celebrate 28

Hi! Today I have some exciting crafting news to share! I have been invited to join the talented designers at The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge :)

If you are not familiar, please be sure to visit  The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge site for complete details on how to share your mixed media creativity with us! This month's theme is:

I created a birthday card for my sweet sister Tina for her upcoming February birthday:

I created lots of texture using a variety of mediums and tools including; an embossing folder, texture paste and gold embossing powder. The inky background was created using a combination of Prima Color Bloom Sprays:

Thanks so much for visiting ~ I hope you enjoyed my project! Please be sure to visit  The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge site for loads of awesome inspiration from the DT and for complete details on how to share your mixed media creativity with us! This month we have a sponsor who is offering a fantastic prize to one lucky player! 
Be Sweet ;)

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merry christmas 26

Hi! I'm so happy when I am able to combine painting with card making! Today I have a christmas card to share featuring a sweet and chunky black capped chickadee. I'm studying various painting techniques and styles under a few different artists with an effort to develop my own. I was inspired to paint this little guy by a painting lesson I took from Ginger Cook.

 He's my first attempt to paint a bird. He's a bit fluffier than I had anticipated but overall, I think he's pretty cute ;)

 I'm not thrilled with the heavy tooth (texture) on the canvas page. It's a bit too much so now that I've learned my lesson, I'll have to take the extra steps to smooth out the canvas prior to painting. I just want to jump in!! :) LOL

 I'm entering this card in the current color throwdown challenge:

Thanks so much for stopping by ~ I hope you enjoyed my little bird!
 Be Sweet :)

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Happy Halloween 26

Hi there! Today I have a mixed media style Halloween card to share featuring a Tim Holtz industrious owl sticker:

I applied additional texture and design using texture paste, stencil, distress stain and gesso:

I'm playing along with the following challenges: 
For color inspiration (Black and Orange), The Mixed Media Card Challenge:

For theme inspiration, The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge ~ I chose the word "OWL":

For sketch inspiration, the retro sketches sketch challenge:

Thanks so much for stopping by ~ I hope you have a great weekend!
Be Sweet ;)

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aloha 36

aloha! I hope you are having a great weekend! Today I have a couple of projects to share featuring a variety of beautiful and shimmering ColourArte Twinkling H20s. They are packaged in compact containers but they are full of intense and shimmering color. A little goes a long way! First up, is a page in my art journal featuring a happy faced Maui beach girl :) 

Here she is with just a few shades of ColourArte Twinkling H20s. I was so excited to start painting, I forgot to take a photo before I started to paint my sketch!

Not in love with her eyes as they seem to be flat and not quite animated and whimsical as I would like them to appear. Hopefully next time :)

I added lots of texture using a Prima stencil along with Prima Heavy White Gesso. The trio of shell flowers were made using shells from Scott's shell lei :)

The background and flowers were painted using the following colors of ColourArte Twinkling H20s: Stargazer, African Jade, Summer Breeze and the pretty beads are Prima Turquoise Glass Beads:

Next up is a greeting card featuring many of the same products:

Lots of layers, beads, a trio of painted blooms and seashells to carry on with the sea / beachy theme:

Lots of texture as well and a hand made banner and Martha Stewart doily:

I joined along with the following challenges:
Frilly and Funkie ~ Raise It Up! 
For card sketch inspiration ~ Cardabilities:

color inspiration for BOTH ~ Words & Paintery

theme inspiration ~ scrakki-wyzwaniowo ~ The Sea

Thanks so much for stopping by ~ I hope you have a great day / evening!
Be Sweet ;)

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with love 55

Hi there! I'm so excited because our summer vacation is right around the corner. I really would have liked to revisit Paris but Scott opted for more of a relaxing vacation so instead we will be heading to lounge around on the Maui shores which is COMPLETELY fine with me :)

With Paris on my mind, I created a card featuring the beautiful Eiffel Tower:

I joined along again with the Compendium of Curiosities challenge, creating another Frosted Film tattered floral as well as the A Vintage Journey challenge ~ where the theme is Destinations. This is the smaller version and if you missed my card yesterday, you can see what my bigger Frosted Film Tattered Floral looks like by clicking HERE:

I gave the die cut Grungeboard Eiffel Tower a generous coat of Crackle Texture Paste:

Amongst all the layers and crackle, is a metal bird embellishment which I altered using Gesso and Distress Ink:

Here are a few steps I took along the way sharing my creative process:
Use Texture Paste along with stencil (****done prior to applying Distress Inks!***)

Randomly apply Distress Inks of choice:

 The ink I used to add color to the flower is even French! :) LOL

I'm also joining along with the following challenges: For sketch inspiration ~ Cardabilities and Try it on Tuesday where the theme is In the Frame.

Here are a few photos taken while on our Paris trip in 2011. If you have visited, I'm pretty sure you will agree that this city is quite breathtaking. There is so much to see and do and that is exactly why Scott didn't want to go. He didn't want to have to take a vacation when we returned home to recover from our vacation :)

Scott took the following photos from the observation deck on the Eiffel Tower:

 Silly me :)

Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you have enjoyed my project and photos.
Be Sweet ;)

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