Mix Media Tag Class

 Hi everyone!

Feel like I haven't been here for a long time but I've been crafting away!

A little behind in uploading the latest class/project creations but very UTD over on facebook or what I refer to as The Face.

If you ever wanted to know how to create a beautiful, one of a kind, wall worthy art project then wonder no more.

In these 2 long videos I'll walk you through step by step how to use items from your stash to make magic.

Here are the links for Video I and Video II

Stick it Down Single Page Challenge- April Edition

Sketches are funny little bits of inspiration. Sometimes your end project looks just like the sketch and sometimes not! BUT the sketch is always the source of inspiration, regardless of the look at the end.

My take on Aprils sketch started with me doing some stenciling for the circle but then....magic happened with the paper and the photo's and viola, a page that I love.

 

 

Products used: Stamperia Sir Vagabound Geometry Stencil; 49th & Market Collection pack Vintage Artistry Mango; Distress Ink Gathered Twigs; Sewing

Happiness Blooms from Within

This single page for Stick it Down's monthly challenge really makes me happy, for so many reasons.

First here is the sketch to work from, please play along. You can find Stick it Down Bog HERE

 First off the unbelievable perfect match of paper and photos. I asked my daughter for some photo's and what she sent me MATCHED perfectly to what I call a cast off sheet from mix media art. Cast off sheets are clean, usually thicker paper where you can clean off stencils, stamps after using them for a mix media page. We don't like to waste anything and you never know what you will get in the end. This was magic. Even the designs matched her clothes...this cast off page was done prior to me asking for photo's but as soon as I seen them I knew what paper I was starting with!

Anyone interested in learning more about mix media really needs to visit Vicki Boutin over on this facebook page and search her past video's - awesome human and artist!

Cast off Sheet:

End result:

My process included the following steps:

1. |Drew a heart on light pencil
2.  Using a flower stamp (this one is a Vicki Boutin)
3. Stamp out some leafs
4. Colour them in using whatever medium you want (I used Chameleon Pencils)
   
5. Sew around the heart 3x for extra texture and interest
6. Layer you photo's and ephemera (all from Vicki Boutin Collections)
   

A few Close ups:

 

Life is Lovely with you

 February's Stick it Down Single Page Challenge\

Dedicated to our furry friend and family pet; Miley. She had a very good and long life with us.

Paper-line used: Simple Stories, Domestic Bliss

Other items: Dies; title and ephemera from stash; Black gel pen; Vicki Boutin Crayons; Heidi Swapp Gold Color Shine Spray

Twenty-Twenty One

 Wishing loud existence, dreams that come true and daily adventures for this beautiful lady!

January's Stick it Down challenge single page layout

Products used:

- Vicki Boutin paper line, stencils, crayons, and embellishments

- Tim Holtz Dies Chevron

- EK success punch and Martha Stewart punch

- Modelling paste, sewing machine

Easter Tags- Process for

Not sure about the rest of the creative world but I can't stay with just one type or style of paper crafting. I just love it all! The clean, the cute, the grunge...never know what will come out!

The below is the process I used to create these very fun and cute, yet grungy, tags which I later used on card front's for Easter Cards.

Step 1:

• Pull out some scraps from your stash and tear apart pieces, over lap, and place them on top of a 12x12 sheet of 80lb white paper just for planning purposes
• Once happy, adhere all the pieces down using Matte Medium and brush a light coat of the matte medium on top of the entire sheet- I used Vicki Boutin Matte Acrylic Gel Medium
• Leave to dry (won't take long at all) 
• Tips: Using matte medium will seal the paper to allow you to build more texture on top without pilling the paper; Matte verses glossy leaves the paper without that intense shine which I prefer- makes the art feel more natural.Make sure you clean your brush immediately when finished as if left to dry will ruin the brush.

Step 2:

• Cut sheet into 8, 2x6 pieces and snip the corners to make tags. 

Step 3:

• Apply a lighter brown distress stain to the top- I used frayed burlap
• Don't have to cover the entire tag but ensure you place enough on, especially where the pieces of paper are uneven to get into the creases- this is the grunge part :)
• Using a cloth and some regular rubbing alcohol in a mini mister, spray the tag and gently remove as much of the stain as you want. If you removed too much, add some more!

