Altered Halloween Brush - Mixed Media

 Remember that phase where mixed media artists were altering paint brushes like crazy?

Well, I finally found a store where I could buy a larger brush for $2. 

I was hugely inspired by Sanna Suomalainen's Sparkling Nights video using various shades of black. I thought her piece was just gorgeous and I couldn't wait to try it for myself.

Other than having a different theme and adding a touch of Metallique Ginger Magic to my piece, I pretty much followed her steps. Her video is just fantastic.

1. I used black gesso on the entire brush except for the tip, which I left entirely alone.

2. I followed this with Jewel Paste Sparkling Onyx using a distressed diamond stencil.

3. Then I glued the lace down.

3. I gessoed all my individual pieces black before glueing. I find this to be easier than trying

to get the brush into small spaces.

4. I saved gluing the trinkets and flowers for later, as well the the pebbles with ginger magic.

5. Once the pieces were adequately dried in place, I began the coloring process. Letting the pieces settle into place after gluing means you can be a little more "rough" with your piece when applying color. This is very helpful for me as I'm a little bit clumsy.

6. I applied colors in this order:

 Charcoal Black wax, Graphite wax, Raven black paint, Old Silver wax, more raven black paint

7. I then glued my flowers down, adding Raven Black paint to dress them up quite a bit. 

8. I then added my pebbles with ginger magic around the piece.

9. Finally, covering up the main focus (cat skeleton is hard to see), 

I then added white gesso splatters.

10. I love videos. I truly appreciate everything women and artists go thru making them. If I were to add one little piece of advice that is not shown in any video that I've watched is this . . . after you start building your layers, let your glue dry. This is a patient process but start to finish it really takes no more than 2 - 3 hours. Go fold some laundry while it's drying. You are much more likely to regret trying to rush that one step.

Supplies:

Reneabouquet products:

1. Reneabouquet Corner Web and Spider
2. Reneabouquet Leaf filler
3. Reneabouquet Lace

Tim Holtz Halloween trinkets

Creative Embellishments Spooky Tree

Straws

Prima leaf and roses moulds and time clock mould

Window from the dollhouse section at Hobby Lobby

Graphic 45 Black Roses

Finnabair Products:

1. Charcoal Black Wax
2. Graphite Wax
3. Old Silver Wax
4. Sparks Raven Black acrylic paint
5. Sparks Ginger Magic acrylic paint
6. Jewel Paste Sparkling Onyx
7. Melange Art Pebbles

Falloween - Reneabouquet Home Decor Mixed Media

Hello and welcome!! I am hosting a Reneabouquet  "Falloween" themed swap this month over at Scrapbook.com   

All the items on this home decor piece (5 1/4" x 5 1/4") are from Reneabouquet's shop except for the colors. I used my Lindy's products for the color scheme.

On a wonderful side note, Since the pandemic, I have been having trouble getting my hands on crackle paste. It's one of my favorite mediums to use. So I decided to try the Folk Art crackle medium, never having worked with it before. Luckily it's a water-based medium but the directions say to use "FolkArt Decor Chalk paint"...whatever. I used Lindy's sprays. 

Steps:

1. Apply white gesso to the base

2. Apply your lighter color choice (water based) all over and dry.

3. Apply Folk Art Crackle medium - WALK AWAY - LET DRY - FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO DO

4. Finally, apply your next darker color. Swirl and you can apply heat at this step.

5. Results - beautiful glossy, glass-like finish with swirls and cracks

Fall and Halloween are my favorite season and colors to work with.

 I love working with browns, golds, oranges, and greens. 

It can really add to a piece to finish it off with glass or glitter. 

Not only is it "sparkly", butseems to add another dimension to layering.

The Fancy Fall Corner has acorns and leaves in its design. But I need layers. 

Plus it's much easier to add embossing powder on separate pieces.

Isn't Darla the witch just beautiful? Be sure to catch the little opal beads

 placed around the piece as well.

Supplies:

Lindy's embossing powders:

1. Oktoberfest Orange - I think they changed the name.
2. Bratwurst Brown
3. Tannenbaum Green Gold
4. Midnight Pewter

Lindy's Sprays

1. Crow's Nest Copper
2. Mango Mania
3. Sandra Dee Sepia

Reneabouquet

1. Beautiful board stackable pumpkin
2. Beautiful board fancy fall corner
3. Flowers
4. Beautiful board Fall tuck ins
5. Beautiful board spider
6. Fine Rust glitter glass
7. Opal Beads
8. Black Chunky Glitter glass
9. Beautiful Board Darla witch 
10. Hello Autumn Butterfly

Folk Art Home Decor Crackle medium

Trixie Treat Box

Hello there! Today I would like to share with you my second teacher project for this year. My son's school has a "secret santa" type program for all teachers and staff to receive a gift once a month. So for the entire school year, I am to anonymously give my selected staff member a gift. Last month I started with a bag with Suzy's Apple, also by Dreaming Tree.

