Design Team Project: The Crafters Workshop

I thought I would share a TCW Design Team project from August. It's a simple canvas but it's amazing how one small addition can change finish the project.

I thought I was finished but it was missing something. Just the addition of the bees was all it needed.

You can see how I created it by going the THE CRAFTERS WORKSHOP BLOG.

The Crafters Workshop provided me with stencils and mediums to create this project. The opinions I share are solely my own because I do love to use them.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

on my mind, out of my mind, oh no my mind

Welcome to another post when I'm feeling out of my mind. I have a hard time transitioning to fall. I love summer even the hot and humid days. The only thing I do like are the colorful leaves. They are just starting to show themselves.

I work for a tax accountant and I start prepping for that horrid tax season in November. I think that's why I have so much anxiety for fall. I'll be busy from November through to April 15th. Also, I hate the cold.

In the fall my art is sort of a mess. I look at it and wonder where my head is at. So out of my mind is correct. To keep my mind focused I work like to work in mixed media collage. It keeps my mind and hands busy with little pieces of paper trying to make it work. I don't know why it's calming for me but it works.

This piece is called Many Moons. Here is a picture of my auditioned papers. I spend quite a lot of time auditioning pieces and sometimes they just don't work and I'm diving into my box of scraps looking for something else.

The long strips are dried wet wipes. I keep them and use them in collage all the time. I have quite a stack.  Some are a form of polyester plastic so I figure with gel medium they will last quite while and not disintegrate.

Here is the finished piece. Its hard to photograph because of all the metallic on it. What you think is white is silver.  I also added Seth Apter's Cling Rubber Stamps by Impression Obsession called Border Lines.  I'm obsessed with this stamp!

Another thing I've been doing to keep my mind focus is color. Every time I use a stencil I spray it with water and put it down on paper. I keep going on one piece of paper until I like the way it looks. When it's all dry I put it away to use another day.  Fall is here so now I'm pulling them out and coloring them in with watercolors. I'm not a fan of watercolors so in an effort to change my mind about them I try to use them.

Fall makes me feel like I have to squirrel away all my nuts for the winter and get everything in order so working on collage and coloring in a page like a coloring book keeps my mind at peace. Well, maybe for a short time!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

A Beautiful Bouquet

Today I'm sharing a Design Team project for The Crafters Workshop. August 1 starts with the new design team and new stencils.  Make you check out all the TCW new team and their creations!

I created an easy piece of art using TCW823 Rose Bouquet and TCW Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste.

The best part about TCW's Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste is that you can let it dry, add water with a brush and add a touch of paint and it will spread through the paste. I usually use high flow acrylics or add water to paint for this technique. I wouldn't wait a few days to do it. I've found the longer it sits it no longer reacts with water very well.

You can see the whole tutorial HERE.

The Crafter’s Workshop provided me with stencils and mediums to create this project.

The opinions I share are solely my own because I do love to use them.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Don't forget to head over the The Crafters Workshop Blog to check out what the rest of the Design Team created!

I Framed a Sunflower!!!

Well, not a real one. One of my favorite stencils from The Crafters Workshop is the Joyful Sunflower. Although I have quite a few favorites the flowers are the ones I use all the time. Today I'm going to show you my Design Team project for The Crafters Workshop.

The Crafter’s Workshop provided me with stencils and mediums to create this project.

The opinions I share are solely my own because I do love to use them.

I want to show you the fun background I created for this piece. It is something everyone can do! I found I had a box of pre-made corrugated cards so I thought it would be fun to use the card for mark making and texture. If you don't have the cards use cardboard or anything corrugated!

I took a piece 11" x 14" mixed media paper and added paint to it, sprayed it with water lightly, and then used the card to create the marks.  Keep move the card around the paper.

Since I have a whole box of these cards I will be using this technique over and over. For the background I used blue, white and black acrylic paint. I believe they were all Golden Paint but I can't guarantee it since there are always tons sitting on my table. I wish I could use just one brand. Do you only one brand of paint?

The background dried and I started adding the Joyful Sunflower. Remember to move your stencil designs around especially flowers. You'll see I created shadows behind the flowers by moving it.

