By the Sea

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and our hostess, the very talented Kathy is calling it By The Sea!  She describes it this way:

"It's summertime, and our minds turn toward the shore where we find sparkling sands, delicate shells and refreshing breezes. Let's take a virtual beach trip by creating any kind of vintage or shabby chic project that features a nautical or beach theme and color palette."

For this challenge I have made a reverse canvas. I took an 8" x 10" canvas from the dollar store and used Mod Podge to completely cover it with torn pieces of old book paper. Once dry this gave the canvas extra strength and more of a wood feel like the frame it was stapled to.  It also covers the staples and any imperfections.  Then I worked on the back side of the canvas to create my steampunk-inspired project.  Now the canvas looks like a shadow box.

The next step was to use some texture paste with a couple Tim Holtz stencils to add some texture on the back and edges.  The inside was left flat to accommodate the embellishments.  Then everything was given a coat of white Gesso.

I gave the canvas a coat of Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint called Laguna next, followed by some Accent Clear Blue that I put on with a dry brush.  Then I sprayed the canvas with some Tim Holtz Iced Blue Distress Spray Stain.  The colour was a little too vibrant so I knocked it back with a very light coat of Gesso that I wiped off with a baby wipe.  I used some Jet Black Archival Ink and a Tim Holtz Mixed Media stamp to add some more bubbles on the inside of the canvas.

Now it was time to embellish.  First I stamped the gentleman riding the large fish from the Graphic 45 Voyage Beneath the Sea 2 set on some paper from Graphic 45 Voyage Beneath the Sea using Jet Black Archival Ink and fussy cut it.  Next I used more images from the paper pad and fussy cut them - large background image, sentiment, seahorse, octopus lady, mermaid and diving helmet.  All images were inked with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

My husband cut all the gears and the word "believe" from wood for me and I turned them into rusty beauties using black Gesso, Finnabair Rust Paste and Dina Wakely Ocean Heavy Body paint.  The magnolia flower from Wild Orchid was sprayed with Tim Holtz Lucky Clover Distress Spray Stain.  The starfish was made from Martha Stewart Crafter's Clay in a Wilton silcone mold and coloured with Vintage Photo DI and then highlighted with some copper metallic paint.  Finally some turquoise Stickles, little shells and a few beads were added.

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

Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Under the Sea
Mixed Media World - Under the Sea
Dream Factory - Finding Nemo
Sandee and amelie's Steampunk Challenges - Anything Goes - Steampunk or Industrial

The following products used to create this canvas can be purchased for discounted prices from The Funkie Junkie Boutique: