Izbzee

ATCs again

A few more ATCs created using gelli prints (acrylic paint), digital stamps from Mixed Media Supplies printed on vellum.  Unity Stamps, Tombow Markers, printer, embossing powder, seed beads....

more coming.... 

Love at Home

"There is beauty all around When there's love at home." *

I purchased some wood shaped houses a while back and I decided I would use them for this last post of May. 

You'll need:
Wood Houses in graduated sizes (Fun Stampers Journey)
Digital Journal Pages (Mixed Media Supplies)
Doily stencil
Digital photo editing program (Photo Shop Elements)
Digital cutting machine and software (Sizzix eclips2, eCal2)
American Typewriter (light) Font
Souffle Polymer Clay (Gold)
Modeling Paste
Acrylic Medium (or Gel Medium)
Gesso
Digital paper (This & That Collection from Echo Park)
Foam brush (1 inch)
Glossy Accents or Hot Glue Gun
Craft knife
Scissors
Xyron X with permanent adhesive
Sandpaper
eBrush, TB adapter
Tombow markers
Ink

Prep your wood. Apply a thin coat of Gesso and let dry. 


This piece has an oops!  I started out doing a transfer and it didn't work out as planned -- so this piece has been sanded and a second light coat of Gesso was added. 

Open your photo editing program and open the journal pages you want to use.  I created a new file and set the size to the same size as the largest house.  Copy and paste a small portion of the desired journal page into the new file as a new layer.  Using the Type Tool, create your text.  Adjust size if needed.   Repeat for the other two houses adjusting the size of the base layer. 

Print the papers for the houses on copy paper.  Print the digital paper from the Echo Park collection on cardstock (110 lb). 

Using the acrylic medium, apply a thin coat to the wood and burnish the journal page prints to the houses.  Trim with the craft knife as needed.  Let dry.

Using the stencil and the modeling paste stencil on the largest house as desired.  You can repeat on the other houses if you'd like.  Let the modeling paste dry thoroughly. 

With the eBrush, lightly spray some color around the edges of the houses.  You'll get some color on the modeling paste, but that is fine. 

Using the cutting machine, cut the lettering using American Typewriter  as desired.  My lettering is just a bit over 1 in high.  Apply adhesive to the back of the lettering by using the Xyron X and permanent adhesive.  Apply to the houses. 

Soften the clay according to manufacturer's direction.  Use a texture plate and add a little texture to the clay.  Cut in to the heart shape using a cutter or a template.  Bake according to the manufacturer's direction.  Let cool.  Attach the heart using some Glossy Accents or hot glue gun. 

Cut some strips from the digital paper.  Measure and trim as needed.  Using the ink or the eBrush, add a little color along each of the edges to soften the colors just a bit. Using some double stick tape, or glue, apply the "roof" to each house. 

 

*(Love at Home, Text and music: John Hugh McNaughton

 

Thanks for stopping by today.  Have oodles of fun in your creative endeavors! 

More Mixed Media ATCs

So loving the play involved with these little pieces.  Today, I'm sharing 3. 

All pieces begin on printed copy paper, acrylic gelli print pull, embossing, vellum print and colored digital stamps from Mixed Media Supplies.

Add a bit of mica, sequins, gems or glitter for a little more "light" play.  Mount and sign.  Ready for framing!  

Supplies: 
digital stamps
printed copy paper
Gelli plate
Acrylic Paints
Gesso
printer
embossing powder, Black (Fine Detail), Clear (Find Detail and Ultra Thick)
Versa Mark Ink
Stencils
Stamps (Textured stamps from Mixed Media Supplies)
Tombow markers
eBrush ( with TB adaptor)
Metallic rubs
mica powder (Mixed Media Supplies)
sequins (iridescent)
Clear Glaze
brush
water
vellum
photo editing software
Computer
Xyron permanent adhesive, Creative Station 9"
cardstock
paper trimmer

ATC Oopsie

Learning to embrace the oops has always been an issue for me in the past, however, after taking a couple of classes from Carolyn Dube, I have been able to do much better about letting go of some things and let a few of the oops be visible and be a part of the finished project. 

