Saturday, February 28, 2015

Lindy's Stamp Gang Feb Color Challenge

Click Here to see the: 
Lindy's Stamp Gang Feb. Color Challenge Set






Such a bright and happy color challenge was just what we needed for February to keep us cheerful!

This was done on a free standing 4.5" x 8" board painted white. Cursive writing was done with molding paste and a Crafters Workshop Stencil - Mini Art Is.  After the molding paste was dry the front and back of the board was painted with Starburst Frozen Jack Frost.

Starburst - Frozen Jack Frost

Additional cursive writing was added with printed paper plus some canvas with a frayed edge. The board - front and back, the canvas and the paper tag were then painted with the following Lindy's sprays.

Flat Fabio - Carribean Blue

Starburst - Bougainvillea Fuchsia

Starburst - Pretty in Pink

Flat Fabio - Toto's Tornado Black

The canvas was added, then some opalescent lace and lastly - the tag. From there it was just continuing to build the "look".  Small strips of canvas with fringed edges were added as the first layer on the tag. The wood, feather, acorns, sticks, were from a nature walk on the ranch. The metal eyelet and chain were from my stash! The Prima flower was also sprayed with Lindy's Stamp Gang Bougainvillea Fuchsia.

This creation just seems to cheer up my studio so thank you Lindy's Stamp Gang for choosing a lovely, cheerful and fun palette for February's Challenge!!  joi



















FEBRUARY - Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2015

This tag was so much fun!  I decided to do it for my hubby.  This year will be our 43 anniversary... so the number I chose for the top of the tag is 43!  And underneath is a small R. & J.  That's how we have signed packages and cards all these years!!!  

Of course, the picture in the heart hanging from the arrow is meant to be the two of us when we were young.  I purposely made the arrow pointing upwards... towards the number 43.  

I don't have a sewing machine so I sewed the heart by hand and added the white heart on top of the red in place of the silver frame that was in Tim's beautiful example.  

When I showed it to hubby he got an adorable smile on his face, looked up at me and said, "Always knew I had the right gal".  After all these years... I feel the same way... I definitely got the best guy. 

At the top of the tag... it says... KNOW IN YOUR HEART YOU ARE LOVED.  We do!  

Thanks for taking a look.  Wishing you love too!  j.





Thursday, February 12, 2015

Vintage Shabby Chic Mixed Media Canvas

Hello Creative Friends!

This was such a fun project because there was no end to choosing another little item for the creation.

On the other hand, to be honest, this project is a little bitter sweet for me.  I did this project for a mood board that was published for a challenge that ended the last day of January 2015.  I was not able to finish it until the last day of January but I was proud of the accomplishment.  Why?  Because I specifically designed it to go with that mood board. For the first time ever... I didn't just choose a color or an object... I tried to incorporate almost everything on the board.

Long story short... the sight on which I uploaded my project - is gone.  I got a notice that I was no longer part of the group and when I went to the sight - it said that the site was closed. It says:
The page you requested cannot be displayed right now. It may be temporarily unavailable, the link you clicked on may have expired, or you may not have permission to view this page.

I have never heard a word from any one regarding the challenge or the sight.  I tried to contact people that were associated with the challenge but no response.

Now admittedly, I am new to these things.  I have only had a blog since October 2014.  So perhaps this happens, it's ok - everyone has things that interfere with plans.  However, it was very discouraging for me.

I am going to show you the mood board but please know that it is just so you can understand why my canvas was created....not for any other reason.


I made some amendments/additions and I am listing it again because it will fit with another challenge so I hope that is ok with everyone too!!!  I am an up beat and happy gal almost always but this was sad for me.  

Thanks bunches for listening and understanding too!!! j

Here is the board and my creation. :)






Usually when using a mood board...  I just choose colors and a few items but for the fun of it... I tried to include all the objects that I could find to represent this mood board!!!  It is eclectic - vintage shabby chic meets steampunk!!!

This is 14 x 20 canvas turned upside down - rather like a shadow box.   I painted 7 strips of canvas in the various shades of the mood board and added them, layer by layer, to the canvas. 

