Altered Shadow Box Canvas

I always love finding creative, fun ways to display pictures. I have a gazillion photos on my computer. My kids are so dang cute I can't help myself and I just love taking pictures. So it has been my goal to get those pictures off the computer and seen - whether in albums or on the wall. I also love, love, love how some artists mix photos with altered canvases. So, I thought it would be super fun to turn a standard canvas around and use the back like a shadow box. I thought if I wrapped twine around the top, it would be perfect to hang a picture with tiny clothespins.

I wanted to have a very shabby, neutral, soft look to the finished frame. So I used lots of white, cream, browns, and light aqua. The first thing I did was cover the outer edge with brown scrapbook paper using Mod Podge. Once that was dry, I painted it with the various shades I mentioned and did some stamping too. I set the canvas aside to dry and worked on the little piece above. I tore a piece of scrapbook paper to the size I need, inked the edges with Distress Stain in Walnut, and added some paint with my good ol' fingers. I added some stamping and paint to the chipboard letters as well. These were from a Tim Holtz collection of chipboard letters I had found on clearance. Yippee for red clearance stickers! :)

Then on the inside I used a waterproof black pen and wrote some words. You could write a poem, a sweet love note, or a favorite quote...anything really. It really is for visual texture and sentiment. I painted over the words with white acrylic and gesso. Not all the words are completely visible, but that creates such pretty texture. I added stamps too.

For the hearts I used some small wooden ones I had in my stash. I stamped them with a patterned stamp in Walnut, then painted over them with gesso. For the larger heart on the bottom right corner, I attached one of the wooden heart to a larger one that had been cut from an old box. Gotta love using recycled stuff, right!? Before gluing the pieces together, I added a small piece of cream colored fiber paper to the back.

Now it was time to glue it all together. I took all the pieces and used E6000 to secure all the various parts. I painted some mini clothespins (adorable!) with aqua acrylic paint and tied some thick twine around the canvas. I used some adhesive cream lace along the bottom. I find these at Michaels on rolls. I love that all I have to do is peel and stick!

 

 

Now all I had to do was add a cute picture. Adorable!!

I had a great time making this altered, shadow box canvas and I can't wait to make another one! I hope you are having a beautiful weekend!

Happy Creating,

Me and My Big Ideas Pocket Card Canvas

I love the Me and My Big Ideas Pocket Pages cards. Have you seen them? I have been spotting them everywhere on Instagram and they have been making their way into my cart when I go to Michaels. They are super affordable ($4.99 for 72 cards plus my 40% off coupon - score!) and perfect for Project Life. I have gathered quite a few different packages to use on my album and my daughter's (Yep! She is making her own mini album). I am seriously in love. 

With summer looming around the corner, I really wanted to add a splash of color to our mantle in the family room. This room is in the back of the house and can get pretty dark. It doesn't get the best light, but in the heat of the summer the lack of direct sun keeps it cool. I however, love the front of the house that gets a lot more light. Which leads me to the need to bring some sunny into the family room. Easy, quick solution - use a bright, cheerful Mambi card. So I thought using one of the yellow 4x6 (they also have 3x4 in the package) in a mixed media canvas would be perfect. The best part is that I used the packaging that the cards came in for the back! Let me show you how you can make one too!!

 Here are the supplies I used :

• One 4x6 card from Me & My Big Ideas Pocket Pages Themed Cards (Michaels)
• Pocket Pages packaging (Woot! Better than the recycle bin!)
• various washi tapes in yellow 
• book pages
• tape runner adhesive
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Frayed Burlap
• Staz On - Jet Black
• Small butterfly stamp
• Paper flowers from stash
• Various trims in aqua
• White Unibal Signo
• Enamel Dots from My Mind's Eye (The Sweetest Thing collection)

***Not pictured : Americana acrylic craft paint, Liquitex gesso, and Mod Podge
Also, the pocket pages come in several different themed packages. I have several different ones and I am not sure which one this card came from. But, the package shows all the various cards on the back. How nice is that!?

First, use the back of the packaging and glue book pages to the surface with Mod Podge. Remember to use the glue under and over. Apply a good amount to the surface, then the back of the paper. Once it is down use an old credit or gift card to press out any air bubbles. Repeat this process until the entire paper is covered.

After it dries add a layer of gesso. Let that dry too. Then use paint and create a fun background. I like to use credit cards, a brayer, and my fingers to create variety and texture in the background. I added the yellows for a pop of color and tie the card into the background.

Add more layers with stamps and pen. I adore my white Unibal Signo. It writes like a dream and I love adding words or marks to the background. I use this tiny butterfly stamp all the time. It is so cute.

I know most of the center portion of this will be unseen under the card. So I didn't worry much about it. I did feel that the edges around the outside needed a little distressing. So I pulled out my Frayed Burlap and used it all around the outside. I was going to distress the edge of the card too, but changed my mind. 

While I let the back piece dry, I added some washi tape to the actual MAMBI card to jazz it up a bit. Who doesn't love a bit of washi tape, right? :)

Next, I used an adhesive tape runner and attached the card to the canvas. I wanted to tie the blue in the background with the card (which is very yellow) so I spotted some aqua trim I had picked up awhile ago from the $2 bin at Michaels (really. I don't go there that much. No, really. Ha!) I tied it around the entire canvas. It was just the right amount of blue. :) I hot glued three paper flowers from my stash onto the corners. Then popped in a My Mind's Eye enamel dot in each center. I was going to use a button, but the enamel dots looked so awesome.

