Santa Canvas

It is time for the December challenge at Stamps and Stencils.  This will also be the final challenge as Sue has decided to close the challenge blog.  It has been a fabulous journey and I want to thank Sue for the opportunity to serve on her team.  Sue is responsible for kick starting my love of mixed media when she hosted me for a day of creating together on two separate occasions when I was visiting England.  She will tell you that on the first get-together, I didn't even know what distress ink was.  Now I have lots of supplies and my husband is quick to call her an enabler and I am quick to call her a cherished and very talented friend.

Thanks to some weird weather patterns here, I have been struggling with headaches so I made this canvas and completely forgot to take any photos as I went along - headache, brain fog or old age?

Here is how to put it together:

1.  Coat an 8"x8" deep edge stretched canvas with White Gesso (Liquitex).
2.  Paint with Calico Red Acrylic Paint (Folk Art)
3.  Using Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger), stamp onto torn pieces of tissue paper with a Sheet Music Stamp (Kaisercraft)
4.  Glue tissue paper pieces randomly over canvas front and sides with Mod Podge
5.  Mix Calico Red paint with some Glazing Medium (Liquitex) and repaint the canvas
6.  Add some stenciling with Translucent Embossing Paste (Wendy Vecchi) and a Poinsettia mini stencil (Tim Holtz)
7.  Randomly spray with Tarnished Brass Distress Spray Stain (Tim Holtz) - wipe off any that lands on the clear poinsettias
8.  Randomly sponge on some white acrylic paint (DecoArt) - wipe off any that lands on the clear poinsettias
9. Stamp the Santa head from Retro Christmas (IndigoBlu) using Versamark (Tsukineko) and emboss with Gold embossing powder (recollections and then fussy cut
10.  Die cut a circle (Sizzix) from card stock and paint with Calico Red Acrylic Paint.
11.  Emboss circle with Starry Night embossing folder (Sizzix) and rub with Classic Gold wax paste (Connoisseur Studios)
12.  Distress edges of the circle and outline with a gold pen (Sakura)
13.  Die cut a number of poinsettia petals (Marianne Creatables)
14.  Paint with Champagne Gold Metallic Acrylic Paint (DecoArt)
15.  Shape the petals, layer and add seed beads for the centres using Glossy Accents (Ranger)
16.  Cut "greenery" using Holiday Greens die (Tim Holtz) and rub with some Classic Gold wax paste

To assemble:

1.  Mount the circle with dimensional foam
2.  Add the Santa head to the circle with dimensional foam
3.  Add the poinsettias and "greenery" with Soft Gel Medium (Golden)

You have until 20:00 UK time on January 2nd to share a creation with us so I hope you will.

Inspiration Post at Stamps and Stencils

I am sharing an inspiration post today at Stamps and Stencils.  To see how I made this bright heart, pop on over to Stamps and Stencils.

Bonfire Night

It is time for the new challenge at Stamps and Stencils.  Toni who is our hostess for this one calls it Remember, Remember, the 5th of November and here is how she describes it:

I've got a 'bonfire night' challenge for you this month. As a child, I used to love bonfire night. My dad would come home from work with a box of fireworks and packets of sparklers for us and we couldn't wait to get outside and enjoy the show! I'd love to see your art works based on fire and fireworks. Think bursts of colour. Let rip with the colour sprays, glitter, and paints. Let's have a bit of fun and brighten up these dark days with COLOUR ! Just remember it must be mixed media and include stamps or stencils or even both.

Bonfire night is a celebration only found in the UK and since it doesn't happen here in Canada, I struggled with what to make.  I could have made something bright and colourful that bore no resemblance to the celebration or I could try to be literal.  I decided to be literal and although this is a simple piece, I hope it does justice to the theme.

I started by covering a 6"x6" canvas board with black Gesso (Liquitex) and then dry brushed some Stormy Gray Acrylic Paint (Craftsmart) over it, wiping some back with a baby wipe.

