Back to School Gift: Suzy's Apple

Hello there! My son's school has a "adopt a teacher" campaign in which parents can give a gift to a teacher or staff member once a month. Of course, all of my son's teachers were taken so I chose the vice principal.

It's been quite a while since I made a 3D project. I don't think I've lost my touch. This was quite fun to make and rather easy as far as 3D projects go. This is actually an elaborate gift card holder that I hope the vice principal will display in her office.

This project is called Suzy's Apple (although I prefer Suzie since that was how my BFF in high school spelled her name). You can find this project and how to make it at Dreaming Tree.

Thank you for stopping by today!!!

I had fun choosing my own floral sprays to fill in this project with from Hobby Lobby.

I did add Liquid Pearls "white opal" to the cheeks of this worm.

I'm going to deviate from my usual blog posts and not list supplies. Honestly, Dreaming Tree has already done all the work in listing everything you need to know to get started. I did deviate slightly, but that is just normal creative process.

Scrap The Boys: Precious Baby Boy

Hello there! Welcome to my blog! It's the first of the month and that means a new challenge at Scrap The Boys!!! This month's challenge is "baby boy".

I decided to go the mixed media route for this challenge, even though I usually like making large die cuts for my Scrap The Boys DT. I wanted to keep it simple since the photo is so busy.

Thanks for stopping by today!!

I used Lindy's Spray Flat Merry Go Round Green and Luminous Lemon. I also reached for stamps by 49 and Market. The chipboard is by Blue Fern Studios.

Love You Mom - Mixed Media Plaque

Hello everyone! I recently made this for my mom's birthday. She's a musician, specifically a french horn player, so I wanted to make something which embraced that side of her.

I was inspired by two different challenges. One at Mixed Media Place. Here it is:

The other by Creative Embellishments:

This is my first time submitting with either of these challenge sites. I have been following these sites for a while, but too nervous to do anything about it. I really liked the color scheme and the mood board in the lower left hand corner of Mixed Media Place. With Creative Embellishments, I used Lindy's embossing powder Cleopatra Copper with cool colors (trust me it's shiny), Denim, Azure and Lemon sprays. I also used Creative Embellishments Instruments on this gift. There is so much to be inspired by both of these challenges.

Thank you for stopping by today!!!

I'm a avid paper scrapbooker with lots of various embellishments in my stash. As I explore the mixed media world, it seems silly to me to not incorporate what I already own with my art.

Here I'm showing how fun it is to be messy and add lots of texture. 49 and Market flowers are gorgeous and don't need a lot of "help" but I felt it really added to the piece to add Finnabair art stones to the flowers.

I made this as a birthday present for my mom, but really didn't want it to say "Happy Birthday". I love that she displays my art around her house. So I reached for my Dymo label to add 'love you mom' to this piece.

I have a LOT of flair buttons for some reason and don't use them enough. I also have a stash of gems from Hobby Lobby collecting dust. No reason not to use them, right?

On my International Scrapbook design team, we were given lots of musical instruments in our very first kit from Creative Embellishments. They are perfect for those musically inclined people in your life.

Supplies:

Lindy's Stamp Gang:
---Flat Luminous Lemon
---Starburst Azure Sea Asters
---Flat Danny Zuko's Denim
---Embossing Powder Cleopatra's Copper

Creative Embellishments: Instruments

49 and Market Flowers

Finnabair Art Stones and Pebbles

Tim Holtz' metal butterfly

Bling

Dymo Label

5x7 wooden plaque

Scrap The Boys: Follow Your Path

Hello there! This month Scrap The Boys has extra big things to share with you. We have been sponsored by 'Created by Gwen', a site dedicated to cut files by a lovely scrapper and designer named Gwen. She provided Scrap The Boys design team with this CuttoYouWild geometric background file for us to play with.

Without further ado, here is my page!

Thank you for stopping by today!!

Supplies:

Simple Stories: Sn@p Basics
Pretty Little Studio: Oakley Avenue Collection

Silhouette Cameo
CuttoYouWild Geometric File

Pebbles Word maker

Mixed Media Canvas: #GetCrafty

Hello there! Today I would like to share with you my latest canvas. I have been inspired by many artists and their work on my Pinterest page, especially the work of Aleksandra M. and Lindy's Stamp Gang design team.

