Thursday, February 27, 2014

Take Flight!

Hey crafty people!  Welcome back to another Dreamweaver Thursday post!  This is the last week to share February Flutters!  Today I have a canvas that I created using Dreamweaver Stencil LJ 896 Large Flourish.   I've often looked at this stencil and thought it would make beautiful wings, so, I decided to make that happen!  Dreamweaver Stencils are perfect for creating mixed media projects!






To begin, I airbrushed the background with Copic markers and then spritzed a little blender solution here and there to add some background texture.  I paste embossed the flourishes with white paste and set it aside to dry.  Once the paste dried, I rubbed on DecoArt's Metallic Lustre in Silver Spark to give it a subtle sparkle.  Next I added the heart by building up paste I applied with a palette knife, I added more until I was happy with the results.  Once that paste dried, I painted it with DecoArt paints in Naphthol Red and Country Red.  When the paint dried I used a Faber-Castell Pitt Pen to write my sentiment, easy peasy!  So that's it, for today, I hope you like my project, it makes my heart flutter!  I actually gave this canvas to Lynell, our fearless leader, and hopefully it made her heart flutter, too!  Some of my teammates have projects for you to view, too, here's the list:



Be sure to leave them some love as you go along, it lets us know you're enjoying what we've created to share with you.  We would love for you to play along with us but time is almost up so you need to hurry.  I'll see you again, soon!  Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,
Lea

P.S.  Dreamweaver has a new Design Team call, the details are located here if you're interested:

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Wicked Wednesday!

It's time for another Wicked Wednesday Challenge and this week we are sponsored by DigiDarla Designs.  This image is DigiDarla's Basketball Brian.  I picked this little guy because my youngest son, Daniel, just finished his basketball season and I plan to use him for some thank you cards for his coaches.

The base of my ATC is Bazzill, the cool "TEAM" patterned paper didn't have a name on the back so your guess is as good as mine!  I colored my image with Copics and cut him out to adhere onto the patterned paper.  Using the Tiny Alphabet stamp set from Stampendous, I spelled out Go Team and stamped it onto some scrap paper with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Using foam mounting squares, I popped it onto the bottom of the ATC.  Pretty simple but kinda cute!  Here's the list of Copic markers I used:

Hair:  E30, 31, 55, 57
Skin:  E50, 51, 21, 53, 93
Shirt:  C00, 0, 1; R35
Shorts:  B26, 29
Shoes:  R35, 37, 39; C00, 0, 1
Basketball:  E15, 08

Thanks for stopping by today.  I have a Dreamweaver project to share with you tomorrow so come back by for a visit!  Have a blessed day!

Hugs,
Lea

Friday, February 21, 2014

May Arts Blog Hop!!



Woohoo!!  I love a good Stampendous and May Arts Blog Hop, don't you!?  Well hang on to your britches, ladies and gents, we have some fantastic talent for you today!  For my project, this idea popped into my head while I was holding the ribbon I used in my hand.  It is such a beautiful creamy ribbon and reminded me of something a bride would use for her bouquet.  I instantly thought of the Cling Jumbo Calla Lily set from Stampendous and I knew what I wanted to create.  My daughter, Sarah, has decided it's time to transition her bedroom from typical teenager to twenty-something grown-up vintage.  Hmmm...does that even make sense!?  Anyway, she wants to accent with Tiffany Blue, Ivory and Gold.  When she saw what I was making, she asked if it could be for her (Calla Lilies are her favorite flower) and if I would paint the canvas Tiffany Blue or at least close to it.  I agreed and here's my creation:


I'm really pleased with how it turned out and she loves it, too!  I guess that's all that really matters.  Here's what I used to create this:

DecoArt Gesso
DecoArt Americana Sea Breeze Acrylic Paint
DecoArt DecouPage in Matte
Canvas
Neenah Classic Crest Solar White
Tsukineko Brilliance Galaxy Gold Pigment Ink Pad
Memento Desert Sand Ink Pad
Ranger Archival Ink Jet Black Ink Pad
Copic Markers: Y13, 15; YR30, 31; G20, 21, 24; C00, 0
Medium Flat Paintbrush
Scissors

