12 Days of Christmas sale going on over at eP!

Today's my day on the eclecticPaperie blog!  Check out what I'm doing! 

See the whole thing on the eP blog!  Don't forget that you can stock up on your Dylusions spray at a discount today using code: 12DAYS7!  If you buy 3 sprays, you get one for $2.99!  What a deal!!!!  Go get your sprays today!

Have a fantastic day!!!

Celebrate with a wine tag!

Hello everyone!  Today I am joining my fellow eP Design Team for our monthly Get Altered Challenge!  This month, the lovely Sue, is our host, and she challenged us to alter a bottle!

I, unfortunately, don't have any empty bottles to alter (much to my dismay).  However, my friend just celebrated her 40th birthday, and she's a wine lover.  So, I created a Wine Tag for a bottle of wine that I will give her the next time our group of friends gets together!

So, how did I create this tag?!  Let me share!!!!

The first thing I did was take a piece of 12" x 12" craft, and cut a 2" strip.  Then, I folded the top over so that it could be reinforced and would prevent damage when hanging on the neck of the bottle.  I punched a 1 1/4" circle for the hole (which fits perfectly!).  Then, I started to get crafty!

I painted some gesso for a base.  Then, I took my Climbing Vine stencil, sprayed it with Dirty Martini Dylusions spray, and then stamped it onto the tag.  Then, I took my Wall Flowers stencil, and w/ Lavender, Guava and Banana Gelatos, I created the flowers.  I sprayed the entire tag w/ water, and then used a paint brush to spread out the gelatinous medium to look smoother and less like a crayon!

I took the Mini Chicken Wire stencil (My all-time favorite stencil on earth!), and using a Silver Gelato, I added some texture and detail randomly.

I took a Recollections numbers stamp set and stamped the 4 and 0 w/ Milled Lavender Distress Ink.  I cut it out, and then created a shadow layer out of the scrap Kraft c/s that was left over from cutting the tag.  I sponged the whole tag and numbers w/ Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  I added some flowers from Prima and Petaloo, and cut out some cupcakes from Authentique's Wishes stack.  I added a rhinestone swirl for some glitz, and some lace to complete the tag!

Can't wait to see what everyone creates for this!  Link up on the eP blog!!!!

Have a wonderful day!!!

Drywall Portrait

Hi there!  Today is the eclectic Paperie's ePick's challenge!  This month's theme is recycling!  FUN fun challenge!  Tracy has kicked off the inspiration on the eP blog!  Check it out here!

Here are some details on the challenge:
The eTeam Picks Challenge is held on the third Thursday of each month and each challenge is an opportunity for you to be inspired by one of our eTeam’s creations and to be entered into our challenge prize drawing!

The eTeam Picks Challenge is all about inspiration and having fun! During each challenge one of the eTeam members will share a topic, word, technique, sketch, or product that will become the foundation for your creation. This challenge is all about mixing it up and just enjoying the creative process of feel free to share a journal page, card, scrapbook project, mini album….Anything goes! We want to see your work and hear about your inspiration!

All of those who play along with our challenge will be entered into a prize drawing for a $15.00 gift certificate to the eclectic Paperie store.

So grab your supplies and play along!

Here are a few things to keep in mind for this challenge…

-You do not have to use products sold in the eP store…but we do love it when you do!

-Share a direct link to your creation, not just your blog, using the Linky Tools feature at the end of this post. If, for any reason, the Linky Tools doesn’t cooperate, please add a link in the Comments section of the blog.

-When uploading to any online galleries, please use any of the following keywords; eP, eclectic Paperie or eTeam Pick Challenge. Link your creations to the eP blog.

On with my presentation!
I spent this past weekend w/ some very dear friends of mine at a scrapbooking event in OH.  What a blast we had!!!!  My group of friends are not scrappers.  So, we gathered to create cards and mixed media all weekend!  FUN FUN FUN!  Lots of laughs, some spills, and lots of creating going on all weekend!

