Viva Decor Painters Tray

Hi there and welcome toWednesday!  Today I'm sharing some sneak peeks of an upcoming project that I'll be teaching at the eclectic Paperie studio in Exeter, NH.  (Looking for the studio location?  Go here!)  The class will be held on July 26 from 1-5 pm and the class will feature a wide variety of the Viva Decor product line.  And PS - I LOVE their product line...amazing products!  You can register for the class here.

I'm not going to go in to too many details about how to create this piece, 'cause you need to sign up for the class, but I'm going to share a few of the trays and products.  Each of the tray backgrounds will feature one of the products in the Viva line...First up is Ferro!

 

Ferro is this concrete like substance that has a very rough texture when dry, and is very gritty when wet.  You can also water down Ferro to create an almost watercolor type paint.  This box features Ferro with a stencil.  Swoon...

Next is Inka Gold and Metallic Crackle Paint (these two lines are used on a few of the trays).  Don't you just love the sheen and peeling paint look?  Makes me weak in the knees!  And that's Ferro on the orange butterfly; crackle paint on the purple.

This tray features another peek at the Metallic Crackle Paint through a stencil, along with Silks Acrylic Glaze in the background.

On this tray we'll use embossing paste, stencils, and 3-D Stamp Paint.  I'm not sure why it's called 3-D Stamp Paint as it's not very 3-D when it's dry! LOL!  It does, however, have a great shimmer.  More Ferro on the bird cage...I can't get enough Ferro!

This tray contains 3-D Stamp paint, through a stencil, and Inka Gold...yup, you can paint with Inka Gold!  And, of course, more Ferro on the bird and goblet...or egg holder.

This last tray is showing off more Ferro through a stencil along with a swirl covered with Inka Gold...check out that shine! 

Interested in learning more?  If you're local, sign up for the class (only SIX seats in this class and a few are already sold so sign up ASAP to grab a spot).  If you're not local, keep an eye out for videos showcasing some of the techniques we'll cover in the class.  If you're interested in the Viva Decor product line, you can see all of our available products here.

Enjoy!

Art Journaling - Wonderful Life

 

Hi folks and welcome to Monday!  I'm back with another journal page, created from the many store samples I made when offering a make 'n take a few months ago.  If you compare this page with the one I posted here, you'll notice that the backgrounds are similar...One to two colors with some black on the edges and simple stenciling in the background.  I've found that this is the best way to start a page...keep your backgrounds simple and then layer.  You'll never be disappointed!  (And if you are...just gesso!)  

The stamped design on the edges of this page, in black, are from Dina Wakley's Textures stamp set.  (See all product links at the end of my post).  The circles are just the top of a Distress Paint bottle, dipped in black paint and Dylusions White Linen ink spray.  Easy peasy!

My top layer involved a simple tag.  You can see that the tag already had some blue ink on it, probably from some other project I started a while ago, and I just used a Tim Layering Stencil to add some design to the tag background.  I then stamped a flower from a Wendy Vecchi stamp set on to the tag, which was colored with Copic Markers.  I stamped the same flower a second time, on plain cardstock, and colored again.  The second flower was then cut out and attached to the tag.  I ripped the bottom portion of the tag and then used a blending tool to age all of the edges before attaching to my art journal page.  The torn bottom piece of my tag was attached, using the Tiny Attacher, to the upper right hand side of the page.  All of the words and the butterfly are all part of a package of Remnant Rubs.  Super quick page to create...Enjoy and hope today's post has inspired you to create something new today!  (Product links below)

Supplies:

Strathmore Mixed Media Paper

Dylusions Ink Sprays

Textures Stamp Set

Botanical Remnant Rubs

Latticework Layering Stencil

I used an older Wendy stamp but a number of her new sets would work perfectly!

 

Altered Playing Cards

 

 In early June, I had the pleasure of meeting Seth Apter for the first time after emailing with him for many months regarding a class that he was going to teach at the studio.  And every once in a while I decide to take a class at my own studio...'cause that's one of the fun things about store ownership!  I knew immediately that I wanted to take Seth's class...altered playing cards.  Seriously, how much fun is altering 52 cards...tiny little works of art...I couldn't pass up the opportunity to learn about Seth's style of creating.  And I was not disappointed.  Seth is a great instructor...we all had an amazing time in class.  Thanks, Seth!

