Wee Little Green ATC's

Hello Friends!

Today I wanted to share some St. Patty's Day ATC's with you.  These are going to be little surprises I'm sending off to some distant friends.  St. Patrick's Day is an under appreciated holiday in my opinion so I'm trying to bring a little green into people's lives :)

All of the images and supplies are from Altered Pages.

I LOVE this donkey!

Tomorrow I'll be back with May's Calendar Page.  Hope to see you then!

Time to Fly - DecoArt Image Transfer Canvas

Happy Wednesday Friends!  Today was my turn to share a project over at Altered Pages.  As you may or may not know the Altered Pages team has partnered up with DecoArt this month combining their awesome products with artsy finds from Altered Pages.  Well today I came up with this canvas....

Time to Fly...

You can click on the link above to find out all of the details but I did want to share a close up one one of the techniques I used the DecoArt Media Matte Medium for....an image transfer!  I had mentioned before that I really liked this medium because it was thicker than the usual collage glues on the market and I have to say it also makes image transfers quite fun as well.  I'm a bit of a messy artist but I didn't get any of this glue on the back of the image which is quite an accomplishment for me - LOL!! 

I used a regular ink jet image printed on plain copy paper for all of the butterflies and it worked quite well.  You can see that I did get a bit aggressive in one area while I was rubbing and rubbed a hole in one wing.  I left it though because I thought it had a cool look to it.

I also did lots of rubbing of paints and the antiquing cream with my hands so I was all painty when I was done and I have to tell you it felt wonderful!! 

DecoArt Supplies: Media Matte Medium; Fluid Acrylics - Cadmium Red; Carbon Black, Primary Yellow, Primary Cyan, Titanium White; Antiquing Cream - Titanium White; Dazzling Metallics Glorious Gold  acrylic paint

Altered Pages Supplies: Beautiful Butterflies Collage Sheet; Canvas Art Board; Oil Pastels; Vintage Text Pages 

True Love...ATB

Today I have a fun project to share with you...

and Artist Trading Block!

I am using products from DecoArts Media line.  This is a fun newer line of products from DecoArts that is geared towards the mixed media artist.  I have to say I was very excited when I heard about these products.  Lots of fun mediums all designed to work together or on their own.  I have used several on this block....

I started off using the Matte Medium to glue down the vintage text and collage images.  I really like the matte finish - it allows you to use other mediums on top of it without issue.  I have found that many glossy collage glues have compatibility issues - especially when it comes to acrylics or color mediums you want to add on top of your collage.  The Matte Medium doesn't have any trouble and it can be used as a clear ground on many projects besides collage.  This allows your foundation to show through the upper layers you might want to add. 

Next I painted on  a layer of the Crackle Glaze which produces a fine crackling over the entire surface.  Now you might ask why I did so directly over the collage instead of a layer of paint.  Well, I wanted the fine lines but I still wanted to high light the collage underneath.

Once it had dried I rubbed DecoArt Antiquing Cream (Raw Umber) over the crackle which gives a beautiful vintage look.... 

This close up shows the lovely crackling pattern the glaze created!  I love it...very cool effect I think.

Next I cut out a heart shape from chipboard and roughed up the edges...

I then applied a layer of DecoArt Media Crackle Paste... I used a palette knife but you could use a paint brush if desired.  I wanted really big cracks so I used a very thick coating.  Thinner coats will yield more and finer cracks.

After it had dried I painted with DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics and finished it off with a coat of the Titanium White Antiquing Cream again to highlight the cracks as I did with the Crackle Glaze but it also highlights the texture I achieved with the Crackle Paste.

And here's my finished block....

I am very excited to play with these mediums some more to test their limits and see what I can do with them.

Additional supplies... Altered Pages Collage Sheets - Vintage Travel; Stupendous Stamps; Postcards;  Victorian Butterflies; Artist Trading Block; Copper Foil; Pen Nib; Burlap Fiber;Vintage Text; Aleene's Tacky Glue;

Merry Altered Christmas Jean!

