Mum's Day | Kitaholic Kits February 2021

 

Hi everyone! Popping in today to share the first of my projects using the fabulous February kit from Kitaholic Kits. This month's kit features a range of papers from Vicki Boutin, Heidi Swapp and Amy Tan; as well as a mix of embellishments; and the mixed media kit includes FOUR Dylusions Shimmer Sprays and a stencil! Jam. Packed.

I decided to document a couple of fun selfies of my kids and I that were taken on Mother's Day in 2019, right after they had showered me with handmade gifts, chocolate, kisses and cuddles.

For my first layout, I couldn't wait to crack out one of the Shimmer Sprays, and was immediately drawn to the Vibrant Turquoise (given it is from my favourite blue / green colour family). Instead of using as it as a spray though, I grabbed a soft round brush, dipped it into the bottle and painted it onto my cardstock instead. The colour is gorgeous and it has such a beautiful shimmer.

If you know my work, you will already know how much I love using tags. So for this layout I decided to create a bunch of tags from a couple of the Vicki Boutin 'Storyteller' papers, which I tied off with twine. I added a large torn strip of another of the Vicki Boutin papers running vertically down my page, then used the tags I had made to start building layers where my photos were going to go. 

Tucked in amongst the tags I also included three of the Maggie Holmes 'Sweet Story' puffy frames, which are a beautiful duck egg blue colour. Before adding my photos, I also added some messy black cotton thread for texture. 

To embellish my layout I used a mix of Jen Hadfield ephemera pieces, Heidi Swapp stickers and the American Crafts Thickers from the kit for my title. I finished it off with my handwritten journalling and some simple stamping.

If you would like to watch how this one came together, I have a process video available on my YouTube channel:

There are still a few of these kits left in the Kitaholic Kits store, but you will have to be quick! You can find them in store here: https://www.kitaholickits.com/shop-now

I am looking forward to sharing the rest of my projects using this kit, I loved working with it.

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Gift-Worthy! | StencilGirl® Team Blog Hop

Hello friend! 

If you have found your way here to my blog for the first time as part of the StencilGirl® "Gift-Worthy" blog hop, welcome! My name is Sue Plumb and live in the beautiful Glasshouse Mountains in Queensland, Australia with my hubby, three children and my cat. If you are unfamiliar with my work, you should know that I love colour - something you will see for yourself shortly!

For this blog hop the Creative Team was tasked with creating something "gift-worthy" using StencilGirl® stencils. I decided to create two simple projects that anyone at home could easily replicate or change to suit their own tastes. 

First up, I decided on an art bag for my daughter, who often wants to take her art supplies with her when leaving the house. I had a plain canvas tote bag that I thought would be great to slip her sketch book, markers, watercolour paints, etc into.

I began with a simple canvas bag and a variety of Ranger Dylusions acrylic paints. (I adore these paints with their bright, vibrant colours!) I started by cutting a piece of thick cardboard from an old pizza box and slipped it inside the bag so that I had a nice flat surface to work on. (This also protected the reverse side of the bag in case the paint bled through the fabric.)

Starting with the warm tones first, I spread each paint colour randomly onto the bag using a silicone spatula. (One of my absolute favourite tools for spreading paint - and only $1.50 in the kitchen section at Kmart!) I made sure the warm tones were dry by using a heat tool before switching to the cool tones - because nobody likes mud!

Once all the paint was completely dry, it was time to add my stencilled design over the top. I used the gorgeous Paint Tin and Butterflies stencil designed by Cathy Taylor. 

This stencil measures 9x12" and is one of my absolute FAVE stencils - butterflies AND art! I couldn't think of a more perfect stencil choice for an art bag, can you? 

I stencilled my design directly over the top of the colourful painted background using black StazOn ink applied with a sponge dauber. 

My little miss was very happy with her gift, although getting photos of her modelling it for me proved to be more of a challenge than I thought...sometimes it's just too hard to be serious.

For my second project I decided to create something special for my mum, who recently celebrated her birthday. (And is one of the hardest people to buy gifts for!) Instead of buying something, I decided to re-purpose an old coffee jar and turn it into a beautiful hand-painted rainbow cookie jar.

To create my jar I started by stripping the label from the jar and cleaning it thoroughly. (Tip - use eucalyptus oil to remove any sticky residue prior to washing in hot, soapy water.) I then painted the jar with two coats of white gesso to prep the surface for the acrylic paints I was going to use.

Once the gesso had dried it was time to start applying some colour. I used cheap student grade acrylic paints for this project, simply because it was more economical for the amount of surface area I had to cover. Starting with the lightest colour from my rainbow (yellow), I painted the lid of the jar and then applied the paints in a gradient down the jar.

With the colours all dry it was time to add my stencilled design. I chose the Rose Bouquet stencil designed by Jennifer Evans for my mum - because all mums deserve flowers, right? 

This stencil measures 6x6" and was the perfect size to add to my jar. As with my previous project, I used black StazOn ink to stencil my image which I applied using a sponge dauber. I began by applying part of the design to the jar lid.