I was one of the ones that worked on mixed media all weekend.  I brought all of my stencils, joint compound, drywall tape, sprays, inks, and canvases.  Another thing that I brought was a piece of drywall.  Earlier this year, we had our upstairs bathroom completely gutted and redone.  We had the purple drywall put up that is resistant to mold and moisture.  I thought that this would be perfect for my crafts!  So, after our contractor was done w/ it, he stored the rest that would be thrown away on the side of the house.  I decided to scavenge!  I picked up a piece that was about the size of a standard computer keyboard.  Then, since I wasn't ready to work on it, I stored it in my craft room and forgot about it!  Until recently!  I pulled it out and applied a generous amount of gesso.  I was going to create a Christmas themed scene on it, and the gesso would act as a piece of wood w/ the texture of the paintbrush mimicking the lines in a piece of wood.  Well, I got distracted waiting for the gesso to dry, and after looking at it for a week, I put it back again. 
Then, this weekend got closer and closer, and finally it was time to pack!  I spied the drywall, and thought, "What the heck!  I might as well take it and see what I can do w/ it!"
Well, I was scanning the internet for sunset pictures for a different project and I came across this picture:

I LOVE how the sky is so full of color!  I wanted to re-create that look with the clouds changing colors and layering upon each other.

So, this is what I came up with!



To create this look, here are the steps I took after I applied the gesso.

1.  Sprinkle droplets of water all over the surface of your piece.
2.  Spray with your sprays to completely cover your surface.  (I used Dylusions sprays)
3.  Using a heat tool (Tim Holtz's is best to use as it's not as strong as an embossing gun), swirl the colors around to create the swirly cloud affect.
4.  If there's too much moisture and it's not drying as quickly as you would like, you can always blot it dry w/ a towel.  That creates the lightness and darkness that you see on my piece.
5.  Once it's completely dry, you can apply gesso w/ a paintbrush.  I wasn't sure where I was going w/ this, just that I was trying to capture the trees from the inspiration photo, although on my piece, it's actually a grassy knoll!  I'll have to work on the difference between trees and grass!  LOL!
I got a little carried away and w/ a very slim paintbrush, I painted a tree and my 3 kids looking towards the sunset. 

And that's it!  It's fairly simple!  Seriously!  And you can use the colored background and stamp on it instead of painting w/ gesso.  You can do so many things!!!  Your possibilities are endless!

Ingredients:
piece of drywall
white and black gesso
Dylusions Sprays: After Midnight, Bubble Gum Pink, Squeezed Orange, Crushed Grape, Lemon Zest, & Funky Fuschia.

I look forward to seeing your creations!

Have a wonderful day!

Mother Goose Decorative Boxes

 Hi there!  I am LATE LATE LATE in sharing this project, but we went away for the weekend, and I FINALLY finished it!

This project was originally for the Altered Challenge on the eclectic Paperie blog last Thursday, by Micki!  The challenge was to alter a box.  A while ago, I purchased a set of 3 boxes.  I set them on my bookshelf, just waiting for the right time to alter them!  That time has come!

Here's a little tip about the challenge!

The Get Altered Challenge is about exploring your creative journey, about stepping outside of your comfort zone, experimenting with new products, and creating altered and mixed media art. We want to see your work and hear about your inspiration!  

All of those who play along with our challenge will be entered into a prize drawing for a $15.00 gift certificate to the eclectic Paperie store.

So grab your supplies and play along!  Here are a few things to keep in mind for this challenge…

• You do not have to use products sold in the eP store…but we do love it when you do!
• Share a direct link to your creation, not just your blog, using the Linky Tools feature at the end of this post.  If, for any reason, the Linky Tools doesn’t cooperate, please add a link in the Comments section of the blog.
• When uploading to any online galleries, please use any of the following keywords; eP, eclectic Paperie or Get Altered Challenge. Link your creations to the eP blog.
• If you’d like to be considered as one of our featured projects and be entered into our prize drawing, please be sure to add your link before Midnight, Wednesday, October 23rd!

