My Octopus Sea Maiden

Time for another project from 

Retro Cafe Art Gallery.

This lovely lady is made with the 

Octopus Sea Maiden kit.

She's holding the Brass Large Conch Shell Charm.

She's all painted up with Fresco Paints and stamped with the 

Bubbles stamp from Finnabair and an archival ink.

The Silver Micro Beads give a look of tiny bubbles all over her and the large shell.

I added Tiny Brass Circle Decorations to the headdress and Tiny Gold and Silver Shells as a necklace. Her shell bodice also has the Shells mixed in with Pollen Micro Beads and Soft Gloss Gel. 

I used the  Medium Fairy Art Doll Paper Cuts - Angels and Saints for her face.

The base is painted Snow Flake White first and then I sponged on Guacamole and Hey Pesto Fresco Paints.

 It's fairly covered up, but the base is stamped with the middle right stamp in the Dirty Walls collection from Finnabair. 

Then I covered it in a heavy layer of 3D Gloss Gel spread on like frosting. I added  Pearl Glass Glitter by sprinkling it around in spots.  Silver Micro Beads, Splash Micro Beads and Turquoise Glass Beads were added randomly to fill in spots. The 2 different sizes of beads and the Glass Glitter all get patted down gently into the Gel.

Since the Gel is transparent, you can still see spots of green paint through it. It really, really sparkles in real life!!!

Kind of looks like Sea Foam.....maybe?

The Brass Fancy Shell Decoration and Brass Fish are colored with Inka Golds in Copper and Turquoise.  I used a bit of Green Yellow Inka Gold around the edges of the piece with Copper and Yellow Gold on the Conch and Tiny Shells.

I think that about does it, as always, if you have any thoughts or questions, don't hesitate to leave them here. Everything I used is linked so just click on and get started.

Your Friend in ART,

Linda

Spread Your Wings Academy Vol. 3 with Stamping

Four of the Finnabair Creative Team Members have posted 

"things to do with stamps"

on the 

Spread Your Wings Academy 
on the
Finnabair Blog.

Here's a few things I did for the post. But this is just the tip of the iceberg!

I love to make journaling pages, but I have to add layers and layers to make me happy. This is a finished section of my page...

I start by gluing scrap pieces of the Canvas Resist Borders, torn papers and a piece of trim to the pages. Then I added a random layer of Clear Gesso.

I spread Modeling Paste around the open areas like frosting. Let it dry for a few minutes and them stamp into the paste with a stamp that's been sprayed lightly with water.

Use various stamps all over both the pages

When dry spray with bright inks. Let some blend and run, but keep them from getting muddy by drying with a heat tool, too. See how the darker colors go into the recessed areas to create great contrast.

Some of the stamping in the paste is subtle. See how differently the sprays take to the paste, the paper, and the canvas borders. 

Now add a layer of stamping with white paint. I add the paint by tapping it lightly onto the stamp with a foam square.

This is my new favorite background stamp, the fine detailed Chickenwire stamp. Note the great texture made with the stamps in the Modeling Paste here. 

The last step is to add some areas of black archival ink stamping, some stencil work with a white pen and free-hand scribbles.

You can go on and on. Add more layers of beads, or glass glitter, a picture, some mechanicals...or stop where it is now.

The choice is yours.

Jump over to

Spread Your Wings Academy 

and see some more tips and inspiration from 3 other Artists

You won't be sorry!!!!

Linda

Products from Finnabair:

Art Basics - Modeling Paste

Art Basics - Clear Gesso

Prima - Finnabair Mixed Media Journal

Prima - Canvas Resist Elemental Borders 2

Prima - Cling Stamps - Net and Wire. Dream On, and Dirty Walls

Other Products:

White Sharpie Poster Pen

Pitt Pen

Archival Inks

Various Spray Inks

White Acrylic Chalk Paint

Scrapbook papers and trims

Vintage Assemblage Shrine

Today it's my turn on the

 Finnabair Blog!

