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Saturday, June 4, 2022

Time Project for River of Creativity's June Theme

Hi all!! I am here presenting my design team project for River of Creativity's June Challenge where the theme is Time; I'd advise you to get a nice drink and relax because this is picture heavy and there are a lot of great things to see! Now, I could have done the whole clock thing, or even a birthday thing {after all, when does time bite you in the butt the worst?} but I really wanted to get messy and have fun.  I am a night creature; some people get their second wind at a nice normal time, say 5ish, or even 7ish but me? Nope.  If I am not in bed by 9pm, my second wind comes around at 10 pm.  In fact, I am typing this post at 12:30 a.m.  So, for my June piece I've turned Time into Nighttime.  Clever if I do say so myself.  My mom can tell you stories of a young me fighting my bedtime {no matter when it was} as early as 3 years old when I told my mother I was not yawning because I was tired, I was yawning because my brain needed more air.  I was such a joy, but I digress.  My hope for this project was that you'd see something new each time you looked at the panel; let me know what you think! 

Before you start I wanted to let you know you can click on the photos to make them bigger; I made collages out of what I feel are the important details so you wouldn't have 10 or so pictures to look through.  If there is any problem with getting the pictures bigger, please let me know!

 



I have been making this panel for the last few months as it has paper clay pieces and I needed to get molds and the actual clay to get the forms I wanted.  I used DAS Paper Clay which is available at any local craft store or online and made the moon and the stars.  I used a panel that is 9" x 12" from Artists Loft, but any panel or canvas would do. I also accumulated a bunch of molds from Amazon because they
have such a selection, and you know that Prime shipping is addicting!  Some of the molds I got were too small, some just didn't fit the look I wanted, and I ended up using a simple Moon and Stars mold to make the paper clay pieces.  I also got some keys, gears and clock metal bits and now I have enough to make a gazillion projects. Other supplies I used included Stickles in Crystal, Tim Holtz Foundry Wax {all the colors, I even layered them}, Picket Fence Gem Mixes, no name gems from my sash,
 Cosmic Shimmer Glitter Jewels in Midnight Snow, Krylon Leafing Pen in Silver, Golden Gel Medium in soft gloss, Lumiere Paint in Silver as well as beads and the like.  I think the most important part is the background and I first painted my panel with Golden Black Acrylic Paint and once that was dry I used some Distress Oxide Ink Pads {I just smooshed them onto the panel} and Sprays in various blue and purple hues, sprayed water here and there, dried with my heat gun, added more ink, more water and so on.  The shimmer was created by using Distress Mica Spray in Crooked Broomstick {it was a Halloween release from Ranger, but you can still find it online} and any Mica Spray would work. 


I fiddled with the background until I liked it and then set it to dry for actually a few days.  Once it was dry, I had painted, inked and waxed the items I wanted to and set about the placement as well as the swoosh of clear glass beads {the tiny kind with no holes} glitter and gem placement.  I wasn't concerned with placing too many gems as I really wanted this to sparkle being the night sky.  I could probably have added many more gems, but I was struggling with glue sticking to the paint and ink on the background.  I initially used hot glue, but after Sylvester knocked it off my desk and most of the gears and metal came off, I switched to E6000.  I'm not a huge fan of either glue but the E6000 worked much better than the hot glue.  Now I know and you know, too, so pry the top off your E6000 if you are gluing onto paints and/or inks.  I've linked to most of the items that were easily found online, and it there is something you want the specifics on please use the email option on the right side; I'll happily supply you with the actual links to the items.  

 

Another Look at the Entire Panel

 I am happy with my Nighttime art, and I had SO much fun making it.  It's been a long time since I have made such a piece, running with abandon with colors and paints and inks and goodies.  But that is what the River of Creativity challenges are all about! We would love for you to join us, either using Anything Goes or the theme of Time, for our June challenge; the only thing we won't accept is cards. So, get your inks, paints, clay and molds out and have some fun! Hope to see you soon! Christi

 I am entering my piece into the following challenges:
We Love to Create - Anything Goes
Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
Creative Artiste, #83 - Anything Mixed Media Goes
Mixed Media Lovers, #14 - Anything Mixed Media Goes
Country View Challenge, June Challenge - Seeing Stars

Thanks!!

Thursday, June 2, 2022

Shimmery Joy Card

While it is just starting to heat up here I am sharing this sparkly Christmas card today.  I've had this card in my head for a while and I'm pleased that it looks just like I'd hope.  Hope you enjoy it!


I used a swirling snowflakes embossing folder, embossing a piece of shimmer white paper, which I then attached to a white card base.  Setting the card aside, I set to making the snowflakes. I used these beautiful opaque pearl white diamond shaped Dew Drops.  For each snowflake I used 6 of the Dew Drops, adhering them together on a piece of non-stick freezer paper, but any non-stick surface, such as a craft sheet will work.  What I did was put a dot of glue on the non-stick paper, then placed the diamonds in a "circle" pattern; then placed a small drop of glue in the center of the snowflake and added a Mini Pearl Dew Drop onto the glue.  You need to use something non-stick since the glue becomes a part of the snowflake and after leaving the flake to dry overnight you need to be able to gently lift the snowflake from the paper. The flake may still be slightly damp and may bend a bit. Just put the snowflake back onto the non-stick sheet, and gently bend the Diamond Dew Drops back into place and let it dry a bit more.  I turned the snowflakes over and let them dry overnight again just to make sure they were fully dry. Meanwhile, I had used holographic paper {the pattern I used is a burst, or fireworks pattern; it's subtle, but you can still see it since the word die is so large} and cut out the word joy {I used Winnie & Walter's In a Word Joy die, but they are no longer in business.  You can find many other options for a large joy die}, then popped the word up with dimensional tape. I added three of the snowflakes I made, as well as a few more of the Mini Dew Drops in Pearl.  The card is very sparkly and festive in person, and I know the recipient will certainly get into a holiday mood.  

Thanks so much for visiting and checking out my card! Have a fabulous day and I will see you again soon :) Fondly, Christi

I am entering my card in the following challenges:
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge (#597) - Anything Goes Christmas
12 Months of Christmas (#89) - Anything Christmas Goes
Creatalicious (#236) Anything Goes w/ Lots of Bling
The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Up in the Air (Snowflakes)