To create this you need to:

Cover canvas with gesso
Paint front and sides of canvas
Stamp Calla Lily stamps on Neenah (use stamp off method so the ink in very light) and color with Copic markers
Stamp another set of flowers using same method but only color stems (this is how I extended the length of their stems)
Cut out flowers and second set of stems
Stamp swirl on bottom of canvas and allow to dry
Stamps Calla Lily over swirl
Add flowers to canvas using DecouPage as a glue
Go over entire canvas with DecouPage to seal (don't forget to seal the backs of the flowers that are extended off the canvas)
Tie ribbon around canvas



This project was incredibly easy to do and I hope my daughter will enjoy it for many years to come!  Now, here's the hop list, be sure to leave some love along the way

Jamie Martin

Janelle Stollfus (Thursday)

Cyndi Bundy

Janelle Stollfus (Friday)

Kristine Reynolds

Krissy Fossmeyer

Tobi Crawford

Lea Kimmel (me!)

Tenia Nelson

Suzanne Czosek



Thanks for stopping by today!  Hope you have a blessed day!

Hugs,
Lea

Thursday, February 20, 2014

May Arts Time!

In case you didn't already know, Stampendous is doing a blog collaboration with May Arts Ribbon this week and I always enjoy it when we collaborate with them, May Arts is my favorite ribbon in the whole wide world!!  That's no exaggeration!  I love their ribbon and twine!  They have the best variety and if there's ribbon or twine on one of my projects, 99% of the time, it's May Arts.  Today I have a fun project that was so easy to do!  I've been working on organizing my craft room and it seems I'm always in need of a box or jar to put something in.  I love to use clear jars because you can easily see the contents and they're just pretty to look at!  I decided to decorate one of my jars that I think I'm going to use for paint brushes on my mixed media table.  I haven't decided for sure if that's where I'm going to use it or not.  Actually, I think it's pretty enough that I could just as easily put a candle in it and stick it in my living room!  Anyway, here's my jar, you can tell me what you think:




I really like the shabby vintage look of this project.  While I do have the ring on the top of the jar, I have intentionally left the insert off.  I like the look of the jar ring.  I considered painting it or covering it in some fashion and decided against it.  On the jar itself all I did was layer a wide 2 1/2" May Arts ribbon on the bottom, a 1 1/2" burlap May Arts ribbon over the sheer and a piece of May Arts twine around the middle.  I used another May Arts ribbon to create my ribbon flower on a Gluber from Cosmo Cricket.  If you've never seen Glubers, they're like giant glue dots you use to create flowers; they're pretty darn cool!  I used my ribbon flower to cover the area where the ribbons connect.  Next I created my tag! I kept it pretty simple using Stampendous SSC1194 Vintage Ladies Perfectly Clear Stamps that I stamped with Coffee Archival Ink on a small shipping tag.  I used Peeled Paint, Scattered Straw, Tattered Rose and Dried Marigold Tim Holtz Distress Markers to color her in.  I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink Pad and a stipple brush to add some ink around the edges.  Next I added a touch of Zip Dry Adhesive around the edge of the tag and dipped each side in Stampendous Cinnamon Micro Glitter.  Once my glitter was dry, I tied the tag onto the twine around the jar.  Really simple but simply pretty!  My teammate Janelle is also playing along today, here's her link, check her out!


That's it for today.  I hope you'll come back tomorrow for a look at my Blog Hop project.  I'm kinda crazy about it, too!  Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you again soon! 

Hugs,
Lea




Friday, February 14, 2014

A Daisy A Day!

Or, maybe I should say, "Think Spring!"  We've had a big snow here in my part of North Carolina and now they're calling for more!  I want Spring!!  I want to say good-bye to winter and hello to spring.  I want to wear my flip flops and put away my boots.  I want to feel the sun on my face, NOT snowflakes!