I finished the piece and framed it right away. I'm in the process of varnishing paintings I want to keep and painting Gesso on the ones I don't want so I can start over.

You can see more of my tutorial on The Crafters Workshop blog. Don't forget to leave a comment and check out all the other projects created by the Design Team!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Butterflies 2: Mixed Media Canvas

Sometimes creating art and blogging don't mix. I'm creating lots of art but I don't have pictures of my process so I feel like I shouldn't share it. I know...share it anyway.  But today's post I have a few pictures of my process YAY!!!

   

I started this piece using a 12"x 12" cradled wood panel. Almost all my art starts with painting the substrate black. I love the way the colors pop off black so that why I start this way. This piece I painted over the black with green, white, and yellow. The globe is from a napkin and the hot air balloon is a stamp on tissue paper I found in my stash. The bottom is a mixed of book pages, music paper, tape, and scrap paper.  

I used The Crafters Workshop (TCW) Matte Gel Medium to adhere all the bits and pieces of paper. All the other marks were created by using TCW stencils: Ornate Border TCW785 and Distressed Details TCW754.

In the photo below the paint was dry and I started adding rub-ons. I believe they are from Tim Holtz but I don't keep any of my packaging so I'm not sure. I also added more yellow paint and my favorite color, black. I love the darkness and looking up to the top of the canvas to the light.

With the addition of black paint I decided to add more from the Ornate Borders stencil and added more rub-ons.  If you notice I used all the words from the rub-on page. I love to do that although its expensive having to buy them all over again.  I also use TCW gel medium over the rub-ons so they stay on permanently.  The butterflies are from my stash.

Here is the finished piece again. The only change I'm going to make is to add shadows to the butterfly wings.

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop and read to the end of this post. I truly appreciate it. If you have any questions, please leave me a comment.

I CUT UP and MELTED My Stencils

Hi Everyone!

This post is not for the faint of heart.

I'm sharing a design team project I created for The Crafters Workshop. You can see the link to the full post at the bottom.

 

I'm in a get rid of junk mood and found that I had two of the same stencil, Flower Frenzy.

 

The Crafters Workshop provided me with the stencils and mediums to create this project.
The opinions I share are solely my own because I do love to use them.

 

 

 I cut up the stencil and then used my heat gun (in a well ventilated room) slowly heat the plastic so the flowers would curl. I then painted them with varies shades of acrylic paints.

  

 

 

 

When everything was dry I attached them to the canvas.

 

 

 

 I have tons of glass beads so I also added them to the flowers and canvas.

 

 

Here is the finished piece. 

 

 

 

You can see the complete tutorial by clicking HERE.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Stay tuned for another FINDING ART post next week!

  

  

TCW and CCBrands Match Up - Spring Time in a Bottle

Hi Everyone.

I'm up on the TCW Blog with a project for Match Up with Canvas Corp Brands.  We were given a wonderful selection of materials from Canvas Corp to use. It was a lot of fun.

 

 

 

The Crafter’s Workshop provided me with stencils and mediums to create this project. The opinions I share are solely my own because I do love to use them.

 

Oh don't forget to head over the blog and leave a comment for a chance to win a great prize!

 

 

Here is the project I created.

 

You can see how I created it and all the supplies I used by clicking HERE.

 

Here is all the information about the prize. HEAD ON OVER for a change to win.

 

Here is your chance to get your hands on a wonderful collection of products from The Crafter’s Workshop and Canvas Corp Brands.  Here is all you need to do….

1. leave a comment here on any or all of the Match Up Posts during the month of February with The Crafter’s Workshop  and CCB.  You can leave one on each post for more chances to win.  Don’t forget to include #tcwccbmatchup so we can find you!!!
2. and/or leave a comment on the CCB Facebook page. Don’t forget to include #tcwccbmatchup so we can find you!!!
3. and/or leave a comment on any of the CCB Instagram posts where you see any of the projects from the CCB team or the TCW team.  Don’t forget to include #tcwccbmatchup so we can find you!!!

You can follow along by searching #tcwccbmatchup too.  If you love what you see and would like to join the Facebook group the CCB Collective – ask to join today.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Good luck!!

 

 

 



Traveling with Art Supplies

Hi Everyone!

When I go on vacation I always carry art supplies with me.

This trip I kept to watercolors knowing that paint and other supplies would be available.

 

You can see what my bag looks like and all The Crafter's Workshop stencils I carried HERE.

 

Today I'm going to show all the unfinished pages I worked on.

 

These pages are for coloring.

 

 

 

 

The Crafter’s Workshop provided me with stencils to create these projects.

The opinions I share are solely my own because I do love to use them.

 

I used watercolors on these.

 

 

 

Here are some other pages I used watercolors, paint, modeling paste and ephemera.

 

This page I just wanted to see what it would look like with lots of legs!

 

Not sure how I'm going to finish this one.

Although it has given me an idea for a canvas.

 

I've had these Zebras for a while now.

I cut them from reams of paper.

The Overlapping Stripes stencil is perfect for this page.

 

 

That's it for now.

You can see all The Crafter's Workshop stencil on Scrapbook.com.

CLICK HERE

 

More art to follow soon!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

 

 



Playing with a new stencil called Mumsy

Today I'm going to show you a new stencil called Mumsy.  

The Crafter's Workshop provided me with stencils to create this project. 

The opinions I share are solely my own because I do love to use them.

I decided to use these fluorescent paint colors on 100 lbs. black cards stock. I've been loving these bright colors lately.

I used a sponge and added the Mumsy to the card stock.

I fussy cut the blue ones out to put around the bird. The bird is from the stencil called Bird Nest (TCW608). To have the bird on hand when I want to use it, I add the bird to mixed media paper with super heavy gesso, modeling paste, heavy gel medium, or crackle paste. I fill up the paper with birds and fussy cut and color as I need them.

Here is the final piece.

I did complete a few more pieces. Sorry no step out pictures. One on Yupo, my favorite substrate, and a card.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

It's Spring! Time for ......

Hi Everyone!

I'm excited for Spring!

 

Warmer Weather

 SUN SHINING HIGH IN THE SKY

 

Twitterpated birds building their nests in the gutters on my house.

I call them bird condos.

 

 

 

Flowers blooming

 

 

 

Warmer weather, warmer waters to swim

 

 

 

BUT!

 

I'm doing some major Spring time purging in my art room.

Here is a before picture from my Art Room Tour you can see HERE

 

 

 

This picture was taken after I finished a purge.

Sometime in the distance future, I'll be getting rid of the rug and painting but for now I have a need for it to be less claustrophobic. There is stuff in every crevice, shelf, box, etc. I use most of it but I don't want to see what I don't use as often.

 

BUT

 

The biggest reason I started, I lost one of my favorite stencils.

It's an old one; discontinued.

 

I came home from a very stressful day at work and went into my room and just yelled and screamed using paint, markers, anything that would make a mark. It was very therapeutic. When I was done I picked up everything on the floor (nothing was really worth saving) and thru it ALL away. The stencil must have been on the floor in between the papers because I did use it.

 

Oh the pain! Tears! Frustration again!

 

So off to Ikea to find piece of furniture where I can store supplies and be able to get rid of furniture that is just taking up room.

 

I started Sunday; it's Thursday and I'm still not done.

Here are a couple of pictures when I started a couple days apart.

Sorry the pictures are from my cell and not very clear.

 

Those two white drawers under the window is what I bought at Ikea. My plan is to have the space on top of them for a drying station. When I took this picture I was so frustrated with all the stuff I had that I was able to throw out two large garbage bags of pure junk. Yes, it was junk!

 

 

 

This was taken Tuesday night and it still looks that way. I have lots to do. Bins and baskets to sort through, papers scattered here and there. There is still one large piece of furniture sitting in my kitchen I have to go through. I'm not putting that back in the room!

 

My goal now is to have only one small piece of furniture under my table (holds my markers, etc.). See the door knob in the lower right hand corner? That little white bin has wheels (Ikea) and that's where I am now storing my TCW stencils. More in another post!

 

 

I knew I wasn't going to find the stencil but at least I'm starting to feel a little bit better about my space.

 

Stay tuned for the final viewing and some art!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!