I then taped the stencil to the front of the jar and stencilled the entire design onto the front. I love how much the black design pops against those rainbow colours! 

To finish off my jar, I took a white Posca paint pen and added a few white highlights to the stencilled images.

Once it was finished I filled the jar with an assortment of cookies and tied a black satin ribbon around the top.

I am happy to report my mum loved the jar and I am already planning on decorating a few more of these for my children to give as teacher gifts at the end of the year.


Now, be sure to hop over to each fantastic project and leave a comment for the artist! 

The more comments, the more chances you'll have to win $50 worth of StencilGirl® stencils! Good luck!

You are here >>> Sue Plumb's Cookie Jar and Art Bag

Claudia Neubacher's Tote Bag

Sunila and Aditi Mahajan's Treasure Box

Peg Robinson's Necklace

Shel C's Journal Set

Jennifer Gallagher's Paper Mache Gift Box

Linda Edkins Wyatt's Beach Memories Painting

Jill McDowell's Twisted Treasure Pouches

Carol Baxter's Advent Calendar

Contest closes 10-8-19 at 11:59 p.m. CST (US). Winner notified by email 10-9-19.


I hope you have enjoyed seeing these projects today and that you might be inspired to try something similar next time you need to give a gift...or perhaps even a gift to yourself?!

Like a Queen - Art Journal Page | Viva Las VegaStamps

Hi everyone! Popping in today with my latest Viva Las VegaStamps design team project with you. Today I am sharing a whimsical style art journal page that I created on some loose leaf black A4 cardstock. I don't often create on dark backgrounds, but I felt like a change of pace.

I started by creating my background using Dylusions acrylic paints and the Crazy Quilts Calm and Frenzy stencil from StencilGirl using a technique inspired by my friend Lisa Oxley. I stamped over the top of the paint using black ink with the Wildflowers Silhouette stamp; and then around my page using the Sky of Stars Background with a Distress Oxide. 

I created my "whimsical being" using a variety of stamped pieces put together - Striped Leggings; Dressform; Set of Wings; Cat Mermaid. I simply stamped, cut, coloured and pieced.

The border was stamped also using a Distress Oxide with the Doodle Frame stamp and I used the Treat Me Exactly Queen phrase stamp to add text to my page.

I used Distress Oxides again with the Beautiful Lily and Leaves and 3 Extra Leaves stamps to add extra detail over my background (love how these look over a black background!); and added gold splatters using a Heidi Swapp Color Shine spray. 

You can see how I put this page together in my process video on my YouTube channel:

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

VLVS stamps used:

- Sky of Stars Background

- Wildflowers Silhouette

- Leaves and 3 Extra Leaves

- Beautiful Lily

- Striped Leggings

- Dressform

- Set of Wings

- Cat Mermaid

- Treat Me Exactly Queen

- Doodle Frame

She Was An Artist | Viva Las VegaStamps

Hi everyone!

It's Sue Plumb here to share my latest design team project with you. Today I am sharing a mixed media scrapbook layout that I created to document some photos from a recent kids art class that I taught. It was so much fun teaching the kids - they are so free in their approach and have no reservations when asked to do something.

I started my page by creating the background, which was inspired by the piece I had taught in the class. I used the beautiful bright Ranger Dylusions paints, which I applied to my cardstock using a silicone spatula.

Once the paint was dry, it was time to add some stamping. The first stamp I chose was the Whimsical Leaf, which I stamped out over the green paint on my page using StazOn black ink.

I then used the Leaves and Three Extra Leaves stamp to add more foliage over the green paint. This essentially provided a "frame" for my page.

Next, I wanted to add an "arty" quote to my page so I chose the Art is Anything quote by Andy Warhol, which I also stamped using the black StazOn.

Now it was time to add some papery background layers. I wanted to incorporate some art themed things, so I used some Jane Davenport collage paper that featured a paint palette print. I also used a paint sample card from my local hardware store; as well as a doily and some folded tissue paper.

Once I had those layers in place I then collaged on the Magic Maker Paintbrush that I had stamped onto some tissue paper before adding some frayed gauze for texture, then my photos on top.

With most of the main elements in place for my layout it was time to go and add some of the smaller details. I found two more art themed quotes I wanted to add - handmade with he{ART} and then I combined she was and an artist (which I ended up deciding to use as my page title).

I then added some embellishments to finish off my page. First, a handmade heart from Charms Creations, which I placed near the handmade quote. I also added some pieces of twisted coloured wire for extra interest.

Next, I added the Cocoa Vanilla Studio yay flair button and some wood veneer hearts that I painted white.

I also added a black wood veneer arrow that I coloured black using a Sharpie.

To finish off, I stamped the Scribble Heart, then added a few enamel dots dotted around the page and a splatter of white Dylusions mist.

That's all from me today, I hope I have inspired you to get inky too. Until next time, happy creating! X

VLVS stamps used:

- Whimsical Leaf

- Leaves and Three Extra Leaves

- Art is Anything

- Magic Maker Paintbrush

- handmade with he{ART}

- she was

- an artist

- Scribble Heart

Embrace Your Flaws | StencilGirl®

Hi everyone!