Next I used Miss Moneypenny, Goldfinger and Vodka Martini Metallic Paint (IndigoBlu) through a fireworks stencil (custom made by my husband) to create the bursting fireworks with a gradient of colour.

The next step was to use Crackled Texture Paste (Wendy Vecchi) through a stencil called Whimsical Houses (IndigoBlu) to add the three small houses.

After the houses were dry I placed the stencil back over them and used Gathered Twigs, Frayed Burlap, Pumice Stone, Hickory Smoke, Aged Mahogany and Scattered Straw Distress Ink (Tim Holtz) to give them some colour.

I hope you will join us for this challenge and if you don't live in the UK, just get out your stamps and stencils to show us a colourful creation.

Visiting Frida

It is time for a new challenge at Stamps and Stencils.  Rachel is our hostess and is calling it Spooky Fun with Autumnal Twist.  Here is how she describes it:

I would love to see your mixed media makes with a Spooky theme, but if Spooky is not your thing then Autumnal colours also fit the bill ! - you can make anything you like as long as it is in a mixed media style and involves stamps or stencils!!! Enjoy!

Even though I don't really get too exited about Halloween, I decided to go with the spooky part of this challenge and have made a canvas showing lots of spooky creatures coming to visit the deceased Frida Kahlo, the famous Mexican artist.

Here is how to create this canvas but note that some photos are slightly out of order because I took some as I was planning and then forgot to actually take some while I was producing - that happens when you are having fun.

1.  Using Molding Paste (Golden) through a Harlequin stencil (Tim Holtz) add stenciling to an 8"x8" stretched canvas to create texture.
2.  Use a palette knife to add more molding paste along the sides and then roughen up the sides and sections of the top.

3.  Glue a large wooden spider web (cut by my husband) to the canvas along with a boney hand charm.
4.  Cover canvas with Black Gesso (Prima).
5.  Paint canvas with Stormy Gray and Silver Gray Acrylic Paint (Craftsmart).
6.  Add a piece of cheesecloth on top of the spider web.
7.  Use Fast Cast and a silicone mould to create a skull, paint with Stormy Gray Acrylic Paint and add to canvas.
8.  Spray canvas with Hickory Smoke Distress Spray Stain (Tim Holtz).

9.  Use a spatter stencil (Tim Holtz) and JoSonja Red Acrylic Paint (Accent) to add some "blood" spatters.
10.  Glue red seed beads in the eye sockets.

11.  Stamp a bat (Recollections Witch's Dust) and a bird (Recollections - Haunted) with Versamark (Tsukineko) on black card stock and then heat emboss with Ebony Embossing Powder (recollections).
12.  Fussy cut the bat and bird and add red seed beads to their eyes.
13.  Cover plastic spiders (Dollarama) with a light coat of Mod Podge and then heat emboss with Ebony Embossing powder.
14.  Glue the creepy creatures to the canvas along with some tiny red paper roses (Wild Orchid Crafts).

There you have it, my spooky canvas.  I hope you will join us for the challenge and share your spooky or autumnal project.

The Beginning

Today is the beginning of a new challenge at Stamps and Stencils and Sue is our hostess.  She calls this challenge It's Been A While and here is what she has to say about it:

Being creative often leads you in different directions and sometimes it isn't until you start that you know where you are heading. For this challenge I thought that as we've not done it for a while it would be good to let your creative spirit wander and have a theme of Anything Goes. Your project must be mixed media and include stamping and/or stencilling but apart from that it's up to you !

