Turtle Love

Hi crafty peeps;

Eeekkkkk I am so excited- my bestie's birthday is coming and for the first time I made her a gift.  I am both excited for her to get it because she loves turtles.... Before we got our bestie tattoos- she got her turtle tattoo....priorities right?  LOL 


I used inspiration from a sketch from Outlawz Challenges.  This is the sketch for you to draw inspiration.

This plaque is a mixed media project.  I started with a wooden plaque and painted gesso all over it as i was not sure if i was going to use paint, collage or tissue paper.....so i started with acrylic paint.  The i added washi tape and some small papers.  I gessoed where i thought the turtle would be hand drawn (inspiration from Pinterest)

I used a pencil to sketch the general layout then started painting and layering many of the colors, including the background.  I liked the white around the turtle- it makes him look cool as a cucumber...lol

Adding brads to the flowers and glueing them down with Golden Matte Medium.  Finally, I used a Stabilo All Pencils to outline and draw in some details.  

I love Helen Keller sayings and decided something positive inspiration as she is at a new job and has moved across the country to be with family.  The back was stapled on and ribbons were tied on to decorate the hanger.  I sure hope this inspires you to create something for someone you care about.  

Happy crafting y'all
Cheers,
T 

My Best Friend Progressive Challenge

Hello Crafty Peeps;

This card was a labour of love and I truly love the Auntie it will be given to for her birthday.  I used the cute digital stamp called My Best Friend.  The digital image company is from the United Kingdom and you can find them on Etsy: All Dressed Up.  The image was coloured with Prismacolor pencil crayons and Gamsol.  The background was completed with acrylic paint watered down that when done acts much like watercolor but with a brighter impact.  

I got the Magical Rain Shaker die.  There is a video on YouTube here.  I loved making this card because sit was just a super cute way to dress up a card that is a bit different than the average shaker.  

Searching for sentiments I found one that once adjusted for the person I wanted to give the card to it fit perfectly.  

The shaker part is threaded with seed beads and move up and down the string.  I think its uber cute......and the puppy is just simply adorable.  

The inside of the card....I simply can't wait to give it to her.  This card would make anyone's day cheerful...:)

Have a craft happy day!!

Cheers,

T

Spring Flower Pot

Hello Lovely Crafty Peeps;

I really have to gush today.  I have been working on a Progressive Challenge from The Outlawz.  The image is a Chibi Flowerpot Peeker from Bugaboo Stamps....Oh my cuteness!  Also, side note they offer free images every Friday and they are beyond cute too....Check them out....Uber awesome!!!

I coloured this adorable little cutie with Prismacolors......does anyone else go through that...seem to want to colour with one medium for a bit then change to another?  Anywhoooo, using Gamesol to blend the colours.  

After painting the pot a sky blue for Spring, I added lots of tulips and paper die cuts to spruce up the edges: grass, tulips, clouds and butterflies.  The quote I found online and love Robin Williams ....so it was a win win.  

found at: Momitforward

After sealing the entire pot with Moge Podge; some burlap and yellow gingham ribbon were wrapped around the top edge.  Honestly, it is so cute I am unsure if i should use it for pens and markers or an actual pot this spring.  Let me know what you think.  

This is a 360 view of the pot.  Hope this inspires you to get your crafty gear on and give some creating a try!

Cheers y'all!

straight on

back view

side view

 side view

Have a Craft Happy Day

Mermaid and Friend

Hello peeps;

I am throughly enjoying entering challenges lately.  This one is from The Outlawz Challenges- Sunday Songs and Rhymes.  The inspiration came from a song that needed to include a mermaid. 

The procedure was similar to the "Bee Creative" clipboard I finished.  I used Gesso as a base then put color according to the pencil drawing.  Finally using Poscoa and Sharpie I finished the board.

The first image is the background.  Using light to dark with some white mixed in to create a swirl effect and depth for the characters.

The second picture is with the images and embellishments added.  

Voila, another project completed:) And one for have loads of fun with.  I was inspired by the Gorguss girls for the mermaid....after all I would be suprised to find a octopus wanting to be friends- wouldn't you?

Happy Crafting folks!

