Winter Love - Mixed Media Layout

Hello, Crafty Friends... I have been taking a really big interest into the mixed media world and have  been dabbling a lot with different techniques. Like my mom always said, " you have to try everything at least once to decide if you like it or not".

And, with that, I'm going to dive right in! No hesitating. No turning back. 

 Let's get ready to rumble!! Yup, Mixed Media is about to go down!! 

This just got real! I'm about to get dirty...Oh no!! I hate getting dirty!!

EEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKK!!!

Oh well, here I go!!

Supplies Used

Spritzers Dye Ink Sprays- Glacier Lake, Mermaid  (Clearsnap)

ColorBox Petal Point Ink Pads- Aurora, Enchantment (Clearsnap)

Art Screens- Bloom (Clearsnap)

Creative Station w/9" Permanent Adhesive Refill (Xyron)

3" Sticker Maker (Xyron)

Teresa Collins Pocket Die- Love- Memory Collection (Craftwell)

Winter Wonderland- Blizzard, Shiver, Flurries, Chips(Pebbles Inc)

Natural Corrugated Stack (DCWV)

Vintage Sheet Music

Gesso (Liquitex)

Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks (Ad Tech)

Winter Glitter Sprays and Flower Pick (Celebrate It)

Mini Picture Frame (Michael's)

Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (Paper Mart)

Gauze/ Cheese Cloth

Diamond Glaze (Judikins)

Sponge Daubers (Tsukineko)

Heat Tool (Marvy Uchida)

Die-cut Spatula (Cricut)

Button Shank Remover or Wire cutters 

Tim Holtz Distressing Tool (Tonic Studios)

Micro Beads- Seamist ( Buttons Galore)

First, I took a mini frame

 and remove the backing from it. It is easy to do with the help of your die-cut spatula. Just slide between and across. Try to remove as much excess cardboard as possible. This helps minimize the bulk of the frame.

 Now, I painted my whole frame with gesso and let dry. You can use a heat gun to speed this step along.

Then I sprayed my gessoed frame down using Clearsnap's Mermaid Spritzer. Once dried I used a sponge dauber and the darkest color from my ColorBox Aurora Petal Point to rub the raised areas. Dried the ink using my heat gun and then applied silver from my ColorBox Enchantment Petal Point to go over the dark color I just rubbed on. 

The silver over the black really makes the silver pop!

Then I heat set again with my heat tool.

I set my frame aside and custom colored my poinsettia flower. I love buying just white flowers and embellishments for this very reason. I can custom color everything to fit my needs. Because this is fabric, it takes a much longer drying time than paper. You can help it along with a heat gun but will still need quite a bit of drying time still.

Be careful when using your heat gun at all times! Objects get very hot!

While I was waiting for my poinsettia to finish drying I moved onto my paper. I cut an 8"x8" sheet of Pebbles Shiver paper and  distressed the edges. Then, I sponged on a huge flower onto the background using my Bloom stencil and the teal colors from my Aurora ink pad, I also went along the distressed areas with the same ink.

Then I ran that piece through my Xyron Creative Station. I also cut out random strips from more Pebbles paper and inked the edges of those strips as well. Then I tore a ripped out pages from an old book of sheet music and inked the edges of those as well. I distressed all the edges on my pieces with the same teal colored ink. Once all my pieces were dry they all took a quick ride through my Xyron Creative Stations and Sticker Makers.

I used a 12"x12" sheet of corrugated cardboard by DCWV as my base of my layout and randomly dry brushed gesso onto it.

Once dried, I just peeled and stuck my different panels onto the corrugated cardboard base. 

I added some Pebbles Snowflake Chips onto my layout using Diamond Glaze.

And then, made splatters using my spritzers. I just simply removed the covers and tap the cap to make the dye ink drip off the straw. OOhhhh, I likey!!

For inside my frame I cut out 3 die-cuts of the word "love" from craft cardstock using my Teresa Collins pocket die. Glued and stacked them all together and then inked them... again using the same dark teal color from my Aurora Petal Point ink pad.

For the final touches, I tucked and glued cheese cloth for a bit of texture. To add more texture I used more Diamond glaze and made strategically placed swirls and then covered them with micro beads.

And here is my finished layout...

And then the easiest part was just hot gluing all my pretty elements.

I can't tell you how much I am in love with this frame!!

And I love how the micro beads almost look like an extension of my glittered spray stems.

I am soooo in love with this layout! And, I hope you are too!!

My Dancing Divas

Hi Crafty Friends... Last weekend my two beautiful daughters had their very first dance recital. And like any proud mama I was there taking picture like crazy trying to get every moment possible. We worked our tails off all year for this event (and yes, I worked my tail off too, even though I wasn't the one actually doing the dancing) and I wasn't going to let any photo-op slip away from me.

 So, what better way to document this special event than with a scrapbook layout. And, even better, our awesome friends at Bella Blvd. is sponsoring Team Cut'n'Boss for the month of June!! Their papers and embellishments were just a  perfect match for my little divas!!

Here is the first of many layouts to come...

Tools & Supplies Used

 Cut'n'Boss Machine (Craftwell)

Teresa Collins Pocket Dies- Girls Best Friend, Lover's Lane, Thankful, & Lifestyle Collections

Bella Blvd.  Color Chaos Patterned Paper- Peep Strandz, Daily Details

Bella Blvd. Color Chaos Invisibles- Click! Click!

Bella Blvd. Enamel Dots- Punch 

Grafix Metallic Gold Cardstock

 eBrush (Craftwell)

Spectrum Noir Markers (PP4, TB7)

Liquitex Gesso

Xyron 5" Create-a- Sticker

Xyron 3" Sticker Maker

Xyron 1.5" Create-a-Sticker

I started by first airbrushing my Spectrum Noir markers is TB7 and PP4 to the back side of my Bella Blvd Invisible. I love all the adorable cameras on this huge scallop circle!! Too, too cute!!

These sheets are transparent and made of a thick but flexible plastic. I wanted to add some pop to my cameras so adding color was a no brainer. The back side of the sheets are matted with texture so adding color is a cinch.

But ebrushing with my Spectrum Noir markers still leaves it transparent and I really didn't want the patterned paper I was layering it on to distract from those cute cameras... so I quickly added a layer of gesso directly over the colors and set aside to dry.

While that was drying, I used my Cut'n'Boss to cut out all my Teresa Collins Pocket Dies out of metallic gold cardstock. And because it has a huge cutting platform I can cut them all my dies at once.

The sandwich combo I used ...

From Bottom to Top

D Plate

B Plate

A Plate

 Paper (front up)

Die (cutting side down)

A Plate

Can you believe I was able to cut all of these dies all at once?!! All 13 dies cut through with one passing... HOLY COW... that saved my arms from a lot of cranking!

I ran all my pieces in my Xyron Sticker makers and  Create-a-sticker machines. I try to run them through my Xyrons as soon as they are cut so I don't lose all the little pieces and ,besides, I love the fact that they're ready to just pop right onto my projects.

I  then cut a  5"x 9" piece of Bella Blvd.'s Peep Strandz and Ran it through my Xyron

I know these aren't going anywhere now... no shifting pieces for me!! And I love it makes assembly so quick and easy! Everything comes together in practically no time at all!

I cut out the cute matching camera Bella Blvd.'s Daily Details paper and used it as an embellishment and finally topped it all off with these yummy Bella Blvd enamel dots.

Here is my finished layout ...

Hope you enjoyed my project for today!! Thanks for stopping by!!

And I hope you have a very crafty day!!

~ Mitsy

For more inspirational projects visit my personal blog at upontippytoes.com!!