New Watercolor Whimsy Collaboration with StampGrl (Dalis)

 Good day my friends!  I am excited to start this new collaboration with Dalis (StamprGrl).  We were supposed to start in January, but...I ended up catching every virus known to man in January and was sick for pretty much the whole month.  I am now on the mend though and we decided to roll January's project into February, so you get 2 projects this month :)

A little background:  Dalis and I decided to do a collaboration with watercolors as our medium.  We randomly chose 12 stamp companies from our combined stash and assigned one company to each month.  Dalis and I won't have the same stamps, but that's part of the fun of it...you get two different inspiration pieces from the same company every month!

January's company is Stampendous, House Mouse collection specifically!  And for February we have Avery Elle.

You can see Dalis' beautiful creations here!

Here is my January creation using Stampendous/House Mouse Designs' Happy Hoppers Bouncing Bunnies!

They look like they're having loads of fun don't they!  My projects are watercolored using Prima Marketing watercolors.  

For my February project, I worked with Avery Elle's Peonies stamp set.

Such a fun month for this new collaboration.  Dalis and I will be back on March 10 with some more watercolor fun using stamps from Stampendous!

Collector of Curiosities Art Journal Page

Over in the Ode to Paper Friends Facebook page tonight, the LIVE video was all about creating this black and white with a pop of color art journal page!

Sweet Sentiment August Sketch Challenge

It's time for a new Sketch Challenge over at Sweet Sentiment!  This month I have created a mixed media tag with a fun Stamping Bella image :)

Vintage Mixed Media Tags with Happy Little Stamper Mixed Media Challenge

Hello everyone, I have joined the HLS Mixed Media Challenge Team as well as the ATC Challenge Team and this month's theme is Vintage!  And we all know how much I adore making mixed media projects hehehe.

Angel Mixed Media Art Journal Page with 7 Kids Crafts

Hello everyone, I have an art journal page to share with you today for 7 Kids Crafts.  I created this art journal page using a quote I found online and some awesome stencils and paper!

Mixed Media 5x7 Canvas with 7 Kids Crafts

Hello everyone!  I have a mixed media canvas to share with you today for 7 Kids Crafts.  This canvas is 5x7 and I used several Prima Marketing/Finnabair products to create it, along with several old costume jewelry pieces from my stash!

3x6 Art Journal: Page 3 with 7 Kids Crafting Supply Store

I have another page in 3 x 6 art journal series to share with you today for 7 Kids Crafting Supply Store! I decided to try collaging for the first time, and I totally fell in love with it :) Now I find myself stashing away all the little bits of paper and whatever else can find hahaha.

3x6 Art Journal: Page 2 with 7 Kids Crafting and Supply Store Rainbow Challenge

It's challenge time at 7 Kids Crafting and Supply Store! This week's challenge theme is Rainbows, and I have created a watercolor art journal page for you today with a really great quote I found on the internet.

#Artlove52 Week 6: Dancing

Ahh yes, it seems I am having some trouble keeping to this schedule, lol. And I am still behind with #ArtLove52. I do plan to catch up and hopefully by the end of this month I will be where I'm supposed to be lol. But in the meantime, here is Week 6, and the word for that week was Dancing.

3x6 Art Journal: Page 1 with 7 Kids Crafting Supply Store

I have created a couple of 3 x 6 art journals out of different papers and I would like to show you my first page!

#Artlove52 Week 5: Wellness

Oh my, I totally missed posting this project! My bad, lol. Last week's #ArtLove52 word was "Wellness" and I really struggled with this. And then I got to thinking about how I was hitting a brick wall with this word. And then Bam! It came to me...lol. Part of being well is knowing how to deal with brick walls. And the way to do that is one brick at a time!

To start this project, I wanted to use texture paste to create some kind of wall. I remembered watching Maremi's Small Art on Youtube and she had mixed paste with coffee grounds to get fabulous brick texture. So why not give it a try? Guess what? It works amazingly!

When the brick wall was dry, I put a couple of coats of gesso on it. When my gesso was dry, I started to add watercolors in browns and blacks to create the brick color. I used my Prima Classics Watercolor Pans and mixed different ratios of brown, red and black to make the right colors. I added the colors in layers, drying each layer before moving on to the next. I sprayed them with water as well, to make them run in between the bricks.

