Romantic Mixed Media Frame

Hi everyone!  Hard to believe that January is almost over, and Valentine's Day will be here before we know it.  So, I have a sweet frame to share today that could be used for any romantic occasion, whether a marriage, an anniversary, or Valentine's Day.  

I found this very inexpensive wooden frame at my local craft store.  

Remove the cardboard insert and use it as a template to trace around the section of paper you want to appear through the opening.  Cut out and adhere the paper to the cardboard insert.  

Your print paper will look like this through the opening.

Remove the insert and set it aside, away from all the paint and mediums.  Next, paint frame with white gesso and let dry.  Spread crackle paste through a stencil on the top left and lower right corner of the frame.

Let the stencil paste dry.

Cut the lady apart from the frame at the arrows shown in photo below.

I always like to try out the pieces I choose to make sure they will work in my composition.  This is the plan.

Add three lace flowers to the lower left corner  of the  frame.  I used white gesso to adhere and cover the flowers, making them ready for paint.

Three solid hearts removed from the Hearts Background were gessoed and glued to the top right corner of the frame. 

The Sweetheart piece was first gessoed and a piece of lace was attached to the heart with white gesso.   

"Sweet" was inked with clear embossing ink and heat embossed with the Caramel embossing powder.  Then, the heart was inked with clear embossing ink and heat embossed with th]e Magenta embossing powder.  I felt the pink embossing powder was a bit bright, so I ended up painting it with the acrylic paints, mixing colors (Quin Violet, Diarylide Yellow, Primary Magenta, and some white gesso) until I got a better match with the colors in the paper.

Trim a piece of  Chickenwire, coat with clear embossing ink and heat emboss with Caramel embossing powder.  Insert the cardboard background into the frame opening and begin adding your chipboard pieces.  Some fussy-cut pieces were added to the insert, too.  For instance, a second bird cage image was cut and adhered over the paper with pop dots.  Extra flowers, a branch, and a cute little bird were adhered with glue and pop dots, as shown.

Paint frame with a mixture of Primary Magenta and Diarylide Yellow.  

I made it more pastel by dry brushing on a light coat of Translucent White.

When that layer dried, I added a coat of Raw Umber Antiquing Cream.  

You can let this dry and then wipe away as much or as little as you like.  

Re-align the stencil over the texture paste and, with your finger, apply the gold paste to the stenciled areas.  I also hit the high spots on both the lace flowers and the three heart shapes, as well as edging the frame.

Put the decorated insert back into the frame.  The Victorian Lady was inked with clear embossing ink and heat embossed with two coats Baby Blue Pastel embossing powder.  Then she was adhered to the frame, as shown.  A fussy cut butterfly from the paper was adhered to the top with the hearts.  A few gem stones were added to the lace flowers and the hearts, too.

Supplies Used:
GSL Word Art Romance (Sweetheart)
GSL Victorian Silhouette Frames
GSL Chickenwire 6 inch panel
GSL Hearts Background
Wood craft frame (8-1/2" x 6-1/2" with 4"x6" opening)
Rossibelle  print paper (Prima)
Crackled texture paste
White gesso
Champagne Ice Metallic Lustre (DecoArt)
DecoArt Acrylic Paints (Quinacridone Violet, Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide, Diarylide Yellow, Primary Magenta, Translucent White))
DecoArt Raw Umber Antiquing Cream
Clear embossing ink
Caramel embossing powder (Sparkle N Sprinkle)
Baby Blue Pastel embossing powder (Stampn' Stuff)
Magenta embossing powder (Delafield Stamp Co.)
Classic Treasure Gold metallic paste

I hope I have been able to inspire you with some fun ideas for your next mixed media project.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful, creative day!

Barbara

Botanical Pods Flower Mixed Media Canvas

Hi everyone.  I'm back today with another fun video tutorial to share with you.  I found these strange-to-me natural botanical "pods" and thought how crazy it would be to use these on a mixed media canvas.  With the beautiful ColourArte products, I felt it I could not go wrong.  I hope you enjoy watching the process.  I certainly had fun making it for you.

ColourArte Supplies Used:

Silks Acrylic Glazes
  Carmen
  Olive Vine
  Nutmeg

Vivid Ultra Metallics
  Bolivian Blue
  Teal Zircon
  Snap Dragon
  Sunflower
  Pink Azalea

Primary Elements
  Boysenberry

The Solution (1:1 mixture = 1 part water, 1 part The Solution)

Other Supplies Used:

Golden Light Molding Paste
Ranger White Gesso
Botanical Pods
Finnabair Grungy Grid Stencil
Prima Art Deco Background Stencil
Decorative buttons
Paper Studio white lace ribbon
Natural 3-ply Sisal rope
Fast Grab Tacky Glue

I love how this turned out, and the dimension with these "pods" is amazing (to me). 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great and creative day!

