Mixed Media Canvas - Spread Your Wings

See prize drawing info at the end of my post!

I can't believe it's already been a year and a half! My design time with The Crafters Workshop has come to an end over more than a year of designing with their amazing products. It's been a great ride! TCW has always had a special place in my heart. I sold their products when I owned a store and their stencils were the very first ones I used when I decided to try out this new art thing called mixed media. Not only do they consistently produce a wide variety of stencil designs, but last year they introduced an incredible line of mixed media products, including paints, gessos, modeling pastes, and more. A HUGE thanks to the entire TCW crew! Thank you for selecting me to be on your team and for providing me with enough products to last me a lifetime!

Above are a few photos of my last design team post. I also created a video walking you through my creative process. This was actually a really quick and easy project and it was fun to use some Prima products that have been tucked away in my stash for years. I hope you enjoy and please offer your support to TCW!

And since this is my last TCW design team post, leave a comment on this post by July 28 to be entered into a drawing for a set of free stencils! Be sure to leave your contact info so that I can reach you if you're the winner!

Happy Crafting!

Supplies:

-Canvas Panel 

-Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste 

-Positivity Stencil 

-Glazing Medium  

-Dina Wakley Paint 

-Gel Medium 

-Prima Mechanicals 

-Prima Memory Hardware  

-Glass Glitter 

-Finnabair Don't Forget to Fly Stamp Set 

-Distress Oxide Inks 

-Ink Daubers

Inspiration Wednesday - Week 8

A quick and easy project to share with you today, using decorative napkins! Seriously, this is genius! I know, folks have been using napkins for all kinds of craft projects, but this is the first time I dipped my toe in the napkin waters, and let me tell you, the water was fine!

My only challenge? Finding napkins! Where do you find those babies? I ended up finding these stashed in my kitchen pantry, a left over (I think from the dollar store) from last Thanksgiving. And what do you know, these napkins contain a few of my favorite things...flowers, script text, and butterflies. That's a happy find! Now that I've collaged with these napkins...I need more!

This layout was based upon Donna's IW video from a few weeks ago. It's a simple project, consisting of napkins, a few manila tags, stamps, and some Distress Ink. The beautiful "Hello Sunshine" stamp, which goes perfectly with the napkin design, is from my sweet friend Catherine Scanlon. You can find all of her stamps here. The other random stamp designs, seen on the smaller tags, are from Prima. And, yes, the number 49 is my age...but a few more months until the big 5-0! Ugh...I'm going to need a month long crafting spree to get over that hump! LOL!

Hope you enjoy today's layout...happy crafting!

Inspiration Wednesday - Week 5

Hello strangers! Sorry for the long absence from my blog. I actually have a lot to share, just haven't had a lot of time to write and upload photos. Hard to find time for everything lately as I have some big news, which the quote included in my week five Inspiration Wednesday project kind of alludes to...

Get ready because it's a doozey! We're moving back to NH! That's right...our time in CT is to be short lived. We don't have a specific time frame yet as we need to find a home, but my hubby starts a new job in a few weeks.

This certainly wasn't part of our plans. I mean who moves state-to-state twice in six months?! That's craziness! And I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it, but it seems to be the way that things have worked out. (Unless there's another plot twist around the corner...oh man, I hope not!) 

Long story short, the new job here wasn't working out. My husband loved the work, but there were some other issues that were unable to be resolved. We knew that a job change was in the near future, but we didn't know how near. He was contacted by someone he interviewed with over the summer, who is now ready to hire. It's a great opportunity and I'm so excited for him! Of course this means we need to go through the entire moving process again, but I couldn't be happier! I'll dearly miss some folks we've become friends with in CT, but I feel that we're returning to our home. And I suspect that we'll be back in CT for many vacations in the coming years...

Now on to this week's project!

This was a tough week for me...I reworked these pages a bunch before I was happy. Donna had used a giant number stencil on her page, but I didn't have anything similar so I went with the heart texture stencil (from Donna Downey), which didn't work quite as well as the letters were a little small.

There are many layers of paint on these pages...paint, glazing medium, more paint, and a new product from Finnabair, Thick Modeling Paste.