Today I wanted to share my portion of a project the Altered Pages design team made for Jean - the driving force of Altered Pages.  She is such a sweet and giving lady - always working towards making Altered Pages bigger and better.  The team decided to pay her back with a mini altered album filled with love...sometimes called a Fat Book because they are short and usually pretty "fat" by the time you get all of them bound together.

Our theme was Women and jewel tones so here's what I made...

The background was made using my Gelli Plate and a variety of paints.  The white dots were made by dipping a tip of a paint brush handle in white gesso then dotting onto the page.

The back is another Gelli Plate print with a bit of stamping added; an AP collage image, a bit of silk sari ribbon and a couple of fun quotes.  Be sure to check out the rest of the pages over on the Altered Pages blog - Merry Altered Christmas Jean.   This is a super fun way to shower someone with love from a large group of people...maybe the next time you're thinking of a gift for someone an Altered Fat book is the way to go!

Kitty Christmas!

Today I wanted to share my Christmas Kitties Gothic Arch...

The arch it's self was covered with a layer of DecoArts Mixed Media Crackle Paste.  I smeared it around the entire outside edge of the arch then pressed the pattern paper into the paste while it was still wet.   I let the paste dry then I applied a layer of DecoArts Mixed Media Raw Umber Antiquing Cream.  The fun stuff about the crackle paste is that you can flake it off here and there to give your piece a really vintage feel.  I LOVE it!  I used a damp cloth to smear the antiquing cream around which gave me a blotchy look on the crackle paste.  It looks just like what you'd find on very old painted surfaces which I love!

I added some fun extras like the collage image from Altered Pages, some glitter here and there along with the nifty stamped bell (JFF Stamps) image which was colored with Spectrum Noir Markers and the Pico Embellisher.

JFF Rubber Stamps: Bells & Holly; Sentiments UM Sheet #1

Altered Pages: Christmas Kitties collage sheet; Glitz Pattern Paper; Mini Edges; Stickles Glitter Glue; Memento Ink; Delicata Golden Glitz Ink

Other Supplies: DecoArt Crackle Medium, Antiquing Cream; IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko Pico Embellisher; Markers; White Gel Pen

UpCycled Christmas Ornament

If you've been visiting the blog for long you know that I'm a pack rat and love to breath new life into items destine for the trash bin.  The popular term now is UpCycled but hey, to me it goes back to the old saying one man's trash is another mans (or womens) treasure ;)  

In this case my trash to treasure is a Laughing Cow Cheese Box!  You know those things are just too cool to toss.  I have a stack of them just waiting for new life and I'm going to use several of them this Christmas for our kids (our boys and their girlfriends).  I am turning them into ornaments that I will hang on our tree but there will also be a fun gift card hidden inside.  I think I'm going to put a different card in each box and let them choose their own surprise card.

Here's what the first one looks like....

The instructions for making this box can be found on the Altered Pages blog today :)

Supplies:

Altered Pages: Blue Traveling Santa Collage Sheet; Stickles Glitter Glue; Green Jute; Sari Ribbon; Memento Ink; Aleene's Tacky Glue; Ink Blending Tool

JFF Stamps: Tree Line; Holly Swag; Wishing You (sentiment)

Other: Laughing Cow Cheese Box; DecoArt Paint; IMAGINE Crafts Pico Embellisher; Goosebumps Shimmer Texture Spray, Memento Markers; Die Cuts

Have a wonderful Day!!

Gelli Plate Print Christmas Tag & Give-Away!!

Happy Tuesday!  I hope you're all having a great week so far...

Before Thanksgiving I was playing with the Gelli Plate and holiday color paints (Deco Art Metallics).  Well today I wanted to share another fun tag that I made that I printed that day.  (it's the one in the center in behind the holly tag).

Now this isn't just a plain tag.  Because I hate to waste art supplies I always keep spare tags handy when I'm working on mixed media projects because I don't like to just throw away excess art mediums.  So for example you know how you always have extra bits of gesso when working on a canvas or something, well instead of just wiping it off on a paper towel I smear the extra gesso on tags in no particular pattern to clean off the knife.  Works great and I've got a fresh canvas just waiting to be turned into art!

