Write Your Story on my Heart

I *finally* had an opportunity to get to my craft desk, and I've been wanting to do another canvas for so long! I started with one idea, didn't like how it was headed, and started going in a completely different direction. This piece originally wasn't going to have a girl on it, but once the background was done, it just seemed right.
I'll be honest, I'm not thrilled with this background. I started by decoupaging a map patterned paper onto the canvas, which was too busy of a choice, I think .I tried to tone it down a bit, but then it just started looking muddy. I prefer to start with a more simple background and add more dimension and texture through layers rather than a busy background. Lesson learned!

 My new favorite song is called Write Your Story on my Heart by Francesca Battistelli. I love it's message and the reminder to be open to God's voice and leading in life. I love using song lyrics on canvases, because looking at them brings me back to that time in my life and reminds me how far I've come!

 

A Mixed Media Weekend

The Deeply Rooted house is fully recovered from the Holidays, but now we're gearing up for a birthday party! My youngest will be turning three in a few weeks, so expect a nice, big post all about that in the coming weeks!
I recently had a great weekend up with my parents, without kids! It doesn't happen very often, but it gave us a great chance to catch up, eat, shop, and craft! I was very impressed...mom created her first canvas piece! I have a feeling she's hook on the mixed media style, because she's already sent me pictures of her new Zentangle journal, complete with a collaged cover!
I used the weekend to finish up one canvas, and then did one alongside mom, as well. The shopping trip was a great success, because I found the rub-on sentiment that I ended up using on this piece.

  I gave her a berry wreath for her hair, which I *love*. It doesn't stand out that much, but I feel like it gives her just enough interest.

I also used white rub-ons to give her flowers in her hair. I colored them with my Faber Castell big brush pens.

I'm thrilled to debut my mother's first canvas, as well! She seemed to have a great time making it, and I'm proud of how she finally 'let go' and let the piece create itself!

Not bad, eh? I love it! It's great to be able to make something you're proud of and be able to see it every day. I'd love to see your favorite creation! Leave a link in a comment so I can come check it out!

Let Your Heart Soar

For a few weeks now, I've been praying for a friend that I left at my job in Ohio. My best way to express what's in my heart is to create, and it had been awhile since I had an evening that I: a) didn't have plans, and b) wasn't physically or mentally exhausted. I finally made some time this weekend and made this piece. 
I had kept a thought in my head from sometime this last week: someone's favorite color combination for the Fall was navy and orange (from a facebook update? Pinterest post? No clue!). I pulled out navy, burnt orange, and green paint, a 5x5 deep edge canvas, markers, and my tub of Mod Podge and got to work.

I Mod Podge'd (yes, that's a word in my house) some printed blue cardstock to the canvas, then randomly painted over 99% of it :) I felt all Christy-like and stamped with some bubble wrap I managed to sneak away from my kids. Next came random rub-on's, gel pen doodles, and some splashes of Adirondack inks.
Mr. Huey sprayed some tan onto my canvas letters to make their colors a bit more uniform, and I used my new favorite toys --my Big Brush Pens-- to write and color my chipboard heart.
These chipboard pieces were quite the find: packs of 20 or so random embossed chipboard shapes for $1. LOVE! I first painted the butterfly, then distressed it with ink, markers, and pens. I used some pop up Glue Dots to add some depth behind him:

And I loved how this simple little heart chipboard turned out, just by using the Big Brush and gel pens:

I just love how it turned out, and the best part?? It's SO easy to do! The less perfect, the better, which IS perfection, in my books!

Breaking it Down, Mixed Media Style!

Hello again! I'll warn you from the beginning; this will be a super long post!! I'm going to try my best to explain, step by step, my creating the mixed media canvases I shared in my last post. 

C'est moi. Forgive the bags under my eyes, this was very late/very early!

The great thing I've already learned about mixed media is that you can use so many things that are considered scrap or trash. Paper, ribbons, rub-on's...the left over bits and bobs make the best materials for these projects.  