With October being Halloween, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make this Trixie Treat Bag, by Dreaming Tree.

These treat bags are super easy to make but I did add a few delicious details of my own to really "dress" her up.

I have more than enough pattern paper in my stash to work with my 3-D projects. I think it can potentially add interest to your work, like using pattern paper for the face. Kind of makes her look like she's got chicken pox scars, huh? I also added extra pearls for more freckles on her cheeks. But I wanted her to have a feminine, soft side so I added a bow, pearl earrings, and highlights to her hair using Stickles.

Hope you like her, and thanks for stopping by today.

And don't forget you can really change a character's eyes using pattern paper. So my soft, feminine witch with scars also has a bit of a "wicked" side.

I had the hardest time really getting a good photo of her without losing the effect of the highlights.

I miss my light box . . . sigh.

Supplies:

--Bella Blvd. - Spooktacular
--Bella Blvd. - Halloween Magic
AC Cardstock - Black and Purple

Brads and Pearls

Stickles - Turquoise

Glossy Accents (on teeth)

Handmade Bow

ISBG: Apothecary

Hello there! Today is a new project using the Spider's Web kit from

International Scrapbook Garden.

I bought a wooden plaque from Michael's for this project. If I were to make a 

card like this, I just know I would never be giving it away. So,

I made a plaque as home decor piece instead.

I'm beginning to think that mixed media was "invented" around Halloween.

What other time of year can you bring so many wonderful techniques

and array of colors together?

Call me sinister and creepy . . . but I just love that skull!

The twine is from my own stash and the leaves are Spellbinders'

die cuts, with Tidy Widy scattered around them.

 I layered a tree, flower, leaves, twine and phrases.

I did use my own stencil to create the layered effect

on the background. There is tree covered in the Tidy Widy,

from the mixed media kit, as the bottom layer.

Yep, those are bones tucked in behind the flower!

Thanks for stopping by today!!!

International Scrapbook Garden: Vanishing Visitors

When I received this awesome new Halloween kit by International Scrapbook Garden, I KNEW I would be making at least one large 3-D project.

I was greatly inspired by Patricia Hugs Vintage Halloween Art Tag project from a few years ago. I do not have my own process video, but just watch hers. Hint: It's a very large tag that she makes. You'll want to play all day like I did.

I did follow her closely as far as technique, but this project took a life of it's own. I really had so much fun putting it together. Patricia Hugs uses much more dimensional objects for her project, which I simply did not have. But that's OK, I was looking for inspiration and not necessarily wanting to copycat.

When I started this project, I wasn't sure what the overall theme was going to be. As I was building this and playing around - skeletons, poison and graveyards became the theme.

There are a few minor things not found in the kit, like the apothecary jars, but over all I tried really hard to stay within the kit.

The great thing about making stuff like this is that you are practically encouraged
to jumble and layer stuff together.  

A photo of some of the products available through the kits.
Aren't they awesome?!

What other time of year does purple, orange, black and white go together?
Halloween and Fall are my favorite time of the year to be creative. I did
discover that the dimensional paint, Paste-Eez Lava Flow, "bubbles" when over heated.
I loved the effect.

I think my favorite embellishments were the skulls and the broomsticks.
The tree, bat and headstone are part of the chipboard extras. 

I did add a few things from Hobby Lobby, like the leaves and
Fall plants. I knew this project would need a "filler" like that to bring it
all together. 

I simply love the Dazzlerz "Dreamscicle" color, which is what I used for the
writing. The splotches are white acrylic paint. However, when I was first working
with the background I wanted the black bricks to be less "black". So I went
over them with the Texturez Tidy Widy. Love that stuff!

Look closely! The items are sitting on a toilet paper roll covered
in burlap. Both are your average household items.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STOPPING BY TODAY!

Supplies:
International Scrapbook Garden Toolshed Kit Paper - Spider's Web
ISG Toolshed Kit - Spider's Web Embellishment Bonus kit
ISG Toolshed kit - Spider's Web Mixed Media kit
ISG Toolshed kit - Spider's Web Bonus Chipboard

Supplies from my stash:

Label Chipboard from Hobby Lobby
Stencil backgrounds - brick and words
SVGCuts file - fence
Apothecary jars
Scrap paper with words (needed this to be thin and easy to work with)
Hobby Lobby - Leaves and feathers (they were 90% off)
Burlap
Dyson label - poison
White and Black Acrylic Paint
Tim Holtz Distress ink - Frayed Burlap and Walnut Stain
Black Archival Ink

KaiserCraft iridescent spray ink - Charcoal (from last month's kit)