You+Me | Kitaholic Kits March 2021

 

Hi everyone,

Popping in today to share my first March project for Kitaholic Kits. This month my kit actually arrived in two parts - the mixed media kit first, and then the main kit afterwards. I was in such a hurry to get stuck into the new mixed media kit that I decided to create something right away and combine it with some left-over items from previous kits. I also had a very special photo to document, which is of my mum and I that was taken when I was a toddler. 

My layout began with me creating a pretty mixed media background. I used the Dina Wakley Gloss Sprays and Darkroom Door butterfly stencil from the kit, which I combined with acrylic paints and some stamping. 

You can see exactly how I put the background together, and hear me talk a bit about the Gloss Sprays, in my video here: 

Once the background was done, I moved on to constructing the layout using a mixture of items from previous kits.

The patterned papers I layered under my photos were from Heidi Swapp and I used tearing and distressing, as well as a a paper doily and frayed gauze from my stash to add texture.

For my embellishments I used die cut flowers from the Jen Hadfield 'The Avenue' floral ephemera pack as well as some stickers from the Heidi Swapp 'Old School' cardstock sticker sheet and sticker book.

 To tuck in amongst my layers and add some extra dimension to my page, I also used some leafy Cut to You cut files that I had left-over from a previous project. (One of the reasons I always like to cut a few extras - you never know when you will need them!) The handmade heart embellishment is from Charms Creations, and I love the way the butterfly button ties in with the butterflies on the background.

I finished off with some white sequins,which added some subtle shine to the background. 

I really love how this page came out! If you would like to see how I constructed it after the background was done, you can watch my process video here:

 

Thanks for stopping by today so I could share this with you. Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Enchanted Garden painting | StencilGirl

 

Hi everyone!

Popping in today to share my latest project for the StencilGirl® Creative Team. For today's project I was tasked with the theme "Pastiche". If you haven't been following the team projects that have come before me, then you may not be familiar with the term? Simply put, a pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, or music that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche celebrates, rather than mocks, the work it imitates.

I began by choosing the work of an artist whose work I find not only beautiful, but also incredibly inspiring. Being Australian, I couldn't go past picking a fellow Aussie, so the artist I chose was Clair Bremner. Clair creates paintings that are inspired by nature, and she uses an amazing combination of both colour and form to translate the things she sees into stunning works of art. I had long wanted to try working in Clair's style, so this provided me the perfect opportunity.

Here's a sample of Clair's work from her online gallery so you can see her style...

I chose this example of Clair's work, as I decided to use a similar colour palette and materials. I chose watercolour paper for my substrate (A3 size), and like Clair, I worked with acrylics.

Here's my piece, I entitled "Enchanted Garden"...

 I used a combination of brayer, silicone spatula, and brush to apply my base colours to the page. I worked in a random fashion, but unlike Clair's piece, I left some white space as I like the balance between busy and clean. 

With the base colours down on the page, it was then time to begin building the layers. The fist stencil I chose was Bouquet Greenery by Wendy Brightbill. This 9x12" stencil features large leafy branches, which I thought would work for trees in the scale I was working in. I used Naples Yellow paint from Monte Marte to provide a contrast to the background colours, and applied the paint using a stippling technique with a brush.

Next, I moved onto some Dusky Pink paint and the Playful Petals stencil designed by Jennifer Evans. I masked off a small section of the stencil and used the same stippling technique to add some groups of petals that I thought would make great bushes. 

At this point I felt my painting needed a little more "light", so I chose white paint for my next layer. The stencil I used was June Pfaff Daly's Inspired by Frida stencil. Once again, I masked off a small section of the stencil, this time a leafy branch, and used it to add some branches into my layers, making sure to overlap them with other portions of my design to help add depth to the piece. 

While I was using the white paint, I also added some sweet little fern branches in the foreground using the Maidenhair Fern stencil by Rae Missigman. I adore the whimsical style of the fern branches on this stencil, and thought it was perfect as part of my tribute to Clair's work. 

