A piece of home.....

When our kids leave home

to pursue their dreams.....

it can be hard during the holidays!

Knowing this....
I decided to create something for my son,
it can be used as a Christmas Tree Ornament
then as a
PIECE OF HOME
to hang in his room once the holidays are over!

The base of my creation is an
ArtC ~ Wood Pallet Surface ~ 3" x 4.5"

I pulled out a package of ArtC ~ Adhesive stencils
and tube of Ultra Chalk ~ White

I applied the Ultra Chalk with a paint brush,
then I lifted the stencil and placed it over the remainder
of the Wood Pallet and dried the chalk.

I then applied a layer of
ArtC ~ Gel Stain ~ Chestnut
and wiped off the excess with a baby wipe.

LOVE THE LOOK!

I wanted to have some Twine for my project

but not blue,

so I painted the twine with

ArtC ~ Gel Stain ~ Chestnut.

When the twine was dry,

I pulled the strands of the twine apart.

I gathered a few pieces of New Hampshire nature,

and acorn cap for the cover of the

ArtC ~ Clear Dome Bottle

and a piece of evergreen for inside the bottle and

a couple of Hemlock Pinecones

to finish off the piece!

I chose a few embellishments from
an ephemera collage kit I had on hand.
I painted the wood chippie "love" with
ArtC ~ Gel Stain.

I hope my boy loves this

PIECE OF HOME....

.....as much as I did creating it!!!

Six Years Ago.....

Six Years Ago....this month

I was contacted by the folks are Reminisce

announcing I was the GRAND PRIZE winner

of their 2010 Design Team Search!

I remember that day soooo CLEARLY!
I scared my entire family
as I let out a loud WHAAHOOOP!

So when the folks at Ella and Viv Paper Company
(sister company to Reminisce)
contacted me to showcase some of their new
paper collections.....I was HONORED!

Here is what I created with their
Vintage Backgrounds Collections.

I began my creation by pulling out a

12 x 12 Black Canvas by Canvas Corp Brands

and the GORGEOUS Vintage Background papers...

I cut the papers into various geometric shapes

and adhered the shapes to my canvas

using Ranger's ~ Multi Medium Matte.

When dry, I cut a heart from copy paper

and placed it on my canvas.

Then, I chose

The Crafter's Workshop ~ Organic Matter Stencil

and applied

Perfect Paints ~ Perfect Clear Texture Gel,

rather heavy handily!

When it was dry,

I created a heart with some Lacelon,

a vintage plastic lace

and adhered it to the masked heart area.

This is when it get's scary....

I applied a mixture

of equal parts

Perfect Paints ~ Perfect Glaze Medium

and 

Perfect Paints ~ Aged Copper Shimmering Matte Acrylic

and applied it over the entire canvas....

and waited!

After a minute or so

(which seemed like years)

I used baby wipes to remove the excess.

The results are SOOO WORTH the panic!

See how the the paint remained in the crevices!

With my finger, I applied various

Perfect Paints ~ Shimmering Matte Acrylic

Sangria, Bright Gold, Peony, and Red Wagon

to my heart....

which all matched SOOO WELL

with the Ella and Viv's Paper Company

 Vintage Background #6.

I used Faber Castell ~ Big Brush Pen ~ Walnut Brown

around the edges of the heart to create depth!

To accent my canvas,

I pulled out a couple packages of

Petaloo ~ Chantilly Mixed Blooms

Lilac/Purple, Sienna and Mauve

to create my flower cluster.

I added leaves cut from Tim Holtz ~ Tattered Leaves

cut from Canvas Corp Brands ~ Avocado Burlap

accented with

Tattered Angels ~ Glimmer Glam ~ Lime Cordial.

I finished off my canvas with one of my FAVORITE stamps

designed by Yvonne Blair/ Impression Obsession.

I stamped on a piece of

Canvas Corp Brands ~ Tissue Stock ~ Ivory

with Ranger's ~ Archival Ink ~ Jet Black

and adhered to it to my canvas

with Ranger's ~ Multi Medium ~ Matte.

I hope you have enjoyed my creative process,

I KNOW I DID!

A BIG THANK YOU to folks at

Ella and Viv Paper Company

for thinking of me and

giving me the opportunity to create with their

FABULOUS papers!

I can be CHANGED.....

I like to be CHALLENGED...

I like to step outside of my creative box....
on this project I did JUST THAT!

I received my inspiration after discovering
the online flower delivery company BloomNation.
While popping around their website I came across their
Pinterest page and ALL THE beautiful boards.
Y'all know my LOVE FOR FLOWERS!

I perused their board ~ Home Inspiration
and created my own Inspiration Board.

I wanted this to be a BIG canvas,

but honestly it SCARED ME!
So, I went to my art journal to try my ideas out.

You can check out my blog post here.