Matter of fact - these oops have sort of grown on me. 

 

You'll need
Mixed Media Birds and Butterflies
copy paper
digitized dictionary page
cardstock (white)
vellum
laser printer
Gesso
foam brush
Gelli Plate
Acrylic paint
brush or brayer (optional)
Mister filled with water
Painters Tape
stencil (mini dot - my design)
stamps, (Texture stamps from Mixed Media Supplies, assorted sentiment stamps)
ink pad (black)
Markers (Tombow Dual Brush, SN Sparkle, clear or pearl mica mixed with alcohol or water)
Tape runner (Tombow)
Clear foam Tape (Kool Tak)
seed bead (optional)
Silver, gold mica in misters


Open your favorite photo editing program and size the digital bird and butterflies image as desired.  Print using a laser printer.  Open the dictionary page and print on copy paper. 

Cut the printed dictionary page into ATC sized pieces.  Trim as needed if your printer doesn't do a bleed print.  The pieces should be a finished size of 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches.  Using the foam brush, apply a light coat of gesso on the printed side.  The print should show through.  Set aside to dry.

Print the butterfly page on a sheet of translucent white vellum.  Cut the butterflies and birds you will use for your project and set aside. 

Section off an area of the Gelli Plate using the printer's tape.  The area should be slightly larger than your ATC card.  Place small dabs of acrylic paint on the gelli plate, blend the colors with your fingers (brayer or brush) and lightly mist with some water.  Place the gessoed paper face down on the gelli plate and pull a print.   Pull a second print.  Repeat as needed. Let these pieces dry thoroughly.

Color the reverse side of the butterfly as desired using the markers.   The vellum may curl -- you can flatten it by placing it in a heavy book or pressing lightly with a craft iron between two pieces of copy paper.   Embellish with some sparkles using the SN sparkle pen.  Let dry. 

Add a little more texture to the front of your gelli print using a stencil (mini dot) and some ink and a blender or air brush.  Stamp the sentiment (I jiggled the stamp - creating my blurred image and the OOPS!)  Using the blender and some light brown, add a little color around the edges. 

Adhere your print to a piece of cardstock cut to the size of the ATC.  Using a blender or the ink pad, add a little more color to the edges of the card. 

Mist or fleck the mica on the ATC card as desired, add other embellishments  -

Using the clear foam tape, add the fussy cut butterfly and bird images  you've colored.  Name and sign your finished image. 

Thanks for joining me today... hope you'll stop by again soon.  In the meantime enjoy some creative time in your own studio, and remember, embrace the oops!  

ATC Adventures

Okay, I have to admit I'm having a ton of fun with these little pieces of artwork featuring digital stamps from Mixed Media Supplies.... if you haven't checked out the new additions this Spring... go take a peek!  .

Details for creating this ATC is nearly the same as the process I'll be sharing with you soon on the Mixed Media Supplies blog (mark May 14th on your calendar!). 


I'm really enjoying these and I used a resized stacked bracket frame from My ScrapChick for a few of these.  I've also designed another frame for ease in shipping using a small padded envelope that will still protect the dimension of the vellum cuts and other embellishments on the piece. 

I'm hooked!  What's happening in your creative space today?

Spring Hello

 

I'm so happy with the way this card turned out.  It's simple and highlights a beautiful digital stamp from Mixed Media Supplies. 

We're celebrating Mom's 86th birthday this month.  Alzheimer's isn't kind and we are getting to the point of having to introduce ourselves on occasion.  Mom's favorite color is blue and her eyes twinkle a brilliant blue when she smiles.  I hope this card will bring a smile and twinkle.

Some materials for this post have been supplied by Mixed Media Supplies.  I do not receive any additional compensation for review of the product. 