The final stencil I used was the super cute Daisies 6 by Terri Stegmiller. In order to be able to be very controlled with my placement, I masked off a single daisy and used Marine (a very dark blue) to add a few flowers around the page. (Because this stencil design was a little more delicate, I simply painted through the stencil with a small flat brush rather than stippled with the larger brush.)

Once all the painted layers were in place, I used a black Sharpie, white Sharpie and a Stabilo All pencil to add the finishing touches to my page. This was simply a case of adding a combination of small mark and lines over the top of the paint. (Make sure the paint is totally dry before doing this, or you will completely ruin the tip of your pens!)

I am so happy with how this piece turned out, and I really hope I did justice to Clair's amazing style. You can view more of Clair's work on her website: http://www.clairbremnerart.com/

If you would like to watch me create this painting, I have a video of my process available:

Thanks so much for stopping by today so I could share this with you. Until next time, happy creating! X

Remember ~ a mixed media layout

Hi all!

You probably already know of my love for all things Vicki Boutin (and if you don't, you must have been hiding out somewhere), so today I am here to share another layout featuring some VB goodness. This layout was created after I played along with Vicki's Facebook Friday night live last week (which is Saturday morning for me here in Australia and usually means I am still sitting around in my PJS! haha) I actually did the background for this page in real time, creating along with Vicki. (If you would like to see her video you can watch it HERE)

So this is the background that I finished up with after the video...

To create it, I used a combination of Faber-Castell Gelatos (as I don't have any of Vicki's art crayons), Dina Wakley 'Night' acrylic paint (one of my fave colours!), a stencil from StencilGirl, and Vicki's brand new 'Prism' glaze. I love how it turned out! (I adore those hard water lines in watercolour work.) You can see in the photo that I had already stuck a VB sticker on there as well before I thought to take a background shot. 

And here is what I did with it...

(Click on photos for a better view)

You will see that I kept the remainder of my page relatively simple, so as not to cover up too much of that beautiful background. The photo I used is one of my boys in my sister's pool during the Christmas holidays - we were celebrating the fact that after working very hard at swimming lessons that he had finally reached the stage he was competent (and confident) enough to swim in the deep pool without his swim vest on. A great achievement!

After adding the sticker horizontally across my page, I added some layers behind my photo using papers from the 'Color Kaleidoscope' collection, a small paper doily and some frayed gauze. I also tucked in a tag from the coordinating ephemera pack that I tied with a small piece of twine and used to write my journalling on.

I used the large lightbulb die cut with so very brilliant printed on it as I thought it was the perfect piece to go with the theme of my page. To the right of my photo I added another die cut, this time a black and white floral piece, along the horizontal line I had already created with the sticker.

I then used the sticker as the anchor point for my title word, which was the word remember from the VB Puffy Thickers pack, and I also popped a small heart from the same pack onto my journal tag. Below my title I added the attitude is everything phrase sticker from the 'Color Kaleidoscope' sticker book. Then I finished off my page with a few hearts that were fussy cut from one of the papers.

This was a super simple page to throw together after all the background work was already done and I love how it turned out. I am so excited that I now have the new VB 'Let's Wander' collection in the house - I think that will be getting a run on my table VERY soon!

Until next time, happy scrapping! X 

New kicks, stencilled street shoes | StencilGirl®

Hi everyone!

Dropping by today to share a recent project I created for the StencilGirl® Creative Team. For this piece I was tasked with the theme "dress it or wear it". After a bit of thought I decided to dress up a pair of shoes so I could wear them all over town! (Who doesn't ever need a pair of new shoes, right?!)

I picked up a pair of plain white canvas high top shoes from Kmart (which were only $10 - bargain!) and removed the laces. (I was actually in need of a new pair of high tops after my last pair that had served me so well were recently retired to the bin.) This type of shoe is ideal for a makeover as the canvas provides a perfect blank slate just calling for layers of paint and ink to be applied.

Before I began, I decided I wanted my shoes to be street style - urban and a bit grungy; so I started by brushing my shoes with some grey Flutter Colour paint from Flutterby Designs to tone down the stark white. I used a "dry brush" technique - whereby the brush is relatively dry but still holds paint, to give scratchy-style brush strokes. This provided a perfect background to begin building my layers on.

