Steampunk Hearts and Gears Tag

If you follow me on Facebook, you've seen the fabulous collection 

I recently received from 

Finnabair

to work on projects for our Creative Team.

I  WAS AMAZED!

Again, if you know me at all, it takes a lot to leave me speechless, 

but this collection did just that.

The Mechanicals are Works of ART created

to look exactly like authentic pieces of 

Vintage metal ephemera.

I LOVE them.

I cut out a plain piece of cardboard with a tag die a long time ago and added

some distress stains along the edges. Then set it aside for a year....

So I knew it was dry, right? 

Anyway, I painted it with Heavy White Gesso and glued on some

chipboard cut-outs 

Hearts, Vintage Numbers. Laurel Wreaths, and Honeycomb Bits

 from Retro Cafe Art Gallery.

I actually used a Honeycomb Bit as a stencil to apply Modeling Paste and 

as added pieces on the Hearts.

Then I added a coat of Gesso again. You can see how the stains came through 

the gesso and that was cool.

Next step is to add Clear Gloss Gel to the tag in sections and then add the 

Mica Powders on top. You can also mix the gel and powder on your

kraft mat and make a paint.

I used Black Cherry, Deep Water, Pink, Gold, Pale Silver and Purple.

The next thing I did was add some spots of white paint. 

I used Black Micro Beads, Glass Glitter and Glitter to fill in spots. And last is 

the Heavy Black Gesso on the high points of the pieces and edges.

Here are a few pieces that came right out of the package looking like this.

The upper piece is a Rustic Washer, there are 3 Mini Stars, the large piece is a Rusty Gear with a smaller Steampunk Gear on top.

And the adorable steampunky heart is a Tin Heart.

Simple as that....no inks or paints. Some are shiny and some have a rusty finish on them that does not rub off...just in case you were wondering.

This is a picture of my stash. It's all the new collections that will be 

shipping January 30th.

So ask your local and on-line stores to get busy and order some of

these great new pieces.

(you can see the 12 new Mechanicals sets here from Prima)

And start Creating ART.

Linda

A Valentine Shadow Box

It's time to get busy and create some 

Valentines

from Retro Cafe Art Gallery!

This sweet little 4x6 Shadow Box was calling my name,

 and the Escutcheon Door Plate fit perfectly on the front with

2 sets of Love Bird Cut-Outs covered 

with White Iridescent Glitter.  

I glued 2 Aged Antique Brass Ornate Box Feet to the front corners. 

To balance the back (since it's too narrow to add feet to the back) 

I used 3 circle Cut-outs in Masonite and one chipboard Heart. 

Any scrap pieces would work.

The 4 pieces created the perfect level for balancing the box!

I painted the Door Plate with metallic paint dabbers

 and added pen markings in red and black.

Red Faux Rhinestone Ribbon along the edges of the shadowbox make a nice framed edge.

This gorgeous red Glitter from Finnabair's Crimson set and different pinks on the hearts, 

add a real sparkle to project.

I painted the outsides of the box with Fresco Paints and stamped with black archival ink using a stamp from the Old Town set from Finnabair.

I cut apart the 2 Inch Squares Valentine Collage Sheet and the 

smaller Assorted Squares Sheet for the insides.

This shows how I glued the pieces on overlapping the ones

on the sides at angles. The pink and red paper in the center is from the ATC Valentine background sheet.

I added some more stamping to the inside papers 

with Sepia and Black Archival Inks using a stamp from

  "Don't Forget to Fly" , "Net and Wire" and Doorway.

A white pen is used to add contrast along the 

inside paper collage.

This is how the pieces are all finished and ready to glue together

with a bit of white glue. 

Lots of color and very little work in creating it!!!

So, get busy and start ordering your supplies for an afternoon in 

your work space playing and making

Valentines!

Linda

Time for a Mixed-Media Collage

Hi everyone. It's gloomy and very cold here, and that means plenty of time to spend in the Studio with some Finnabair products.

This is a collage I made on a piece of ivory mat board.

I started with some Heavy White Gesso.

Then I cut out several shapes from the 6x6 Sunrise Sunset paper pad. 

I stamped the medallion stamp on white paper and cut it into pieces. The pieces were added to the board with 3D Matte Gel.

I used Modeling Paste and the Bubbles Stencil to add some dimension. 

Using a silicone tool, I added some more Heave White Gesso in spots.

Now comes the intense color. I used 3 colors of Golden High Flow Acrylics. These babies are REALLY full of pigment.

