20 hearts - #20

Hi friends.  This is my last heart for the February challenge at Motley Soul Mixed-Media Art.  You will find all the details on how it was made on the OWSE blog as my Friday Feature, once the post goes live at midnight Eastern time.  (I'll edit that to a direct link once the post is up.)


Every now and then, I get the urge to jump outside my box and do something different.  The style of this one is not at all my norm, and I worked a long time on it, but I had a lot of fun making it and I like the end result. 

I think steampunk is fascinating, but I'm never really sure what to do with it.  What features designate that a piece is steampunk?  I'm not sure, so I just guess.  Hopefully, I've succeeded. 

There are many different elements on this.  The background is duct tape run through a couple different embossing folders.  The large heart has gears embedded underneath foil tape.  And the clock is made from cereal box chipboard.  The coloring technique is exactly the same on all three surfaces, but the results are unique on each. 

So what do a shiny red heart and dangling beads have to do with steampunk?  Well... nothing, really..., but the piece needed an accent, and I thought 'steamy' hot was appropriate.  And since I'm the artist, I can do that, right?

Thanks so much for stopping in today. 

20 hearts - #19

Well, here I am again with another heart for the February challenge at Motley Soul Mixed-Media Art.  I decided to make a one that is faux wood.  This is such an easy technique.  Just swipe several colors of brown ink down your paper, starting with the lightest color, until you have the look you desire.  I used creamy caramel, more mustard, really rust, and chocolate chip inks.  Then use a black marker and straightedge to make lines for boards.  Add some 'nails' and you're done.  You can also change up the colors to grayish blues/greens for very weathered wood. 

After making the faux wood, I cut out my heart and attached it to a cereal box chipboard heart. I hand wrote the sentiment on the heart.  I also punched out the photo corners from the faux wood. 

The background is victorian leaves background from Cornish Heritage Farms, inked with peeled paint distress ink, misted with water, and stamped on the card base.

After gluing all the pieces together, I decided that it needed a small accent, so I stamped the leaves from because I care (SU) with always artichoke on certainly celery card stock, and then punched them out using a Martha Stewart leaf punch.  I added some sponged artichoke ink along the leaf edges and glued them on the card. 

Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit today. 

20 hearts - #18

Hello my friends.  We are getting more snow!  It only started a short time ago, but it's really coming down heavy.  Predictions are 5-8".  I don't plan on going out in it.

The month is almost over, but I've managed to keep up with the heart challenge for February at Motley Soul Mixed-Media Art.  Although this is number 18, I only need to make one more, because I have the one finished that I can't show you yet.

I wanted to make one with spirelli on it, but wasn't sure how it would look to do it the shape of the heart.  Instead, I die cut a circle in the heart and made a spirelli circle.

The heart is made from junk mail coated with gesso and some paint brushed on rather messily.  But I think it worked perfectly for this technique.  Sometimes it's that quirkiness that makes your art interesting.  I use a plastic canvas circle as my guide for piercing the holes to use for the spirelli, which is done with a needle and black thread.  I prefer thread because it looks so delicate and lacy.

I stamped a flower from Natural Beauty (SU), plus two extra flowers with jet black stazon ink on white card stock.  They are colored with Derwent Inktense pencils, using a water brush to blend.  The little white dots are white paint applied with the end of a toothpick.  I cut the main flower to fit behind the opening and then attached the other two flowers in front so they overlap the spirelli a bit.

Then I went digging in my stash of pattern paper for something that looked good with the red and put that on my card base.

I had a strip of white card stock that had been punched with a Martha Stewart border punch.  I used a square punch to punch out parts for the corners.

I really love this one.

Thanks so much for stopping by. 

20 hearts - #15, #16, #17

Hello friends.  Here I am with some more hearts for the February monthly challenge at Motley Soul Mixed-Media Art. I have three more done.  I might just get all 20 made.  Actually, I have one more finished, but can't show you that one yet.  I'm using it for my Friday Feature on the OWSE blog. 

The card base for all the hearts is cereal box, coated with gesso and these three are painted with light buttermilk acrylic paint. 

My first one today has a background stamped with a large stitch background stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms.  I used tumbled glass to ink the stamp, then misted it with water and stamped.  I used a paper tower to remove the excess water. 

The cereal box chipboard heart is covered with fabric.  Then I die cut the mini sewing room dress form and spool.  I added some crochet cotton to the spool to make it look like thread. 

The sentiment is computer generated.  I think I have a stamp that says that, but didn't want to spend time looking for it. 

For my next heart, I colored the background stamp, leaf & floral (Hero Arts), with distress markers, misted with water and stamped.  I used a paper towel to blot away the excess water, leaving a nice soft background. 

