New Challenge with More Mixed Media Challenges!

Hi everyone!! :)

Today starts up a new challenge over at More Mixed Media Challenges! This month's challenge is to use the color "Green" on your creations. It doesn't have to be all green but we would like to see some of it on your creations. :)

I decided to make another canvas to hang up on my wall. I love creating canvas's because the world is literally at your fingertips on what you create! It's a blank canvas just waiting for you to bring it to life. So I did just that! What do you think?

So it took me roughly an hour to do this. I don't have any assigned instructions on how I did this. I just kind of went with what I was feeling and pretty much "experimented" with things. The different shades of green background with all that yummy texture is my favorite! I used all sorts of products for this.  I used the Faber Castel cements, masking tape, Clear Gesso, White Gesso, Nuvo Crystal Drops, gold leaf paste, acrylics, sand stone paste, metals, flowers, tulle, netting and some other little small details like brads and washi tape. 

Here are some more photos:

 

Really love all the texture!

I added gold leaf to the flowers and some tulle to the centers!

Love how that metal butterfly ties in with the gold~

Added some gold leafing to the flowers here too! 

See that netting in the background? I just love this stuff!!!! 

painted the white leaves a nice shade of green and added in the veins using my copic markers. Also added in a few gold leaf leaves. 

Spelled out "Serenity" using Nuvo Crystal Drops. 

Love that you can write with these!

NOT the best handwritten word but I love it!

My niece's name is Serenity and when I showed this to my mother, she said, "Oh did you make that for Serenity?" and it hadn't even crossed my mind that I chose a word that was the same as my niece's name. I just looked at it when this was complete and it looked peaceful to me. Like a place I would want to go and sit to meditate and be with nature. And the word Serenity just popped into my head. So I went with it. But now that my mom did ask me, I just may give this to my niece to hang in her bedroom. She's turning 4 this year, so I just may give this to her as a birthday gift!

Well that's it for today! Hope you liked it and that i've inspired you to create your very own canvas wall hanging! Thanks so much for stopping by today! Please stop by the More Mixed Media Challenge Blog to see what my design team sisters  have created with this happy color and link up your own creations!

Until next time~

Enjoy life's blessings~

A little mixed media & some news~

Hello my friends!

I have been holding something in for awhile now and I'm so happy to finally be able to share it with you. I have been accepted as one of the newest designers on the More Mixed Media challenge blog! I am super excited about this and I thank Lozzy so much for choosing me to be on this amazing team! So with that being said, today starts a new challenge! The challenges are on the 5th of each month so mark your calendars!! So for this lovely month of March, the challenge is anything goes with the color green! So cool right? You can create what you want but just use some green somewhere on your project. :)

Want to see what I made? You will literally be shocked! Yep, shocked. I made a home decor piece. I found an unfinished wooden tissue box at a consignment shop about a week ago for  $2 and I knew I had to grab it! My only mistake was not taking a photo of it first before I started to work on it! But I did remember to snap photos as I started to work so here ya go!

This is the first picture I remembered to take. I was just starting to paint the box in white gesso. 

Here it is all covered in white gesso and drying. 

I took some shades of green gelatos (sorry don't know the names) and a couple of golden colors and started to color on the tissue box top. I used a baby wipe to blend the colors together. I continued adding color until I got the look I was going for. 

In this photo, I have already added the patterned paper to all four sides of the box. The paper that I used was very old and from my stash. I honestly do not know who made it but it is gorgeous and has a "hunter" green color going through it and it is very sparkly in some areas. Love it!  On the top of the box, there are some strips of paper that were from the same paper collection that I adhered down. To the sides of the paper on each side, I added some white gesso to give a "messy" look and I also added some rub N buff gold leaf. 

Here is a closer look at the "messy" of the gesso and gold leaf. And as you can see, I also added this beautiful lace trim all around the box. This lace was also in my stash. :)

This is the box all finished up now. This is the back side of the box and now you can get a better look at the patterned paper that I used. You can also see the gold leaf and gesso throughout the sides and now you will start to see how well this box turned out in the next couple of photos. 

Here is the front of the box. .... :) 

Notice the beautiful florals and that metal embellishment? You will see a better view in this next photo ....

Here is the top of the tissue box all finished!!! 

So if you look closely, you will see some "netting" right around the opening of the box, where the tissues come out. This was some netting tulle that I had and I decided to use it. I thought it would give a nice texture and it sure did! I also added the metal vintage bicycle and the metal vintage key (it is tucked in with the florals next to the bicycle) for a little more added interest. The florals are all from Wild Orchid Crafts and the metal pieces came from Live & Love Crafts. I added in a few pearl sprays as a personal preference and those are also from Wild Orchid Crafts. If you look closely, you will also see that I took some of that same patterned paper and added some to each side on the top of the box. I just love the flourishes and the natural sparkle in the paper! It is hard to see but trust me, it is very pretty and sparkly!

