Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #8

Happy New Year!! It's time for another challenge at the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog. Our theme for this month is "Something New for the New Year." Just do something new in your project - use a new product, try a new technique, make a new kind of project etc...Just think outside of your normal box and go have fun making something!!

Be sure to check out the blog to see all the inspirational projects created by the rest of the design team. Also, check out our new designer we are welcoming this month, Karen Crossen. You are going to love her work!!!

Our sponsor this month is the new and awesome crafty online store Butterfly Reflections Ink. They have great prices and lots of fun mixed media items like the entire line of Dina Wakely Paints, Gesso,  and Gel Medium. Also, check out their blog where you can see some gorgeous projects created with the products they sell made by some very talented designers. They are generously offering a $25 gift card for our lucky random winner.

For my project I made a 6x6 canvas. I created the background using my new Pan Pastels. I ordered them over Thanksgiving and finally got a chance to use them. I tried to emboss on the canvas before adding the Pan Pastels, but I'm not a great embosser and all I have is the Ranger Heat Tool which is not good for heat embossing. Basically, most of the embossing ink didn't heat up even though I held the heat tool over for what seemed like forever. So, in the end, I just put on the Pan Pastels and they smeared some of the embossing ink that wasn't dry and it kind of made for an interesting background.

I placed the clouds on the canvas a couple times to make sure the shape was good and the clouds fit within the tree branches. I adhered the burlap clouds with hot glue.

I die cut the tree which is a Karen Burniston die from grunge paper. Then I put modeling pasted on the trunk and limbs to add some texture, painted it and highlighted it with a Stampers Big Brush pen. You can really see all the details in the picture. The die comes with some clouds so I die cut the clouds with burlap and colored the burlap with Pine Needles and Antique Linen and Bundled Sage Distress Stains. I used hot glue to adhere some Prima Marketing and My Minds Eye buttons to the tree. I also outlined and colored some of the buttons using different Stampers Big Brush Pens. To make the sun stand out more I colored it with some Stampers Big Brush Pens and I inked the edges of the canvas Ranger Archival Ink in Watering Can.

Finally, I got a set of little letter stamps at Hobby Lobby. They're so cute. I love how the words are not perfect when you stamp with the individual letters. I stamped lots of inspirational words on the bottom of the canvas with Black Staz On  Ink.

And here's the final product. I love using the Pan Pastels, they were really fun and easy to work with. And the Karen Burniston All Seasons Tree die was great and has TONS of possibilities. It also comes with leaf, snowflake, and flower dies so you can create a tree for any season.

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #7 & the 12 Days of Holiday Inspiration 2014

It's time for another fun challenge over at The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog. This month we're playing TIC-TAC-TOE!! Just make Tic-Tac-Toe in any direction and be sure to tell us in your description which three things you did in your project. If you can make it more than one way, be sure to tell us.

This is also my first project for the 12 Days of Holiday Projects. 

Here's my December Holiday Project. I made Tic-Tac-Toe by using a Star, Die (star), and Glitter.  For information on how I created this canvas, please see the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog, I have a detailed tutorial there.

This background was inspired by a canvas I saw Christy Tomlinson make on a video in one of her online classes. She is amazing, if you haven't taken one of her online classes yet, I would highly recommend that you do. And, she puts the older one on sale several times a year!!

This is so fun and really easy to do. I hope you will try something like this and let me know when you do so I can take a look!! I would love to see how you interpret this process. Keep reading for info of the  12 Days of Holiday Inspiration Blog Event. This is also my Day 1 Project.

Welcome to Day 1 of the 12 Days of Holiday Inspiration Blog Event brought to you by "The Inspiration Crew".  We’re just a group of online crafty blog friends who love being creative. This time we're doing a 12-day event to provide you with tons of Holiday Inspiration.

We're making crafty projects using products we like and some of us are even offering prizes. Check each blog and the information there for what prizes are being offered and when the winners will be announced on that blog.

I'm offering a prize box, check back each day. I'll have picture of my prize posted soon!! I'll announce the winner of my blog candy on Saturday, December 13. To qualify for my prize make sure you are a follower of my blog and leave a comment. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!!

Below is a list of all the crafty ladies participating in this event. Be sure to visit all the blogs each day for loads of fun, prizes, and Holiday craft ideas.

Donna Bowman 

Rachel Kleinman

Ceal Pritchett

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Jennifer Cuthbertson

Lynn Kopas

Misty Buck

Lindy's Stamp Gang June Challenge

When I saw Limor Webber's new Under The Boardwalk color collection for Lindy's Stamp Gang, I loved the colors so much I just HAD to buy them all. I've never used these sprays before, but they are really easy to use and the colors are so beautiful. For this canvas I colored everything (except the buttons) on it using the Flat Fabio Sprays in the 5 colors of Under the Boardwalk. On some things I sprayed directly on the item and on others I sprayed on the craft mat and applied the color with a brush. You can check out the names of the colors and the other products they come in on the challenge page here.

Here's my canvas.

Materials

1. Doily, Arrow, blue button, journal card - Studio Calico

2. Yellow Buttons - Pebbles

3. Flowers, mini clothespin - Stampin' Up

4. Butterfly, ticket, star, shield, heart, circle - Heidi Swapp Color Magic

5. Bottom border & canvas piece- my stash

My Week 2 She Art Girl

I finally finished watching all the videos for Week 2 of the first She Art class by Christy Tomlinson. It's a great class and I would recommend any of her classes, she really gives a lot of great insight and tips in her videos and she's very easy to watch. This week I learned how to give her longer hair, accessories and a pleated skirt. I think this girl more proportionate than my first girl, but I guess you always get better with practice. I worked on the canvas background for a at least a week before I decided to finish it off today. Thanks for stopping by!

She Art Girl 1

I know I'm about 3 years late, but I'm finally taking Christy Tomlinson's She Art Class. She put all her older workshops on sale and I took the opportunity to take her Color Class and the first She Art Class. I love to watch her videos on You Tube, so this class is right up my alley. She had about 10 videos in Week 1 and I loved watching all of them. The first girl we made was very simple and I'm looking forward to week 2 when we add more details. But, since I'm not the least bit artistic, it was good for me to start off with the simple version. 

I CANNOT draw, so I was a little scared when I started, but she did such a good job of explaining how to do things that I think I did ok. We didn't really draw anything except the hair and chin line. That was daunting enough for me and I will say that I was really happy with the shape of the hair. I'm just glad she doesn't add facial features!! 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to stop back by this Sunday for the Easter Inspiration Blog Hop. It will be filled with fun and inspiring Easter Projects.