I was thrilled to recently share my first official project created for the StencilGirl® Creative Team over on the StencilGirl® blog . I was tasked with the theme of "an abstract or summer artwork". Both of these sounded fun to me, so I was torn between the two. My answer? Combine aspects of both themes into a single project!

I began my artwork by gathering a variety of papers to create a collaged background - book paper, music paper and tissue paper; and tore them into pieces. Working on an A4 sized piece of 270 gsm cardstock, I adhered them randomly around the page using matte gel medium. The collage provides an interesting background to work over, adding extra depth and texture to the piece.

Now it was time for colour! When I think of summer I picture the tropics. Lush greenery, brightly coloured flowers, and the sun shining down. I decided to translate this imagery into my piece by using bright acrylic paints. I chose warm tones to start - pinks, orange and yellow - and applied the paint using a silicone spatula in an entirely random fashion. 

With my abstract colour layer complete, it was time to think about the composition of my piece. I wanted to introduce some of the imagery that came to my mind when I thought of summer. I started with the Dream of Palms Mask to begin building my foreground layers. I applied green acrylic paint using a sponge in the diagonally opposing corners. 

To build further on the foreground, I applied a darker shade of green paint with my spatula around some of the edges of the page.

After the paint had dried, it was time to switch to ink to further build my layers. I selected the Floral Mandala Lace stencil, as it had a section I thought would add some interesting detail to my piece. 

Using only a selected area of a stencil, rather than the image as whole, is something I often do when creating artwork like this. It also influences my choice when purchasing stencils; as I find smaller details within larger designs that I know will give me more value from my stencils.

I used a sponge to apply teal ink through the section of my stencil; layering it over the green paint to mimic the foliage of my summer-inspired lush greenery.

I then repeated the same process, this time masking off a single image from the Blades stencil to represent a flower; which I stencilled several times on my piece. 

Now it was time for a focal image for my artwork. I had a printed paper napkin that featured beautiful coloured parrots on it that I thought would be ideal for my tropical inspired piece. (I have some of these available for sale in my mixed napkin bundle on my Facebook page - just click on the "shop" button to find them.) I carefully cut around the larger parrot and a few of the leaves before separating them from the backing layer.

To ensure that the image was not lost against the background, I lightly sponged some white acrylic paint onto the page where the parrot's head would be. I also sponged some randomly over several areas in the centre of my page, just to strip back a little of the colour.

The parrot and leaves were then adhered to the page using matte gel medium.

To add further depth and variation to the foreground, I used a small paintbrush to add some teal paint amongst the foliage.

At this point the page was all quite flat and needed some dimension to help lift it. I chose the Heartfelt stencil, as it had some leaf shapes I wanted to use to finish off the foliage. 

I masked off the first leaf I wanted to use and applied Colour Blast 'Envy' Colour Paste through the stencil using a palette knife. I repeated the same leaf several times on each of the foliage areas before drying it off with a heat gun.

I then repeated the process with the other leaf design and 'Apple of My Eye' Colour Paste, layering it over the other paste before again drying it off with a heat gun.

From the same stencil, I was also drawn to the cluster of abstract style flowers and decided to use this shape to add further textured detail and some contrast in colour using Colour Blast Lovely Lilac Colour Paste. I repeated the same flowers on three separate areas of my piece. 

After the lilac paste had dried I could see the piece needed some shadowing to help bring the focal image to the front. I used a water soluble pencil to draw around the outline of the parrot, then blended it out with water. 

I also added some stamped detail using my fave Doodle Dots stamp from Viva Las VegaStamps to the background using black ink, which helped to tie in the black from the shadow outline.

At this point I wanted to add some extra stencilled detail to help lighten the piece and tie it all together. I used the Organized Chaos stencil and white acrylic paint to sponge some random spots over the top. 

To finish off, I felt it needed some text, so I added the large embrace your flaws quote and the two smaller phrase stickers from Flutterby Designs. I also added some hand drawn scribbles with black pencil.

I am so happy with the result of this piece - all the bright colours and layers just make my heart sing! 

Despite my love for this piece, I decided that keeping it for myself wasn't the best use of it. Anita from Flutterby Designs will be running a charity art auction at her annual "Create by the Lake" retreat next month to raise funds for 'United in Compassion'. This Australian organisation advocate on behalf of cancer patients for better access to medicinal cannabis as an alternative therapy to alleviate their suffering. 

Here is my finished framed piece, which has been passed onto Anita to be auctioned and will hopefully raise some funds for this very worthy cause. (If you are attending the retreat, you will have a chance to bid on it - please help my piece go to a good home!) 

The Flutterby Designs "Create by the Lake" retreat is being held from the 18th - 21st of July at Lake Keepit Sport & Rec Centre in Gunnedah, New South Wales. If you have never been before, do yourself a favour and go! It's a super fun weekend with lots of like-minded people. (And at the time of writing this, there are only 3 spots remaining!) Click on the event page HERE for all the info.

If you love the stencils I used in this piece, they are available to purchase direct from the StencilGirl® website or you can contact your favourite crafty retailer to enquire. 

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