CC3C - Altered Surfaces

Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge - Altered Surfaces

I know it's a wee bit early possibly for a Halloween project. Perhaps it was a subliminal thing, it has been "hotter than blue blazes" and maybe I was wishing of cooler temps or perhaps I was thinking of Tim. He loves Halloween and consequently he designed a lot of fun stuff for us to play with. Who knows??? Sometimes you just gotta go with it.

I've been out of the CC3C loop for the past 5 challenges. Now sure how that happened (yes I do, real life stuff) but I'm back to play along with the final two. This one is all about altered surfaces and the technique can be found on pg. 45 of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities III book.

I chose to alter two numbers from Tim's Idea-ology Alpha Parts, Numeric Words and Numbers, using the technique in the book. Micro beads were added because I like them. :)
See that bat? Well he started all of this, I found him on my craft room floor (don't ask) and before I knew it, I had bats everywhere lol.

You can see Tim's Shattered stencil on display in this photo.

I blended Archival Jet Black ink through the Shattered stencil over my canvas to build the the base layer. After it dried I came back with Distress Inks-Black Soot, Seedless Preserves, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Squeezed Lemonade-and blended the colors randomly over the stenciled area. 

I'm totally into texture these days and the more the better. With that in mind I die cut my branch tree with black corrugated paper and gave each one several coats of gesso and distress paints. Bent branches add more dimension and hide various spooky creatures.

Like the owl hiding behind the branches. He's from Tim's Mini Halloween stamp set and because we have an owl living on the lot next to ours I wanted to include him. It's a bit spooky at night to take the dog out and hear him hooting. She's snack size for him and I don't want to wrestle an owl over my dog, but I will!

The moon and stars were die cut from Tim's Crescent Moon and Stars die with iridescent paper. Distress inks were rubbed over the surface so the texture of the paper would pop out. I did add some shading with a black Faber-Castell Pitt Pen.

The trick or treaters (aren't they fun!) are also from Tim's Mini Halloween set and were stamped in Archival Jet Black Ink because it's permanent ink. I outlined each one with a Uniball Signo white gel pen for some definition. The Skull and Cross Bones metal elements were altered with gesso and Black Soot Distress Ink. They're from Tim's Idea-ology line as well as the Wishbone in the lower left corner. The white marbles are from my stash and I added micro beads to the top of each. If you enlarge the photo you'll be able to see the micro beads I added to the base of my trees. I'm kinda hung up on these things right now. ;)

Tim's Clipboard Clip will serve as the hanger for my canvas and it was altered with Brushed Pewter and Black Soot Distress Paints. I used strong adhesive glue and two long fasteners to anchor it in place. A Halloween token was altered with the same paint and glued in place with Glossy Accents. To finish I blended Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink over a 2015 Small Talk Stickers word strip by Tim, placed it on the clip and added a purple ribbon from my stash.

I love the lettering of Tim's Ransom alpha's and to highlight the letters I added a touch of Brushed Pewter Distress paint. Seasonal Chit Chat stickers, trick or treat, were altered with Seedless Preserves Distress Ink and a black Uniball gel pen. You can see the spiders I stamped, also from the Mini Halloween set, and the black glass bats from my stash. After they were glued with 3D Matte Gel I added a touch of the Brushed Pewter DP to the end of each one to highlight. 

This was such a fun project to create and even though I truly had no intention of making a Halloween canvas, I'm glad I did. My daughter loves it and has already claimed it for her holiday decorating this fall. 

The Inspiration Emporium sponsored this challenge. Thanks I. E.!

I hope to be back later today with my second project from my class with Finnabair (still editing photos). It may have to wait until Monday because my hubby wants to travel to visit our friend who was in an auto accident earlier this week. He was airlifted to Memphis on Monday morning and was cleared for visitors this morning. It'll be a short and sweet visit I'm sure but I think he wants to see for himself that his friend is going to be okay. A big thank you to all of you who've said a prayer for him and his family! One thing is for certain, you never know what each day will bring in this life so let's make them count.

Have a great weekend everyone, wherever you are. :)

Lisa xx

My First Class with Finnabair

The Artifact Class with Finnabair

It's always exciting when you meet someone you admire for the first time. Well let me say that if you ever have the opportunity to take one of Finnabair's classes do it. She's an amazing teacher and inspires your personal style to shine!

Anna Dabrowska (aka Finnabair)

I attended The Artifact and Time Capsule classes at Donna Downey's Studio in Huntersville, North Carolina. So I not only met Anna but Donna and her husband Bill as well. The energy in that studio was phenomenal and I ended up signing up for two more events next year. ;) Guess I'm into live classes now!

So on to the first class which was The Artifact.
If you click the link you can see Finnabair's original on her blog.

Our classroom with all of us busy creating our collages. 

We created three 9x12 canvases using various products from Finn's mixed media line.