That's it! How fun was that!? There are so many different cards in these packs, so there is so much that you can do with them. I already have ideas for more, so I will be sure to share them!! All I know is that my mantle will now have a perfect amount of sunshine to welcome in summer.

 

I hope you have a beautiful sunshine-filled weekend!

Happy Creating,

Using Martha Stewart's Stucco Paint

It's always a lot of fun trying out new artsy or crafty products isn't it? There's always a bit of mystery involved. It might be homemade, bought, or given. No matter the case - a lot of creative fun is sure to be had. A couple places that often have crafty goods for lower cost are stores like Marshalls or TJ Maxx. Many times I have gone in search of something as innocent as socks and end up coming out with 6x6 paper pads, notebooks, stickers, Thickers, and other random goodies. Ha! At least they are a good price, right!? :)

A couple of weeks ago, while on the hunt for new shoes for my daughter, I found some Martha Stewart Stucco Paint at TJ Maxx. I had never used it before and thought it was probably something like modeling paste. Now, you know I adore modeling paste (especially Liquitex) so at $1.99 for the jar - I couldn't resist. It is no where near the size of the Liquitex tub, but I just wanted to give it a try. Plus, it's Martha! How could I go wrong?

I 

When I was ready to play a bit with it, I opened it up and found it to be exactly what I thought -  thick consistency, perfect to be applied with a palette knife or popsicle stick. It is a lot like modeling paste, but definitively not the same "creamy" texture. Liquitex modeling paste looks a lot like butter cream frosting to me. It actually has a really pretty texture that can be pulled up into peeks, much like cupcake frosting. If I didn't know any better I would smear in on top of my dessert :) The Martha Stewart has a must grainier texture to it.

I tried my best in the collage above to show the difference in texture. The Liquitex is on the left in all three pictures. Can you see the creaminess? But, the point is to use it on canvas for texture and not eat it! Sooo, let's see how it works on a tag using a stencil shall we?

 

1) Martha

2) Liquitex (swoon)

3) Both tags side by side

4) Mixing in a little Martha Stewart craft paint (which I adore)

I can see the gritty texture of the MS brand in all of these pictures and after working with it, prefer my good ol' Liquitex. But, the stucco paint would definitely do the job of adding texture to any mixed media project. Some people may even prefer the grittier version. Either way texture is created! I am glad I picked it up. (They totally stick all these random goodies in the purchase line. It literally called my name. Seriously! Along with alphabet stickers and nail polish. Ha!) I will use it all up in a few projects and think it was a good artsy buy.

Have you tried anything new lately? 

Do tell!

Seek, See, Go - Mixed Media Art Journal Page

Holy Smokes! It's been awhile. I guess I took a mini blog vacation. I have been creating...just not posting. I think we all need that from time to time. You know - just some "unplugged" time. :) I have been working on my Project Life album which I am LOVING you guys. I mean - LOV-ing. I am not a scrapbooker (although I have always had a love affair with all the little scrapbook goodies. They have so many uses really). But, this way of documenting life is really working for me. I am going to be putting together a PL post very soon so I can show you! Also, I went nuts the other day and cleaned out my pantry. I threw away all kinds of things...expired dates we won't mention. Lol. PLUS, I have to share these divine little goodies we baked the other day. So yummers!

Pictured above: my pantry stuff, messy Project Life table, DIY title cards for my album, and delicious "healthy" cookies. 

Recipe at the end of this post!

Enough of all the blog writing procrastination business! Let's get on with the journal page shall we? I was inspired by a picture that my Hubby had shown me of a desert. It was a beautiful sandy dune with the richest color of sand against a turquoise sky. SO pretty. Then...enter a sale on Americana paint at Michaels. The paint was on sale for 50 cents a bottle, so I grabbed a few and found the color Terra Coral. A perfect partner for my collection of aquas and the desert colors I had in my mind.

I created the background, which you see above under those goodies, by layering some paper, acrylic paint, stamps, Caran D'ache watercolor crayons, and pen. It had been awhile since I worked in my 9x12 art journal. So, it felt fabulous to get my hands all mixed media messy. After working on the background, it sat on my studio table for a few days. I left my journal open to this page on my table. I do that quite a bit. My studio space is in an open loft area upstairs. There are no doors to shut. I pass this space it seems a zillion times a day. I leave my projects sitting there on purpose. After passing by them so many times...I finally get a burst of creative mojo and finish them. :) 

In this case, I spotted a portrait. Once my family was tucked in for the night , I got to painting. I didn't initially like the quick pencil sketch I did. But, I decided to keep going and not worry much about it. I really like the colors, her quirky hair, and the small butterfly stamps.

There was a textured piece of layered paper right above her eye, perfect for a stamped word. I stamped see with my tiny dollar alphabet stamps. Then I completed the little saying with stamping seek above and go under. I also wrote the words, "I can only be me" near a stamped butterfly. I think I am trying to remind myself that I am unique. We all are. We all have a different story. We all have something different to say. It's no fun when we all try to be like each other. Right!? I just want to be true to who I am. :)

NOW, I did not forget about the cookies. If you like bananas - these are definitely for you! Even if you don't, you have to try them anyways. I am always trying to find "healthy" alternatives for my family. I think I originally found these on Pinterest. No shock there. :) I put healthy in quotations because they still have chocolate chips or non-dairy chips in them. But, they are WAY better than the standard cookie. Are you ready?? OK. Two bananas (ripe and speckled are good), 1 cup oats, and chocolate chips (or vegan chips). The measurement can vary on the chips depending on how chocolatey you want them. Mix that all together and bake them in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes. That's it!!

Now, go! Go! Bake!