December’s Get Altered Challenge
I finished it, I finished it! Took me long enough, huh? In reality the bottle really came together quickly. It just took a bit longer than anticipated for the paint to dry. Finished it with time to spare because eP's Get Altered Challenge is open until December 17th…..
Here is the end result: -you can click on the picture to enlarge it.
For this project I used a Starbucks Frappachino bottle – I also had a jar which I altered a little differently to be shared at another time.
The last time I had altered a bottle, I had used Claudine Hellmuth paint and loved the effect, this time I wanted the paint coverage to be more opaque. I used a several drops of Golden Fluid Acrylic mixed with Glazing Fluid. I dropped the paint and the glazing fluid right into the bottle, no premixing. Screwed on the lid and shook the bottle. The glazing fluid added to the paint allowed the paint to cover more because it made the paint more fluid and slow drying. (I know this because just adding paint – 4 drops) did not nearly cover anything at all, but adding about 6 drops of the glazing fluid to it worked just fine) Note of advice, it does take a lot longer to dry.
I put that aside to dry. Meanwhile I grabbed my ink sprays, gesso, stencils and some old Masonic ledger receipts and added some color and texture.
(Yes, gloves. My skin on my thumbs is splitting and it really hurts regardless of what ointments or creams I apply. Wearing gloves seems to help.)
I followed that up with more texture by using stamps and Wendy Vecchi's new Archival Ink – Watering Can. My all time favorite color. It's not as bold as black, yet still dark enough to see. LOVE it.
Next I grabbed my Tissue Wrap paper, added color with Distress Paints and water mister, scrunched it all up and created a quick flower:
The paper flower was added to a piece of crochet flower circle (I had made this last year to use up scrap yarn). This was white but the Dylusions Ink Sprays worked great to add color. To hold it all together I used a large rhinestone brad and Helmar Quick Dry glue.
I glued the dried strip of receipt paper onto the bottle using gel medium and let that dry. Then came the hard part, adding texture to the bottle with embossing paste and stencils. Not easy or perfect, but it turned out ok.
I used both a black and white pen to doodle around the ink spray stenciled butterflies. And the die cut leaves were colored with a combination of ink sprays and distress paint. Oh almost forgot, the two little flower buds were also made out of tissue wrap left overs. As an after thought I stenciled a word from Studio 490's Classic Word stencil onto a piece of scrap tissue wrap because no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get it straight onto the bottle.
And there you have it. I LOVE how my bottle turned out, am thrilled that I finally found a use for my crochet left over piece and have to say that my new favorite color combo is blues, greens, teals with the addition of purple.
These Starbucks bottles are the perfect size to sit above my window on the frame ledge. I really hope you were inspired to go grab those empty bottles back out of the trash and join eP's Get Altered Challenge. For more inspiration and all the details and prize information, head over to the eP blog here. And don't forget today is eP's Day 3 of The 12 Days of Christmas event….. 
Wow, two posts in ONE day…… ! Until next time,
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O Tannenbaum…
that is actually not my favorite German Christmas song. But I do love Christmas trees. I used to put up eight trees, yup, that’s right eight! I think I did that for three years and quite frankly, it’s too much work. Maybe if I didn’t work full time. This year, we’re not decorating at all…. because of the chaos my house is in. (walls, painting, etc…what was I thinking when I began this room switching?).
Regardless, I love pine trees which is why I (after realizing that I had completely forgotten about the new challenge, slapping my forehead) chose to use Fitztown’s digital stamp “Winter 4” and attempted to color it with my copics. After two tries, this is seemingly the best I could do. Fitztown is our sponsor for our newest challenge, hosted by Lisa and if you haven’t guessed is Christmas Sparkle.
Although I linked to Copic X-Press It cardstock, which is what I thought I grabbed, it was way too thick. It almost felt like some kind of coated chipboard. For my sparkles I used Stickles and Liquid Pearls (for the star).
The papers are old card kit papers from my stash. Now for some really awesome Christmas Glitter inspiring projects, hop over to The Sisterhood of Crafters to see what the rest of the girls created and to get all the details of the challenge and prize.
Happy crafting….. can’t wait to see what you create.
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12 Days of Christmas ~ Day 2
Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know that eclectic Paperie is having a DAILY DEAL for the
12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS.
Today's deal is on all Wendy Vecchi stamps, stencils, Art Parts and Blossom Bucket embellishments! You save 25%. Just use coupon code 12DAYS2 when checking out. Deals are good for 24 hours and expire at midnight (EST) tonight.
And on a side note, I finished my altered bottle last night but didn't have time to upload the pictures. I'll share tomorrow!
Cardapalooza….
I am happy to report that I finished my card order, yay! I finished the last batch of cards with an hour to spare before heading out the door to deliver them to FouCakes in Leavenworth. Talk about cutting it down to the wire, huh?
