Sad Day Today

My Brother in Law Doug Murphy died today at the age of 56 and I want this to be a tribute to him.

Cathy and Doug first met in elementary school, started dating when they were at PWC  High School and married in 1979. In 1991 their son Nicholas was born.

Doug was like a second father to my children.............................  The day Nicholas was born it was Michelle's 5th birthday party and when I told her that Aunt Cathy and Uncle Doug had a baby boy she said "He is some lucky to have Uncle Doug as his Dad. He is so funny:" When Michelle was sick Doug and Cathy took over looking after my boys.

Doug was such a True Newfoundlander (even though he was born in the USA and came to here when he was 6 months old). He would drive me crazy with his Newfoundland music. Loved a good fish meal and would give you the shirt off his back if needed.

Doug was a true brother and if we needed anything he would try his best to get it for us. Even when he was sick he gave his all. He gave a good fight

Doug you are going to be missed but we know you are with Michelle and she is love being with you. Take Care of each other.

Take care everyone and remember to tell your family how much they mean to you.

Marg

Dylusion Album

Last weekend I did 4 classes 3 of which I have already blogged about  (click here to review). The only one I had not finished was my Dylusion Album and I finished it yesterday. I really really enjoyed doing this album. Thanks Sara for showing me the way.

This whole album was made with tags We sprayed all the tags with Dylusion Sprays and using a lot of different techniques we made an album.
Her is my Dylusion Album................................

As you can see I put in a lot of inserts and pockets for smaller tags.

Page 1.

Put in a pull tag and stenciled.

Page 2.

I Love the birds and the skeltons

Page 3.

How about a frog head with wings...................Love those Dylusion Stamps

 Page 4.

On this page I stenciled, made a pull up, used a small tag to hide the eyes..................FUN

Page 5.

.

Loving the birds!!!!!

Page 6.

This page was all about my lady and how these skeletons are not her worry!

Page7 

The house are a favourite of mine and I had to use them!

Back

I continue the house to the back.

Making a album out of tags was fun and I would highly recommend it! When you make you album use  all the different sizes and colour tags and see what you can make. Have Fun!!!!

The products I used
Ranger:
Dylusion Sprays
Dylusion Stamps
Dylusion Stencils
Inkssentials Tags
Archival Ink Black
Claudine Hellmuth Sticky Back Canvas

Colorbox Pigment Pad  Frost White

Permapaque Opaque fine markers

Stampers Anonymous Studio 640 Wendy Vecchi  Stamps

Viva Modellier - Creme

Take Care
Marg

My Experiment!!

I have been fooling around with stuff that I found in my house to use in my mixed media art. I have used eggshell (this idea I got from Nathalie), ribbon, pencil shavings, lace, and others. I started a new canvas and I was looking for a certain texture........................... so this is when I began to experiment!

I remembered a conversation I had last weekend at a class I attended. A friend asked if I was going to save the teabag I had for my art and I said no. This got me to thinking ............................ I usually drink loose tea so if I saved the leaves and dried them they should be good for Mixed Media art.  So I saved my leaves and gave it a try. I did an Art Journal Page to figure out how to use the leaves to get the effect I wanted!

I started my art journal page by using Golden Gesso and Liquitex Acrylic Ink. I layered the gesso and before it dried I dropped some Ink in different areas and using a plastic knife I drew with the ink.

I really like the texture you get when you draw through wet gesso

I then started my  tea leaves experiment . The first lot I added Golden Regular Matt Gel Medium and Heavy Body Acrylics to the dried tea leaves.

I really like the texture but after drying I could not see the tea leaves ................ not the effect I wanted.

I then did two more experiments. I added Golden Light Molding Paste to some tea leaves and then added Soft Matt Gel Medium to another lot of tea leaves. This time I did not add the paint to the mixtures.

After they had dried I then painted them with Golden Fluid Acrylic Paint. The leaves where visible mostly in the Soft Matt Gel Medium and this is the effect I was looking for to use on my next canvas. My experiment was a success and I can now finish my canvas (will let you see that at a later date)

I then went on to finish my page ............................... added some more acrylic ink which I dripped on the page added some water and moved it around. Then using a paint brush wrote with the ink.

I really love all the texture and I had fun Experimenting!

Look around your house and see what Crazy thing you can add to your next project. Remember to have fun!

Take Care

Marg

Products I Like

Embossing Enamel

This not a real a new product but just used in a different way.

 In November when I was at Bizzy B Stamp & Scrap doing a class with Nathalie Kalbach called "Be Awesome Be A Book Nut" she showed us a new way to use embossing powders so we could make our own embellishments. I decided to use embossing enamel instead. One of the girls there was using it so I decided to give it a try.

