Missing You... Simply #Cre8time Playtime

Hello friends! I find it hard to believe it's mid-November and it's now dark before dinner here in SoFL. I was rifling through a box of crafty stuff and came across some old collage stuff from way back in the day (or 2012-2013) when I did weekly live-streaming. It was fun and I miss those times and interacting online with all of my creative friends across the globe made through the web. Technology and social media has advanced significantly, some for ease and some making things more complicated. 

Remember Linqto - it was limited but it was the infant of what FB and YT live has become. Why did I stop streaming?? Because the technical issues with the platform became more problematic AND a server failure resulting in loss most everyone's recordings. It was nice to just turn it on and go... they were such FUN times. I had a strenuous job and a lot of DT commitments... then my health started to intervene on my round-the-clock lifestyle, forcing me to change everything. Jobs included.

Recent times have been upside down for all of us. Meanwhile I've taken a LOT of online classes and focused on my love for cooking as I get back in the swing of things. Last month I was a guest designer at Artesprix and I made a few projects for Dia De Los Muertos. It was nice to create just for fun, finish a UFO project and one was a livestream DIY for the annual festival at work. One thing has led to another...

AND... I have some super awesome news

that I have been so excited to share.

It's been so hard to keep a secret.

Check back tomorrow -- 

Monday, November 15th

when I can finally

announce the news!

See you tomorrow! :) Sb

I AM... StencilGirl® Affirmation/Tarot Deck Collaborative

Hello friends! It's a new week and I am excited for you to join me today for the reveal of a new StencilGirl® collaborative project, the "StencilGirl® Affirmation and Tarot Card Collaboration"... a project in which we were challenged to create an inspiration/tarot deck of cards using StencilGirl® Stencils.

This project is a bit different... one that is more reflective and introspective. For a while now I have been investing in refilling my creative well by following The Artist's Way and the accompanying work with a group of fellow creatives in an accountability cluster.

A bit about the process: For the cards I started out with a base black metallic cardstock that I stenciled with 2-3 layers of color using different Plaid FolkArt® Color Shift Acrylics. I have previously swatched all the colors on white, black and chipboard surfaces to see the resulting color magic. If you have these, they are really fun and make for some pretty cool unexpected effects.

On the backside I layered over the first layer with a combination of 3-4 colors of my favorite Ranger Distress Acrylic paint daubers, creating an ombre on my Gel-Press plate to stencil onto. The backgrounds are a result of combining the rubbed stencil and papers created from pulling the leftover after removing stencil. Nothing goes to waste! I mounted fronts to backs using spray adhesive and cut sheets down to create cards (cards are sizes to fit into a recycled altoid tin).

I also upcycled an altoid mint tin as a coordinating home for these cards on my desk.

I left adding the inscriptions to the end. I set out stenciling in letters with a liquid silver pen.

As luck would have it... the ink bled like crazy under the stencil.

Interestingly, this mess up actually looks pretty neat with how distressed it looks.

So I carried on... intentionally doing this on all of them.

I think this may have been kismet... a way of just enjoying the process, regardless the twists and turns.

This forced me to work slowly, adding many layers of marker and pen to fill in and make the letters stand out on the cards.

This project turned out to be very personal and emotional one. This project served as several of my artists' dates and was a free time to just "BE" and let each session evolve without any pressures to make an instructional.

Here are all of my cards before adding stenciled text inscriptions. The colored stencil background overlayed with a black stencil design.

I am sharing the first three of inscriptions here as they were part of the StencilGirl® stencil I used and started me off on a journey of what the rest should/would say.

Front and back side-by-side (sorry the scanner doesn't pick up the shimmer and shine of the metallic paint and pens).

"i am enough"

"i am me"

"i am brave"

All of the fronts are the same. To finish off, I created a chipboard template with a corner rounding punch to add a silver outline.

StencilGirl® Stencils Used on Front/Back of 18 cards:

Kerr L856 - ATC Mixup Stencil

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-ATC-Mixup-Cat-Kerr-p/l856.htm

Evans L654 - ATC Mixup Evans Stencil

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-ATC-Mixup-Evans-Jennifer-Evans-p/l654.htm

Kalbach L319 - Art Deco Wallpaper Stencil

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-art-deco-paris-nathalie-kablach-p/l319.htm

StencilGirl® Stencils Used on Container Lid:

Shaw S730 - Brilliant Star Stencil

https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencil-Brilliant-Star-Mary-Beth-Shaw-p/s730.htm

+ + + + +

I hope you enjoyed this project. CLICK HERE to jump over to see the other cards made for the StencilGirl® Affirmation and Tarot Card Collaboration. 