 

Here's a list of the supplies that I gathered to get started: 

My mess of a craft table. Somehow, it works.

Mod Podge (or something of the like). You'll be gooping this stuff on, so you might as well get the big bottle! I've seen 'recipes' to make this at home, so check back for a post on that excursion later! 

Acrylic Paints. The cheap kind works great. I got mine for around 70 cents a bottle, so go all Roy G Biv in the paint aisle and stock up. 

Paper. Again, scraps work great. Unless you're looking for a specific pattern or have something already in mind, pick through your scraps for this. 

Canvas. Any size, and shape, and again, get the cheap ones. I'm sure the expensive ones are 'nicer', but you're seriously covering it in paint and glue up to your eyeballs. Go cheap and just buy more :) 

Paintbrushes. I picked up a multi-pack of the foam brushes for this go-round, but I'll be getting some bristle brushes for the next time. The foam soaks up whatever you're working with too much for my tastes. 

Modeling Paste. This can get pretty pricey at the craft store. The jars I've seen are around $20 each; I lucked out and found a bottle of it on clearance. This is a good product to whip out your 40% off coupon for. It's worth the splurge! You'll also need something to spread the paste on with, but don't buy anything special. I used an old, plastic library card. What better re-purpose for those fake credit cards that come in the mail!?! 

Stencils. This is another item that comes in a variety of price points. There are some designed specifically for crafting (The Crafter's Workshop), which I did use on this project, but I also used a stencil that I picked up at my local super center on clearance for 25 cents! 

Pen. I've yet to see the pen that Christy (haha...we're on a first name basis now somehow!) recommends and sells in her store out-and-about anywhere, so I tried my luck with a normal ball point pen. Worked great!! She does talk about how her recommended pen will still write when your canvas isn't 100% dry, but I didn't come across a problem using mine. 

Markers. OK. I'm going to admit this now and get it out of the way. After watching Christy's video a zillion-ish times, I bought every color of the Faber-Castell Artist Big Brush Pens that I could get my hands on. Granted, they were on sale at 40% off and free shipping, but they still made a dent in the {non-existent} crafting budget. Minimum, I'd suggest getting black (to outline), brown, yellow and red (for hair colors). These are amazing pens that use India Ink, which allows them to blend fabulously. Love, love, love. I also pulled out a few Faber-Castell gelatos to use for the cheeks :)

Rub-on's. Any and all will do. These are a great way to add visual texture with intricate designs with no effort at all. You can use scraps of rub-on's, designs you're not interested in putting on layouts or cards, really anything.  

Sprays/Inks. Any kind. It's just to add visual interest. 

So the list seems long, but it's really only a few items for such an amazing piece! Of course, you can add fibers, ribbons, and anything else your little heart desires.  

 

Let 's get started! 

 

The first step is to adhere your paper to the canvas with Mod Podge. Feel free to tear different sizes, shapes and patterns. You don't have to cover every inch of your canvas, but use enough to establish a good background. The trick to Mod Podge is to put a layer under AND over what you're adhering down. Under makes it stick, over makes it stay. It dries fairly quickly, but make sure it's dry before moving on. A blow drier works wonders. 

 

Step two: paint it up. I knew I wanted my background to have an overall blue-ish tone to it, even though I used greens, reds and whites in my paper. Take some acrylic paints, and give your canvas an all-over light coat. Don't worry about streaks, that adds to the texture. Some areas can be darker, some lighter. Have fun with this part! I gave the sides of my canvas a light coat (using my fingers) of the blue while I was at it. 

Feel free to grab some other colors and get those on there, too. Get your fingers messy and get creative! 

Stenciled modeling paste

Three: stencils and paste. Use them with your paints for visual interest, and use them with modeling paste for depth! Modeling paste comes white, but just use any color of your paints (or splurge on some ink to drop in for a more vivid color) mixed into it. Grab your library card (ha!), scoop some up , place your stencil, and gloop it on! The thicker you apply the paste, the more depth you'll end up with. It's always an amazing feeling to spread that stuff on, pull back your stencil, and see such an amazing, easy effect!!! 

