Fabric Fun = Fall Princess

A few years ago, a kind fellow artsy woman gave me a bag full of random fabric ranging from curtain swatches to carpet samples.  I decided to adhere a fabric that had Fall colors to my journal.  The fabric itself did not appeal to my taste, but I knew I would be altering it in some way.

Unsure of how to alter the page, I just stared at it pondering a design....when...... a vision appeared in the pattern of a female "Fall Princess"

I initially traced tha overall outline with Tulip Pearl Fabric Paint in Taupe color.  It provided a somewhat silver toned.  Then I kept going with that same color detailing the hair, face, arm, and bottom of dress.

I needed more contrast between the background and figure, so I added a copper and bronze toned fabric paint to the upper part of the dress, making it look like a ball gown plus gold tinted fabric paint to the hair.  A white wash was applied to the background initially, but it wasn't enough contrast.  So I went with a black wash of color. And this was what I thought would be the final result.....but.....

 

It wasn't.....I felt it was missing something.  So I decided to add a Fall element of leaves in her hair.  I applied some stickers from Michaels (part of a pack I got for $1). 

I loved the arrangement...and thought that was it...but....

It wasn't.  I wanted it to blend in. So I applied fabric paint on top that was similar tones.

And that almost was the end......until the next day....I had to add one more touch...

a gold wash to the background.  Finally I was happy with the entire look.

 

PINTEREST PROJECT: Halloween Wreath

A few weekends ago, I had the pleasure of  "ARTing" it up with some great gals.  I brought along a bunch of scraps of paper to continue creating Fall items for my Pumpkins & Cider class.  However, Melissa & Deborah were inspired by a post on Pinterest to make large snake wreaths. They used twig wreath and various snakes...spray painted them all black. It was sooo neat!!

  SOOOO....I stole the idea and did a re-take on it. AND I LOVE IT.



SUPPLIES USED:

 (be sure to check websites as many places have coupons)

- wreath from Hobby Lobby

- rubber snakes  from Wal-Mart

- skeleton hands, paper mache skull, & flowers from Michaels

- spiders & skulls from Wal-Greens

-purple spray paint, Krylon Plastic Primer spray paint, neon green spray paint from Lowes

(make sure you get a Spray paint made specifically for plastics to avoid extreme stickiness on the "toys")

-wire

-orange ribbon

-hot glue gun

I started by spraying all the items (excluding the wreath) with the Plastic Primer (I probably didn't let it dry enough as my snakes and spiders were still really sticky after).  Then, I coated all with the purple spray paint. And finally, misted the items with the neon green.  I took the skull and simply applied the green to it.  I let the items dry overnight.

spray painted items

Next, I took the snakes and wrapped them in and out of the twigs.  The snakes did not require any adhesive. 

 I pulled the flowers off the stems and used almost a stick of hot glue to make sure those suckers were secure. (they are.)  The skull landed between the flowers....glued and wired down with a few spiders coming out of the skull to cover the wire.

 I then simply placed hands, skulls, spiders throughout the entire wreath.

The last step was simply adding a wire on the back with a ribbon to hang on the wall.

This project was so easy and simple, that any aged person could do it. 

Can't wait for next year's Eyeball Wreath. :) 

Gotta love the inspiration found on Pinterest.

VAMPIRES & MUMMIES & ZOMBIES ...OH MY

As I mentioned, I am just loving Halloween this year. And a big part is enjoying activities I did as a kid. To accomplish this "kid" task, I have done the following:

1) Found a new line of LEGOs titled Monster Fighters....and bought this one.



The Vampyre Hearse by LEGO



2) Splurged at McDonald's getting Happy Meals when the Hotel Transylvania characters were there.