Thanks for dropping by! Sb

Shapes for all Seasons... Grafix® Creative Plastic Films Bloghop

 

Greetings everyone! Today I am joining the Designer Crafts Connection for another bloghop featuring projects made with Grafix® Creative Plastic Films. You might be familar with Grafix® products such as shrink plastic, adhesive sheets or transfer paper... but they have so many other surfaces to delight artists and crafters alike!

Discover your creativity with Grafix®... is your source for specialty plastic films for Arts, Crafts, Graphics, Drafting & Design! For more than 50 years, Grafix® quality plastic films, specialty papers, and Incredible Art Products® have been inspiring artists, crafters, and designers to create the beautiful and innovative.

I was provided the Grafix® Disc Bound Mixed Media Journal and a multi-pack of Grafix® Metallic Foil Board and Paper to create with.

Grafix® Plastic Films are something I have never tried and I am excited that this Mixed Media Journal is a 6" x 9" size with an assortment of 6 surfaces pre-punched for disc-binding... ready to create!

Selections include: .010” Clear Dura-Lar; .005” Matte Dura-Lar; .004” Wet Media Dura-Lar; .010” Opaque White Dura-Bright/Craft Plastic; .010” Opaque Black Dura-Bright/ Craft Plastic; .057” Natural Chipboard; and binding Discs.

These 6 unique surfaces which are geared toward a variety of mixed media applications. Try inks, stamps, stencils, markers, embossing, painting, drawing, and more! The ideas are whirling around in my head -- I'm not sure where to begin.

Hello bling! The Grafix® Metallic Foil Board and Paper is sure to steal the show! A multi-pack of 5 colors, 2 sheets each in 10" x 13" size.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Cut the paper and plastic film with die cuts! I make an effort to support fellow creatives as much as possible. I have a set of Crafty Chica Sizzix® dies that are for celebrating Dia De Los Muertos (from 5 years ago). Where I work we have an annual Community Celebration for this Holiday and I have had these for making projects with kids at the event. I've never really made an entire project - so this is going to be fun with this fabulous metallic paper!

I will also die cut some florals using Crafty Chica Makers Movement® dies that I purchased online. These were released this summer.

All I have done is die cut my papers and plastic film (I chose the .010” Clear Dura-Lar sheets). I am loving all the bling from this metallic paper... it is true mirror card! When assembled and embellished, this sugar skull will be turned into a mini mask by mounting onto a glitter pencil.

After testing my entire bag of pens on scraps of the Dura-Lar to see which took and looked best (happy to report most pens worked fabulous), I set off on drawing and doodling in the details.

I decorated each of my sugar skulls with a few metallic markers and chalk-ink pens. The front is the Dura-Lar mounted over green foil / the reverse is Dura-Lar over gold foil.

The more layers the more personality!

Layer film sugar skull on top of the foil paper... WOW! I finished by adding details in the metallic areas too.

I also die cut a skull shape with the Grafix® Double Tack Mounting Film to mount each side back-to-back.

I aligned the Grafix® Double Tack Mounting Film to the back of one side, place pencil then layer and join surfaces together.

I used some Diamond Glaze to adhere the layered foil pieces and gem accents.

This Catrina is ready for her close-up!

The hand drawn embellishments, marks and doodles to bring these Sugar Skulls to life!

I love the contrast of the front and the back just from varying colors. The pens worked great on the Clear Dura-Lar and dried quicker than expected. I can't wait to share this at our Viva la Vida Altar Celebration this weekend. 

CLICK HERE to jump over to the beginning of the Grafix® Creative Plastic Films Bloghop at the Designer Crafts Connection blog to view more inspiration and projects using Creative Plastic Films.

For more info on Grafix® Products, project inspiration and purchase these fantastic surfaces visit Grafix® website HERE.

Thanks so much for visiting! I'd love to hear what you would create with Grafix® Creative Plastic Films.  Sb :)

** This is a sponsored post.  Grafix® provided products for use in this project in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions. My ideas and opinions are my own.