Mix It Up #2

What a lovely week it has been and I am thrilled that the weather is so much more to my liking of being hot. Summer is my favorite season and then Spring. Anyway, today is the day for the Mix It Up Team B's designs and our technique focus this month is stamping! Rubber stamps, cling stamps, hand made stamps-just no digi stamps. :) So without further ado here is my design. Enjoy!

This is my very first time using Gelatos and I have to say I enjoyed it immensely! The colors for this design are all from the iridescent collection. Everything from Black Hole, Lunar, Blue Moon to Satellite, Nebula and Supernova. Cool names for such gorgeous colors!

I used a watercolor canvas and applied a layer of gesso first. I then just slapped on all the colors that came in this set and sprayed it with water letting the drips happen here and there. 

Next came a brand new stencil. I used a white color box ink through the stencil. Since this is a pigment ink it sits on top of the canvas and doesn't dry fast at all. I waited a few days for it to dry.

While my canvas was drying, I decided to try my hand at making a dream catcher. First time doing this as well. I used some broken grape vines I had leftover in my stash and some embroidery thread. I wrapped the thread around the vines and made a circle. I then wove a greenish blue embroidery thread through the circle and made the inside of the dream catcher. It worked! Surprise surprise! I used a Prima word sign and some clear bead things to add some texture to the dream catcher. 

Raiding my feather stash produced some teal feathers, some teal feathers with polka dots, some white feathers and some small metal trinkets from TH Ideaology.

I attached those to the bottom of the dream catcher and then added the silver rose (from Emerald Creek). 

The dream catcher was popped up on foam dots and the middle feather was adhered to the canvas with a hot glue gun. 

The last thing I added was some stamping with random rubber word stamps. I used Distress Ink and slapped down some script. 

You can see the stamping much better in real life but here are more close ups as well.

I used contrasting colors so everything would stand out and the stamping would be visible. 

So get out your stamps and enjoy a good play day, or week! You never know where your paints and colors will take you! Carpe Diem and Hugz! ~Niki

I would enjoy sharing this design with these challenges:

Mixed Media World #26-Anything Mixed Media Goes

A Vintage Journey-Canvas

Creative Artiste Challenge #27-Anything Goes Mixed Media 

Stamplorations-June Mixed Media 

Stamps and Stencils-Words with Meaning 

I used Dream Road because creating my own version of art is a dream road I journey down for every piece. 

New Challenge Blog!

Why hello there crafty people's. I sure hope your weekend is going well. I have some BIG news to share about a new blog in blogland. It's called Mix It Up Challenge. This is a technique based challenge blog that will make you want to try new things. Cool right? Yeppers. I happen to be on the Design Team (yippee!) and just wanted to share the news.

The challenges start in May but we are doing a "Just For Fun" challenge for April.  You can design anything your heart wants. Mix It Up and try something new if you feel up for it. Anything Goes with this Just For Fun challenge. And you can also become a follower. You could even possibly win a prize! Awesome sauce! 

Click HERE for the link to the challenge.

Happy Crafting and Carpe Diem! Hugz. ~Niki

Mini Top Hat for CHA

So excited to finally being able to share this top hat I designed for Kim of Emerald Creek Dares. She has a new stamp designer, Gail, of Crystal Media Arts, and asked if I would like to have a go at these new stamps. The stamps are burlesque themed and so perfect for a mini top hat! I couldn't refuse and was so thrilled to get started.

I started the usual way and used craft foam and my template to cut out each piece. This hat is made from scratch. It doesn't matter what color your craft foam is because everything gets a coat (or two or three) of paint.

Good scissors and contact glue are so important! You just can't make this hat without contact glue. Here is a shot of the gluing process. 

I left the top of the hat off because I wanted to stamp one of the Crystal Cookie stamps on it and heat emboss the image using the new Epaulette Blue powder from Emerald Creek. The base of the hat is painted with metallic blue paint. The stamp is called Boots Before Corset

Once the hat was completely glued together I went to town on decorating it to achieve the burlesque theme. Black lace with some bling went around the top and the bottom. Black feathers and a black rose, with a mini metal rose in the middle are a must! I applied black alcohol ink to the little boot and added those near the black rose 'cause these boots are made for walkin, and that's just what I'll do!

