Joy Canvas for the Berry71Bleu Joy December Challenge

While searching for some inspiration and a challenge to entice me to get back to creating, I found the "Joy" challenge hosted by Berry71Bleu.  The challenge is to write at least three sentences expressing what joyful thing you appreciate. Here's my take on the "Joy" challenge and it was such a delight to create with a 5 x 7 piece of canvas.

Here's a close up of some of my hand-made dimensional paint spread on top of a stencil.

The shabby chic chipboard snowflakes are from Blue Fern Studios.

Here are the "Joy" Challenge Rules:

Joy. What brings you Joy? What always puts a smile on your face? Joy can be interpreted in many ways. Think about what person, place, activity, pet, hobby or simple pleasure gives you joy. This can be anything--that first warm cup of morning coffee, reading your favorite book, your family, your dog cuddling up next to you! Think outside of the box.

 

The second part of this challenge is that you must include journaling. Your journaling must be at least 3 sentences or more. Jotting down places and dates do not count. Document your thoughts and explain why the subject you chose to scrap brings you joy.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop by Berry71 Bleu to see what other's have created to inspire us and maybe you'll be inspired to get back into creating too.

Shabby Chic Snowflake Chipboard

A lovely cold wintery day inspired me to create with Blue Fern Studios' shabby chic snowflakes.
Lot's of beads, gel molding paste, glitter and mists help create this little collection of ATC's.  Each one of the cards lists some of the wonderful things I love about winter.  There's some home made shimmery dimensional media there in the background too.

Some close ups:

Here's the Blue Fern Studio chipboard "Let It Snow" collection:

 

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Winter Soltice.

Blue Fern Studios has announced their 2014 Design Team, and I made the team!!! Yea!

Blue Fern Studios ("BFS") has announced their 2014 Design Team, and I'll be back in January 2014 designing with an awesome new and talented team.  I am in receipt of some new chipboard designs from Blue Fern Studios and have already set to work in creating with the chipboard.  I'm working on some new techniques to apply to chipboard and am looking forward to sharing them with you too.  See you in January at BFS.

 

 

Meet the 2014 Design Team at Blue Fern Studios:

 

Evgenia Pelzer - South Africa
Jackie Clark - Canada
Jelissa Mei - Singapore
Joyce Lawrence - United States
Keren Tamir - Canada
Leila Cardoso - Brasil
Lisa Griffith - United States
Marie Josee Hamel - Canada
Maja Stokk - Sweden
Olga Heldwein - Poland
Rae Moses - United States
Yuko Tanaka – Japan

Camilla Ekman - Sweden
Erin Blegen -  United States
Kelly Foster - United States
Lisa Gregory - United States
Patter Cross --United States
Valerie Serfozo -  United States



The Soul In Love Series (Artists Trading Cards)

 

A weekend experiment with a background idea turned into "The Soul In Love Series" featuring some clips of passages I've read over the years about nurturing our souls. The Blue Fern Studios Checker Bits chipboard helped to add some dimension and additional interest as well.  I've got enough of the background technique experiment left to create a future art journal page, but I'm saving that for a rainy day. :)  There's mica flakes, gel molding medium, light molding paste, stamping, misting, stencil and stamping work on these little gems. 

 

 

Close ups for you:

 

 

Hope your weekend was stirring some creativity for your soul this weekend too.  Thanks for stopping by.

Wedding Card for Cardabilities Sketch #86

I thought creating ATC's would satisfy my need for working with small things and details, but when I accidently happened to find this sketch featured at  "Cardabilities," I was immediately inspired and smitten with the idea of creating a card. And, coincidently I was going to need one for an impending wedding.

I set out to create a background spritzing various mists on my mat and applying the cardstock on the puddles of the mist and gently applied pressure to the cardstock to pick up those colors.  After the mists dried, a script stamp was applied in various places, and finally a stencil was applied using light molding paste. Below are some close ups of the background work.

I so enjoyed creating this card for a very dear couple, and Cardabilities has certainly inspired me to create more.  Thanks for stopping by.

Scrapfriends Challenge #19

 

 

Another fab sketch from Scrapfriends! This particular sketch site inspires me to get out my mixed media supplies, they almost always some architectural element on their sketches that make them so very interesting and appealing.  

 

I was so delighted to open up my email from Angela to find this sketch to use for my guest designer post at Scrapfriends.  I was disappointed that I didn't own any feather elements, but it inspired me to use a sea theme.   On the header of this page, I used some corrugated cardboard, gesso, stamps, mists, and my Kosher Salt technique that I have used on other projects.  I used this same technique on the Blue Fern Studios star fish chipboard pieces as well.

 

Chipboard pieces are all from Blue Fern Studios: the little ocean wave banner, star fish, "Beauty", and the coral and shell at the bottom of the page.

 

Ocean themed stamps are from 7 Gypsies.

 

How will the sketch inspire your theme?  You have two weeks to post your layout here.