Now it was time to add some patterns! I chose the Crazy Quilts Calm & Frenzy stencil designed by Andrew Borloz to start with. This versatile 9x12" stencil features a variety of bold patterns arranged into a quilt style design. This is ideal for creating entire backgrounds, or like I did, for using a small section to add specific details to a piece.

I paired the stencil with a darker shade of grey acrylic paint and used the circular pattern from the top left corner to add some circles to my shoes. I used a stiff, flat brush and a stippling technique to add the paint through the stencil then dried the shoes with a heat tool so I could move onto the next layer.

For my next layer I again stuck with the circular theme; this time choosing the Collage Textures and Patterns, Circles designed by Gwen Lafleur. 

I chose the section of the stencil that features scattered circles with X's in the centres to add the next layer of detail to my shoes. This time, rather than acrylic paint, I chose to use black StazOn ink and a sponge dauber to apply it through the stencil. (Be prepared for some messy hands when you do this!) 

With layers of grey and black already in place, it was time to stray away from neutral tones and add a hint of colour to my shoes. I switched back to acrylic paint, choosing one of my favourite shades 'Night' by Dina Wakley and to add another layer over the top.

This time my stencil choice was Organized Chaos designed by Cat Kerr - which happens to be one of my absolute favourite stencils (probably not hard to guess judging by how well used it looks in my photos). I love the random, organic design of this pattern; which Cat says was inspired by Van Gogh's iconic painting, The Starry Night. 

Again, I used a stiff brush and stippled the paint through the stencil; using a small section and moving it around the surface of the shoes.

Now it was time for some fun! With my background largely complete, it was time to add some focal points and colour to bring some real personality to my shoes. The stencil I chose that I thought would fit with my own brief of urban and a bit grungy, was the Go Your Own Way Mini stencil designed by Mary C. Nasser.

I used the 4x4" size stencil for my project, but this same design is also available as a 6x6" stencil here if you prefer larger sized arrows. 

Again I reached for a Dina Wakley paint - this time in the vibrant purple shade called 'Blackberry'. (I was inspired to use this colour so I could match my shoes with my nails and the streaks of colour in my hair.) I immediately loved the way the purple arrows popped against the neutral tones of the background!

After drying the paint with a heat tool, I decided to carry the arrow theme further by stencilling arrows around the edges of the soles of the shoes. Again I used black StazOn ink and a sponge dauber to stencil an assortment of arrows right around each shoe. 

At this point my shoes I decided my shoes definitely needed an extra pop of colour to give them a bit more personality, so I grabbed my Dina Wakley 'Turquoise' paint. I squeezed out a small amount of paint and then added water to thin it down before dabbing it onto my shoes randomly using a soft, round brush. 

Once that had dried, I noticed how dirty the edge line of the soles had become due to small paint and ink smudges. My answer? Cover it up, of course! I took a large black Sharpie and coloured over the rubber edge all the way around the shoes. Not only did this do the trick covering up those dirty smudges, but it also added an extra cool detail to my shoes - winning!

I still thought my shoes needed a little extra colour; so I watered down some more Dina Wakley paint (this time I used the deeper colour 'Ocean') and took my round brush and shoes outside to add some splatters over the top. I was really happy with how the extra splatters "grunged" my shoes up even more. 

To finish off my shoes, I wanted to draw more attention to the purple arrows, as they were the focal point of my design. To do this, I used a Faber-Castell correction pen to add extra white detailing over the top of the purple paint, which I thought really made them pop!

And with that my shoes were complete! Once dry, I added the laces back in and stood back to admire my handiwork - I had one pair of super cool, unique shoes that cost me little more than $10 and some time!

And of course I HAD to put them on and show them off to my family right away...now my kids are all lining up for a pair, so I guess I will be busy stencilling some more shoes soon!

Thanks for stopping by so I could share this with you. Until next time, happy creating! X

Your Jealousy is Showing | Viva Las VegaStamps

Hi everyone!