Once my many layers were dry I added a hint of black by using a few Crafters Workshop stencils. My favorite part of this project are the tiny bits of teal showing through on the pages and the heart. Oh, I used a 3D Gloss Gel for the heart, which is a new Prima product. Want step-by-step instructions for creating a similar project, check out Donna Downey's Inspiration Wednesday videos. It's only $35 for 25 classes! Interested in supplies I used? Check out the links below:

Supplies:

-Donna Downey Art Journal

-Heart Texture Stencil

-Prima Art Basics (3D Gloss Gel and Thick Modeling Paste)

-Glazing Medium

-Golden Acrylics

-Believe Script Stencil

-Specimens Stencil

Live Beautifully

Hi all! Today I'm sharing a completed art journal spread that was created during my "Art Journaling Made Simple" class, which took place at my house a few weeks ago. (Be sure to sign up for my newsletter, link on the right hand side of the blog, to receive class updates!)

During the class we focused on creating three unique backgrounds. I managed to fully finish two art journal spreads...the third one still needs finishing! (We're planning a round two of the class to complete our pages)

This was a really easy page to create and most of my details were added with Faber Castell Big Brush Markers. (Link to products at the end of my post)

I started by covering both pages with Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap (we worked in the small Dylusions journal) using Matte Medium to adhere the pages.

The next step was to cover the pages with a combination of Distress Paint colors. I used Evergreen Bough and Weathered Wood.

Once the paint was dry, I used an older Prima stencil, Floral Rose, and embossing paste to add the flowers and small white dots. (I confess that I got a little crazy with the tiny dots on this layout!)

When the paste was dry, I used Dina Wakley acrylic paints to color in the details. You'll notice that I colored a complete flower, not just the areas with the paste, which is what is seen using the stencil. The purple sitting on just the paste didn't look right so I filled in all of the flower areas. I loved the end result as the flowers look more dimensional.

I create a lot of shading using Faber Castell Big Brush Markers and more paint. As a final tough, I went around a few of the paste spots with a black Stabilo pencil. Using a waterbrush, I went over the Stabilo pencil to blend the black and create shading.

The quote on the right was part of the stencil so I just used black paint to stencil the letters. I did go over the letters with a black Sharpie to beef up the width of each letter. The tiny black dots are from the Tiny Circles stencil from The Crafters Workshop.

I hope you enjoyed today's art journal layout! I'll be teaching an art journal basics class next Friday (October 23) at the Michaels in Epping, NH. Details can be found here. 

Supply List:

Small Dylusions Journal

Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste

Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap

Distress Paint

Dina Wakley Acrylic Paint

Stabilo Pencil

Tiny Circles Stencil from The Crafters Workshop

Floral Rose Stencil from Prima

Never Forsaken and Class Details

Hi folks! I'm back with a quick photo tutorial of my latest art journal layout. At the end of today's post is more detailed information about upcoming classes so be sure to read or scroll to the end for that information!

I started by covering an already painted art journal spread with a sewing pattern. (Sewing patterns make great art journal coverings!) I just used Matte Medium to adhere the pages.

Like many of my art journal pages, they start with a basic idea of what I want to communicate. This page was on my mind during an entire day as I thought about recent unsettling events. My husband got laid off from his 17-year job back in March. It's been almost six months and he's still unemployed (thankfully, we still have severance). It's been a stressful and emotional time as we consider all of our options, which include moving to another state, selling our house, severely downsizing, me going back to work full-time, etc. To be honest, my faith has been challenged....will I trust God even in the midst of a great trial? Granted this isn't the greatest trial a family could face, but things feel much more daunting when you have young children who need and depend on your care and provision. If my husband and I were without children, we would have already taken this adventure on the road in our RV! LOL! So with so many thoughts weighing heavily on my mind, I was greatly encouraged by a hymn we sang in church, and I wanted to capture a line from that hymn in my journal.

Next I added a few shades of Distress Paint, one of my favs for creating backgrounds because it remains slightly transparent, unless you use multiple layers, and blends wonderfully.