Then I started adding all the little objects I found to match the mood board.  I decided that everything seemed so timeless to me. Thus the word TIMELESS in the center.  

Time goes so fast these days - it is nearly timeless sometimes.   Flowers, butterflies, wood, feathers, lace, music, writing inside books, pearls, love, numbers... all timeless in some way!  And of course, the watch faces, gears, springs, and chains - are timeless when they are not inside the watch - aren't they!!!???  

And of course, there had to be some rusty metal - like the old spring my hubby found out in the pasture one day!  As always - many items came from the ranch... the old copper colored hinges hubby found in the barn and shined them up for me.  My nephews left me the feathers from their duck - after hunting. Ohhhh, was I happy!!  Of course, the wood pieces all come from nature walks. 

I love working with "tags" so I used some paste and stencils to make leaves on the teal colored tags.  The pink ones have some acrylic skin pieces on them.  Both the tags in the center have some wood from the ranch, some charms, metal, pieces of canvas and some bling! 

Sure wish my pictures were better so you could see how gorgeous it really is sitting here beside me!  It has lots of shimmer and shine as well as a mix of elegance and grunge. All in all, it's even a bit romantic in the flavor of the Valentine's Day holiday this month! It's one of those pieces the you could look at over and over noticing something new!!!  

My creatively unleashed! But isn't that what art is all about - going beyond - jumping out of the box!!??  

Thanks bunches for stopping by.  joi



























This was my layout when I started!!!  








~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Project challenges:
- - -

RHEDD'S CREATIVE SPIRIT



====================

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


ALTERED ECLECTICS 




--------------------------------------------------

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Our Creative Corner
Tic Tac Toe - Let's Have Some Fun Challenge
Please take our badge for your blog


I played more than once on this tic-tax-toe board!! 
Diagonal - Top Left: Metals, Stamps, Mediums
Center Horizontal: Paint, Stamps, Stencils
Diagonal - Top Right: Lace, Stamps, Embossing Powder

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



A VINTAGE JOURNEY

It's Time to Play Tic, Tac, Toe!


Project Tic Tac Toe Choice:
Idea-ology, Ephemera, Stains
Also used ribbon, sprays, paint and a die cut.  

Products Used: 
Idea-ology: Tissue Paper - Melange
Idea-ology: Heart Charms
Idea-ology: Crinkle Ribbon
Ranger: Texture Paste
Ranger: Glitter - Rusty Hinge
Ranger: Crackle Paint - Rock Candy
Ranger: Glossy Accents
Ranger: Archival Ink - Black, Library Green
Ranger: Distress Sprays - 
cracked pistachio, tattered rose, tea stain, scattered straw, antique linen, iced spruce
Ranger: Distress Stains
old paper, iced spruce, tea die, victorian velvet
Stampers Anonymous: Schoolhouse Stencil
Prima: Flowers and Leaves


Techniques:
When I think of vintage techniques - it's Tim all the way!
I still don't have enough products but using what I 
have for the techniques works for now. 

The very first thing I learned from Tim was making tags!
This year - it's all 12 tags for me. Jan done. Feb. almost :)
So it was fun to incorporate 6 tags into this project. 
I used texture paste on 3 of them for the leaves and the other 3 have tissue paper for the background. All are sprayed with distress spray and accented with distress ink.

I used crackle paint on the schoolhouse stencil letters.

Paper flowers/leaves - sprayed to match - at the bottom. 

The canvas strips that make up the background is distress sprays.

The distresses look of the frame is all ranger products too.

Of course, the hinges, the watch/clock parts - all the metal ideas are directly from watching Tim and his designers put together projects.

Thank you for the opportunity to play tic, tac toe! j.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++




------------------------------------------------------------


Wednesday, February 4, 2015

The Lions Forest of Handmade Flowers

Luscious Lair of Lucas the Lion

This is a 11 x 14 canvas - upside down with a cedar frame. The final piece is 14 x 16".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HELLO!!

