Shabby Garden Barn Doors and Peeled Paint

Hello there dearies! I am back after a month long break and ready to share with you all my newest design. I have been decorating my home and am wanting to put barn doors up in my kitchen and in my bedroom for a rustic vibe. It is on my to-do list but I needed to get the idea out of my head and with the new challenge over at Anything But Cute, I knew this was a win win situation. I give you my version of a Shabby Garden.

The doors are on hinges and open to reveal the secret garden elements inside. 

Lisa the Fantabulous, of Mermaid Crafts, is our hostess for this month at Anything But Cute #16, and the theme is inspired by her mood board of this Shabby Garden. 

Here is what she would like to see: For this challenge, we are asking you to take a stroll through a romantic shabby garden. Create any mixed media project strongly inspired by the mood board. Think flowers and plants in cracked pots, peeling paint bird feeders, distressed timeworn furniture, crumbling statues, soft pastels and feminine accessories. Don't forget to tell us how the mood board inspired your project and have fun!

This is an 8x10 reverse canvas. I used cardboard from a box to cover the front. I cut out the middle with an exacto knife. Then I added a Layer of white gesso and when dry peeled back some of the cardboard. Next came a layer of DecoArt white chalky paint. The inside lip of the canvas was painted with the chalky paint as well. 

While the chalky paint was drying (it really doesn't take long though) I started constructing my barn doors. I used the backing from a calander. The doors got the gesso and white chalky paint base. 

While many people use wax to create the peeled paint technique, I found it didn't give me the look I wanted (I really did try it). I randomly painted chalky paint (Relic and Turquoise) over the white base. Then tried the wax layer. Blah! 

So I re-did it with CHAPSTICK! Yeppers, I seem to have an abundance of Chapstick laying around and liked the smell (hehe!) so I swiped it over the areas I wanted to "crack and peel"! It worked like a charm and you can see the "cracks" it created after I painted over the Chapstick with the white chalky paint. 

After the top layer of paint is dry, take a sanding block and GENTLY sand over the areas you want to distress. This will reveal the colors below and creates a wonderful peeled paint shabby look! TIP-I also used this technique of the Chapstick on my shabby wall shelf in my bedroom! Works great! I also stamped a rose design using the shadow stamp technique. You can see these on the gram and the front and back of the doors. 

Anyway, I used a plain piece of scrapbook paper to make my background. I heat embossed a stencil design and a word stamp from the Artistic Stamper, then I scraped off some of the embossing powder before I used my hearing tool. I used white and grey EP. Then I grabbed a pipette and dribbled my shades of blue from the DecoArt media line and spritzed with water to create a watercolor effect. 

After the background was dry I added some stamped feathers, small flowers and sprigs. I used ink around the edges of the small white flowers to give some added blue color. 

And there you have it! My take on a Shabby Garden. This was a challenge and out of my comfort zone but it was a totally BLAST to design! Hugz and Carpe Diem!

Closed Doors

Sneak Peak! :)

Open Doors!

I would love to share this Shabby design with these challenges:

Stamps and Stencils-Time to Take Flight

Emerald Creek Dares-Best Moments of Summer

Some of my best moment this summer are planting new flower beds and learning how to make a butterfly friendly "bird bath" (you add flat marble stones to it so the butterflies can stay above the water)

Southern Ridge Trading Co-Anything Goes

The Artistic Stamper-Anything Goes

A Vintage Journey-Stencil It
I used the TH flourish stencil on the frame and the background inside the canvas

Mixed Media Place-Be Inspire by the mood board. 

I used the blues and the overall shabby feel of the board and was inspired by the over hanging tree path. 

Shabby Something?

Hello y'all! Keeping with my goal to try many different styles and colors, I have decided to delve into a more feminine canvas today. Now, anyone that knows my blog understands I tend toward the darker color palettes but this design is none of that! Eek! I received some new LSG sprays for Christmas (from Alleystamp.com) and am using these today. Talk about a new path, and a new beginning.