So I used this tag to pick up some of the excess paint when I was between prints and it turned out lovely.  I knew it would make a really fun Christmas tag with very little work!  Below you can see that I have stamped a few generic images - dot pattern, text and a crackle pattern all using Stazon Ink.  I then stamped the holly and poinsettia images and colored both using Memento markers.

Looks great so far huh?

Well with a few extra bits - Pico Embellisher, a collage image from Altered Pages, a couple of stamped Candy Canes, some glitter here and there and finally a bit of trim n ribbon and here's what you get....

Now how easy was that?

Supplies Used: Gelli Arts Plate; Deco Arts Metallic Paints; Just For Fun Rubber Stamps; IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko Memento Luxe Inks - Pistachio, Peanut Brittle, StazOn Inks - Emerald City, Black, Spiced Chai, Pico Embellisher - Tuxedo Black, Embossing Powder; Altered Pages Mid Century Christmas Collage Sheet, Trim, Flat Green Jute, Sari Ribbon, Glitter

So I thought it would be nice to share this fun 

with one lucky reader...

no, not the tag silly...

but a 5x7 Gelli Arts Printing Plate!!!

To enter for your chance to win please become a follower of Ink Stains, share this give-away on facebook, twitter or your own personal blog and leave a comment below. 

I'll be adding a few extra surprise goodies to the package in addition to the Gelli Plate so you don't want to miss out on this give-away.  Remember - you can't win if you don't play!

You'll have until 12-13-14 to post your entry!

Good Luck Everyone!!!

Linking this up to the 
Unruly PaperArts Christmas Party!

Vintage Ice Skates into Art

Today I have a really fun bit of art to share with you.  Sometime this past summer I bought an old pair of vintage ice skates at a garage sale.  I knew they had potential and for $2.00 I couldn't pass them up!  Yes, they started out a bit grungy... but hey, it's nothin' a little paint, ink and embellishments won't fix!

I used a combination of Craft Attitude Printable Film, Altered Pages Collage Images, IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko Creative Medium, Luxe & Brilliance Inks and Deco Art Americana Acrylic Paint, Deco Art Media Crackle Paste & Antiquing Cream.  Throw in a feather boa and some holiday floral pieces and you get this.....

and here is a handy dandy little SnapGuide tutorial on how it was done...

Check out How to Alter a Christmas & Winter Themed Ice Skate by Roni Johnson on Snapguide.

Roses are Red Vase Transformation!

Happy Day Everyone!!

I hope you're all having a spectacular week so far...we got some good news yesterday so things are looking great here.

Today I have a really fun project for you...I took a plain old vase that was in one of my auction find boxes and transformed it into a beautiful piece using Craft Attitude Printable Craft Film....

For more info on how I altered this vase head on over to 

Roses are Red ... Craft Attitude Vase.

Be sure to stay tuned...I'll have another Craft Attitude project to share with you next week PLUS a fun give-away too!!!   You won't want to miss it :)

Craft Attitude Printable Craft Film & Project - Vintage Glove

Being on a variety of design teams allows me to play with new or different products I might not normally have the opportuinty to use.  Today I get to share one of those experiences with you in regards to Craft Attitude Printable Craft Film.  Altered Pages has teamed up with Craft Attitude this month to share projects and inspiration for using this film.  

I had never heard of it before so while it might not be a new product on the market it is new to me.  This film can be run through your ink jet printer, once dry you can then apply the images (or text) to virtually any surface you desire with a bit of adhesive*.

*There are other methods of adhering it to your project but I haven't tried them yet.

So, I had played around it it briefly last month experimenting with how it works and how it looks on different surfaces.  To me this is a fun new way to create an EASY image transfer...without all of the work!  How so?  Well, normally you have several steps involved with any image transfer process, and one of those steps usually includes the process of spritzing the back of the image with water and painstakingly rubbing off the paper (that the image was printed on).  That oh so time consuming step is completely eliminated with the CA film!  Woo Hoo!