The heart is a piece I found in my scraps that was colored with wrinkle free distress technique.  I thought I would get done faster if I pulled some things from the scrap stash.  I stamped one of Tim Holtz' stamps in jet black archival ink on the heart.  Then I sponged a little vintage photo distress ink on the edges. 

I colored the butterfly with Copic markers, cut it out, and popped up the wings.  I added the antennae with a Pitt pen. 

The sentiment is computer generated, cut apart and glued down. 

My third background (dots & flowers from Hero Arts) is colored the same way as the second, but using different colors. 

The heart and birds were in my stash, making it easy to put this one together.  The heart is embossed with tiny mosaic texture embossing folder and sponged with vintage photo distress ink.  There are some birds stamped on it in white ink, but they don't show up very well. 

The birds are die cut with a Sizzix die.  The one in front is grungeboard, painted with pearlescent blue Lumiere, and the one behind is certainly celery card stock. 

I printed the sentiment on my computer, sponged the edges with vintage photo distress ink and glued it on. 

Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit today. 

20 hearts - #14

Hi friends.  Here I am again with another heart for the February monthly challenge at Motley Soul Mixed-Media Art. This is also for Mix-Ability challenge #3 on SCS, a mixed media challenge to use text and 3 different reds.

My base is cereal box chipboard, covered with recycled coffee filters and coated with gesso.
For the heart, I tore a page from an old book and stamped the flower right on the page with jet black archival ink.  I painted the flower with twinkling H2O's, then added red Derwent Inktense pencil near the center of the flower.  I dipped the point of the pencil in water and then colored.  I love these pencils.  I only have six and most definitely need to get a larger set. 

To add some contrast, I cut a black heart just a little bit larger than the first one, so I could layer it on the black, which really makes the heart stand out. 

To make the frame, I wanted to use washi tape, but I don't have any in red.  I love washi tape, but I think it's way overpriced, so I usually make my own.  I put 1/2" Scor-tape on recycled coffee filters (plain or printed tissue paper also works for this) and then cut the strips apart, cutting close to the edge of the tape.  Then I swiped some barn door distress stain over the strips, let them dry, and stamped the polka dots - a border stamp from Gina K - with jet black archival ink.  To use the faux washi tape, you just peel off the protective backing.  It works and looks just like the real thing, except it's not repositional. 

Then I just positioned the heart and glued it on. 

Thank you so much for stopping in today.  I hope you are enjoying the weekend.  I just looked out the window and we have snow coming down again.  I shoveled most of the drive yesterday.  I think there was about 6". 

20 hearts - #12, #13

Hello my friends.  I haven't blogged for a few days, because I've been busy preparing for my technique class today.  But now that is done, so I can concentrate on more fun stuff.  Last evening I sat down and worked on some more hearts for the February monthly challenge at Motley Soul Mixed-Media Art.  I finished two and have a couple more in progress. 

The first one is another one using the image transfer technique with sticky back canvas.  I used a piece of patterned paper.  The shimmer is from matte gel medium that reflects my camera flash. 

For the background, I glued on a piece of patterned paper, then sponged through a harlequin stencil from the Crafter's Workshop with weathered wood, faded jeans, tea dye, and vintage photo distress inks. 

The script is a Donna Salazar stamp, stamped randomly with jet black archival ink. 

I doodled some scalloped around the heart with a black Pitt pen. 

The Bible verse is computer generated. 

My second heart today is also part of the ways to use it challenge on SCS (sponging) and for a Quick Fire challenge from OWSE Yahoo group, which was to make something that represents spring fever.  Probably the thing that I most await for in Spring is for my lilacs to bloom.  I have a lilac hedge along one side of the back yard, which I've planted over the years since we've lived here.  Some were dug up from my parents' home up north, and others were purchased.  I have several different varieties - purples, blue, pink, doubles, and one that blooms almost a month later than the others.  They are all so pretty and I just love how they smell.  Even though, once cut, they don't last long, I always have to bring at least one bouquet into the house. 

The background on this heart is made using the Crafter's Workshop 6" brick stencil and mowed lawn distress ink with a sponge. 

The heart is die cut with Spellbinders nested hearts die and the lilac blossoms from a Sizzix die called build a flower, lilacs.  I cut the leaves and branch freehand.  I sponged the heart and flowers with shaded lilac distress ink and added some pearls to the flowers.  The leaves were white and I sponged mowed lawn on them to change the color, and then edged them with pine needles distress ink. 

My sentiment was computer generated. 

Thanks so much for stopping in for a visit today.  I hope you have an enjoyable weekend. 