The winner will be announced right before the eTeam Picks Challenge.

I am SO excited that Graphic 45 has come out with their Mother Goose line of papers and stamps and oodles of embellishments!  And I am SUPER excited that eclectic Paperie is carrying this line!  You can do SO many different things w/ this paper!  It's amazing!

I have a Mother Goose book from when I was a child.  The cover of the book looks like this:

I took the black and white around the edges and used that as a backgound per se, for the project.  

Here's what I started with:

And here's the finished product:

 Such fun!!!























And here are all 4 sides, plus the insides, of all 3 boxes!  Lots of pictures!!!!

This is the inside of the first & smallest box.

Side 1 of the smallest box.

Side 2 of the smallest box.

 Side 3 of the smallest box.

Side 4 of the smallest box.

Side 1 of the middle box.

Side 2 of the middle box.

Side 3 of the middle box.

Side 4 of the middle box.

Side 1 of the largest box.

Side 2 of the largest box.

Side 3 of the largest box.

Side 4 of the largest box.

Inside the middle box.

Inside the largest box.

So, how did I make this?  Well, it all started with some black paint!  I covered the entirety of all 3 boxes.  Then, I started w/ the smallest and worked my way up from there.  I only used the 8x8 and 12x12 Mother Goose stacks, along w/ some white cardstock.

The items that were created using white cardstock are:
all the squares that were used on the entire project
the fence behind the hay on the Little Boy Blue side
the paths on several different sides: Mary Mary Quite Contrary side, Mary Had A Little Lamb, the side w/ the two girls and the geese (I'm guessing Mother Goose?)
the tree branch on the Rock A Bye Baby side
the brown tops of the cattails on the side w/ the two girls and the geese
the clouds on various sides as well

To create the 3-D look to each side, I cut each image out w/ my exacto knife, and created a scene for each nursery rhyme.  Yeah, some are quite boring, but others really are cool!

I used Walnut Stain and Tea Dye Distress Inks for all of the shading around all of the edges.  I also used Gathered Twigs for the paths to make them look rocky and pebbly.  For the fence, I swept the sponge applicator so that it created wood lines.  I went back in w/ the Walnut Stain and Tea Dye to make it look more authentic.

I hope that this sparks your creativity!

eclecticPaperie Birthday Blog Hop!

 

Welcome to eclectic Paperie's Belated Birthday Bash!  Today we're celebrating the (belated) one year anniversary of the store's new ownership! It's been an amazing year, full of inspiring projects, wonderful classes, and many, many new products!!  eclectic Paperie wouldn't be where it is today without the ongoing support of our customers and as a BIG thank you you'll have an opportunity to lots of great prizes!  eclectic Paperie will be giving away the following prizes!  You have until midnight tomorrow (9/20) to comment.

A full set of Tim's NEW Distress Paints
6x6 Paper Pad Bundle
Dylusions Stencil Bundle
A set of NEW Wendy Vecchi Archival Inks
Crafter's Workshop Stencil Bundle

To be entered into the prize drawing, please be sure to comment on the eclectic Paperie blog and on each of the eTeam blogs.  Check out all of the thumbnail links below to view the rest of the eTeam projects!  Enjoy the hop!


Today I would like to share with you my little project for the hop!
Since I'm a literal thinker, I decided I wanted to create a birthday cake!  So, being the over-achiever that I am, I started looking at my svg cuts files, and found a slice of cake!  I thought that that would be perfect!  Especially since it comes w/ a candle!!!!  Bonus!

The paper that I used for the cake is plain white cardstock, and the decorative paper for the frosting and candle and flame are from Authentique's Grace 8"x8" pad.  

The girl is actually a cross between Prima's Lorrena and Swing Dress Doll.  I used the head of Lorrena and the body of the Swing Dress Doll.  I was going after the Marilyn Monroe look.  What do you think?  Did I achieve it?  

I colored her and the dress w/ Prismacolor Watercolor pencils and turpentine.

Have a great time hopping!

