Pastel colours and floral clusters...

Hmmm...I think I am actually getting the hang of pastel colours and the floral clusters. :)

Oh yes, that would be an 8x8 canvas panel on a 12x12 canvas. As always, overzealous colouring and stamping on the background patterned paper requires serious coverup. *winks*

And then of course, I really got into the whole layering of embellishments. 

You know how it is....the brain says "Stop wasting embellishments!", the heart says "Just one more here...and here...and here..." and before you know it, there's glue on the embellishment and you just have to glue it down. *LOL*

Lots of fun textures...lace, satin, metal, wood, plastic...

I love the shimmer from the Wink of Stella brush pen....

I also added more sparkle with glass bead gel and glitter paint.

I went in with some Crackle accents on the Prima wooden ATC.

It was a lot of work but I had fun...and now a valid reason to buy more embellishments...you know, as replenishments of course. *winks*

Playing along with the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge...I went with Stencil, Glitter and Patterned paper.

*Edited* This layout earned an Honorable Mention at The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge.

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Fly away...a mixed media canvas

So I was lucky enough to win a pack of the Montage paper collection from Blue Fern Studios [yeah...when I was on their DT, they only had chipboard...now they have pretty papers too..*pouts*] which has put me in a fly away, romantic, floral mood of late...

I am down to my last two pieces of patterned papers and have done 3 layouts and 5 canvases...[yay, go me! *winks*]

I recently got myself a bottle of Crackle Glossy Accents which explains why you've been seeing "frames" on my projects...*LOL*

And I've also been furiously using my sewing machine...because the warranty is almost up [I got it last Christmas]...*LOL* 

Playing along with Blue Fern Studios.

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Vintage-inspired mixed media canvas...a tutorial

So this week is all about stencils and stamps over at The Crafter's Workshop as we partner with Viva Las VegaStamps. I created a 6 x 6 mixed media canvas. Read on for the tutorial. :)

I started with a 12x12 sheet of Blue Fern Studios patterned paper which I cut down to slightly smaller than 6x6 and distressed the edges. Then I applied a coat of clear gesso all over. The collage of patterns was way too distracting so I applied a layer of Liquitex Super Heavy Gesso on parts of it to tone it down. [If you don't have super heavy gesso, just use a few coats of regular gesso till you get the look you want...but wait for each layer to dry before applying another...it tends to look very opaque when it's wet like in this photo.]

Next, I applied a tea stain all over to "age" the paper. This was Rooibos tea so it's a little orangey. You can dilute with water. For a really light tea stain, try Earl Grey. I usually just use whatever tea I'm drinking that day. *winks* 

Then it was stamping time! I was a little overzealous as usual and went a little overboard with my stamping...but there's a little bit of "open" time before the ink dried so I could rub off/lighten parts with a wet rag. Once I was happy with the stamping, I heat set with my heat tool.

I applied Liquitex glass bead gel with The Crafter's Workshop stencil. After that I blended everything in with Silks Acrylic Glazes, pulling the colours from patterned paper.

I added a Prima resin frame and "aged" it with Silks Acrylic Glazes. A thick layer of Crackle Glossy Accents was added...love how the cracks add to the vintage feel. :)

Then I embellished with paper blooms and pearls.

There you have it...a vintage-inspired mixed media canvas. What do you think?

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Happy mum with her new "toy"!

Happiness is.... a woman with a new "toy"! Yep, that would be mum with her Philips Air Fryer! *winks*

She even obliged when I asked her to pose with her new "toy"! :)

I did some stamping on the background to mimic the existing patterns on the paper. And added Shimmerz Inklingz for subtle colours.

Playing along with Blue Fern Studios.

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Three boys, one girl and a fire hydrant...:)

Apparently the Gangster Gang [aka nephews + niece] can no longer walk pass a fire hydrant without convening for a photo shoot...and we have to walk by 2 to get to the playground...*winks* 

I printed two of the same photos and fussy-cut one so that I can pop it on 3D dots for a shadow effect. I prefer my layouts to be relatively flat so I make my own 3D dots using foam + Xyron Creative Station.

The background was created with The Crafter's Workshop stencils and mists.

I had fun colouring the chipboard pieces with a Sharpie, coating it with Art Anthology stone effects paint and then outlining with a white pen.:)

The chipboard birds were covered with Golden glass bead gel, then painted with Silks glazes and given googly eyes. :)

Playing along with Blue Fern Studios.

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Upcycled boxes for Blue Fern Studios

Taking a break from all the holiday projects to share 2 upcycled boxes for Blue Fern Studios. :)

For the first box, I covered it with patterned papers, added a gold painted Blue Fern Studios Ring Panels chipboard, then added pretty trims and blooms.

My second box is a little more ornate. :)

I used the same Rings Panel chipboard but I added pearls to the centres for more texture and interest. :)

These are sitting pretty in my mother's wardrobe, holding some treasured momentos. :)

P/s:  I love using my Xyron 5" and 9" Creative Stations when it comes to adhering patterned papers to boxes. Nothing like an even layer of strong adhesive! :)

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The fairy story...based on Blue Fern Studios December sketch

So I was really excited when I saw this fairy ensemble at a Manila mall...you know how my niece Sophie loves to play dressup...*winks*

Here she is trying on her fairy ensemble while still in her jammies...while her brother Jeremy tries to get her to take it off so he can try it on...*LOL*

These two are just soooooooo fun to watch when they play. Especially when they start dancing while singing "Beauty and the beast"...

This layout was inspired by Blue Fern Studios December sketch.

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