Romance

 Hi everyone, here's my first page of the month for Shimmerz Paints! I have used a photo of my son and fiance that was professionally done.
 The quality of these paints are really good. The pale peachy color is one of my all time favorites, I use it I think on every page I've done since I started on the team in January.  It's a rich, creamy, shimmery, container of loveliness, called Dear John Letter Inklingz. It looks good enough to eat!

To make this page I did the following:

1.Put piece of cardstock under photo, adhere with double sided foam tape

2.Adhere foam core board to cardstock.

3. Adhere to watercolor paper mat.

4. Adhere 2 layers of foam core board between the mat and background paper. I used a 12 x 12 piece of watercolor paper.

4. Make some pencil marks where you want stencil to go.

Apply texture paste in a thick layer with a Prima stencil and credit card.

6. Paint stenciled areas with Dear John Letter Inklingz, when the paste is dry.

7. Apply thick layer of Ranger Clear Rock Candy Crackle to raised texture paste,after the paint is dry.

8.Paint chipboard with a mix of Emerald City Inklingz and Penny 4 Your Thoughts Inklingz,when dry apply crackle.

9. Paint area between raised areas of texture paste with Penny 4 Your Thoughts

9.Start gluing all the embellishments on.

You can see some texture on the page, I used two layers of Tidy Widy Texturez, with a layer of gesso between them. The White Tidy Widy is nice and thick, and shiny!It's similar to texture paste.

 I put a layer of Dear John Letter over the whole page. I also used it over small areas of gesso I put on almost every element on the page.

The metal rosette to left of Aron is by Finnabair, the little Eiffel Tower charm next to that is Vintaj. The metal key is by Tim Holtz, it's below the Prima rose. Next to the key is a small Celtic cross, from my stash.

I rubbed on silver mica powder on the page.

The flowers are from Prima. The rusty metal next to Nick's face is by Finnaabair.

I added some gold leaf, a few fairies cut from Graphic 45 Paper, and the gnome is from my stash. The bling is from Swarovski and Prima. Underneath the photo is metal by Tim Holtz: the peace token, heart, and flower piece. The chipboard is called Beautiful Board by Reneabouquet. I also want to say Juliya Tirskaya's pages are a huge inspiration to me.

The dried flowers are from walks I go on at the dog park with my dog Mack. The bee to the left of the rose is from some old Prima papers. 

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

See Beauty Everywhere

Hi everyone! Melissa here with a dt page for the March moodboard at Mixed Media Warriors.

I was inspired by the almost summery feel of the photos.

To make this page I took a piece of Blue Fern paper and glued it onto a piece of cardboard,so that it would be free standing when I took photos, and also to help prevent warping. I painted it with mat medium so the paper didn't soak up the paint. I applied a thick layer of texture paste using a TCW stencil, with a credit card. Starting from the top layer I have the photo, cardstock, foam core board, watercolor paper, and two more layers of foam board. 

I dyed a piece of gauze an inch bigger than the photo with Shimmerz paints and Distress ink. I cut a hole in the middle of the gauze and worked it around the photo.  

I painted the Dusty Attic and 2 Crafty chipboard with Steampunk Copper by Finnabair, then topped it with Rock Candy Crackle.

The background is painted with mostly Shimmerz paints, in greens and purples. The very pale pink on the watercolor paper behind the photo is called Dear John Letter. 

The flowers are Prima and 49 and Market. The metal leaf is Vintaj. The fussy cut pieces are Graphic 45. The little white butterflies at the top of the photo are from Pion.

I painted on colors, and when I was done, I sponged on gesso to create more negative space,because the page was looking too busy. I took a dry paint brush and put small amounts of gesso on and brushed it over different raised areas, to create more contrast and add some light.

The title sticker is from 7 Dots. I added broken jewelry, a charm, rhinestones, pearls,lace, and more.

The metal round piece at is from Tim Holtz.

The purple flatback crystals are Swarovski, the brad is Tim Holtz. There's some gold leaf, and small pieces of metallic Tresors de Luxe lace. The metal at the left hand corner of the photo is from Finnabair. I also added tulle, metal glitter, distress glitter, micro beads, seed beads, Tim Holtz gold rub ons, a 7 Dots title sticker, dried flowers, sequins, strings from the gauze, and tiny rhinestones. I used a Prima stamp and did a few random areas with black ink.

The very pale pink to the left of the photo is Dear John Letter Inklingz, a very smooth,creamy, shimmery watercolor paint. I love that color! The brown on the page is Winsor and Newton watercolor.