You'll need:
Bouquet digital stamp (Mixed Media Supplies) to be released shortly
Ornamental Frame (digital stash)
Sapphire Mica (Mixed Media Supplies)
Photo editing program (Photo Shop Elements)
Printing program (Print Shop), optional
Printer
Die Cutting machine (Sizzix eclips2) and associated software (eCal2)
Cardstock
Markers (Tombow)
Waterbrush
White embossing powder
heat gun
text background stamp
ink
watercolors
Water brush (#1 or #2)
Tape Runner (Tombow)
Quick dry Glue (LineCo Natural pH)

Embellishments (I used a laser woodcut)

Open your digital photo imaging program.  Open the digital stamp and alter the color of the stamp lines by changing hue and saturation.  Resize if needed and save. Repeat the process for the ornamental frame of your choice.  I altered the frame slightly to accommodate the bouquet.  Add the bouquet as an additional layer to the frame.  Make any changes needed and save.  I saved as a png and as a psd file just in case I wanted to make any additional changes in the future. 

Since I'm wanting to make sure that the image will fit in the desired size for my card front and print one additional image, I opened Print Shop and set the page up using the guides for placement of the png image.  Print 2 copies of the page when you are satisfied with the arrangement. 

 

Open eCal2 and create an oval frame with a cut out that is slightly larger than the outside diameter of the ornamental frame you are using.  I added 1/4 inch to the measurements of my frame and created an oval with those measurements and added rectangle and used Back minus Front in the path dropdown to create my card front.  Cut using your die cutting machine.  (I didn't have a die that had a large enough opening for my image, so the electronic die cutting machine was my best option). 

I let the ink on my print dry for about 24 hours before starting the watercolor background.  I chose a light brown and watered it down significantly before adding it in a pouncing manner around the images on my print.





I used a light turquoise to color in the butterfly.  Using a separate print, color the butterfly using a small amount of mica mixed with water.  Let dry.  Fussy cut the butterfly from the image and set aside. 







Using the background stamp and a light brown, stamp the oval frame, using some versamark ink, and a flourish stamp, stamp randomly around the frame.  Liberally sprinkle the embossing powder to cover all the stamped areas.  Remove the excess powder and using the heat gun, set the powder. 

Using the eBrush, apply your color by spraying a light coat.  Once you've sprayed the frame, gently wipe the excess color away from the embossed images on the frame. 

If the mica you mixed with water earlier has dried on your palette, re-charge it with a little more water and using a fine tipped waterbrush and create small dots as desired around the embossed images.  Let dry. 

Adhere the digital print to the back of the oval frame.  Adhere the frame and print (now one piece) to the card front.  Using a dot of glue, adhere the butterfly and let dry.  Lift the wings a bit for some dimension.

Glue any other embellishments as desired.  I chose a "hello" woodcut  from my stash.  This could also be framed.  It would make a very nice piece of home decor. 

Thanks for dropping by and spending a little time on the blog today.  Hope you'll schedule some creative play in this week! 

 

 

Come, sit with me

Hi everyone, thanks for stopping by.  I'm so thrilled to be back as a Design Team member for Mixed Media Supplies again this term and I wanted to share this project with you.

You'll need:
cardboard (about 8 x 6), with some of the corrugated areas visible
Printed book paper sheet - stash
Park bench (cut 5 times) - stash
Mica (Sapphire)
Texture Background stamps (bark background, diamond fence background)
ink
markers
e-brush with marker adaptor
leaf and vine punch
acrylic medium
flexible modeling paste
gesso
putty knife
brush
small spray bottle
gelatos (green, blue, lavendar)
white tube paint
flowers
small jewels (flower centers)
word processing program
micron pen - .01 black

Prep the cardboard, remove additional paper if desired exposing more of the ridges.  Apply a light coat of gesso and let dry. 

Rub the Gelatos on the gessoed surface.  Using a waterbrush, smooth the color a bit on the surface.  Let dry. Spritz a little of the mica if desired at this stage.

On a palette, shave a little bit of the gelatos and mix with a small amount of modeling paste.  The color should be a little lighter than the surface of your now colored cardboard.  Lightly spread the colored modeling paste for a little more texture on the surface.   Let dry. 

Stack the 5 cut benches and let the glue dry thoroughly. 

With the bark texture stamp, lightly add some texture to the bench.  I used some black and medium brown ink...

it was pretty stark looking so I dry brushed a bit of white paint on the surface to soften the tone a bit.  Set aside.

