Surround Yourself with Friends--A Mixed Media Canvas

Good morning! Today I have a canvas project tutorial to share with you. This is one of my personal favorite projects--it was fun and easy to do. Let's get started!

To begin, I used an 8 x 10 canvas board covered with a light coat of gesso. I used several shades of blue paint (including the one in the kit) and a brayer to lightly spread the paint around.

Next, I laid down a stencil and used the liquid chalk ink from the kit to create a light background pattern.

Using stencils, spray ink, and distress paints I created a few layers on the background.

I went around the edge of the whole board with gold Gelato and rubbed it in with my fingers. Then, I added a little bit more texture with spray ink and stencils.

Using the dropper in my sepia ink, I loosely sketched in some tree branches. I did this by just starting at the edge of the canvas and slowly dragging the dropper across the canvas. You can squeeze more ink out to make the branches thicker, or just spread sections that are already thick to add thinner branches.

I set the canvas aside to dry and pulled out a sheet from the vellum book in the kit. Using the new Dina Wakley stamps (which I LOVE!), I stamped the bird images then colored them in using a mixture of the oil paint crayons, oil paint medium, and watercolor crayons. I wanted a very soft blended feel.

Since this has a very springtime feel to it, I thought I'd make the tree sort of a cherry blossom by adding some paint through a circle stencil along the branches.

I fussy cut the birds and attached them to the canvas using matte medium. Then I added some colored glitter paste to the birds just for a little extra sparkle and texture. I also put a quote from my stash.

And here is the final product!

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Gelli Plate cards

Hi, Sanna here today with my last May project. Remember the gelli prints I created for this canvas? I had only used half of them so I had plenty to create some cards from. If you want to see how I created those backgrounds, go back to this post.

Since the prints were already very bold in colour and pattern, I just glued them down on the card bases and added only a few decorational elements. I also added some crackle paste thru various The Crafter´s Workshop stencils here and there on the cards. Here is what the finished cards look like:

All the additional embellishments are various random pieces from my stash. There are also some resin embellishments on some cards. I created those while I was making my April jewellery projects (see details on this blog post).

I used all kinds of little elements I had at home:

And in the end I had all these molds to play with. On some of the resin embellishments I have used a silver Alumilite metallic powder in combination with the Amazing Clear Cast resin and the Alumilite red or blue dye ink. Other resin pieces I created without the silver powder. I loved creating these molds and my custom resin pieces. Now I have plenty of those ready to be used on some future projects too. 

Have fun creating,

xoxo, Sanna

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Simply stencils - Mixed Media Layout

Hello there! Here comes my final project with the May kit. For this layout I wanted to mainly use the Stampendous stamps set (by Nathalie Kalbach). I just love these designs!! And there is also a free template included in the stamp set, by the way!!! Therefore, be prepared for yet another stencil project :) ...

This is how I did the layout background:

I sprayed some yellow and green spray ink directly onto the white cardstock. The colours I used are by Lindy´s Stamp Gang (Yellow Rose of Texas and Rusty Lantern Lime). 

Next I took some black and grey dye ink and stamped with the "Wired" stamp set near the areas where my photos would later be. The grey ink is a shadow ink and will end up being a much lighter tone, when dry.

After that I applied some black Glimmer Glaze and created random ink splatters for contrast. 

I really like adding ink splatters to my layout background so I added a few more :). This time I first used the "New Sprout" ink spray (from the kit). And a Lindy´s Starburst colour "Shabby Turbine Teal". 

Then I proceeded by placing the stencil that was included in the stamp set over the cardstock and dabbed randomly over the stencil with VersaMark ink. 

After that I just first poured some grey embossing powder over the inked area and after that added the green powder. Then I just heated the powder with a heat gun. 

This is how my background looked before adding the photos, embellishments, the title and journaling.

This is the finished layout. I added some vellum paper to the edges and painted it with the blue "Beach Hut" tone and stamped with black dye ink and the circle dot stamp from the kit over it. I love the look of the vellum when painted with the Fresco Paints!! I also treated the wooden heart with the light green chalk ink that was in the kit. Other than that I left the embellishments as they were (untreated).

I hope you have enjoyed this little step-by-step and get those stencils and stamps out and play a little :)!!

xoxo, Sanna

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Lucious Layering and Stamped Resin Pendants...

Hello – it's Brenda Burfeind visiting today from the Amazing Crafting Products Creative Team! Today I am going to show you a technique I hope you will enjoy. Many times I use my products not like they are supposed to be used. I love to experiment and with that let's see what I have to share with you today.

There are still a few April Add-On kits with the Amazing Mold Putty and Amazing Clear Cast Resin... and a birdie told me that it's on Sale in the Frog Dog Studio store {as well as the Alumilite Metallic Powders}.

I received the new Frog Dog Studio May Mixed Media Kit and wasn't quite sure how to use it. There are a lot of cool items in this kit, but for me it was a bit overwhelming. I'm not much of a artist in the sense of drawing and painting. Today I am sharing what I have done with some of the parts and pieces.

In the April Kit we received these awesome acrylic pieces. Of course I had to mold them before using them. You can go here to see a video how to make your molds using the Amazing Mold Putty. I molded this piece with the Amazing Casting Resin and Alumilite Metallic Silver Powder.

I applied the Beach Hut Paper Artsy Chalk Acrylic paint directly to my stamp and pressed my Amazing Casting Resin piece directly onto the stamp upside down and let it dry. Then I used the Pastel Peach Quick Dry Fluid Chalk onto another part of the stamp and pressed my resin piece directly onto it upside down again. The reason I did it this way is so that I could control which part of the stamp I was using, since it is a big stamp.

I just ran my stamp under some warm water soapy after I was finished stamping and it came pretty much clean. The paints do not alter your stamp in any means, just not as gray as it was brand new. You just don't want to let the acrylic paints dry and clog up the detail in the stamp.

Now before I did all this I knew I wanted my piece to have a textured, 3D effect. How was I going to create that texture of the stamp? How about embossing it? I of course did not have any colored embossing powders to match those colors that came with the kit – but last month we also received these fabulous Aumidust Powders. SO off to experimenting again... I combined regular clear embossing powder with the Orange Alumidust and mixed them together.

Eureka!!! DIY Orange Embossing Powder!

Then after I had stamped my image from above, I sprinkled the embossing powder over the resin piece IMMEDIATELY. The Pastel Peach says its quick dry and I didn't know how "quick" drying it was.

Poured the remaining embossing powder back into my container and, then I set the embossing powder with my heat gun. The result is fabulous shimmery detail.

I wanted my piece to shine so I mixed up some of the Amazing Clear Cast Resin and added a layer to dome my piece. You might be curious as to what I have my pendant suspended on... CLICK HERE to see my DIY Doming Platform for resin.

That had to set up and cure for about 24 hours...

and now I have another pendant created all while experimenting.

I hope I've given you some ideas on how to use your products – not the way they were intended... don't be afraid to experiment. Sometimes you may "fail" but I always have fun trying new and different things. I really love the dimension and layers of texture captured in the Amazing Clear Cast Resin.

Thanks for stopping by! I will also be sharing another project on my blog on June 2nd using more of this month's kit. So please save the date and hope to see you at Creativity is a State of Mind.

Until next time, keep experimenting ~ Brenda Burfiend

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