I applied the modeling paste once I was satisfied with how the canvas was looking, because I knew this would take the longest to dry. I used the hair drier on it for a few minutes, but then ended up just working around it for the rest of the piece to let it completely dry. 

 

Fourth (but could be at any point): Sprays and inks. Add as little or as much as you'd like.  

 

Next: the girl! The design of this girl is 100% Christy. I'm not even going to pretend that I had any creative insight in this portion!! This part is my favorite because it's when you see this crazy conglomeration of colors, patterns and textures all come together to make an amazing piece of art. 

Head/neck, arms, legs: These are cut out of an old book. Mine happens to be a dictionary that I've been tearing out of for years. Don't worry about getting anything shaped perfectly, you'll be tracing around it with your markers later. 

Shirt and Skirt: cut each out of paper of differing patterns for contrast. I think this is one area that I'll need a little more practice in, because I didn't end up giving either of my ladies a very flattering figure! 

She gets Mod Podge'd down (remember, under and over!) and left to dry. 

 

Lastly, finishing touches! This is where I pulled out my pen to doodle in random areas around the canvas, applied rub-on's in various spots, and got to try out my new markers! 

I used the black to outline completely around the girl, then went in with brown, black and red for her hair. 

I cut apart a sticker with a phrase on it, added those on (they stuck very well without any other adhesive than their own), and marked around them with my pen, and was finished!! 

I don't know that I've ever been as excited about the results of a project - ever. I didn't expect the process to go as smoothly as it did or to turn out as well as it did. I woke up several times through the night (and even got out of bed to look at them again) to try and add fibers to it...lace on the skirt, ribbon around the bottom...but finally convinced myself that there would be more canvases and more projects that I could add plenty of different things to. 

And there will be :) 

Spreading some birthday love -- mixed media style!

Hey, guys!
Was it me that said I'd have more free time to craft, photograph, and blog in my last post (two weeks ago!)?? Surely not. :)
I'm living vicariously through a lot of different friends right now...some on family vacations, some at the Stampin' Up! National Convention and some at CHA! Let me just say I'm jealous of each and every one of you!!
Things have been busy, but I've gotten some new inspiration and a new found crafty love to share with you!
First things first, I have to give all of my new-found-crafty-mojo love to the ever so talented Christy Tomlinson. You may have heard of her...like the lady who build the most awesome kids playhouse on some little new craft show on TLC!! The title of 'winner' was robbed from her, despite her amazing creation. I loved how you could see her artsy, crafty touches all around (inside and out, may I add) her work.
After the show, I looked up her blog and
FELL.
IN.
LOVE.

Her art is amazingly inspiring, and her YouTube videos are the best! You can find her blog here and here's a link to her YouTube channel. (this is the specific video I watched roughly 17 times to learn heads from tails in mixed media land!)

Here's my try at some Christy-inspired goodness!!

Mom picked this one...

...and this ended up being Kasey's.

I made one for my mom's birthday and one for my best crafty friend's birthday. The hardest part was deciding who got which!! (Mom ended up picking because she saw them first.)

Here are a few close up shots with some detail:

Modeling Paste

Pen doodling

I've really never loved anything I've created as much as these two pieces, and I know they'll live in great homes from now on.
I'll check back in my next post with all of my materials, beginning your own mixed media art, and a few techniques I learned along the way!

Happy Lucky Love

True story: I'm still alive.
HA!
The move to the temporary home (a.k.a. my in-law's house!) is done, I've started my new job, and I'd love to say that things are slowing down a bit...but they're not!! While I'm working a difficult mid-day shift, my husband and father in law are working on our perminant house, while my mother in law takes care of the kiddos!
I got quite a few projects done at my little pre-move vacation to Mimi's Getaway, so I'll be showing you those until I'm able to start some new creations.
First up: Happy Lucky Love

This page came together pretty quickly, using a lot of pre-made elements and a fun patterned paper.

