Gettin' sketchy...

Testing out some new coloured pencils. Forcing myself to draw without a pencil, so I'm trying the next best thing.  Prismacolor's Col-Erase Pencils!  They were fun to use! 

Push yourself out of your comfort zone, think outside the box!  Always remember, It doesn't have to be perfect!

Coming to life...

Another girl from my sketch book.  I just had to make her come to life!  Lots of colour and had to give her some dramatic eyes!!!  I raided my supply stash and used some copic markers, prismacolor pencils, gel ink pens, markers, tombows, jacquard dye-na-flo inks and some watercolour.  Tons of layers of colour and different medium!  

Seriously SO MUCH FUN TO DO!

Speedy mode video below!!!

Get out your stash and play!!!!  Make some art!

Thanks for stopping by.  xoxo

I love my enablers...playing with the new Tim Holtz Distress Crayons...

Today a friend asked If I had the new Tim Holtz Distress Crayons (I don't - yet).  She had recently purchased them and wondered how to use them.  So I said I would gladly play with them in my art/sketch journal.  I had instant regret though, because I had a faint feeling I might fall in love with them and then would have to add them to the never ending list of art supplies that I MUST have...

Right now I'm working in a Strathmore Mixed Media Journal.  So I wondered how it would work on a non-watercolour paper.

I quickly sketched out a face...

I coloured in her face using my copics...

 I applied the distress crayons straight to the paper without laying any gesso underneath.  I wanted to see how it would react to the plain paper.  I laid down some colour then dipped my finger into some water and blended it out.  I quite like the watercolour look to the areas where there has been more water applied.  These crayons are super creamy and slide on the paper like butter!  I want to try them with the rest of the Tim Holtz Distress line as they all perfectly play together to create some pretty cool techniques!

Still needs a few finishing touches and highlights, (and I now know the black Sakura pen I used to outline her face is water reactive), but I think I'm in love with these new Tim Holtz Distress Crayons!  They're now on the top of my 'must have' list!  

A big shout out to my biggest enablers Carola and Dee, my art supply cabinet would not be the same with out you!  ;)

And the winner is.....

Thank you to everyone for entering my giveaway and sharing what inspires you. So heartwarming to read and in return, inspires me. Congrats to The winner! 💕💕 I hope you enjoy this little painting. I find inspiration everyday through you, my family, my friends and everyday life.

You Got this...mini canvas

Check out this fun little video on how I made a 3x5 canvas for a friend.  

Using supplies from Faber Castell and Hazel and Ruby, I was able to create a cute little 3x5" motivational canvas:

Adhere some patterned paper to the canvas using a gel medium, let dry completely.  

Apply stencil mask letters to create your saying, then paint over them with acrylic paint.  Once dry, carefully remove the stencil masks.

 I added some depth and shading to the lettering using Faber Castell Artist Pitt pens.  They are India Ink pens and blend beautifully!

 Voila, finished product!

Just a little reminder that when the going gets tough always remember, 'You Got This".  Thanks for stopping by today!

ART GIVEAWAY!!! & Abstract Florals workshop with Donna Downey!

Hello Everyone!  I know its been a long while since I've posted but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy creating!  

Art makes me so happy!  From being inspired by others to creating it.  From the first thought I get in my head, to the finished product.  Even if I'm not in love with it, it's OK because I learned something.  And heck, we all know what a good coat of Gesso can do.  I love colour, I love art supplies and I love sharing my creativity with others.  I'm so happy to be back, sharing and exploring new things every day.

My most recent work has been from the product of an art workshop I took with the fabulous Donna Downey.  Abstract Florals is an amazing workshop that I recommend to anyone interested in learning more about acrylic painting.  It covers just about everything from perspective, color theory, layering, blending, shadows and dimension and the list goes on.  Not to mention she's crazy fun, inspiring and super encouraging!  You NEED to take one of her classes you won't regret it!  Just look at what you can create:

Check it out y'all!

I will be posting more pieces I created from the workshop, so stay tuned!  

Sooooooo, now that I'm back I want to do a little giveaway as a thanks for sticking around.  

This fun little 6x6 on 246 lb acrylic paper shown below could be YOURS!

All you have to do is leave a comment in the comment section below or over on my INSTAGRAM PAGE telling me what inspires you.  I will randomly select one lucky winner!  I will ship internationally so its open to everyone!

I will draw a name and announce the winner on Tuesday November 15th.  

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!  

Keep calm and shine on....and some fun shoes...

