Butterfly and Roses on Wood

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hello to all you sweet folks out there!! 

Here is a fun 8x10" Finnabair inspired mixed media on wood creation. 

Whew - it went thru SUCH a metamorphosis - over and over and over again.  

I can't even remember how many different colors this was before I was finally at peace.

And.... here it is.......  :)

Some of the items that were used in this project!!  

Started out with wood - hubby cut so they would stand up. 

I used Marta's technique from Finnabair's Spread Your Wings Academy.  
You can find it here: 

Spread Your Wings Academy Info

Finnabair was the first mixed media video tutorial I saw when I started on this journey and the first type of mixed media project I ever did.  So when she announced (on my anniversary) that this new Academy was starting - I knew I wanted to learn from it.

On thing for sure, after working on this project... I, for sure, have a LOT to learn so I am very very excited for the next tutorials. 

To begin... I covered the wood with gesso - of course!!! And then the fun and frustration and fun and mistakes and fun began!!!

I added texture paste through stencil first and then began gluing down all the metal pieces, canvas pieces, lace, wood, chain etc.

Next came the layers of paint!!  And more texture - glass beads and fiber paste.  More gesso, more paint... and you know how it goes.

I did think to snap a picture at one frustrating point - dear me!!!

 

And here is a picture of my Finnabair metal flower turned butterfly!  I was so proud of myself for thinking of what a pretty butterfly it would make.  But I'm sure someone along the way was just as clever as I thought myself to be!!!!  

Wish you could see all of this in person.  I just couldn't capture a good picture of the cute little butterfly!!!  There are also more of  Finn's flowers - on I literally folding in half - it's over on the right side - and put fuzzy yarn inside for the stamen.  Just can't see it in the pics - boohoo.

Picture of Finnabair flower before it became a butterfly!!

  

I am showing you the back because I did the same technique on the front but it didn't show in the end.  My first time every doing a clear ink with stencil for a "resist".  So fun and I loved how it looks on the back of the wood. YEAH!!!! 

As always - I soooooooooooo appreciate you taking the time to stop by, read and look!  You always make me so happy with your precious comments and every now and then I even giggle!!!  

Hugs. j.

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

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

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

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

STUDIO75 3rd Birthday Celebration Blog Hop

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS to: Studio75, Helen, and the Design Team.  

Thanks bunches for the fun blog hop and the wonderful birthday cake. Hoping for a bite! j.

SPRING CALVES from the Ranch!!

How crazy is this??? I had to put this wonderful HTML here so that BLOGLOVIN could find me and you could sign up for it to follow me.  Sure hope you will do that too!!!  

Lets see if I can find some eye candy for you so this isn't such a crazy post!!!  How about some spring calves from the ranch!!!????  Hugs. j. 

They are just so sweet!

Hubby carrying baby to the big round pen. 

At night they sleep in the caged pen so no critter will eat them. 

During the day - when they are old enough - they get to go to

the big round pen so they can romp and play!

Just born!  Still a little wet even!

Daddy - Bobby the Bull, Mama and babies! 

Nothing better than to watch the calves play together!

TWINS!

We usually have at least one set a year. Mama will only

 feed one so we always have to feed the other one. 

 Of course, everyone loves to give the little ones a bottle!! 

Until they get big enough to knock you down in eagerness!! 

This little gal was named Lucy.  The last one we named B.B.

It stood for Big Baby because we have never had a calf 

bawl as much as BB did.  Dear me!!! 

Contentment!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/14139735/?claim=27rnn43raks">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge #29

Compendium of Curiosities 

Challenge #29 - Eroded Metallic

Hello again from Joi.  Today is for sharing my newest learning experience from Linda Ledbetter's Studio L3.   It is to use the technique on page 44 of Compendium of Curiosities Vol. III by Tim Holtz.  And what an interesting end result you could find!

You may ask... what is that technique?  Heheheh - I can't tell you. Isn't that fun!!!????  But you can buy the book.  In fact, Tim Holtz will send you an autographed copy.  It's the kind of book that makes you literally dream happy dreams of creating like Tim!

If you click below - you can see their amazing project presentations for Challenge 29 - Eroded Metallic. So inspiring. WOW.

Curiosity Crew's Projects (click here)

And it's also an exciting challenge because there is a PRIZE!!!! 

It's a gift certificate from Inspiration Emporium (visit here).  Hey - could you keep your fingers crossed for me???!!!!  

