September Mixed Media Challenge Blog #28

Alright, September is here!!! (Please tell me that September means it is going to cool off here in Atlanta, because this summer has been a scorcher!!)  And hopefully, to help us start this cool down is this month's amazingly cool challenge ... Rustic!! Oh boy, I so love rustic farms, barns, old houses, churches, fences ... the list goes on and on!!! So come and join The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge and the Canvas Corp Brand for our amazing challenge this month!!

Canvas Corp Brand is our amazing and amazingly generous sponsor this month!! And one of our amazing challenge players will be randomly selected to win a $25 gift certificate!!  Canvas Corp Brands include .... Canvas Home Basics, Tattered Angels, 7 Gypsies and Bag Works! Be sure to visit their website and browse!!  http://canvascorpbrands.com/

 http://canvascorpbrands.com/

Our Guest Designer is the amazing Lynne Forsythe!  So stop by and give her some love at her blog!

And my rustic project is my favorite church!! This is inspired by an old (ok, from the 1800's) church that I pass by all the time.  A couple of years ago, I sketched it in my sketchbook and made a canvas for an awesome cousin.  And just lately, when looking through my old sketchbooks, it inspired me again ...  I hope it inspires you too!! 

The base was created with pallet wood scraps. I used wood glue and clamps to join them together.  After the glue was dry, the sanding block and tack cloth finished off the job!

This pallet wood was really light, and not really all that rustic.  So, I used the Tattered Angels Naturally Aged Kits, the White Washed Pine, to faux finish my wood!  

First, all the the wood was covered with matte gel because I wanted to make sure the wood wasn't going to soak in all the product the minute it was sprayed/poured on!

After the gel was dry, I followed the directions in the kit!! So stinkin' easy!

But I have to say, when I went to spray the 'white-wash' on ... I couldn't do it!! I just loved the way it looked already!!  

After the faux finish dried, I used scrap paper to create the pieces for the church.  You can see my little sketch there too! 

I used the Canvas Corp Corrugated Cardboard paper and coated it with chalkpaint. After it was cut into the shapes, I actually dipped the edges into the 

faux wood finish paint.  It turned out really cool looking!

The steeple is canvas, part of the building is scrapbook paper and the door is blue burlap.  

The church needed a little color, so Tattered Angel Glimmer mist through a stencil onto the canvas was the perfect addition to the top of the church!

I printed out the words in different fonts onto the thick brown paper from Canvas Corp!

And then ... finishing paints, 

So come and be rustic with us!! Playing along with our challenges is such a great way to get your mixed media mojo going and to perhaps try something new!!  Can't wait to see what you create!! 

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #28!

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge # 27 Travel!!

Oh yes, back again for an awesome August Challenge!!  Travel!! And our amazing guest designer and sponsor this month is Lindsay Weirich!! You might know her as the Frugal Crafter!! She has a an amazing blog and You Tube Channel!  And she has an awesome deal for us this month, if you click here, you can take her Mix It Up class for 50% off!! And I love a good deal!!

And here is my project for the month ....

I love old suitcases! So I wanted to make a couple of them for this month's challenge!!  I started off with two manilla tags and went to town with color, tissue paper and rub-ons!

The background was created with maps,  modeling paste, stamps and paint - just really got my hands super messy!

So come and play with us this month!! Join the challenge and enjoy creating!!

http://mixedmediamc.blogspot.com/2016/08/mixed-media-monthly-challenge-27-travel.html

Just a little block ...

Just a fun summer dreaming project! It is hot outside and that makes me sleepy in the afternoons.  I was having a little tired sketching time and daydreaming about fairy gardens.  And I remembered a Mason jar fairy garden that I had done at one time. The project was sold at a school fair and I wanted to make another similiar one with this little bell jar world!  

First, I copied some vintage wallpaper for the background on my copier and glued it down to the wood block.  Then I drew on the (little bit crooked) bell jar and watercolored it blue. Finally, I played around with some fun paper to create the little world inside the jar!  Just fun to play around!!  Dream a little and create something fun and whimsical!!

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #26 - Reach for the Stars!!

 Okay Mixed Media Fans!!! We are SO excited to bring you our fun challenge this month!!!  You are going to love it and run to your desks to get started!!

This month's Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - Reach for the Stars! And our sponsor and star this month is Seth Apter!!  And the prize for our random winner is a fantastic stamp set from Seth Apter!

http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com

And we have a brand new Mixed Media Team Member this month - please join me in welcoming Clare Messenger!!  Make sure to visit her blog and give her some love!

http://craftyclarey.blogspot.com

And finally, my project for Reach for the Stars .... 

