Mixed Media Weekend Project

I am continually watching YouTube videos for artistic inspiration. I got the spark last week from this video by Shira Manor on a technique for creating mixed media ATCs. I did not have all the same products and materials that she used but, as always, I worked with what I have, including drywall tape, modeling paste, embossing powders, old book text, acrylic paint and washi tape. The base is 100 lb. watercolour paper.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Two of the ATC size cards had to be sacrificed in the name of art. I needed to cut them down for some of the bits and pieces used for the layered clusters on the seven completed cards. I added Tim Holtz metal gears and simple two word phrases to finish them off.

A couple have already been traded or gifted to others. And I had so much fun making this set, that I made another similar set on the weekend too! It was a great way to spend a long weekend.

Heart Art Challenge - Week 13 & 14

My heart art tag for week 13 was an experiment, using a background technique that I have never used before. I'm not overly thrilled with it but as experiments go, pretty successful. I first tried this emboss resist technique with clear embossing powder but did not like the results at all. So, I tried it with white embossing powder. I used two colours of Distress Ink pads for the resist, Fire Brick and Walnut Stain. I edged it with black archival ink and called it done.

With this image greeting me outside my front door on April 7th, I decided that the week 14 tag had to be springlike. This cold, wet, snowy weather is not my idea of a nice, spring day! Wouldn't you agree?

Since I had my Big Kick die cutting machine out anyway, I decided to create this tag completely with die cuts. The hearts form the flowers, and the other bits finish them off. I edged around the tag with black archival ink. Very quick and easy to put together. And I think that I am back on track with the current week!

To watch Bea Grob's Heart Art Week 13, click here. I am amazed how she manages to keep herself within a twenty-five minute time limit. I sure have not been able to do that.

Bea Grob - Week 13

 

Bea Grob - Week 14

To watch Bea's Heart Art Week  14, click here. She has been using a lot of techniques and materials that I've never used before and hope to try some of them out in future art projects.

I'm so happy that I've finally caught up. March was a challenging month for me and I lost a bit of my creative mojo. But it's back!!

Making Mandalas

I've spent the small amount of spare time I had this week making mandalas out of used postage stamps. The worst part of the job is removing the stamps from the paper.

First, you have to soak them in very warm water until they separate from the paper. Then, they are placed on a paper towel to air dry. Next, they need to have a heavy book set on top of them overnight to flatten them. They tend to curl up as they dry.

I punch out 1.25" diameter scalloped circles that I fold to get eight equal sections, like a pie. This is my placement guide for the postage stamps. Here are the ones that I've finished this week pictured with one of the original stamps they were made from.

All four mandala made from the same stamp

As you can see, how you orient the postage stamp onto the guide can completely change the look of the mandala. Each stamp has four sides, so you can get four different looks.

Both made using the same stamp

Both made using the same stamp

Even the colour of the punched out circle in the middle can change how the finished mandala will look. I will share more as I make them. I have a whole lot of stamps to get used up!

Heart Art Challenge - Week 11 & 12

Week 11

For week 11, I used a tag that I already had a prepared background on. Using scraps from my box of bits and pieces, I constructed the house. The doorknob is a brass coloured brad. I used my Dymo label maker to print out the quote.

Week 12

For week 12, I pulled some gelli prints from the recycling bin. These ones were less than acceptable in my eyes, at least. I tore them into narrow strips and randomly glued them onto a piece of cardstock. Then I cut the hearts out of the resulting collage and glued them down onto the plain pink background.

Both tags were inked around the edges with black archival ink to frame them. The hearts on the week 12 tag were too so they would stand out more.

Bea Grob - Week 11

Bea Grob - Week 12

To see Bea Grob's process video for Week 11, click here. To see her video for Week 12, click here.

Bead Soup Blog Party: Bead Hoarders' Edition - Reveal Day

I will admit, when I first received the package of beads from Sally, I had virtually NO idea how or what I would create with them. I had expected to receive only one focal bead, but instead she sent two focal beads and a few extras.

I scoured pages and pages of images on Google and Pinterest searching for inspiration. I did not think I was going to be able to create something that would do justice to these lovely beads and was beginning to panic. Thank goodness, I finally found what I was looking for. 

Once I had the idea in mind, it was time to go to my bead stash to find the co-ordinating beads needed to complete the piece. The idea was to use only beads from your stash and not run out to buy new ones.

i did pretty good. The only thing I had to purchase for this project was the bead caps, as I had none of those. Here is the completed necklace.

I pulled the colour red from the two focal beads for the seed beads used for the bottom portion of the necklace. I used all the beads that Sally sent me for the focal points on either side, and clear cracked quartz and red seed beads for the upper portion.

There are some serious construction flaws in this piece, a few things that I did not clearly think through before plunging into making it. I love how it turned out but will have to go back and resolve those issues before I dare wear it for fear of it falling apart, seed beads scattering all over the floor!

Here is the original inspiration for my creation. It is considerably chunkier that my necklace but follows the same basic structure. 

This was a lot of fun to make, and it was great to reconnect with someone I had been out of touch with for several years. Check out what Sally made with the bead that I sent to her. Click here.

A big thank you goes out to Lori Anderson for hosting this event. Check out the creations of the other participants on her blog. Scroll all the way to the bottom to see all the links.