Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #10 | Reveal

 Well, I can't say that I'm upset about February being over. I have actually never been so happy to flip a month over in my calendar as I was this month! March is definitely not the end of Winter here in New England but it's so much closer to Spring that we can all taste it!!! Many of us have damage to our homes already and the thaw of the record breaking amount of snow is going to be nerve racking! Spring will be a blessing but also a time of costly repairs. We deal with it and move on making us strong and resilient. I feel like these situations make most of us New Englanders "tough around the edges" but ready and willing to help others because we're all in the same boat! My parents have been blessed with the most wonderful and caring neighbors which warms my heart immensely! They are what community is all about and I wish we were all like that all the time.

OK, off my soapbox and onto some art. I "cope" with certain difficulties but venting to friends and my Mom, and through my studio time. The positive from this winter has been time creating - it's been too cold for me to deal with outside and I'm so tired of shoveling and dealing with hip pain that my studio is my escape. I have been creating canvases lately and diving back into Pocket Scrapbooking. More on that tomorrow! With the first of the month comes a new challenge reveal over on The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge blog. This month's theme is "Birds of a Feather". This was a fun challenge because it reminds us that Spring TRULY is right around the corner!  The Design Team really knocked this challenge out of the park - check out the blog for some amazing inspiration! I'm so proud of how much this team has grown and succeeded and I'm even more proud to be a part of it!

 I created this canvas by using papers from Graphic 45 "Botanical Tea" collection.

 

 

Once I adhered the background papers I painted the back of a script stamp with gesso and randomly stamped on the background of the canvas. I love how this technique tones down the paper and instantly adds a subtle mixed media flair to the project ...

 

 

I used Faber Castell Design Memory Craft Gelatos to color many of the elements on the canvas. The highlight of the canvas is the bird. I used a bird foam stamp and applied several colors of gelatos directly to the stamp. The colors I chose were Snow Cone, Cotton Candy and Chocolate. I then lightly misted the stamp with water and stamped on mixed media paper. It took a few attempts to get the look I wanted - each time it came out differently. The technique photos were taken at night with my iphone so please excuse the poor quality ...

 

 

I also colored the cheesecloth that's behind the bird by scraping some gelato onto my craft sheet, adding water and then I dragged the cheesecloth through the mixture. In the photo I originally used Cotton Candy and then switched to a Guava gelato ...

 

 

I also colored the flowers using the same technique as the cheesecloth. I used a light and dark blue to add depth to the flower. This is such a great way to coordinate elements that weren't necessarily designed to go together.

 

 

I layered some thread, the doily, and the colored cheesecloth and then added the bird with foam tape. I added some glass beads below the bird and added the title. Once everything was attached I scrapped some Champagne Gold gelato onto my craft sheet, added water and picked up the mixture with my brush. I flicked the mixture onto the canvas which added some lovely shimmering gold flecks onto the canvas.

 

 

 

Our sponsor this month is the FABULOUS Faber Castell Design Memory Craft. I own a ton of their products and highly recommend them.

 

 

They are offering two amazing prizes this month and you don't want to miss this opportunity. The gelotos are one of my most favored and often used products and here's a peek at the prizes ...

Please join us so you can have an opportunity to win one of these prizes!!

We also have a great Guest Designer this month who is also a DT member of our sponsor. Welcome to Rita Barakat!!  Here's a link to her blog - take a peek, she is awesome!!

Thanks for stopping by and I'm looking forward to seeing what you create with this month's theme "Birds of a Feather"!

Independence Day Blog Hop!!

Hello Bloggers! I'm excited to be joining a new group of crafty blog friends in a fun adventure. We will host blog hops throughout the year featuring seasonal/holiday projects. We use products we like just for fun and inspiration!! So, Welcome to the Independence Day Blog Hop!!!

 

You should have arrived from the blog of Ceal Pritchett.

 

I decided to create an ATC for my Independence Day project! I started with a small ATC sized piece of white corrugated cardstock and painted the edges with gesso. I then layered a doily over the cardboard. I distressed and painted the edges of some pieces of paper from Graphic 45's A Place in Time - July Cut Aparts. I layered these pieces together ...