PaperHaus Magazine Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Fall Splendor Blog Hop with PaperHaus! We are celebrating the release of the new FALL edition of PaperHaus Magazine but also celebrating the 1 year anniversary of PaperHaus Magazine! We are excited to be part of this amazing celebration! Click below to check out the latest edition of this amazing magazine!  The Fall Splendor event is filled with inspiration from PaperHaus and the eclectic Paperie team so make sure you click through each blog for inspiration! Enjoy the hop and remember that the Fall Splendor Blog Hop runs from September 1st to the 15th so plenty of time to be inspired!

PaperHaus Latest Edition You DEFINITELY need to check it out!  OMG!  I looked through previous editions, and my jaw dropped several times at the absolutely AMAZING projects that were published!  You will totally be inspired!  I certainly was!  :D



















eclecticPaperie is part of this awesome blog hop, so definitely go there to see everyone's fab creations!

Here I will share the details of my own project that I created for the blog hop!

The theme is back to school and Fall!  Love it!  It's my favorite time of year!, so I was in my glory working on this!  I decided to do a journal page, but instead of using mediums, I wanted it to have more of a scrapbooking feel since we are hopping w/ PaperHaus!
 

The leaves were created by inking the back of my Patterned Leaves stencil on the veined leaf side, and then stamping it on a piece of paper.  Then, I took the same stencil, but the whole leaf side, and w/ different Distress Ink colors, created the fall leaves.

The spiral notebook paper was fussy cut and distressed to make it look like I tore it out of an actual notebook.

The stamp, Mia, was colored w/ Prismacolor pencils and turpentine.

I cut out little squares, and adhered them to a piece of cork paper, and cut out little red octagons (all paper) to make it look like a cork board.

Products used:
Simple Stories 24/7 (6"x6")
Mia stamp by Prima
Patterned Leaves (6"x6")
Wild Honey, Barn Door,Rusty Hinge Distress Inks

Hope you enjoyed!
Happy Fall!

The Lighthouse

Hi there!  Today I would like to share with you a card that I made for a friend of mine.  He and his wife are in my church Renew group, and I have grown fond of them, along w/ everyone else in my group!  I will be sad when this program is over!  Anyway, he had double bypass surgery recently, and I wanted to send them a card to let them know that I am thinking about them.  I don't often do this, but when the mood strikes, I get it done.  Plus, I was inspired by the Kitchen Sink Stamps Lighthouse set that I received last week!  I wanted to play around with it!

I found that if I inked each part of the lighthouse separately, I could maximize the colors and make it look more realistic!

Here's how I created the scene:
First, I played around w/ color recipes just trying different colors together to see what would work with what.
Ok, once I got that nailed down, I started stamping in their colors, and after stamping a couple lighthouses, I figured out that if I inked just the lighthouse, then inked just the little house, and then inked just the grass, I could get a more realistic look!  So, that's what I did here!  For the ocean, I used a sponge to make it choppy.  To the right of the card, kind of behind the rock, I actually made a mistake, so to cover it up a bit, I added a lot of Frost White ink to make it look like waves were crashing like crazy on that side of the island!  Was I successful?!
To create the sky, I sponged that too.  I cut out a mask of the lighthouse (one of my practice ones!), and used that as a mask.

Here's the color recipe:
1.  Lighthouse, house: Desert Sand; Grass: Peeled Paint
2.  Lighthouse: Stormy Sky; House: Gathered Twigs (s.o.); Grass: Mowed Lawn
3.  Lighthouse: Faded Jeans; House: Walnut Stain; Grass: Pine Needles
4.  Lighthouse: Chipped Sapphire; House: Pearlescent Chocolate; Grass: Olympia Green

Rock:
1: Toffee Crunch
2: Pearlescent Chocolate
3: Rich Cocoa
4: Onyx Black

Desert Sand, Toffee Crunch, Rich Cocoa (Memento)
Peeled Paint, Stormy Sky, Gathered Twigs, Mowed Lawn, Faded Jeans, Walnut Stain, Pine Needles, &
Chipped Sapphire (Ranger)
Olympia Green, Onyx Black (Versafine)
Pearlescent Chocolate (Brilliance)

Have a wonderful day!