At heart, I'm a scrapbooker who loves paper. Mixed media uses paper, but not to the same degree that making pages does for me. For this canvas, I wanted to combine the two . . . paper and mixed media "stuff".  My vision was to make something bright and feminine for my happy space (office). So I reached for BoBunny's Pincushion line ..... especially since it also speaks to crafting in many ways, including sewing and paper projects.

I always list supplies used at the end of my post.

Thanks for stopping by today!!!

I love how soft and feminine this turned out.

I decided to make my own dimensional paste recently. You can find how here.

I'm so in love with the Finnabair stones. The artistic key mold is by Prima Marketing.

Can you believe I got these flowers on clearance a couple years ago?

Supplies:

BoBunny: Pincushion patterned paper

Lindy's Products:

--Flat Merry-Go-Round Green

--Flat Orange Creamsicle

--Embossing Powder Cleopatra's Copper

Finnabair Products:

--Art Stones

--Melange Art Pebbles

Creative Embellishments Chipboard

Twine from Target

Tim Holtz' Quote Chips

Kraft Paper and Paper Crimper

Prima Stencil, Molds, and Flowers

Silhouette Cameo (title)

Random Bird clip from stash

White Gesso

8x10 Canvas

Scrap The Boys: Hello

Hello and welcome! It's a start of a new month and that means a start of a new challenge at Scrap The Boys!!! Below is the inspiration for this month's challenge.

I won't lie . . . it's a hot summer. It's rather hard for me to get motivated to scrap during the summer months. My office gets really warm in the afternoons and I'd just rather be at the pool, honestly. So, it took me three tries to get this layout right.

I finally settled on a die cut by Ashley Horton. This photo really needed a bright, but light background and Pinkfresh has those in abundance.

All of the embellishments are from Pretty Little Studio. Love their products!!!! The stamped quote is from Citrus Twists.

I added stitching to the die cut at the very end to give it some dimension. Otherwise it became rather lost on the background.

There was a short period of time when my son would let me practice taking photos. He has the prettiest blue eyes. Now . . . . . he's older and I have to bribe him to at least face the camera. LOL!

Supplies:

Pinkfresh: Dream On: Daydream

The Cut Shoppe die cut by Ashley Horton

Pretty Little Studio Embellishments:

--Ain't Life Grand

--Let's Go

--March Freebie Titles

--Sequins

Hand-stitching

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Mixed Media Canvas: Choose To Shine

Hello there! Today I'm sharing with you my latest creation that I specifically made for Lindy's June challenge. I had so much fun getting rather messy putting this all together. This is my first time entering Lindy's challenges. I hope to make much more!!

I always list supplies and links at the end of my post. Thanks so much for stopping by today!!

Can you believe I started this with a paper towel?! Yep, the background is a paper towel covered in gesso. I probably won't do that again, but it was a good challenge trying to work with it.

This above is Lindy's June challenge color scheme. I don't have the exact colors in my stash so I used colors that, I hope, were closely matching.

I was greatly inspired by Ingrid's dream canvas from 2015.

I had a little goof up with using the right glue for the Finnabair Melange art pebbles. Live and learn, right??

What I love most about mixed media is getting messy with different textures. My scrapbook pages and cards are "neat and orderly", but this art style encourages you to abandon all that.

Here I'm showing you a close-up of the different art stones that I used. I did add dry brush gesso at the end to help make the colors "pop".

The white leaf stems are cut using my Sillouette. 

There is a chipboard heart by Creative Embellishments underneath the flower cluster. I did not intend to bury it so completely, but making a canvas really takes a life of it's own.

I recently bought Finnabair package of mixed media pastes, which included White Sand.

I'm very happy with how this turned out. I know I'm not really describing how I made it because it's all a blur to me. I do frequently watch videos and visit blogs of lots of mixed media artists. For now, my work is "simple" in comparison.

Thank you so much for stopping by today!!!!

Supplies:

Lindy's Stamp Gang:

Starburst Open Arms Amethyst

Flat Luminous Lemon

Flat Urban Amethyst

13@rts Black Microspheres

Finnabair products:

White Blanc Art Stones

Melange art pebbles

3D Gloss Gel

Soft Gloss Gel

White Sand Texture Paste

Prima flowers

Tim Holtz Quote Chips

Wooden "hello" (random from stash)

Random stars from stash

Silhouette cutting file

Creative Embellishments

8x10 canvas

paper towel

white gesso

mod podge glue

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ISBG: Today is full of possibilites

Hello there! Today I want to share with you my latest project using International Scrapbook Garden's toolshed kit: Colorburst.