Today, I'm sharing two of my favorite cards that I've finished. I think I've finished five or six so far in total and the goal is to complete at least one a week for an entire year.  Humm...I better get busy on finishing a few!

During the class, we mostly focused on creating the paint layers on the cards and just barely scratched the surface on finishing the decorating.  We started by covering all of our cards with black gesso.  I initially only covered once side, loving the look of the card backs, but have ended up applying gesso to most of the backs as I've been using that space for journaling.  We all arrived with pre-gesso'd cards and then got to work on adding more paint.  Seth likes to mix his acrylics with glazing fluid, which makes the paint translucent.  This allows you to apply multiple colors of paint, while still being able to see some of the black (or other colors) on the card base.  The glazing fluid also leaves the card with a lovely shine...not too glossy but just a hint.  Great contrast between the matte finish of the gesso.  Once our paint layers were dry (and if I did this again, I'd add more color.  These are a bit too dark for my taste but I do like the pop of bright teal!), we used stencils and other objects to add a bit more design.  Of course I had to add splatter to every card!

 Once I got home I was a bit obsessed with finishing some cards...once those ideas start, it's hard to not run to the studio and forget all about feeding the family and cleaning the house!  I grabbed some vintage papers and added a bit of text to most of my cards (the house on the first card and the circles on the second) and I even dug through some of my old scrapbooking stash and found some great little icons to use on the card, like this doll that I aged and added a glitter heart.  I'm thinking that these cards are the perfect canvas for using up old lettering and other misc. pieces that have been forgotten.  I can't wait to make more and then end up with 52 completed cards...a tiny diary of life over the past year...I think it's time to get back in to the studio...

Enjoy and check out supply links below!

Acrylic Paints (PaperArtsy are the perfect choice)

Black Gesso

The Crafters Workshop Stencils

Glazing Fluid

White Gel Pen

Art Journaling - Where There is Love

 

I confess that I was a bit slow to grab hold of this whole art journaling thing.  Truth be told, when I first bought the store (eclectic Paperie), I'd never even heard of folks like Dina Wakley and Christy Tomlinson and the idea of using paint and ink sprays to make journal pages was foreign to me.  I was a card maker and for some reason thought that's what I'd always be.  But the eP customer base was hot for mixed media projects and products so I figured if I was going to sell it then I'd better start using the products.  It was kind of a rocky start, boy did I make a lot of muddy pages, but I kept taking classes, watching blogs, and playing with the products.  And I have never had SO. MUCH. FUN.  I love this type of creating, love journaling, love every single bit of this type of artwork.  Swoon...

I have a bunch of projects, just pages I've created here and there that I've never shared and I'm trying to get better about consistently blogging so here's the first of one of those pages!

This page started as a free make 'n take that I offered in the store, using Dylusions Ink Sprays and stencils to create background pages.  All we did during the make 'n take was spray a page, use a stencil, and added a few stamped images (need that neutral in the background!)  After the make 'n take, I came home with a ton of this colorful pages, just begging for more!  (You can find all product links at the end of this post).

To this page, I added a drip of hot pink ink spray...love the contrast of the pink against the yellow/orange.  I then stamped one of Dina's scribbly women on a piece of watercolor paper and used watercolors for filling in the face and shirt.  A punched butterfly made the perfect hair accessory!  For the tag, I spread Distress Ink on to a stencil, spritzed the stencil with water, and pressed the stencil on to the tag...great technique and I love the look.  Then I glued the tag to my page, added a few pieces of tissue tape, and layered the image on the tag.  I then stamped the sentiment on another tag, cut out the individual words and applied to the tag.  I think this baby may be one of my favorites...

Enjoy today's page and dip your toe into the art journaling pond...the water is fine...(product links below!)

• Dylusions Ink Sprays
• Dylusions Stencils
• Tim Holtz Layering Stencils
• All for the Gals Dina Wakley stamp set
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
• Collaged Hearts Dina Wakley stamp set
• Textured Dina Wakley stamp set
• Koi Watercolor Set
• #5 Manila Tags