So, since it's winter and I'm not a fan of cold weather (in case you couldn't tell!) I've spent a lot of time in the craft room.  If you haven't seen the new Creative Palette from Stampendous, you need to check it out!  This thing is so much fun to create with!  The cool thing is, each page you print is different, no two are alike.  I've used acrylics and mixed them with a variety of sprays.  I've stamped into the paint with stamps and squiggled and sponged with other things I've found around the house and my craft room.  The possibilities are only limited to your imagination.  Here's a link to the Creative Palette on the Stampendous site which has a product video to explain how to do monoprinting.  Here's my card, the green background paper is one I've created:


I have to tell you, you won't believe how fun it is to create your own backgrounds!  I love it.  For this card I've used the following:

DecoArt Neon Green Glamour Dust Acrylic Paint
DecoArt Apple Green Americana Satin Acrylic Paint
Speedball Rubber Brayer
Neenah Classic Crest
Bazzill
Lasting Impressions Yellow Dot Paper
Memento Tuxedo Black Ink 
May Arts Ribbon
Copic Markers C0; Y13, 15, 17; YG07, 09, 25
Scor-Tape
Glue Dot

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you've enjoyed my project and I'll see you again soon.  In the meantime, get you a Creative Palette and get busy monoprinting your own cool backgrounds!

Hugs, 
Lea

PS:  I'm starting a really cool on-going project, I'll tell you more about it next week!  







Thursday, February 13, 2014

Words of Love

Do words of love make your heart flutter?  They make mine flutter if they're said by my sweetheart!  
Are you ready for the new Dreamweaver challenge for the month of February? It will be a short month of posts for the Dream Team, but we're pretty excited to share with you our versions of "February Flutters", meaning anything that flutters. Heart flutters, wings that flutter, breezes, sails, etc. So, come along for the ride and link your own "flutterings" to the Dream It Up! blog for a chance to win the stencil of your choice. Meanwhile, here's my "fluttering" for the week:


I love the patterned paper with the words as it's little snippets from love letters written years ago.  I think that's really cool!  

Here's what I used to create this card:

Richeson's Acrylics in Scarlet, Crimson Red, Titanium White and Mars Black
Bazzill Cardstock
Echo Park "Yours Truly" Patterned Paper
Bo Bunny "Garden Girl - Wild Flowers" Patterned Paper
May Arts Ribbons
Me & My Big Ideas Pink Multi Pack Rhinestones
Studio 18 Rhinestones Strass Green
Zip Dry Adhesive
Q-Tips

Here's how I did it:

Trim papers to desired size
Tape down paper and stencil in preparation of pasting
Mix white paste with paints until you get the desired color, I went with a nice plum
Spread on paste and once applied, remove stencil (put in water right away), and set aside to dry
Once partially dry, apply Metallic FX with a Q-Tip and then heat with a heat tool to complete drying
Using the same Q-Tip, smudge some of the Metallic FX in various spots around the paper
Adhere patterned papers
Create bow with 2 ribbons and adhere to card
Adhere patterned papers to card base
Complete card by adding rhinestones as shown



This was a super easy card to create and I love the finished project.  I think the rhinestones give it just the right touch and balance the bow.  I love how the Metallic FX looks smeared around the paper! Here's the list of my teammates that have projects for your viewing pleasure, be sure to leave them some love:

 
Thanks for stopping by today and I'll see you again soon.  

Hugs,
Lea

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Wicked Wednesday...

...in a winter storm!  Don't know where you live but here in North Carolina the snow is coming down fast and furious and I'm kinda loving it.  I'm normally not a fan of the white stuff but It's been a cozy and snugly kind of day and that's the part I'm enjoying.  Plus, it really is pretty to look at!

So, it's Wicked Wednesday and time for another ATC challenge, here's mine:


This is Zodiac - Aquarius from Delicious Doodles, our sponsor for this week.  Since February's birthstone is amethyst, I decided to keep her in lavenders.  I colored her with my Copics and added a little sparkle with my Spica glitter pens.  Next, I mounted her on lavender Bazzill trimmed to ATC size.  I finished her off with a little sentiment from My Favorite Things and some Lavender Glitter from Stampendous.

