EEKY CREEKY HALLOWEEN WITCH'S HAT FOR DECOART MIXED MEDIA BLOG

Boooooo .... 

It's October and it won't be long until little ghosts and goblins are making an 

appearance at your door.  Trick or treat?  

Halloween is one of my favorite times of year to create home decor.  My grandchildren LOVE to come to "Mimi and Papa's house" and see all of the ghostly delights!

Every year, I try to create a couple of new things to add to my decorations.  With DecoArt's new Media line of products, creating is easy because you get dependable results!

This year, one of the things I am adding to the ensemble is this spooky and fun to create mixed media witch's hat.

Very dimensional and fun, this witch's hat began as a very inexpensive plain paper mache witch hat you can easily find at most large craft stores.  With a little imagination, an array of DecoArt Media products, some die cut black cats and stars, some twine to create "spiderwebs" and some other surprise elements, you can create your own Halloween decor piece that you would find in higher end gift shops at a fraction of the price!

For the complete pictorial tutorial, head on over to DecoArt's Mixed Media Blog for all of the gorey details!

ANNOUNCING DECOART MEDIA HAUNTS CHALLENGE!!

Hello all of you lovely fans of Mixed Media and DecoArt Media Line products!

Here's some exciting news for you ...

Mwaahhhhh .... Goblins and Zombies and Witches ... OH MY!!!

Goblins and Zombies and Witches .... OH MY!!!

DecoArt is hosting a Mixed Media Haunts Challenge for the entire month of October!  You can get in on the fun and win some wonderful prizes for entering!

Every day a new project from the DecoArt Media Design Team will be posted on the Mixed Media Blog.  Be sure to check them out.  You will be amazed at all of the creativity.   And, of course, YOU will be creating your wonderfully haunting projects and posting them to our challenge blog. Winners will be announced at the end of the month.

For all of the details on this fun challenge, click HERE.  

MORE MAGAZINE PEOPLE ART JOURNAL PAGES

Hello again friends!

I've been working on more art/junk journal books that I will be sharing soon.  

But in the meantime, I would like to share two more of my art journal pages featuring magazine people with you.

I really like this page as it has such a positive message.  Chase your dreams and in the process, you may quite possibly inspire others and give hope that they, too, may realize their dreams.  

This page was created basically as the others I have shared so far .... first with a gelli print background that was incorporated onto a piece of 9" x 12" watercolor paper.  I then added more color and then textural elements through stenciling, tissue tapes, book text, napkin images and ephemera. 

I actually love this page primarily because of the background gelli print and the rich, vivid colors.  This page also features several napkin images, fabric scraps, tissue tapes and stamping.  The ART letters are from Tim Holtz' Salvage Stickers. I love the license plate letters here.  

These pages were very loosely based on Shannon Green's Journaling by 5s technique.  

It's a very interesting way to build pages if you're having trouble just knowing where to start.  I get engrossed and don't strictly follow the time restraints though and that's okay.  It's YOUR art, do it YOUR way.

Thanks for stopping by today and sharing a bit of your day with me.  I really appreciate that!

I hope that you are finding time to experiment and create in an art journal.  If not, I encourage you to try it.  You would not believe how much FUN it is and how relaxing and "therapeutic" it can be!

A CANDLE IN THE WIND ... MARILYN MONROE ART JOURNAL PAGES

Happy Hump Day to everyone!

I am fascinated by Norma Jeane Mortenson better known as "Marilyn Monroe".  
I don't really know why.  Perhaps it is because of the dichotomy of her life.  She was loved by millions but could never find true happiness in her own life.  A beautiful girl who had everything yet, in the end, took her own life out of complete dispair and loneliness.  Such a sad ending to such a "candle in the wind". 

"Loneliness was tough.
The toughest role you ever played.
Hollywood created a superstar
And pain was the price you paid."  ... Sir Elton John

I often wonder what her life might have been like had she remained simply Norma Jeane.

I created a couple of pages in my mixed media art journal celebrating her and I wanted to share them with you.

My page on the left might still be a work in progress.  But since the right side has so much going on, the simplicity of the pink background is appealing to me.

I created these pages using all sorts of things; but primarily just images of Marilyn that are saved to my computer, tissue tape, words cut from a magazine and all sorts of movie posters of Marilyn Monroe movies that I used in the right side background. 

First I used a brayer and lightly went over the surface of both pages with DecoArt's Media White Gesso.  Immediately I mixed DecoArt's Media Fluid Acrylics Primary Magenta with Titanium White to create a soft but vivid pink color (reminiscent of the color of the pink dress Marilyn wore in her movie, "Gentleman Prefer Blondes").  Taking the brayer with white gesso still on it, I rolled over the pages again, adding the pink.  This left some very cool texture and variations of the pink color in the background. 

Next, using my finger, I swiped DecoArt Media Fluid Cobalt Teal Hue randomly around the edges of the 9"x12" watercolor pages in my art journal.

The movie posters were sized and arranged to fit on an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper (that would fit through my ink jet printer).  But I wanted the pink background color to show through.  What to do???  Ahh....how about printing on semi transparent deli paper?  

So, I attached a piece of deli paper to the copy paper using a temporary tape runner, cut the deli paper to fit the copy paper and ran it through my inkjet printer.  Success so far!  

But unless the ink was protected, I was afraid that when I started adding glue or Matte Medium or other elements of the page over the inkjet print, I might have a total mess of running inkjet ink.

I wasn't sure if it would work or not, but after very gently heat setting the printed posters (still attached to the copy paper), I lightly brushed DecoArt's Media Satin Varnish over the top of the deli paper to seal it. I was afraid that the colors and ink might run BUT IT DIDN'T!!  I set it to the side to air dry.  But I later tried this again and if you gently heat set the DecoArt Satin Varnish, it doesn't bubble up. 

Next I removed the deli paper from the copy paper, brushed DecoArt Media Matte Medium over the surface of the pink background, laid the deli paper in place and gently pressed it to adhere to the Matte Medium and I let that air dry as I began to cut out my other Marilyn images that I would be using.  I added another topcoat of DecoArt Media Satin Varnish over the posters and gently heat set it. 

I LOVE this stencil from Andy Skinner.  It is available through Decoart.com and now possibly in some selected JoAnns Fabrics stores and at JoAnn.com. JoAnn is now carrying DecoArt's new Media line of products!

 This is a 9"x3" stencil called "Old Film".  But rather than use it as a stencil, I used it as a stamp.  I brayered over the back side of it using DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Carbon Black and then pressed it onto a piece of manila cardstock.  I love the sketchy result!

And it works perfectly in my collage of vintage Marilyn images.  After I layered all of my Marilyn images, I began adding the tissue tape to blend all of the edges of the deli paper into the 9"x12" watercolor backing.  Finally I added the magazine sentiment.

Marilyn's autograph was also printed out onto deli paper.  I tore the paper around the autograph because torn paper tends to meld into a background easier when glued in place using a matte medium or other glue/sealer.  In this case, because I really didn't want any type of an edge to show, I used DecoArt's Media Ultra Matte Varnish to first glue and then seal the autograph in place.  It works so well to disguise paper edges and blend them into the background!  Almost as if Marilyn signed it herself!

Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy the rest of your week and the lovely final days of summer.  Take some time to experiment and play with your creativity!

MORE MAGAZINE PEOPLE ART JOURNALING PAGES ...

Hi blogging buddies!

I hope your week has been a good one so far!  It's almost the weekend!

I would like to share two more of my magazine people art journaling pages with you.

I love this gal with her sassy pose.  She's definitely following her heart as she falls in love with Tim Holtz' cute little french gentleman from his French Industrial papers from a couple of CHA releases ago. 

The basic backgrounds for these pages are gelli prints that were done on plain copy paper.  I then glued them to the 9x12 pages in my spiral bound art journal.  Using DecoArt's Media line products, I blended the gelli prints to make them appear as though they were originally put on the art journal pages.  There is lots of stenciling, acrylic paints added, tissue tape, fabric scraps, sentiments and pen work added to the pages in layers.

And with the lazy days of summer winding down, I love how these bright and happy flowers.  They are created from napkins.  I removed all of the ply backings and using DecoArt's Matte Medium, I glued the flowers to the page and then sealed them with the matte medium.  After they had dried, I added the vines and leaves as well as the black pen work detail. 

These pages are loosely based on Shannon Green's Journaling By 5s technique.  And although I don't follow the time restraints, it is a good way to get started if you're stuck on how to build an art journal page.

I recently shared another art journal page from my book that was featured on DecoArt's Media Mixed Media Blog.  If you missed my "Choose Happy" post, HERE is the link.  There is a complete pictorial tutorial for all the steps used in creating that page. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!  Take time to play!  It's food for your creative soul!

CREATING YOUR OWN JUNK/ART JOURNAL

Hello everybody!

As I sink deeper and deeper into my new favorite thing; art journaling, I am exploring how to make my own books.  You can totally customize your books, from the size of the covers to the spine thickness.  Then you can include all of the ephemera and other "junk" you want to include inside.  Or you can make it completely an art journal of your own original creations! 

Over at DecoArt's Mixed Media Blog, I am sharing my latest creation; my own junk/art journal.  It features a twine spine.  The signatures are not sewn in.  Therefore, you can add, move around or remove any pages you want at any time!  How cool is that?  The cover of the book is created using DecoArt's wonderful Media Line products.  From Modeling Paste to Fluid Acrylic Paints, this cover is packed with a dimensional vintage flair. 

There is a complete pictorial tutorial waiting for you!

Here's a sneak peek at a tiny portion of the cover:

 Thanks for stopping by!

I also wanted to acknowledge Ephemera's Garden for the inspiration for this basic journal construction.  She has a wonderful video showing the steps in creating the basic journal.  Click HERE to view that. 

I hope that you will make some
"play time" for yourself today and start making your own junk/art journal!  

CHOOSE HAPPY ART JOURNAL PAGE ON DECOART MIXED MEDIA BLOG

Hello everyone!!

I am so proud to announce that I have a new project being featured on
DecoArt's Mixed Media Blog.

Art journaling is fast becoming an obsession for me, I think.  

I love how your pages can be ANYTHING you want them to be.  You can use all sorts of materials to help you create your pages or you can simply draw and color.  

Here is a sneak peek at my latest art journal playtime creation.  She makes me happy and I "CHOOSE HAPPY"! 

I hope you've got a few minutes to pop on over to DecoArt's amazing Mixed Media Blog.  There are some fabulous photo tutorials there by amazing artists!  And your comments are always appreciated at DecoArt's blog and also here.  

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you find some time for yourself to PLAY and get lost in your own creativity!

MORE MAGAZINE PEOPLE ART JOURNAL PAGES

Happy Thursday everyone!

I hope that you are all having a good week and finding some time to create and play.

Isn't it sad that as we grow up, we sort of forget how to PLAY?  

I wanted to share a couple more of the pages from my art journal that I started blogging about HERE.  These are the next two pages in that journal.  

All of the pages very LOOSELY follow Shannon Green's Journaling in 5s idea.  By very loosely, I mean using the different sessions as a "prompt" for creating each layer of the journal pages.  However, my friends and I did not strictly follow the time restraints and if we felt like adding something that was not specific to that layer, we did it anyway.  But, it was a good way to get started on journal backgrounds.

My pages combine a gelli print first layer and then I added images from calendars, magazines, napkins and books.  I also added pieces of different washi tapes, ephemera, stamped images, tissue paper, fibers and fabric scraps.  I added color or blended colors together using Neocolor water color crayons and a water brush.  Some extra doodling was done using a black permanent ink pen. 

I found these journal pages so relaxing and fun to do.  It's sort of like playing with big girl paper dolls! 

Enjoy the rest of your week and weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!

ADVENTURES IN ART JOURNALING

Hi everyone!  Welcome back to my blog!

Art journaling is HUGE.  I was a bit late to jump on the band wagon and I have to admit that when I see some of the absolutely AMAZING art journals out there, I feel hugely inadequate.  I have never had a drawing lesson in my life and what little doodling I do, I have just picked up and played around with.  

But I totally LOVE the idea of art journaling and I love experimenting with mixed media elements.  I want to get better at it.  I want to learn about drawing faces and doodling and that is something I hope to spend more time doing.  But in the meantime, I don't want to miss out on playing around with art journaling and expressing myself through my own art because I feel ill equipped with DRAWING faces or expertly doodling.  Hopefully I am talking to some people out there who are feeling the same way.

Recently I got together with some of my wonderfully fun friends and crafting buddies.  We all bought a 9" x 12" Strathmore spiral bound 140 lb. Watercolor paper "Visual Journal" as our basic art journals. We decided to try a MODIFIED version of Shannon Green's "Journaling in 5s". Click HERE to find her on YouTube.  

My journal is way different than hers but I really like the CONCEPT of the "Journaling in 5s" and I think it's a great thing for people who seem to be "blocked" about how and where to start when trying to create a background and go from there.  We did not stay within the time restraints either ... but as I said, it was sort of an outline for us to follow and it really helped in getting over the "where do I begin?" fears.

This was a fun way to play around with pattern, color, texture, magazine images, ephemera, stencils, paints, inks, washi tapes, fabric strips, stamps, fibers ... you get the idea.

Over the next few weeks, I wanted to share some of my pages with you.  I did not take photographs of the process in creating these pages, because it was just "play time" for me. So, I apologize for not having tutorials to share with you.  But I hope you enjoy the pages for art's sake.  Some are finished, some are still a work in progress ... maybe there are ALL still a work in progress.  (smile)  

If you are like me and NOT a fabulous painter or doodler and you feel completely intimidated to do any art journaling, I encourage you to take the leap of faith and just go for it.  Start out simple and go from there.  It truly is FUN to actually SEE your pages develop and take on your personality and attitude on any given day.

Almost all of the pages began with gelli prints that I did either on copy paper or on deli paper.  From there, you can see all sorts of layers of text, magazine images, ephemera, washi tape, stamping, paints and inks added. 

This book makes me happy just to look at it.  I love the diverse colors, patterns and textures that all converge in such a unique way. I didn't realize it at the time, but almost every page has a positive, encouraging message. Yet another reason to smile!

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I hope that in maybe some small way I've encouraged you to not squelch your creativity because you aren't a fabulous doodler or painter.  There's always a way to be creative, express yourself and have fun at the same time!

I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS THE LAST COMPENDIUM OF CURIOSITIES III CHALLENGE!

Hello everyone!

Well, here we are ... the very last challenge of the Compendium of Curiosities III Challenges.  Our FIRST CHALLENGE debuted on April 26, 2014.  It was Paint Marbling.  Do you faithful followers remember that one from over 15 months ago? 

My dear sweet friend, Ranger U Sister and Roommate at CHAs, Linda Ledbetter of L3 Studios, has done such a FABULOUS job hosting ALL of the Compendium of Curiosities Challenges.  Myself and all of the gals on the Curiosity Crew were so honored to have had Linda ask us to help her showcase Tim's amazing Volume III Compendium of Curiosities series of books.  A huge THANK YOU to her for bringing all of us together over the years to share our love of Tim Holtz' products and his techniques. 

I cannot tell you how much FUN this has been for me ... to share a piece of myself with all of you throughout this challenge, creating with some of the dearest people on the planet to me, and seeing all of the beautiful art that everyone who joined us shared with our community every challenge.  I am truly so thankful for each and everyone one of you ... for sharing your specials gifts, your hearts as you wrote your blogs and the inspiring, positive comments you left for me.  Your thoughts are so important to me!!  

I can tell you this ... we are not going away.  But more about that when we announce the winners of this last challenge ... so stay tuned for that!  

For our last challenge, we are turning to the last undone technique in the book!  It is on page 48 and it is titled "Layering Stencil: Monoprint".  Tim shows the same technique using either Distress Ink or Distress Paint, so take your pick or mix it up and use both!

Here is my final challenge project ... an art journal page using all sorts of Ideaology, Tim Holtz products and Tim's Distress Paints and Inks to create my backgrounds. 

Our most recent challenge was all about Altered Surfaces.  In that challenge, I paid tribute to my father with a completely altered vintage tobacco tin.  For this last challenge, I am continuing with my nostalgic look back.  This art journal page commemorates the day my mother and father said "I do".  They were married for a little over 49 years before my mother's early passing in 1995.  Daddy followed her 6 years later.  

I love creating vintage nostalgic pieces because they transport me back in time; when life seemed to be so innocent and less complicated.  I am once again in the presence of departed loved ones (if only through photographs or memories that are conjured up when dreaming of days gone by).  Memories come flooding back and for a while, I'm a child again surrounded by those feelings of peace and comfort and a sense that all is right with the world.

Hopefully you have a few minutes to watch the transformation of my art journal page(s) unfold.  I began with an soft cover childrens' book that I am altering into an art journal.

Here are my basic pages with just a bit of White Gesso and a soft yellow acrylic paint added to it that was then brayered over the pages.  You can still see some of the images and text peeking through the Gesso.

After using Tim's Distress Paints:  Rusty Hinge, Cracked Pistachio and Adirondak Espresso and several layers of stencils:  Cargo, Latticework, Splatters, Bubble, Crackle and Mesh, I added some Distress Inks: Hickory Smoke, Fossilized Amber and Walnut Stain for more depth.  These are the new and improved art journal pages.  Since I was using a combination of both acrylic paint and inks, I decided to seal my pages by spraying them lightly with Workable Fixative (a clear, fast drying arerosol sealer).

Once the technique was complete, it was time to start making my embellishments for the art journal page.

I decided I wanted to collage the art journal page with some of Tim's Ideaology pieces. They needed to be flat (because they are in an art journal) yet have that vintage "personality" that would compliment that nostalgic theme that I was looking to create.

I began with one of the largest pieces from Tim's Pocket Cards.  I loved the heading of this piece "The Story Begins" ... perfect!  I added the beautiful butterfly from Tim's Crowded Attic Salvage Stickers.  I stippled the entire piece with a stippling brush and Antique Linen Distress Paint to sort of blend it all together.  Then I lightly added Tattered Rose Distress Stain to the butterfly.  The tag is distressed with Frayed Burlap then Walnut Stain then Black Soot just around the edges of the tag. I attached a piece of dainty vintage lace between two Washers and Long Fasteners that have been given a patina look with Cracked Pistachio Distress Paint (using my finger).  Finally, I gently held my finger on the spray nozzle of a can of Honey Stain and created the age spots that appear on the tag.  Within a minute or two, this new piece of paper was transformed back to 1946 ... the year my parents married.

I wanted to add a photograph to this page and the Mini Cabinet Card frame was the perfect size!  But, the paper sort of has a slick, almost shiny finish.  So, I scuffed it up a bit using a sanding block.  Then I distressed the Cabinet Card with Antique Linen over the entire frame, Vintage Photo and finally Black Soot Distress Inks more around the edges.  I also made sure that the white paper edge on the inside of the frame was darkened with a Black Soot Distress Marker.  

If you look at old photo albums, they often had gold embossing on the ornate frames.  So, I tried to mimic that a bit by brushing Gold Acrylic Paint from an Adirondak Paint Dabber onto areas of the ornate design printed on the Cabinet Card.

Hopefully you can see the gold randomly added to the ornate brown printed trim.  It is sort of tough to photograph but in person, when the light hits it, it's worth the extra time to add the gold paint.

And here is the aged Mini Cabinet Card.  I really like the aged version for this art journal page.  It's much more believable that it is an aged piece with all of the distressing and scuffing.  The photograph is of my parents cutting their wedding cake.  So young, so much in love and their whole lives ahead of them.

Another addition to this page was a miniature copy of my parent's wedding invitation.  I aged it with Tea Dye Distress Ink followed by a touch of Gathered Twigs and Black Soot just at the edges.  (You will see it in future closeup pictures).  

My parent's wedding began at 8 o'clock.  So, I created this vellum clock from Tim's Thrift Shop Vellum Ephemera Pack.  I glued the clock onto white cardstock and distressed the edges with various brown inks and paints.  Then I added the distressed clock hands.  They were originally an antique silver color and I distressed them to look like patina gold using Gold Adirondak paint and Cracked Pistachio Distress Paint.  Again, I used my fingers to do the distressing.

I wanted to layer another of the large tags from Tim's Pocket Cards.  I distressed this one using Tattered Rose Distress Ink and distressed the edges with Gathered Twigs and a touch of Black Soot around the edges.  I also colored some white seam tape to create a soft pink "vintage' ribbon.

To color the seam tape, you can simply place the ribbon on your Non Stick Craft Mat, place the Distress Ink pad face down on top of the ribbon and pull it from one side to the other of the ink pad.  Then spritz the ribbon with a little water, wad it up and heat set it dry.  This creates a shabby, wrinkled ribbon.  (You can also mix and blend Distress Ink colors using this same method).

I colored enough ribbon to create a band cross the Pocket Card and also to create a shabby bow.  I then distressed a Typed Token using Cracked Pistachio Distress Paint and my finger to create a patina look on the metal token.  "Adore" was the perfect sentiment for this page!  I slipped the token through a Mini Safety Pin and attached it to the center of my shabby bow.

I also used a couple of Tim's Elementary Flash Cards and Label Letters to create that ever so popular phrase said in wedding vows, "To Love And Cherish". These were distressed around the edges with Gathered Twigs and a touch of Black Soot just on the ends.

Here is a better photograph of the layering of the butterfly Pocket Card, the miniaturized wedding invitation and a portion of the Label Letters and Flash Cards.  I love the monoprint stencil layering technique in the background.

And here is a better closeup of the "To Love and Cherish" Flash Cards layered with the Mini Cabinet Card, the shabby bow and the attached Typed Token.  Finally, I added a strip of very vintage looking silver trim across the bottom of my art journal page.  This is from Tim's Frame and Trims Industrial Stickers.  So many wonderful little intricate metal trims and frames to choose from!

I'm not sure what I will do on the page across yet ... but I wanted to share what that monoprint stencil layering looked like as well.

So there it is ... sadly, my last piece for this rendition of the Compendium of Curiosities III Challenges.

Linda Coughlin of The Funkie Junkie Boutique is hosting this, our last challenge.  She has generously donated $25.00 for every other challenge and we would like to sincerely THANK her for her support throughout. 

Please stop by her online store and check out all of her wonderful and unique items as well as all of Tim's products and other favorites!  

I would also like to thank the wonderful folks at Inspiration Emporium for their generous $50.00 gift certificate donated every other challenge.  Their support has also been so appreciated and I know that those of you who won our random drawings have really enjoyed these lovely gift certificates from BOTH of our sponsors.

And last but certainly not least ... where would we be without Tim Holtz and Mario Rossi?  These two dear men have provided ALL of the Tim Holtz products that we were able to divide into REALLY NICE overflowing prize packages for every one of our challenges.  THANK YOU doesn't seem like enough to say for all of their support and generosity ... but thank you from the bottom of my heart.  You guys are so special!

So now, please join us for our last challenge.  Just enter your art created using Tim's Layering Stencil: Monoprint technique.  As always, there will be TWO winners ... one voted on by the Curiosity Crew and the other from a random number selection.

Good luck and THANK YOU AGAIN for ALL of your support!

The Compendium of Curiosities III may be coming to an end but we girls are not!  Be sure to check back when we announce the winners for this challenge in two weeks and see what what's next for us girls! 

For me personally, I am so proud to be a member of DecoArt's International Design Team. Their NEW Media Line of paints and other mixed media mediums are simply amazing!

I will continue creating art and tutorials that can be seen on the DecoArt Mixed Media Blog and also on Facebook.  So I hope you'll come along for that new journey.  There are so many talented artists from all over the world sharing their techniques, talents and art with you.  Be sure to check it out.

And ...

Just a reminder that if you've enjoyed hangin' with us girls here at the Compendium of Curiosities III Challenges, you might want to consider hangin' with us in beautiful Costa Rica, September of 2016!  We're "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Paints" and we'd LOVE to just have one huge creativing extravaganza with all of you!

WORKING WITH CRACKLE GLAZE, PAINT, PASTE ~ A TUTORIAL FOR DECOART

It's Thursday and time for Part Two of unraveling the mysteries of 
DecoArt's Media Crackle Family:  Glaze, Paint and Paste.

If you missed Part One, a tutorial on "Faux Vintage and Crackled and Aged Glass", click HERE to be taken to that tutorial.

Here is a "sneak peek" of Part Two.  I have combined all of the DecoArt Crackle family to create this piece and show the differences in all three.  I'd be so pleased if you would head over to DecoART's Mixed Media Blog and have a look at this project and all of the amazing creations and tutorials that the Design Team has waiting for you there. And as always, if you'd like to leave a comment there and here, I always love hearing from my art friends and reading your comments.

I will leave you with this thought that I used on this piece.  It was pieced together from a Crafter's Workshop Stencil and it definitely rings true for Mixed Media Artists:

"Art is just another way of expressing our innermost thoughts, 
feelings and experiences on surfaces of all kinds."

FAUX VINTAGE CRACKLED AND AGED GLASS WITH DECOART

Hello Friends!

Welcome to my blog.  I am excited to share what is the first of a two part tutorial 

for DecoArt Media Line Products.  

I invite you to join me as I explore the world of DecoArt Media Crackle products: Glaze, Paint and Paste.  What's the difference in them?  How do they work?  It's one thing to READ about them; it's quite another to actually SEE the difference.  

I've created a two part tutorial that will hopefully answer questions you might have about the three Crackles as well as sharing with you a pictorial tutorial on how to use all three of them on one project!  

On DecoArt's Mixed Media Blog, you will find Part One of this tutorial:  

a quick and easy way to create a very old, distressed discolored crackled glass technique using DecoArt Crackle Glaze and a few other DecoArt fabulous Media Line Products.

Hop on over to DecoArt's Mixed Media Blog for all of the details.

Then be sure to keep watching my blog and DecoArt's Mixed Media blog for Part Two of this Crackle project!

Thanks for stopping by!

ALTERED VINTAGE TOBACCO TIN

Hello blogging friends! I'm so glad that you've stopped by to see what's new at

 Creativity Is Contagious!

It's time for OUR NEXT TO LAST CHALLENGE at Linda Ledbetter's really fun and inspiring 

COMPENDIUM OF CURIOSITIES III CHALLENGES.  This is number 33 of 34.  Can you believe that we've already covered all but ONE of Tim Holtz' wonderful products or techniques that he's expounded on in his Compendium of Curiosities III book?  TIME FLIES!

The Curiosity Crew has some wonderful projects just waiting to share with you at the Compendium Challenge so be sure to check that out. This next to last challenge is a favorite of mine.  Turn to page 45 in your books and feast your eyes on "ALTERED SURFACES". 

I am really getting into manipulating acrylic paints. I totally LOVE that they can be super opaque or with a bit of water or another medium added in, they can be semi transparent to almost transparent.  You can get some amazing results using acrylic paints! 

ALTERED SURFACES is all about using Tim's Distress Paints to achieve some very cool effects; from a chipped metal look to aged and rusted ... whatever your heart desires.

For my project, I chose to alter the surfaces of some of Tim's wonderful Ideaology pieces.

This is a vintage tobacco can that I have transformed into a little vintage piece that could be used to hold ATC cards, a gift tin containing gift cards or just a little home decor piece. 

This piece is very special to me because the vintage photograph is of my father when he was a senior in high school.  He was a member of the ROTC squad and was a "crack rifleman" at the tender age of 18.  Pretty much right after this photograph was taken, my father entered the draft and served this country in the Pacific Theater during World War II.  A proud Veteran, I dedicate this piece to him.  I miss him and love him with all my heart.

Let's explore how this altered vintage tobacco tin came to be ...

I began with this vintage tin that I bought at a flea market for $2.50.  The paper behind it is from Tim Holtz' Destinations Paper Stash.  I used a section of this paper to cover the tin.  I used 1/4" Scor Tape around all sides and intermittently placed on the tin itself to hold the paper in place. 

Notice that the tin is a weathered silver color and already has some rust and aging on it.  But, I will transform it with the help of Tim's Distress and other Ranger and DecoArt products.

Here is the tin with the Destinations paper on it.  Nice but really boring and plain!  I brushed on a light coat of DecoArt's really wonderful Media Ultra Matte Varnish.  This sealer truly gives a soft, matte finish and I love the way it makes the surface feel. I added the Ultra Matte Varnish now so that if I decided to add paint or some other medium to the paper surface, I did not want it to soak into the paper.

In this photograph, you can see the before and after of Tim's Altered Surfaces technique (you will need to read the instructions in the book to see exactly HOW this is done).  On my tin, I've done some variations to the Altered Surfaces technique shown in the book.

I created trim for the top and bottom of my altered tin using these silver metal strips from Tim's Borders Industrial Stickers.  I used a combination of Crackled Pistachio, Rusty Hinge and Gathered Twigs Distress Paints to totally transform the surface from shiny silver to a weathered, rusted, patina metal look. 

I also employed this same technique on the exposed metal parts of the tobacco tin.  To give an even more patina look, I used a stippling brush to add extra Cracked Pistachio paint to areas of the trim and the altered metal surfaces.

What a difference! From a sort of rusted silver finish to this really lovely weathered antique gold, rusty patina look!  Now it was time to start adding my embellishments!

I had an ornate plate cut out of Grungeboard laying around.  It worked perfectly behind my Tim Holtz Industrial Stickers Frame.  I sized the photograph of my father and stuck it behind the already self adhesive metal sticker frame.  It has a nice antique brushed nickel color already.  So, I decided to sort of keep with that by covering the Grungeboard first with Brushed Pewter followed by Adirondak Pitch Black acrylic paint. It wasn't a perfect match but I was going to do A LOT more altering of the surface to this frame! 

Using basically the same paint colors (exchange Adirondak Espresso for Gathered Twigs acrylic paint), I totally transformed one of Tim's Typed Tokens.  If you look in the photograph, you can see that they are a brushed nickle color.  Compare the new and improved "aged, rusted and patina" look by altering the surface of the silver metal! Love it!

Here is the back side of my little altered frame made out of Grungeboard.  I am showing you this to further convince you just how much this altering surfaces technique using acrylic paints REALLY is amazing!  Here is the grungy PAPER surface ...

And here are two of the embellishments finished and ready to add to the altered tin.  Both altered using Tim's Altering Surfaces technique and the same acrylic paints shown above.  AMAZING TRANSFORMATION!!   I added two distressed Long Fasteners to the frame to give more of the impression that the frame is actually riveted into the altered tin. 

I also added a bit of DecoArt's Amazing Media Quinacridone Gold and Media Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide to both surfaces to give a more rusted, deep rich aged tone to the pieces to make them look even more metallic. I LOVE how they turned out!  

Inside of the frame, to protect the photograph, I first brushed a light matte varnish over the copy paper photograph to seal it.  I heat set that dry and then added a light coat of DecoArt's Media Crackle Glaze over the photograph.  

** TIP - I USED JUST A VERY LIGHT COAT OF THE DECOART CRACKLE GLAZE OVER THE FACE BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO DISTORT IT IN ANY WAY. I APPLIED THE GLAZE A BIT MORE LIBERALLY AROUND THE EDGES OF THE FRAME. THE MORE GLAZE YOU APPLY, THE MORE CRACKLED THE SURFACE BECOMES.  BUT THESE CRACKLES ARE MORE LIKE A PORCELAIN CRACKING, NOT DEEP CRACKLES.

Once the DecoArt Crackle Glaze air dried, I added a light wash of water and DecoArt Media Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide to the perimeter of the frame to give it a more aged look.  I love the deep, rich sepia tones the wash added to the photograph.  You can actually see the crackling in the photograph.  Really a GREAT vintage look!

I used the same altering techniques to alter Tim's Heart Charms that originally come in the brushed nickle finish to match my other altered Ideaology pieces. There are several images of paper hearts to chose from that comes with the Heart Charms.  These fit in the metal heart and then are covered with a clear cabochon that no only seals and protects the paper heart but magnifies the image.  I LOVE these sweet little charms!  

In the photograph above, you can see how I altered the more white paper surface to look more aged and weathered ... like the metal heart it is encapsulated in. To do this, I simply brushed a touch of the DecoArt Media Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide wash to the surface of the paper heart and kept adding layers of it plus a touch of an Acrylic Paint Espresso wash just around the edges.  I heat set it, added the self adhesive cabochon heart over it and instant aging! 

I like things that dangle and move.  So I decided to take this Ideaology Memo Pin and bend over to create something I could clip onto my altered tin that could serve as a charm holder as well.  The Memo Pin on the left has been bent to clip onto my altered tin.  The pin on the right is what they originally look like.

Another fun way to alter a surface that is not part of this technique, is to use Distress Stains! 
 Remember I had previously sealed the paper surface with a coat of DecoArt Media Ultra-Matte Varnish so that I could add more layers.  I carefully sprayed some Walnut Stain Distress Ink Spray onto the paper to give it an even more interesting aged look.  If I had not liked my spray, I could have easily wiped it off because I had sealed my paper.  But, I LOVED the randomness of the splatter. I did this randomly over the entire surface of the paper on the tin.  I really like the character that the spray adds and it is a more convincing aged look!

Here is a closeup look at my charms assemblage hanging from the altered tin.  These consist of Tim's Type Charms (at the top), his Ideaology Typed Token, and finally Tim's Heart Charm.  All are joined together, hanging from the Memo Pin by one of Tim's Wire Pins and small Jump Rings to form the chains.  All metal pieces were altered using the acrylic paints and Tim's altered surfaces technique.

Here is a closeup of the totally transformed silver top of the can and the silver trim into the rusted, patina finish.

Here is the finished rusty frame.  I added "1942", the year this photograph was taken to the frame using Tim's Label Letters that were glued onto a piece of distressed cardstock and cut out, leaving just a tiny border around the numbers.  Using Glossy Accents, I glued the numbers to the frame. 

Here is the back side of the tin with the added Walnut Stain spray and the very faux weathered, rusted and patina finish to the lid.

   A simple project to do but what a keepsake it can be ... or a great gift idea to really personalize a gift card or ATC holder for a friend or loved one!

Thanks so much for joining me on this creative journey of the Altered Surfaces tin!

Now it's YOUR turn to create something wonderful using the Altered Surfaces technique and enter our COMPENDIUM OF CURIOSITIES III CHALLENGE.

Our sponsors this week are the lovely folks at Inspiration Emporium.  They have been so generous throughout our entire challenge by donating a $50.00 gift certificate with each of their sponsor weeks.  A huge "THANK YOU" to them!  You can purchase all of Tim's wonderful products at their wonderful online store!

And of course, Tim and Mario donated a mountain of Tim's amazing products to be divided up and given away with every challenge.  "THANK YOU" doesn't seem enough to say to these two super sweet guys.  They are amazing! 

So, join us today and share your amazing art with everyone in our fun little community of Tim Holtz technique and product lovers!

And also ... as a reminder, many of the Curiosity Crew will be traveling to COSTA RICA in September of 2016 with the inspiring Jim West and his fabulous Craft Tours!  We will calling ourselves "THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PAINTS". 
CLICK ON THE PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE to be taken to the Craftour website for more details. 

Good luck with this challenge's Altered Surfaces!