20 hearts - #9, #10, #11

Happy Saturday, my friends.  It's sunny outside, but cold - only 20 degrees and windy.  It's a good day to stay indoors. 

Last night I was busy on the February monthly challenge at Motley Soul Mixed-Media Art, and made three more. 

For the first one, I made a quilt background by punching 1" squares from designer paper.  I brushed over it with a gesso wash, which toned down the brightness just a bit. 

Then I stamped the heart (oh, forgot to check, but I think it's Stampington & Co.) in jet black archival ink.  I added some faux stitching and a computer generated sentiment. 

The next one started with the heart, which is sticky back canvas.  I stamped the flowers (Dylusions) in black archival ink on plain white paper and did an image transfer onto the sticky side of the canvas.  You press the image side onto the sticky side, burnish, then wet and rub until all the paper residue is gone and only the image remains.  Because I wanted it colored, I tried some different mediums (copic markers, distress markers, ink sprays).  Some of the color from the markers is visible, but mostly washed out.  The ink sprays colored the canvas, but not evenly.  I completely rinsed the canvas and what you see is what was left.  I gave it a coat of matte Mod Podge.  It was a good experiment and I like the result, even though it wasn't what I was aiming for. 

The background is painted, stenciled with more paint, and then stamped with a Donna Salazar crackle stamp. 

I crocheted a length of braid, which is the type used for Romanian Point Lace, and glued it around the edge of the heart. 

The sentiment is computer generated. 

For the last heart, I covered the background with designer paper and a piece from an old book, all coated with matte Mod Podge. 

The heart was stamped on tissue paper, torn out and applied with Mod Podge. 

The sentiment is computer generated. 

Thank you so much for visiting today.  Have a great day.

20 hearts - #7 & #8

Hello my friends.  DH and I had our taxes done today.  It's so nice to have that finished.  Then we had a nice lunch together.  I had a Cubana sandwich, which was very good.  Of course, since I only ate half of it, I get to have it again. 

I think if I'm going to get all 20 hearts finished for the February monthly challenge at Motley Soul Mixed-Media Art, I need to get busy.  I need to complete one every day. 

So very late tonight, I was putting things away and getting ready for tomorrow's class, when I came across a piece of cereal box with some fabric glued on.  I knew right away it was perfect for a heart for one of these cards.  Of course, I needed to pull a few things back out and work on it.  And then... what really happened... I cut out a heart, set it down and started working on a background.  I painted the card with buttermilk acrylic paint and then added several colors of paint through a brick stencil.  I loved it, but not for the fabric heart. 

I stamped another heart on tissue paper, ran a wet paint brush around it, and tore away the extra tissue.  Then I used a matte gel medium to glue it on my card.  This was a tip I learned on Creative Jump Start.  It gives a good stamped image even when your background has a rough texture, and the edges of the tissue blend right into the background so you can't see them.  I added a little color with colored pencils. 

Then I wrote the sentiment with a black Pitt pen. 

The fabric heart was still waiting.

I started by painting the background celery green.  Then I stenciled some butterflies (Red Lead stencil) with ivory paint.  And then I randomly added a few more colors with either a brush or sponge.

There was a small strip of canvas on my table left over from another project, so I cut a piece to fit my card, frayed the edges and wrote the sentiment on it.  I used Fabri-tac to adhere the canvas to the card.

Then I glued the heart down and another card was finished.  

Thanks so much for stopping by. 

20 hearts - #6

Hi friends.  Wow!  I got hit with a nasty head cold over the weekend -- one of those where your head feels all stuffy and your brain doesn't seem to want to function.  I just didn't have the energy to do much.  Yesterday for lunch, DH cooked steak out on the grill in the rain (and 40 degrees).  So I didn't have to do too much preparation, which was nice. 

Anyway, I did get another heart made for the February monthly challenge at Motley Soul Mixed-Media Art, but didn't have the energy to get up a blog post.  For this one, I made a woven heart.  I cut strips from a brown paper bag and then colored them with lots of different colors of distress stain.  I used my heat gun to dry the ink, so I didn't have to wait for it to dry.  Because I was using paper bags, the colors are really rich and dark. 

Starting in the center and choosing colors randomly, I wove the strips together as I glued them to my base card (a piece of cereal box chipboard).  Then I die cut a Spellbinders heart from a piece of card stock and glued it over the woven paper. 

The sentiment is computer generated, and I added some doodling with a black Pitt pen and faux stitching with a white gel pen. 

And look what showed up in my mailbox today! 

This is a prize package I won from Red Lead just for leaving a comment.  Lots of fun new goodies to play with.  Thank you Chris and Sharon. 

