Paint Nite

This past Christmas, my nieces gave my sister and I tickets to a Paint Nite -  where you go and do a painting in a couple of hours!  Do you have them where you live?  They are all the rage here lately - they are usually held in restaurants - and you order drinks and appetizers while you work if you want to,  they play kind of loud music encouraging a party atmosphere while you learn to paint the featured piece.  So we finally picked a night that was good for us all and where they were doing something we liked the look of.  

Here we are at a local Bertucci's Restaurant, Friday night.   It was really fun - and each of our paintings came out a little different but all worthy of hanging!

Here's the class - we are in the front right enjoying our glasses of wine!

The painting we did was called Icy Birch.  Here is Kerri, our instructor showing us how to paint the background. 

Niece Katie and my sister Marcia standing, me and niece Christie sitting

 We were given a canvas, an apron to wear, 3 different size paint brushes to use and a paper plate with white, dark blue and black paint squirted on it.   Here we were adding areas of dark blue, and then lighter blue. (lighting not too bright in our corner!)

Then we mixed a spot of black with white and added gray patches. (I almost covered all the blue - so I added some more back in later!)

Next was to draw in the black lines of the tree - and Kerri showed us how to paint knots around the area the branches met the trunk and we added 'snow frost' to the branches.

Marcia and Katie with their masterpieces!

Christie concentrating on her painting

There was a photographer there who ran the music and took photos all night -  here we are happy painters!

And here it is, temporarily, hanging above my computer -

so I can look at it and say - "wow"!

 It's not a perfect piece by any means, but to walk in with no prior painting experience to speak of, and to walk out in two hours with something that actually looks like a snow covered tree - was pretty amazing and a fun night out with family!  

12 Tags of 2016 - January

Tim Holtz has started his 12 tags of 2016 with a twist this year - he's looking at prior years tags and combining techniques from different years to create a new tag - perhaps using the techniques slightly differently - a great way for us to re-visit lots of fun techniques.

So here is Tim's tag and a link to his instructions for January.

And here is my version of Tim's tag -  I went with a Valentine theme - using Tim's Valentine Background Texture Fade on a piece of Foil Tape Sheet.  I rubbed Black Soot and Fired Brick Distress Paints over it - then wiped over it with a paper towel to remove the paint from the raised letters -  Tim's Industrious Metal technique (from his January 2014 tag).

Here's a close up of the Industrious Metal piece.

I used the Iced Coffee Stamp from the special release Simon Says set - white embossing it 3 times on black cardstock - cutting out the cup from one stamping and the lid and straw from another stamping and layering them for 3D effect.

I went over the embossings with a piece of white chalk - then rubbed it with my finger - Tim's Chalkboard Technique (from his November 2013 tag).  I tore the top and bottom edges and layered it over the embossed foil piece which I had adhered to a manila tag.  I cut the little heart out of matboard using a Movers and Shapers Small heart die.  I inked the heart with Wendy Vecchi Archival Tree Branch ink then embossed it with Wendy Vecchi Geranium Embossing Powder.  I popped it up on the cup with a foam dot.

I added the happy valentine's day  Small Talk Occasions sticker at the bottom.

I looped a piece of Trimmings/Red Cream through the top to finish it off!

You'll find lots of creative versions of the January tag over on Tim Holtz blog here

Stamps:  Simon Says Stamp set - Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous
Paper:  #8 Manilla tag and Foil Tape Sheets - Ranger,  True Black - PTI, White Little Sizzles Matboard - Sizzix.
Ink:  Versamark, Wendy Vecchi Archival Tree Branch
Accessories:   white embossing powder, heat tool, Ranger Distress Paint Black Soot and Fired Brick, white chalk, Carnation Red Embossing Powder - Wendy Vecchi, Movers and Shapers small heart die - Tim Holtz, foam dots, Idea-ology Trimmings Naturals/Red Cream, Small Talk Occasions, Valentine Background and Borders Set - Texture Fade/Tim Holtz Alterations.

PTI January Blog Hop

Today I'm participating in the January PTI Blog Hop.  We have a colorful collage image by Alex Ray for our inspiration this month.

And here is my card.

Everything accept the sequins are from PTI on my card today -  I used stamps from Watercolor Wonder and dies from Birthday Cheer and Tipped Tops Die set.  I adhered both panels over the card with foam dots so they both stand out.  Given the colors, this would make a great masculine card or it would also be a good card to give to co-workers or artists!

I'm sure there is a lot of colorful inspiration over at Nicole's  Papertrey Blog where everyone is linking their Blog Hop cards -  I'm off to take a peak!

Stamps:  Watercolor Wonder-  PTI
Paper:  White, True Black - PTI
Ink:  Orange Zest, Blueberry Sky - PTI
Accessories:  Dies - Birthday Cheer, Tipped Tops - PTI, foam dots, Sequins - Shaker Mix Vanilla Frost - Waltzingmouse.

Fusion January 21st - Woodgrain Neutral

Hi Fusion Fans!  it's time for another Fusion Card challenge - I just love the navy blue and tan colors and dotted patterns on these flowers!

I didn't have any paper just like the flowers so I made my own - stamping Wendy Vecchi Ornate Dots onto a panel of Rustic Cream Cardstock and cutting it with Tattered Florals from Tim Holtz.  I sponged all the edges of the flowers with Vintage Photo Distress Ink, spritzed all the pieces with water and crumpled each piece up on a ball.   I opened each piece, layered them on over the other, punched a hole in the center and attached them with a Velvet Brad from Making Memories.

I die cut BIRTHDAY using Wonderful Words/Birthday die from PTI.  I glued that to the woodgrain patterned paper, stamped happy above it and adhered the flower with glue.  I layered the panel onto a slightly larger panel of Enchanted Evening and layered that onto my Rustic Cream card base.

So I was inspired by the photo and loosely followed the sketch this week!  What inspires you this fortnight? 

PROCEDURES:
1. Play with just the sketch challenge.
2. Play with just the inspiration photo challenge.
3. Or you can create FUSION by combining BOTH challenges into one card.
4. Use the challenge graphic and link back to Fusion in your post.
5. Please read the other considerations on the Our Rules Page before playing along.

 

Check out the Fusion Card Challenge Blog - to see all of the Design Teams projects and to link up your card! 

Here also are links to the talented Design Team blogs!

Brandi Hall

Deanne Kay Jeanne Jachna

Julia Aston - me!

Karren Johnson 

Katie Brooks

Kimberly Wiener

Lyndal Higgins

Lynn Mangan

Michelle Williams

Michelle Lupton

Sandie Munro

 Shannon Jamarillo

Stephanie Severin

 
I'm also linking this to:
Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Stamps:  Ornate Dots Background - Wendy Vecchi/Stampers anonymous, happy from Textstyle Keep it Simple Birthday II - PTI.

Paper:  Enchanted Evening, Rustic Cream - PTI, DP Seasons of Change - Dream St. Papers.

Ink:  Archival Cobalt Blue, Ranger Distress Vintage Photo, True Black - PTI

Accessories:  dies - Wonderful Words/Birthday - PTI, Tattered Florals - Tim Holtz/Alterations, Velvet Brad - Making Memories, Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive, Mini Mister - Ranger, Cropadile.

 

Retirement - a New Beginning - Mixed Media Card Challenge

A friend at work asked me to make a personalized retirement card for a woman in her department. I wanted it to be bright and cheerful. (I was totally inspired by my friend Loll's card here.)  Here's the card that I made.  It's an over sized card so lots of people can sign it.  I simply folded an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of card stock in half for the card base.

For the background, I first sponged over the panel with Ranger Distress Wild Honey Ink.  Then I laid the Dot Fade Stencil by Tim Holtz over the sponging and spritzed over the stencil with water.  I removed the stencil and dried the panel with my heat tool.  It left a great water spot look

I stamped the cone flower and stem onto watercolor paper, colored them with Ranger Distress Markers and went over the colors with a water brush.  I dried them with a heat tool and brushed over the flower head with a clear glitter Wink of Stella. (it's really sparkly IRL!) I fussy cut them and adhered  them on the panel with foam dots, curling up the petals a bit.  I stamped the sentiment on a white rectangle and MARIE on a piece punched with a circle punch.  To finish it off I added three sequins, adhered the panel to a piece of Shimmer Gold paper and then to the card base.

This card fits the January Mixed Media Card Challenge - 

I used stencils with water, watercoloring and stampings as my mixed media.

Retirement is a new beginning! and I used sequins!

Just a reminder you have until January 25th to enter the Mixed Media Card Challenge - check it out here!

Stamps:  Simple Alphabet - PTI, Happy Retirement - American Art Stamp, Tim Holtz Flower Garden.
Paper:  Watercolor paper,  White, Vintage Cream and Shimmer Sampler - PTI.
Ink:  Archival Jet Black, True Black- PTI, Wild Honey Ranger Distress
Accessories:  Dot Fade Stencil - Tim Holtz, mini mister - Ranger, foam dots, Clear Glitter Wink of Stella, Ranger Distress Markers - Brushed Corduroy, Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmelade, Spun Sugar, Lemonade Blend Sequins - Avery Elle, 1" circle punch - EK Success, waterbrush pen.

Be You, Bravely

I have another journal page to share that I made for the January Challenge on the Wanderlust course I am taking.  We were to use the ideas about composition, focal points and balance on our page that we learned on Kesia's video on Friday.  We were also to be inspired by a quote she gave us.

I used several mediums on my page - first I covered the page with white Gesso.  When that was dry, I spritzed water over the page, placed a few drops of distress reinkers on the page and spread the color around  with a paintbrush  -  I used Weathered Wood across the top half , Iced Spruce and Pumice Stone along the bottom.  When that was dry I used black embossing paste with  the Talaya, Goddess of Rain stencil from Stencil Girl.

