Congrats 2020 Card

     Unfortunately, like so many others in the class of 2020, my son won't be having a graduation ceremony, so I wanted his card to be extra special! 

     My design inspiration came from Sketch #537 at Mojo Monday!

     To make the background, I smooshed some Lindy's Gang Sprays (Afternoon Delight Denim and Cathedral Pines Green) together onto a piece of white cardstock. After drying, I used a die cut circle as a mask, sprayed around it with the same colors, and added touches and splatters of Distress Spray Stain (Brushed Pewter). Then I embossed the stitched circles with Emerald Creek Embossing Powders (Midnight Sky and Burmese Jade), also used on the star and edges. Congrats was done with some old chipboard letters covered with black gesso and embossed with EC (Mirror Platinum) Embossing Powder, giving it some awesome shine! The rest of the sentiment was done with some Thickers. 

     Emerald Creek (Mirror Platinum) was also embossed around the card base, made from grey cardstock, and to the star.

     Thanks for looking, and congrats to all of the classes of 2020!

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Challenges Entered:

Mojo Monday ~ #537 

Daring Cardmakers ~ BIG Celebrations

Simon Says Monday Challenge ~ We're Going Around In Circles

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge ~ WWC273 All About Occasions

Addicted to Stamps and More ~ #391 Anything Goes

Birdcage ATC's

     Hello and hope you're doing well! Before the Spring season ends, I wanted to make sure to use these Bo Bunny wooden birdcages that I found in my stash, featured on my latest set of  ATC's (Artist Trading Cards). 

     The soft colors and textures were inspired by the Lindy's Gang May Color Challenge. 

     I started with just enough recycled pieces of kraft board to make three ATC's measuring 2 1/2" X 3 1/2". After giving them a light coat of white gesso, I applied more through a couple of Tim Holtz Mini Stencils (Doodle Art 1 and Doodle Art 2). Then I added color with Lindy's Gang Sprays (Hottie Patottie Hot Pink, Sea Mint Green, and Brushed Nickel) and Magicals (Drop Dead Gorgeous Green and Oom Pah Pah Pink), followed by touches of Finnabair Metallique Wax (Old Silver). 

      The frames were cut from the Bo Bunny (Sunshine Bliss Collection), and the edges finished with Distress Ink (Black Soot). Since I popped up the center frames, I made nests for the birdcages to sit on with some small pieces of colored cheesecloth. I left it white and natural to back my cards with. 

     Each card got a different embossing powder added around the edges, to the birdcages after a coat of white gesso, and to emboss the leaves with LG (Purely White, Spring Leaf Chartreuse, Queen Sheba's Silver, and Black Forest Black) Embossing Powders. 

     The flowers were stamped with (Jet Black) Archival Ink and colored with LG Sprays (Sea Mint Green and Hottie Patottie Hot Pink) and Magical Shaker (Oom Pah Pah Pink). Then they were fussy-cut, layered, curled, and finished with a dot of (Pewter) Liquid Pearls.

     The journaling strips or titles were printed onto white cardstock using Word, smooshed with the same Lindy's colors, and finished around the edges with (Black Soot) Distress Ink. 

Thanks for looking!

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Challenges Entered:

Lindy's Gang ~ May Color Challenge

Lindy's Gang Products Used:

Sprays ~ Hottie Patottie Hot Pink, Sea Mint Green, Brushed Nickel

Magicals ~ Drop Dead Gorgeous Green and Oom Pah Pah Pink

Embossing Powders ~ Purely White, Spring Leaf Chartreuse, Queen Sheba's Silver, and Black Forest Black

Stampotique Designers Challenge ~ #348 Artist Trading Cards or Coins

More Mixed Media Challenge ~ May Anything Goes with Optional Pink

Try it on Tuesday ~ Cut it out

Stamping Sensations ~ May Say it with Flowers

Creative Artiste ~ #60 Anything Mixed Media Goes

A Vintage Journey ~ Beautiful Blooms

Moving Along With The Times ~ #118 May Flowers

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge ~ Recycle (Kraft board used for card bases)

Into the Forest Canvas

     Hello and happy Monday! I just love trees, the moon, and the color green, reflected on this mixed media canvas!

     So of course I was instantly inspired by the May Mood Board at Art Daily Cafe.