 

 

 

Close ups:

 



The Color Room Palette #162

Here's my second posting as guest designer at the fabulous The Color Room.  The background was created using the The Crafter's Workshop damask pattern with some light molding paste, mist and stamp work.  I frequently use this technique, and if I want to add some opulence and glow to the pattern, I spritz on some lovely gold metallic mist on the raised molding paste area after I wipe them down with a sea sponge to remove as much as the previous color mist as possible. The gold metallic misting spray is absent in the above picture because I was trying to stay true to the challenge palette.   You have two weeks from October 25 to complete the challenge.





Ok, so I've shared my rendition of the challenge, let me see you post yours at The Color Room under palette #162.

The punch work are Memory Box Dies. They're truly elegant looking and very detailed.

Thanks for stopping by.

Guest Designer for The Color Room (Palette #161)

I'm thrilled, excited to share the news with you that I'm a Guest Designer at The Color Room this month! 

When I first started scrapbooking, The Color Room was the place to be, all the rock stars of scrapbooking/mixed media were playing there, and I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by all that talent under one roof.  I would eagerly look forward to the weekly challenge announcements, and sit in front of my computer monitor and go through each of the design teams and participants creations, in awe over the beauty, skill and creativity.  I didn't feel confident enough to jump in and participate, or I felt I didn't have the perfect color that matched the palette.  One day, I couldn't stand by and be an outsider anymore,  I too became a participant.

The Color Room is an international color challenge site, and if any of you have not yet participated, I hope you throw caution to the wind and jump in like I did.  If you don't have the perfect color mists, paint, paper, etc., you just have to match the color as best as you can, and sometimes that might mean mixing a few paints, mists to get that color to match close enough to the palette.  Jump in an join us this month for the bi-weekly challenges, and more importantly, challenge yourself.

This color palette is so soft and dreamy with some dark brown to ground all that dreaminess.  I've used several Blue Fern Studios chipboard pieces to bring my creation to life.  And, how can  you possibly go wrong when you're working with a Lydell Quinn sketch. :)

Port Said (Scrapfriend Sketch Challenge)

 

 

Experimenting with the Blue Fern Studios Quatrefoil inspired me to create with Scrap Friend's Sketch #17. Originally,  I was just going to save the green and blue piece creation of chipboard, modeling paste, webbing, stamping, etc., but when I saw this sketch on my blog reading list, I knew those horizontal pieces weren't meant to be thrown in box. :) Little coin charms were sewn with gold metallic thread at the bottom of each horizontal creation, and joined together with pieces of the Blue Fern Studios Quatrefoil chipboard creating a buckle between pieces.  When I realized that it almost looks like a belly dancing belt, I went through boxes of pictures looking for some old belly dancing pictures I have of myself.   The title "Port Said" comes from the first belly dancing album I danced too. Great exercise, wish I could shake my hips like that again. LOL. 

 

  

 

 

Close up of belt, buckle and coins. 

 

Another close up (I really like how the webbing treatment came out): 

Sketch:

Blue Fern Studios Quatrefoil Chipboard:

Thanks for looking.  I hope you get inspired like I did when Scrap Friends shows up on your blog reading list.

ATC Mini Album

 



 

Hello everyone!

 

I finally created a little album to contain my ATC collection!  Again, I used the Blue Fern Studios quatrefoil panel as a stencil for the background of the cover, and worked with lovely cream and lavender hues to enhance that one Prima flower I've been coveting and waiting for the perfect project. The Royal Border from Blue Fern Studios (picture below) was painted and micro beads were added to add more texture.  I promise you the colors are so soft and shabby looking in real life. ;)

 

Here's a close up of that Prima flower.

 

 

 

Quatrefoil Panel from Blue Fern Studios:

 

 

Royal Border from Blue Fern Studios:

Watch for my Give-A-Way of Blue Fern Studios Chipboard this week!!!

"Done Is Better Than Perfect" - Creating with a Chipboard Stencil

Hello everyone!  It's so good to be back creating and doing something that I love after a few months of absence.  I have been caring for my mom during her convalescence, and we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.  During some down time, I created this canvas inspired by two things: the Blue Fern Studios Quatrefoil Panel, and a quote from Pinterest.   Are you one of those that starts something and then find it's not perfect in your eyes so you put off finishing it?  I'm guilty of that, and when I read this quote it resonated with me to do something with it to remind me that there is pleasure and growth in the process and finishing something is just as rewarding.

The delicious background was created using the Quatrefoil panel chipboard as a stencil and lots of application of molding paste, mists, ink and stamping.  The word "Done" was created with the chipboard bits inside of the chipboard and stamped, inked and added some Diamond Dust to tone down the harsh black letters.   Unfortunately, the pictures don't truly capture the rich saturated colors of those glorious mists.

      

Quatrefoil Panel used as a Stencil

                                                       

 

I loved how the chipboard stencil background technique came out, and I will be making more creations with this same technique in the near future.  Hope you stop by when I complete the second piece that I've been working on and I'll share a tutorial with you.  Until then, do something you love and finish it! :)

 

Keeping The Best Sketch #61

 

Originally, I found this Keeping The Best sketch quite challenging, but once I decided on what papers to use, and how I was going to use them on the page with a stencil that matched a pattern on one of the papers, it all started to come together rather nicely. I consider it one of my favorite background pieces.  I used the Blue Fern Studios Circle Motif chipboard to implement the circular design on the sketch.  The papers are from Creative Imaginations --some old and some new collections.