McDonald Happy Meal toys



3) Painted my nails using designs from Silhouette America. Ideas from Rivka's Renditions

Frankenstein & Mummy nail art

4) Ran around in the woods...in this case away from zombies at the SportsLink Zombie Run Challenge. (shirt was inspired by Pinterest....suppose to be a spider web design)

getting attacked by some zombies



posing with the girl zombies and new friends Melinda, Shea, & Dana



 Now the only thing left is to get to the movie theatre and

see the "Hotel Transylvania" & "Frankenweenie"!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!

PUMPKINS & CIDER

 

 Early Christmas gift of online art classes with Christy Tomlinson Scarlet Lime and Junelle Jacobsen Yes and Amen =  Fall/Winter months full of artsy goodness. 

For some reason, I have been bitten with the Halloween bug and am doing all sorts of artwork.  After watching the Pumpkins & Cider class videos, I decided to create an entire journal with art versus doing canvases for each picture.  (helps when I am running out of wall space & storage to put canvases).

The next step was seeking out all sorts of inspiration to sketch and get the creative juices flowing. I found inspiration in book stores, art/craft shops, friend's artwork, and even simply on the web. After sketching many designs out, I decided to do a rendition of this lovely little ghost cutie.



illustration from Joe Fenton's book titled "BOO!"#_



my sketched version of image

So the creation begins:
1. Prep the background with random papers.  Layer basic shapes of the design.  I used ModPodge to coat when completed as well as the adhesive. Let dry.


2. Glued hemp yarn for arms and covered with pattern paper.  Used Faber Castell BIG ink pens to apply ink highlights on the moon, hill, and body. Plus added a bandanna. 

3. I wanted to use the Tar Gel  effect similar to Christy Tomlinson's Spider Web piece.  With this material, you cannot ModPodge over it or it will lose its shiny effect.  The gel also expands so it is best to apply it lightly.  (If I would have thought it through, I would have done this on the final steps vs. the beginning.)  I decided to use a floral/vine stencil shape.  Before starting I hot glued a line around the moon shape to prevent the gel from seeping inside.



4. After mixing cheap black paint into some tar gel, I used a palette knife to smooth the gel around. 

5. I applied various colors and added glitter to the back of the journal cover.  (Tar Gel is my new favorite medium)  And let all dry overnight. 





 6.  Then I simply cut shapes out of various pattern/solid paper, felt, tissue, yarn, fabric, etc and piece it together. Some times I will enlarge a sketch, glue it on reverse to paper or outline it, and cut.  It saves time on certain designs vs. guesstimating sizes.   



7.And lastly, EMBELLISH, RUB-ON, & MARK IT UP!  I used glow-in-the-dark puffy paint on the moon (and yes it does glow at night), puffy paint for pumpkin stems & bird tails, random rub-ons from my stash, plus a metal shaped flower.  And inks of all kind (Faber Castell, Sharpie, Scarlet Lime)  The final step was covering the non-Tar Gelled section with ModPodge to seal it up.  AND I LOVE IT!!

I decided to see how different paint colors showed in Tar Gel so I added a number stenciled design in orange.  (also outlined the front cover with orange for a framing effect)  As you can see the gel spread and you can barely make out the numbers.  I also used some Martha Stewart textured paint for the dots. 

Now to fill up the insides with lots of Fall & Halloween goodness. So fun to complete a project & love it.

I LOVE MY JOURNAL.  LOVE! love! Love!



PINTEREST PROJECT: Fall Decor

I LOVE PINTEREST!  The site is so full of ideas to create PLUS you can store them for future reference.  It's so easy and most website have a special link posted to add at your discretion.

Hence, several of my Fall decor ideas came from various inspiration on Pinterest.

First, my spider candy bowl creation.  I have seen several crafters create various serving bowl creation by stacking simple bowls, plates, cups, etc.  I started getting my Halloween decor out and had an "AH HA" moment.  Spending only $1 on this project: 1) a candy bowl (webbed with a spider - I believe I got at Target a couple years ago), a margarita glass from a friend, and spiders/webs from Dollar Store. 2) Hot glue the candy bowl to the bottom of margarita glass.  Let dry.  3)  Place spiders and webs under glass.  4) Add Candy.  And Ta-Da.

Spider Candy Dish

I, then, used the remaining spider webs to create a decoration on my restroom mirror.

Webbed Mirror

Next up...PUMPKINS :).  Who knew the expensive pumpkins from art supply stores are also sold for $1 each.  (Maybe not best quality, but worked for this project).  1) Spray painted pumpkins in random metallic gold, silver, black or white colors. 

sprayed pumpkins

2)s) Take black Sharpie Paint marker and make a woodgrain pattern on the white pumpkin.  You could also do various animal patterns OR reverse the color patterns.

woodgrain pumpkin

2)b) Spray various coats of spray paint on top to create a dripping effect. or  2)c)  Place tape/rubber bands/yarn around pumpking & spray with contrasting color.  I even added glitter spray on top the black one.

drippage/taped pumpkins

2)d) Take white Sharpie Paint marker and create spider webs onto black pumpkin.

spider web pumpkin

3) Stack pumpkins using chopsticks. Use books for altered heights. Or just place them around the house. FUN!!  And non-themed pumpkins can last through the Fall season.


Finally,  I attempted to use Mirror Glass Spray Paint to create a pumpkin. The intent was to spray 2 bowls from Dollar Store, glue together, and create a pumpkin shape.  Like any project, there is some trial and error.  The hot glue did not hold the glass bowl well, plus I couldn't get the same look that was posted as an example.  Heidi Milton utilized the following method which would resolve my errors:  DIY Mirrored Pumpkin

Heidi Milton's Mirrored Pumpkin

It's fun being a grown-up and still enjoying all the fun a holiday brings. 

Finding new and exciting ways to create a festive atmosphere for all ages. 

ENJOY CREATING FOR THE HOLIDAYS! 

INTRODUCING...

"There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth...not going all the way, and not starting."- Buddha

Thus, today I begin my blog.

INTRODUCING

  origin~aLi~ty

Why, you ask? 

Well...it all started with a simple desire to add a blog name to a simple tag accompanying my creation in Donna Downey's "Altered Brush Project"

front of tag created with random tape & Sharpie

Then, I had a little pep talk.  Telling myself, "I can do this!  I want to do this!" And thinking, I can take time and share my personality, my creative ability, and become part of an art world I cherish so much. After sending out a Facebook status asking for Blog names, I started writing down various ideas:  alifromvalley (yes, I am Ali from Valley, NE), A Joyful Gab, Artful Ali, Gitt Going, and one inspired by the kids I babysit for Ali-Pop, Lollipop, Goody Goody Gumdrops (to be my kid related blog at some point).

But ultimately fell in love with  origin~aLi~ty. 

So today is a  new journey into the world of blogging! Wish Me Luck!

 While attending an art crawl at Donna Downey Studios, there was an option to decorate a brush and be part of a funky, fun bathroom decor. Yes, bathroom!   Donna Downey's "Altered Brush Project"  motivated me to think outside my box on what I could do different, expand my creativity.

So I started:  playing with material and ideas, making sketches of shapes, etc.  A tree idea developed while using the pompoms.  After tying the strands through the hole, and hot gluing them into place....I let the strand dangle down as roots.  (I later cut them off .)

  

the beginning of the project



I tested out what UTEE would look like clear on the handle, but opted to wrap pattern paper around and ModPodge it down.  LOVED IT!

Then the tree just took it's own life and I added various elements:

a.  dry wall tape & floral ribbon around the metal band

b.  little hat, shredded book text (altered with Distress ink), washi tape bunting, stamped UTEE coated birds, and glitter painted heart into the leaves

c.  taupe colored paint + puffy painted word GROW to bottom brush section

d. metal trinket for tree knot

and VOILA...

To me, a simple brush = a start, a new beginning, a huge momentum builder for launching my dream.

A simple brush = COURAGE, GROWTH, STRENGTH.