Stacy's Paper Crafts

Celebrate Fall 4x4 canvas

A few months ago Papertrey ink had a "Make it Monday" challenge that involved using dies to create die cuts from fabric.  The use of Heat N Bond  was recommended to help stabilize the fabric for easier die cutting but I didn't have any on hand. I remembered using Mod Podge before on ribbon and how stiff it became when it dried, so I decided to use Mod Podge instead, and it worked beautifully!

So anyway I had some extra fabric that had been Mod Podged left over from that challenge and decided to put it to use for some fall themed home decor.

This first project is a 4x4 mini canvas. This canvas actually has several layers of paint on it. I painted something on it and hated it. I started to throw it away but decided to just paint over it. After adding gesso, paint, fabric, & burlap you can't tell at all! 

I applied a layer of Mod Podge to both sides of the fabric and burlap and allowed them to dry over night. The Mod Podge helps stablize the fabric so that it cuts easily with wafer thin dies, and the Mod Podge applied to the burlap will help keep the fraying to a minimum when you cut it. Apply the Mod Podge liberally, and use wax paper or a craft mat so that it doesn't stick to your work surface after it dries. I then applied a layer of gesso on the canvas. Once that I dried I applied some basic brown acrylic paint over the canvas.

I used a scalloped border die & the largest leaf die from Lawn Fawn's Stitched Leaves die cut set to cut the fabric. I added some distress ink to the edges of burlap and fabric and then adhered the burlap over the edge of the scalloped using Scor-tape. I wrapped a piece of brown ribbon from American Crafts to cover the seam of the fabric and burlap.I also added distress ink to the edges and surface of the leaf.

I adhered the fabric and burlap piece to the canvas using Scor-tape. To create the sentiment label I used patterned paper and SU's word window punch. I trimmed it down and stamped the sentiment on the label and inked the edges.

I threaded a button and adhered it to the leaf, and adhered the leaf to the burlap using Scor-tape. I scrunched up the leaf a little to give it a little more texture. I then pulled some plain chipboard letters from my stash to create the title. I painted them black, added a layer of glossy accents, sprinkled on some glitter and let it dry. After it was dry I added a second layer of glossy accents to seal in the glitter. I then used glossy accents to adhere them to the burlap. You can click on the photos for an enlarged view.

 

Thanks so much for looking!

I ♥ Mini canvases

Hi all! It's been quite here on the blog but I can assure you I've been crafting! I'm still in Christmas mode... it's 95+ degrees outside here but that's not stopping me! LOL

A few years ago I purchased some Christmas garland, and each year that I use it, more of the petals fall off. However it's definitely my fault... I use it to wrap around my staircase banister so it's located in a "high traffic" area... and I have a son... need I say more? LOL

Anyway, I've been using the fallen pieces for other holiday decor items. I've used it for holiday gift wrap/packaging, and this year I used a bloom for this mini canvas.

 

This canvas measures 4x4 inches. I applied gesso to the canvas first, then adhered the pattered paper layers. The patterned papers were complementary but I applied a little bit of beige/cream colored acrylic paint to tie them together a little more. I added a gold border to the top layer of pattered paper using a Versamark pen & gold embossing powder.

I was going to use gold glitter, but I didn't want the glitter to flake off. I added a layer of matte medium to protect the patterned paper, but the embossed border lost it's glossy look. It still looks nice but I think on my next canvas I will add the matte medium first, and then add the embossing powder after it dries.

I used red acrylic paint to color the chipboard alphas, and then painted red Stickles over them to create the title. To adhere the bloom, I cut off the back of the bloom. Doing this separates the layers so I used a fabric glue to assemble them again. I then adhered them to a pop dot, and used a hot glue gun to adhere it to the canvas. I used more of the beige/cream acrylic paint along the sides of the canvas and then used a script background stamp & black ink to add more details. Finally I spread more of the red Stickles along the sides and top of the canvas. 

This was a fun project that can be completed in less than an hour, which includes drying time! So that's one project I can scratch off my "Christmas in July" project list :) I just need to work on my Christmas cards & some holiday throw pillows that I wanted to make last year but never got around to doing so.

Do you have any holiday crafts on your to-do list? Christmas is only five months away :)

 

Christmas in July Blog Hop & a give-a-way

I asked a few crafty friends to join me in creating some Christmas & Winter holiday themed projects. I know that summers are usually pretty busy for all of us, but I find that if I start thinking about Christmas in July, I'll have a better chance at finishing at least a few holiday crafts in time to enjoy by the time Christmas comes around. So let's get started :)

 

This project was so fun to create. I was so inspired by this adorable chair I wanted to apply the same concept but with a mixed media style using canvas. I wanted my Santa to be a little bit larger than the pattern so I just eyeballed it and sketched in pencil on the canvas, and made some tweaks and adjustments as I painted. 

I used paper clay to make Santa's nose. I shaped and flattened it, allowed it to dry over night, painted it with acrylic paint, and then adhered it to the canvas. To create the background I used scraps of patterned paper, stamps, paint, & Stickles and worked around the Santa sketch. If I were more confident about my drawing I would have created the entire background first and then painted Santa on top. I think it just would be easier and would have required less "touching up" to Santa's suit that way.

I wanted to incorporate more texture and depth to my painting so I added white fun flock to the trim of the hat. a chipboard snowflake & alphas, and some wood veneer shapes.  I painted the wood veneer shapes, snowflake, and alphas and then applied Stickles to the wood veneer shapes. I also added two buttons & scrappers floss to Santa's jacket. Finally I adhered all of the pieces to the canvas and added some shading using oil pastels.