Sooooooooooo.... this technique is called Eroded Metallic.  I did my best to erode as much metallic as I could but dear me... it's not as easy as 1-2-3.  I almost posted a picture of my three tries but the first was too embarrassing and the second somehow was the most hideous of colors - hehehehe! UGH.  Sooo three is a charm????  Only the Curiosity Crew knows for sure!!!  

The colors of Ranger Distress Paint used were:
Black Soot
Broken China
Picket Fence
Metallic Pewter

This is before erosion occured.

Here is my Eroded Metallic design! 

Next week is my daughters 40th birthday.  She has never received a handmade birthday card from me... because I haven't been making cards very long!!! She will be very surprised. It's 5.5" x 8.5".

She has a hubby and four children. But her path has not been an easy one. She handles everything with such grace, love and strength that I admire her greatly.  So the sentiment from: 
Totally Tracy, Dare 2B Artzy Journal Quotes was perfect. 

The background stamp of the lines is:
Finnabair Prima Seamstress Clear Stamps.

They were stamped with:
Ranger Iced Spruce Distress Ink. 

The numbers - which symbolize... zero to forty :) are:
Sizzix Stampin Up Bigz Alphabet Typeset

Yes, yes, yes - I finally got my Vagabond!!! YEAH.

And, of course, the arrow is Idea-ology by Tim Holtz!

My daughter loves shimmer so I chose a glitter card stock to enhance the eroded metallic look. It is by Craft n Craftin.

The lace edge was cut with:
Sizzix Big Shot Edgelits Finishing Touches.

I tried to make the gal on the card look like my daughter - hehehe!!

And yes, she makes her own head bands for her and her three girls - and yes... they actually wear them too!  She only wears glasses when she runs out of contacts!! But she always has on sunglasses!! And you won't catch her without bling!

The hair was done with Silks Acrylic on a very tiny brush for the funky gal on the card below. I always enjoy working with Silks.  Her skin was done with Spectrum Noir markers.

The stamp is: Ranger Dylusions Black Sheep by Dyan Reaveley.

Here is the before and after!!

After cutting the edgelits border there were pieces of glitter paper leftovers!  I didn't know exactly what I would use so I cut not only the teal color but a light blue and a silver borders too too. 

I put the little punched piece of the glitter card stock around her glasses and also used the tiny pieces on edges of her jacket. Then it looked cute to have a piece of the edge for her headband! There is also a tiny heart cut out of the glitter paper pieces on the jacket lapel!  The glitter is hard to see in the pictures but looks really fun on the card! 

THE INSIDE:

On the inside, more stamping with the Prima Finnabair lines stamp - again in Iced Spruce.  Around the outside of the white card stock is broken china distress ink.

More glitter card stock and Edgelits Die Cutting. Around the top of the cake is another left over piece of the glitter card stock. 

The card is in the mail and I am excited to see what her reaction will be when I tell her I eroded metallics!! 

Don't you just love how crazy that will sound to her!!!???  

And wouldn't you "like to know" the secret of this technique???  

I always enjoy the Compendium of Curiosities challenges because I am learning something new and wonderful.  

Thanks so much for letting me share. Hugs. j. 


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

Guest Designer Project for Rhedd's Creative Spirit Altered Art

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

Guest Designer Project for Rhedd's Creative Spirit Altered Art 

Hi everybody... Joi here for another fun sharing time with you.  

Sooooooooooooooo.... ok - I am just going to be up front and tell you (since most of you know anyway - eheheheh).... this is my very first time to be a Guest Designer.  YES - you are right - you know me so well.... I am blessed, honored and GIDDY!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Do you know how creative the folks are at Rhedd's Creative Spirit? They are FABULOUS.  After all - they have CREATIVE in their name!!! I love seeing all the different ways that they come up with to alter anything from the tiniest box to larger type furnishings.

Check Them Out HERE: Rhedd's Creative Spirit

Let me tell you... my imagination is not nearly as expandable as theirs so what in the world was I going to do for them???? 

For days and days... my thinking cap was throwing off fumes from discarding every idea that popped into my head.  Ugh. 

Then one day, I was out on our wrap around porch - glanced across to the cow pasture to admire the new calves and literally stubbed my toe on.... WHAT?  Would you believe... A BEAR?  

That crazy bear had been sitting there in virtually the same spot for the past year. He was chipped, moldy, wind damaged, and had lost the fish that used to hang out of his mouth.  Nope - no idea how that fish got away!!!!!!!!

