Be Yourself

Hey there Peoples!! Today is my last day as guest DT on the eP blog.  I started out with the idea of exploring a more layered mixed media journal page and ended up with more of my usual style of  CAS (clean and simple) mixed media canvas instead!! LOL!

AND I used PINK!!!  

I am dying of laughter on that one!! I find it beyond amusing that I titled this project "Be Yourself" and I used PINK!!! BWHAHAAA!!

 Yes, for those of you who may not know, I am sooo NOT a pink type of gal but for some unknown reason I reached for some pink stains and inks on this one!!

I hope you will visit the eP Blog  to see more details about this "girly girl" project!!

2013 is Off to a Questionable Start

It is day 7 in the New Year and I'd say, 2013 has made it's entrance with an questionable start.

**Started feeling a bit "iffy" Jan 30.  Ended up taking a couple of doses of medication to take away the "OMG...are clothes suppose to hurt your skin with contact" feeling while at work New Year's Eve.

**Never rang in the New Year.  Instead, after work on NYE, I came home, slathered on a tantalizing layer of Vick's, curled up on the couch and shivered my way into a feverish sleep.

**The Toad and the Oldest and Youngest Kiddo also came down with the "bug".  We are all getting our "once a year sickness" out of the way early this year.  Which, is a good thing.  The bad thing is...the "bug" lingers.  We are all still overly fatigued, suffering intermittent fits of coughing (me and youngest kiddo mostly), stuffed up noggin's and disappointment in the fact that food has absolutely NO TASTE.  

The biggest change of the New Year affects my crafting.  New Year's Day had me moving ALL my crap,  craft supplies out from the spare bedroom so that a student at the small church school my kids attend could move in. This is one of The Toad's boys he has coached in the past.  His parents actually live out of state, but  his older brothers live locally.  But, sometimes, it is hard to have your big brother be your "parent".  And this Kid doesn't want to leave the school.  Which means that currently, what was in my craft room has now taken over the hallway and is piled up in a corner of my bedroom.  

This little change is giving me a very long overdue push to go through my supplies, weed out, purge and re organize.  

Have I mentioned how long over due this job is?!! Needless to say, until I get this nasty job out of the way, there will be no creating on my part.  As of right now, I don't know where anything has gotten shoved, LOL!!

BUT!! I still have a couple of projects that I haven't had time to share yet!!  One, being, the second mixed media canvas that I made for the Spellbinder's Explore Beyond challenge.  

This canvas is completely different from my first canvas that I made for the challenge.  I decided to try my hand at what is the more popular style of mixed media, such as you seen with mixed media journals, etc.

Of course, I had to do it my way! While I admire those who can add layer after layer onto their pieces, I find that for me, personally, mixed media can become too busy for my brain. I look at certain pieces, not sure where my eye is suppose to to focus; is it suppose to be on the stripes and polka dot border?  The layers of paper and paint behind the main image? The paper pieced, colored, painted, drawn/doodled main image? The added stamping, doodles, etc.?  Or, the funky font of the sentiment?

So, while I wanted to explore the different mediums and  layers that make up most mixed media projects, I did it with a clean(er) and simple(ier) version that made me excited to try something new, yet didn't overwhelm my senses.

remember, you can click on the images for a larger view

I began with a 9x12 canvas board (which means it is a "solid" canvas versus a stretched canvas over a frame).  I dug through my outdated paper stash and found a newsprint style paper for my base.  

glued it down and added a "frame" of gesso around the edges

randomly scribbled with watercolor pencils

added the water and blended the colors 

used Spellbinder's Paisley and Hearts to make my little song bird

added glimmer mists and pastel chalks 

dug out my paints and brushes

die cut lots of flower layers and emboss texture

add a bit of shimmer.....

Put it all together

I liked how this piece turned out and find it rather amusing that it looks pretty girly, which is SO NOT ME, LOL!! 

I am liking this different creative path from just making cards.  I feel like I'm starting to return to my roots of painting and drawing with a twist.  Hopefully, I'll figure out my creative space soon and will be able to explore some more canvas work!!

Linking this to the eP blog challenge Get Altered--Using Canvas

I have ONE more quick, easy little project to share soon!! Hopefully, by then, I will have made a dent in the purging, reorganizing of the craft area and will be able to start sharing again regularly!  If no one hears from me by the end of the month, send out the rescue troops!! LOL!!

'Till next time.................

Continuing on the Canvas

This summer is flying by and if I blink, my kids will be back in school! During this whirlwind that I call life, I haven't had much time to create.

Actually, if I'm really honest, I haven't really had the desire to create.  I'm finding myself overwhelmed by stuff.  


"Stuff" on the calendar that fill our days.
"Stuff" that is piling up in my craft room.
"Stuff" that is piling up in the house in general.
"Stuff" that is being added to the the to do list.
"Stuff" that I need to start to tackle, but don't even know where to begin!

But today, I decided to take a little "me" time and work on the mixed media canvas that I started several weeks ago.

It's still a learning experience.  And I have seemed to have made her smile more of a smirk, which I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to fix despite several attempts.  This is one of those projects where you add a little bit of shading, stand back, look, ponder, add a little bit more. Walk away, ponder, add a little bit more and then ponder some more.

I am getting to the place where I need to just leave well enough alone before I totally over work the piece and ruin it.  

Except I need to do some more work on the eyes.  And her hair.  Hair was my nemesis in college art classes.  It would appear it still is! haha!

But, for now, I'm going to walk away again and ponder.  

And feed my kids.  Seems that this wannabe artist has to bring herself back to reality and take care of family stuff.

'Till next time...............