These are the 4 Stampendous Embossing Enamels I bought (I always put my embossing and glitter into containers)...............................

I love the way the colours are mixed.

To make the embellishments I used double sided  1/4' Scor-Tape and 1/2" red tape (unsure of the name got it at The Paperie). I also used Scrapbook Adhesive 3D Foam Squares in small and large size.

By sticking the tape and foam squares on a Ranger's Craft Mat you can easily melt the enamel. When using heat gun on the foam be careful not to leave it on too long.............. could melt the foam. The tape and foam come off the mat easily and are sticky.

I like the texture of the enamel it is irregular on the edges.

Love the colour mixture!

I added these to my Altered Book I did in Nat's class and really liked the feel they gave to my book...................

I have more made to add to it.

You can use the enamel like embossing powder................................

 it has more texture. 

Give it a try and make your own embellishments it is fun and the Embossing Enamel really gives a great effect. Play around and have fun!

Next Wednesday (if all goes well) I will talk about Fiber Paste.

Take Care

Marg

Another Season Canvas

When I attended classes at Bizzy B Stamp & Scrap this past fall I did a class with Nathalie Kalbach called Season Canvas.

I did Winter

I enjoyed this so much I decided to do all the seasons.

So I did Summer. I found a canvas which I had started and didn't like so I did what any mixed media artist would do ............................. I gesso over it.

This gave some texture to the canvas

As you can see.

So I looked around my house trying to find anything I could to get to add texture. I found....................... Golden Crackle Paste, Glass Bead Gel, lace, cut up Styrofoam, pencil shavings, gauze, ribbon and even the clothes from washing my face. Anything was game for me. I used Liquitex light modeling paste too adhere all these textures.

For the stem of the flowers I used a napkin but I really didn't like this................the flowers looked like they were sideways.(this will have to be changed) 

I coloured the canvas using Golden heavy body and fluid acrylics.

I finished adding Claudine Hellmuth's foam stamp an upside down tree as a stem and roots. Added the word summer and the canvas was finished.

I so enjoyed doing this canvas from beginning to the end. Looking for "stuff" to put on it to create texture was so much fun! I am now saving all kinds of interesting stuff to put on my next canvas.

Why not look around your home and see what you can find to put on your next mixed media canvas you may just surprise yourself!

Take Care

Marg

A Very Exciting Weekend

I spent this weekend at The Paperie doing 4 classes with the wonderful Sara Case Strickland. I actually finished all the ones we did on Saturday. On Sunday my steam ran out about 3/4 of the way through  the class and I didn't get my Dylusion Album  finished.

On Saturday we did 3 classes.............................

Our first class was called Impression Obsession Cards. We made 4 cards one for each season using an Impression Obsession Die ..................

These were fun cards to make. We used the die to make a nest for the Spring card ............ it turned out really nice.

Class 2 was called Rangers Cards. We made two cards using tags as the foundation, Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps 2012 Christmas Blueprint, Tim Holtz Idea-ology, Tim Holtz Dies and Tim Holtz Distress Stains.

After decorating the tags we placed them on a card.

The final class of the day was a Ranger Canvas. We used Tim Holtz Rosette Die, Tim Holtz Idea-ology and Tim Holtz Distress Stains.

These canvas are about 3 inches square, I like them.

When I get my Album finished I will post it................... hopefully sometime this week.

I am planning  every week to show you 2 of the products I like to use. So I will be starting this on Wednesday. (Thanks Cathie for giving me the idea0

This weekend was great!  Spending time with wonderful friends and being creative ....... there is no better way to spend a weekend!

When was the last time you spent a weekend with your friends and enjoyed doing something you all love to do. Give it a try!

Take Care
Marg

Days of December Class

On I think November 30 I did a class at The Paperie with the wonderful  instructor Sara called Days of December. We made a mini album and it was a wonderful quick and very fun class. It took place in one evening and Sara was so organized that most people got it finished with the exception of me ..............I like to do my own thing .

I liked my Album and I gave it to Ashley to start next year for her and Matt's first Christmas.

The Christmas Album Cover:

 I painted the spine of the book and stenciled with tinted Golden Molding Paste added paper to the front and back (sorry no picture off the back.....long story)

I even decorated the inside.......................

painted and stenciled.

These are the inside pages of the book:

At the class Sara us got to cut the papers to fit the pages and distress them. So all I had to do was to put  on the stickers.

I loved doing this album. I bought more stickers them what came with the kit but I have enough to add on for next year............. there is just enough room for another year.

I really like doing classes and I may not follow exactly what is being done but every time I come away I have learned something new and my imagination just flows. Looking forward to doing 4 classes with Sara this weekend. 

If you are ever here in ST. John's  Newfoundland check out The Paperie and do a class. All of the instructors are great and I guarantee you will learn something!