So far, I have made five pages with this kit and love them all. It is so full of masculine goodies that it is just brilliant for any boyish pages you want to make. The kit has lots of items from 49 and Market, Lindy's Stamp Gang, Creative Embellishments and 7 Dots Studio . . . you just can't go wrong. All supplies are listed at the end of my post.

One of my son's last 5th grade projects was called "The Decades Project" and he was part of the 1910's and 20's group. The kids were encouraged to dress up according to the time period they represented. We just couldn't resist. My husband and son made an evening of it and bought a suit closely matching the time period. I found a hat on Amazon and well. . . . you can see the results. He shined at school all day, refusing to change. I think he secretly loved all the attention.

This is also the same time of year that blue bonnets bloom here in Texas. Lots of moms were asking about getting photos of their kids and blue bonnets on FB. I bragged online saying  . . . . "eat your heart out, blue bonnets". Even boys need to be taught to be comfortable with how they look and feel in their own skin.

Without further ado, here it is. I hope my work inspires you. I know I get enormous inspiration following 49 and Market's design team as well as Lindy's Stamp Gang. Hint: someday, when I'm all grown up, I hope to be good enough to land one of those design teams.

Thanks for stopping by today!!!!

Most of this page is from the kit, the main exception is the Tim Holtz' metal embellishments.

I love layering die cuts. Having a small cluster away from the main photo keeps your eye moving.

I am learning that it is ok to add flowers to "boy" layouts. By adding the metal embellishments, I believe it helps the page retain it's masculine feel. Without the metal, I felt my page was just a bit too "flat" feeling.

I layered tags and frames here. This is a great way to keep my stash from becoming overwhelming in my crafty space.

I added black acrylic paint splatters at the end. My page looked "fine" without it, but the splatters give it that final mixed media touch we all love.

The mixed media kit come with Paste-eez "Hold the Mustard". I lightly added this with my pinky finger all over the page. It really made the green and teal colors "pop" and added a brightness to my page, which otherwise felt rather dark.

Thank you for stopping by today!!!!

Supplies:

International Scrapbook Garden: Toolshed kit Colorburst: Main Kit
International Scrapbook Garden: Toolshed kit Colorburst: Embellishment Bonus Kit
International Scrapbook Garden: Toolshed kit Colorburst: Mixed Media Kit

Lindy's Stamp Gang:
Flat Spray: C'est la vie Cerise
Starburst Spray: Cathedral Pines Green
Magical Shaker: Time Travel Teal

My Stash:
Black Acrylic Paint
Tim Holtz' metal embellishments
Dymo Label
Gray Thread
Black Archival Ink

If you would like, please follow me at my crafty page on Facebook as well.

ISBG: Mixed Media Canvas: Happy

Hello! Today I want to share with you my newest mixed media canvas. I absolutely love making these and apparently have started a theme throughout my house.

I used a variety of supplies from International Scrapbook Garden, Lindy's Stamp Gang, and my own stash of various goodies.

I could "describe" how I made this, but honestly I highly recommend you just watch YouTube videos by those who have taken them time to make them. You will learn a lot more than reading my words.

I do love the Prima wax "Red Amber" that I used here. It really makes the texture of the canvas pop.

I did learn from Gabrielle Pollaco to add bling at the very end. Her videos are very instructive and well done.

Since the top of my canvas is so "heavy", I wanted to minimize the embellishments surrounding my fairy. Do you feel the wonderful mixture of emotions by her placement?

Canvases are a great way to get your hands messy, relax your mind and really play with techniques and colors. As long as you understand the basic "rules" of applying gesso, sprays, inks, etc., you almost can't really mess up a canvas. The trick is having enough goodies to play with.

Thank you for stopping by today!!

Supplies:

International Scrapbook Garden: Toolshed: Colorburst: Embellishment Bonus Kit

International Scrapbook Garden: Toolshed: Colorburst: Bonus Chipboard
International Scrapbook Garden: Toolshed: Summer Concert: Embellishment Bonus Kit
International Scrapbook Garden: Toolshed: Autumn Hayride: Mixed Media Bonus Kit

Lindy's Stamp Gang:
Starburst Spray: Cattail Copper Brown
Starburst Spray: Canna Lily Burnt Orange
Starburst Spray: Tainted Love Teal
Starburst Spray: Green with Envy Green
Flat Spray: C'est la vie Cerise

Creative Embellishments:
Flourish Corner 6
Bird Cage 4 Piece Set
Fairy Trio