In art she found herself Mixed Media Canvas

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Thought I’d share with you a mixed media canvas I made a while ago titled “In art she found herself.” I created this on a 9×12 inch canvas using cut pieces of patterned paper, acrylic paint, lace, ephemera and pretty much anything else I could think of.

The little bows on the kite were the hardest. They’re very small and made from crepe paper that was painstakingly folded and tied off with a thread. Then I had to carefully glue them to the canvas. The style at the time was basically a face without any detailing. But I always look at it and feel it isn’t done. What do you think?

✨🎉Wishing you a New Year filled with Much Happiness, Good Health and Great Success🎉✨

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Poppies Mixed Media Art

I thought I’d share with you today one of my older pieces of art I created a while ago from a tutorial in Zendoodle Magazine which sadly isn’t published anymore. It was a beautiful publication with eye catching designs and tutorials I really enjoyed.

This mixed media art was made using collaged tissue paper which is a medium that’s such fun to use. To this day this is still one of my favorite pieces of art for many reasons. I love the bright colors, texture, doodles and overall design. What do you think?

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“Flowers are like friends, they bring color to your world.” ~Gerard De Nerval

Summer’s Simple Pleasures Art Journal Pages

I really liked these images I found in an old Romantic Homes magazine and thought they’d make an interesting summer journal layout. I painted the background with acrylic paint and added pieces of a paper doily, punched butterflies, glitter, doodles and whatever else came to mind.

It’s a great way to have to some and relax. Journaling is a wonderful stress reliever because there are no rules and anything goes. You simply create what you feel.

Hope this inspires you in some way today. Thanks for stopping by!!!

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Echoes of Mercy Angel Journal Pages

I bought these embossed angel images on Etsy from a shop called Scrapaplenty. They’re made in Germany and are quite beautiful. I fell in love with them because they remind me of the vintage images used in cards from long ago.

I created this layout in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8″ Mixed Media Journal. The background is painted using leftover paints from one of my canvases. As I looked at this color combination, it seemed to be a perfect fit for the angels. I used a stencil to create the clouds and added the quote “Angels descending bring from above, echoes of mercy, whispers of Love.”

Hope this inspires you today 😊

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Impossible to Fail Journal Pages

I had some leftover paint from one of my paintings and didn’t want to waste it so I used it in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8″ Mixed Media Journal. I tried a new face stencil by Jane Davenport and loved it! I added a quote by Dorothea Brandt that reads “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, Act as though it were impossible to fail.”

What would you do differently if it were impossible to fail?

Hope this inspires you today 😊

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Make a New Ending Journal Pages

I was playing with my paints and wanted to try a new color combination. I loved how the background turned out so I started working on 2 canvases. Stay tuned for those.

I just got some new artsy ephemera in the other day and thought I’d use it for this layout. I found this quote by Maria Robinson that resonated with me “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

Hope this inspires you today😊

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Art Journaling

When I was a kid and the teacher would bring out the scissors, paper and glue I knew it was going to be an awesome day because we would create some type of art. Sometimes it’s fun to go back to the basics and cut out pictures and simply glue them in a journal.

I’m not a textile artist but I look in awe at the quilts others make. I came across these photos in Quilting Arts magazine and decided to make journal pages from them. These were images of quilts created and designed by Jean Impey. They were simply stunning!

I onced used a hand wipe to clean inks from my studio table and it looked pretty cool at the time so I kept the wipe and let dry so I could use it for my art. It ended up finding a home in my journal 😊 The leaves and the heart were made using the recycled wipe. I thought they went well with the images and background color.

Hope this quote and happy journal layout inspire you in way today.

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Custom Keepsake Ornament

With the loss of my little Cocoa this past summer and being stuck in bed this entire holiday season, my thoughts were on her a lot. She was quite a character and loved to rip our presents open. You can see her ears flying madly as she shredded the paper on this gift. This was serious business for Cocoa, she made us all laugh 😂

So to keep a reminder of Cocoa at Christmas, I made this ornament. It’s a beautiful way to remember those we’ve lost whether our furry kids or family and friends. It’s also a great way to create a custom keepsake for special moments. This started as a simple paper mache circle ornament, but wood would work just as well.

Round Paper Mache Ornament - Christmas Ornaments ...
Paper Mache Ornament

Supplies

  • 3.75″ Paper Mache Circle Ornament or Wood Ornament
  • Gesso
  • Acrylic paint in coordinating color to match photos
  • 3.5″ circle photograph of your loved one
  • 3.25″ x 2.5″ rectangular/freeform photograph of your love one
  • Golden Matte Medium
  • Posca Paint Marker .7mm
  • Sakura Pen .005 or other Waterproof Fine Tip Marker
  • 14″ Trim of your choice
  • Stickles – Star Dust
  • Aleene’s Tacky Glue

Instructions

  1. Paint your paper mache ornament with gesso and let dry.
  2. Paint your entire ornament, including the edges with the acrylic paint using a 3/4″ flat brush. Let dry. Give it a second coat if needed.
  3. Print and cut your photographs to fit the ornament. The approximate sizes are listed above.
  4. Using the matte medium, adhere your photograph to one side of the ornament. Apply a coat of matte medium over your photograph to seal and protect it. Let dry. {Note: depending on the ink you use to print your photo, you may want to test the matte medium on a sample photo to make sure the ink doesn’t bleed.}
  5. Follow step 4 with the 2nd photo on the other side. Let dry.
  6. Add any names, dates or sentiments with your Sakura pen.
  7. Using the your Posca pen, add little stars and doodles. Let dry.
  8. Accent one side of your ornament with Stickles and let dry. Then repeat on the other side if desired. Let dry.
  9. Last, using Aleene’s Tacky Glue, adhere your trim to the edge of the ornament and cut off any excess. Now you have a beautiful keepsake of your loved one or that special moment.

I hope you enjoy creating your custom keepsake. Keep in mind, these would also make great gifts too 😊

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Thoughtful Thursday Halloween Decor

I wanted to share with you some fun Halloween decorations that you can easily make. I love vintage images and had purchased these at a show I was at, but you can find tons online. Please read the instructions first before beginning so you have an idea of what you will be doing. The supply list is at the bottom of this post.

Instructions

  1. Decide how you want to hang your plaques. Based on the type of plaque you have you may want to attach a picture hook to the back or you can drill 2 small holes in the top corners and sand them if needed.
  2. Apply a good coat of gesso to each plaque, front and back.
  3. Find images online and print them on cardstock. Cut them out and set aside.
  4. Paint each plaque in a coordinating color. Let dry overnight. Sand edges for a worn look and wipe off dust.
  5. Steps 6, 7 and 8 are the instructions for hanging with wire. If you used a picture hook in the back of your plaque, skip steps 6, 7 and 8. Another alternative to the wire is to use a piece of fabric or yarn which you would also skip these 3 next steps.
  6. Cut 11 inches of the jewelry wire. From the back of the plaque, put one end through the hole, coming out of the front of the plaque and coil the end with the pliers to knot it.
  7. Slightly off center at the top of the wire, wrap the wire around a pencil, 3 times and slide the pencil out.
  8. Feed the other end of the wire through the second hole from the back of the plaque, coming out in the front. Cut off any excess wire and coil the end as in step 6.
  9. Glue your images on to the plaque with Aleene’s Tacky Glue.
  10. Add a piece of torn autumn fabric to the top of the wire and that’s it!

Supplies:

  • 3 Vintage Halloween Images
  • 3 Wood Plaques fitting your images
  • Gesso
  • Acrylic Paint: Black, Orange, Red or any of your choice
  • Black Copper Jewelry Wire
  • Drill for hanging
  • Picture hanging hook/bracket (optional)
  • Needle nose jewelry pliers
  • Harvest Fabric scraps
  • Aleene’s Tacky Glue

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

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Color Lovers Challenge – Days 29 – 30

Well, I made it! 30 Days of Color Prompts. I really enjoyed this art journey. I found some of the prompts to be easy, while others were a real challenge and took me out of my comfort zone. But as a result, I found new colors that I fell in love with 💖 I also learned new techniques and had a few happy accidents, lol.

Thank you for joining me on this wonderful adventure! These are my last 2 entries. If you missed my earlier creations, I’ll have links at the bottom of this post.

Day 29 Clouds/Sunset or Sunrise

For this prompt I’m used my sunrise art I previously made with bright fun colors. This is a mixed media piece made on wood using pyrography, also known as wood burning. I painted it with acrylic and watercolor paints and added fabric and a few rhinestones for a little bling.

Day 30 – Artist Choice

This is the last prompt, Artist Choice. I thought I’d try painting something new. So I painted the night sky in watercolor with a little scenery. I added a little shading with colored pencils and of course, glitter for twinkling stars.

In case you missed my previous pages, just click the links: 

Day 1

Days 2 thru 5

Days 6 thru 9

Days 10 thru 13

Days 14 thru 17

Days 18 thru 21

Days 22 thru 25

Days 26 thru 28

I hope you enjoyed coming on this journey with me for the ColorLoversChallenge. Your support was greatly appreciated 🥰

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