I dropped them into spots and sprayed with water to make them move.

Pens, Inks, and stamps come out to fill in the voids and make things pop. 

I used the Notes, Lace Doily and Bubbles Clear Stamps with archival inks.

Black ink and Heavy Black Gesso create a great contrast. I could go on forever making little marks here and there....but I decided to stop.

I hope you're inspired to play.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Linda

Finnabair Products Used:

heavy white gesso
heavy black gesso
sunrise sunset paper pad 6x6
elementals stencil - bubbles
cling stamp set - trust the magic
modeling paste
clear stamps - notes, lace doily, bubbles

Altered Treasure Key Box for Finnabair CT

I have fallen in love with altering keys!

It's as simple as that.

And it's my turn on the Finnabair blog today. 

So here I decided to add one to a wooden triangular box that's been sitting in my Studio for years....yes years!

I start with a wooden box to which I applied Clear Gesso to seal. 

Then I get out the pieces of ephemera that I want to alter and add. Sadly I wish I had a dozen more of these flat keys from "I don't have a clue" where. If anybody knows where to get them, please let me know!!!

The large key is colored with Inka Gold waxes. 

The other objects are painted with Heavy Black Gesso first and then Mica Powders+Soft Gel made into a paint.

I mixed Summer Sky and Bottle Green for the large wings. 

A second layer of Gold Opal Magic+Soft Gloss Gel is lightly added to create a shimmer. You see the difference in the other set of wing charms.

The top of the box was painted with several metallic dabbers in layers. 

I used Jet Black Archival Ink to add the Clear Stamps Adverts and Wire Net.

I wanted to create contrast on the lid edge, so after painting it with Black Gesso, I added a layer of Green Opal Magic+Soft Gloss Gel.

The bottom section was stamped first with Sepia Archival Ink + a Wire and Net Cling Stamp, and then Black Archival Ink using the gorgeous Cling Stamp from Old Town. (love this stamp)

I used 2 coats of Clear Gesso on the lower portion and it REALLY made it shine like varnish!

I punched a hole in the Mini Flower to add the Arrow and Key with a cold connection. (Thank you my Uber-Talented friend Jen Crossley for teaching me this. Take her classes if you're lucky enough to get there!!!)

Other pieces are added with E6000 and wrapped with silver Artistic Wire.

Then I added Computer parts, Wire, Watch Parts and other pieces of ephemera. 

I kept adding more Inka Gold waxes to create contrast.

This shows the side stamping with the Green Opal Magic over the Black Gesso. It turns out a rather Teal color.

The Rhinestone trim, Mechanicals-Plated Labels painted with Mica Powder+Gesso, and more watch parts fill in the spots.

Hope you enjoy.

And don't forget to check out Finnabair's Blog every week!

Finnabair Products:

Mechanical - Star Brads, Wings, Flowers-Mini, Roman Numerals, Plated Labels
Clear Stamps - Wire Net, Adverts
Cling Stamps - Net and Wire, Old Town
Art Basics - Heavy Black Gesso, Soft Gloss Gel, Clear Gesso
Art Ingredients - Mica Powders - Bottle Green, Summer Sky, Copper, Gold Opal Magic, Green Opal Magic
Inka Gold Waxes - Copper, Gold, Turquoise

Other Products:
Watch Parts, Antique Rhinestone Trim, Fancy Dragonfly Wings, 

Erin's Mask for Romeo and Juliet

I'm so proud of Erin, my granddaughter.

She had a project to make, and needed a mask. This was the only "mask" I had. It's a mold. But since the skies were charcoal colored and the snowstorm was moving in, we decided it was not a good idea to go to Hobby Lobby for a smaller one.

So, she penciled in where she wanted to cut it down and got to work. 

It was about a 5-6 hour day of creating.

There's one thing about 15 year-olds, they definitely have their own ideas. 

I did NOT want to cramp her style, which is much more conservative than mine, but wonderful, so I just laid out the products she could work with and let her imagination run wild.

She used Finnabair's Heavy White Gesso on the mask, then White Crackle Paste. When dry she sprayed with several coats of Vintage Pink Mica Powder+Water, and then Gold.

The Eyes were hand painted with gold acrylic paint and then she added Gold Rush Glass Glitter. (She sealed it with a mix of water+Soft Gloss Gel..gotta protect those eyes!)