Take Care 

Marg 

I Didn't Go to Class But Did a Canvas

Today at The Paperie, the local and favourite scrapbooking store, there is a class on Mixed Media given by Sara Case Strickland and Cathie Reed. I love mixed media so I decided to challenge myself to do a canvas today along with my friends who were doing the class. (I didn't attend the class because knowing me I would have driven Sara nuts................ I do my own thing!)

Here is my finished canvas

Using Golden paints I painted the canvas and then I proceeded to Create. I used Liquitex light modeling paste and a TCW Stencil  called peony to make the suns (mixed  paste with a little paint) and also used the paste to add lace at the bottom of the canvas.

This gave the canvas a lot of texture.

After painting the lace as grass I then looked around my room for any thing I would like to add. Using my Sizzix  Big Shot and some dies I cut out a tree using Claudine Hellmuth sticky back canvas and some leaves using scraps of paper. I then adhered them to the canvas. I added bird using Donna Downey's foam stamp bird 3". Then using  TCW stencils I added a bird on a branch and some clouds (traced on paper and cut). 

 I added some chipboard letters (unsure of brand) and painted the canvas in Burnt Sienna paint. Added some Studio Calico wood veneer birds, people and butterflies painted with Viva Decor Inka Gold and then covered the whole canvas in Golden Regular Matte Gel Medium.  I used some blue rubbing paste over the letters.

Again here is the finished canvas...................

I really enjoyed this challenge. I worked fast and really didn't do a lot of planning ahead so I made a few mistakes but I think overall it turned out pretty good.

Challenge yourself with no planning and see what you get it is fun and at times frustrating but not thinking to much is nice once in awhile. I think I will try this again but maybe next time it will be  something else.

Take Care

Marg

Finishing 2 Projects

Tonight I was going to a friends house to do some Art Journalling but I was feeling sick so I stayed home. The cold I had over Christmas is still lingering. I know the Ladies are having a good time..................... wish I could be there!

Even though I was home I decided I could be just as  productive ( but without all the fun). My art room is in such a mess I couldn't find a spot on my desk to journal so I finished off my two of my  canvases that required just a bit of sewing.

This first canvas I finished I had  blogged about in October Canvas Trouble. I couldn't decide how to finish it.........................

This is what I had

It just wasn't looking right. I tried adding flowers...............took away from the background. A friend suggested fall leaves but they also didn't fit the picture................................so I added a colourful bird 

and to me it added the last element to finish the canvas. I like it. The bird is the focal point but everything else blends well.

The second canvas I finished was a piece I did this summer. I liked the colours of the stenciled flowers and clouds. It was nice on its own and a lot of people said I should leave it but it was not satisfying to me 

So I added a flower house.

The stenciled flowers and clouds peep out from behind the house. 

For me the wacky flower house makes this canvas  complete.

Art is what you find appealing, it is your taste and no one can tell you what you like. I enjoy what I do and anyone who knows me will tell you I like to do my own thing!

Life is too short enjoy what you like to do and never be afraid to truly express yourself! 

Have fun making your own art.

Take Care

Marg

Happy New Year

2012 has ended and  another year has begun. A lot happened in 2012 ......................... I really got involved in Mix Media Art and found out it is my PASSION.

The two no make that the four most exciting thing that happened in 2012:

!. Matthew graduated with his degree in Computer Software Engineering in May.

Matthew with his diploma.

2. The Urchin Art Materials and Papery open at the end of July and I found a new friend Shannon. Thanks Shannon for putting up with me ............................... talking to your customers and just poking around. I LOVE this store!!!!

Shannon and Myself at the opening of the store.

3. Mathew and Ashley became engaged on August 30th and are getting married on August 8th 2013. I am so excited and busy with preparations. Ashley is a wonderful girl and has included me in everything. So looking forward to having her as a Daughter (-in Law).

Don't they look cute in their Mickey and Minnie hats. Matts is barely fitting him..........its his hair!

4. This was sooooo exciting!!!!! In November I went to Toronto and did three classes with Nathalie Kalbach at Bizzy B's Stamp & Scrap. I did all Nathalie's online classes and then getting to meet her in person and learn from her was such a fantastic experience. I also met a lot of new friends at classes. Thanks Barb for bringing Nathalie to Toronto and thanks Nathalie for coming.

Nathalie and Me

A lot more did happen in 2012 ...................................... met a lot of nice  people through the Ronald McDonald House NL Comfort Quilt Program,  had a lot of fun with my friends and learned a lot about myself.

 Hopefully in 2013 I will continue to grow both personally and hopefully artistically. I am loving how my life is going and I am happy ......................................what more could I ask for.

I hope 2013 is good to you all! Do not forget to stop and smell the flowers.

Take Care

Marg