Here is a closer look at the metal vintage bicycle and that pretty netting tulle that I added around the opening of the box. You can even see the sparkle in that pretty green flourish in the patterned paper a little bit! I also added some green Viva pearl pen to the bicycle to bring in a little bit more of that green color.

Here is the floral cluster next to the bicycle. This is where I have that little metal vintage key tucked in. I added various sizes of flowers, making sure to incorporate some green ones for our challenge!

This is a photo of the floral cluster on the opposite side of the box on the top corner. It gives you a closer look and if you look carefully, you will see those green patterned paper swirls in the background and how they are glittery! I also used my Spectrum sparkle pen in clear, to add glitter to my flowers. Here you can see how they are so pretty and sparkly!

Well my friends that is my mixed media project for you for today! I truly hope that I have inspired you to take something unfinished and make it into something beautiful! It is definitely OK to make something 3D or for the home sometimes! I had to much fun creating this tissue box that it has made me already think of what I want to do next! It was quite a good feeling and a nice surprise to make something other than a card or tag. :)
 Here are few more photos!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Please make sure to stop by the More Mixed Media challenge blog and link up your project using the color green! You have 4 weeks to complete a project until the next challenge starts. Remember, a new challenge starts every  5th of the month. And Lozzy the owner, generously gives 3 winners a choice of 3 sets of her digital papers!! And her papers are awesome! And each month, there will be a top 5  favorites in addition to the main winners! So make sure you play along with us! I cannot wait to see what you make!!

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

Catch the Bug-March AG

Allsorts #405 Spring
Crafty Friends #52
Imagine That-AG
Scrappers Delights #64
SOSS #79
Altered Eclectics
Classic DT Challenge #12
Craftaholics-March Use Green
Crafts and Me Springtime Challenge
DL Art Thankful Thursday #199
Eclectic Ellapu-Spring
Marianne Design Divas #14
Pink & Main #19
House of Cards- Photo Inspiration

Until next time..

Enjoy life's blessings~

March's Guest Designer, a tutorial & Lots of inspiration!!!

Hi everyone and happy Saturday!! This is Lisa from A Mermaid's Crafts and I'm so excited to be guest designing on my sweet friend Jo's blog today!! I was so honored when she asked me and couldn't wait to create a project to share with you. Last week marked the first day of spring - yay!! So I've created a couple of easel box cards to celebrate the new season :)

There are tons of tutorials on how to make these, but I just kind of winged it and created my own. I took a few pictures and threw together a quick tutorial. I wanted my card to be 5x5 and the depth of the box at 1", so using those measurements, you will need:

Box Base

• 1 - 5 x 11 cardstock
• 1 - 5 x 5 cardstock
• 1 - 7 x 7 cardstock
• 2 - 1 x 6 strips of patterned paper
• 2 - 1 x 5 strips of patterned paper
• 1 - 5 x 5 piece of patterned paper for inside of box (may have to trim slightly)

1) Start by scoring the 5 x 11 cardstock at 1 7/8", 3", 8" and 9 1/8". I added an eighth of an inch to each side so that the box would slide easily. Also, the reason I used 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock is because I have it in heavyweight...I don't have any 12 x 12 that I thought would be heavy enough to use as the base. I used Neenah Solar White Cardstock in 110lb. weight.

2) Fold at the score lines. It will look like the picture above. Apply glue and adhere the 5 x 5 piece of cardstock to the base.

3) It will look like this when you are done. This will be the sleeve for the box.

4) Score the 7 x  cardstock at 1" on all four sides.

5) Fold the score lines. Cut the lines pictured above. I always make the cuts a slight triangle so that the sides match up better when glued together.

6) Fold the end pieces up and adhere glue.

7) Glue the end pieces so that it forms a box.

8) The box will now slide easily into the sleeve.

9) To decorate the inside box, I used two pieces of 1 x 6 patterned paper and 2 of 1 x 5.

10) I scored the 1 x 6 pieces at 1/2" from each end and then wrapped them around each end of the box to add a little more strength to the corners of the box. I then adhered the 1 x 5 pieces on the other two sides. I did the same thing on the inside and then added the 5 x 5 patterned paper to the bottom.

Easel Card

• 1 5 x 5 cardstock
• 1 5 x 10 cardstock
• Embellishments

1) Score the 5 x 10 cardstock at 2 1/2" and 5".

2) Fold as shown with a mountain fold at 2 1/2" and valley fold at 5".

3) Adhere the 5" end to the top of the box. On the 2 1/2" end, apply adhesive and adhere the 5 x 5 cardstock.

4) Your easel box will now look like this. Time to decorate!!

The papers for both of my boxes are from Prima. The edged were distressed with a Zutter DIA. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

I used heavy-duty burlap for the handle, and several dies for each box.

They are now ready to fill and give as gifts!! I want to sincerely thank Jo for having me guest design today!! Have a wonderful weekend :)

******Thank you so much Lisa for being March's guest designer and for showing us a fantastic project with awesome instructions! It has been an honor to have you as March's GD! Have a wonderful weekend my friend!!!!!