     Right away I knew I was going to use this magazine image of a forest, and gave it a coat of clear gesso. To bring it to life, and make a tree, I added texture with cheesecloth and natural twine. Then I painted it with Art Alchemy Paints (Opal Magic Green-Gold, Sparks Fairy Wings, and Metalliques Green Olive and Dark Forest). To create branches, I covered the twine with Prima Black Gesso, also used through the Tim Holtz Mini Birch Stencil to create the big trunk, along with the skinnier ones hiding behind the shrubs.

     Wanting to create moonlight, I added a circle of (Picket Fence) Distress Crayon and Finnabair Matte Wax (Patina Green) onto the top right. The moon and butterflies were embossed onto white cardstock with the Finnabair Art Daily Dream Without Fear Stamps, using Emerald Creek (Onyx Frost) Embossing Powder. Then the butterflies were colored with Distress Inks (Pine Needles and Forest Moss), and along with the moon, given two coats of EC (Lime) Baked Texture. 

     I also used Finnabair Antique Brilliance Wax (Lucky Emerald) to the edges of the canvas and over the black gesso, as shown on the tree trunk.

     No need for gesso on the greenery. I painted an ombre effect with Art Alchemy Paints starting on the bottom with Metallique Dark Forest, followed by Metallique Green Olive, and topped with Sparks (Fairy Wings). Then I added sparkle to the "berries" with (Eucalyptus) Stickles. 

     Torn strips of recycled cardboard were painted with the same paints before adding the quote. But first it was printed onto white cardstock, colored with Distress Inks (Pine Needles and Forest Moss), and embossed with two coats of Emerald Creek (Lime) Baked Texture.  

     The same techniques were done with the witchy woman embossed with Emerald Creek (Onyx Frost) EP onto white cardstock, using the Finnabair Trust the Magic Stamp, colored with the same two Distress Inks, and finished again with two coats of EC (Lime) Baked Texture. Then I added some thread to the top of her head before adding the small embellishments. The flowers, key, gears, and screws were made with the Finnabair Moulds (Art Noveau and Mechanica) from paper clay, and either painted or finished with wax over black gesso. In addition to the green waxes used throughout the canvas, I also added touches of Metallique (Old Silver) to some of the embellies. 

     Thanks for looking, and stay safe! 

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Challenges Entered:

Art Daily Cafe ~ May Mood Board

Bleeding Art ~ April Challenge

Creative Artiste ~ #60 Anything Mixed Media Goes

Color OUTSIDE the Lines ~ Red Rubber Designs DT

     Hello! Hoping to bring cheer and happiness to you all with my new art journal spread, featuring stamps from Red Rubber Designs and some of the new Dylusions Paints! 

     
     I started by randomly stamping the larger checkers with the Designer Diamonds Unmounted Rubber Stamp using (Jet Black) Archival Ink, and the smaller ones with the Background Blocks Stamp.  Then I stamped the text with the Well Defined Backgrounds Stamp onto torn strips of white tissue paper, adhered with clear gesso. 

      The first layer of painting was done by spritzing my pages with water before adding paint, which created more of a wash instead of the drips I was visualizing. So I tried it again but with more water added to my paints and none to my pages, which helped the drips to fall. Because I wanted to use the colors of the rainbow, and the new Dylusions Paints are so bright and vivid, I started on the left with Pink Flamingo, followed by Tropical Sangria, Mango Punch, Lemon Drop, Sour Appletini, Blue Hawaiian, Blue Lagoon, and added the original (Crushed Grape) to the end since the new set doesn't include purple. I also splattered each color along the bottom. 

     "Color" was masked with an old Tim Holtz Alpha Mask using a Mini Blending Tool with (Black Marble) Dylusions Paint. Then I purposely drew outside of the lines with the (White Linen) Dylusions Paint Pen, doing the same thing with the drips but with the (Black Marble) Paint Pen. 
     

     The rest of the titlework was stamped with the Distressed Typewriter Bet Stamp (no longer available) using (Jet Black) Archival Ink, with highlights done with the (White Linen) Dylusions Paint Pen. 

     Thanks for looking, and whatever your situation, try to stay positive! 

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Featured Red Rubber Designs Stamps:

Designer Diamonds

Background Blocks

Well Defined Backgrounds

Challenges Entered:

Simon Says Monday ~ Spritz and Splatter

Simon Says Wednesday ~ Anything Goes

Mix It Up ~ #37 Anything Goes + Masking (Masked "Color")

The Artistic Stamper ~ May Journaling (Used art journal and background text)

Sweet Stampin' Challenge ~ Bright and Beautiful