 The birds are from Some Birds stencil from Artplorations stenciled using Black Soot Distress Ink.  I stamped lightly here and there with a Bubbles Cover stamp from Impression Obsession in Pumice Stone.  I stamped stamps from Tree Line beneath the birds and in the right hand corner in Ice Spruce ink - just pressing lightly on the stamp.  The cut out sentiment is a stamp from The Right Words set by Dyan Reaveley. I drew around the sentiments with a black Stabilo pencil then rubbed the lines with a damp finger to blurr.  I used several Idea-ology Small Talk Stickers on my page.

The floral in the corner is Tim Holtz Blossom Stencil.

The final thing I did was to splatter white acrylic paint over the whole page using a Ranger Splatter Brush.  It softened the large black area on the stencil as well as adding little dots of texture over the whole journal page.

I feel like I've learned a lot about Journaling after just two classes on the topic at Wanderlust - I'm really happy with how this one came out!  Definitely a great improvement of my previous journaling attempts.

Check my side bar if you are interested in learning more about the Wanderlust year long classes.

Stamps:  Treeline Stamps - Tim Holtz/SA, The Right Words set - Dylusions/Dyan Reaveley, Bubbles Background - Impression Obsession.

Ink:  Ranger Distress Reinkers - Iced Spruce, Weathered Wood, Pumice Stone, Ranger Distress Ink pads - Iced Spruce, Black Soot.

Accessories:  Stencils -  #S286 Talaya, Goddess of Rain - Stencil Girl, Some Birds Stencil - Artplorations, Blossom Stencil - Tim Holtz/SA, Idea-ology Small Talk Stickers, White acrylic Paint, Splatter Brush - Ranger, Stabilo Black pencil, Wendy Vechi Black Embossing Paste, white Gesso, Mini Mister - Ranger, paint brush.

Good Tidings!

Sorry for the double posting today - but I had to get this card in for the challenge deadlines!  I've had the card in my mind but just couldn't find time to get it made! - and YES - it's a Christmas card -  gotta get these cards done for next year!!

It's a simple design - I cut a piece of patterned paper 4"x4", stamped the sentiment directly on the paper and adhered the die cut tree and horse drawn carriage with foam dots.  Stamps and dies are from In the Meadow from PTI.  Then I just added Winter Blend sequins, layered it to a black panel and then to a Vintage Cream card base.

I'm linking my card to two challenges:

Merry Monday

and Addicted to Stamps and More

Now I'm off to the sofa to watch the Patriots play football with Kent -  GO PATS!!!

Stamps:  In the Meadow - PTI
Paper:  Vintage Cream, True Black, Stormy Seas - PTI, DP Modern Homemaker - October Afternoon paperpack
Ink:  True Black
Accessories:  Dies - In the Meadow - PTI, foam tape, winter blend sequins - Avery Elle.

A Cup of Valentine Wishes

I was glad to get into my craft room today and get to two challenges I've been itching to participate in.  I made 3 Valentines of the same design to sell at a Valentine's Day sale at our church coming up in a few weeks.

First, I embossed the sentiment on the Rustic Cream panel using WV Sentiments Stencil and WV black embossing paste. I added a strip of Washi tape along the bottom to ground the cup.  By then, the embossing paste had dried and I stenciled the background using WV Vintage Quilt Stencil and WV Archival Geranium Ink

I die cut the cups and saucers out of white card stock with Tim Holtz Tea Time die (there's both a tea cup and a coffee cup on the die).  I used Wendy Vecchi's Faux Gilding technique to color the cups: I rubbed a little bit of WV Gold Embossing Paste over the die cuts just in spots, not covering the whole thing.  When that dried, I sponged WV Archival Geranium Ink over the pieces.  So IRL there is a bit of a golden shimmer on the cups and saucers - not too noticeable in the photo (I think it also looks more like gilding if you use light blue or brown ink which I have done in the past here and here , the red kind of hid the gold!)

I popped the cup and saucer up on the panel using foam dots.  I die cut the heart out of white fun foam using the heart from Tim Holtz Mini Lovestruck Movers and Shapers dies.  I sponged the edges of the heart with Ranger Distress Vintage Photo ink.

I have a friend who loves tea - so I made this one below to send to her for Valentine's Day - using all the same techniques and supplies - just the different shaped cup!  She doesn't have a significant other so I like to send her cards for the different holidays.

I'm linking my mixed media Valentine to the following challenges:

The Card Concept - I used Mixed Media Style

Happy Little Stampers - Mixed Media January Challenge - Stencil

Paper:  White, Pure Poppy, Rustic Cream - PTI
Ink:  Wendy Vecchi Archival Geranium, Ranger Distress Vintage Photo
Accessories:  Stencils - Sentiments and Vintage Quilt - Wendy Vecchi, Dies - Tea Time and Mini Lovestruck Movers and Shapers - Tim Holtz Alterations,  Black and Gold Embossing Pastes - Wendy Vecchi, foam dots, Washi tape - Freckled Fawn, white fun foam.