A little "graffiti" for Christmas!

So, when we moved into our new house last November (can't believe it will have been a year in a couple weeks!), I had this crazy idea to paint a shower curtain for my daughter's bathroom instead of buying one. I was going to either paint abstract flowers all over it or write some of the words to our favorite songs…fast forward a year & I never got it done. BUT, I did have an idea for a cute & fun Christmas decoration for her bath…

I tacked a inexpensive shower curtain liner to my art wall (covered with a canvas drop cloth) & "painted" the words on it with SHOE POLISH letting it drip here & there. The red in "RED" is a fluid acrylic (I still need to go back & thicken that a bit.)! It's not perfect, but it's fun & the Magpie likes it!

Off to a birthday party in the old "hood" & hopefully putting the tree up tonight! I KNOW, it's early, but I just want to enjoy it longer this year!

Have a great Sunday!

Cheers!

I made this!

Today was a lovely day away from life chores & spent with my beautiful Art Gypsies (aka art group)!

I decided to host the project this month & since the weather is getting colder, I decided we should make t-shirt scarves! I've seen these scarves in stores for $40!! We made them for under $5 with a big stash of shirts I bought at the thrift store!

I only got a pic of my first one & got too busy to take others! But you can find TONS of photos & tutorials on how to make these on Pinterest!

A bunch of 1/2"-1" strips in three gray tones to make an infinity scarf!

I also made one like this:

My sister made one like this:

Only she used one shirt with a coffee theme & cool background graphics!
Another friend made one similar to this:

And another like this:

Mom made a pretty red one like this…

I found all of these styles on Pinterest & there are some good videos on YouTube as well!
So, go ahead & give it a whirl! Super easy! Super Cute! Super Gifts!! I plan to make a few more when time allows!!

TTFN!
Cheers!

WIP Wednesdays!

It's time for another Work in Progress Wednesday!!!

Here's what's on my desk this week:

CHRISTMAS!

Albeit, not started yet, but I hope to have a little time today to work on some Christmas decorations & gifts…

I want to wrap these paper mache ball ornaments in some white burlap with a french banner & red trim…

There are little wooden 3x6 trays under all that fabulous Christmas Washi tape that I hope to make into little tree wall hangings…

And finally, I found this little church birdhouse at Michaels & I am hoping to spruce it up for the next Altered Pages Challenge in December! (sorry, not giving away my plans on this one!)

I have MANY more projects underway, including the canvas I posted last week & SO little time to get things done! I hope that I can crank out a few in between obligations this week, teaching next week, Turkey Day & then off to Maui in December! I need to be one of those people that starts their Christmas projects over the summer, but it's hard to get in the mode that early! HA!

See ya next week, if not sooner!

Cheers!

WIP Wednesdays!

I know, I've been a bit of a blogging slacker lately!

I know I've said it before, but I honestly don't know how other artists & bloggers get it all done! Between house, PTO & family life; design obligations & just-for-fun creative time, I hardly have a minute to take a photo let alone get it edited to put up here! LOL!!

BUT, I think I might have a small solution that will keep me posting at least once a week! 

A "WIP Wednesdays" post! 

What is a "WIP Wednesdays" post you ask? Well, it's a "Work In Progress" post to show you what's on my desk, easel, workspace that week!

Hopefully I can get in a groove & take a few pics of what I've been doing each week & post it every Wednesday!

Now, I know I am not perfect & I hope that you will bare with me as I get it rolling, cuz I know I might miss a few here & there! But I thought it was worth a go!

So, without further ado…

Just a little peek at the canvas on my easel today…

Layer 1

 This is the beginning of a 18x36 canvas I am doing for my little niece, Alyssa's bedroom.

Layer 2

Of course the photo doesn't show it, but you can see some of the textured layers under the paint as well as see the raised texture of them in some areas!

I can't wait to do the next layer…a girl, some butterflies & trees!

See you next Wednesday, if not before!

Cheers!

Altered Pages Challenge #13 - Elves & Gnomes

It's time for another AP monthly challenge!

