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!!

Mixed Media with The Robin's Nest Creative

 Hello everyone! For my Design Team project at The Robin's Nest Creatives I decided to go all out and get really messy.  I used to make mixed media items all the time, but have since gotten busier and really haven't had time to play; I made up for lost time!  Let's get to it, here is the project; it's made on a Frederix 4" x 6" panel - this is a long post, I apologize, but I used a lot of different products (some not so successfully) while making this piece.

The first thing I did was use one of the really cool kits they have at The Robin's Nest called Creative Dew Drop Canvas and there are some amazing pictures to choose from, I used the Matchstick Creative Dew Drop Canvas for today's project.  These kits come with everything you need (except glue) to make a masterpiece worthy of framing - AND they come in different sizes! I used Dew Drops that I though would represent the flame best, orange, gold, red and yellow and filled it in completely with both Regular and Mini Sized Dew Drops. Black Diamond Dews were used on the wooden part of the match. I also colored around the flame to sort of give it that halo glow you sometimes get around fire using Copics right on the canvas.  I smothered it with Diamond Glaze and let it sit overnight to dry.  I wanted

Another Look

to use a panel as my substrate so I cut the match out.  I actually did this back in the beginning of being on the Design Team but I put the match somewhere and couldn't find it - shocking, I know - it popped out of where ever those items go when "they were right here" and then they are gone (another dimension with lost socks?? I don't know) but I found it.  Setting the match aside, on my desk so it couldn't escape again, I painted the 4" x 6" panel gold using Lumiere True Gold Paint. I have to swoon for a second because I love Lumiere Paints - if you like rich color, some of the coolest pearlescent colors (some of them are blended with 2 colors and the effects are amazing!) you need to check this paint out.  It is sold for use on fabric, but I have used it on everything and I have never been disappointed with it.  It's a quality product and it may seem pricey (if you shop around you can get a jar for around $6, a 2.25 fl. oz, jar, but they also come in sets with little squeeze bottles, called Exciter packs), but a little goes a long way. Sorry for that little detour! 

So once my panel was dry this is basically where I went crazy.  I used a flame stencil and some sprays to try and make a fire background, well the gold paint did not like the sprays (they are water based and just beaded up and dripped away) but some of the color did take.  At this point I just started to throw products at the panel; and I used so many different colors I couldn't begin to list them all. I used a few different embossing powders from Wow Embossing Powders, some diluted red paint from Golden, and some more embossing powers -which again were an issue because the embossing ink just beaded up on the paint.  No worries I just made the background really, really abstract.  I glued the Matchstick Creative Dew Drop Canvas that I had cut out onto the panel and attached the alphabet letters I had cut out of  6" x 6" DCWV glitter stacks and I then added more Dew Drops using the same colors I used to fill in the flame, but I used the Tear Drop style of Dew Drops instead.  I added a few Mini Dew Drops as well.  I wanted them to sort of look like sparks from the flame.  I glued the sentiment onto the panel and the letters just blended right in with everything else so I used a permanent black marker and traced them all so they'd be easier to read and pop a little.  The final step was to smother the match stick once again with Diamond Glaze and once that dried I was done.

I am actually happy how this panel ended up.  It is very interesting with all the colors, glitter, glaze and, of course, Dew Drops.  I hope you enjoyed my long story- I have been trying to make my posts shorter and I think I am succeeding, but sometimes I just have to tell the whole story!  Thanks for your support ~ Lots of love, Christi

I am entering my Mixed Media Panel in the following challenges:
Crafting Happiness, #123 - Anything Goes
Love to Craft Challenge Blog, #68 - Anything Goes
Mix it Up Challenge, #59 - Anything 3D Goes
Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge, #82 - Anything Mixed Media Goes
A Perfect Time to Craft, #5 - Anything Goes
Mixed Media Lovers, #13 - Anything Goes