Barbara xo

WINNER - Craft Hoarders Anonymous Blog Hop - January 2017

Hi everyone!  Today, I have a fun blog post to share.  This is the day I get to announce the winner of my blog giveaway for the Craft Hoarders Anonymous Blog Hop - January 2017.  

Congratulations goes to ...

McStamper

Who wrote ...

What a beautiful card, whoever receives it is lucky! Love that your decorated the inside, too. Thanks for your participation in the hop and the wonderful prize.

I especially want to thank all of you for your participation in our blog hop, for all of the lovely comments, and for my new subscribers.  I will work hard to keep you inspired.  Be sure to check back in April when the Craft Hoarders will be back with another blog hop to share with you.

Hugs,

Barbara

Let It Snow Mixed Media Chipboard Tag

Happy New Year everyone!  Barbara here today with an altered Super X Tag to share.  It is about 18º here with snow still on the ground.  I love how the snow glistens in the light, and how nighttime is never really dark on a snowy night.  In light of the weather, I am feeling quite cozy inside my warm home, all the while being attracted to the beauty and wonder outside, which brings me to the theme of my tag today.  I say "Let it Snow"!

  

                                                           Front                                                   Back

Cover both sides of the tag with print paper.  Remember to cut out the hole in the tag before covering the opposite side.  I find it easier to cut larger holes like this out by first cutting an "X" into the paper, then I can easily cut the sections out for a much cleaner cut.

After adhering the paper to the opposite side and cutting out the hole again, I like to sand the edges with a sanding tool.  A metal file (or emery board) works nicely for filing paper around the inside of the hole.

These are the chipboard pieces I have chosen for the first side.  I always do a dry fit to see how everything will look, and it is a good idea to take a picture to refer to later.

I have found that a sponge dabber like the one in the photo works really well for applying a coat of white gesso to seal the chipboard pieces.  Why, you might ask?  Because it does not plug up the intricate laser cuts like a brush does.

Each piece was painted with DecoArt Media fluid acrylics by mixing the colors, as noted below.  

• Let It Snow
• Primary Magenta + Titan Buff, Iridescent Gold top coat
• Snowflake - Titanium White, Interference Gold top coat
• Snowflakes
• Titanium White, Interference Gold, Interference Gold top coat
• Lightly dab on Bo Bunny Frost Glitter Paste
• Icicles
• Bo Bunny Sugar Pearlescent Paint, add wash of Phthalo Turquoise + water
• Skates 
• Titanium White 
• Wash of Burnt Umber side loaded onto brush to shade the skate flaps,  
• Holes piereced and brown thread laced through holes
• Sole and heel - Metallic Silver
• Runners - Metallic Silver

These are the pieces I chose for the second side of the tag.  

Again, the pieces were sealed with a coat of white gesso, and two pieces of the pink print paper were cut out, as shown.  The zig zag cut piece was used along the side of the tag to bring the pink color in to match the ornament background.

Each piece was painted with DecoArt Media fluid acrylics by mixing the colors, as noted below. 

• Peace Ornament 
• Primary Magenta + Titan Buff
• Phthalo Green-Yellow + Titan Buff (holly leaves)
• Primary Magenta (tiny berries)
• Metallic Gold - ornament cap, and dry brushed over tiny flourishes
• Interference Gold top coat
• Pine Trees
• Phthalo Green-Yellow + Titan Buff
• Burnt Umber (tree trunk)
• Interference Gold top coat
• Distress Ink - Salty Ocean over all and around edges
• Holly Leaves and Berries
• Phthalo Green-Yellow + Titan Buff
• Primary Magenta
• Icicles
• Bo Bunny Sugar Pearlescent Paint, add wash of Phthalo Turquoise + water

A piece of print paper was adhered beneath the ornament and the excess paper trimmed away.

I like to save the bits of chipboard that fall out from the laser cuts to use for lifting some of my pieces, when needed.  Since I was layering the trees, I added bits of the fall out pieces, as shown in the photo below.  This way, I know that the height is exactly the same.  If I used pop dots, for instance, they may sit higher than the chipboard and make the piece sit unevenly.  

And a few closeups for you here.

And here is a close-up of how I hung the skates from the letter "I" in "It".  It is hard to see in the photo because thread was the only thing that would go through those tiny holes in these tiny skates, but I think you can see it well enough.  

Lastly, snowflake paste was added to the tops of the chipboard pieces where snow would accumulate the most.  

Supplies used:
GSL Tag Set Super X
GSL Winter Shape Set (2 sets)
GSL Pine Tree Shape Set
GSL Swirled Ornaments Set 2 (contact store)
My Mind's Eye Laundry Line paper collection
White Gesso
DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics
  Phthalo Green-Yellow
  Titan Buff
  Primary Magenta
  Metallic Silver  
  Metallic Gold
  Titanium White
  Burnt Umber
  Phthalo Turquoise
Distress Ink - Salty Ocean
Finnabair Snowflake Paste
Bo Bunny Sugar Pearlescent Paint
Bo Bunny Frost Glitter Paste
Assorted paintbrushes
Sponge dabber
Needle and thread
Paper Piercer

I hope I have inspired you to check out the shop for more of the fabulous laser cut chipboard that Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts has to offer.  There is something for everyone and every occasion.