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit. 

20 hearts - #3, 4 & 5

Hello my friends.  I made some more heart cards for the February monthly challenge at Motley Soul Mixed-Media Art.  It's quite a challenge to come up with 20 hearts that are all different. 

The first one today is a stenciled heart.  First I painted a very pale blue on the background.  I cut the stencil from paper and used a dot stencil over that, to get a dotted heart.  The dots are paint and the heart is distress ink.  Then I used the cut out heart as a mask, so I could stamp the filigree background from SU. 

I used two photo corner punches for the corners and added some white gel pen highlights. 

The sentiment was computer generated. 

My next card has a washi tape heart.  The music strip is from Tim Holtz and the others are hand made with tissue paper, scor-tape, distress stains and stamps.  I just put the strips on white card stock and then ran it through my cuttlbug with a scallop heart die (Spellbinders). 

Some stamped, torn card stock and a computer generated sentiment complete this card. 

My third card has a hand crocheted heart.  The background was painted red and then a Gina K lace border was stamped with white pigment ink.  Even with a heat gun, the white ink took forever to dry.  The heart is not permanently attached to the card.  It's just tied on with ribbon, so the recipient can remove it and use it for something else.  The sentiment is computer generated and punched wih a word window punch and tied to the ribbon. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today.                                                                                                           

20 hearts - #2

Hello again.  I have finished my 2nd heart card for the February monthly challenge at Motley Soul Mixed-Media Art.  I've seen iris folding and never really was interested in trying it, but needing to come up with 20 different hearts, I thought I'd give it a try for one of the hearts. 

I found a pattern on line, printed it out and then placed a piece of clear acetate over it, so that no glue would get stuck to the pattern while I was working.  I used copy paper that had already been printed on, but had some clean parts that were usable.  I didn't realize that the pattern I was using was a bit wonky until I got closer to the center and could see that the pattern was no longer square.  Since this is my first attempt at iris folding, I didn't even know that was incorrect. I'm sure if I hadn't said anything, most of you wouldn't have even noticed. 

I wanted some color, so I tried using a Dylusions ink spray.  Even though I held the spray bottle quite a distance from the paper, it still gave quite a heavy spray -- not what I was going for.  Then I tried to salvage it by sponging on some salty ocean distress ink.  Although I'm not thrilled with the result, it's better than it was. 

Next I cut out a heart pattern to fit my card, traced it on the back of the rust card stock and then cut it out.  I used a Hero Arts background and pacific point ink on the rust and then added dots with white gel pen.  I like the way the rust contrasts with the turquoise. 

I sponged the edges of my card base, a piece of tissue box coated with gesso, with salty ocean and glued it all together.  I decided to keep it with all the imperfections, mainly because I'm not sure that I want to do this technique again.  I did, however, go find a new 'correct' pattern -- just in case...

Thanks so much for stopping for a visit today. 

20 hearts - #1

Hi my friends.  More snow!  I was going to go to the grocery store this afternoon.  I clicked on weather.com and found out that the snow which had just started was going to accumulate 2-4 inches.  So I decided the time to go to the store was immediately.  I'm glad I did.  The radio station I had on in the car said 4-7 inches expected.  I don't mind the snow.  I don't even mind shoveling, but I do not like driving in it.

The February monthly challenge at Motley Soul Mixed-Media Art is 20 4"x4" cards that each have a heart, all different.  I finally got started and have my first one finished.

I started with a piece of junk mail cut to size, coated with gesso and some old paint that is rather lumpy (great texture).  Then I added a piece of pattern paper and stenciled over it all with peacock feathers 6"x6" stencil from The Crafter's Workshop and two colors of paint.

I stamped a script stamp all over with jet black archival ink.

For my heart, I cut a heart free hand from corrugated cardboard (part of the protective packaging on a sofa we purchased a few months back - I just had to save what was in good condition).  For some color on the heart, I added some paint, gesso and ink.  I also cut a tiny heart out with a craft knife.  Behind the opening, I put a piece of card stock coated with paint and wrote the word 'love'.

For the fringe behind the heart, I used a pair of scissors that has five blades for cutting fringe (or herbs in the kitchen) to cut some narrow strips of brown paper bag.  I added vintage photo ink and scrunched up the ends and stapled the pieces to my base.

I thought it needed some faux stitching, so that was added with a white gel pen and a black Pitt pen, which is kind of washed out in the photo.

The words were printed from my computer, sponged with tea dye and vintage photo distress inks and glued on.

Because I thought the card was too flimsy, I glued it onto a piece of cereal box chipboard.