I started with modeling paste on a piece of wood board.  I used a stencil to cover the whole board with script.  

After the modeling paste dried I painted it white with gesso.  I realized that it needed some color and found some gold paint that my kids picked up at Target.  (I know, Target craft paint ... but I LOVE this color!!)

Last month I went to the Mixed Media Night at my local scrapbook store.  Once a month, we have a night that we can get together and go Mixed Media Crazy!  So out fearless leader, Melodie, brought us a great brayer technique to create backgrounds.  I loved it.  So for this project I started it off with blue and navy paint and brayered it all over deli paper! 

After it dried, I wrinkled the deli paper and put gold paint on the raised wrinkled paper.

Then I had a night background, I just needed my stars.  So I embossed some scrapbook paper with clear and gold glitter and cut it out into stars.  

Finally I put all the pieces together! And what is better than a Peter Pan quote - love it! 

Now, come play with us at The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - you will be glad you did!! We have so much fun seeing what everyone does and so I am completely inspired by seeing what other Mixed media artists create!! 

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge!

Mixed Media #25 - 2nd Anniversary!!

Welcome to the 2nd Anniversary Party for The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge!! Woohoo!! 2 awesome years of challenges, fun and tons of prizes!  And, it is never a good month until we start with our challenge and for this month, pick one of your favorite challenges and create!! So pick one of the challenges from this year, and get your month started! 

Our sponsor this month is the Funkie Junkie Boutique! This store is full of amazing items for all your "Frilly and Funkie Projects!"  And one of our amazing players this month, will randomly be drawn to win a $25 gift certificate to the Funkie Junkie Boutique! Awesome!  

Come and create with us!! 

And here is my project for this month!! I chose April's challenge, Dimension and went crazy.  I was trying to break out of my own box and be a little crazy. 

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #24! Butterflies and Blooms!

Welcome back Challengers!! Here we are again with the  Monthly Mixed Media Blog Challenge #24!!  This month we have an awesomely fun challenge!! And the wonderful Ken Oliver is with us this month as our guest designer!! He also has brought with him an awesome prize - one lucky, random challenge player will win a Set of Color Burst Caribbean Brights and a Best Ever Craft Mat!!  (SO awesome, I have really wanted to buy one of those mats myself!!)

SO, come and play with us!! Our theme this month is Butterflies and Blooms! Perfect for this time of year because I am planting the blooms and really hope the butterflies will come!! And also, a really fun challenge for mixed media!!

Here is my project for Butterflies and Blooms!

I started with plain white tissue paper and inked it up with black script!

Next I took ultramaring blue color burst and watercolored it onto watercolor paper.  (But for I mis-calculated and stopped a little short ... you'll see where later!)

Using matte gel, I prepped my canvas and the back of the watercolor paper to stick together!

Using matte gel on the back of the tissue paper, I carefully put the paper down onto the watercolored paper.  Then I gently wrinkled the paper to give some texture to the background.  Then I brushed on Ken Oliver's Liquid Metal in Platinum for some beautiful shimmer!

And the fun part - playing with my colorbursts!  I watercolored with them, I sprinkled them and I used them with stencils!! I loved the way this one came out.  I was working on another canvas and just wanted a frame around the edge.  I placed a piece of watercolor paper in the middle and used a stencil and colorburst. The edge of that canvas turned out great.  The overspray piece,  I LOVED the design and colors so much, I knew I had to use this piece somehow!!  I used Color Burst in Ultramarine Blue and Lemon Yellow to make this.  (I might have also sprinkled on a tiny bit of purple!)

I used tissue paper in my printer to make the text.  I found the quote on Pinterest and tried a couple different fonts and sizes until I found the perfect one.

The stenciled, color-bursted paper was cut into the shapes for the 'hills.'

I glued them all down! But I cut the hills ... and somehow I miscalculated something and the line of the watercolor paper was visible.  Luckily, I just took some colorburst and painted in the missing color part!

Now, somewhere in the middle of playing the colorburst, I used a Linnie Blooms butterfly stencil kit and other stencils to make the butterfly shapes!! Loved them!

Then a little doodling and shading to finish up!  This was so much fun! I made a complete mess of my desk area and my fingers were completely covered in color!!

Now it is your turn!! Go create something with butterflies and blooms!! So much fun and I can't wait to see what you all come up with yourselves!!  Come and visit us at The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge!