Follow Your Dreams with 13@rts

Hello friends!

I've been quiet for awhile trying to get some much needed rest, but I'm in again today to share a card I made for 13@rts. Nowadays I'm venturing into small projects like these for practical reasons - I'm too exhausted for bigger projects like layouts, and I have tons of 12x12 lying around with lack of storage space. With cards I can bless someone and also, it's something I really suck at so, practice makes perfect right? I hope LOL

So here's a step by step showing how I made this card.

Step 1

I trimmed out two sheets of 12"x6" from one sheet of patterned paper from the Cozy Evening collection (Hot Chocolate edition). The brown side I used as my base and from the reverse side, I trimmed out a 5.5"x5.5". For the brown sheet, I folded into half and distressed the edges with gesso using my finger.

Step 2

Add modeling paste over a stencil (from Cozy Evening) and sprinkle some embossing powder over. Heat to set.

Step 3

I used Woodbine chalk mist to add color and also some Splash! acrylic ink in black for my splatters. The embossing powder added earlier gives a nice resist effect.

Step 4

I mixed some Ayeeda matte paint in black with modeling paste and used it to distress the edges of my white paper with my finger to get a nice grungy border.

Step 5

Using the same mixture, I patted it over randomly on my chipboard from Blue Fern Studios, followed by some gesso to whitewash it. After this, just assemble the card together and this is what I got:

I splattered some Woodbine chalk mist on the flowers and misted lightly with water. Unfortunately it does look like splatters of blood (oops)...

Some closeups:

That's all I have for now, hope you like today's post!

love,

My Sassy Girl with Maja Design

Hello friends, how are you this Thursday?

Today it's my turn on the Maja Design blog with you and I have a canvas to share. I made this for a family we often have play dates together with, and their daughter is really a sweet little girl.

Here is the project:

 

I based the colors of my canvas on the photo - there's mostly blue from her dress, some green from the background and a little bit of pink and purple from her hair clip. I also emphasized the checkered square pattern because of her dress design, which also has the same pattern. 

Some close-ups:

 

I made quite a few butterflies cut out from the Vintage Spring Basics collection and had them randomly over the page. To make them look more alive and dimensional, I folded them into half and glued down only the centre portion. My chipboard was painted with a few different shades of pink and green, and distressed with some white gesso for a white-washed look.  

Another view of the same cluster, but you can see the layers of papers I've used and a mini tag I've cut out as well. I also tucked in pieces of die cut leaves under my flowers. 

My main floral cluster, where I have layers of papers, chipboards, gauze, die cut leaves and the flowers. All the flowers were dry-brushed with gesso for a shabby look. You can also see some of the splatters I've done in my background and glass beads I've added to emphasize the overall "shape" of the main cluster. 

So that's all I have for you today, and I'm  off to enjoy a 4-day holiday break with my family. Have a great weekend too!

love,

Savour the Day with Made With Love

Hello friends!

We are just a couple of days away from a major Chinese holiday here and I'm absolutely delighted! I mean, who doesn't like a nice long weekend break right?

Today I'm sharing with you a mixed media canvas I created for my LSS Made with Love, using some of the yummy new CHA releases from Prima's mediums range.

Here is the project:

I love the beautiful shimmer of the new Mica powder! Altogether I used three different colors - Lipstick, Green and Purple, and Purple has got to be my favourite. I also used papers from Blue Fern Studio's Montage collection (love that one too!) as the colors matched perfectly.

Some close-ups:

Lots of layers and textures here with canvas, trims, glass beads, glass glitter and chipboard. 

White flowers are my favourite simply because it is endless what you can do with them.

More altering going on, with some background painting.

I hope you like what I have to share with you today. What do you think about learning the techniques used in the making of this canvas? Let me know, and we might just make it happen! 

Supplies used (available from MWL):

Prima Art Ingredients - Mica Powder (Green, Lipstick, Purple), Glass Glitter, Microbeads
Prima Art Basics - Soft Matt Gel, Heavy Gesso
Blue Fern Studios - Chipboard, Montage paper collection
Pearl trim

love,

February Mood Board Reveal 2 for OTRS

Hello friends!

In again today with a little card I made for the Feb mood board challenge over at Off the Rails Scrapbooking. Here's the gorgeously colored mood board:

Below is how I put everything together.

Step 1

I started off with a sheet of white cardstock (12" x 6") and folded it into half. Taking some papers from Maja Design, I trimmed them further into 2 sizes for layering - 5.75" x 5.75", and 5" x 5". Distress the edges and ink them.

Step 2

Take some distress stain and paint (I used the same shade) and color the edges of the white cardstock. Ink the edges again.

Step 3

Adhere the 3 layers together. I also added some twine underneath the second layer for a nice little bow later. Twine also because I saw the balloons in the image and the strings they were drifting from.

Step 4

To make my floral paper a little more interesting, I added some modeling paste over a stencil.

Step 5

And some splatters of color by mixing paint with liquid medium, both from 13@rts.

Step 6

Adding a die cut doily with the edges inked.

Step 7

Scrounge up a piece of canvas cloth and glue it onto the card, followed by pompom trim. I added the canvas for a fabric texture, which I figured the lady in the image must have been a fashionista (from the oversized sunnies of course!). Pompoms because they look like cute little balloons.