  

I also created a mini canvas using a poinsettia flower I've had in my stash forever. I added a little ink to give it a little more depth, and then layered in on a stamped & inked cardstock square that I layered on top of a glittery corrugated paper that I die cut using a nestability die.

I'm really looking forward to creating more Christmas home decor projects and I hope my canvases have inspired you to pull out your brushes and paints to create a painting or two.

To help you get into the Christmas spirit I'm giving away a little collection of crafty goodness that you can use to create your own mini canvas. Just leave a comment below & on each of the blogs listed below before 12 noon EST. on Wednesday July 10th. for your chance to win. The winner will randomly selected.

For more crafty inspiration please check out the blogs below.

 

Kat     http://kateblue.blogspot.com/2013/07/christmas-in-july-blop-hop.html

Melisa    http://www.melisawaldorf.com/2013/07/christmas-in-july-blog-hop.html

Seleise     http://www.amethystcat.blogspot.com/2013/07/christmas-in-july-blog-hop.html

Rita     http://www.ritaholmes.blogspot.com/2013/07/christmas-in-july-blog-hop.html

Christy  http://www.tencraftyfingers.com/15/post/2013/07/christmas-in-july.html

 

 

It's finished :)

Well mostly anyway, I just need to hang it... but I finished my very first painting.  And I have to say I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! I probably broke every imaginable "painter's rule," but I always tell my son, there are no rules in art, just go with it! 

 

My painting was inspired by lot's of fabulous floral art paintings like these...

Donna Downey Poppy Canvases

Red Poppies & Black Vase

Van Gogh inspired flowers by 8th grade art students

My painting turned out pretty close to how I envisoned it, but there are a few things I will probably do a little differently next time. Most importantly, I learned so much in creating it. It kind of surprised me how closely art lessons can translate to life lessons... let me explain :)

Try something new

 You might surprise yourself and find that you actually enjoy doing something that you would have normally considered to be completely outside of your comfort zone.

I never thought I would like painting. In fact I hated art class in school. This process has really inspired me to reconsider art. I used a variety of mediums to create this canvas, and I found that I really enjoy mixed media as an art form. It's more forgiving, you really can write your own rules!

Don't be afraid to make mistakes

Sometimes you just have to wing it, you may end up liking the results, and you might not, but in you can always improvise... or tuck it in your back pocket as a lesson learned for your next adventure.

I used modeling paste & water soluble oil pastels for the first time. The modeling paste was so fun, but I went a little crazy with it! LOL Next time I'll center my flowers so they aren't so high up on the edge of the canvas. Because I am not an experienced painter, I found it difficult to add shading using paint, so the oil pastels were much easier for me. Love them!

I also used a combination of patterned paper, an painted paper to create a mosaic like effect for the vase. Some of the painted pieces smudged, the organized pattern I had going ended up not going! LOL But I just went with it, and love the imperfect look it gives.  

Do the best you can with what you have 

I sure many of you have experienced a time in your life, especially if you're a crafter, or a collector of things, that you just need "this or that." You already have things that would work just fine, but that "this or that" would make things so much easier, faster, or better! But sometimes you just have to use what you have. 

I knew that I wanted this painting to have a lot of texture to try to mask my inexperience as a painter, so I started looking at different texture mediums. I knew that I wanted to use modeling paste, stencils, & oil pastels, but then I saw Golden's Glass Bead Gel. That's some cool stuff! But I already spent more than I intended to on supplies so I didn't buy any. When I got home I remembered that I had some Stampin' Up glass beads in my stash.I played around with it, and basically just mixed the beads in with some acrylic paint, and it worked pretty good! I've never used glass bead gel, so I can't compare the results, but it definitely added some texture to the flowers and that's what I was hoping for! 

Good things come to those who wait 

Some things just take time. You can try to rush the process or take short cuts, but more often than not, you will not achieve the results you seek. 

Paint dries slow, especially when you add thick layers. I worked on this painting for several weeks. I tend to have several projects going on at once, and in this case it worked out great!

I thought about using my heat tool to speed up the drying process, but decided against it and I'm so glad I did. The waiting time gave me an opportunity to think about the next steps, and sketch out plans for my next painting. So stay tuned :) 

Thanks for looking! I hope I've inspired you to try something new or different today! 

Happy Monday!

I wanted to share a "work-in-process" photo of a 30x40 canvas I started working on over the weekend.

I have to preface this by saying, I can not draw. I have never really painted before. I have never worked on any type of art at this scale.

But my walls are bare. We've been in our home for more than 3 years and there really isnt much on the walls, or around the house in general in terms of "decor" items. Mostly it's just functional... tables, chairs, dying Ikea sofa & love seat... you get the point.

When we first moved in we purchased a couple of abstract art canvas paintings, two of which are prints, but they were a little pricey... well actually I think they were fairly priced, I just didn't have an idea of how much it would cost to purchase art. I planned to purchase more but other expenses kept popping up. I finally decided that I might possibly be able to create something that I'd be proud to hang on my walls.

I can't draw so there will be no intracate details, but I am going to add some color and texture, so it'll be visually pleasing... hopefully! LOL

2013 is off to a great start for me! I said that I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone and try different types of art mediums, so ya me! :) Hope your year is going well so far too. Thanks for looking, I'll share the final canvases when they are complete.