I used a metal frame that I heat embossed with another new Emerald Creek EP, Metabaloid Blue. I then stamped the Playful and Full of Life lady onto some tissue paper and then glued the tissue paper onto some tinfoil. 

I then cut the foil to fit inside the frame and hot glue it to the front of the hat. 

Some more feathers were added and I wanted a surprise pop of color so I added bright purple feathers as well. I found these purple feathers on a rather cheap mask and since it was falling apart at the store they sold it to me for a dollar! Score!

Then I got out some clear vellum and stamped the words "Boots Before Corset" using Versamark and heat embossed it with the Metabaloid Blue powder as well. 

Every girls needs a sassy hat and this one sure turned out sassy. Haha. Huge thank you to Kim for the opportunity and also to Gail for creating these wonderful stamps! Hugz and Carpe Diem! ~Niki

I would like to share this hat with these wonderful challenges:

Altered Eclectics-Anything Mixed Media

Mixed Media Place

I used the feathers and the overall blue hues and the sentiment inspired me as well.

A Vintage Journey-Words that are Special

I used Boots Before Corset. These words are special to me because this was my first design made for CHA and without this stamp, it wouldn't have been possible. 

Craft Stamper February Take It, Make It-Anything Goes Stamping

Sneaky peek-Anything But Cute Tutorial

Hello lovelies! I hope today finds you all in good spirits and with a happy smile on our face! I am sharing a few tips and tricks over at Anything But Cute for our Spotlight Artist post today, using a most wonderful medium for your mixed media makes! Find out more about this tutorial by visiting here! The picture below is just one of numerous ways to use this product. Enjoy!

And don't forget to join our current challenge "Celebrate Your Style" that runs until June 4th! Our awesome sauce sponsors Alleystamp, Emerald Creek and The Funkie Junkie are giving away some FANTASMIC prizes! Hugz and Carpe Diem! ~Niki

Non traditional Easter Basket

Well it is almost Easter, and I really wanted to make something for Easter, but not anything that's typical. I knew I wanted to create a centerpiece so this is what I came up with. A non-traditional egg basket-box tray. Hehe!

I found this on clearance at a local craft store and automatically had a vision. Love when that happens. It didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped, but very close. 

I painted the entire egg holder with Walnut Stain DP, then a layer of Distress Crackle. While that was drying I set about determining what to do with the eggs. I knew I wanted to stay with a limited and earthy color palette. I painted one with Walnut Stain and applied the Distress crackle to it as well, then set it to the side to dry. Two of the eggs were painted with Picket Fence DP and then covered in tissue paper. 

I used some Tim Holtz stamps and stamped with Ranger Archival Ink-Coffee onto some tissue paper then used Ranger matte medium to adhere the tissue paper to each egg. Then I watered down some Walnut Stain DP and used it to create splatters on the eggs. 

The Walnut Stain egg was "painted" with Picket Fence DP and I heat set if for a sec, then wiped it off with a baby wipe so the Picket Fence would get into the cracks. Then I used a scrap piece of tissue and wrapped it and a twine bow around the egg. Some of the crackle came off but that's what I wanted, kind of a vintage feel. The splatters were created by adding water with Archival Pearl and PF and flicking my brush.

The last two eggs were altered using moss and twine for a nature feel. Then I used the Picket Fence and baby wipe for the outside of the box. I swipe some Distress glaze around the outside of the box before I stamped. I added the Tim Holtz stamps with Ranger Archival Ink and added the chit-chat sticker last. The sticker was edged in Walnut Stain as well. 

 I really enjoyed how this turned out and the Reese's bunny is my DH fave so of course I had to add it. He also gets other Reese's candy as well. 

 Here are a few different views of the box. This was a bit hard to photograph and capture the true look of the design. The sun was gone today and it's raining so that doesn't help. 