Tear the printed book page into strips and using the acrylic medium "glue" to the cardboard as desired. Apply a light coat of the acrylic medium to the surface of the project.  Let dry.  Glue the bench in place on the cardboard.  Let dry.  



Using the diamond fence stamp, lightly add the texture to the far right of the cardboard. 

Add flowers and leaves and vines as desired on the fence, secure with glue and or acrylic medium. 

Using the ebrush and a marker in a very light brown, lightly spray the edges and around the bench and on the book print.  Just for a little more aged look. 

Add the gems to the flowers, add vines and leaves.  Print Come, sit with me. and add a doodled box around the words.  Lightly spray the edges using the eBrush and glue to the cardboard. 

When everything has dried, lightly spritz with the sapphire mica for a subtle bit of shine. 

Sign your work and display as desired. 

Again, thanks for stopping by. Hoping you are enjoying some creative time this week!  I'll be back with another Mixed Media Supply project in a couple of weeks!  In the meantime, keep on creating!

*I have used products that were provided by Mixed Media Supplies - the project and opinions in this blog are mine and I have not been compensated otherwise. 

 

 

Prim Spring Bouquet

It's official!  Spring has arrived -- at least on the calendar.  We've even heard a few lawn mowers in the neighborhood in the last week or so -- hoping to see a few more sprigs of green and color in a few more days

I've wanted to do a hanging mason jar project for a long time... but just didn't get the right vibes until the tulips came to mind.  So let's get started.

You'll need:
cream colored brushed flannel (2 fat quarters or a 1/4 yard)
Tulip fabric dyes (green, orange, yellor)
tea (berry and black)
sewing machine
fiber fill
bamboo skewers
hot glue
wire cutters
board
screw
mason jar/with lid
twine
mica powder (Mixed Media Supplies)
filler (optional)
scissors
pattern (I drew my own)
gloves

Plan on working on this project for a couple of days.... First steps for me were

1) draw my patterns.  Be sure to allow a 1/4" seam for the flowers. 

2) I chose to make 3 different colored flowers... 3 in each color.  Cut three pieces of fabric large enough to cut 6 flowers from.  Remember you'll also need a piece for the leaves.

3) Mix the dyes as directed by the manufacturer.  I poured about an inch of mixed dye into a pint sized mason jar and placed the fabric  - one for yellow and one for orange.  In a third mason jar, steep a couple of bags of the berry tea.  Add the fabric.  In a 4th jar, add some green dye and place the fabric you've set aside for the leaves in that jar.  Let the fabric soak for about 30 minutes.  Using gloves, lightly wring the fabric.  I did not rinse the extra dye out of the fabric before air drying.  After the fabric has dried, heat set using an iron.  Use a towel to absorb any additional ink that may be released with the iron.  Begin with the lightest color first, then gradually work to the darker colors.  Set aside.  But you're not ready to cut yet.  You can return the leftover dye to their storage containers to use at a later date.  Clean the jars.




4) Steep 2 large bags of black tea.  Divide between the 4 jars and place a piece of fabric in each of the jars.  Allow to soak for about 20 minutes or until the fabric is sufficiently grunged.  Again, using gloves, wring the fabric.  Let dry.  Heat set the fabric again as described previously.

5)  Trace the patterns on the fabric and cut. You'll need two cuts for each flower and one cut for each leaf - I forgot to take a picture of the leaves.  OOPS!  

6) Stitch each flower, wrong sides together using a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving about 3/4 " area unstitched to allow for turning.  Clip curves and corners and turn.  Set aside.

7)  Lightly stuff each flower with some fiberfill. 

8) If desired, "paint" the skewers green. 

9) Using the glue gun, apply a small bit to the base of the flower and attach to the skewer.  Repeat until all the flowers are attached.  Spritz each flower with a bit of Mixed Media Supplies mica powder mixed with water and let dry. 

10)  Trim skewers if needed.  Glue a leaf to the skewer and repeat until all the flowers have been completed. 

