Let's Face it ...

Can I tell you ... I'm very glad to have some down time from work over the next few days. I generally am OK with my job - I've been an Ultrasound Tech for 23 years. I am a bit burnt out with it which happens easily in the medical field. Most days I'm ok - I put my time in and then enjoy my time after work. Some days, as with any job, it it's extremely frustrating. Yesterday was one of those days! Luckily I have a great support team - on the home front and on the friends front! I'm also thankful for my furry friends - even when they puke on the wall-to-wall carpeting and miss the litter box!

I'm most thankful for my creative hobby - without which I'd lose it more often! The creative outlet is so wonderful and relaxing and just plain FUN! This past weekend I took a class with a friend offered by one of my favorite mixed media artists Dina Wakley! This is my second class with her and definitely not the last! We learned the fundamentals of drawing faces - a plunge I've been wanting to take for quite some time! We started by quickly drawing a face on our own and then applied fundamental techniques. The contrast from the first to the last face was AMAZING!! I have shared several pics already on Instagram/Facebook and I'm eager to keep practicing. Here's my first face. We were asked to quickly draw a face in 30 seconds... (I'm actually surprised I'm sharing this one LOL!!)

 

 

Then we learned fundamentals of drawing face ...

 

 

...she's still a bit creepy but already a HUGE improvement ...

Then we played with Dina's paints, some stamps and stencils and created backgrounds. We added faces to the painted backgrounds which created a very cool effect.

 

 

The face above was drawn with a palette knife and India Ink. Then we painted in one of the faces by creating our own "foundation" ... she ended up being my favorite of the day.

 

 

Speaking of favorites, this is my fav photo of Dina - so cute and it shows her incredible talent which comes effortlessly to her!!

 

 

Thanks again Dina for an amazing class! I learned so much and I'm off to pins some references!!! See you soon with a new mixed media layout!

Project Life : Week 28

Hello Bloggers! Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the rest of the summer, which is flying by so fast! As I'm typing this, every window in my house is open and the breeze is amazing - the humidity is down today so it's very pleasant. I've been reorganizing some aspects of my studio ... purging and consolidating stuff. I had stamps in the basement, guest bedroom closet and in my studio. Now, it's ALL in my studio. I finally started organizing my clear and cling stamps (and soon my thin dies) as suggested by Jennifer McGuire. Check out her blog under the videos tab which links you to her YouTube videos on organization. This system saves tons of space and makes it quick and easy to find a stamp set and get creating!

Over the weekend I excitedly dove into my latest Project Life Collections by Heidi Swapp! The kits and extra goodies are created exclusively for Michael's and are all AWESOME! I have most of the entire collection, thanks to many coupons, and have completed my fist PL page using the gorgeous Gold Foil Value Kit . The Foil Kit is one of four mini value kits that Heidi has created. If you click on her link above you can see the entire collection including pocket pages and albums! For my page I used Pocket Page Design F. Here's the entire page ...

 

 

I LOVE this kit! All the gold makes me so happy! Here's the title card and more close-ups of each card ...

 

 

I used a wooden word from the Color Magic Value Kit and painted it white. A few of the cards on my page (the ones without any gold) came from the Favorite Things Core Kit which I'll be using for my next few PL pages.

 

 

How cute is the gold chipboard "HI". I placed it on the outside of the pocket page. The same piece in a different color will be on the other side! The roller date stamp is a new addition to Heidi PL collection.

 

 

The cute little stamp on the card on the left is from the Cherish Clear Stamps set from the collection.

 

 

This is definitely my FAV Project Life page of late! All of Heidi's new Project Life collections are fun and unique, including the Color Magic Value Kit which is ideal for all the Color Shine sprays. Enjoy the rest of the week and I'll be back with more projects soon!!

 

Project Life: Week 27

Apparently summer and blogging don't mix well for me! If there is an opportunity to be outside, I'm there! I have enjoyed many cookouts, pool days and long, (slow) evening walks with Simba. That's what this season is all about, right?!

Since I haven't blogged in almost two weeks, I'm hopping on today with a quick post to share my latest PL page from Week 27 - yep, still catching up with that too! I used Stampin' Up! "Everyday Adventure" PL card collection and accessory pack which is such a fun collection. I love all the embellishments that are included in the Accessory Pack especially the acetate shapes. I used page design K which accommodates the collection well. Here's the entire page ...

 

 

I love how bright and happy the collection is!! I also used some Stampin Up! stamps on my cards! I used the Project Life Remember This Photopolymer Stamp Set. The stamps clean up soooo easily and are perfect for PL! Here are the close-ups of the cards...

 

 

It was great to meet family for the first time. Sara, Tim and Tom came up for a visit and to catch as many sites in Boston as possible! I'm so happy to have met them!

 

Thanks for stopping by today and enjoy the rest of the week!!!  

August Mixed Media Monthly Challenge is LIVE!!

Hello bloggers! It's my turn to host the third challenge this month on the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge blog! Our theme is stencils and pastes.

 

 

Examples of paste include modeling paste, texture paste, embossing paste, super heavy gesso, gel mediums - basically any thick medium that will add dimension and texture to a project once applied through a favorite stencil. I chose light modeling paste.

I started with a 6x6 deep edge canvas and scraped modeling paste through a stencil with a palette knife.

 

 

I then added some paints from the Dina Wakley Media line. Dina's new heavy body acrylic paints are lovely to work with as well as her new brushes. I used Sky and White paints, keeping the shading lighter in the center and watering them down when needed.

 



 

 I added some painted circles, lines and splotches to a few areas on the canvas to add color.

 

 

My focal point is a little birdie from Dina's Scribbly Birds stamp collection. I stamped the birdie on watercolor paper and painted  her with Magenta, Lemon, Tangerine and White paint. She's perched on a piece of DCWV corrugated cardboard. I splattered Magenta paint onto the background before I attached the perched birdie! Here's the final project ...

 



Our very generous sponsor this month is the Eclectic Paperie!!

 

 

They have kindly donated a $25.00 gift certificate to a lucky random winner, so grab your stencils and pastes and join us for a chance to win! Thanks for stopping by and I'd love to hear from you!