Monday, July 29, 2019

Winners for my Growing in Unity week

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments last week for my Growing in Unity week. I used a random generator to pick 2 names. Sher and Glennis F. You two are my winners.

Friday, July 26, 2019

Day 5 Growing in Unity- ATC coins

Welcome to my last day of Growing in Unity.
I started today's project with this monoprint.
 I love the color and movement of the circles on this print.. 


I have been saying to myself, "One of these days I will make an ATC coin" Well today was that day. An ATC or Artist Trading Card coin is a circle that is 2.5". I die cut mine out of the monoprint.


I stamped without masking the clock and flowers from these sets:

Notice Moments {lol 8/18}
and
Everyday Fairytale {kom 12/12}


It didn't matter to me that the hands of the clock were off center on all the coins. I think it adds more interest that way.



I painted the flowers and leaves with white acrylic paint.


I watercolored the flowers and the leaves. I added white highlights with a white gel pen. I outlined the flowers with a black ink pen.



Here today, Here tomorrow
I stamped the butterfly several times onto white cardstock. I then watercolored them. The following photos show how I paint them to get a realistic look. I start with yellow add orange and then red and then I sprayed them with water to let the colors blend. 







I outlined the coins with black ink. I added white highlights to the flowers and clock hand with a white gel pen. I also added splatters with gold metallic paint.  I put a rhinestone on clock hands.
I also added glitter to centers of the flowers.
Coin # 1

Coin #2


Coin #3


Coin #4


I die cut 4 more circles and stamped this bible scripture on them. I also signed and dated them with MM for Mississippi McGyver.


Well that concludes my projects for Growing in Unity. Make sure you leave a comment. I will be picking winners from the comments on Monday 7/29/19.

Beach colors

This week's Mix-Ability challenge on SCS is to do beach colors on your mixed media project. Well to me beach colors is blues, teals, purple, and browns. So that is what I did for my card. I used a mono print that I made with ARTplorations stencil called PRISMS


I wanted to have the stenciled part be the star of this card. So I did all the stamping around the central prism. I used 2 sets. Skipping Stones "heartsong" and an old Our Daily Bread set called "Don't Worry"


 The chicory flowers were masked and stamped 3 times. I used white acrylic paint to cover the background on the petals. I also didn't like how the music stamp had kind of blurred so I painted white acrylic paint over it. To "match" it I added white acrylic paint randomly on the card.



 I water colored the card. Then I went over the flowers with a black ink pen.


I felt like it needed something more so I stamped 2 background stamps from a retired Stamplorations set called Mini Mixed Media Backgrounds.


 I colored the stems with a green colored pencil. I stamped the sentiment onto white cardstock. I used a white gel pen to add highlights.  I made this as an easel card. I stamped the music notes on a scrap piece of paper and water colored it and popped it up with dimensionals. to make the stopper for the easel. 



I hope this has inspired you to create. 

ARTplorations has a large supply (191 to be exact) of really amazing stencils. Check them out HERE. 

If you decide to add some stencils to  your crafting stash, you can use my code to get 20% off your order. 




Thursday, July 25, 2019

Day 4 Growing in Unity -what you love

Welcome to day 4 of my Growing in Unity week. It sure is going by fast. Here is the mono print that I used for today's project. I liked the colors and the stenciled area on left. I accentuated the stenciled part with a white gel pen.


I stamped the Eiffel Tower from Unity set called

Everyday Fairytale {kom 12/12}


I masked the tower and stamped the stack of books.


I masked the tower and stack of books and stamped the flowers


I picked 4 different solid colored pieces of cardstock.


I stamped the stack of books on the 4 pieces of cardstock.


I then fussy cut out the books.


I glued them together. I used gold metallic rub to paint the edges of the books


I painted the flowers and leaves with white acrylic paint.


I masked the images and stamped the music score from 
Forget the Past {smak 11/16}
I used a white gel pen to add highlights to the books and to highlight the tower and to go over the word "Paris"


I stamped the sentiment on white cardstock.


But I realized that I would have to cover something up if I left it as it was. So once again I cut the sentiment up.


I then watercolored the sentiment to help it blend in. I also added a doubled up butterfly using 
Here today, Here tomorrow
I added glitter to the centers of the flowers and to the "berries"

I put the card on an easel base.


This card made me think of my second daughter. She graduated this last may with her masters in Library Science. She is starting this year as a full time librarian at her school district. I think I will send this card to her. I hope you were inspired by today's project. Don't forget to leave a comment and come back tomorrow for my last day of Growing in Unity. 





Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Growing in Unity day 3- Surround yourself


Welcome to day 3 of my Growing in Unity.  This is the mono print that I used for today's project. To be honest. It wasn't one of my favorites. I seldom use red in my projects. So the red on this print is probably why I didn't like it as much as my other prints. 


I stamped the sentiment at the bottom and masked it. Sentiment is from 

Forget the Past {smak 11/16}


 Allow Yourself

I painted the butterfly and flowers with white acrylic paint because I knew I wanted to use light watercolors and needed a light base.






After watercoloring the butterfly and flowers I masked them and stamped the music score from Forget the past SMAK kit.


Unfortunately once I stamped the music notes, the sentiment kinda  feels washed out and overshadowed. 

So I stamped the sentiment onto white cardstock and cut it up like the sentiment I did on my project yesterday. I then water colored it to help it match the background. 


It was missing something though. The space on the left side of the sentiment. I knew I wanted some kind of flower. The other day I got to meet fellow stamper and Unity lover, Dale Sue Glass. She had posted on Unity Facebook about having her basement flooded this spring. Turns out she doesn't live very far from me. We met for breakfast and then shopping at Hobby Lobby. When we were eating breakfast she gave me a little bag of goodies, including some Unity Stamps. One of the stamps she gave me was flowers (not sure what set since it was by itself- again if you know let me know in the comments)

Image may contain: 2 people, including MariLynn DeGroot, people smiling, stripes and closeup




See, wasn't that flowers stamp just what it needed?  I hope you were inspired by today's project. Don't forget to leave a comment. Make sure you check back again tomorrow to see another project.  Oh and as a side note, when I was done with this card, I think the background was just perfect and I really like how it turned out.