I decided to break the first page in the altered book I made to use as an art journal.  Breaking the page was not stressful nor was creating a background even though I realized as I kept going that I was covering things up - oops.  Then my mojo ground to a halt and I could not get anything else on the page that I was happy with.  Finally, after a few days of adding and removing elements I came up with this plan and decided it was time to accept it and move on.  I abandoned photographing my creative process but if you click on the photo it will bring up a large version so you can zero in on the details.  Here are the steps to create this project:

1.  Glue the first two pages of the book together to add strength.
2.  Add a piece of washi tape down the fold to prevent ink and paint from seeping into the spine.
3.  Coat inside of the front cover and the first page with white Gesso .
4.  Use texture paste through stencils to add some texture in random spots.
5.  Use a variety of pastel watercolour paints to add a wash over pages.
6.  Glue pieces of drywall tape in random areas to add texture.
7.  Add more stenciling and stamping with archival inks.
8.  Use a brayer to add translucent acrylic paints to build up the layers of paint.  Tip:  If you have an opaque paint you want to use, just mix it with some glazing medium to make it translucent.
9.  Use a black pen to hand draw a border around the pages.
10.  Add ink sprays next for spots of colour.
11.  Stencil some big flowers on the page.
12.  Ink butterflies with distress inks, over spray with spray stains and stamp or stencil with archival inks to add markings.
13.  Spray butterflies with watered down white Gesso.
14.  Add pearls to bodies of butterflies.
15.  Create sentiment on computer, ink with distress ink and distress edges.

Supplies:

Stencils - Bubbles (Tim Holtz), Mini Harlequin (TCW), Tasty Textures (IndigoBlu), ZigZag (Prima), Chevron and Gepmetric Circles (Teresa Collins), Cross Hatch (Cut on Cameo), Flowers (Plaid)
Stamp Sets - Faded Fragments (Seth Apter), Circles (IndigoBlu), Ultimate Grunge and xx (Tim Holtz), Wall to Wall Textures (Bo Bunny), Numbers (7 Gypsies), Script (Recollections)
Archival Inks - Jet Black (Ranger), Sky Blue, Tea Rose, Dandelion, Peat Moss, Orange Blossom, Pink Peony and Watering Can (Wendy Vecchi)
Paint - Hey Pesto, Blush, Pumpkin Soup and Smoked Paprika Fresco Finish (Paper Artsy) and French Blue Acrylic (Folk Art) and Watercolours (Artist's Loft)
Distress Inks - Spiced Marmalade, Peeled Paint, Worn Lipstick, Mustard Seed, Stormy Sky (Tim Holtz)
Spray Inks - Peeled Paint, Worn Lipstick, Mustard Seed, Carved Pumpkin and Chipped Sapphire Distress Spray Stains (Tim Holtz) and Frozen Jack Frost and Ramblin Rose Pink Starburst (Lindy's)
Mediums - White Gesso and Glazing Medium (Liquitex), Light Molding Paste (Golden)
Miscellaneous - Pearls (Dollarama, Recollections and Kaisercraft), Butterflies (My Husband), Scor Tape, Drywall Tape (Home Depot), Washi Tape (Tim Holtz)

Can you believe the list of stuff I used?  Now I understand why my husband keeps rolling his eyes when I come home with something new.  It is a crafter's thing!!!!!

Now let's hope my next art journal page goes a little more smoothly.  I always read that art journaling is meant to put your thoughts to paper in a creative way but it looks like I might have a really empty brain. 😂😂😂

I hope you will dig out your stamps and stencils and join us for this Anything Goes challenge.

Inspiration at Stamps and Stencils

Here is a sneak peek at a project I am sharing over at Stamps and Stencils for your inspiration.

To get all the details on how this was created, click HERE and you will be taken to Stamps and Stencils.

Star Gazing

Today is the start of a new challenge at Stamps and Stencils and this time I am the hostess.  I am calling this one Industrial/Grungy and here is how I describe it:

Create a mixed media project with some stamping and/or stenciling that puts off a very industrial and grungy vibe - be sure to include lots of metal and texture.

I decided to take some inspiration from Seth Apter and create this grungy canvas that I am calling Star Gazing.