My finished project. :)

Mechanicals on display.

The texture is 3D and so it's fun to touch.

Prima Junkyard Findings were embedded into my favorite product of this class - 

Texture Paste -Graphite

this stuff is grand and the texture is amazing.

 

Mica flakes, micro beads and glass beads from Finn's Art Ingredients line.

Love these!!!

The lace peeking out makes me a happy girl. 

Who knew inexpensive brushes could look so good.

Left Canvas

Middle Canvas

 Right Canvas

 I used Finn's 12x12 Harlequin stencil and Modeling Paste on my background. 

Other elements were used as well to build up texture but I'm not giving any secrets away out of respect for her.  

After a day of creating masterpieces Finn gathered us for a group photo.

The Artifact Class with Finnabair

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Be back soon with my second project from the Time Capsule class.
Thanks for the visit!

 Lisa xx

Finnabair Inspired Journal Cover

I have an altered journal cover, which Finnabair inspired, to share today. Recently I attended a two day class with her at Donna Downey Studios. We learned so much! She's a natural teacher who encourages you to find your style using her mixed media techniques. 

For my cover I wanted a metallic look and played heavily on texture. 

Hope you like it!

It's Finn's love of black gesso that first drew me to her style.

 I love the way it makes the colors pop.

Love her line of Mechanical metal elements by Prima.

Micro beads are a good thing. 

I used them to create a falling water effect. 

The trio of white flowers are from Wendy Vecchi's Studio 490 line and I left them in their natural state. The face was a remnant from a Mardi Gras pin I found in my alterable stash and it received a coat of black gesso and gold, silver and brushed pewter paints. Love bringing old things to new life.

This was taken on Saturday the 18th at Donna Downey Studios in Huntersville, North Carolina. She is an awesome teacher and I highly recommend her classes!! 

More to come next week!

Thanks for the visit, have a great weekend everyone.

Lisa xx

Let's Play Bingo!

Challenge - Pick a Line 

at

  Top Tip Tuesday 

To play along pick a line and create a project using those items. 

I used the second line across-pearls, sentiment and flowers on my card and it was inspired by a card on Pinterest. It was super easy to create. :) 

Our sponsor for this challenge is...

Kenny K

and the winner will receive 3 Digital Images of their choice. 

I just returned from a wonderful weekend at Donna Downey Studios, in Huntersville, North Carolina, where I took two classes from the talented Finnabair (Anna Dabrowska). I'll be back later in the week to share my class projects and spill on how much fun I had working with her fabulous line of mixed media products. 

Hope to see you then!

Lisa xx

Christmas in July at the Cafe, Part 2

Over at The Cutting Cafe we're celebrating Christmas in July all month long. 

I'm back with my second project using Artist Trading Blocks.

Like all of Regina's templates and cutting files, this one is versatile. You can decorate the blocks for any holiday/occasion, as a gift box or use as home decor. The file also includes overlays, a piggy bank template and a tall block as well. Click here to see examples using these additional files. 

For my boxes I decorated each one using the Graphic 45 Night Before Christmas paper collection and chipboard pieces. Additional trimmings include paper poinsettias by Petaloo, a Scrabble tile "C" for Christmas and satin ribbon by May Arts and Michael's.

The Cutting Cafe

Be sure to check out all of the inspiration by the design team on the 21st of July.

You can enter to win 3 FREE sets from the Cafe by leaving a comment on the DT post.

The winner will be announced on August 7th.

Thanks for the visit today, have a fantastic weekend. 

I know I will. ;)

Lisa xx

Christmas in July at the Cafe

Christmas in July

We're celebrating Christmas in July at The Cutting Cafe!

To create my DT projects I used the Stocking Box Set along with the Fun With Snowflakes Template...Cutting File.

The Stocking Box Set includes a tall rectangle box to store Christmas goodies in.

The metallic snowflake was cut from the Fun With Snowflakes template...cutting file. This is a very versatile set with individual snowflakes, cards and backgrounds included. The other snowflakes are stickers and I stamped a few on the white label.

Here's a tip for making the Stocking Box Set- 

Print two of the stocking, one for the front and one for the back. When printing the second stocking  reverse the paper on your cutting mat (or place backward in your printer tray) so they'll match. Another tip is to ink the back of your paper if it's white because it adds some visual interest.

The label is part of the file and it's great to record your sentiment.

Metallic sticker paper gives this snowflake some flair and I added a vintage button to the center.

On this Stocking Box Set I used double sided paper.

and a large Fun With Snowflakes snowflake 

which I cut from Silhouette chipboard. 

I gave it a coat of gesso and after drying it received white sparkle glitter.

The Cutting Cafe

 

For more Christmas in July projects visit TCC's blog tomorrow.

By leaving a comment on the DT post you could be in the running to win 3 FREE sets.

Regina will announce the winner on the 21st of July.

Thanks for looking!

Lisa xx