11) With the crop-o-dile, punch a hole on the ring on either side.  Thread some twine through the holes and tie off leaving enough to hang the mason jar from the hook in the board.

12) Arrange the flowers in the jar as desired.  Add filler if desired.  Spritz with a little more mica powder dissolved in water.  And you're done! 


There's a little bit of shimmer on the flowers and leaves, but it's hard to catch.

I added a string of fairy lights to my bottle before adding the flowers.  They're easy to turn on and off and sure add a touch of whimsy to this prim bouquet. 

Hope you have some creative time scheduled soon! Thanks for stopping by! 

happy "hello"

The wreath I posted earlier this week is too small to stand on it's on in a large space -- Right now, I don't have a grouping or small place it can stand out as a focal point.... so another shelving piece upcycle to the rescue. 

Super simple... a little bit of white acrylic paint, vinyl and sandpaper.  A hook for hanging (and it also will make it easier to switch out wreaths each season! 

I used the Gracias font and Gracias Stylized Font for the lettering. 

Open your software, and type in your lettering.  I stretched it to 18 inches.  Weld all the letters together.  When you add the glyph from the Stylized font, use the Union Command under the Path tab.  Be sure to check Preview to make sure that all the letters are connected and will cut as one.

Cut using the vinyl setting.  Weed the excess vinyl away and apply some transfer tape.  For best results, apply the vinyl first...  burnish as needed. 

Dry brush some white acrylic paint on the board.  While the paint is still not quite dry, lightly brush another light coat.  This will cause the paint to crackle a bit and add some additional texture.  Let dry. 

Using a piece of sandpaper, scrub some of the paint away.  Wipe away the dust.  Repeat that process as needed. 

My piece isn't going to be subjected to weather or extreme temps, so I chose not to seal it at this point.  Add a cup hook to the board and slide the wreath on the hook.  My board is setting on the mantel -- you could add hangers to the back of your board BEFORE you paint and hang if desired. 

Products used*:
Sizzix eclips2, eCal2
Expressions Vinyl - white 651
Apple Barrel White paint
foam brush
cup hook
sandpaper (120 grit)
wreath details can be found in this post. 

No affiliate links are used in this post.  Some of the materials used in the wreath were provided by MixedMediaSupplies.

Spring Wreath

You'll need: 
Digital  Printable Journal papers from Mixed Media Supplies
dies*
die cutting machine*
Printer
copy paper
Micron Pen .01
Marker AirBrush*
3/4 " circle paper punch
markers*
Hot glue
Sapphire and Pearl Mica from Mixed Media Supplies
grapevine wreath
floral wire
green or brown floral tape

 

Download and print the journal page from Mixed Media Supplies using regular copy paper.  Using your favorite flower dies, cut an assortment of flowers and layers.  TIP:  Cut multiple layers at a time.  

Remove cuts from the dies, sort according to size.

If desired, add a doodled outline to the "petals" using the micron pen. 




Punch a circle in the yellow paper for the stamens of you flower.  Fold in half, cut a small vertical slit in the fold.  On the arched area of the circle, make small cuts to form a fringe.  Unfold, and slide onto the brad,    Make one for each of the flowers that will be open flowers (not buds).

My wreath is a 10 in wreath -- relatively small, so I chose to use the smaller of the dies and create a small arrangement for the wreath. 

Cut a few leaves.  I used white card stock -- they need a little more body.  Color using the marker airbrush and colors as desired.

Add a spritz or two of pearl and sapphire mica to the edges of the flower petals and buds.  If desired, add a little pearl or gold mica to the leaves.

Secure the flowers and leaves on the wreath using a little hot glue.  Add any additional embellishments and fillers as desired.




Add a ribbon if desired and hanger. 


Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll be setting aside some #CRE8Time this month and every month!  Explore new ideas and new techniques! 

No affiliate links are used in this post. 
*Specific products used:
Sizzix Big Shot (you could also use an electronic cutting machine and files specific to your machine)
Spellbinders Rose Creations by Donna Salazar
Craftwell eBrush and SN adapter
Spectrum Noir Markers