And I made time this past weekend to play along with eP’s Get Altered Challenge which is to alter a bottle. I’m not quite finished with my project yet because it’s taking a bit longer than anticipated. So how about I share some of the different cards I made for this card order?
For my first one, I used an old Stampin’ Up! stamp set for the flower, the papers and ribbon.
The sentiment is from Wplus9 Design Studio (link below) from Strictly Sentiments 1.
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One more for now. This one is a bit more masculine, didn’t want to leave out the guys. The gray with white zigzag paper is from my scrap basket – I think it’s old Stampin’ UP!
The greeting is from another “must have” staple stamp set! It’s from Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler.
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All of these cards are simple and definitely follow the “less is more” theme, which makes it a little easier when creating assembly line style. I, myself, tend to gravitate towards the CAS style of cards when browsing Pinterest or blogs. I think it’s my subconscious telling me to “unclutter”.
That’s it for me my friends. Hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend! Big hugs…..
Art Fairy Doll..
Hi everyone, several weeks ago I posted about my Art Fairy Doll over on the eP blog and wanted to share it here too.
I always surprise myself when I finish a project, either because I had no idea about what to create, or colors, mediums, etc. or because the end result is way off what I had originally intended. But that's the fun about art and mixed media!
Earlier this year I had found these doll body parts at a garage sale for a buck.
Bought it and promptly forgot about it once I got home. Well, upon moving my art stuff upstairs, I found them. First thing I did was to apply a coat of gesso on all the parts. Next I applied tissue paper over the face, part of the neck, legs and hands. I also used some of my gelli prints for the body and part of the legs.
The rest of the 'exposed' body parts were painted. Feet were painted black; face, neck, hands and part of the legs were painted a flesh color. The rest were colored with green which I thought accented the gelli printed paper.
Wanting to add some texture and color, I mixed embossing paste with Silks Acrylic Glaze and applied that through a stencil with a palette knife.
Adding more interest with more stencils using paint, distress ink and Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and stamps:
I was really nervous about the face. I've not had time to keep up with my sketching of faces and you know the saying….'use it or loose it' which also applies to drawing abilities, at least in my case.
The face was sketched with pencil and then filled in with paint. I made sure to erase the pencil lines first and after the paint was dry, I dabbed some gel medium over her face so that I could add depth, dimension and shadows with Faber-Castell Big Brush markers. I added Distress Ink around the edges, added rub-ons and sealed all the parts with a coat of gel medium.
For the 'Art Fairy' title, I used Idea-ology's Alpha letters on a piece of tag card stock. I cut the square apart and glued it to her hands using a piece of popsicle stick to help secure the pieces to her hand.
Poking two holes on her shoulder edges allowed me to use Idea-ology Fastners to secure a piece of wire to the back so she can be hung up. I love these fasteners because the prongs are longer than the standard brads.
And she was done and I was extremely happy with how she turned out. I don't know why I was so worried.
I so wish I had time to create a couple more of these dolls, or mixed media canvases, but right now I'm knee-deep in making cards for that card order. I haven't even started on making our Christmas cards and I'm seriously contemplating just buying a small pack. But I just can't do that, just like I couldn't say no to this card order. I really must learn to say "No" 
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That's it for me today, my lunch is almost over. Tonight's agenda…..more cards! Thanks for stopping by. Until next time…..
..there is always Beauty
Hey everyone, it’s my turn to post over on the eP blog. Come check out what I ended up with in my art journal!
See you there!
Birthday Card Mania
Hi everyone! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I had a nice one, just hubby and I. And then it was back to work Friday. One thing is for sure, these holidays wear me out. Saturday I had a pleasant surprise from my adoptive parents. They are my BFF’s parents but they’ve claimed me as one of their own and they are like parents to me. Other than that, got started on the “office”. Sunday I did creep into the craft room to create some cards for an order that I need to fill.
I found a card on Pinterest which I CASED. Now I can’t find the pin so I can’t give credit to the original creator. (If you know of, or find the pin, please let me know so I can give credit.)
I used paper scraps and left-over ribbon and twine. I made ten cards and they came together really quickly. In the supply links below, I just linked to the general paper section because I used bits and pieces from every 6×6 paper pack I own, lol.
And now I better get going and check my emails. Holidays and holiday weekends, I tend to not turn on my computer. Sometimes one just has to step away from it, don’t you think? That’s it for me tonight (I’m writing this Sunday night). Oh I did get to play in my art journal late this afternoon, I think I was going through inky paint withdrawals 
. And I finished editing the family photos I took, like six weeks ago, so I’ll leave you with those.
Until next time…….
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Really?
Mondays and I just don’t seem to get along. Especially since my body really needed another day of rest. So I got home and happened to look at the old cowboy/new office room and promptly shouted “really?”.
Grabbed my art journal and wrote my thoughts and feelings down. Next came layers and layers of stencils and paint and Stabilo pencil and ended up with this.
