MIxed Media Challenge #34!

Welcome back Mixed Media Challengers!!  This is SUCH a FUN challenge this year!! Our challenge this month is BUTTONS!!  Our awesome sponsor this month is 28 Lilac Lane! Make sure to click the link and visit!! THEN join us and create your project for our challenge at The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge!

Craft with May 

One randomly chosen winner will receive a goodie box filled with an assortment of 28 Lilac Lane embellishment mixes (what you see pictured is just the beginning!) as well as a spot in May’s next online class focusing on embellishments! Whoohoo! 

And here is my project for this month's challenge!

I started off with a wood block scrap and covered it with cream chalk finish paint mixed with crackle paste!

Then I took stencils, stamps and archival inks to create a background!

Once the background was finished, I started punching circles out of scrapbook paper.  They were glued down with matte medium. 

And finally I sprinkled on the buttons and added one of my favorite quotes!!  And I find this saying just so important today! Now, come and join in the challenge!!  We can't wait to see what you all create!!

Mixed Media Challenge Blog #34

And a picture of the back  ...

Tattered Angels Tutorial!

I am so excited to share with you a tutorial that I created for Tattered Angels!  I had so much fun playing with their glazes to make this rustic tulip piece for my house!  Here are just a couple quick pics of the project, but jump on over to the Canvas Corp blog to see the whole tutorial!! 

Just a quick summary of the project ....

Weather the wood background and add some stenciling!

Use Modeling paste to create the tulip embellishments ....

Plan out a picture that you want to create and make your embellishment pieces! 

Print out your text ... 

Visit the Canvas Corp blog to see a much more detailed post about how to create a rustic tulip piece!

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog - Challenge #33

I can't believe it is already February!!  Down here in Atlanta, we haven't really had much of a winter so my trees are already blooming and my spring bulbs are poking through the ground. My fingers are crossed for at least one more little wintery spurt - perhaps a day with snow flurries!  But in the meantime, I am happy to celebrate February with hearts and some sweet inspiration!!  And I HOPE that you will join us as well in our Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #33!!  And if you play, one random player, will be drawn for an awesome gift card from Stampendous!!  We had a blast playing with our stampendous products this month - such an amazing selection!!

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #33

And here is my project this month!

So, this project has changed so many times throughout the last few weeks!! I really wanted pink and red hearts ... I walked through the stores to get some Valentines Day inspiration, but I couldn't do it!! Instead, I ended pulling out the gold and bronze colors to make my hearts.

I also had Embossing Paste by Dreamweaver in black from Stampendous.  And in the spirit of playing around, I added transparent crackle medium to the paste.  It turned out really neat because the matte texture of the paste, crackled up really well!

Then I had the (un-smart) thought to put the colors directly onto top of the background .... ugh. It was SO not working for me.  So I scrubbed off what I could ...

And then I used Paper Artsty Chalk paint in Stone color to cover up the whole wood block to start over again.  

 I used archival ink through the metal Compass stencil from Stampendous ... LOVE this one!

The Vintage Contract text stamp from Stampendous created another layer of texture in the background.  And let me tell you, this is my new favorite stamp ... it is in the background of almost every project I have made since I got it in the mail!! 

I added some more hearts with an old stamp ...

 I stamped the Follow your Heart text onto a big piece of the copper covered paper, cut some hearts out of the paper that I had played with and put all the pieces together!  And I was happy!  Sometimes, you just have to keep adding layers and pushing yourself to create and finish a project!

So .... come play!! Pull out stamps, stencils, paint and get to work on some Sweet Inspiration!!  

"National Inspire your Heart with Art Day"

I am so blessed to have art in my life. Art is such a great way to stretch myself.  I really just am lucky to have found Mixed Media art through my amazing kindred spirit, Kelli.  All it took, was me to see one piece of art that she had created, to know that I really wanted to try.  And so I tried ... and I was hooked.  And now when I am working on a project I feel my stress fall away or I pour what I am feeling in.  You just never know what you are going to find at the end of the journey.

So today, in honor of  "National Inspire Your Heart with Art Day" I created this wood block using a ton of Canvas Corp Brands Products!! 

I used a Scrap of Wood, Canvas Corp Brand Fluted Paper, Canvas Corp Brand Kraft Paper, Archival Inks, Tissue Paper, Matte Medium, Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze Satchel, stencils, and Chalk Paint - Cream colored!

For the first side ... I have my paper hearts and stenciling on the wood block.

For the second side, I have one of my favorite bible verses .... I used tissue paper with the words I printed on to it with my printer! 

Well, I hope that your heart is inspired by art. Go to a museuem, pull out some art supplies and goof around, you might just find something that inspires your heart!

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #32 - Part 2!

So, I hope you are really considering playing with us this month at The Mixed Media Challenge Blog!! It is so much fun to stretch and create something to share with others!! I know you all have some great ideas!!!  And this month, with Stencil Girl Products as our sponsor ... how fantastic would it be to randomly be chosen for a $25 gift certificate!!    

I adored the stencils from Stencil Girl that I was lucky enough to play with this month!  Here is the second stencil that steals the show - Fractured Glass 6!! (Find it here:  http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/s024.htm)

Here is my 2nd Put a Stencil on it Challenge Project!! 

I used the Silver, Gold and Teal Heidi Swapp metallic texture paste again!! I really, really like the way this paste works with stencils! I used a small piece of watercolor paper.

Then I used a plain white gessoed canvas and repeated the stencil all over the canvas with white metallic texture paste. I used an old gift card to spread the paste through the stencil.

And then I kept playing without the camera!! Sorry!! There was a second gold layer that was ripped off the back, you can see just the edge of it ...  and  in the end I had a gold heart on canvas that I frayed the edge (from Heidi Swapp again) and a little Cherish sticker.  I love it! Simple but fun!! 

Come play - I know you will be glad you did!! 

And if you have made it this far ... Whew!  Let me just tell you, that I am a newbie design team member with Canvas Corp ... and I can't wait to start sharing with you some of the new, absolutely amazing new products that Canvas Corp Brand, 7 Gypsies, is going to debut at Creativation (formally known as CHA!)  You are going to LOVE them!!

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #32!!

Welcome 2017!!  Happy New Year to you all and welcome to The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #32!!  Our challenge this month ... Put a Stencil on It, sponsored by Stencil Girl Products!

I absolutely LOVED this challenge!! I had so much fun - I just love the stencils that I got to play with this month!! I actually have two projects ... you will just have to come back on the 15th to see the other one!!

But now, you need to come and play with us at The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge!! Grab your stencils and start to play!!!  Then come and join us so that you can have the random chance to win a prize!!

Stencil Girl Products!

And here is my 1st Project for the Month!

I started out by applying Gesso to the back of an 8x8 deep canvas to strengthen the canvas.

Then I applied gesso and Viva Decor white Crackle paste all over the top! 

After it dried I got out the stencil, an old credit card and Heidi Swapp metallic texture paste. I used both silver and gold!  I also took some silver and wiped it over the dried crackle to give some color to the cracks!  I originally wanted to use this quote, but it ended up not fitting onto the canvas like I wanted!  I'll use it another time! 

This stencil from Stencil Girl is called Rose Window - you can find here at the Stencil Girl Website!

I love, love, love this stencil!! After the metallic paste dried, I put the stencil back on top and put clear crackle paste over the top of the entire stencil for even more crackling effect.

So come and play!! And come back on January 15th and see my next Stencil Girl Project!!