Hip to be Square

It is time for the next challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time I am the hostess.  I am calling this one Hip to be Square and here is how I described it:

"Let's go retro and make a project influenced by the brighter colours and/or images and patterns of the hippie era of the late 1960's/early 1970's. Your project must either be square or include at least one square element."

I made a square card but that part was easy for me since I make square cards almost exclusively. Then I decided to add a few classic images along with my bright colours. I do remember that period and there was a lot of drab colours too but then there was also some nudity - wasn't going there :)

I started with some yellow card stock from Tim Holtz color core pad for the card blank.  Then I added some Recollections card stock panels starting with orange, followed by deep red that I scored around the edge (hard to see in the photo) and finally some green that I sprayed with Dylusions White Linen ink spray through a Tim Holtz Zigzag stencil.

The paisley panel was made on the computer by creating a square in Word, filling it with bright yellow and then adding a paisley overlay that I picked up as a freebie from dbsdigiscraps.com.  I changed the colour of the paisley to match the deep red panel.  Next came the Hair poster that I picked up online.

I made some bright paper for my flowers by spraying Dylusions Lemon Zest, Cherry Pie, Bubblegum Pink and Squeezed Orange ink onto a sheet of white card stock.  Four flowers were stamped with the Dylusions Fancy Florals set using Tree Branch Archival Ink and then fussy cut. I used some foam dots to add a second layer to the top left flower.  Then I added some dotted buttions and burlap string to each flower.

The sentiment was computer generated and I made the loopy bow by dying some seam binding with Mustard Seed Distress Ink and tying it with some burlap string.  The sentiment and all the panels have been distressed with my scissors and the edges have been inked with Fired Brick DI.

I hope you will channel your inner hippie and join us for this challenge.  You have until April 5th at 11:55 pm EST to enter your Hip to be Square project.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Everybody Art Challenge  - Anything Goes
Craft-Dee BowZ - Anything Goes (must include handmade bow)
Craft Your Passion - Always Anything Goes
Our Crafty Corner - Anything Goes
The Crazy Challenge - Flowers
Stamping Sensations - Flower Power

The following items used to create this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Trio of Flowers

Click on the photo to get a larger view

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time Sue is our hostess and is calling the challenge Let's Make It A Trio.  Here is what she has to say about it:

"One of the things I love to do is work in 3's on a project, 3 tags, 3 panels, 3 arches etc.... so for this challenge I'd like to see projects including 3 of something, but this does need to be the main focal point of your project."

I decided to make a little trio of floral panels. I photographed it laying flat but it does stand up.  I started by cutting three 4" squares from corrugated cardboard and ripped sections of the top layer back to expose the corrugation. Next I watered down some Bleached Sand acrylic paint from Deco Art and dry brushed it over the panels. I inked the edge of the panels with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Next I chose some papers from the Graphic 45 Mon Amour collection and tore them in different ways to fit each panel.  The papers were also inked with Vintage Photo.

I dyed some venise lace with Abandoned Coral DI and cut it into segments.  Then I started to make flowers.  The flower on the left panel is created by making a rosette from some old lace that belonged to my late Mother-in-Law.  I added a button to the centre, tucked a couple of of lace segments under it and then added a gem flourish from my stash.

The middle flower was created by cutting some of the Mon Amour paper with the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die.  It was larger than I wanted so I trimmed down the edges with my Fiskars Deckle scissors and then shaped it..  I added some May Arts crochet lace ribbon under it and some beads from my stash.  The butterfly was created from Martha Stewart Crafer's Clay and a Silicon Mold from Mod Podge.  It was coloured with Abandoned Coral DI, highlighted it with some Hickory Smoke DI and added some Stardust Stickles was added to give it a bit of glitter.

The right flower is a bit difficult to see in the photo but it is a rolled flower that I made from some cheap open weave fabric that I found in in my stash and frayed when I tore it.  I tucked some of the dyed lace segments under it and added another gem flourish.

The panels were sewn together with some black burlap string.

I am going to enter this project in the following challenges:

Crafty Friends - Floral
Just Us Girls - Word Week - Flowers

The following products used to create my floral trio came from The Funkie Junkie Boutiques:

Pot of Posies

The new March challenge starts today at Anything But Cute and this time Branka is our hostess and she is calling it Crazy For Colour.

Branka describes the challenge this way:

"To celebrate the springtime, we would like you to create a mixed media project using vibrant colours! It can be a tag, a card, an art journal page or anything else! Just be sure it's vibrant! It's time to go 'crazy' with colours!"

 
I decided to make an art journal page that I am calling a Pot of Posies.  I spritzed a piece of watercolour paper with water and then I sprayed Dylusions Vibrant Turquoise and Dirty Martini ink onto my craft mat and dragged the watercolour paper through it to create the base for the background.

