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Arise like a Phoenix from the fire!

I’m heading to Chicago this weekend to attend my first convention on miniatures. These are the ones you traditionally use in dollhouses and room-boxes. There are many other miniatures out there such as for train enthusiast and even Barbie but I primarily will be working in 1:12 scale (1″=1′). So I thought what better way to revive this blog with new life in the form of my remodeling a couple dollhouses and other dollhouse fun. I will also update you on what exactly I have been doing since the last post before this one. Hope you stick with me and see where this goes.

Michelle

p.s. have to figure out how to post pictures properly again, bare with me lol

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Aboriginal Art Inspired Drawings

Before Christmas I was in a group chat on Facebook and we were sharing a couple images we found on Pinterest of some Aboriginal art that was done. One of the ladies in the chat challenged a couple of us to do some work like the picture. I was the first one to complete that challenge with the following work:

It was very fun to do and since then my muse has been super happy. My friend Vickie and I have been poking each other’s muse sharing the different new images we have come up with. Well that has in turn inspired several other friends to jump on the challenge and I personally know of four or five others doing something similar. We are all using black paper as a background with the exception of myself adding in a few here and there done on colored cardstock from my huge paper stash and I think another using white paper. I hope this continues on and spreads around to inspire more people. Some of the artists you can go check out on Instagram at the following names:
ginabahrens (shes doing retro styled ones that are fabulous)
pegarobinson
vapurl

Below you will see several of the pages I have completed. At the bottom of the post will be links you can use to go find some of the products I have used. Happy creating!

Dylusions Black journal: https://amzn.to/2RWqsxx
Uni Posca Paint Pens: https://amzn.to/2MhwIL2
Gelly Roll white gel pen: https://amzn.to/2T7mwYl
DecoArt glass paint markers (just one of the colors you can search for more) https://amzn.to/2sxZhe7

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Refurbishing a Christmas Decoration Using DecoArt Snow-Tex

With our many Military moves and digging decorations out of the boxes each year, I was bound to have some decorations become a bit roughed up. Thankfully this decoration didn’t need too much work. The house had become detached from the base and the base was squished a little and needed some extra support. I added a piece of cardboard to stiffen things up. I thought it was a great item to use some of the DecoArt snow-tex to give it a new look and hide that bit of ugly cardboard.

I used a pallet knife to spread the Snow-tex onto the surface. This worked really well and allowed me to get it into the groove at the base of the house.

Once that was dry I needed to cover the edges with something. I used a pallet knife again to apply Liquitex flexible molding paste to the edge.

I also dabbed the pallet knife on the snowman hat and along the edges of the buttons on the house to give it a more “snowed-on” look. And there it is all fresh dry and ready to put back out on display. I think it turned out great.

Here are links to the products I used if you are interested in purchasing online. Both of these products can be found in stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michael’s

Liquitex flexible modeling paste: https://amzn.to/2Ppclvm

DecoArt Snow-tex: https://shop.decoart.com/snow-tex

Pallet Knife: https://amzn.to/2Uu8ErS

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Mosiac “Stained Glass” Canvas

Long time no post. I am trying to get back in the habit of updating this site in addition to getting back into the swing of things on YouTube. I have a new video camera and different editing software to make my videos better. One way I will be keeping content fresh here is to link my YouTube videos. That being said here is a recent project I completed where I was trying out my new FW acrylic inks on some stretched canvas. I hope you enjoy the video.

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Canvas Corp Brands Crew 4×4 Challenge

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As part of our first order of goodies we were given a 4″ x 4″ canvas to decorate in a way that represented us. I used many things in mine to represent different parts of me; this resulted in many layers, also part of me haha.

To start with I added some Liquitex Super Heavy Gesso around the edge of the canvas using a pallet knife. This is representative of the shell I have around me to protect my feelings. Not all the way around but where it counts. While that sat to dry I gathered some parts to add next.

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I found this canvas M in my stash and used Tattered Angels High Impact Paint in Aqua (one of my favorite colors right now) along the edge. I didn’t want to cover the whole thing in it as I felt it would become the main focal point of the canvas rather than being part of a whole. M for my First name.

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I let those sit over-night and came back the next day to begin my layout. I started by adding a piece of lace I received in my first order and positioned some corrugated card over it to help secure it. Lace for my feminine side.

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On top of that I layered a few pieces of burlap and a bit of book text from my stash. Book text because I love reading and old book text in general (Ephemera). Burlap because it is scratchy and I can be hard to be around at times.

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Then I got so involved in adding all my parts I forgot to take some pictures along the way so here you see a cup that was fussy cut from Canvas Corp “Fill the Cup” on Kraft. A spoon from Beans and Bags “Black and Ivory Spoon” these represent my enjoyment of coffee with things added such as creamer and sugar. A little metal bird from my stash that I am not sure where it came from represents my love of birds and nature in general. The 42 bingo marker was also part of my stash and has a double meaning. I turn 42 this year (March) and also Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (I love sci-fi/fantasy). In that book, 42 is The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. On the left side of the canvas is a clothes clip representing “holding it all together” and a bundle of 7Gypsy seam binding from Notting Hill in one of my favorite colors, blue. This is for Lady Blue Studios, my creative name, Blue Crafty (this blog) and a number of other blue related things for me (mood, Air Force Family). There is 4 parts hanging down in reference to my four family members (husband, two kids and myself). The quote comes from Canvas Corp Artsy Sampler on Kraft and perfectly explains my untidy art room and mind at times lol.