Starting out I had used a White-Out Pen and tried to sketch a side view face but it didn’t turn out too well so I did a front facing portrait.
I wanted her to stand out a little more, so I used my fingers to add some light flesh color (I use Claudine Hellmuth Studio paints) to her face. I really love her eyes.
And yes, I put the second silhouette of Bert behind bricks.
I’m almost wishing now I would have kept my craft room where it was. If there is a quick-hurry-up way of doing things, my spouse will find them which always creates more work for me 
. I should take a picture of “his” room as he’s working on it….. then you’d understand.
Anyway, it felt good to get my feelings down on paper knowing I’d cover most, if not all up with paint. Therapeutic until he ticks me off again, sigh!
Until next time……
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eTeam Picks Challenge–Recycled
Good Saturday morning everyone! I wanted to pop in to share my quick project for the eTeam Picks Challenge. Tracy is our host and OMG, you’ve got to check out her project! It is awesome! Even more awesome because of what she used-genius! You just have to check it out.
Ok back to my project, I created a quick one! Nothing fancy because 1. I’m still in the clean up mode from the remodel/switching rooms (hubby almost has all his “cowboy” stuff in my old craft room and then we can fix up his old room as the new office) and most importantly to show how everyone can play along in this challenge.
So having said that, I created a sympathy card which I sadly needed:
The recycled item? Pages from an old hymnal (sp?) which were covered in gesso and paint.
I didn’t take any step-by-step photos because a lot of my “recycled book pages” are actually like my blotting papers. I always keep a stack of book pages and regular notebook paper close at hand and use that to clean paint brushes, stamps, (even my fingers), etc.. This one though, I had scrapped some orange paint onto the paper while working in my art journal. Since it was too bright, I scraped a light coat of gesso over the orange, then using a brush and lots of watered down paint added the flecks and splatters. Once dry, I stamped the image with paint. Voila, actually created five sheets like this.
Did a bit of sewing around the edge since I now have easy access to my sewing machine 
. Layered the panels onto Kraft card stock with pop up glue dots. I tried to frame the whole panel by embossing a frame around it on the base card with my Scor-Pal which I could have done without but since it’s hardly noticeable, no biggie!
Now, you see? ANYONE can play along in eclectic Paperie’s challenge! Head over to the blog to get all the details and inspiration.
Seriously – I so want to CASE Tracy’s project but since I have a craft show tomorrow and a house in a mess…….need I say more?!
I hope you play along! If you live in the St. Joseph, Missouri area be sure to stop by Darcie’s tomorrow (Sunday) and say “Hi”.
Until next time,
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Finger Painted Papers–Part II
Actually I should call it “The Do-Over”! Hi guys, I’m finally back online! Don’t know what happened over the weekend, either the wind or just my bad luck but couldn’t get online. And yesterday, I had a major stomach-in-my-throat moment when I tried to log on to my Mac laptop and it wouldn’t take my password regardless of double checking everything. However, it’s all good, the world is back in it’s axis!
Remember my Finger Painted Papers journal spread? This one:
Yeah, I didn’t like the way it ended up. Kind of sad since I really loved the finger painted swirls! Well the great thing about an art journal, just cover it up and start over which I eventually did. Not before I glued some crumbled tissue paper over the right page. I just added the tissue paper over the flower heads but it just didn’t feel right. I used the large Annie mask on the right side of the spread and gave the whole spread a light layer of orange paint, painting right over the mask. After it dried, I broke out Seth Apter’s new stencils from Stencil Girl Products. I added some of the stencil (the border little squares) with black gesso but at that point the orange color was too loud for me, so I added another layer. I used a brayer to add an off-white paint (mixing Claudine Hellmuths’ Traditional Tan with some gesso). And thankfully by that time, I had an idea.
I added even more texture two stamps (Studio 490 – the grid and the “read the fine print” and Dina Wakley’s Circle Script) as well as the red circles from TCW’s Well Rounded stencil. The tissue paper underneath the layers adds such wonderful texture.
I really love Seth Apter’s stencils, you can just use part of the stencil or the whole thing – so versatile. I even journaled and yes, a mistake as you can see above. The “or” was stamped with an old Stampin’ Up! alphabet set.
I thought the “Finished or Unfinished” title was perfect for this spread and it brings to mind what Dina Wakley had said when I took her class earlier this year, “when is a page ever finished?” Well, I’m going to say that this spread is finished!
Now I just need to quit touching the pages, because all those layers make the pages feel like leather – LOVE it! I’m going to share with Inspire Me Monday, and Creative Everyday.
An update on the craft room, I still find myself moving stuff around as I’m creating which I hope is normal and not like ADHD as my husband claims.
That’s it for me tonight! Thanks for stopping by and hey, be sure to check out the eP blog tomorrow for a new challenge! I’m definitely going to play. Until next time…….
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