We are gearing up for Christmas over at Altered Pages & to kick off the season, our November Challenge theme is all about Elves & Gnomes!

I created this 3x9 canvas using paint & alcohol inks for the background, then I enlarged & stretched the gnome from the 

Elves & Gnomes collage sheet, colored his belt in with a little Wink of Stella & adhered him with some pop dots.

 

Around the edge of the canvas is broken Christmas lights glued on with a hot glue gun.

Hope you will join in on the fun & link up your Elf project too!

Visit the Challenge page for more info!

Cheers!

Fairy Whispers - an Art Journal Page

Today I thought I'd share a page from my art journal that I did using a bunch of great products from Altered Pages!

I started with the face (Andy Skinner's Baroque) stencil & some modeling paste. 

After that was dry, I applied some Splash Inks using a drip, spray & blow technique I've done several times before (read about it HERE).

When that was dry, I added more dimension with the numbers stencil with a layer of turquoise & purple Dylusions Sprays. Then I used black paint on the clock stencil.

I finished with the Fairy Whispers stamp from Glitz stamped in white.

Plenty of room to write in later!

Thanks for stopping by today!

AP Products Used:

Andy Skinner Barouque Stencil (6x6)

Splash Inks

Dylusions Spray Inks in Grape Crush & Vibrant Tuquiose

Numbers Stencil (6x6)

Time Travel Stencil (6x6)

Glitz Afternoon Muse Stamps

Other:

Modeling Paste

Black Paint

White stamp pad

31 Days of Halloween - Quoth the Raven

For those of you just stopping by today,
The Design Team over at Altered Pages is participating in a 
31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop
with Smeared Ink & the following is my 2nd project

31 Days of Halloween 2013 Wicked Blog Roll

Terra | Black Dragon | Kapree | Shell | Kristy | Susan | Helen | Loren | Alison | Kelli |De Stempelwinkel | Monique | Karen | Airless Chambers | Jane | Jennifer | Emily | Lisa | Lyneen | Wendy | Altered Pages Art Sociates | leslierahye | Delicious Doodles | Roni | Shoni | Jenn | DominoART | Jessica | Sandy | Carolyn | Carla | Julia | Steph | Trisha | Brigitte | Lisa | Anna

"Once upon a midnight dreary,

while I pondered, weak & weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore - 

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door - 

"Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door -

only this and nothing more."

Edgar Allen Poe, The Raven

While I was searching for inspiration for this project, I came across lots of really cool Poe projects & knew that I would like to do something with his images again...{My first one was published in Somerset Studios last year!}

...I decided to use an 11x14 canvas panel to collage the background on. I used various Halloween-themed papers, including G45's Steampunk Spells available at Altered Pages. I also used a 4x6 canvas panel from AP, painted it black, sanded it a bit; stamped it with a spider web design in white ink, then covered that with an image of Poe from the "Master of Macabre" collage sheet; cut out an oval frame in the purple patterned paper & used a polka dot from the G45 Steampunk Spells coordinating paper pack. I set that aside while I added various texture to the background of my board & rubbed black paint all along the edges & into any white space I had left after collaging with all the pieces of torn papers.

I used various stamps with ink & acrylic paint to apply texture to the background before I began embellishing it.

I used this great Gothic stamp set to create the "birds-eye cage" as well as stamped onto two dominoes I had previously colored with alcohol inks...

Available here

Look there behind the domino...fun Washi Tapes from AP too! I used a Script, Music Notes & Newsprint patterns all available HERE!

I picked up a few wooden letters at Michaels & painted them the tops purple, stamped a few different textures onto them with paint; inked the edges & adhered them to the corner with a Raven & a Leaky Shed Cross.

The girl is a cut-out from a paper pack I had on hand that I outlined with a white pen, but the heart in the middle is a rhinestone embellishment (similar to these in the store). (The mirror is from a dollhouse store.)

That's it!

Hope you'll keep stopping by to see what the other designers have come up with for the month!

Happy Haunting!