I hope you'll play along and link your creation to the challenge blog.  Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you again soon.  Tomorrow I have a card for Dreamweaver and Friday I'll have a little Stampendous love for you.  Have a blessed day.

Hugs,
Lea

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Stack Art is Regal in Red

Hello there, happy crafters!  I’ve got another cute little Stack Art piece from Stampendous to share with you today.  I love making these little works of art, they’re fun and easy to do but they look like you’ve spent hours creating them.  They won’t know the truth unless you tell them!  Here’s my project for  today:



For this piece, I’ve used the Regal Bird Kraftboard Kit, one of my favs!  I just love that little birdie!  From the Red Encrusted Jewel Kit, I used Red Glass Glitter, Aged Scarlet Embossing Enamel, Red Tinsel Embossing Powder and Scarlet Fragments.  From the Gold Encrusted Jewel Kit, I used Champagne Pearl Embossing Powder and Gold Halo Glitter Mix, which gave it loads of sparkle!  The sentiment comes with the kit, you just cut out the one you want and layer between the pieces!  Easy peasy!  I punched two holes in the bottom piece before I started and added some red craft wire that I had partially wrapped around a skinny paint brush.  Such a fun little project!  These are great for gifts for teachers, co-workers or anyone really!  It might be just the little gift someone needs to lift their spirits!  The nice thing is they’re so easy to slip in a little envelope and send along.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you’ll come back soon.  Have a blessed day!

Hugs,

Lea

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Eureka! It's Wicked Wednesday!

Hey there crafty folks!  Hope you’re having a fun Wicked Wednesday!  Today our Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge sponsor is Eureka Stamps and I love my little Hearty Dragon!  He makes my heart flutter!  I’ve colored him with Derwent Inktense Pencils and I have to say, these pencils are the bomb!  They are truly the most vibrant watercolor pencils I’ve ever used.  Here’s my ATC:



My base is Bazzill and I’m not sure what my patterned paper is as it was a scrap with no name!  My sentiment is from Memory Box.  The heart brads are from my stash. I do hope you’ll get wicked with us this week, it’s so much fun creating these mini works of art!  See you again tomorrow with a post for Stampendous!  Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs, 

Lea

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Happy Birthday!

Desert Islands Crafters Challenge Blog is three today so we're having a mini blog hop!  Woohoo!  Happy birthday and congratulations, Suzi, for creating this challenge blog we've all grown to know and love!  Here's my card to help celebrate the occasion:



Our sponsor this time around is Sassy Studio Designs and my image is Rainbow Bright Sassy that I've colored with Prismacolor Pencils.  Boy, did this one ever take me back in time!  LOL!  One of my daughters used to love Rainbow Bright!  For this card I've used Bazzill, Neenah Classic Crest and My Mind's Eye Hootenanny Six by Six Designer Paper Pad papers.  The stars are punched, the ribbon is seam binding I colored with Tim Holtz Distress Paint in Barn Door and the number 3 is part of a Tim Holtz grunge board letter and number set that I painted with the same paint.  I put it all together with Beacon Zip Dry and a few pop dots.  Here's the itinerary for the current challenge:

1.  Birthday
2.  Party
3.  Cake
4.  Ribbon or Twine
5.  Add Some Sparkle
6.  Emboss It - Dry or Wet Embossing
7.  3 Patterned Papers
8.  3 Different Embellishments
9.  Favorite Colors
10. It's a Gift - Make a Gift or Gift Box/Bag

I used numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8 for my card and I'm kind of stretching #2!  LOL!  That's okay, I know the thought process behind the card so if I say I was thinking party, you just have to believe me!  Here's the hop list:


Thanks for stopping by today and I sure hope you'll leave us each a little birthday love as you go!   Don't forget to play along, we want to see what you come up with!

Hugs,
Lea