Come - if you dare - into the Luscious Lair of Lucas the Lion.  He loves his home because he has filled it with magical flowers created by Joi at the Ranch  In fact, truth be known, Joi also created Lucas - but, of course, he doesn't tell all his secrets!!!!!!!!!!!

His story begins last fall when the creation of the magical flowers began.  It seems in the evenings, after a long day, Joi would accidentally fall asleep in her chair long before bedtime.  So she decided to work on cutting out flowers from a roll  of wrapping paper.  Hour after hours the flowers and leaves were cut - one at a time - and stacked in a box.



Then one evening, with a bit of mystical glue and creativity, the cuttings came to life. Each night the little shoe maker (OOPS wrong tale)... the little flower maker worked on another flower until there was enough to make a luscious forest hideaway.

Several months later, in the middle of the night (while supposedly sleeping) Joi had clarity as to the grooming of Lucas the Lion.  It began with the painting of the eyes on canvas... and Lucas came to life.  He gave his first roar on January 4th!


Lucas prowled around the ranch for awhile but he begged every day for a home of his own and a magical flower forest.  He said that the woods at the ranch were very nice but they just were not a forest... and his heart was longing for a forest of his own.  So, although sad to see Lucas leave the ranch, Joi agreed to create him a Luscious Magical Flower Forest to call home.


Lucas is now VERY happy at home.  He has lots of playmates in his forest - his best friend being Gaudy Geoko. All of his friends posed for the picture too - Hooper the Hummer, SJ the Deer, Mr. and Mrs. Billy Butterfly and Baby, Dragonfly Trio, Wispy the Wasp, Sneaky Snake, Temperance Turtle, Waverly Wolf,  Rigo Eagle and family, Sonshine the Lady Bug, Kevin the Camelian, Locky the Lark, and Mom and Pops Owl watching over their new egg.  Lucas insisted that he hide behind the magical flowers.  For afterall, the magical flowers were what grew first in this luscious forest!

Can you find Lucas?  He hopes that you can't see him at all.  He is a people watcher!!!




There you have it... the cute little tale of Lucas the Lion with his friends in the Magical Forest of Handmade Flowers!  Hope you enjoy the picture they posed for... it was quite the ordeal to get all of his friends to hold still long enough for you to meet them!  They are living happily ever after. 






















This roll of wrapping paper is how it all started!!

  



Here is some of the flowers and leaves that were cut out. 


This is what the canvas looked like when it was started... after I added some paint over the top.


And of course, as usual - all the wood, acorns, pecans, and even the real blue egg... came from the nature on the ranch. 

Thanks bunches for spending time with Lucas the Lion and Joi at the Ranch!!!  




***************************************

This creation was entered for the following challenges: 

Artist Trading Post - Handmade Flowers



Mixed Media | Art Journaling

The stamps used were:

Hot Off The Press HOTP 1151 - Hummingbird
I stamped him in silver so when I painted him - he lost some of the shape. 
I am just learning all the techniques of stamping... by watching all of you!!  

Stampin' Up - Winter Minis - for the silver leaves on the canvas and around the border 
(but they are hard to see in the pictures - pretty in person!!)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anything But A Card Challenge - Friendship




Snag Our Badge!

Lucas invited his best friends and all of his other friends to live with him 
in his new home - The Luscious Lair of Lucas the Lion! 

---------------------------------------------

ART JOURNAL JOURNEY - Bird, Beasts and Humans Challenge

Click on the Link Below to see:


Art Journal Journey

______________________________________

USE YOUR STUFF
Click the link below:


Heheheh - I am sooo excited by this challenge.  I just love to sing!!!

I bet you can already guess what song this represents - can't you???  
I was singing it the entire time.  Hubby and I were laughing, remembering back to the time in our lives when this WONDERFUL song was popular.  Here it is: 
THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT by Solomon Linda
 Sing it... In the Jungle, the might Jungle the lion plays today.... 
(My lion is playing right now - not sleeping!!!)
"Wimba Way" or "Awimbawe" or "Wimoweh"

--------------------------------------------------------------------

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************








==============