The Craft Attitude web-site says it's as easy as 1 - 2 - 3....

1) Choose your favorite digital photographs or images.

2) Load Craft Attitude into your inkjet printer. Flip your image (otherwise text is reversed) and print.

3) Cut your Craft Attitude image to fit your project and apply using a glue stick, iron or laminator.

So after playing around last month I was ready to put it to the test.  You all know how much I like to incorporate vintage pieces into my art so I was searching through my stash for something to apply this image onto and found a lovely vintage felt glove...you know, the kind ladies wore in the 30's - 40's...  I had bought a bag of assorted gloves at an antique mall last year and I've been saving them for just the right project.  

I decided on an image I wanted to use (from the Altered Pages collage sheet Lady Chatterly's Lover) and printed it out. At the same time I also typed up this piece of text over and over to create a block of text, "She whispered, I think I'm falling in love.  He smiled, Don't worry, I'll catch you."  So romantic huh? 

Well, not so fast.  You need to first identify how your printer pulls the paper through - I didn't so originally I printed the image on the backing paper instead of the craft film - DOH!  

Take 2 - I printed off my desired image and let it dry. NOTE - if you print text out be sure to print it in reverse...just like you would any other image transfer method. Now it says to let the image dry at least 2 hours before you use it...   First let me say that you should always follow manufactures directions to ensure proper results.  Next let me tell you I didn't wait that long <my bad!>.  I only waited about half an hour and it seemed dry so I went ahead with it.

I trimmed the image pretty close then placed it on the glove to test fit it.  I then lightly traced around the edges with a pencil so I would know where to apply the glue.  

I removed the image from the backing paper and you're left with the piece of film that is see-through (great if you're wanting the background to show through.  I placed it over the glue and smoothed it out then left it to dry.

Next I cut up the text block and used pieces of it along the pinky edge of the glove and added a bit to each finger.  After it was all dry I finished it off with all sorts of fun embellishments and here's how it turned out....

A close up of the fingers....

And the entire glove...

Fun huh?

So what do you think of it?

I will have more fun experiments with this film in the coming days.

Creepy "Dark" Canvas

Well I wanted to make one final creepy "dark" canvas for Halloween this year...I pulled a really great saying from my Halloween page that fit with the dark aspect - 

"Darkness belongs to the dead, the ungodly, and the demons that lurk in our minds."

and here it is....

To find out all the details check out the Altered Pages blog on how it was made and the products used.

Hocus-Pocus Treat Cone!

Time for some yummy goodness...

a Halloween Treat Cone filled with Candy Corn!

I know, some people love it, others hate it.  Well I'm in the love column...can't get enough of that honey, sweet goodness!

I started off by painting some Embedibles from ArtAnthology with Imperial (purple) Sorbet.

Then painted a paper mache cone with some of their Limeaid (such a fun color!)

Glued the dots to the cone, added some black ball trim, a little sparklie silver mesh...

A fun collage image from Altered Pages and a couple stamped images from JFF 

and then filled it with Candy Corn!

Easy Peasy!

5 Little Skulls All in a Row!

Happy Thursday Everyone!  I hope you've had a wonderful week so far.  It's been rainy and a bit dreary here but the trees are LOVELY right now!  Reds, Yellow, Orange, Green and even a bit of Brown...a beautiful burst of color.  If I remember I'll take my camera with me tomorrow when I head to work so I can get some shots of Mother Nature in her full glory.

Today I have a fun card for you...first, take a bit of acrylic paint and a paper punch for a drippy gooey mess...

A sheet of embossed cardstock highlighted with a few colors of Gelatos...

Add an exotic spooky skull flower...

An you've got a fun Halloween Spookfest!

The skull collage image is from Altered Pages. These are actually left-overs from the skulls I used when I was making the Poe/Skull card from the other day.  I used the one that fit Poe's skull and figured these would make a fun card by themselves.

Have a super Friday!!