I decided to use a mini cabinet card from my collection in a small shrine to make a Vintage Assemblage.

Brass always seems to show up better when used with turquoise, and so that's the color scheme that I used.

I like to lay things out and get some idea of the project. The flower at the top is trimmed with shears removing 2 sections.

I painted several Mechanicals with Heavy White Gesso so they will take paints and inks.

My main pieces were painted and put together with 3 tiny brads. I sanded the plate to reveal the word CREATE.

This laser-cut shrine comes flat, so I added vintage German-English dictionary pages to the inside sections with Soft Matte Gel. Then I sponged on archival inks to age even more and sealed with Gel.

The outsides were painted with acrylic paints using either a sponge dabber or foam square. 

The Messy text clear stamp is used with black archival ink. Now I can glue the shrine together and get ready to add elements to the outside. Once it was dry, I added Clear Crackle Texture Paste to various areas. It really added an "aged" look to the piece.

This wooden candlestick is base-coated with Heavy White Gesso first and then a layer of White Crackle Paste is slathered on. When it's dry, add archival inks in orange and sepia. 

The Vintage Lady is cut out and layered onto 2 Mechanicals and a wooden block. I highlighted the leaves and button with more patina waxes, as well as the candlestick base. 

The finishing touches were to add some Gloss Gel with a brush to different places and sprinkle Copper, Silver and Black Micro Beads as filler. I also added some Gold Mica Flakes.

The Flower was sprayed with several colors of ink, and beads, plus some Luminous Gold Glitter was added. A bit of Charcoal Art Sugar and black Micro Beads are layered around the candlestick rims.

Check out the links below for all the products used and don't forget to go to Finnabair's Blog every week 

to see gorgeous projects, tips, and our great

Spread Your Wings Academy!

Linda

Products Used:

Art Basics - Heavy White Gesso

Art Basics - Soft Glass Gel

Art Basics - Soft Matte Gel

Art Basics - 3D Matte Gel

Art Extravagance - Clear Crackle Texture Paste

Art Extravagance - White Crackle Texture Paste

Art Ingredients - Micro Beads-Copper, Silver and Black

Art Ingredients - Glitter Set Luminous

Art Ingredients - Art Sugar Charcoal

Art Ingredients - Mica Flakes Gold

Prima Clear Stamps - Messy

Prima Mechanicals - Plated Labels

Prima Mechanicals - Leaves 2

Prima Mechanicals - Washers 1

Prima Mechanicals - Flowers x10

Prima-Junkyard Findings-Jean Buttons

Viva Decor-Inka Gold - Turquoise

Viva Decor-Inka Gold - Copper

Ranger-Archival Inks - Jet Black, Orange Blossom, and Coffee

Other Products Used:

Mini Ornate Shrine Kit from Retro Cafe Art Gallery

Collections Vintage Mini Cabinet Card

Guilders Paste-Patina

Detail Sanding Block from Vintaj

It's a Seth Apter Blog Hop!!!!

It is in deed my honor to have been asked to work with the newly designed background stamps from 

Impression Obsession 

designed by

Seth Apter!

He is, by far, one of the kindest and most sharing Artists in the Industry. You can see his wonderful posts on his blog

The Altered Page 

 for inspiration and creativity.

This is my project for the Hop.

I started with a piece of black chipboard. First I added a rather thick layer of white crackle paste and let it dry.

Next I sponged on some color making sure to get the ink into the cracks. You can soften the color with a baby wipe in the center.

This shows the lighter version after some of the color was removed.

Then I used Seth's stamps Fireworks and Scaffold with Black and Brown archival inks. Just to break it up a bit, I added white paint to the stamps for the next layer.

The turquoise dots are added with a stencil, acrylic paint, and foam square.

The metal frame with a vintage photo is the centerpiece of the the tag, and the top is a brass corner accented with patina guilders paste.

You can see the stamped images in this closeup as well as some white pen marks to add some interest.

The antique number plate on the bottom of the tag was taken from a set of vintage storage drawers in my brother-in-laws garage years ago. I've saved it for just that special project.