I knew that my picture (wonderfully edited by my friend Holly!) would need some muted colors with a similar rustic feel to enhance it well, so I went with this 12x12 paper from My Mind's Eye and dug into my amazing little pack of K&Company EcoModern Diecuts for my title. A rub-on by DaisyD balanced out the left side of the page (I didn't notice that it was a little serpent thing until it was already on there...creepy!!)

Two elements of this page that I LOVE: a) the dictionary page,  and b) the doily.

A) The Dictionary Page. I love dictionaries. They have an aged look, they're a great size, and, minus the pages I rip out to craft with, it's a great reference for journaling! (hehe!) I flipped through the pages until I found a header with an appropriate word (this one says gentleman) and used that as a photo mat.

B) The doily. I am all about using typically feminine products to make amazingly masculine pages. I thought this element added the perfect amount of texture and interest.

Thanks for stopping by!! Leave me some encouragement/oh-my-goodness-did-i-really-just-pack-up-my-entire-life love, and I promise I'll bring you another project soon!!

erin.

My First Mixed Media Canvas and a HUGE Thank You!

Here it is!! My first mixed media canvas. I had a lot of fun making this. I did it in several steps, spanning over at least a week. I like to be able to do a layer, step back and take a second look at it, and come back to it with a fresh perspective (plus I needed a lot of drying time in between!). I have to admit that I got a lot of inspiration from a fabulously talented artist/designer/everything else named Mou Saha. Go check out her blog sometime. It's definitely worth linking up to! (and I'll just go ahead and admit now that attending one of her classes in Florida is on my bucket list!!)
This canvas was a Christmas present to a wonderful friend who is taking life by the horns and really proving and shaping themselves right now. I wanted to make something that would be an inspiration during the hard times and somewhat decent to look at during the good times :) Luckily, we exchanged gifts early this year, so I can finally post about this project!!!

I feel like I've crossed over from making projects to actually creating something with this piece. For the first time, I understand what artists feel when they are composing artwork. Each element, from the dress pattern layers to the color underneath, the images to the fibers, mean something to me. Every item added to this canvas has a meaning. And while someone might not 'get it', or even appreciate anything about it, to me, it means a lot (and hopefully to the recipient, too!!)

Babble, babble, babble, right?? Ok. On to the steps.

Step One: Prime canvas with gesso, let dry (overnight-ish). This particular canvas came pre-primed, but I'd rather play it safe.

Step Two: Get crazy with gelatos!! Faber Castell makes these amazing little color sticks called gelatos (more info about them here). They go on like a crayon, and once they're wet, they blend amazingly! I tried several different methods to blend my colors (wet paintbrush, baby wipes, fingers) and ended up liking using my hands the best. It was a lot easier to control how much got blended. Once you're happy with the coloring, let dry (doesn't take very long!)







Step Three: Next I decoupaged old dress patterns onto the entire canvas (they're in the bottom of that picture up there). No real rhyme or reason to this part, just overlapping a bit as a go. Drying time for this was a few days!

Step Four: Play!! Once your canvas background is all ready, you get to create and play! I inked up some Grungeboard letters and used some Grungepaper through the Cricut to cut out the bird house (from the Serenade cartridge). The bird was cut from the Serenade cartridge from cardstock, traced onto a piece of plain muslin, and decoupaged onto the canvas.

added some curled wire for detail

popped this off the canvas slightly

inspirational phrase

I can't wait for inspiration and a few extra days to work on my next one. I think I'm hooked!! (plus my canvas came in a two pack!)

This will definitely be my last post before I'm off on a holiday for a bit. Thanks, everyone, for a GREAT 2011! A huge thank you to Glue Dots and Becky at Friendship's Garden for taking me on as a designer this term. This blog was started because of you all, and it's turning out to be such an amazing journey!! 

I'm looking forward to all 2012 has in store. It's going to be a great year!! Merry Christmas!!