I had to rethink my flowers as they are from

The Crafter's Workshop ~ Daily Buzz stencil

and wouldn't be large enough for my 16 x 20 canvas.

I knew exactly what I wanted to use!

I had recently purchased

 Fabric Elements designed by Rebekeah Meier from Joann Fabric,

Fabric Quarters and Gauze Fabric which were just PERFECT
for the idea I had rattling around in my head!

I created my own pattern and cut the flowers

from the various Fabric Quarters ~ Fabric Elements 

and colored the fabric flowers with

Perfect Paints ~ Shimmering Matte Acrylic

Red Wagon

Coral

Cantaloupe and

Bright Gold.

The paint stiffened the fabric but not enough to my liking,

so I painted on a layer of Ranger ~ Multi Medium

to the back side of the flowers.

I dried, crumpled and created a pom pom centers

from various Canvas Corp Brands ~ Jute for my flowers.

I then cut various leaf shapes from the Fabric Elements ~ Gauze

and colored the fabric with

Tattered Angels ~ Glimmer Glam ~ Lime Cordial.

I attached the colored leaves to Paper Covered Wire with

Stem Wrap Tape purchased from Joann Fabric.

The background on my canvas was created by applying a layer of

vintage McCall magazine pages with Multi Medium.

I then applied a layer of Gesso,

followed by randomly placed bricks created with

The Crafter's Workshop ~ Brick stencil

and Perfect Paints ~ White Stucco.

I finished off my canvas with a quote that speaks

deeply to my heart!

I hope you have enjoyed my creative journey

I KNOW I DID!!

Thank you the flower delivery company
 BloomNation for the opportunity to be
inspired by your Pinterest board
and for pushing my creative boundaries!

Playing along with The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge and ARTastic Challenge

PRODUCTS USED:

PERFECT PAINTS

Shimmering Matte Acrylic Paint

Red Wagon

Coral

Cantaloupe

Bright Gold

Shadow

Tarnished Silver

Aged Copper

White Stucco

THE CRAFTER'S WORKSHOP

Bricks

Believe Script

REBEKAH MEIER DESIGNS
FABRIC ELEMENTS

Fabric Quarters

Papillon

Specimens

Sketch Lines

Gauze Fabric

PETALOO INTERNATIONAL

Burlap Blossoms x 4 ~ Green

Burlap Blossoms x 4 ~ Ivory

Burlap Blossoms x 11 ~ Ivory

Mini Pearl Daisies ~ Pistachio

CANVAS CORP BRANDS

Tattered Angels ~ Glimmer Glam

Lime Cordial

Hemp Rope Hank

Red

Yellow

Natural

Take time.....

TO DO WHAT YOU WANT.....

What an AMAZING stamp created by Yvonne Blair Designs!!!
I DID start this project with a class in mind....
when it wasn't turning out how I had envisioned it
....I let the creative process have it's way.

I had begun with applying Multi Medium to a canvas
then I spritzed a page from a
1973-1974 McCall's Needlework and Crafts Magazine
and squinched it into the Multi Medium.
I dried it with my heat tool then applied a layer of
Perfect Paints ~ Pearl Plaster ~ Bavarian Cream.

It wasn't the look I was looking for so I began to randomly

tear off the magazine page....
This is when I fell in LOVE
with what happened!

(sorry I wish I had a picture for you)

I then pulled out Perfect Paints ~ White Stucco
and randomly applied it to the canvas with a palette knife.

I then mixed a bit of
Perfect Paints ~ Shimmering Matte Acrylic ~ Rainstorm
with Perfect Paints ~ Perfect Glaze Medium

and applied it all over the canvas.

I waited a minute then wiped off the excess with a baby wipe.

I LOVED how this worked as it "stuck" to the
White Stucco but not to the Pearl Plaster.

I had created a Perfect Paints Shimmering Matte Acrylic Spray
by mixing equal parts of Bright Gold and Aged Copper
with an equal part of water.

I spritzed it on my canvas and let it drip.....
I wasn't quite happy so I stenciled a bit of
Perfect Paints ~ Shimmering Matte Acrylic ~ Shadow
through The Crafter's Workshop stencil ~ Thoughts!

I used a lot of "misfits" to finish off my canvas.

A previously stenciled and spritzed

 piece of CCB E Flute ~ Black.

A leftover torn piece of CCB C Flute ~ Kraft

that I used to sop up leftover paint.

I scrap piece of vintage lace.

All tied up with a piece of Jute and

finished off with Yvonne Blair Designs stamp.

Now to get back to creating the background for my
upcoming class......
HAPPY CREATING!!

Together we can.....

What a WONDERFUL summer it has been....
I was SOOO BLESSED to have the opportunity to
to spend the week on the Maine Coastline...

I wanted to remember the AMAZING time so I created
this wall hanging.

I had picked up a "wooden palette fence" piece

at a local big box store.

This is what the "wooden palette fence" looked like
(minus the paint)
before I began my creative process.