 

 

I added some sequins, some glitter ribbon from American Crafts, and a stick pin from my stash. I hand cut a banner and folded it over the stick pin. I then rolled three small pieces of paper to create firecrackers. The wick is made by sticking some Gold Shimmer twine from The Twinery into the rolled papers.

 

 

Be sure to check out all the blogs on this hop for lots of crafty Independence Day inspiration. I want to thank Donna Bowman  for the invite to participate and stop by her blog to see her FUN project with a great tutorial! ! Looking forward to the next Holiday already!!

 

Donna Bowman

Rachel Kleinman

Angi Barrs

Annette Allen

Jennifer Cuthbertson

Ceal Pritchett

Lynn Kopas -(that's me)

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and I'll be back soon with more artsy fun!

April ATC's

Hello Bloggers. Hope you all had a great weekend. Weekends fly by WAY too fast, don't you agree?! I had a busy Saturday so I relaxed more on Sunday and spent some time in my studio. I have a new craft desk on the way and I'll share pics once it's all set up! I'm looking forward to more space!!

I wanted to share my April ATC's. This month's theme was "Garden". I didn't take my initial approach and use images from my garden. Instead, I grabbed my Graphic 45 "Secret Garden" collection and used leftovers to create several designs. I distressed edges and layered smaller pieces together. Here's some of ATC's ...

 

 

They all have a small gold safety pin with seed beads attached. I also splattered gesso on the cards as a final layer.

 

This is such a pretty collection. I used a piece of the UPC strip from the papers as a title on most of the cards.

 

 

These were fun to create and it helped me get in "Spring' mode! Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hello bloggers. I am just settling in from an AWESOME Crop in the Cape event this past weekend. Crop on the Cape is always fun and I LOVE seeing lots of familiar faces and reuniting with good friends. We all share a common bond of art that comes in all different forms and styles. It's so cool to see basically the same products used in so many creative ways. It was also fun to have our LSS Right at Home Scrapbooking at the event. I was reasonably productive after chatting with friends and catching up!! I'm already looking forward to next year!!

 

 I am continuing with my "Tag of the Month" project I started last month. Last months tag was to celebrate Valentine's Day. I created a tag using one of the adorable Prima Doll Stamps - you can see details of that tag here. This month I created a tag to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. I used Graphic 45's "Place in Time Collection"/March-Cut Aparts. Here's my tag ...

 

 

 I layered several patterned papers, green sheet music, tags and gorgeous gold tulle and then stamped the tag with a script stamp and gesso.

 

I was still in a Graphic 45 kinda mood so I created a second tag using the Couture collection. Here she is ...

 

 

Couture is a fun collection and I will be using more of it!

I also managed to finish my ATC's for next month AND two layouts which I will share this week!! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great St. Patrick's Day!!

 

 

More FUN with Graphic 45

Happy Saturday Everyone! Welcome weekend! I'm off to Norwell today to spend the day with my parents and celebrate my Mom's B-Day. We are heading to Hull for a nice dinner and hopefully I'll get some picture of Nantasket Beach if the weather cooperates.

As promised I have some pics of the Printer's Tray that I created with Graphic 45's Mother Goose collection. The printers tray is from 7 Gypsies and is perfect for the 4 x 6 sections of the collection. I used the leftover papers that I had from my layouts that I previously posted. Here's the tray along with some close-ups ..

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Wouldn't this make a great gift for a nursery or little one's room? It was fun to make and the only thing I would do-over is the gold chipboard keys ...not lovin' them!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great weekend!!

Graphic 45 and a Sketch ...

I've been working with several Graphic 45 collections lately and I must say ... I LOVE them alll!!! I recently finished a few layouts using the new Mother Goose collection for Right at Home Scrapbooking - will share soon. I decided to participate in Graphic 45's sketch challenge for August and here's my finished layout with some close-ups ...

I used Secret Garden for this page and cut out some birds and small flowers to accent the layout ... I also tucked in some beaded ribbon underneath the photo ... (if you click on the photo you can see the beads)

I love distressing and with the Zutter "Distrezz-it-all" it was easy and quick!!!

Thanks for stopping by and I'll be back soon with more projects to share! Have a great week!!