Here is how to put it together:

Background

• Coat a 6" x 8" canvas board with White Gesso (Liquitex).
• Use Molding Paste (Golden) through Spatter stencil (Tim Holtz) to add texture in random areas.
• Brush on layers of Slate Blue and Porcelain Blue Acyrlic Paint (Folk Art) alternating between light and dark colours and wiping off with a baby wipe where needed.
• Lightly sponge on a bit of Antique Gold Acrylic Paint (DecoArt).
• Spray with Brushed Pewter Distress Spray Stain (Tim Holtz).
• Use the Tiny Circles and Mini Geometric Art Layers stencils (TCW) to make marks with Liberty Blue Acrylic Paint (Accent), Silver Gray and Stormy Gray Acrylic Paint (Craftsmart) and Dove Gray Acrylic Paint (Folk Art).
• Stamp the star from the Faded Fragments set (Seth Apter) in three areas using Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger).

Stars Panel

• Tear a piece of heavy card stock.
• Add some stenciling with Molding Paste )Golden) through a Broken Stars stencil (Folk Art).
• Paint panel with Gunmetal Gray Metallic Acryllic Paint (Folk Art).
• Rub Treasure Pewter Wax Pate (Connoisseur Studio) over stars.

Focal Image

• Die cut large drip circle from Drip Dry set (Seth Apter).
• Coat with Course Pumice Gel (Golden).
• Cover with Black Gesso (Prima Art Basics).
• Use Framelit Circles (Sizzix) to cut a circle and a round frame.
• Paint circle with Porcelain Blue Acrylic Paint (Folk Art) and then dry brush with Slate Blue Acrylic Paint (Folk Art) leaving streaks.
• Use Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger) to stamp eye from Random Thoughts set (Tim Holtz) on the circle.
• Paint frame with Porcelain Blue Acrylic Paint (Folk Art).
• Add dots with black Micron pens (Sakura).
• Coat the frame with Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle (Tim Holtz).

Metal Stars

• Cover heavy card stock with metal foil tape (hardware store).
• Hand cut various sizes of stars.
• Emboss stars with Bubble Embossing Folder (Tim Holtz).
• Paint stars with Pure Black Acrylic Paint (Folk Art) and then wipe the paint off leaving some paint in the debossed areas.

To assemble

• Adhere the stars panel using foam tape.
• Add the drippy circle followed by the frame.
• Add the circle with foam tape.
• Glue on the metal stars.

There you have it - my more grungy than industrial offering.  There are a few steps but it wasn't difficult and I love the end result.

I hope you will join me for this challenge.  It runs until September 5th at 20:00 pm UK time.

Ombre Canvas

It is time for the next monthly challenge at Stamps and Stencils.  Ruth is the hostess for this one and is calling it Ombre!  She describes it this way:

Ombre has been in fashion for a while now and not just in art. It's a french word meaning 'a colour that is shaded or graduated in tone'...so for this challenge we want to see projects incorporating one colour (or more if feeling adventurous!) that graduates from it's lightest pastel tint to its darkest shade...with a little stamping or stenciling of course!

I was preparing to go on a little vacation to visit a crafty friend in Virginia so I created something very simple before I left. Check out how I made this very purple canvas. I hope you can see the different tones of the paint I used. Oh and by the way, the spots that look like I missed are really a touch of silver that I added to try to define the embellishments - not sure it really worked the way I intended it though.

• Coat a deep edge 6" x 6" canvas with White Gesso (Liquitex).

• Add stenciling with Molding Paste (Golden) through a geometric stencil (Teresa Collins).

• Adhere some lace (Fancy Gap) across the stencil.

• Die cut some flourishes (Spellbinders) from card stock (Recollections) and add.
• Die cut leaves (Tim Holtz) from card stock (Recollections) and add.
• Add a variety of paper flowers (Wild Orchid Crafts, Dollar Store and Excelsior Warehouse)
• Add pearls to centres without stamens.
• Working on an angle from the centre out sponge on Wild Orchid Acrylic Paint (DecoArt) starting with it full strength and adding White Acrylic Paint (Ceramcoat) to future batches to make it lighter and lighter.
• Add some Treasure Pewter Wax Paste (Connoisseur Studio) as highlights.

