A mixed media tag for Imaginarium Designs

Today I'm sharing my last project as this month's guest designer over at Imaginarium Designs - a mixed media tag.

I started this tag by using the negative chipboard as a mask and applying light modeling paste on watercolour paper. 

When that dried, I painted gold paint all over before adding a layer of glass bead gel. The flourish chipboard was painted with gold paint while the clock face and beautiful chippies were painted with Silks glazes for an iridescent shine. 

Then I created a cluster with all the embellishments. :)

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Two-way board for Xyron and Paper Smooches

Hello friends! This month, the team at Xyron got to play with some Paper Smooches stamps. Love the We Totally Click stamp set! I made a two-way board - a pin board cum chalkboard! Read on for a quick tutorial. :)

1. I started with a piece of hard packaging foam [from a power adaptor purchase] and denim [from an old jumper]. 

2. Cut denim to wrap around foam, then stamp Paper Smooches We Totally Click images all over using StazOn ink. [An alternative is to use fabric ink because StazOn will stain your stamps.]

3. Run the stamped fabric through the Xyron 9" Creative Station for an even application of adhesive.

4. Wrap fabric around foam.

1. Start with a piece of plywood [mine measures approximately  9x12 inches]. 

2. Then apply gesso and two coats of chalkboard paint. Allow 1 hour between coats and 24 hours for it to cure before writing on board. 

3. Use chalk or a chalk pencil [I used Faber Castell PITT pastel.]to write your message on one side of the board. You can use a wet rag to erase mistakes or spray a fixative if you want your design to be permanent.

4. Glue the foam to the chalkboard.

Add your photos with push pins and you are all done! :)

What do you think?

P/s: Don't forget to stop by the Xyron blog for your chance to win some Xyron and Paper Smooches goodies! 

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Your weekend project: Mini card set using SRM Stickers

I love that you can whip out a gift of love really quickly with SRM Stickers. :) Here is my set of mini cards in a box! 

1. Measure, cut, score and round corners of cardstock base. Adhere paper doiley and stickers to each card.

2. Put the cards in the SRM mini box.

3. Adhere stickers to envelopes.

4. Put the box and envelopes together. Tie a bow. All done. 

P/s: Happy weekend friends! :)

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Displaying your canvases at home

I know a lot of you are curious about my canvases...do I display them or do I give them away? The majority are given away as gifts while the rest are up on the walls using 3M removable velcros.

They are in group clusters in selected areas of the home. I feel that having a vignette helps to tie everything together. Why yes...my vignette includes a stuffed pig and sheep and a toy gumball machine....*winks*

Since I'm not much of a planner when it comes to my mixed media canvases, I find that displaying the same sizes together is more visually appealing.

What about you? How do you display your art at home?

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Boy wonder layout for Made With Love

This month, I got to play with Art Anthology stone effect dimensional paint and a cool Prima map stencil from Made With Love.

LOVE the cool stone effect on patterned paper...it adds dimensional and interest without bulk!

I coloured the Imaginarium Designs chipboard banner with Ranger distress paints and then used glossy accents over it.

Played with some new DCWV patterned papers. :)

The Made With Love design team is playing with sketches this month and I chose this fabulous one from Let's Get Sketchy.

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Clustering my fave things on a canvas...

While I love my layouts to be relatively flat for easy storage, I tend to go "overboard" when it comes to my mixed media canvases. *winks*

I would reach for little dimensional bits that I have been saving in my "save-it-for-a-rainy-day" stash and cluster to my heart's content [okay till I run out of space *LOL*].

The patterned paper was distressed at the edges and added with a PearlEX sheen. I used a big paper bloom as a focal point, then tucked other embellishments in.

I like to buy necklaces on sale for use on my projects....a more economical way to add pretty stuff on projects. :)

Playing along with 7 Dots Studio April challenge...

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Your weekend project: Chalkboard Art

So I have finally succumbed to the chalkboard art trend. And of course, you know, when I start on something, I go big...*winks* Probably should have tackled a card first...*LOL*

A google search on chalkboard art led me to lots of inspiring chalk penmanship [read: super hard!] and lots of tips on the best ways to start .....like deciding on a design and then using a projector to project the image on your board before drawing with your chalk. Or measuring your design so that the text will fit your board.

Even the nephews think that it's toooooo much work!

What? That sounds like a lot of work. And so NOT me. So I went with stencils. *LOL*

Kind of wish I had more word stencils though...

1. Get a piece of plywood, prime it with gesso and then follow the instructions for the chalkboard paint...[1 hour between coats and 1 day to cure]. The chalkboard paint comes in a variety of colours so you don't have to use black. 

2. Choose your stencil and start creating your chalkboard art! I love the Faber Castell Pitt Pastels are perfect for the chalk effect minus the chalk dust! You can just use a wet rag to erase mistakes. If you LOVE what you did, you can spray a chalk fixative over it. I love the idea of changing it up when I get bored.

P/s: Hope you will give chalkboard art a try. I've 2 more pieces painted and all set for some serious drawing...ahem..tracing! Signing off for the long weekend...hope you have an awesome one! :)

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The one where we chased chickens...

Hello there friends! Today I'm sharing my second project as this month's guest designer over at Imaginarium Designs - a 12x12 layout featuring the niece and nephews. :)

The textures on the chipboard were created by applying thick, uneven layers on gesso before colouring them with Ranger Distress Paints. Then I added some fun Purple Pumpkin embellishments.

We had a fun morning chasing a neighbour's chickens and taking photos along the way. Can you tell that nephew J just woke up and couldn't be coaxed to smile for the camera? *LOL*

P/s: Those chickens were fast..I couldn't get a picture of them! *winks*

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The pastel phase...

Have you noticed that I've been working with pastels of late? Yep, totally out of my comfort zone. I love bright and bold colours but there's something alluring about a soft colour palette, eh? *winks*

And of course, I'm also trying to "wean" myself off the "scrunched tissue paper on canvas base" habit. *LOL* I used patterned paper! [Go me!]

My mother brought home some plastic doilies for me [yes..people in my life have been "trained" to save stuff for me *LOL*] which worked well with the pretty Purple Pumpkin lace bloom. :)

I love that the Polish postage stamp had pink blooms on them...perfect for my embellishment cluster. [Eh...yes, I "save" postage stamps too...most people tend to send labels though...]

Playing along with 7 Dots Studio: Fly Away challenge.

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The pink birthday

So, my niece S celebrated her third birthday last month. And since she is into anything pink, I got her pink balloons and made her a mostly pink tiered paper birthday cake. :)

Finally played with my Twinkling H20s for a little subtle sparkle under lace trim....[I got them for Christmas last year..*winks*]

Love the fun little puffy stickers that I found in my "save-it-for-a-rainy-day" box.

Playing along with The Studio Challenges and Let's Get Sketchy.

*Edited* I won the April challenge at The Studio Challenges. :)

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