Step 4:

• Pick out a few complimentary lighter acrylic paints- I used Vicki Boutin Juicy Pear (shown in photo) and Cotton Candy
• Squirt a dob of paint on a scrap paper and using your natural paint brushes (AKA finger) smear colors in various spots on the tag. Again pay attention to where the paper is uneven as it will get in the creases and add more texture to the tag

Step 5:

• Pick out a complimentary distress ink, either Oxide or Regular- I used Distress Oxide, Broken China
• Also pick out a stencil that appeals to you- I used on of Tim Holtz Stencils
• Stencil the ink on using blending tool

Step 6:

• Pick a complimentary permanent ink, I prefer Archival inks and used a pale blue one
• Pick out a background stamp- Here I used a cracked glass one from Magenta
• Stamp over the tag in random spots. 
• Tip: Avoid using a stamp block as you don't want a clear perfect stamp, but rather just pick up the stamp in your hand and be very random on which part of the stamp you ink and stamp the tag- the more uneven the better! You are building layers and the illusion of depth 

Step 7:

• Pick another background stamp- I used Simon Says "You Are" Stamp
• Choose a dark permanent ink- I chose Distress Black Soot Archival
• Using the same technique as above stamp random over the tag
• Since this is permanent ink add a little at a time and know when to stop as this can't be removed.

Step 8:

• Add highlights to the tag
• This can be done in many ways, I used a white distress crayon, you you could use colored pencils, regular crayons- you just want to pay attention to those edges of raised paper again
• Mark the color on and then smudge it using your finger

Step 9:

• Decide what you use these tags for!
• Mine were destined to showcase our daughters bunny, Thumper for Easter Cards
• I trimmed the length of the tag so it would fit on a card front and inked all the edges with black Soot
• Printed wallet size photo's (using my Canon Selfy CP900 Printer), matted them on black cardstock, used a black gel pen to make stitch lines all around

Hope you enjoy the process and experiment which what you have for supplies!

Happy Easter everyone! 

Wood Art- The POSSIBILITIES

I absolutely love creating on wood! I look for old items that I can refurbish into something unique and useful.

Found an old cupboard door at year sale and it was actually the knob that inspired me. It did sit in our garage for a year. We moved last year and when my husband was cleaning out the garage it was going to "burn it"...imagine! So off it went to the storage unit for another 8 months :)

Sometimes you just have to wait until the inspiration hits you! Hence the title of this piece, POSSIBILITIES.

Sanded down 

First layer

Second Layer

Many layers later :)

Getting there!

Completed Project with the original door knob! 

You can hang this as Art, you can actually build a box and attach the door to it to give you a small cabinet. Door measures 15" x 23"

Gelli Plate Printing Vicki Boutin Style

Who doesn't LOVE mix media?!?!?

The thing with mix media is you can't have an agenda, a plan an end point. You have to just let go and see what you come up with.

A few weekends ago I pulled out the gelli plate and Vicki Boutin paints, this is what I got in the end.

I starred at these prints for a few days and when I "seen" what I imagined I created a few very unique cards.

This one is made from all Vicki Products, the gelli print with her paints, butterfly stencil and ephemera

This one is with Vicki's ephemera, Thanks Die from Honey B, An older border die and some gold metallic paper to show case the gold on the Vicki pieces and to finish it off a few gems from Pretty Pink Posh

All Vicki products except the Happy Birthday Stamp and the gems

Oh this blue gelli print background screamed ocean! Stamps and Dies from My Favorite Things, Colored with Tombo Markers, Several dies used for the background and waves. Everything is popped up for ++dimension. The extra fish placed inside the card

The last by not final project with these prints

This one is the most interesting! When I looked at the print I seen the face....All I did was trace it and used some shading...see below, do you see it?? Cut circles out, added some stamping (all with Vicki's products) and added the title from Vicki's ephemera.

I have one print left and the large 12x12 page which was my "pick up" paper to clean my plate. This will be used for a lay-out :)

Hope you enjoy creating as much as I