I hope you will join us and create an ombre project with stamping and/or stenciling. The challenge is open until 20:00 pm UK time on August 1st.

Altered Book Cover

Today is the start of the June challenge at Stamps and Stencils and Lula, our hostess calls the challenge Do Judge A Book By Its Cover!  Here is how she describes the challenge:

Reading books has been my favourite activity ever since. I am also addicted to altering ordinary items surrounding us. For this challenge I I'd like you to alter any book cover. Creating altered cover is something anyone can do because your only limitation is your own imagination. You can use any type of books from children's books or user manuals to art journals. Don't forget to use stamping or stenciling and join us in the fun!

I was happy when I saw this challenge because I knew it would give me an opportunity to transform something I had at home into an art journal.

I went to my craft book library and selected this book to transform.  I bought it when it first came out in 1972 with the intention of teaching myself how to recover a chair.  I read it and realized that it was something that required classes if I was ever going to be successful and there was no time for that so it has been sitting on the shelf ever since.  Good thing it was only $2.50.

I started altering the cover by giving it a coat of white Gesso (Liquitex) and then using a small brayer, I added Smoked Paprika, Candy Floss and Zesty Zing Fresco Finish paint (Paper Artsy).

Next I added some stenciling with a Harlequin stencil (TCW) and Translucent Embossing Paste (Wendy Vecchi) but it did not show up the way I hoped so stay tuned for a later photo that will show you how I fixed that.  You can see a bit on the bottom of the following photo but only because the light hit it.

I added a whole bunch of bits and pieces - lace, metal, wood, buttons, etc. using Soft Gel Medium (Golden).  Then I covered all my bits and pieces with more white Gesso.

After the Gesso was dry I sprayed the cover with Bubblegum Pink, Lemon Zest and Squeezed Orange ink sprays (Dylusions).

Next I added some stamping with Watering Can Archival Ink (Wendy Vecchi) and stamps from Faded Fragments (Seth Apter) and a mixed set THMM101 (Tim Holtz).

Here is a photo of the embossing paste and stencil I used but make the stenciling more visible I lid the stencil back down and using a sponge and some white Gesso, I pounced some colour on.  Because I had to work around the bits and pieces, I missed a few spots but all in all it still looks much better.

So there is my new art journal ready for creating inside.  I hope you will find a book and alter it to create something new and fun.  If you do, please join us for the challenge - it runs until July 4th at 20:00 UK Time.

Inspiration Post at Stamps and Stencils

Here is a sneak peek at something I have made for my Inspiration Post over at Stamps and Stencils.  Check it out by clicking HERE.

Faking It

It is time for the next challenge at Stamps and Stencils.  Toni is our hostess for this one and she calls it Let's Fake It!  Here is what she has to say about it:

I love faux finishes of all descriptions whether it be rust, stone, leather or time worn vintage. You name it we have the power to fake it! I'd like to see your projects that include at least one faux finish. Produce anything you like but please include some stamping or stenciling or both if your heart desires!

I decided to make a steampunk inspired canvas with lots of faux rust.

I started with a 7" x 9" stretched canvas that I picked up at the dollar store and covered it with torn strips of old book paper that I glued on with Mod Podge to give it some strength.  Next I used some Molding Paste (Golden) through a stencil called Measured (Tim Holtz) to add some texture.  The whole canvas was given a coat of white Gesso (Liquitex) before it was given some colour.

The canvas was painted with Honey Brown Acrylic Paint (DecoArt) and then a coat of Mocha Mousse Chalk Acrylic (Paper Artsy), which was randomly wiped back with a baby wipe while it was still wet.

To give the canvas some life I used a sponge to add a variety of acrylic paints - Espresso (Craftsmart), Pure Black (Folk Art), Rich Espresso and Worn Penny Metallic (Deco Art) and then I added spray inks - Moonshadow Mist Burnished Brass (Lindys) and Gathered Twigs Distress Spray Stain (Tim Holtz).