Thank you so much for looking, and have a great week! I hope you are inspired to make an entry to the March challenge!

More Than Words February 2017 Mini Challenge

Hi everyone, Melissa here with a card for the Mini Challenge at More Than Words! You could make a card, ATC (artist trading card), or tag. Since February is the month of love, you had to put the word "LOVE" on it.  I am very mushy on the inside, so using this theme wasn't much of a stretch!

I made this card by layering watercolor paper, and then I handstitched a border with embroidery thread.  I applied home made texture paste with a Prima  Stencil, Royal Menagerie Collection, Decor 1,and a credit card.  I painted the whole thing with Winsor and Newton Watercolors, in sap green and burnt umber.  I sponged Prima Heavy Gesso on to create negative space around the embellishments.

To create more visual interest I added tulle, microbeads, seed beads,bling, metal, and moss. The cherubs are from Authentique Paper.

The "Love" is part of a wood chipboard piece. I used Bark Derwent Inktense watercolor pencil on the edges of it by holding the pencil sideways and drawing it along the edges. Some of the pink paint on the edges of the card is Lindy Stamp Gang's Rambling Rose. 

You can see a little gold mica powder I brushed on the card.The flower is by Prima, the leaves are sizzix die cuts that I watercolored.  

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

Peace on Earth

Hi everyone! Melissa here with a 12 x 12 mixed media page. I have used some beautiful Christmas papers to surround an old photo of my husband and niece. She's hitting him over the head with a foam bat. He's pretending to be in pain, hahaha!  You can see my father-in-law in the background.

Supplies Used:

• Home for Christmas Tags 12" Double Sided Scrapbook Paper
• Peace Love Home 12"Double Sided Scrapbook Paper
• Peace on Earth 12" Double Sided Scrapbook Paper

To make this page I put the photo on white cardstock, layers of Paper House paper,and finally a piece of foam core board. I sponged on gesso, stenciled on texture paste, and poured on crackle paint.  I let the crackle dry overnight.  

I added gauze and gesso around the photo, then layered on glass glitter and mica flakes. I coated it all with more gesso, then started painting. I used a few shades of green and brown watercolors, and mists. 

I put on some flowers, a few die cut leaves I painted, metal, bling, green micro beads, and pearls. I made the dark edges on the layers under the photos with a watercolor pencil.

You can see I used gold mica powder underneath the photo.  Whenever I used paint or heat to dry things, I protected the photo with a piece of paper.

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

A Tradition

Hi everyone!  Here is a page I've made for the More Than Words Challenge.   A tradition my father in law had was putting up a real tree every year for Christmas. The kids and grandchildren then decorated it.  Christmas was huge in the house, with all the Swedish traditions.

The flowers and glittery embellishments are handmade.

I put layers of Bo Bunny,My Mind's Eye, and Prima paper under the photo, I adhered some foam core board between it and the bottom paper, to give it some added dimension. I sponged on gesso on a lot of the page, and stenciled on texture paste.  I poured on clear crackle and let it dry overnight.  I painted with Tattered Angel Mists,,Winsor and Newton Watercolors, Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils, and Lindys Stamp Gang.

You can see I used gold mica powder.

The silver glitter embellishments are wood, I got them from the local craft store. I painted them with gesso, dabbed on glossy accents, and poured glitter on. The flowers are white cardstock and made with Spellbinders dies.

Thanks for looking, and have a great week!

Peacock

Do you love color? I do, and here's a page that I think shows it. I used the beautiful Door to Atlantis Colorways paper from Paper House as my background for this project. I love how the paper creates a soft and peaceful mood . I found it hard to put anything on the gorgeous detail of these doors, but I plan on using the other piece I have for the cover of an art journal. 

Supplies Used:

• Atlantis Door to Atlantis 12" Colorways Scrapbook Paper
• Gatsby Mini Trim Cards 12" Colorways Scrapbook Paper
• Gatsby Accent Pack
• Sapphire Accent Pack

To make this layout I sponged on gesso to prepare the background for the paint and textures I planned to use. I put the photo on watercolor paper with some foam core board in between to add dimension. I applied texture paste with a stencil, brushed on a layer of watercolors, then randomly dabbed on gold mica powder with my finger. I added more paint, and penciled in some areas with watercolor pencils. I glued on micro beads with glossy accents, and dabbed on another layer of mica.

I drew out some of the colors and details of the photo onto the paper behind it, and also used a blue butterfly to add visual interest.

I love the shimmery Gatsy Accent Pack pieces!

I used glass glitter, tulle,and a stamped peacock image, for more texture. Thanks for looking, and have a great day!