Next I did a bunch of stenciling as follows:

• Wendy Vecchi Lovely Leaves with Fern Green Archival Ink and Dots and Stripes Borders with Orange Blossom Archival Ink
• TCW Tiny Circles with Magenta Hue Archival Ink
• Dylusions Dotted Flowers with Bleach
• Circles Mask (Manufacturer Unknown) with Magenta Hue Archival Ink
• Swirls (Manufacturer Unknown) with Dandelion Archival Ink

The next step was to make the paper for the pot.  I used a piece of heavy card stock and painted it with the following acrylic paints in random areas:

• Folk Art Medium Yellow
• Deco Art Pumpkin, Wild Orchid and Electric Pink
• Apple Laguna

Before they could dry I loaded a paint brush with water and covered the sheet with strokes to blend the colours a bit.  Once the sheet was dry I used an old DVD as a template to cut a circle making sure to leave a flat bottom and I also cut a strip for the pot rim.  I decided it was brighter than I wanted so I inked the pieces with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  The next step was to take a .05 Micron Pigma Pen and draw all the lines freehand.

Next I worked on the flowers.  I made different kinds of paper for the loopy doodle flowers.  The first was done by swiping some old Tombow markers on a plastic bag, spritzing it with water and then smooshing it around a piece of watercolour paper.  The second paper was made by rubbing Orange Blossom and Dandelion Archival Ink on some Specialty Stamping Paper.  Once the paper was made I stamped the flowers using Jet Black Archival Ink and the smallest flower from Dylusions Fancy Florals set and then fussy cut them.

I decided I didn't have enough flowers and really wanted some different ones but since that was the only stamp I had I went looking online and came up with some freebie doodle flowers.  They were printed onto card stock and then coloured with Forget-Me-Not, Red Geranium and Deep Purple Archival Ink before I fussy cut them.

To make the butterfly I coloured a scrap of card stock with some Artist's Loft watercolour pencils, blended them with water and then stamped the butterfly with a Hero Arts stamp.  The butterfly was fussy cut and some black wire from Artistic Wire was added for antennae.  The sentiment was computer generated and then coloured with some Forget-Me-Not Archival Ink.

Spring Nest

It is time for a new monthly challenge at Stamps and Stencils and this time Rachel is our hostess and is calling it Spring Is In The Air.  She describes it this way:

"I want you to think about what the coming of spring means to you? Is it a colour burst, or maybe flowers? Whatever it is I would like you to show us in a mixed media piece including stamping or stencilling or both! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!"

I am hoping that spring really is in the air because we haven't had a harsh winter as we normally do but it has been up and down with brutal cold followed immediately by really mild temperatures.  Luckily the snowfalls have been light but just as it all melts we get another snowstorm, like the one we got yesterday.  Pretty soon I will be complaining that it is too hot and humid - that is the way it is when you live somewhere that has four seasons.  Now on to my project.

I was surfing the web and saw something here that inspired me, especially since spring usually comes with lots of new birds but of course I had to add my own touches to my project.  I started with a 9" x 12" canvas that I picked up from Dollarama and I covered it with Liquitex Gesso.  Then I used some Mod Podge and torn pieces from an old book to completely cover the canvas.  Once it was dry I covered it with some watered down Gesso.  Then I used a TCW stencil called Mini Bricks and Golden Light Molding Paste to cover the canvas.

The eggs were made next by shaping some Martha Stewart Crafter's Clay into an egg shape and then once it was dry, painting it with Craftsmart Robin's Egg acrylic paint, adding spots with a Copic marker and then covering it with Gloss Mod Podge.

I found the bird template in my stash, traced a couple onto cardboard and then fussy cut them.  I coated them with Fresco Finish Blood Orange chalk acrylic, then Folk Art Crackle Medium followed by Folk Art Country Twill acrylic paint making sure each coat was dry before adding the next.

I decided I didn't like the end result so I added some Lindy's Moonshadow Mist Burnished Brass, FW Antelope Brown ink and some Liquitex Transparent Burnt Sienna ink - happy now.  I stamped the wings with some Jet Black Archival Ink and a stamp from a Kaisercraft stamp called Sheet Music and added some teeny pearls for eyes.

The next step was to make the nest.  The ground was covered in snow so I had to go digging through my craft room and despite what my husband says, it pays to hang on to certain things because I found a couple branches and some dried weeds in a box with some silk flowers.  I broke the branches and weeds up and arranged them along with some jute string, burlap ribbon, bits of bark and strips of old book paper.  I found that Liquitex Matte Super Heavy Gel made a great adhesive.  I went over the whole nest with more Gesso.

Before I added the eggs, birds and a few feathers I added some shading around the nest with some watered down Craftsmart acrylic paint called Espresso.

I am going to enter this project in the following challenges:

Art Journal Journey - If You Go Down To The Woods
Artistic Stamper - Springtime (wings are stamped)
Crafts and Me - Spring
Live and Love Crafts - Signs of Spring
Lunagirl - Spring Flowers and Birds
Cards und More  - Spring (wings are stamped)
We Love 2 Create - Anything Mixed Media/Creative Goes
Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - M is for Mixed Media (wings are stamped)