Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado... 

Do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado... 

Do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

Halloween Tins for AlphaStamps

I'm not a summer sort of person, but this summer was pretty damned glorious. I know that folks everywhere were battling with the heat and weather... but man oh man it was just about perfect here. I'm going to miss the lazy afternoons I spent on the deck, lounging in the sunshine. Then, just like that, summer left and the autumn winds swept through!

While I'll miss the summer days, I can't help but be excited about the cool autumn air, turning leaves, bonfires, sweater weather and, of course, Halloween. My friends at AlphaStamps are excited too, Halloween is their favourite holiday and the theme of this month's kit.

I've used some of the papers from this months kit (Spectrum Ginger Snap Dots & Stripes Scrapbook Paper, and Happy Halloween Custom 12x12 Paper Set), but kinda ran amok, doing my own thing, and made a couple of cute Halloween themed tins.

Note: that 'sunflower' looking thing on the lid, behind the moon, is just a strip of the diamond patterned paper form the Happy Halloween Custom 12x12 Paper Set accordion folded and turned into a rosette.

Inside there's the cutest little cemetery under a happy moon, with a cute little vintage graphic and glittery night sky.

 

And because the first was so much fun, I made a second!

I used exactly the same elements in the second tin, only slightly changing the layout, arrangement and pieces used. 

Want to make your own? Great! You'll find the list of supplies I used below. One word of advice: when putting your tins together make sure to leave room for the lid to close properly. You'll need to avoid adding embellishments in the area indicated above (about a 1/4"). Be sure to try closing the lid before gluing anything in place to ensure the lid is not obstructed.

With my babbling complete, here is the supply list:

Blank Altoids Tins
2 Sets of Mini Chipboard Gates
2 Sets of Chipboard Gates
Mini Chipboard Gothic Fence
Spider Web Border - 7 Inch
Tiny Tombstones Shape Set
Creepy Tree - 5 Inch
Bronze Slider Beads - Fancy Stars
Flat-Back Gold Star Studs - 12mm
Flat-Back Gold Star Studs - 8mm
Stitched Leaf Ribbon - Black
Spectrum Ginger Snap Dots & Stripes Scrapbook Paper
Happy Halloween Custom 12x12 Paper Set
Acrylic Black Bat Cut-Outs
Halloween Pendants Collage Sheet
Halloween Labels Collage Sheet
How Sweet the Moon Collage Sheet
Mini Halloween Costumes Collage Sheet
Teal Glitter*

I also used

• vintage music paper
• acrylic paint 

• glue

• mosses

• foam adhesive spacer squares

All those bits can be found in one place right HERE (hang tight, it'll be updated soon!)

"Woodland Dreams" Art Walk Alchemy 2020

Mystic Spring Studios released their lineup for Art Walk Alchemy 2020 today and I'm pretty excited to announce that I'll be taking part as one of the instructors. 

It's a sweet deal. 24+ mixed media projects with in depth video instruction for each, artist support for each project, freebies and surprises, as well as a community of fellow makers. The classes are released throughout the year (so there will always be something fresh) and there's a good variety of projects. 

Can you guess which one of these projects is mine? 

Preregistration opened today with an early bird price (until December 31st) of $99 for all 24 courses. After that the price bumps up to $125. Pop over HERE for all the details.

Here are all of the other artists taking part and instructing in "Woodland Dreams" Art Walk Alchemy 2020

Free Photo Friday

Once a week I share an old timey photo from my personal collection. Feel free to use them in your mess making, art and crafting.

The images are not polished and left in their grungy, smudged and speckled glory. Just how I like 'em! Without further ado... 

Do NOT sell, give, or distribute the images as your own, digitally or printed, alone or as part of a collection, collage sheet or group. BUT DO absolutely make stuff with them and sell the stuff you make. If you share your project, a link is appreciated.

Violators will be turned into toads, given warts, all the bad stuff... I mean it... It won't be pretty. 

The Little Mystic's Hutch

Although I've always been interested in the magical, I've never been one for crystals. Lately however I've been admiring a number of Instagram accounts that share these gorgeous pictures of crystal grids. Shiny stones laid out in pretty patterns. They're enchantingly beautiful.

Those patterns, colours, and crystals got me thinking about glitter and stardust and dreams and the Universe. Yes, all those things at once!

So I put together the 3 Panel Hutch, added some spindly legs and stars...

... and filled it with tiny gem stones.

Perhaps I'll make a life sized mystic hutch for myself in the future, but for now my fairies will not be wanting. They have drawers filled with stars, and loads of stones and gems, to weave some magic.

If you'd like to see the process of making this hutch, you can pop over to my YouTube channel to watch the video HERE.

Here are all the bits and bobs I used to create The Little Mystic's Hutch:

3 Panel Hutch
(UK shoppers visit HERE)
Wooden Table Legs
3D Star Spacer Beads
Flat-Back Gold Star Studs - 12mm
Flat-Back Gold Star Studs - 8mm

Blue/Turquoise scrapbook paper
Gold Star Sequins
Brass Moon
Miniature Tarot Cards
Various Stones/Gems/Crystals
Tiny Wood Bowls and various miniature bowls/vials
Paint
Glitter

Van Gogh Tunnel Book

You know who I love? (Besides you, of course) Van Gogh.

One of the most moving artistic experiences of my life was seeing "Starry Night on the Rhone" in a darkened room at the Art Gallery of Ontario. There is a tremendous 'life' in his work, as though they are living, breathing things.

When I saw the sunflowers in this months AlphaStamps Tunnel Book Kit I thought of dear Vincent and made a little something VanGogh-y.

Instead of a book, I've painted each of the pages from the 4x4 Arch Tunnel Book like a VanGogh landscape with acrylic paint, then used foam squares to create space between the layers.

The layers are then framed with a simple strip of cardstock painted black, and covered with the blue paper from the Banner Year 6x6 Paper Pad. 

A few resin sunflowers, and acrylic stars and a portrait of the the man himself popped in, front and centre.... ONLY IT'S NOT VINCENT!!!!

After putting this piece together I learned that not terribly long ago (2011) experts determined that the guy in this particular portrait is not Vincent, but his brother, Theo.

No worries! This is still a sweet reminder of Vincent and filled things he loved best: stars, sunflowers, colour... and his brother and biggest supporter, Theo.

Want to make your own arty homage? Grab yourself a AlphaStamps Tunnel Book Kit or all the separate bits below:

4x4 Arch Tunnel Book
Banner Year 6x6 Paper Pad
12mm Resin Sunflowers

15mm Resin Sunflowers

Resin Sunflower Cabs - Set of 3

Acrylic Rhinestone Stars (not exactly the same that I used)
Acrylic paint

Cardstock

Small printout of Vincent/Theo

Glue