Step 8

Colored a piece of mini flourish chipboard (Blue Fern Studios) with a few different types of pigments. Assemble everything else (flowers, embellishments etc) and voila!

You can see the purple, deep red, pink and just a tiny bit of green. 

I didn't have anything stickers with "awesome" in it, so I guess being yourself is another way of being awesome :D

The Eiffel Towel trinket was just begging to be used after being hoarded for so long!

So that's all I have for today. Do check in with the blog for more details on the challenge!

love,

BFFs with 13@rts

Hello 13@rts fans!

Today is Friday 13th, but not an unlucky day because I have a little photo tutorial for you. And because tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I created a layout all about a most beautiful kind of love. But before that, here are the step by step instructions.

Step 1

Mix gel medium with some distress glitter. Use it as a paste over a stencil on your background. My paper is from Olga Heldwein's fun and versatile Color Basics collection.

Step 2

I'm making lots of layers here with more papers from the same collection, some burlap cloth which I got very cheap from a wholesaler, and also tucking in some chipboards for movement.

Step 3

Alter the chipboards. Here I patted on modeling paste with a palette knife and sprinkled some microspheres and distress glitter on top. The 13@rts modeling paste is perfect for creating this texture as its foamy and creates very nice peaks.

Step 4

More chipboard altering. First a coat of blue metallic paint over the primed chipboard, then I used my finger to dab the primer all over for a distressed look.

Step 5

Now for the background. After the gel medium has dried, I dipped my paintbrush into some Ayeeda mists and painted over a stencil. It's ok if some of the mists get under the stencil. Just add a bit of water to let it run and it gives a beautiful watercolor effect. Vary the spots where you add water and amounts as well so that you get different shades for dimension.

Step 6

Adding splatters with Sky Blue pearl mist. Follow on with random stamping.

Step 7

Another piece of chipboard which I decided to add in much later. While the metallic blue paint was brushed on, the matte blue and matte turquoise were added by using my finger to dry brush. Then finish off by dry brushing with gesso using your finger.

Step 8

Drawing a border around my layout with black matte paint, metallic blue and gesso, all using the finger brushing technique.

And here is the finished layout of my eldest and his BFF - a little lamb.

Some close-ups:

I hope you like what I have shared today. Now I'm off to the cinema with some girlfriends to Fifty Shades of Grey, and I hope your weekend is as good as mine!

13arts Challenge and a Canvas for the season

Good day everyone!

Things have been so crazy in the personal sphere that I don't even know how to start. There were the job interviews that came out of nowhere (3 back to back, with two of them inviting me back for a second round), and I had to turn down one not due to lack of time but it didn't give me the direction I wanted to move in after speaking with the hiring manager. Then there was this horrific bout of stomach upsets and gas, and episodes of fatigue that I just couldn't get over for the past few weeks. I would be so exhausted that I just couldn't keep my eyes open during dinner - so hence skipping meal for a 30 min nap and taking food at 10-ish after the boys went to bed, which totally did not help with the tummy issues. Not to mention my little backend project finally coming to a conclusion and I needed to get my stuff out ASAP. Did I also mention that the boys were sick (and still are) and they have passed their bug to me?

Not fun being a mum right now.

But somehow, still managed to drag myself out from the pits to finish this mini canvas for the 13@rts challenge. Pasja has come up with this brilliant Bingo game scrapbooking style and we have to use at least 3 items from the board. As I was telling my team, I wrote a list of the items down and told myself THREE. In the end, I think I used up all the items. See? Bad with instructions again.

So here's the challenge, with a project based on "Love":

Rules of the challenge #27:

1. Create a project based on the rules of our challenge

2. Publish your project on your blog and add link directly to the post using Inlinkz tool at the right side bar.

3. Please add link and info about our challenge, where your work is published.

4. You may submit as many entries as you like. 

5. You can enter with your project to maximum 2 other challenges and your work must be new, not published before our challenge has started. 

6. The challenge ends on 22nd of February. Winners will be announced on 26th of February.

When the challenge ends, our Design Team will vote and pick the best project. It will be awarded with shopping voucher for 13 arts store worth - 60 PLN with free international shipping. The winner will be invited to join us in one of our challenges as Guest Designers. Additionally we will feature few works with biggest number of points.

And my take on it:

So let's see what I have used:
1. Ayeeda Pearl Mist

2. Ayeeda paint - silver glitter, metallic pink

3. Splash acrylic medium (black)

4. Modeling paste

5. Gesso (for the background)
6. Glitter (distress glitter on the modeling paste after masking)
7. Glass fillers 

8. Ink (for distressing the edges of my flowers)

9. Scrapbook paper (the die cut doily!)

Some close-ups:

The distress glitter held by modeling paste which I spread over a stencil. 

Glass fillers hidden under my bow, and a die cute doily from one of the "All Is Love" collection papers.

I'm not sure how clearly you can see this, but this heart shape was made from 4 pieces of white twigs from the 13art store. It's made of wire, so why not twist it into the shape I want and give it some bling with the silver glitter paint? 

So that's all I have for today.  Thanks for dropping by and remember to hop by the 13@rts blog for more inspiration from the DT! 

love,