I also used Wendy Vecchi's embossing paste and stencils from Donna Downey and Tim Holtz to add another textual layer. PS - I LOVE embossing paste...I know, you knew that already, didn't you?

I then added some Dylusions Ink Spray, this was Crushed Grape. To be honest, I kind of wish I stopped right here because what I did next added to many more layers and work. However, this was a great experiment in persevering and continuing to work until I was happy once again with the results.

For this next layer, I mixed one part umber paint (Dina Wakley) with one part glaze, and then covered the entire piece with this mixture, let it set for about a minute, and wiped away the excess with baby wipes. This technique, which I learned from Donna Downey, really adds character and age to any project. I'm in love with the way the glaze sinks into all of the cracks and crevices. Dreamy... The only problem is that now my heart kind of disappeared into the background.

Before I started messing more with my heart, I did add some Glass Beads (Liquitex) and Glass Glitter (Finnabair) to three sections of my heart. The glitter looks amazing and the beads can be painted to blend in with the background, while continuing to add texture. Oh, and a bit more stencils, with a chevron pattern from The Crafters Workshop, and Distress Ink, as well as the addition of some stamping in black. The cracked glass stamp is from an older Tim Holtz stamp set. Now let's get on with the ugly...

By this point I had added my quote, using two different stamp sets from Tim Holtz. However, I still wasn't happy with the heart...so I added hot pink paint...ummm...no...

Gesso to the rescue! And I don't mind that the pink is not entirely covered...at least the white allowed the heart to stand out more. I should also mention that I sometimes take photos of my project as I'm working on it. The photos allow you to see more detail, especially after you've been staring at the same page for a few hours. One of my earlier photos included a color scheme that I really liked so my goal was to get back to the former look. Gesso was just the first step...PS - I LOVE gesso too!

Here's after reworking the heart. I added more of the background paint color and used more Dylusions Ink Spray. I also needed to reapply some of the chevron stenciling. I was almost happy at this point, but those letters in the heart needed to stand out more...

So...I added just a hint of white, gently rubbing gesso over the raised areas. That helped to bring the letters forward while the rest of the heart remained embedded in the background. This is the entire finished spread (forgive my glare...I really need to find some diffused light! LOL!) I love how the glitter and beads are now part of the background of the heart instead of appearing to be separate elements. I never would have achieved that look had I not added more layers. So...the moral of the story? Don't give up! Not on your art, even if you don't like the way it looks the first time around, and not on trusting the One who holds the future securely in His hands...even if you don't know what that future is yet...I guess more layers still need to be added to our lives...

And now...Class Updates!

1. I am now officially a new Michaels instructor! And my first FREE class will be on Monday, September 14 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. The free class is an opportunity for me to meet some of the Michaels customers and to learn the ropes of teaching in the store. 

         The class will be focused on using Faber Castell Gelatos. During the class we'll create          eight swatch pages and them combine them into a swatch journal. Fun! Everyone is              invited so if you have time, please stop by for a free demo and to say hello! I'll be at              the Michaels in Epping, NH. The following products are required for the class, and                may be purchased at the or brought with you to class:

• Faber Castell Designing with Gelatos Kit
• Faber Castell PITT Artist Pen
• Faber Castell Gel Medium
• Recollections Scrapbook Paper - Book Print
• Artist's Loft Plastic Pallet Knife Set
• Artist's Loft Pallet Cups

1. My first home class with by on Saturday, October 3 from 1:00-5:00 pm. The topic with be "Art Journaling Made Simple." Cost will be $50 and I'll have a more detailed description of the class next week. If you're interested in signing up for this class, held in Fremont, NH, please email me at ksdm@comcast.net.

Thanks so much and I hope you enjoyed today's project!!

Life Book - Lesson #2

 

 

 This week's lesson was a fairly simple one; create a tag!  I have a ton of unfinished tags in my stash, left over from many days of demonstrating techniques (not never finishing a project), so I simply found a pre-inked tag and added all kinds of goodies!