Cheers

Love Never Fails

Howdy y'all

Today I created something for Valentine's Day.  My daughter asked me for a stuffy and a homemade something....maybe a card.  Well I stepped that up some and made her a gift she can add to her wall.  She told me this week that all the cards I have made her homemade she has kept......at 10 I thought that was pretty special.  

Using the Saturday Paper a la Mode challenge from Outlawz Challenges I used all the things I love.  Mixed Media Art, stamped image in Momento Tuxedo Black, Echo Park paper: Yours Truly, my favourite stamp company; C.C. Designs, ribbon, coloring and zentangle.  (Here's a little secret: I never liked the color pink until my girl was born....now i adore the color!!!)

Christine's images from C.C. Designs are uber cute and stand the test of time.  I have had this fairy for years and I still love using her. I hope that this inspires you to create homemade gifts for your loved ones as well.  Happy Crafting!

Bee Creative

Hello Crafty Peeps;

Today I am attempting my first tutorial.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact me and I will do my very best to help where possible.  This idea came to me when my daughter had her best friend over and they wanted to do a craft.  I went to the dollar store and found the clipboards....lightbulb moment.....why not paint????

The first step included a good old fashioned layer of gesso.  Gesso is amazing and helps to make the process easier....literal blank slate ......right?  Before adding gesso though, I did tape the clip as to help with the finishing.

I was not long and got the layer slapped right on the board.  I used Golden Gesso and it took no time to dry.....maybe 4-5 minutes before flipping and doing the other side as well.  

I have to say all turquoise and aqua colors are my favourite lately.  The gesso is amazing because it only took one layer of paint to begin to see some amazing color. On side A, I was able to put the primary color down and start the stencilling.  

I used a coral color to gradiate the color into the center and used the same turquoise to blend it.

When this layer was dry i moved the stencil up to the top and finished the design to the top.

Working on Side B now:
I started with drawing the "bee" on the back.....

then added the turquoise to the perimeter of the bee.

Using masking fluid, I painted the bee and let it dry for about half an hour.  Using the stencil from before- i gently added the coral color to the turquoise area.

The masking fluid once dry was difficult to see; however, worked wonderfully :)

Covering the edges to ensure that it looked right was important.  

When the masking fluid was removed (by using an eraser) the bee was mostly clear and ready for paint.  Repeating the process from before once this layer dried then the stencil was moved and more paint added to ensure a steady flow of pattern.

Adding paint where the bee needed color I continued until completely finished.  After it dried I added stamped letters on tissue paper and used decopage sealer to finish the cutest little bee in the world.......I might be a bit partial as my daughter said mom I think that bee is me...lol

Side A Completed:  Adding some ribbon to the top and washi tape to the edges seemed to finish the clipboard off in a oh so cute way.  

Side B Completed: Using a Poscoa Pen and sparkly nail polish finished this cute little bee.....I really think it turned out to be the bees knees :)

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial.  Looking forward to living and learning more about making them better.  

Have a craft Happy day!

Cheers

Mouse in a Mitten

Good day y'all;

Today I used a sketch from Outlawz Challenges.  These ladies have a wonderful array of challenges bi-weekly and there is so much to learn from so many of the talented women.  This is the challenge photo from their blog:

So using your own inspiration you can follow along at any time.  I had the cutest stamp and die set that I was really wanting to use.  So I used this as a jumping off point and stayed pretty close to the original.

Using prismacolors and Gamesol I colored the images.  The gamesol helps "melt" the color and blend it into a smooth finish.  How can you not smile when looking at that tiny mouse......eeeek he's just the cutest!  Well one was just not enough so I created a set of twins for this project. 

Having two cute mice ready for the Christmas holidays is awesome!!

I try and always take inspiration from my fellow Canadian Rockstar- Amy R and finish the inside of my cards.  It gives the card a completed feeling and the extra effort is very satisfying.  

Using a ColorBox ink in silver and my favorite black for all details- Versafine Onyx Black.  

I hope this inspires you to go on over to Outlawz Challenges and take a look.  There are so many possibilities and wonderful creative people.  

Have a craft Happy Day.....eeeekkk

cheers