Popping in with one of my recent Viva Las VegaStamps design team projects for you. Today I have a mixed media scrapbook layout that I created whilst I was away at retreat last month. It was actually created for a challenge that was on offer, which was to be inspired by a canvas created by my fellow Aussie VLVS teammate (and friend) Fiona Paltridge. I decided to design a scrapbook layout so I could document these fun photos of my brother and I as we shared a giant margarita.

To create my page, I began with a sheet of Bazzill Marshmallow cardstock. This is my preferred cardstock to use when I create mixed media pages, as with its heavy weight (240gsm) it takes a variety of media well with minimal warping. 

I started by applying some Micador watercolour paints randomly to my background, drawing on the colours from Fiona's piece for inspiration. Once the watercolours had dried, I then added some contrast colours using Dina Wakley acrylic paints which I applied with my fingertips.

To add texture to my page, I also added some torn strips of old book and music paper, and some pieces of tissue paper before adding yet more acrylic paint to help blend the papers in a bit.

Once the colour and texture was down on the page, it was time to add some stamping to help give the page some structure. (Unfortunately, as I had flown to retreat and was weight restricted for my luggage, I only had a small selection of my favourite stamps with me.)

The first stamp I reached for was the Typeset Scallop, which I stamped twice horizontally over the paint on my background using black StazOn ink. This gave my page a horizontal line that I could then anchor my photos to.

Next, I wanted to add some vertical structure to my page, so I used the Rows of Numbers stamp and stamped it near the top and bottom of my painted section. I also added a few scribbles with my Stabilo All pencil to further enhance the horizontal and vertical lines I had created.

Once I had the structural stamping in place it was time to add some layers of texture. I used a variety of materials for my layers - striped tissue paper; punchinella; paper doily and frayed gauze before adding my photos on top.

Once the photos were in place I also added some pieces of twisted coloured wire and some staples; as well as some small snarky phrase stickers.

At this point I thought the background needed some extra black detail, so I used the Waybill/Invoice Background stamp to add a little random text and lines around the edges of the focal area.

To finish off my page, I used the Cross Marks Background stamp to add three small patches of crosses to form a "visual triangle" around my photos. I further enhanced the crosses by using some yellow embroidery thread to hand stitch over a few of them. 

Then it was a few tiny watercolour splatters and I was done!

Thanks for stopping by today so I could share this with you. I hope I have inspired you to get inky too! X

Stamps used:

- Typeset Scallop

- Rows of Numbers

- Waybill/Invoice Background

- Cross Marks Background

Limitless | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!

I hope this finds you well! Today I am popping in to share a recent mixed media layout I created for Cocoa Vanilla Studio using the super cool 'Boys Rule' collection along with Dina Wakley acrylic paints.

I started by creating the background for my page; adding a variety of acrylic paints using both a brush and brayer to an 11x11" piece of white cardstock.

To add some extra depth I then added some small pieces of tissue paper; torn washi tape (from Chiyogami Designs); ink splatters and stamping using my Cross Marks Background stamp from Viva Las VegaStamps.

With the background in place, it was time to work on the feature elements of my page. I layered together a variety of patterned paper pieces (including Straight & Narrow; Expressionist; and Boy Stuff), and mixing in some paint sample cards from my stash. (I love using sample cards as they are so easy to coordinate, and are readily available for free from the local hardware store.)

Once I had the papery layers in place I then added my photo on top, using some scrap cardboard underneath to help pop it up from the page. Along each side of the photo I added the reach for the stars and you are awesome stickers from the Accessory Sticker sheet, mounting it up with a little foam tape. At the top of the page I added the word limitless from the Miscellany pack for my title.

Next, I folded down the top right corner of my cardstock and secured it with staples before I mounted it onto a sheet of the Expressionist paper so that I had a border showing all the way around the page. 

To finish off I added a few stars from the Chipboard Pieces pack.

Thanks so much for stopping by today so I could share this with you. I hope I have inspired you to pull out some of your stash and create something too. Until next time, happy scrapping! X