Your weekend project - 10 minute altered magnet

I don't know about you but I LOVE cute magnets [who am I kidding...I love ALL cute things...*LOL*]. However, I never buy them because they are so ridiculously priced. I could totally make my own right? *winks*

1. The first step is to get a magnet. I love FREE magnets of course...*winks*

2. Cut a piece of scrap canvas [or paper], then run it through the Xyron 3" Sticker Maker for an even application of adhesive.
3. Then embellish as you wish. I went with stuff from my "save-it-for-a-rainy-day" stash...lace, ribbon, felt swirl and a tiny heart-shaped plastic cake.

So, what do you think? Will you be making some cute magnets for your fridge this weekend?

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Why I love working on canvas...

If you are totally intrigued by the mixed media frenzy but don't know how to get started, I would suggest working on a canvas. :)

It is a very forgiving surface. You can spritz and drizzle mediums with wild abandon. And if all else fails, you can paint over it and start the whole process again.

Ordinary cardstock and even watercolour paper would warp if you "overplay" with them. But a canvas takes "abuse" quite well. *winks* Check out the in-process pics of this particular canvas.

I especially love to apply colorants and let them dry overnight...waking up to amazing textural surprises in the morning [okay..sometimes it might be icky surprises...*LOL*]. I know a lot of mixed media artists like to use a heat gun to speed up the process but I don't like how watered down mediums dry with a heat gun. Plus overheating the mediums can produce undesirable chemical fumes that could potentially be deadly [insert dramatic music...]

So, give canvas a go! And share your mixed media works of art with me! :)

This canvas was created for the LESSology Challenge #35: Tic Tag Toe. Can you spot my upcycled tag?

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Cherished treasures mixed media canvas for Imaginarium Designs

This month, I am the guest designer over at Imaginarium Designs. :) Here is my first project - a 6x6 mixed media canvas.

The base of the canvas was covered with remnant pieces of white lace. Then gessoed. Found metal pieces were then adhered to the base with gel medium. Once the surface was dry, I added some Silks glazes over it. Then finished with a spritz of silver mist which trickled down the uneven surfaces and created depth.

I painted the Cherished Treasures chipboard with gesso and a coat of silver paint. Then added the blooms and some mica flakes to finish the canvas.

What do you think?

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Oh baby card

Guess what? SRM now has a monthly challenge blog! Challenge #1 is all about Celebrations. :)

It was a quick card to assemble ...I took a piece from my collection of residual misted backgrounds, then added bits from my "save it for a rainy day" stash...[blooms + pearls that didn't make it on another project].

Playing along with CAS(E) this sketch and Virginia's View Challenge.

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An ode to the glass bead gel medium...

Hello friends! It's no secret that I love my projects with a little [okay, a lot of] sparkle! *winks* And one of my fave ways is to use glass bead gel medium. I love the subtle sparkle of glass beads that still lets you admire the texture underneath.

Like on this tag. Can you guess the elements here?

Here's how I got this effect...

1. Adhere lace on watercolour paper using gel medium.

2. Apply a layer of gold metallic paint.

3. Apply a layer of glass bead gel medium.

What is glass bead gel medium?

It is a gel that is densely packed with tiny clear glass beads. It can be used on its own or with acrylic paints to create texture and reflective effects. I love to use it with metallic paints for an opulent finish. You can also use it with acrylic glazes to fully exploit the reflective properties of the glass beads.

Image via Dickblick

Golden Glass Bead Gel

This is my fave glass bead medium. The glass beads are super dense and a little goes a long way. It is easy to spread with a palette knife or a paint brush. It dries fairly quickly in my climate [hot and humid]. It is however, rather pricey. 

Image via Dickblick

Liquitex Glass Beads

Only one art supply store in Singapore [that I know of] sells Golden mediums so when they are out of Golden Glass Bead Gel, I go for my second option - Liquitex glass beads. The consistency is less dense, that is, fewer glass beads and more gel. And the dry time is a lot longer [like most Liquitex products]. However, you can "exploit" these "flaws". I add some mica flakes in between the glass beads for more shimmer. It is also about 40% cheaper than Golden so I use this to experiment. 

What about you? Have you tried glass bead medium? Here's a coupon to Dickblick.

P/s: Happy weekend friends! Last weekend to play along with LESSology Challenge #34: Laundry Day!

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What they were really thinking....

So, we all know that it's hard to get a good photo of a group of kids [3 nephews +1 niece] because they are easily distracted. Here are the outtakes from my "Gangster Gang sunglasses" photo shoot...

You can see how focused the two older kids are..

Here's what they were really thinking...

1. "Yay! Everything is in my fave colour - pink!"

2. "Why are we still taking photos? Can we go see the birdies yet?"

3."This might be the cover shot. Let's smile sweetly...yeah!"

Playing along with Scrap365 and ARTastic Challenge.

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The Gangster Gang in cool sunnies!

 

Yeah...this is how the Gangster Gang rolls about the neigbourhood now...in cool sunnies! Led by ringleader Aunt Y with the most powerful weapon of all - the iPhone! *LOL*

Of course, it isn't always easy to "control" the rowdy members of the gang, like nephew J who wanted to do the bunny hop and nephew S who wanted everyone to have bunny ears.

In case you were wondering....we do get funny stares from passers-by because of all the "posing". But our PR (public relations) team does a great job containing the situation [read: nephew J and niece S.."Hello uncle! Hello auntie!" + flash their megawatt smiles..*winks*]

This layout was based on the April sketch at Purple Pumpkin. Come play along! :)

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My latest love...Prima resist chalk edgers

I am currently enamoured with Prima resist chalk edgers. :)

They glide on so easily and are permanent when dry so you can layer and spritz with wild abandon![If you play with mediums, you will understand how cool this is...*winks*]

I love inks that you can use in different ways without ruining your manicure...*winks*. I used three ink colours + water for the entire canvas.

Don't you love this beautiful sentiment? 

Playing along with Prima Product Picks for March and Moxie Fab World's Styling with Stencils challenge.

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A CAS card ...plus a giveaway winner!

These days, I'm really into CAS cards. It's really more challenging to have to restrain yourself rather than just pile it on, right?  *winks* Just a fun card with a stencil + light modeling paste, a chipboard heart + stickles and a SRM Sticker sentiment. 

Playing along with CAS(E) this sketch.

_______________________________________

A big thank you to those who entered my "Happy Mail" giveaway. I really enjoyed getting to know you a little better. The winner is ....

Lavina Agarwal!

Congrats Lavina! Please send me an email with your mailing details and I'll send your RAK out to you.

P/s: Happy weekend friends. If you have time, come play along with LESSology Challenge #34: Laundry Day!

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Guess who got new sunglasses?

So nephew J and niece S were excited to test-drive their new sunglasses. She got a sweet and pink Tinkerbell pair while he rocked a blue and green Toy Story one. [20% off Disney sunglasses...*winks*] 

Here they are...working it for the camera...*LOL*

I wanted this layout to look like an advertisement so I kept everything really simple. :)

Playing along with ARTastic Challenge...I used remnant lace on the background to create texture and interest.

P/s: Have you entered my Happy Mail giveaway? 

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