With my big toe pounding - right then and there - I decided that bear had to go.  Bending over to pick it up, I felt the strangest rumble in my thinking cap and then as I stood up... that ole thinking cap started to hiss and crank and sputter.  By the time I had walked around to the trash can... there was no way to let go of Mr. Bear and toss him.  My thinking cap was now in purring mode and even with an aching toe... I knew that we had found an answer.  

Drum roll please.....

Mr. Pygmy Bear.... meet Rhedd's Creative Spirit friends&family.  

(Keep reading if you want to know how he got his name!)

Now onto the rest of the story!!!

Here is a snap of the bear BEFORE! But he was much worse looking than the picture shows - not salvageable - as he was.  He is made out of a hard plastic mold but it will chip and the fish totally broke off his mouth so... it's seems like a strange plastic.

P.S. My work space is organized - sure can't tell it here!!  

I absolutely adore bright shimmery shiny sparkly colors. Since we have some 'Baylor University Bears' in our family... Mr. Pygmy Bear was painted in green and gold. 

And it was really nothing more than just that - painting.

Mr. Pygmy Bear himself was done with the following items:

Pebeo Studio Acrylics DYNA - Iridescent Green Yellow

Pebeo Studio Acrylics DYNA - Iridescent Precious Gold

Ranger Ice Stickles - Diamond

Ranger Ice Stickles - Black Diamond

Mr. Pygmy Bear's cliff side was done with:

Ranger Alcohol Inks - lots of colors

You will also so some of the following little creatures:

lady bug

bee

lizard

large butterfly

small butterfly

snake

Mr. Pigmy Bear's earth was done with the following: 

Pebeo Studio Acrylics DYNA - Iridescent Green Yellow

Preserved Spanish Moss

Pecans (from the ranch)

Acorns (from the ranch)

Rocks (from the ranch)

Wood (from the ranch)

A few real leaves too!

Prima Flowers

And Mr. Pygmy Bear is a fair size - here is a picture with a ruler!

After the project was finished, I shared sweet Mr. Pgymy Bear was some friends.  One of the guys pulled my hubby aside and said he like the bear but the pecans were a bit big compared to the bear. My every loyal - precious hubby of 43 years as of May 27 said... 

"Oh - didn't you know... this is Mr. Pygmy Bear".

Needless to say... I was so proud of hubby for saving me!!!

And everyone was laughing loudly at his quick humor too!

It was a fun project to do. Sure hope you enjoyed my little narrative about this creation.  I am very very excited to be a Guest Designer for Rhedd's Creative Spirit. Thanks bunches to all.  Hugs j. 

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

TWELVE TAGS of 2015 - MAY

~ ~ ~ ~

Wow... can you believe that we have done FIVE tags already?  I'm so excited that I have been able to do the first five on time - hehehehhe.  But let me tell you - it almost didn't happen this time.   

I had my tag all ready to go a couple of days ago... but I was still working on another project so I decide to just wait and take the pictures of both all at once.  Never again!  

I was almost done with my last project - so proud of myself for making it thru almost everything on my list this month... and WHAM... somehow I fell right out of my chair.  Are you laughing???!!!!  Go ahead - I understand.  It really does sound funny!! I still can't believe it happened. 

I am a bit on the handicapped side though so... I couldn't get up.  Plus the chair had me trapped so I couldn't move - couldn't even lift my head.  And guess what... I was all alone too.  My phone was behind me being charged.  OOPS!  It was all a bit scary.  Long story short... two hours later I finally was able to get off the floor. YEAH!!!  

And although I seriously wanted to quit - I learned from all you fellow creators out there - never say never - keep on keeping on and get it done... so I did!!!  Ready to call it a day/night as soon as I finish Tim's Tag for you.

Here it is!!  

It's definitely does not have as much on it as Tim's wonderful example but it makes me happy!

The little fella on this tag has a great time every day with his doggie.  He is 14 and his doggie is 14 in dog years - so they are the same age! They wander in the fields, pick flowers and shoot off arrows.  As long as they are together they are always happy.  

The circus ticket is a good memory for the little fella. It was a really fun trip to the circus with Pappy.  However he sure was glad to get home to doggie who gave him lots of licks and wiggles! 

I really enjoyed this one - probably because I used the little fella with is doggie as well as red, white and blue!   Plus - I was able to get my initials on the tag when I did the texture paste!!!  FUN.

Thanks bunches for stopping by to meet my little fella and his doggie. Oh and no worries - I'm just fine.  I don't usually talk about myself at all but this was pretty dramatic!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hugs. j. 

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