Spring Blog Hop w/ Jessica Sporn Designs!

(8 x 10 Canvas Panel)

"It is Spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart."

-- Rainer Maria Rilke

Spring is absolutely, positively my favorite time of year. Not only is the weather gorgeous, but the air itself seems to be drenched in sweet smelling, saturated color. 

So the idea of creating in the theme of Spring for our latest blog hop with Jessica Sporn Designs, gets my head spinning in all kinds of whimsical directions. And! I had a cool idea I wanted to try out: what if I took Jessica's "Build-A-Villa" stamps from RubberMoon and enlarged them to create the focal point in a collage? And, if I did that, then wouldn't it be cool to see what's behind the windows and doors? Anyway, that's where my mind wandered, I hope you enjoy watching along:

For more Spring Fun, keep hopping! Check out what both Jessica Sporn and Denise Alloca did with the theme, and be sure to comment on all posts you visit. Jessica will be giving away her (beautiful, stunning, I must have this!) "Layered Peonies" stencil from Stencil Girl to one lucky winner. 

"Layered Peonies" by Jessica Sporn for Stencil Girl

All entries must be registered by next Monday, April 19th (6:00 pm, EST) and will be announced on Jessica's blog the following day. 

Have fun, good luck and Happy, Happy Spring!

Kristin xo

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Paint Party Friday (Week 1!)

"Little Blue Girl"

4 x 4 Canvas Panel

I found the coolest set of canvas panels - all 4 x 4 in size - perfect for tiny moments of inspiration. This week, I'm joining Party with my first, "Little Blue Girl." She started life like this:

Panel covered in decorative paper and a rough sketch before being sanded and sealed with clear gesso.

I then added color with acrylic and Caran D'Ache watercolor crayons, crackle medium, charcoal, oil pastels, Stickles glitter and a bedazzled butterfly. 

Thanks for looking! I'll see you at the Party . . . .

Kristin xo

Paint Party Friday (Week 31)

"Hello, Bird." 

16 x 20 Canvas Panel

(Bird & Crown clip art from The Graphics Fairy)

Whew . . . she's done! Now I can return to my regular Mommy-ing schedule . . . 

Thanks to Eva & Kristin for hosting this wonderful Party!

Kristin xo

Sneaky, Sneaky . . .

"Hello, Bird."

WIP

16 x 20 Canvas Panel

Still at it . . .

Kristin xo

No Plan, No Purpose - Result

Detail 

It was a lot of fun (and a bit of a challenge) to create something with No Plan or Purpose in mind before doing so. I started with a few of my favorite collage materials, some matte gel medium, a 16 x 20 canvas panel and an open heart. I decided to go with the flow and see what happens. Since you have all been so kind as to comment on my progress, I thought it would be interesting to show the Results to you step-by-step. Here's what I came up with . . .

Soften the background with cream and pink acrylics

Add scalloped edges and a decorative curtain. Sand.

At this point, I knew there would be a disco ball in the center.

Highlight and define with white paint and charcoal. 

I found a vintage image from a greeting card that I outlined with charcoal and burnished onto the canvas to serve as the base for my central figure. I then spent time defining and painting the figure before adding crystals and glitter to her dress, disco ball and drapes.

The Final Result  . . .

"Under the Disco Ball"

16 x 20 Canvas Panel

(you may click to enlarge)

Thanks for joining me on my journey! Let's do this again sometime . . .

Kristin xo

MMM: Something New

"Blue Bird"

6 x 8 Canvas Panel

This week's Mixed Media Monday prompt, Something New, gave me a great excuse to use a new roll of decorative packing tape that I just picked up. I wanted to try a packing tape transfer with it and hoped that the green flourish would provide a unique result. The piece evolved into "Blue Bird" . . .  

The 6 x 8 canvas panel was created with a wash of lavender and white acrylic on which I roughly drew a bird cadge. The packing tape transfer (from vintage sheet music) was placed on the bottom of the cage and the door is made from the following text: "blue bird hovers / sweetly shy, / a song as sweet / as an angel's voice." The figure of the boy is vintage Mother Goose. Final touches are colored pencils, white China Marker, charcoal and glitter.

Thank you for looking: I'm eager to see what everyone does with their Something New . . .

Kristin xo 

MMM: Child's Play

"Preschool Collage"

12 x 16 Canvas Panel

This week's Mixed Media Monday challenge is to create a piece of art using the tools and techniques "that speak to your inner child." Not only did I love the excuse to play with some of my favorite supplies such as crayons and colored pencils, but I also used this opportunity to feature some of Kendra's preschool artwork. As you probably know, those little ones bring home a lot of stuff and although we have a wall in our home dedicated to her artwork, I wanted to do something more with some of my favorites . . .

I started with a 12 x 16 canvas which was covered in four panels (from a blank journal) that had been painted in bold colors and stamped (in relief). Next came more stamping, this time with black ink and various stamps, including the back of an eraser. I then lightly washed the whole piece with some watered-down paint before adding my collage elements from several pieces and copies of Kendra's artwork. Final touches came from smudged charcoal, crayon, pencils and plenty of glitter. It hangs from a satin ribbon and includes a few Swarovski crystal beads hung from wire on the top right.

Thank you for your time! I can't wait to see what all you kiddies did this week . . .

Kristin xo

MMM: Mother

"I am what I am"

6 x 8 Canvas Panel

I had a good friend at the house the other day and we got to talking about art. I laid out some of the pieces I've made over the last year and, while carefully looking at what she saw before her, she asked me a bold question: "Do you feel guilty about not being able to become pregnant?" Wow. And, yes. I wouldn't have thought so, but my answer came quickly.

I am acutely aware of how lucky we are to have our beautiful baby, and I am forever grateful that Kendra's birthmother trusted us to parent her, but now that we are hoping to adopt again, all of the "old" feelings of not being able to do this, or relying on someone else to do that, must bring it all up again. What I realized in that moment is that I am still holding on to a lot of guilt and fear. And I am sharing it with you because with this piece for Mixed Media Monday, I have decided to let that go. I know that we will have another child, even if I don't know how or when. And I have resolved to live more in the moment and celebrate the family I do have. I am the one who can not give birth. But I am also the one who was lucky enough to carry Kendra in my heart. We are all so lucky. I have finally given myself permission to just be. After all, "I am what I am."

This piece was created on a 6 x 8 canvas panel that was collaged with personal mementos of our adoption including a letter from my Mother-in-Law, a piece of my baby shower invitation and the stamp we created for her birth announcements. To this, I added a wash of acrylic, a charcoal outline representing myself and a heart (made from handmade papers) representing the part of me she came from.

Thank you for looking. And a big thank you to my friend for showing me the light . . .

Kristin xo