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Here is the finished canvas. After looking at it again I decided I needed a bit of washi tape on there because I LOVE washi tape lol. I used a piece from 7Gypsy Global collection and chose the one that looked like ledger paper. I love ledger paper. Then right above the 42 you will see a little symbol. That is called a geotag. I added that little bit on because I love Geocaching and this was the closest I could find to represent it and the little icons in the geocaching app do resemble a geotag. I covered it with Irresistible Pico Embellisher in Paris Dusk. I also went around the edge of the canvas with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo just to tie all the colors together.

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Here is a close-up of the geotag

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Here you get a better view of my little bird and color added to the canvas M

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And here you can see the detail in the spoon handle as it pokes through the cup handle.

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I hope you enjoyed reading about my project and the steps involved in making it as well as the meaning behind many of the pieces. Next time you are looking at a piece of art remember that a lot more can go into it that just slapping some paint down or gluing a few items on. Heart goes into it too. I could have added many more bits to represent myself but then my canvas would have been as cluttered as my work-surface lol.

Looking forward to sharing many more projects I create through the year with Canvas Corp Brands and I hope you stick with me. Don’t forget I also do videos on YouTube that you can watch each week.
https://www.youtube.com/user/AFSpouses
Michelle

Links to products used in project:
4 x 4 canvas http://shop.canvascorpbrands.com/products/4×4-chunky-stretched-natural-canvas
Tattered Angels High Impact Paint in Aqua http://shop.canvascorpbrands.com/products/aqua-high-impact-pigment-1-35oz
Assorted papers from collection: http://shop.canvascorpbrands.com/products/mix-match-pad-beans-and-bags
artsy sampler paper http://shop.canvascorpbrands.com/products/artsy-sampler-kraft
black clothespin http://shop.canvascorpbrands.com/products/small-clothespins-black-12pc
paper tape http://shop.canvascorpbrands.com/products/papertape-global
super heavy gesso Liquitex Professional Super Heavy Gesso Surface Prep Medium, 8-oz

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Journaling by 5’s

In today’s rewind to videos we are going to talk about Journaling by 5’s. Shannon Green, one of the people whose videos I watch on YouTube, came up with this genius time exercise for freeing yourself up to get creative and have fun. You can learn about it here on her video or by joining her Facebook group. (those links are provided in the video descriptions over on YouTube). The following 5 links will take you through my results from doing the steps in my first Journaling by 5 book.

Step one Background: paint/inks

Step two Texture: collage/recycled bits

Step three Patterns: stamps and stencil

Step four Focal Point: words and images

Step five Details: pen/pencil

After all those steps you then get your Free play which is where you take what you have made and add to it any additional things you think is needed. This can be doodles, more paint, more stamping etc. Whatever you desire. I still need to film the video showing how mine look now.

Hope you take up Shannon’s challenge and try this out for yourself. I am currently working on my second book.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and weekend

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What’s up? And Some Awesome News!

Over the past few months I have not bothered to post much over here. Mainly because I’ve been posting everything to Youtube and trying to increase traffic over there. For the remainder of November and December I am going to select some videos I have posted and bring them to the blog and explain a bit about what my project was about. One of my goals for next year is to make sure to post my videos here after having them uploaded. I will not be posting my weekly chat videos, just projects. Part of the reason for this is because I started off here as a blogger about my craft and art and just because I have been using Youtube (now that I am more comfortable over there) I shouldn’t neglect where I started. Another reason is I found out yesterday I was selected as part of the design team for Canvas Corp Brands. They are the main company over 7Gypsies and Tattered Angels to name a couple (love their stuff!!). This was the first time I have applied to be on a design team and I am so excited that I was chosen. There were many other fine artists and crafters picked for next year that I am going to enjoy collaborating with. Oh did I mention its for the YEAR not just half or a few months, the WHOLE YEAR! How awesome is that! It was on my goals list to get on a design team and I have now been able to check that off. Here is the video they put on their Facebook page announcing the team selection. I am somewhere after 40 seconds

I don’t know what all is involved with being on the design team as I said before this is my first ever. I do know with some other companies you receive some of their products to work with and you make something and show how they can be used via blog, video etc. This helps others get ideas for their own projects. There were a few questions on the application that were a little different and one I marked I would be interested in included visiting thrift shops for interesting inspiration. Not sure what all that will entail but this area has lots of fun thrift shops and consignment shops to check out.

I will close for now and be sure to be on the lookout for those videos I said I would link over here. You might see some changes to the title of the blog but don’t be alarmed haha

Michelle