Shiny Happy Little Canvases

Remember that 90's song by REM, Shiny Happy People?  Here's a reminder.

Can it get happier than that? Yes. It can.

I think about that song when I look at these bright fun doodly little canvases! 

And how I made them is equally as fun! I shared the video a few days ago and thought I would give you a closer look at the canvases themselves.  Here is the video in case you missed it.

I sometimes doodle during meetings, church (don't tell) or when I am on the phone, but usually not in my art. I really got into it with these colorful prints. It was very relaxing!

And I have to admit, that cutting them up after all of that work was scary and a bit risky. I kept second-guessing myself.  But in the end, I listened to my intuition. 

These little canvases were screaming for some positive words.  So that's what I gave them. They are perfect sitting on a shelf because of the deep edge and are sure to brighten any space. I plan on doing more of this type of art because it makes me happy to create AND to look at!

Here they are individually.

 Wonderful Things

Wonderful Things

Impossible Things

Impossible Things

Never Give Up

Never Give Up

What Comes Next

What Comes Next

BE

BE

Imperfection

Imperfection

Timing

Timing

So there is my shiny happy blog post! Hope I have brightened your day a little bit! If you are interested in purchasing any of these canvases, I will be posting them on my facebook page, but you can also let me know below.  

4" x 4" Deep Edge Canvases

$15 each plus shipping

Till next time,

Kathy

Prima's Rust Paste and The Blue City

I love companies that have unique and successful artists create products because those products are usually things that other artists really want.  Prima is one of those companies and Finnabair, aka Anna Dabrowska, is one of those artists.  Along with many other artist, Finnabair has her own very successful line of stencils, stamps, embellishments, mixed media paints and mediums with Prima.

I love creating patinas and when I saw Finnabair's Rust Paste, I knew I had to have it.  It comes in a set of three colors, red, brown and gold, and has an opaque, textural, matte finish. I applied the paste to some chipboard die-cuts to test it out.

Rusting It Up!

I started by applying the brown paste first, then added red, leaving some of the brown showing. It goes on gritty but layers beautifully and does not flake off when dry.  It looks like rust that has built up over time.  I was really impressed!

I added a touch of Finnabair's new acrylic paint, Art Alchemy, in Violet-Gold, which is much more fluid and works really well over the Rust Paste. I applied it with my finger and a very light touch so I could create just a glimmer of gold. If I added too much, no problem! I just kept layering Rust Paste and paint until I liked the results.

I only have two colors of Art Alchemy: Metallique Light Patina (turquoise), and Opal Magic Violet-Gold. The latter has two-tone qualities, for a very unique effect. I LOVE the beautiful shimmer that this paint has, and there are many more colors to choose from. I must have more!

The Project

So what will I make with these rusty die-cuts?  Sometimes the answer is right in front of me.  I had a canvas that I started and didn't like where it was headed.  So I put it on a shelf that faces my desk.

Unfinished Canvas

Ugly, right?  Well, I had an idea. I removed the orange from the canvas and started layering Finnabair's beautiful, shimmery Art Alchemy paints over the layers that were already there.

After the paints dried, I used a rubber stamp from Finnabair's Dirty Walls Stamp Set (oh man, this set is so cool!) with Manganese Blue and Sepia Archival Ink to add more depth to the background.

After much song and dance with my rusty die-cuts, metal Prima embellishments and some photos on my desk, my canvas was finally finished.  

I've been obsessed with this blue city in Morocco since I discovered it online a while back.  Blue is my favorite color and to think that there is a city where all the buildings are blue makes me giddy! The town is called Chefchaouen and someday I want to see it in real life.  But for now, I can dream in blue!

Is there a place that inspires you?  I would love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today! 

My Social Media:

Pinterest (my art)   https://www.pinterest.com/katluvsdogs/my-art/

Pinterest (my videos and tutorials) https://www.pinterest.com/katluvsdogs/my-videos-and-tutorials/

Instagram    https://www.instagram.com/kathyadamsmixedupart/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMTygJ2RYnv__Kqk5p8wv2g

Fun With Bleeding Art Tissue

Over on the Gel Press® blog today check out my Bleeding Art Tissue Tutorial.  I made a beautiful butterfly canvas by printing on this special tissue paper.  I had so many prints left over that I thought I would share some more projects.

The fun thing about bleeding art tissue is that the color bleeds when liquid is applied.  You can purchased it here.  A search on Pinterest reveals lots of projects, many geared toward children.

The idea was to print on the tissue then add water and let it bleed onto the printed areas.  It was such fun that I couldn't stop printing.

Along with the butterfly canvas, I also made a mixed media scrapbook page.  First, I glued the printed tissue onto 11 1/2" x 11 1/2" watercolor paper using matte medium.

I sprayed the paper with water.......

....then placed another piece of watercolor paper over it to mop up the colored water.  The paper keeps the colors from running together and making mud.

 I'll use the extra watercolor paper for another project. Let everything dry before adding any other media or embellishments.

I mounted the paper to a 12" x 12" piece of white cardstock, layered some fibers, paper and tape, and did some sewing around the edges. 

The phrase is cut out using my Silhouette Cameo.

My last project is a set of six 4" x 4" canvases using the Stamper's Anonymous Crazy Dogs stamp set, gluing a different color of printed tissue on each canvas background.  The canvases are deep enough to set on a self.  I love how these turned out!

Lots of fussy cutting! Apparently, they are coming out with die-cuts for this set. 

Thank you for visiting my blog today! I'd love to hear from you so please leave me a comment below. Don't forget to check out my project on the Gel Press® blog too! For more inspiration, check out my art on Pinterest and follow me on Instagram.

Art from 2015

Hi everyone! I'm sharing some projects that I made for Scrap n' Art Online Magazine last year.

Lots of sewing on this one!

This card is a Scrapbook Adhesive project to show how the adhesive works on lots of different surfaces. 

We got a quilling kit that we had to use and I was very bad at it so I made this canvas.  

This is a little journal that I made using cardboard, stencils, and fabric. 

I love this collage I made of my dog, Lucy.  I had to use the bling sheet so I die-cut the wings with it and made a little collar.  I'd like to make more of these.

So what do you think?  How about leaving me a question or comment below, or let me know which you like the best.  Thanks for visiting!

Kathy