This Moment

Hi there!  Today I would like to share with you a page that I created for Swirlydoos September Round Robin challenge.  I was first for my team, so now everyone after me has to lift my page!  I like being first!  I'm not going to lie!  LOL!

This page features a wedding picture of my sister and her husband.  I have been looking at this picture every day as it has hung on my refrigerator since we received their wedding thank you!  3 years ago!  I can't believe that they have been married 3 years!  Time flies!

Thera's wedding was all about vintage.  It started with her gorgeous wedding dress, which fueled the vintage inspiration!  My sister and mother pulled out all the stops and the wedding was a stunning vintage affair!
I wanted to capture that vintage feel, and w/ this month's Swirlydoos kit, I was able to accomplish that!

The challenge for this month was to use 60% Swirly stuff and the twist was to do something "new" and/or "beginning".  What's better than the beginning of a marriage?!

Enjoy!  Have a beautiful day!

Taking mail advertisements to a mixed media level

Hi there!  Today we are "Getting Altered" at eclecticPaperie!  This month, our lovely hostess is Teresa Jaye!  She challenged us to alter our mail!  Cool challenge!  I will now look at my mail in a new light!  Thank you Teresa!  :D

For my project today, I used a Kohls advertisement that came in the mail the other day!  It came w/ a coupon too!  I didn't alter that part!  That will be used by me at some point!  Can't wait!  I also saved a few other pieces of mail that I might use at a later time.  But, this one, being a tri-fold mailer, I thought would be perfect!  So, here we go!

The "before" pictures!

Front, back and front inside cover.

Inside 3 panels.

Ok, here's the new and improved front cover.

The word I'm altering is shop instead of scrap!  I covered up the words beside the trophy w/ black gesso, and then added some paper pieces to brighten it up!  Added a flower and a couple pearls to finish it.

When you open the front flap, you see this next!  If you look real fast and then look away, it looks like the word boxes are floating!  Fun little tidbit I caught when I was formatting my pics!  I essentially wanted them to pop off the page.  Kind of like those old 3-D books where you stare at it for an hour and the image FINALLY shows through?!  This is kind of like that.  Only easier and you don't have to do any staring!

Here is the inside of all 3 panels together.

Close up of the first panel.  I wanted to hide the words below champion, so I added the paper strips.  And I hid the word shop w/ scrap again here.

This middle section was done, and I wiped it clean w/ a baby wipe and started over!  I was at the ball park for my son's game, and I only brought sprays w/ me, and not ink pads.  So, it looked kind of a hot mess.  When I got home, I decided to wipe it clean and start fresh!  Some of the ink stayed on, and you can see through to it.  I love that look!  Like I did it on purpose!  Which, um, of course I did!  ;D

The girls were fun to work with!  I used the positive stencils for each girl, and then I used the negatives of each when I worked around them.

See the silhouette at the top?  I did that at the ball park.  That was the best part of the whole thing!  So, I kept that at least!  I added some words, which is new.  I've never done that before.  I always make my projects speak for themselves, or I talk about it on here.  But, for this, I needed words.  I want to convey that scrapbooking is similar to perhaps being a fashionista.  You're looking at colors, textures, embellishments, and assorted other things in both scrapbooking and shopping.  You look for the best accessories to go w/ an outfit.  It's the same way w/ a scrapbook page!

I hope that you have enjoyed my altered project today!  Take a look at your mail and think of the possibilities that you could do with all of those bills!  Hahaha!

All joking aside, doing the eP Altered Challenges are SO fun because they allow you to step outside your comfort zone and try something new!  Are you up to the challenge?!  I hope so!!!!!  Check out the eP blog for complete details!