Sadly, this is my last post designing for Keeping The Best.  My mom fell down on mother's day and dislocated two shoulders and broke one of her arms.  I will be taking care of her during her convalescence, so you won't be seeing much posting from me until she starts to improve.

 

  

Blue Fern Studios Chipboard (May Project-Tags)

I was so inspired by the colors in the Creative Imagination Devotion Collection that I used on the bargin bin journal I recently posted at Blue Fern Studios, that I decided to continue the collection and create some tags with some of the paper and color scheme.

The first tag showcases the Marcasite Technique on the Blue Fern Studios chipboard that looks like a door knocker from the Ironworks Accent collection.

Marcasite Technique

Embossing Technique

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope I can inspire you to try out this Marcasite technique to use on some of your BFS chipboard pieces.  It is really quite effective on chipboard and renders a jewel like quality.  The technique is easy to apply.

 

Here are pictures of the Blue Fern Studios chipboard pieces I have used.

 

Ironwork Accents

Widgets

 Here’s how I obtained the look of Marcasite on the door knocker chipboard.

 

1)      Apply an acrylic gold metallic paint, or an metallic ink from a stamp pad, to your chipboard and let it dry.

2)      Visualize where you want to apply your Marcasite application to rest and apply either (a) a liquid pearl product, or (b) an application of glitter in small dots, or (c) add self-adhesive pearls or rhinestones on your pattern, and allow any wet product to dry thoroughly before continuing on to the next step.  I alternated an application of a liquid pearl product and a glitter dot on my first example.

3)      Use a small paint brush and dip it in a dark grey, black or vertigris colored mist and apply the mist with your paint brush all around your pearls/rhinestones/glitter dot design and set to dry.  Wipe up any excess mist that may get on to other areas of the chipboard that are not in alignment with your Marcasite design.  You may need to apply another coat for more drama because the acrylic metallic paint may produce a resistance.  If this happens, then try a watered down black acrylic paint on your paint brush instead of the colored mist.

4)      Once the mist or paint has dried, use a moistened  Q-tip to clean off the mist or paint on the pearls/rhinestones so that the radiance of the pearl/rhinestones show through.

5)      Then using your fingers, apply an ivory/gold metallic paste or paint around the edges of the Marcasite technique to bring back the radiance of the original gold metallic paint application.  This last application really shows up well in the door knock chipboard tag featured below because there was more surface space available on that particular chipboard design.

Blue Fern Studios Chipboard (May Project - Marcasite and Image Transfer Technique)

Image Transfer Technique used on journal cover

Close up of Marcasite technique used on Blue Fern Studios Chipboard

Marcasite Chipboard Technique:  Visit Blue Fern Studios here to find out how I created the Marcasite Technique on the Organic Vine Corner chipboard.
 

 

IMAGE TRANSFER TECHNIQUE APPLIED ON A BARGAIN BIN JOURNAL 

Brightly colored pattern paper (preferably two-sided paper and of good quality like Prima, or in this case, I used paper from a Creative Imagination collection).  Cut the paper to the size of your journal cover, or your chipboard design.  I trace my chipboard on the pattern paper and then cut it to size.

Acrylic paint to match a background color in your pattern paper.  In my case, I used Titan Buff from Golden.  I prefer to use a color paint that matches the background paper in case I get overzealous and rub off too much of the image.  You don’t want a dark colored purple paint showing through a pastel shabby chic paper.

Supplies:

 

Journal or chipboard piece (preferably Blue Fern Studios chipboard ;))

Pattern Paper

Acrylic paint to match the background of your pattern paper

Paint Brush

Water Mister

Heat Gun

Old credit card or small squeegee

 Paint a generous amount of acrylic paint to the top of your journal.  Do not apply the paint thinly because the technique will not work properly.

Quickly apply the paper, cut to the size of your journal, over the paint.  The side of the paper that you do not want to image transfer should be facing you when you apply the paper to the paint.  Your preferred pattern paper will be in contact with the acrylic paint.

Use a credit card, or squeegee, to press out all the air bubble and to ensure the paper has contacted with the paint on the journal base.  I do this several times to make certain I get a nice finish.

Apply heat gun to the paper for a few minutes then set aside to dry for two hours.  Pile a few heavy books on top of the journal to chipboard.

Now the fun part begins:  Use your water mister and mist over the project several times until it is lightly saturated.  Use your fingers and gently rub off the first two layers of paper until your preferred pattern papers reveals itself.   I normally rub in a circular motion and spritz water when the paper seems like it’s drying out.  Continue to repeat this process until you like the pattern that has appeared.  On my example, I left some of the other side of the paper intact.

 

Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!

 

Thank you for dropping by for a visit.

 

 

 

 



Blue Fern Studios Organic Vine Corner Chipboard