Family

This page was made as a project for My Creative Scrapbook's Design Team Call.

Hi everyone,this is a tribute page to my dear stepmother Ruth, who passed away recently at the age of 93. She was dearly loved by a huge family. This photo includes her first husband and daughter.   Ruth had a very good and full life, and I have tons of great memories of the time I was blessed enough to be around her.Her parents both came here from Sweden, and raised four girls. Her parents both came here from Sweden, and raised four girls.  Ruth came into my life when I was about 12, so she had to go through raising two of my brothers and I through the teenage years, after bringing up two of her own. She always listened to my sometimes endless chatter, and was always so fun to be around.  She worked full time, and didn't retire until her and my Dad decided to move to Florida. 

I used Prima paper, Lindy's Stamp Gang,in purple, teal, and blue, Petaloo flowers, Tim Holtz words and rub ons, and a few bling items. 

I first applied Prima Heavy Gesso with a credit card, then put some more on through a TCW stencil, and sprinkled on clear seed beads into the wet gesso,  drying between layers.  I spritzed on water and flicked on dry Lindy's powder with a fan brush, and moved the paper around.  I did two or three layers in places, to make the colors more intense, because it got lighter when I dried it.

I also put on some embossing powder, in a verdigris color. Ruth loved the color blue, and music too.

 Here you can see some chipboard, I'm not positive what company it's from. The owl, symbolizing wisdom, is Vintaj.

I used purple, gold, green, and aqua mica powders on the chipboard, also some bark Derwent Inktense watercolor pencil.  I used the same pencil to outline around the photos and flowers and softened it with water brushed over it.  You can see a little purple embossing powder here too.

Pale aqua is my favorite color, but purple blue is number two.

Thank you so much for looking, and have a great week!

More Than Words Mini Challenge, January 2017

Hi everyone! Melissa here with a card that I enjoyed making, I went through almost all my stash looking for Valentine's Day related items, and that was fun!

 I put texture paste on Moulin du Roy watercolor paper(I got it on clearance at Hobby Lobby) with a stencil by TCW called "Cherry Blossoms". I painted the card first pink with Lindys Rambling Rose, then green,then brown, with Winton and Newton waterclors. I dried with a heat gun between layers. I sponged on  Prima Heavy White Gesso. 

I pretty much put the embellies on last. I painted around the flowers to shade them, to have some more contrast. I used Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils in bark, and leaf green. I also use Tim Holtz distress ink in green,Peeled Paint,which colored the paper the best.  I've also used Winton and Newton watercolors around the flowers, and for the brown layer on the card.

You can see I hand stitched around the edges, I used embroidery floss.

The crinkle ribbon is from Tim Holtz, I colored it with Lindy's Rambling Rose. I really like that color because it's a warm peachy pink. 

I put tiny pieces of cosmetic sponge at the base of some of the layers of these Prima Sweet Peppermint flowers, to make the petals stand up. I glued them in with glossy accents.

The xo and love die cuts came in a set that was $1,it was $8,another lucky buy.  Bear in mind I've bought lots of dies at good prices, that I haven't used, so, it's not like I come out ahead! The tiny rhinestones are part of a chain of them that my son's girlfriend gave me. They came unglued from a headband she has, she thought I might be able to use them.  The hummingbird is from an old calendar from my sister in law, I've used them in several projects.

I fussy cut the cherub from a greeting card.

I've had the pendant blank thing that's underneath the flower for a long time, so I was glad to finally use it.  I had glued a little piece of scrapbook paper on it.

I got a new camera for Christmas, so I'm pretty excited what a good job it does, that's why I have so many photos in different kinds of light. And, I like the card, and I had given up on it before I put the white gesso on.  I was going to start over.

The last two photos I put the card on the ground in full sunlight, and created a shadow with my legs.  The light was the strongest with these two.

You're probably exhausted after reading all this.  Take care, and have a great week!

By the River

Hi everyone, Melissa here with a mixed media page for the Dusty Attic January 2017 Mood Board Challenge. This is a photo of my husband taken in Colorado. We were driving cross country,from New York to California, and decided to stop and look at a river.

I was inspired by the blue colors of the mood board. and the blue feathers.  I coated a piece of watercolor paper with gesso, then applied some gauze.  I put some texture paste on and mixed in some seed beads with it.  I applied many layers of different products, mainly watercolors. I also used vintage black and gold glass glitter, mica flakes in gold and silver, green alcohol ink, turquoise liquid pearls,a Lindys Stamp Gang mix of teal and purple, micro beads,copper mica powder, and green mica powder.

  

I prepped the Dusty Attic chipboard with gesso, then painted with watercolors, and topped it with a little glitter, crackle paint, and gold mica powder.

You can see a lot of gold mica powder.

I used some sizzix leaves.

On the edges I used watercolors, Derwent Inktense pencil, and gold mica.

Here's the link to see the challenge:

Dusty Attic January 2017 Moodboard Challenge

Thanks so much for looking, and have a great week!

Traditions Around the World

For this challenge I used paper from an older 7 Dots collection, 9th Wave. The photo is from a long time ago of my husband putting the the topper on our Christmas tree. Decorating a real tree is a tradition that we enjoy every year.

7 Dots Studio December Challenge - Traditions Around the World

Thank you so much for looking, and have a great week!  

More Than Words January Main Challenge, Celebrate & Bling

Hi everyone! Melissa here with a page for the January More Than Words Challenge.  I chose these two photos of my son, because they celebrate the joy of having fun! They were taken years ago  in front of my husband's childhood home, in beautiful Northport, New York. It's always exciting to go there in the summer because we can see family, enjoy the beauty of the area, and escape the Houston heat.

For the bling I've used mica flakes, gold mica powder, micro beads,copper wire,and a couple druzy style beads. I also used a Tim Holtz clock face,ornate plate,key, and some Ranger clear crackle. The green watercolor paint is Shimmers by Tattered Angels. The Prima flower in the middle has some chunky clear glitter on it, although it's hard to see in the photo.

The background paper is My Mind's Eye, Lost and Found, Market Street. Almost all the cut up pieces are tags from a sheet of baseball Paper House paper. Along with soccer, Nick played baseball for several years. There's also some ppr. with distressed edges from Bo Bunny. The flowers are Prima, from Engraver, and Coventry Roses,the leaves are also Prima.

I extended some of the tree branches with a bark color Inktense watercolor pencil, I also used it for all the shading on the page, I softened the pencil lines by brushing on some water.

I used Prima heavy Gesso to form a base so paint wouldn't soak into the paper, and also to tone down some of the detail and color of the page.

I used a lot of gold mica powder.

Thank you so much for looking! I hope you have a wonderful year, filled with all the things you love.

This page is for the following challenge:

January 2017 Main Challenge, Celebrate and Bling

More Than Words Mini Challenge

Hi everyone, Melissa here with a tag for the More Than Words Mini Challenge.  I made a tag out of watercolor paper, and applied modeling paste with a TCW stencil. I sprayed the tag with water, then brushed on Tattered Angels mist and watercolors. I put the image and flower on with foam core board, and sponged on gesso on a lot of the surface of the tag. The metal wing is from a craft store, the music notes are a Tim Holtz rub on, mica flakes, micro beads and Sizzix butterflies are also on the tag.

Took this pic today,January 1st, with my new camera. Here's some more:

The above is the last of the new pics.

On the ribbon I put on some Dusty Attic chipboard.

Its a wonderful life is a Tim Holtz rub on.

The alphas are from a stamp that has the whole alphabet on it.  The flower is from Prima.

Thank you so much for looking, and have a great week!