WINTER ALBUM: Foundation pages

And here is the big reveal of my Winter Album foundation pages. And I adore each one so far. I have plans for many but others will be a work in progress (WIP). 

The cover was mostly finished: however, I spruced it up with a wooden MERRY, fabric scraps and ribbon.

And this is where the book begins. I went with the colors of turquoise, red, green, white for the majority with some gold and silver accents. 

The hearts on the fabric scrap are made with gesso and a heart stencil. 

I plan on painting the rest of the lace and then sewing on the cross stitch I completed on felt. 

The pocket with ribbon was from a pair of old pants that I no longer wore. I will probably put a special card in it at some point. Just need to get it first :)

Added a gift tag and canvas bag for another type of insert here. Maybe a fun holiday sketch?!? Or special gift tag. 

Adore the upholstery sample that had such great colors and design. 

Used some more of my pant's remnants as well as part of my old shower curtain that carried inspiring words. 

Gelli printed the card and will stamp a red bird somewhere on it. Along with a short quote. 

I did a few image transfers prior to binding the book. Can't wait to add an artistic touch to them. I put various stencils layering on top it with plaster. Highlighted the words COME TOGETHER IN BEAUTY. 

A few embellishments, another canvas bag, and a vintage napkin adhered to a gelli printed canvas page of hearts. 

Basic gelli printed pages. 

Who can resist the word JOY! Yup, it's my middle name and seemingly more popular during the holiday season. This page most likely will remain as is. 

I plan to add some holiday recipe or yummy pics to these pages. 

The turquoise was adhesive paper. So easy to work with. 

This page is one of my favorite but it has to be at the right angle in the right light to see the ornament print. It's such a pretty color..just wish it photographed better. 

JOY :)

I like the orange ribbon but not loving this page...it's a WIP. 

Included some old unused jewelry and charms. 

Another image transfer with plastered snowflake stencils. This one will be a fun one:) Presents on an old car. LOVE!!!

A feed sack I thought was humorous referencing "Geese A-Laying" in my mind. Paired with a holiday bag I cut up ....more JOY :)

The black striped page is an old work shirt...the deer is a cross stitch on top a piece of shower curtain. I used puffy paint on back of it to make the JOY pop. 

The green page was a fuzzy upholstery sample. I used pant remnants, fabric scraps, ribbon, and embellishments to create a wintery scene. 

This vintage doily is quite stained so definitely will be doing something to it. 

Added a flannel strip from an old bed sheet with ribbon to the top of the page. A simple picture below will be added. 

During the binding process, I used a lacy ribbon for the middle strap. Thus being able to tie it together. If it gets too big, I can always trim it. 

I've come to realize these fabric albums will be an ongoing creation which I'm okay with. So I will work in them as I get inspired and the desire. Sometimes they are just fun to make :)

DIY: Winter Painting 2014

For Christmas, my mom requested a painting that was a winter scene. Otherwise she has no more wall space to hang things during the year per her guidelines. I, on the other hand, can always find room :)

She saw an image she liked.  So I searched the web and found the same image to get a better depiction (still working on mom to upgrade her phone)

(No artist name mentioned for credit...apologies)

I next enlarged the photo to the 11x14 size. I split the image and printed landscape on 2 sheets of 8.5x14. And did an image transfer using fluid matte medium. 

It turned out so nicely I thought of leaving it as is. 

However I felt there wouldn't be any of "me" in the painting. So I added some "snow" paint using a writer. 

I also could have stopped here but went ahead and added watercolors to the entire piece to sharpen lines and enhance the colors. And this is the result. 

TRUE FREE SPIRIT & OLW: Hello 2014

Hello 2014!

I adored Mindy Lacefield's December project so much I decided to make my own angel incorporating my One Little Word for 2014: HELLO. 

The process went from one extreme to the next and many layers of paint and mixed media. The end result is a snow angel that I adore and will cherish.  

Here is my progress in pictures: 

I really like the look here and may do a more abstract painting one day. 

And now the face comes to life. 

I used ceramic stucco but ended up finding some crackle paste which I liked better on her dress. 

Stars and glitter were added to the sky.

You can see I left the words "was loved" on her wing from a text layer in the background. 

Added Glitter, glimmer glam and opaque flakes medium here. Unfortunately the placement of my bleeding tissue paper at the beginning wasn't so great as it appeared to be that bad "yellow" snow. 

Therefore, I added some blue tissue to help mask it. And it worked. (Of course this was after several attempt of layering other white medium on top of the yellow that didn't work)

I scratched in my word on the side. And stamped botanical images in white. 

I covered up the tissue with a Snow Writer pen to add more dimension. And then got a little carried away with Glimmer Glam. I do love the look on her cheeks but had to repaint part of the sky to lessen the shimmer effect. 

The skirt was coated with a layer of Eggplant Reinker to get into the cracks of the paste. I used a watered cloth to lighten te color. Next time I probably will just use a rag and apply the Reinker to it and then onto canvas. 

Once dried I layered Peach Glimmer Glam to the skirt and a few other details. 

Hello LOVE! 

Hope everyone welcomes the New Year with open arms & love. Cheers!