Now, please jump to the other blog hop players blogs and see what great things these Artists have come up with to highlight Seth's new stamps.

And leave them some love!

Mary Beth Shaw http://mbshaw.blogspot.com

Marjie Kemper http://marjiekemper.com/blog/

Linda Cain http://cain81art.blogspot.com (you're here)

Pam Carriker http://pamcarriker.com/blog/

Brian Kasstle https://apaperbear.wordpress.com

Kim Henkel http://khenkel.blogspot.com

Your Friend in ART,

Linda

Wonderful Classes with Finnabair

Well, it was a very eventful weekend at 

Cafe Crop

in Merrillville, Indiana.

Judy Hauffe and I jumped in the ole Buick and took off for a wonderful weekend of glitter, gel,stencils, modeling paste, mica powder, gesso, sprays, flowers, and beads!!!

Not to mention my favorite.......the Mechanicals from

Finnabair!!!

This was the morning class and, of course I LOVE the way it turned out. But you cannot even begin to see all the glass glitter and shine that emanates from the canvas. Pictures just can't capture the mica powder or sparkle of the beads. If you zoom in, it helps.

This piece all starts with Heavy Black Gesso, so the contrast of dark and mica colors is wonderful.

This was the afternoon class, and it was amazing to say the least.

    

Mine's more pastel, but everyone's was totally different. We all seemed to have put on our "big girl panties" and jumped in with confidence that resulted in several different compositions and ideas.

The tiny black micro beads and the stenciling create great contrast. Gotta love the little CREATE sign and the nail....I'm easily amused.

I used lots of stashed goodies from home....buttons, square nails, a vintage key, upholstery tacks....etc.

You could NOT have asked for more in the way of kits, instruction, demos, tools and goodies!!!

If you get the chance to take Finn's classes you will be gobsmacked by the wonderfulness that you receive... not to mention the completed works of ART that you take home.

Click on the link above to her blog for continuing posts from the

 Creative Team and Finn

 with everything from tips to tutorials, plus

 Finn's teaching schedule

for the rest of the year!

My thanks to Tina, Lisa and Ken at Cafe Crop for hosting the wonderful event that made lots of dreams come true for a great group of students.

Your Friend in ART,

Linda

Finnabair Vintage Centers for Earrings

Hey, it's been a while....

....but today I'm showing you a really fun pair of earrings I made using 

Finnabair Mechanicals.

The Vintage Centers 

are beautiful by themselves, but here I used a Detail Sanding Block to highlight the raised portions and shine them up.

I punched 2 holes in the Centers and just added jump rings for the dangles and ear wires.

Simple and easy to do, really.

Tomorrow I get to go to Indiana to take 2 classes with 

Finnabair!!!!

I can hardly wait! I'll take pictures and get back to you.

Your Friend in ART,

Linda

A Vintage Santos Angel

A friend asked me to make an angel for her to give as a gift. Here is the 

Santos Angel

I made for her using several pieces from 

Retro Cafe Art Gallery.

Most Santos Dolls are simple in an elegant design. I tried to keep this one in line with that idea.

I used a

Relics and Artifacts Cross 

hanging from a chain in the middle with various stampings only to decorate the base of the

Small Steampunk Santos Doll.

The beautiful Santos Art Doll Paper Cut was perfect for the face of the Angel.

The Wings and Sunburst Halo were painted with Metallic Gold, Silver and Copper paints and highlighted with Patinas. The blue paints from PaperArtsy are Fresco Acrylic Paints. 

The stamps on the bodice and arms are from

Lynne Perrella's PaperArtsy Collection LP028.

I added permanent brown inks to the cross and highlighted with Turquoise Inka Gold.

The stamp on the legs is from Finnabair's collection Net and Wire...which I LOVE! The base stamp is from Trust the Magic.

I hope she likes her present. It's the first piece I've done on commission so I'm invested in this one.

Your Friend in ART,

Linda