Anne Sullivan page for 7 Dots Sept/Oct Challenge

 

I created a layout for the current challenge at 7 Dots Studio (the link to the challenge can be found HERE) The theme is a favourite historical figure, and I chose Anne Sullivan, who was Helen Keller's teacher, mentor and lifelong friend. Pretty much everyone knows who Helen Keller was, but few recognize the name of the person responsible for her success and even her very ability to communicate. I've always admired her dedication and commitment, as well as the love and devotion she felt for Helen. Visually impaired herself, she spent hours reading and spelling the books out to Helen via sign language on her hand, and did this with textbooks and lectures throughout Helen's education, including Harvard university. 

I used the lovely Thoughts Keeper collection paper for my page, and added Prima and Recollections flowers, some edge punching with a Martha Stewart punch, misting in Mister Huey's Classic Tan, and some bits and pieces from my stash. The quote reads, "It is a rare privilege to watch the birth, growth, and first feeble struggles of a living mind; this privilege is mine."

Thanks so much for stopping by and  have a terrific day!

"Delicate" layout for More than Words October Challenge

hi there friends! As soon as I saw the prompts for this month's challenge on More than Words, I knew it was right up my alley; I love creating soft, delicate layouts and incorporating fabric into my projects.

You can find information about their challenge HERE

I have made several layouts with photos of these gorgeous wire fairies; I love that they are so delicate while being made of such strong material. I found the images on Facebook, made by a company called Fantasy Wire. I chose delicate pastel papers from Pion Design and incorporated several different types of fabric/fiber to my page-the ribbon roses, vintage doily, tulle, green cloth ribbon, and thread. The chipboard pieces are very ornate and delicate as well. I loved both prompts and enjoyed using them to create this page! Thanks for stopping by to look :)

"darkness" mixed media canvas for Gypsy Soul Lasercuts and Chiaroscuro

Hey there crafty friends; as some of you may know, I don't tend to make a lot of Halloween projects, especially not the really creepy things, but this one is a bit of an exception. Our local art store is having a Halloween-themed competition, and I decided to throw my (pointy, black) hat into the ring!

We had the choice of either a 16x20 black canvas or 9x12 black or canvas drawing paper, so of course I scooped a canvas, as I love using my Gypsy Soul chipboard for assemblage on canvases or on 3D items.

After attaching the image and the quote, I chose my chipboard pieces from several shape sets. The bats were run through a reptile-skin embossing folder before being attached to the canvas.

The tree was run through a woodgrain embossing folder.

The ravens were covered with texture paste; I used my finger to spread it to get the rough, feathery texture I wanted.

I arranged the chipboard pieces and a variety of flowers, fibers, metal items, etc onto the canvas in a diagonal pattern and stencilled here and there with texture paste. Keep in mind that projects like this are a great way to use up odd coloured items, and you can mix metals, as they will all be covered in black gesso before any colour is added.

After everything was arranged the way I wanted, I covered everything except the paper image (which was found in Googe images) in black gesso.

The next part was so much fun; I had just gotten two new Art Alchemy waxes with this project in mind and couldn't wait to try them out! I started with the Aged Iron Metallique Wax and applied it to most of the embellishments and raised surfaces, using my finger and a small piece of paper towel for blending. I then began adding Royal Robes (purple) Opal Magic Wax here and there, rubbing some into some flat parts of the canvas as well.

I liked the effect of just these two colours but was bothered by the contrast between the sheen of the waxed parts and the matte finish of the areas without wax....so I pulled out a couple other goodies-ColourArte Silks in Iridescent Green and Twinkling H20s in Meridian blue. I concentrated these mostly on the areas of flat canvas that had not been coloured, although I did add a little to some of the embellishments to make them stand out a bit more. When I was done adding these colours I was much happier with the overall effect. I then sprayed a little Perfect Pearls mist in Pewter, mostly in the larger open spaces, to soften the lines created by brushing on the paints I added a few tiny acrylic teardrops here and there and then I was done.

I had a great time getting in touch with my dark side on this project, and I hope you enjoyed seeing my canvas and how easy it is to create cool (and creepy) effects! Have a great week; I hope you find the time to get messy and creative :)

GYPSY SOUL ITEMS USED

tree-Winter Shape Set
bats & ravens-Creepy Critters 
spider/web-Creepy Corners1
Barbed Wire Shape Set

OTHER ITEMS USED

Prime Art Alchemy Waxes
-Royal Robes
-Aged Iron

ColourArte Silks-Iridescent Green
ColourArte Twinkling H20s-Meridian
Perfect Pearls mist-Pewter
black gesso
Aleene's Tacky glue
embossing folders and Cuttlebug