Love Begins

I've just started my mixed media journey and I've wanted to begin the year creating more mixed media pieces. To help with this goal I want to get my creativity moving by entering more challenges. I've enjoyed all the inspiration from the The Mixed Media Place Creative Gym and so I decided to jump in and take the challenge. At this time of year, new beginnings brought to mind new love and valentines. This is also perfect for Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Love is in the Air + Red.

Lots of diecuts, stencilling and a distressed strip form the background texture for the card. The heart is the result of months of work! Most of it trying to find the special type of clay I wanted- super light, air drying and a little flexible. It was very quick to make the actual embellishment (cutting and stamping) and it dried overnight. Now for even more fun with lots of spraying.

Next I added embossing powder, gold and rust mica powder, crackle accents, stamping, spray droplets and a heart cut from the packaging I saved from some flowers someone special gave me.

Finally I felt ready to add my special heart embellishment plus some microbeads, Stickles and distress glitter.

Challenges:

Mixed Media Place Creative Gym Exercise #16: New Beginnings...

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Love is in the Air + Use Red

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

 

Supplies

Stamps: Prima Finnabair Honey Comb, Vintage Vanity Harlequin, Clearly Besotted Brushed Poppies 
Dies & Stencils etc: Prima Finnabair Bubbles, Stars, Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow stencil, My Favorite Things Equalizer Stencil, Stitched Fancy Flourish, Lawn Fawn Stitched Hearts, Hearts Lawn Cuts

Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Ranger Archival Ink Potting Soil

Paper: White Linen Card from stash

Highlights: stickles, translucent embossing paste, glitter, micro beads, white gesso, gems, crackle accent, glossy accent, fibre wrapping sheet, Artista clay.  

Colouring: Dylusions Postbox Red, Lemon Zest, White Linen, LuminArte Ginger Peach, Heidi Swapp Gold, Finnabair mica powder gold, rust

Hope you're enjoying my creative paper learning curve.

Mermaid Mixed Media

My mixed media madness continues with a special mermaid underworld scene for a very special 21 year old who's Disney mad. This was a labour of love and I enjoyed every minute. Wonderful for me, but for you it means I've taken lots of pictures and this post will challenge your broadband!

I started with embossing paste and stencils, a coat of gesso and then by sticking all my bits and bobs in place, then covered it all with black gesso. This was very nerve racking for me, but after attending a fabulous Finnabair class last year I knew I want to try it.

Now to add back in some colour with mica powders in sprays and gels. This was a lot of fun and I may have got a little carried away as there was some seepage through all the layers of card. This wasn't a problem as I covered the back with patterned paper.

I then prepared the central panel. I wanted a sunken treasure feel, so I diecut a frame several times, coated it in black gesso and distressed it with gold mica powder, perfect pearls, mica flakes and glitter. Ariel [EK Success stamp] is coloured with promarkers, covered with stickles, crackle accents, wink of stella.

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Some close ups of all the details. Sorry in advance, I find it difficult to stop adding to a canvas and now it's the same with all the photographs I've taken!

Did you spot the 'ugly button' and my found shells? There's also lots of lace, canvas and strips of patterned paper.

Challenges:

Craft for the Craic: January Blues   [Blue- under the sea]

Passion for Promarkers Week 328: Fantasy  [mermaid]

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Best Friends   [a special creation for my best friend, my sister]

STAMPlorations {Stencil Sunday #27} + January Mixed Media Challenge

 

Supplies

Stamps: EK Success Disney Collection
Dies & Stencils etc: Prima Finnabair Bubbles, Simon Says Stamp Waves stencil

Ink: Memento Jet Black, Distress Ink black soot, chipped sapphire

Paper: White Card & patterned paper from stash

Highlights: stickles, white embossing paste, glitter, micro beads, beads, paper flowers, metal embellishments & numbers, sequins, white & black gesso, wink of stella, white gel pen, glimmer mist, sea shells, buttons, lace, eyelets, twine.

Colouring: Promarkers, LuminArte Bolivian Blue, Douglas Fir, Ginger Peach, Finnabair mica powder gold, rust, Ranger Perfect Pearls

Hope you enjoyed my mixed media journey and see you again soon.

Mixed Media Stencil

Mixed media background fun! This is a quick way to let your creativity roam. I started by gessoing my card to create a surface for stencilling and spraying. Then my inner child was activated as I emptied all my bits & bobs on to the table, spread them out and looked for just the right pieces for my card. After gluing, layering and drying I used pearlescent embossing paste through Finnabair's Harlequin stencil. When everything was dry, I added some white gesso to mute some of the elements original colour and some clear gesso where I wanted to keep it, then more drying time! Now to the spraying, two blues and a pink and then the glitter and micro beads. I found a relatively flat and clear place to stamp Happy Birthday in Stazon and added my doll.

The Audrey doll is coloured with promarkers and glitter paste stencilled through Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow stencil and stickles is added to her skirt. I stamped in Memento Tuxedo black on some music script paper inspired by The Mixed Media  Monthly Challenge graphic.

Can you find the "Ugly button" à la Finnabair?

Challenges:

CCEE Stampers CCEE1602: Hats  [Audrey Doll Stamped Hat]

Craft for the Craic: January Blues  [blue sprays & micro beads] 
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Stencil It  [Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow, Finnabair Harlequin]

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #20: Time Flies  and you're turning 70!

 

Supplies

Stamps: Simon Says Stamp Birthday Farm Animals, Prima Audrey Doll
Dies & Stencils etc: Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow stencil, Prima Finnabair Harlequin stencil.

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stazon Jet Black

Paper: White & patterned card, canvas, doily, lace from stash

Highlights: wink of stella, stickles, glitter paste, pearlescent embossing paste, glitter, micro beads, paper flowers, metal embellishments & numbers, Papermania black gem, white & clear gesso. 

Sprays: LuminArte Plumeria, Bolivian Blue, Glimmer Mist Electtic Blue, Distress Spray Brushed Pewter, Dylusion Ink Spray White Linen
Colouring: ProMarkers

Hope you enjoyed your visit and see you again soon!

Something New

Something new for the new year, my first journal page. Lots of fun messy play with gelatos, stamps, stencils, embossing & glitter paste. A quote from Douglas Adams embellished with the essentials: a towel, tea and a bath that seems more fun than the one Adams is writing about.

Douglas Adams describes the blues and how they alter time so well in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, when he explains that Sunday afternoon feeling when "that terrible listlessness which starts to set in at about 2:55, when you know that you've had all the baths you can usefully have that day, ... and that as you stare at the clock the hands will move relentlessly on to four o'clock, and you will enter the long dark teatime of the soul."

Challenges:

CCEE Stampers CCEE1601: Hot Tea Month
Craft for the Craic: January Blues
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Something New

STAMPlorations {Stencil Sunday #27} + January Mixed Media Challenge
The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #20: Time Flies

 

Supplies

Stamps: Avery Elle Alice & Friends, Tea Time, Lawn Fawn Violet's ABCs, Smitty's ABCs, Sally's ABCs, Paper Smooches Mini Monograms, Papermania Forever Friends Handscript Alphabet, Numbers & Months, miscellaneous stamps
Dies & Stencils etc: Prima Finnabair Stars, Bubbles

Ink: Stazon Jet Black

Paper: Journal

Highlights: wink of stella, gold, silver, white & black gel pen, stickles, glimmer mist, glitter paste, white gesso. 

Colouring: Gelatos, Distress Inks

Hopefully you've enjoyed your visit and are not experiencing Arthur Dent's world. Life has been very busy & full of family fun so I've not had time to enter the long dark teatime of the soul, but I do remember adolescence and how some days time would drag!

Celebrate & Party Princess Dreams

Finally getting a chance to show this gorgeous image from A Day For Daisies. Welcoming a new baby to the family is certainly something to celebrate with a party and I've had a go at pink blending for the dress too. This has been a challenge for me, but I've finally got a mix I like! Unfortunately I put the markers away before I photographed them so I can't remember exactly which ones I've used. I only have a few pinks so I'll just have to do some more colouring practice, what a chore!! At least there is another 30 day colouring challenge next month.

Challenges:
A Day For Daisies Challenge #138: Anything Goes
Passion for Promarkers Wk326 Mega Christmas Challenge: Let's Celebrate! [A new baby]
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Party! [Party for a new baby]

Supplies

Stamps: A Day For Daisies Little Princess, Lawn Fawn Violet's ABCs, Wplus9 Onesie Two-sie
Dies & Stencils etc: Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangles, Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow stencil.

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: White & gold card from stash

Highlights: wink of stella, gold gel pen, star gem, glitter paste. 

Colouring: ProMarkers & FlexMarkers

We'll have to see if my hair prediction rings true as we watch little Elodie grow. Last time I saw her there was a beautiful auburn hint to her hair. Can't wait for my next visit!
Hope you enjoyed your visit to my little patch of blogland and see you again soon!

HB Spring Chicken

I love this little spring chicken from Simon Says Stamp, but I'm never sure if I've got the mouth right. I've chosen to colour him using Promarkers with his beak closed surrounded by a red wattle, but sometimes when I glance at him it looks like his mouth is open in a cluck! Either way he's perfect on this birthday card for a mature gentleman, who hopefully won't mind the joke.

The bubble/confetti background was created using glitter paste and SSS falling snow stencil. I've used wink of stella on the chicken in a few places and a glitter paste bow on the present. I don't think I'll do this again as it was very fiddly. I'll have to give this card another go with a few balloons for the chicken.

A close up of all the shimmer and shine.

Challenges:
Passion for ProMarkers Week 326- Mega Christmas Challenge: Let's Celebrate
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Party!

Supplies

Stamps: Simon Says Stamp Birthday Farm Animals
Dies & Stencils etc: Simon Says Stamp Farm Animals die, Falling Snow stencil.

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: White card from stash

Highlights: wink of stella, white gel pen, glitter paste. 

Colouring: ProMarkers

Wishing everyone a wondrous 2016!
I've been crafting away over the last few months, but have not been able to blog as much as I would have liked. Hopefully this will change in 2016, but as ever, family comes first! I've been using Instagram a little but have not even managed to read my favourite blogs. Feedly has thousands of post for me to peruse so it make take some time for me to get up to date but I look forward to reading and commenting when I make some spare time!
Thank you for taking the time to read and for all the lovely comments I've received over the last few years. Hope you'll visit again soon!