Late post I know but had to share this fun painting I created for #AutismAwarenessDay.  On Thursday April 2nd my family and 'lit it up' #liub and wore blue in support of this day!  This cause is close to my heart in many ways...its amazing what children can do when you believe in them!

I used an 8x8 gallery stretched canvas and lots of Hazel and Ruby products!  I put a layer of Hazel and Ruby 'Pass the Tissue paper' (Ephemera Newspaper) then sprayed it with some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Dragonfly blue.  I placed the stencil letters from the 'Brooklyn Alpha' stencil mask set and created the saying 'Keep Calm and Shine On'...I painted over the stencils with many different kinds of blue acrylic paint and more stencils, leaving a space to add the fun bits in the middle.  Once almost dry I slowly peeled back the letters and outlined them with some India Ink pens.  I added the lightbulb in the middle using some molding paste, a puzzle piece and lots of white paint!

This was alot of fun to create!   

On another note, wanted to share something I just finished working on!  I tried to order a pair of custom made chucks online to find that its only available to the U.S.  :(  So I found an old pair of black hightops and painted them up myself...they are canvas after all!!!  The paint that worked best on them was the Liquitex paint markers!  I love love love these handy lil things!  I used some bright colours so they would pop off the black canvas. (Light Blue Permanent, Vivid Lime Green, Medium Magenta, and Fluorescent Pink).  I didn't have one in white so I used my Uni-Ball Signo pigment ink pen and it worked like a dream for outlining!

I got a bit carried away with the tongue portion but what evs it was fun to do!  You gotta rock your chucks!

Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend!

Get Tangled Challenge at Canvas Corp Brands!

Today over at Canvas Corp Brands we have a new crew challenge happening!  Lets get Tangled!!!  The Canvas Corp Brands Tattered Tangle line expands as the art of the doodle becomes more and more popular.  This therapeutic craft is a great way to relax, unwind and let you creativity flow, however if the fear of the doodle is within you…Tattered Tangles is at your service.  The collection is filled with a variety of 12×12 Tattered Tangles Papers and Tangle Packs (12 different doodle pieces in a pack)- there are 8 styles to choose from.

Here's my take on the Tangles!  I chose to make a little Tangled Tag!!!  I coloured the doodles with my copic markers (which work great on the leather paper).  Then I used some Glitter Ritz glitter and double sided Sakura tape and covered the entire surface with glitter.  I burnished the glitter with my finger and it finishes like suede!!!  So pretty!  It also mutes the harsh dark lines of the doodles for this project! 

Here's a close up:

Go on a journey with us to see how our Creative Crew Gets Tangled.   Head over to the Canvas Corp Brands Blog to see what the Crew have to show you!  We hope that these amazing projects inspire you to do a little doodling, do a little coloring and let your creativity run wild.   If you are not sure that this style of art is up your alley, you will want to see how our Crew members approached their projects with their own design style. Now go on and Get Tangled!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

The Key to my heart is ART!! Crew 4x4 challenge...

Happy Valentines Day!  Well the news is officially out!  Canvas Corp Brands has finally announced the members of their new Creative Crew members!  Like I said before, I'm super excited to have been given this great opportunity and be working along side such an amazing bunch of designers!

We were all given a challenge to kick off this great announcement and that was to create a 4x4 canvas that describes who you are as a designer!  Please head over to the Canvas Corp Brands Blog and check out all the different 4x4's!  They're all incredible!

Here is my take on this challenge.  I love working on small pieces, although it wasn't really challenging for me to work on such a small canvas it was a challenge on what to do with it.  What to do, what to do...it always starts with that question....then I just dove right in and grabbed my favourite stencil of the moment, some acrylic paints, glimmer mists and molding paste and just went for it!  

I wanted to create lots of texture and depth and some visual interest so I added a little tiny metal lock to the middle heart.

The key to my heart is ART!  

What's the key to your heart?  I hope you check out the Canvas Corp Blog and take a look at the amazing 4x4 canvases!  Such inspiration!  

Thanks for stopping by!

L-O-V-E...pin to win with Canvas Corp!!!

Happy February everyone!  I've been keeping a little secret and I think its time to share!  I've been invited to be a part of the Canvas Corp Brands Creative Crew!  I'll be working along side an amazing crew of talented designers over the next year and am so super excited!  The big Creative Crew announcement will be on February 14, but I wanted to share my little secret today!  

In anticipation of Valentines Day, the Creative Crew at Canvas Corp have whipped up some Valentines Day Cards!