I rubbed the colors around the outside of the brick wall as well to make the page more cohesive and started to think about what I could use with the quote as the focal point. I had already decided on the text, so all that's left is to make it all come together.

After I decided which scraps I wanted to add behind the text, I realized I needed to single out one brick and add some highlights. I added some Art Alchemy Metallic Wax in Bronze Age from Prima Finnabair to the high spots of the bricks and then added quite a bit to cover just one whole brick.

This photo really shows the texture of the bricks. This technique is great for massive texture and effect!

To finish this project, I added some black ink around the edges of the page to frame it in, and some Art Alchemy wax to the edges of the paper bits to make them look worn and aged as well as make them stand out a bit against the dark background. Thank you for stopping by today! I have linked some of the products I have used to the 7 Kids Crafting Supply store. Thanks for stopping by for last week's #ArtLove52 word of the week: Wellness. This weeks word was "Dancing"! And of course it is also off schedule just a bit lol, but it will be up soon and I hope to be back on schedule next week!

Treasures Mixed Media Canvas with 7 Kids Craft Supply Store

Hi everyone, I have a fun mixed media project and some exciting news!  First the exciting news!  I am now a designer for 7 Kids Craft Supply Store out of South Dakota!  I was so excited when Kelly Neis asked me to be on her team, I started designing right away!

Maddie with Glasses Bookmark with Paper Nest Dolls

Good morning all!  I have a fun watercolor bookmark for you today featuring Maddie with Glasses from the Paper Nest Dolls :)

I used my Prima Watercolor Pencils to color her on some Prima Watercolor paper.  This pad of paper is 3 inches by 6.25 inches and is the perfect bookmark size!

I love to watercolor and this is one of my most favorite of the dolls, so why not combine the two!  The sentiment stamp is from my stash, and I used my Cotman water colors to complete the blue background.

I hope you enjoyed my inspiration project this month for the Paper Nest Dolls!  Don't forget our challenges run for the whole month and the theme is always Anything Goes!

When I watercolor I like to work on three or four projects at a time, this gives me something to do while I wait for my layers to dry.  And this project was no different...stay tuned on Friday for the other two projects I completed!

A Little Mixed Media (SAY WHAT?!)

Hahaha yes, I am playing with mixed media!

I am also working with a new company out of New York State called OOAK Artisan Showcase.  It's a great company that wants to promote and encourage artists all over the world.  The owner of the company is Shelley Graham Turner, and I have known Shelley online for quite a few years, way back to when we were both creating jewelry:)

So, for my first project post for OOAK, I have created a mixed media project, aptly named "Dreams and Dedication".  I used a fabulous quote in my piece that speaks to my heart.

This project started out as a 6x6 piece of watercolor paper from the Prima Marketing Paintables pad. I watercolored it with Distress Crayons and then it sat on my desk for a few months.  I just didn't know what to do with it, lol.  Finally I sat down with it one night and just decided to play around.

I added some stencils and molding paste, then I added some acrylic paint, and black gesso.  I looked for a quote and found this one that I loved, so I printed it out and added it to the paper.  I got out my magic marker and started adding lines.

Then I decided it was way too small, and found a wooden artist board (from the dollar store!) and painted it with black gesso.  I added the paper to it and decided it needed even more color (go figure!).  I mixed some distress crayon with white acrylic paint and had a little finger painting fun.  Then I added flowers that I distressed with the black gesso, some cardboard embellishments that I heat embossed and some metal embellishments.  Lastly, I decided it needed something special and I dug out my bronze acrylic paint and my fingers went to work again!

I am excited about this piece, and it has given me inspiration for other pieces which I hope to show you soon!

Thank you for visiting, and I hope ou will also visit the OOAK Artisan Showcase blog for more inspiration every week!  We will also be featuring OOAK members, so if you would like to be a member, please go to ooakartisanshowcase.com and join us!

The Black Star with Santoro/Gorjuss and Quick Creations

I have created a fun watercolored card for you this week, using Santoro/Gorjuss "The Black Star", Nuvo Glitter Drops in "Pink Champagne" and Prima Marketing "Tales of You and Me" paintables.  You can find these products in the Quick Creations online store :)

I colored this image using my Recollections watercolor markers in various colors.  I used the same markers to color the Prima Marketing Paintables paper.

Thank you for stopping by, come back soon!