I went to my Perfect Paints stash and pulled out

I scooped out some Perfect Paints ~ White Stucco

and GENTLY folded in a bit of

Shimmering Matte Acrylic ~ Halo and Aged Copper.

The key to making this work is

NOT MIXING the products together completely.

I applied the mixture with a palette knife to achieve this

"weathered fence" look!

HOW AWESOME!!!

I stapled a bit of Chicken Wire to my "fence"

and created a flower spray

using various Petaloo blooms

Botanica Bloom

Mini Pearl Daisies

and Petites

along with a bit of ephemera.

I love the quote I chose to finish off my piece....

"Together we can face any challenges...

as deep as the ocean

and as high as the sky."

I hope you have enjoyed my creative process....

wishing you a

WONDERFUL,

CREATIVE DAY!!

Getting my GROOVE ON!!

I was SOOO EXCITED when I opened my "HAPPY MAIL"
containing my new GROOVE tool along with a few other goodies!

I couldn't wait to play....

I LOVE trying new products to see how they works!
So, I chose not to watch any video....
just open the box and begin PLAYING!!

See.....I used the "ink sponge" to apply my paint

but I TOTALLY loved how it worked!!

Now, that I had tried it....
now it was time to bring my creating on!!!

I sanded the papers...using the course sand tip

applied paint through a stencil....using the ink tip

(yup I did it again)

I even used the ink tip....to apply INK!

I must say....some times when applying ink...

I didn't turn the tool on...

especially when I was inking the fabric flower.

I truly enjoyed my creative process

and my new GROOVE tool...

Now, the one thing you have to remember is....

this is a battery operated tool.

If you apply too much pressure, while using

the tool, it will bog the it down!

It really doesn't require much pressure

to get the GROOVE tool to spin it's magic!!

I hope you have enjoyed my creative process....

'cause I KNOW I did!!

AND I LOVE my new GROOVE TOOL!!

Products Used:

Art-C

Groove Tool

ephemera collage kit

Perfect Paints

White Stucco

Shimmering Matte Acrylic Paint

Halo

Tarnished Silver

Espresso

Aged Copper

Ranger InkWendy Vecchi's Archival Ink

Tree Branch

Potting Soil

Hydrangea

Distress Stain ~ Peeled Paint

Creative EmbellishmentsBirds

Flourish 32

The Crafter's WorkshopHexagon (small)

Alhambra

Bo BunnyGratitude

MORE art journaling LOVE!

I've been having sooo much fun watching 

INSPIRATION WEDNESDAY

and being inspired.

Now, I like to use Donna's video as a 

jumping off spot...

My inspiration for this journal creation 

6.25.14

As I didn't have alot of items Donna used SO
 I decided to create a list...

Black Circles

Pink

Cherry Blossoms

Lots of White

a stencil with Mist

Numbers

Gesso

I began by using pages from an old ledger
to cover my Journal.
I then painted on a thin layer of Gesso.
When dry....
I applied a layer of Perfect Paints ~ Perfect Glaze Medium.

I didn't have any "wrapping" papers so I chose to use
some Vintage Lace Curtains instead,
applied with Multi Medium ~ Matte.

I then mixed a bit of Perfect Paints ~ White Stucco with
some Tattered Angels Crushed Shells,
when all mixed,
I folded in a bit more White Stucco,
and applied, with a palette knife,
over the vintage lace curtains.

Then I applied another layer of Gesso with a palette knife

randomly on my journal.

I couldn't wait to apply my black circles....I used a jelly jar.

I applied them randomly on my spread.

Now was the time to add the PINK....

PINK??? not usually my "go to" color.

I used an eye dropper full of Cup Cake Glimmer Glam

and splattered away. FUN!!

Next, I used another item on my list

a stencil by The Crafter's Workshop ~ Quartrefoil Reversed

and some mist ~ Coffee Shop by Tattered Angels.

AHHHH....not sure why this step scared me sooo much!

It felt like something was missing.....MORE PINK!

So I became the mad scientist.....

and mixed Perfect Paints ~ Red Wagon with Peony

to match the Glimmer Glam.

Added a bit of Perfect Gel Medium

and did the "brush on, wipe off" technique...

I still needed more and applied the above mixture through

TCW Cherry Blossom stencil...

NOW...I was getting some where...

I bit of edging with Potting Soil ~ Archival Ink

some dripping Crushed Stones....

I need to add my numbers....

so I created my own inclusion from

a Canvas Corp Brands ~ Mini Kraft Bags

and a Scalloped Ivory Tag...

a bit of gloop and glop...

some spray

a bit of stamping

and some more of that vintage curtain...

then it was time for my quoto.

I stamped on a gessoed piece of torn and tattered

dictionary paper...

added more curtain pieces parts....

and there you have it!!

Hope you enjoyed my creative journey....

cause I know I did!!