Home Sweet Home Recycled Wall Hanging

 I had been perusing Pinterest to find something to do with all these friggin' buttons I had left over from when it was a big thing to put buttons on your cards {something I never really got into, but HAD to have all the stuff in case the moment grabbed me and I felt the urge to make hundreds of cards with buttons on them} and I found all these Christmas wall hangings with button trees on them So I actually made the Christmas wall hanging during the season this past year and decided I needed to make one that could be used all year long.  I came up with the Home Sweet Home wall hanging that I am using for this month's recycle challenge at River of Creativity {remember we are an Anything But a Card challenge!!}:

I started with an 8" x 10" wooden shadow box frame {no covering on this frame} that I had painted with white gesso and rubbed some gesso on the actual frame part to soften the darkness of the wood.  I took some Scrabble tiles I had {I have SO many of these tiles I am sure I could cover an entire wall

Making the Heart

with them} and spelled out Home Sweet Home to make sure the sentient would fit.  Then I cut out the largest heart using Tutti Nesting Stitched Hearts, #TUTTI-216, and covered it with the buttons.  I could NOT get the shape of a heart to work when trying to do it by hand, so I used the die cut as a template.  Since the background of the shadow box is white it is really difficult to see the white paper heart beneath the buttons.  Once I had finished the heart and glued it to the center of the shadow box, I glued down the Scrabble tiles.  I am really pleased how this came out! I think I could almost actually sell them if I could find a cheap source for the shadow frames; I have sourced a few and they are just too pricey right now - at least if I wanted to make a marginal profit and I can't see having to spend more money to use up the stash I already have.  But, I do have a project I made for my sister for Christmas that I was SURE I posted but can find no record of it, so more button projects on the way!

Getting back to the challenge on River of Creativity, this months theme is RECYCLE so if you'd like to use the theme make sure your entry has some sort of recycle, or upcycle in it.  We can't wait to see all the gorgeous entries! I am personally so pleased at how you all have embraced the changes we made to this challenge and it's a testament to how people are still creating other things besides cards! Thanks SO much and I hope to see you at the challenge ~ Fondly, Christi

I am entering my Home Sweet Home Wall Hanging in the following challenges:
Mix it Up Challenge, #59 - Anything 3D Goes
Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge, #82 - Anything Mixed Media Goes
A Perfect Time to Craft, #5 - Anything Goes
Mixed Media Lovers, #13 - Anything Goes
The Creative Crafters, #51 - Anything Goes
We Love to Create, #5 - Anything Goes

Peace Sign decorated with The Robins Nest Dew Drops

 This wasn't the project I was going to share today but I feel it's relevant to what is going on in the world, so it is a perfect time to share it.  

 

I had purchased the Peace sign at Christmas time at my local Dollar Tree Shop knowing I wanted to make something out of it that would be on my desk year round.   I began by sanding the wood a little bit mostly to just get any slivers that were hanging off and generally smooth the sign out.  I then used gesso, in white, as a base coat.  I knew you'd be able to see the white but since I love the combination of blue and white, I was fine with that.  I started trying to keep all the shapes and colors consistent with each other on the individual letters, but that soon became impossible because some letters took a curve when others didn't and so on, so I just filled in the spaces with Dew Drops that continued the theme and fit; the sign isn't that big, it's only about 6 inches long and about 2 1/2" high.   This sign sits on my desk to remind me to breathe, chill and relax; to find that inner peace, even if it is just a tiny bit.  I didn't want to make something that would need to be put away once the holiday season was over and I feel that the word peace is appropriate any time!

Dew Drops that include colors that I used in my project: Sea Foam Diamond Dew Drops,  Sea Glass Tear Drops, Black/White/Silver Dew Drops, In Love in Italy Mini Dew Drops and Raindrops Dew Drops which is a mixture of all the sizes and shapes of Dew Drops in clear.  Dew Drops come in an array of mixes; so your Diamonds could also have some round Dew Drops in the mix and you may be able to purchase some colors in a single pack while some colors are only in mixes.  The suggestions I provided are just that; I urge you to take a look at the shop and see what strikes your fancy!

I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and take a look at my Peace sign! I hope you & yours are safe and happy. See you soon! Christi

I am entering my project into the following challenges:
Crafting Happiness - Anything Goes
The Funkie Junkie Challenge - Mixed Media
A Perfect Time to Craft, #3-2022 - Anything Goes
Creative Artiste, #80 - Anything Goes