Using some Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger) I some markings with stamps - Border Lines (Seth Apter), Limor's Circles and Tasty Textures (IndigoBlu).

I made a background panel next by adding paper backed adhesive metal foil tape (Cantech) to a piece of light chipboard and then ran it through a Blueprint Texture Fade (Tim Holtz).  Before I cut it down to size I used an embossing stylus to add more markings.

The next step was to paint it completely with Pure Black Acrylic Paint (Folk Art) and then wipe off the paint from the raised areas.

The metal panel was given a rusty tone by covering it with alcohol inks - Rust, Terra Cotta, Pitch Black and Copper Mixative (Tim Holtz).  Some blending solution was added on the felt applicator to make the colours flow and blend more easily.

I stamped the focal image from a set called Steampunkesque (IndigoBlu) onto a scrap of white card stock using Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger).

The image was inked all over with Vintage Photo Distress Ink (Tim Holtz) and then coated with Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint.

My husband cut some wooden gears for me on the laser cutter and to turn them into grungy rusted gears I first coated them with a mixture of Regular Matte Gel (Golden) mixed with some sand (borrowed from the playground).

Next the gears were painted with Payenes Grey Fuid Acrylic (DecoArt Media).  After this was dry I sponged on bits of Quinacridone Gold Fluid Acrylic (DecoArt Media) and Worn Penny Metallic Arcylic (DecoArt) and ojnce I was happy with the combination, I coated them with Ultra Matte Varnish (DecoArt Media).  The photo I took of this step was so blurry that no amount of edit would make it visible - my apologies.

I collected a bunch of other metal bits and pieces (Tim Holtz and My Husband's Workshop) to add to the canvas and altered them with a combination of Rust, Espresso and Copper Mixative Alcohol Ink (Tim Holtz).

To assemble the canvas I used some Soft Matte Gel (Golden) to attach the metal panel first, followed by the focal image and then the gears and bits and pieces adding a couple of buttons and a funky bead  from my stash to round out the embellishments.

I hope you will create something faux and join us for this challenge.

Lying In the Meadow

It is time for a new challenge at Stamps and Stencils.  Rachel is our hostess for this one and is calling it In the Meadow.  She describes it this way:

Meadows are such amazing places - lots of different grasses, wild flowers and wonderful wildlife. Let your imagination run wild ...and use stamps or stencils too! Enjoy!

I decided to make a page for my art journal this time and wanted it to depict what I would be feeling if I was lying in a meadow - and taking time to do nothing.

The first step was to stamp some grasses on the page using a set called Victorian Garden (IndigoBlu) and Olive Archival Ink (Ranger) and Fern Green Archival Ink (Wendy Vecchi).  Sorry about the glare on the photos but it was miserable out when I took the photos and I had to turn the overhead light on in my studio to get anything half decent.

Next I stenciled some wildflowers by putting Translucent Embossing Paste (Wendy Vecchi) through a stencil called Mini Wildflowers (TCW).

The next step was to ink the whole page using Twisted Citron and Peeled Paint Distress Oxide (Tim Holtz).  The embossing paste acts as a resist so I just took some paper towel and rubbed over the wildflowers to bring them to life again.

I stenciled some butterflies (Heidi Swapp) with Fern Green Archival Ink and then I left the stencil in place and stamped over the butterflies with a set called Ultimate Grunge (Tim Holtz) and Olive Archival Ink (Ranger).

I decided there would be lots of bees in the meadow, especially if there are wildflowers so I added some using Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger) and bees from the Victorian Garden set (IndigoBlu) and a set called Random Thoughts (Tim Holtz).

I added some Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint Distress Spray Stain (Tim Holtz) randomly over the page.

Finally I created some text on the computer, distressed it and inked it with Shabby Shutters Distress Ink (Tim Holtz).

I hope you will join us for this challenge - you have until May 2nd to create.