Thanks for stopping by, and stay cozy and warm this Winter!

Barbara xoxo

Primary Elements Mixed Media Tags

Happy New Year!  My first ColourArte video of 2017 will be making two tags with some really cool backgrounds on Prima packaging.  I am primarily using the Primary Elements Artist Pigments with The Solution and the Primary Elements Clear Glazing Medium.  A complete list of the supplies used can be found below.

SUPPLIES USED:

Radiant Gels Dimensional Paint
  Emperor's Gold

Primary Elements Artist Pigments
  Yellow Rose
  Rusted Bloom
  Rose Gold
  Sunflower
  Copper Penny
  Burnt Umber
  Smokey Diamond
  Autumn Leaf
  China Black
  Burnt Umber
  Fire & Ice
  Iridescent Violet
  Dutch Iris
  Sunflower

Silks Acrylic Glaze
  Orange Peel

Vivid Ultra Metallics
  True Silver

The Solution Acrylic Medium "Wash"
Primary Elements Clear Glaze Medium

Dynasty #16 Flat Brush
Liquitex white gesso
Liquitex gloss fluid medium
Liquitex Titanium White ink
Golden Coarse Molding Paste
Spackle (Dollar Store)
Black Soot distress ink
Kraft card tags (Prima Mechanicals packaging)
Prima stencils: Royal Menagerie, Lattice, Lace Doily #3
Finnabair silicone paint brush (1")
Used dryer sheet
Copper Metallic Mulberry Paper (3-1/2 x 2-1/2)
7Gypsies Year stickers
Wild Bird Image by Pollyanna Pickering (DoCrafts)

Thanks for stopping by, and stay warm!

Barbara xoxo

Craft Hoarders Anonymous Blog Hop - January 2017

Happy New Year!  I hope you are ready for our quarterly blog hop.  As always, we will make something from our hoarded stash of supplies.  And best of all, we have some great prizes to give away.  

Theme: Winter, New Year’s, Calendar ideas, Valentine’s Day, Love/Anniversary

As you can see, I chose to make a Valentine's Day card. I had this pretty paper 
from K&Company called Smitten for years. I may have used a few pieces from 
this pad, but I seem to find it more pleasurable to decorate the inside of my 
drawer. Well, no more!

I thought it would be fun to share with you a picture of some of the stash I planned 
to use on this card but, as it turns out, I didn't use everything.

It's pretty simple, really. I made a card base to measure 5"x7", and layered a 

piece from the paper pad slightly smaller than the card base. I found these 

pretty aqua/gold doilies and layered that next. Some pretty heart shaped lace, 

topped with pleated pink ribbon was added along the left edge. I die cut two 

heart shapes, two solid hearts from different papers, and one gold flourished 

heart. These were layered on top of each other, as shown.

Next, I added three mini flowers and a pretty pink bow to the center heart. A 
print label was added with pop dots above the hearts, and two stamp images 
were adhered on either side of the heart.

These pieces were used to finish off the inside of the card.

I layered the vellum with printed phrase over the print square label, and centered 
on the card inside. Another label printed "love is in the air" was pop dotted and 
added over the square label. A border strip was cut in half and added along the 
top and bottom edge. Finishing off the card inside is just one more added detail, 
but usually so appreciated by the recipient.

I hope you have been inspired to check out what you are hoarding in your stash 
suitable for Valentine's Day. It isn't far off, you know. So take a look, you never 
know what you will find. I am always surprised at some of the amazing, but long-
forgotten things I come across.

Your next stop is the talented Donna Idlet's blog. Wonder what amazing creation she 
will come up with. The list of bloggers is shown below. Be sure to leave a 
comment on each blog for a chance to win a fab prize, and follow the blogs if 
you don't already. Then you won't miss all the neat stuff shared by these 
fabulous designers.

1. Gloria Stengel - giving a prize by random draw

2. Tracey Sabella - giving prize by random draw

3. Pam Bray - giving prize by random draw

4. Bonnie Garby - giving prize by random draw

5. Teresa Horner - giving a prize by random draw

6. Barbara Rankin - giving prize by random draw

7. Donna Idlet - giving prize by random draw

8. Marisa Job - giving prize by random draw

I will be giving away an entire monthly Cardmaker's kit from Hot Off The Press. 

(USA shipping only)

All you have to do is leave a comment

and follow my blog (if you don't already).

I will do a random draw on January19th and post the winner here, 

on my blog.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the hop.

Barbara xo