The Chipboard cut-outs from Retro Cafe Art Gallery were painted and then different colors of Pink and Gold Finnabair Glitters were sprinkled on. She also picked a purple Dylusions spray for the white paper flowers to add with a single pearl center and 3D Matte Gel.

I did punch the holes for the ribbons with the Crop-a-dile to add the eyelets for the ribbons. I never would have used brown ribbon, but it really looks great in the picture. I would've put the embellishments on both sides....but she liked them just on the one side....her simplicity is beautiful.

VERY proud of her, and her wonderful design ideas. She won the contest and came home with a bag of Hershey's. 

Life is Good!

Linda

It's Time to Make Valentines!

Yes, now that Christmas is all put away (thankfully),

 you can get out your pinks and blues to make some 

Valentine Angels

from 

Retro Cafe Art Gallery.

This is quick and easy....really!

I tore 4 pieces of paper from the ATC Size Valentine background Collage sheet. 

You see I left the darkened edges, so no need for more inking!

It has great colors and designs already on the papers. 

Glue the strips onto the Angel, trim edges, 
and stamp with a few Cling Stamps using Black Archival Ink.

Then using Rust and Summer Sky Mica Powders+Soft Gloss Gel to create a paint, I painted the Key and Heart cut out. 

The Rhinestone Trim is OUT OF THIS WORLD gorgeous!

The Wings have the Daguerreotype paper glued on...easy, peasy, and I added a few black pen marks.

I stamped out a few words, added some gold wire, some more pen marks,and the lovely little face from the Doll Head Cut Outs, and she's ready to mail off to 

a special friend!

Have fun, and check out the links below to order.

Linda

Medium Fairy Art Doll Head Cut Out
Primitive Angel Art Doll Kit - Style 2
Heart Skeleton Key Cut-Outs
Rhinestone Trim
Collage Sheets - Daguerreotypes I, ATC Size Valentine's
Finnabair Cling Stamps - Don't Forget to Fly, Trust the Magic
Finnabair Art Ingredients - Mica Powders - Rust, Summer Sky
Finnabair Art Basics - Soft Gloss Gel
Archival Ink - Jet Black

2015 A Year in Review for You

Wow!  Has this been a busy year or what?!?!?

I must say, this has been the best year of my creative career with
2 wonderful groups~

 Finnabair Creative Team and
Retro Cafe Art Gallery DT.

Teams just don't get any better.

So without further ado, I will share with you my favorites of the year.

There are actually
 11 tutorials linked here 
with supply lists.

Grab a cuppa and enjoy at your leisure... I hope you're inspired to play.

These jars were truly easy to make using Mechanicals from Finnabair with Glitter and Art Sugar. Check it out. Tutorial here.

I really, really enjoyed making this flip-open note box with lots of "new" pieces from Finnabair, and found objects using a plain paper mache box as a base. Tutorial is here. 

This Valentine Hutch from Retro Cafe Art Gallery and the little cutie is done with a vintage flare that just makes me smile. Here. 

More fun from Retro Cafe Art with a Valentine Angel. The gorgeous stamps are from Finnabair. Blog link. 

This was a 6x6 canvas that used Crackle Paste and some wonderful Mechanicals with Micro Beads. Birds and Words from RCAG. Tutorial here. 

My Journey Treasure Box holds jewelry treasures I've created. You'll find instructions here. 

A Trip Back in Time with an altered Phone from Finnabair. The die-cuts are easy to paint and the Crackle on the phone is amazing. See them here. 

This has gotta be one of my favorites. The Large Exquisite Shrine has antique gears, die-cuts, embossed metal and a resin heart from Sandra Evertson. Full  tutorial and many more pictures are here.

This crackled paper mache Venetian Mask was really fun to create. Lots of Finnabair beads, glitter and Mica Paint on RCAG die-cuts. The tutorial is here.

I don't do enough journal pages, but I love how this one turned out.
Cherish Memories tutorial is here.

This is what I love to make. Houses have always been my "thing". They were the first project I took on years ago as a paper artist.

Vintage Houses tutorial is found here.

Angels, Angels and More Angels was a treat to do with
 glitter and paint and paper clay.

This is all about RCAG and Finnabair products.
Check it out here. 

Create Moments is probably my all-time favorite. No doubt. I created this after taking Anna's classes in Indiana.

The entire story of it is found Here.

So, I hope you had a nice trip with me down Memory Lane with my year of creations.

If you have any questions, fee free to ask. My door is always open. And let me know what you're doing in your little
Creative Corner of the World.

Blessings to One and All,

Linda