I started with a 5x7 canvas and some gesso. Then added some script stamping randomly. I totally forgot to take pictures while I was working on the background. Oops. I then added the HS stencil and some texture paste. Once that was dry, I grabbed my LSG spray and sprayed it through the HS stencil to get a soft pattern. 

I painted the gate with white acrylic paint and the ornate frame was painted with Inka Gold-Turquoise. I used the LSG sprays to spray the small flowers. The leaves are made from a mold and Clay and painted with Luminarte Lucky Apple Primary Elements. The cheesecloth is added for texture. A MS branch punch was also used to create more texture. 

The butterfly was heat embossed and then "painted" in some spots with my new Liquid Pearls-Pewter. The sentiment was stamped onto vellum and little dots of the LP was added to the banner. The square green gems are new as well. I then splattered the entire canvas with all the colors I used and stamped another script stamp with Adirondack Mushroom ink. 

I know I forgot some steps but I was in the zone and just kept trying different things. :) Carpe Diem right? Hugz! ~Niki

I would love to share this design with these challenges: 

More Mixed Media-Blue

Stamps and Stencils-Oh So Blue

Mixed Media Place #16-New Beginnings

Stamplorations Stencil Sunday #27-Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers-January Mixed Media Challenge

Vintage Garden for Anything But Cute!

I am very happy, thrilled even, to share my first piece as a Design Team Member for Anything But Cute! Our hostess for our very first challenge is the amazing Branka and her theme for this month is Vintage Garden!

What do you think of when you hear the word Garden? Is it flowers, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, bees, lattice, vines, fences? Whatever garden vision you have, we want to see it. But make sure it's in a vintage style.You can make anything mixed media that follows this theme. When I think of a Vintage Garden, my mind automatically went to soft colors and lots of wonderful birds singing, and flowers. Any type of garden inspires me because I do not have a green thumb at all and have mad respect for anyone that can keep any plant alive!

I must admit that anything Vintage or Shabby Chic are my weak points when it comes to doing mixed media. Thankfully I have a wonderfully supportive team and they provided lots of inspiration! Make sure to check out their creations as well! 

I found this blog post by Olga Heldwein, and had that duh moment of, "why didn't I try this?"  I used her Dry Brush technique which you can find HERE, to create my background. First I applied Gesso, some number stickers, and my texture paste through a stencil and then used my chalk ink to "paint" the color onto my canvas. I used a script stamp with Archival ink lightly around the canvas. 

I painted and smeared the chalk ink with my fingers then added white acrylic paint over some spots to create a more cohesive soft look. 

I then started adding my elements. I try to place everything where I think it will go and then add in the paints, and other design ideas. The cheesecloth adds just the right amount of extra texture I needed. Whew! My birds nest was brown to start with so I whitewashed it with watered down white acrylic paint and gesso.

I painted and used gesso on all the pieces and the Inspire chippie is embossed with LSG embossing powder-Merci Beaucoup Mint. My flowers were edged with Color Box pigment ink. The die cuts are from a TH die-Spring Greenery. 

I made the eggs with polymer clay and sprayed those with LSG Jack In the Pulpit Teal! Love this color and the shimmer is amazing!

Lastly I added some small button type stickers that are garden themed and some more cheesecloth. 

I would love to share this project with the following wonderful challenge blogs:

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #12-May Flowers

Our Creative Corner-April Showers Bring May Flowers In my neck of the woods we have very little flowers growing right now but I plan on planting some rose bushes in my front yard at the new house this month. :)

Beyond Grey Challenges #68-Make Your Own Embellishments I love using polymer clay in my projects and the eggs in the nest are my polymer clay embellishment creations.

Mixed Media Mojo-Tic-Tac-Toe Board I chose the middle row with Gesso, Stencil, and Chipboard

Craft Your Passion #260-Anything Goes