The background was created with Distress Paint and then I added stamping and tissue wrap, which looks amazing on top of painted surfaces...transparent, but an obvious extra layer.  LOVE!  I then added the photo (from Tim's Found Relatives Cards) and embellishments.  There's washi tape, filmstrip ribbon, chipboard letters (covered with some white paint), metal embellishments, and my reminder to "show kindness everyday."  The word GRACE at the bottom is my word for 2015...

Enjoy!

Moments Altered Clock

 

 I found a brand new (new to me) challenge last week and I had to play along!  It's the Mixed Media Place challenge, found it from following a link on France Papillon's blog (she's an insanely talented mixed media artist), and this month's challenge was to create a 3-D project.

I picked up a Prima clock months ago, along with a whole bunch of embellishments, and have had an idea on what I wanted to create for a while.  The MMP challenge made me spring into action as I realized I now had a "reason" to start this project!  (Why is it that we sometimes need a deadline to start and/or finish making art!)

I really liked the original finish of the clock...old metal...but I wanted to add either some dimension or additional color.  I wasn't really sure what direction my paint brush would take me so I decided to start with vintage book pages...you can never go wrong with vintage text!  Here's what my clock looked like after adding the text...

I just added random torn pieces of book paper, all edged with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink and applied with Multi-Medium Matte finish.  Once the glue was dried, I painted over the entire piece with a combination of Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge Distress Paint.  Humm...wasn't loving the look...the colors were too bright for me.  I added a hint of Polished Brass Distress Paint and then I called it a night.  (I forgot to take a photo of this step!)  When I got up the next morning and looked at the clock...I knew I had to cover the paint.  The color was all wrong...so I started to lightly add a layer of Beach Hut PaperArtsy paint.  The Beach Hut paint is slightly translucent so I could still see a bit of the other paint colors and the shimmer from the Brass paint was dreamy.  I started with light coats of the Beach Hut paint, knowing I could add more.  Here's the next coat of paint:

Isn't that dreamy?  Now I was getting the look that I wanted.  The text got a bit covered up by the layers of paint, but I really like the texture that the paper gives to the clock.  Now, you know I couldn't not add some brown to the clock so I got busy with Wendy Vecchi Potting Soil Archival Ink.  I needed Archival Ink, not Distress Ink, as I was going over acrylic paints.  I added the ink to all of the edges of the clock and any raised areas...

The addition of the Potting Soil ink really adds to the age and depth of the paint.  I adore it!  (Need to try this same technique on a canvas!)

The nice thing about the clock is that the entire back can be removed so you can work on a flat surface..just like a card or mini canvas!  I added a whole bunch of embellishments, layering them all before I got busy with my glue gun.  I also added tiny bits of moss to the background and paint flecks on some of the metal pieces.  (Oh, I started by gluing down a piece of designer paper).  Here's the finished inside of the clock:

I knew that I was going to use a cut out photo of my boys as the centerpiece of the clock so I placed the photo on the clock back and then laid out the embellishments around the photo.  This helped me put everything into the correct spot and that's why the right hand side of the circle only has the moss...the photo will be standing in front of the moss.

Next I re-attached the clock back, added the photo cutout (my photo was printed on a matte, heavy weight cardstock), and got to work on the outside of the clock.  I added a bunch of metal embellishments (all colored with Teakwood Alcohol Ink so they would all be the same color), painted flowers, and moss to finish the decorations.  Below are some more close up photos of the outside:

I love the tiny bird nest...so cute and it works perfectly with the moss and mesh flower petals.  The metal swirls on top of the clock are lots of fun too!

I used a large metal swirl to add as a platform for the flowers (and burlap flowers are the perfect pairing with photos of sweet boys!) and once the flowers were attached, I hot glued the entire piece to the clock.  A few metal pieces, and these sweet resin gears from the Prima are the bomb!  The tiny hot air balloon is from a chipboard set, also Prima, that I've had in my stash for months.  Here's another view, looking inside the clock:

I'm just giddy about how this turned out and this piece is just perfect on our fireplace mantle (as shown in the first photo of this post).  I think my hubby is going to add a tiny light on the inside of the clock so that you can peek in to see all of the decorative goodness inside...of course my darling boys are the best part of the entire piece!!  Love those smoochie-boys!

Be sure to check out this month's Mixed Media Place challenge!!