Ingredients and links:
Paper: Simple Stories Urban Traveler & 24/Seven
Ink/Paint: white and black gesso; Pumice Stone, Ripe Persimmon, Wild Honey, Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean,
                Black Soot; Black and White Faber-Castell pens; Cut Grass, Crushed Grape, Squeezed Orange,
                Black Marble
Embellishments/Accessories:  Chevron Grunge, Mini Honeycome, Fifties Clock, Mini Nancy Emily Polly, 
                                             Mini Casey Penelope, Mini Tiny Circles; caligraphy pen, black gel pen,
                                             assorted flowers & pearls.

When the party's over

Hi there!  Today I would like to share with you a journal page that I created this morning!  I started last night, and I ruined the page because I didn't let my inks dry completely.  So, I started fresh this morning, and it just took on a new and exciting look!  I'm glad I messed up last night!  :D

One of the current trends is dripping on your canvases, scrapbook pages and journals.  I had yet to try this, and thought that it would be cool here.  When I sprayed all of the different colors initially, I thought that this could be a fun birthday themed page.  Then, I did the dripping thing, and thought about when the party is over.  You're a little sad when everyone leaves after having such a great time!  Well, I always feel this way!  LOL!

Here's how I made the page:
1.  Prep your page w/ Matte Medium, and let it dry completely. 
2.  W/ several different ink sprays, spray a background, and before it dries, tilt your page up so that the colors drip.
3.  Dry everything and spray a sealant so that the colors don't rub off as you're working.  Let dry.
4.  Taking black gesso and the Mini Tiny Circles stencil, apply in a random pattern on your page.
5.  W/ my party decorations in the top L corner, I used Park Avenue Patterns from SU! w/ Onyx Black ink.  I went back in w/ a silver gel pen to add contrast.
6.  I flipped over my Mini Numbers Collage stencil and sprayed it w/ Black Marble Dylusions Spray.  Then, I pressed it randomly on the page.  This represents that this is a birthday celebration.
7.  I stamped several balloons (ingredients below), and adhered them so it looks like they have lost air and are just dragging by this point. 
8.  I stamped the girl, and paper pieced her.  Colored her w/ copics, and adhered her to the page and that's it!

Ingredients:
Paper: Melissa Frances Hope Chest; white c/s
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Memento Black, black gesso
       Orange balloon: 1. Canteloupe, 2. Tangelo, 3. Potter's Clay, 4. Morocco  (all Memento)
       Yellow balloon: 1. Squeezed Lemonade (T.H. Distress Ink), 2. Dandelion (Memento), 3. Canteloupe 
                                 (Memento), 4. Mustard Seed (T.H. Distress Ink)
        Purple balloon: 1. Lulu Lavender, 2. Grape Jelly, 3. Elderberry (all Memento), 4. Imperial Purple 
                                 (Versafine)
        Blue balloon: 1. Summer Sky, 2. Danube Blue, 3. Majestic Blue (s.o.), 4. Paris Dusk (all Memento)
        Red balloon: 1. Worn Lipstick, 2. Festive Berries, 3. Barn Door, 4. Fired Brick (all T.H. Distress Ink)
        Pink balloon: 1. Spun Sugar (T.H. Distress Ink), 2. Angel Pink (2 x's) (Memento), 3. Picked
                                 Raspberry (T.H. Distress Ink), 4. Rose Bud (Memento)
         Green balloon: 1. Bundled Sage (T.H. Distress Ink), 2. Cottage Ivy (Memento), 3. Mowed Lawn,
                                 4. Pine Needles (both T.H. Distress Ink)

         Sprays used: Dirty Martini, London Blue, Bubblegum Pink, Pure Sunshine, Squeezed Orange, After
                              Midnight, Black Marble & Cherry Pie (all Dylusions sprays)

Copics used: E00 (face/skin); T1 & W-5 (skirt); Y32, E37, E57, & E49 (in that order) (hair)
Stamps:  Riley (Prima); Bunch O' Balloons (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Park Avenue Patterns (SU!)