Finally stopped raining for a bit so I took these pictures outside. No sun, but at least it wasn't raining.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend and live in the moment! Hugz and Carpe Diem! ~Niki

I would love to share these eggs with these amazing challenges: 

Emerald Creek Dares-Easter Parade

Ranger Ink-Easter Egg Decorating

Happy Little Stampers-Water

I used water to dilute my paints for the splatter effects. 

Word Art Wednesday-#222-223-Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More-Anything Goes

Crafty Gals Corner #64-Easter or Spring

Stars Stampz-Think Spring

Mod Squad Challenge-Spring time!

Christmas Tag

My art studio sure is getting used right now. Today was a very successful day and I am pumped to do some more but I am about to watch a movie with my DH and it is almost 10pm. I just wanted to share this Christmas tag real quick. Hope you enjoy and all of you are staying warm!

I wanted to try something new and get really messy. I started by heat embossing a Rubber Dance script stamp with Champagne EP. The edges of the tag were inked with Ground Espresso DI. 

I then started on my ornate frame. I tried some different color combos and wasn't liking the results.....Too yellow! 

I ended up using my Primary Elements-Olive Vine and am happy I did! This set me on the path to the colors you see in the final tag. I also used Emperor's Gold. While the frame was drying I flicked a bit  of Primary Element colors onto my tag  Gorgeous shimmer! 

I die cut "Joy to the World" (a new die that my hubby bought me today) 3 times and layered those cuts. It was inked up with DI and then heat embossed with Red Tinsel. 

The sprigs greenery and glitter leaves were remnants of a Christmas pick I had in my stash. I love adding the picks to my Christmas wrapped gifts! The ribbon was hand died with the Primary Elements and then splattered with them as well. I am hoping to get a better picture tomorrow when the sun is out!

Updated pictures of this tag while the sun was out. Ahhhh the shimmer and glitter!

I hope you are all having an amazing weekend! Hugz and Carpe Diem! 

This tag would love to be in these challenges: 

Lolls 12 tags of Christmas 

Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge

Happy Little Stampers November Mixed Media Challenge-Tag

Stamping Sensations-Festive Flowers and Foliage

Rubber Dance Art Stamps-Nov/Dec Challenge

I used the Festive Red color and the Optional Theme

October Tim Tag 2015

This months is all about experimentation for me, and lots of skulls. I do enjoy the gothic, dark side of art and feel more confident about my darker art. With that in mind I knew I would create something completely different than the tag that Tim created but alas, I do not have the dies or most of the supplies he used this month. So here is what I did!  Mwahahaha!

Here is a link to the original and there is a video this month as well. Go on and check it out. 

 I used my new die, TH Sizzix Pendiments die and glued those to my tag. Note to self: DI does not like to attach to TomBow Multi glue. Oops! I then used the wrinkle free distress technique and swiped away. Inky and messy = fun art.

I also used the same technique for the Alcohol Ink glossy paper that my skull is mounted to. More messy fun. Such a good day in the art studio today! Yippee! 

I added some leftover lace type stuff to the bottom of my tag after inking it up with Twisted Citron DI. The numbers 31 are a die cut (I layered 3 thick pieces together) and are painted with DecoArt Metallic paint and then I used crackle paint and when that was dry I added some Pool Alcohol ink to the top. The blood splatters are from flinging the end of a spray bottle at the tag with red paint. The circle pattern is from a TCW stencil-Mini Specimens inked with DI Fired Brick.The little 'Help Me" frame is a Halloween sticker from last year.

Stay tuned because on the 15th of this month, I have the most interesting skull to share! It is a doozey and may even send chills up your spine! Thanks again for popping over to this section of blogland! Have a wonderful week and Carpe Diem! ~Niki

Challenges I would like to share this tag with:

613 Avenue Create #145-Anything Goes or use any of the FREE sentiments

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2015-October

Eclectic Ellapu Purple Team-Halloween/Dark/Horror

I went with Halloween and Dark

Pile It On #90-Funky and/or Freaky

I chose Freaky

Our Creative Corner-Horror

CuttleBug Mania-No Squares
I used my CuttleBug and the Tim Holtz Sizzix Pediments die