Feel Better Hydrangeas with Dove Art and Quick Creations :)

I just love the Dove Art stamps, they are so fabulous.  They are very realistic which always draws me in :)

I have created this Feel Better card for Quick Creations using the wonderful Dove Art "Hydrangeas" stamp.

I created this card by stamping the hydrangeas onto hot-pressed watercolor paper with Staz-On ink.  I painted them with the Prima Watercolor Pans in "The Classics" and "Decadent Pies".  To finish it off I added some Nuvo Crystal Drops in "Violet Galaxy".

You can find all of the linked products in the Quick Creations online shop :)

Come back soon for more inspiration for Quick Creations (and some just for fun too!)

Friday Feature - Prima Marketing Water Color Pencils!

I am back with the last of the Watercolor Pencil Friday Features, but don't worry...next week I will start a new series of Friday feature cards featuring one of my favorite stamp sets and creating different cards with one set.

So for this week, I have my second most favorite card, and watercolor pencils.  These pencils are by Prima Marketing and they are great!  Very creamy and smooth :)

This card turned out so great!  I am very happy with it.  The flowers are from Stampin' Up although I don't know the name of the stamp...if you know it, let me know in the comments below!  The sentiment is also from Stampin' Up, from the "Yippee Skippee" set.

So that's all for the Watercolor Pencils Friday Features...and the winners are?  Definitely without a doubt...Derwent Inktense in first place and Prima Marketing a close second!  I'm loving them both, and next I wil try mixing them up to see if I can blend them together well....yay!

As I stated above, next week I will start the new Friday Features using one of my favorite stamp sets and creating different cards with the same set.  And I'm gonna leave it a surprise as to which stamp set it is hehehe.  See you next week!

Miss Anya Bags with Quick Creations :)

I have a bright summery hello card for you today using Miss Anya Bags from The Greeting Farm for Quick Creations.

I created this card using paper from the My Mind's Eye "Collectable" collection.  I used the LDRS Creative "Gilded Doily" die and the Lala Land Crafts "Lattice Border" die, as well as a sentiment from the Lawn Fawn "Scripty Sayings" stamp set.  I finished it with some enamel dots from the Prima Marketing "Everyday Vintage" collection and the Simple Stories "Carpe Diem" collection.

I colored her up with my Copics,Prismacolor markers and Prismacolor Premiere pencils inthe following colors:

Skin:  E000
PC927, 939, 1081
Hair:  Y21
PC942, 1034, 943
Clothes:  BG10, BG72
PC992, 905, 1027, 901
Bag:  PB130
PC917, 923, 924, 925, 937

You can find all of the linked products in Noelle's online store at Quick Creations.  Excellent customer service and fast shipping make this shop an excellent addition to your usual web shopping stops!

See you soon for more fun inspiration for Quick Creations!

Fluffy on the Lily with Whimsy/Wee Stamps and Quick Creations

See, I told you last week was a hint of this week's project lol.  This is "Fluffy on the Lily" by Whimsy/Wee Stamps lol.

Noelle has both of the 'fluffies' in her shop at Quick Creations :)

To complete this project I used paper from the Bo Bunny "Soiree" collection, the Lawn Fawn "Flutterby" stamp set and flowers from the Petaloo "Burlap Blooms" set.  I also used the CC Designs "Vine" die and some enamel dots from both the CC Designs "Snowy Day" and Prima Marketing "Everyday Vintage" collections.

I colored this fluffy with my Copics, Prismacolor markers and Prismacolor Premiere pencils in the following colors:

Fluffy:  PB199, R11
PC1084, 1082, 948
Flowers:  R11, YG13
PC924, 923, 925, 913, 912, 911
Background:  C1, C3
PC1060, 1065

You can find all of the linked products in the online shop at Quick Creations.  Come back soon for more fun inspiration for Noelle at Quick Creations :)

Latte Anya with Quick Creations

I have some sweet and fun inspiration for you today for Noelle Martin and Quick Creations.

This is Latte Anya from The Greeting Farm:

I created this card using paper from the "Tales of You and Me" collection from Prima Marketing and the "Gilded Doily" die from LDRS Creative, along with some "Everyday Vintage" Sugar Dots from Prima Marketing.  I topped it off with a sentiment from my Stamp of Approval Beautiful World collection :)

You can find all of the linked products in Noelle's online store at Quick Creations.  Come back soon for more fun inspiration!