Here are the links to the products that I used:
Dylusions Ink Sprays - eclecticPaperie
T.H. Distress inks - eclecticPaperie
Riley stamp - eclecticPaperie
Bunch O' Balloons - Kitchen Sink Stamps
Memento Inks (various sizes) - Kitchen Sink Stamps
Versafine Inks - Kitchen Sink Stamps

Have a terrific day!

Visiting Monticello

Hi there!  Wanted to share a scrapbook page that I made for a Swirlydoos challenge!  This one was by VickyA, using 2 new techniques that you've never used before!  This one page took about a week and a half to complete!  I had taken a Claudine Hellmuth class all about techniques, and one really grabbed me.  She created a crackle technique, but used Elmer's Glue and acrylic paint to create the crackle effect!  I couldn't wait to try it!  The other technique that I used, I came up w/ on my own.  I have never sprayed ink on a stencil, and then used it as a stamp.  So, those are my techniques!

You can see the leaf stencil in the background.  The crackle technique is on the circle behind the pictures. 

Ingredients used:
Paper: Splash of Color Cotswolds Coll.; Core'dinations c/s, white c/s
Ink:  Dirty Martini Dylusions spray; Faber-Castell artist pen (to outline all of the leaves); acrylic glaze; Barn Door & Iced Spruce Distress Inks (Ranger)
Embellishments: Prima tiles, Prima packaging as backgrounds for pics; Prima Decorative Wood Embellishment; Prima Vintage Trinkets; corner rounder; Climbing Vines stencil (TCW); PTI Turning A New Leaf die

Thanks for stopping by!  It's a sunny day here!  I hope there's sun wherever you are!

Altered Paint Brush!

Hello there!  Today I would like to share with you an altered challenge!  Alter a paint brush!!!  FUN!  Let me tell you!  I SO enjoyed this challenge that our wonderful team member Tracy chose for us!  Here's an excerpt from the eP blog!

Hello everyone, Tracy here today and I am soooo excited to be hosting the eTeam Picks Challenge this month. After much scratching of my head along with oohing and aaahing . . .  the theme I have chosen for you all is - Get your mixed media on with a Paintbrush as your focal point.

Make sure you go to the eP blog and check out the challenge!  All of the rules are listed there!

I decided to use my new Steampunk Spells paper by Graphic45!  I LOVE this stack!  I am going to have to order more before Halloween's over for sure!!!!  I made a Halloween decoration for my house w/ the paint brush!  Normally I have start to finish pictures, but I was in a zone, so I completely forgot to take pictures!  It was a messy adventure with Gel Medium!  That's all I've got to say!  LOL!

So, here is my paint brush as a whole.  I had SO much fun altering this!  

Here's the top (handle).  I added a chain that I threaded through several times to create different lengths.  I cut out a clock, and I used a square clock embellishment from my stash.  The skeleton was in the G45 stack, and I cut it out and sponged around the edges.  The frame was white, then I painted it w/ black Gesso, and then wiped some of it off w/ a baby wipe.  The nice thing about those is that if you wipe too much gesso off, just keep dabbing and you'll get a marble effect!  I sprayed it to seal it so that the paint doesn't wipe off.

And here the closeup of the bottom of the brush.  The bottles are from Tim Holtz.  The red one signifies hearts (cinnamon cookie decorations) and the white one has Gel Medium in it w/ pearls to signify eyeballs in goo.  I thought the gel medium would clear up, but it's staying white.  Darn it! 

The double double.... is cut from the G45 stack.  I discolored it w/ Wild Honey and Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

The bat is a cut out from the G45 stack as well.  The stick was found in my backyard and I sprayed it black.  The flowers are Heidi Swapp and the come uncolored.  I sprayed them w/ Lemon Zest, Dirty Martini & Black Marble Dylusions sprays.  Once dried, I sponged the edges of the petals w/ Black Soot Distress Ink.
The spiderweb was created free hand using String Gel from Liquitex.

That's it!  I hope that you like what you have seen today, and that I have inspired you to find an old paint brush and bring it back to life!  A new life that you would be proud to hang on your wall or door knob!

Have a lovely day!