There's more!  We have a big Pin & Win Giveaway on the Canvas Corp Brands website!  Click the pic below and it will take you to the website with all the details!!!

For this Creative Crew challenge, we were all given a blank card to create a Valentines Day Card.  I chose the mixed media route and this is what I came up with!  I am planning on giving this to my husband.  I know this doesn't seem like a big stretch but we aren't the 'Hallmark Holiday' type.  I would rather give him or someone I love a card to tell them how special they are to me on a day when they aren't expecting it.  Know what I mean?  So I know he will be super surprised when he receives it on Valentines Day....

I used some Peerless watercolors for the background then used some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Sprays and a stencil to create some texture for the card base.  I splattered more Glimmer Mist on the card base then added a layer of cheesecloth followed by a layer of corrugated paper painted with some Tattered Angels High Impact paint in Aqua.  I had some burlap Thickers and painted them randomly with some of the High Impact paint as well.  

I hope you play along with us for your chance to win a $50.00 gift certificate to Canvas Corp Brands online store!  Check it out!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a good one!

{INSPIRE} mixed media journal cover...

Hello Everyone!  Happy New Year!

Well, its that time again!  Its my turn over at the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Blog.  I had alot of fun playing with some chipboard journal covers, Gelatos, and a whole bunch of different textural mediums to create a cover for one of my many art journals! 

To see the tutorial on how I created this mixed media journal cover check out the blog!!!

Design Memory Craft Blog!

I hope you find some inspiration today!  Thanks for looking and stopping by!  Have a great day!

Merry Christmas Star with Design Memory Craft...and a little birthday wish...

Hi Everyone!  Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas yesterday!  I absolutely love Christmas, have since I was a kid.  I love everything about it!  As quickly as it came, its now over in our house as we move on to another birthday celebration around here.  Wishing my sweet little boxing day baby a happy birthday!  Here's a little art project I made for her, planning on using it on the outside of one her presents all wrapped up!  Just had to share, and as you can see I used a wide array of Design Memory Craft products.  I did video tape my process but I had a hard time figuring out how to edit it on my tablet so that will probably be another post to come...

    

Its also my turn to share over at the Design Memory Craft website today.  Take a look below!

I made this little wooden block painting, you can see the full post including a tutorial over on the

Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Blog today!

Wishing you all a happy and safe holiday, and will see you back here in the new year!

As always, thanks for looking!

Artblock Goodness...

Hello everyone!  Today I'm sharing with you a painting I did a while back.  Its been a bit of a work in progress adding things here and there etc...I have a hard time finishing projects.  I need to learn to just walk away satisfied when I think I'm done...lol...anyone else have the same problem?..I just have to keep puttering away...oh well...it is what it is...right?

This piece was painted on a 4x3" piece of wood block (2" deep).  I sanded the rough edges a bit then laid down some gesso for my base.  I love how the texture of the wood block comes through on the edges and the surface.  This piece also features some great embellishments from Pretty Pink Posh (little micro sequins) and Chic Tags (wood veneer 'Goodness' sentiment).

Not sure if you can tell from the closeup but I used an abundance of Canvas Corp - Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist sprays on the wood veneer 'sentiment'.  Lots of shimmery 'goodness'....

I hope you spread some goodness today!  Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

JOY!!!

Hello crafty peeps!  I've got a cool tutorial on how to make this keepsake tag over on the 

Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Blog today!  Check it out!!!

Tons of different mediums and techniques were used to create this.  If you like getting messy this one is for you!!!  Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!!!

Crazy for Gelli printing!!!

I finished this project way back in the summer when I was addicted to Gelli printing!!!  Yes, once you start you can't stop!  In the end, what to do with all the beautiful prints?  Make a book!

I used a bunch of prints of that had the same colour scheme!

I found a cute little cut file on the Silhouette store by (Lori Whitlock) and made a little mini journal book out of all the Gelli prints shown above!

Binded it together with some ivory brads.

I added some of my favourite quote stamps for inspiration:

Then I finished off the cover with some mini banners and wood letters coloured with Gelatos® .

I also found a cut file for this adorable little match book and used up all the left over scrappy goodness from the Gelli prints.  I added some banners with some hand written words using some india ink and a bamboo brush.

 I loved making these prints and books!  All you need is a Gelli Plate (Gelli Arts), a roller, some paper and paint and you're off to the races!!!

Hoping to get my next round of Gelli prints on video to show you the fun addictive process it is!!!

Thanks for stopping by!