covered the board with tissue paper ....

Then I changed my mind and went with a completely different background!! I covered the whole thing with blue and white paint.  Then I took out a circle stencil and added some texture!

I cut out some practice size/spacing pieces.  I have ruined way too many great pieces of fun paper by cutting the wrong size.  So I really do cut out rough shapes from plain or scrap paper first!!

After I cut out the paper, I painted the birds ...

Doodles, rub-ons and highlights finish off this crazy project!! 

Thank you so much for stopping by!!  Make sure to swing by the Eclectic Paperie so that you can pick up this absolutely adorable paper from Echo Park!!

Linnie Blooms .... Spring Rain brings rainboots and flowes!!

 Welcome Linnie Bloom Fans!!  Aren't you SO glad that spring is FINALLY sprouting?? I adore flowers and I even love spring rain showers!! 

On Pinterest, I keep seeing these adorable pics of rainboots with flowers inside.  I kept trying to draw a boot ... but they just never looked right. That is when I KNEW the Linnie Blooms boot was going to work ... So I drew the design onto the canvas with a pencil and then cut the the little sides off ...

I painted the boot a bright pink and black.  Then I stenciled on a couple of bright white hearts and voila, CUTE BOOT!! 

I laid out the paper I wanted to make my flowers out of ... but I didn't like any of my green paper.  So I ripped a page out of my sketchbook.  Stamped some black dots and painted on green paint mixed with glazing to make it more translucent.  

I kept going back and forth about the background.  I love using wood boards for my projects, but for the first time, I just wanted to keep it plain (Crazy, I know!!)  Instead of paper and paint, I covered the board in clear gesso and sanded the edges... and I loved it!

I cut out my green shapes and used gel medium to glue them down.

I glued the boot down with Quick Dry Helmar 450.

Then I cut out the flowers and glued them down too.   I made sure not to glue everything down flat so that the stems and flowers literally jump off the board!! 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!! Make sure to visit Linnie Blooms, to see all the wonderful canvas shapes!!  I hope you enjoyed my project and it inspired you to create something!!!  If you are new or haven't left a comment before, please do, I just LOVE hearing from you!!
  - Karen

I just can't get enough ... chalkboard paint!!

Come on over to the Faber-Castell Design, Memory Craft Blog and check out my post!!  I just can't stop playing with chalkboard paint and Pitt Pastel Pencils!! (I even tried making a video again ... so strange to hear my own voice!)

How about some new inspiration??

We spent spring break on the farm.  I absolutely adore the flowers, the rocks, the buildings and the animals.  These are a few of my favorite pics ... 

Little blue flowers growing ... I don't know what kind they are, but even if they are weeds, they looked so gorgeous against the rocks in the garden!

Just one of the many chickens.  They are so fun to watch because they take dirt baths, they run towards anything you toss to them like they have never eaten anything and they make a sweet humming of clucking noises!

This chicken is taking a rest in the tree ... they are so funny!

The start of spring flowers ...

This is the funniest chicken ever ... she never stays in the chicken 'pen' and has a real personality!

This is the baby calf that I wanted to bring home.  Shivers, is a little calf that was taken in during the winter because it was SO cold. She loves getting hugs and scratches ... too bad we live in the suburbs ...S

An old milk bottle ... seriously love the antiques here on the old farm!!

A little 1 day old calf with mama ...

The gorgeous rocks and flowers in the garden ...

Now, I can't wait to take these pictures and use them as inspiration in my art journal .....  (but I might need to do some laundry first ....)

On Vacation!

Well, I have been spending our spring break on the farm  ... I will be back with photos and sketches!  Until then make sure to check out my post today at the  Eclectic Paperie! 
It is So little and cute with Crate Paper's Flea Market Collection!

Last week I had to clean out my art area  (you know, so I could use it!)  In my cleaning, I found a stack of little mini 4x4 canvases. (Don't you love it when you find something 'new!')  And I thought about the Crate Paper Petite Challenge and I wanted to make a little tiny piece for my desk.  I actually found it really challenging to work in such a small space!!  But I managed to create this little bitty balloon ... and I really love how little it is!! 

Kim has some little 6x6's in the eP store!!

I clear gesso-ed the canvas since it didn't have any gesso on it.

I took out my Pan Pastels.  Seriously, I love these for colors and backgrounds.  I might not be that great in creating whole pieces with them, but I adore the color they put down!! I have two different sets of them and I guess I should challenge myself to use them more!!

See, look at that blue and green!! LOVE! And using stencils with them is SO easy because they don't run under the stencil!!  Although, even though they don't run, you do have to use a Workable Fixative with them because they do smudge.  So I took my little bitty canvas outside and sprayed it down. 

Now, comes the BIG mistake . . . I thought the colors were too bright .... and so I covered the top with white pastel .... and oh, it looks SO dingy.  (At this point I was really sad.)

So I went back in and darkened individual sections.  I was happier

To add a little texture, I used archival inks and a stencil.

I made my balloon out paper and used gel medium to glue the pieces together!

Okay, so I was still struggling with the dingy colors I had created. I wanted some pop of white.  I used my White Pitt Pen to fill in the spaces left by the chunky chevron stencil.  And again, I was much happier!!

Finally I glued the paper down!  (I changed my mind about the words the balloon basket from this picture and chose Explore instead of happy day!)

And some doodles and highlighting finished off my bitty canvas!!  

I hope you enjoy this little balloon as much as I do!!  I am going to submit it to the Crate Paper April Petite Challenge .... now go create something small - it was SO fun!

 - Karen

ePlay April Challenge!!

It is time for the new ePlay Challenge this month!!  This month we are challenging you to alter something with wood!! It can be something as simple as a little wooden embellishment or something made of wood - your challenge!!  

Welcome to the April ePlay Challenge. Our challenges are about encouraging you to explore your creative journey and inspiring you to step outside of your comfort zone.  When you submit your artwork, share a unique card, scrapbook or journal page, a canvas, home décor project, or anything that you’re excited to share!  We’re looking forward to crafting with you! One project will be chosen at the end of this month-long challenge and will be awarded a $25 shop voucher for the eclectic Paperie store. It just might be you!

 I bought this wall hanging at Goodwill.  It was hunter green and said something inspirational about food and the kitchen.  I had a project all planned out, but it just didn't work. 

And after my inspirational weekend with Junelle Jacobsen at the Donna Downey studio in Charlotte, I just had to sketch some spring flowers and create with them.

I took out my scrapbook paper from Crate Paper and got started. 

I cut all the flower petals out and laid them out in the flower design.  Then I took a picture so that I could remember how I planned them.  SO many times I can't remember what I planned and have to start over.  But I have gotten smarter and take a picture, so I can just copy myself!! 

I 'glued' the pieces down with gel medium.  I used the matte medium to help keep the 'flower petals' shaped upwards to give a lot of texture to the board!  Then I doodled, highlighted and finished off the piece!!  I am going to hang it up on the wall!

And now, you need to come and ePlay with us!!   We would love to see what you create and I hope that our projects inspire you!!