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Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Going small this week in the studio!

Hello Lifers!

This week in the studio, I have been all about making mini art with ATCs.

If you are going "WHAT?" when I say ATC, let me break it down for you! ATC stands for "Artistic (Or Artist) Trading Cards" and they are exactly what they sound like...small works of art, about the size of a standard playing card (2.5in x 3.5in) that are meant to be made by an artist and then given away!

This week...I made 2 very different ATCs.

This first...is all about color!


You can see more info about this colorful creation on Marion Smith's Blog:


My second ATC is all about using multiple stencils on a small surface.


You can find step by step instructions for this ATC here:

I hope enjoy both of these little works of art and they inspire you to GO big...by going little!

XOXO
KERI 


Monday, January 19, 2015

Stamping Techniques with Graphic 45

Hello Lifers!

I have to admit...although I own a lot of stamps, I don't consider myself a "stamper." I like graphic stamps that can be used over and over without looking the same. I think I think "stamp" and I think I have to make a card! LOL

Today, on the Graphic 45 blog, I am sharing a stamping technique that allows you create your own resist background!

Here's a little sneak peek:


For more pictures and the complete Snapguide, 
you can click here----> Graphic 45 Stamping Techniques

Have an awesome day!!

Xoxo,
KERI



Thursday, January 15, 2015

"This is my Happy Place" Art Journal with Faber-Castell Gelatos

Hello Lifers! 

Today, I wanted to share with you my most recent art journal piece.

I called it "This is my Happy Place."


I was searching through YouTube for something fun and creative to watch and I came across this video that Donna Downy did for Design Memory Craft. It was all out "drip techniques" using Faber Castell Gelatos.

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It was so much messy fun, I had to try it right away.

First, I started by using white gesso on my two pages. Gesso is important because it (1) allow your paper to stand up to all of the moisture you will be putting on it and (2) it allows the paints and water to roll better across the surface. Donna talks about it in the video and shows some examples.

I started with a bright green, med blue, light blue and purple for my background (sorry...the set I bought didn't tell me the colors. {insert frowny face})

When I was done, I felt like it i looked like a forest, with the green being the foreground trees and the blues and purples being the shadowed trees. 


I used a Dear Lizzy Die Cut card with a  chevron pattern and my orange gelato to add a pop of color.


I also added some stamped images using Unity Stamp Company "Dwelling Dots" stamps from their November 2014 "Layers of Life" stamp set, using Heidi Swapp's Archival Ink in Aqua.




2014 was a rough year for me, so there has been a lot of moments of "gloominess", so I added watered-down blue and black acrylic paint, using the same drip technique, to represent that...giving the feel of rain. I also splattered random colors of acrylic paint and gelatos that had been mixed with water. 


My title comes again from another Dear Lizzy Die Cut Card I used as a stencil.


I added the words "stop messing with it" because I sometimes feel like my little forest is my happy place, but there are those outside my forest who want to be the ones to rain down on my happiness.

I added a little bit of drywall tape just to add some texture and filled in some of the squares with a black Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen. 



My butterflies are made from a little thrifty secret...instead of spending money on chipboard or chipboard shapes, I cut these butterflies using a Stampin' Up Butterfly Die...from a cereal box!!


I stamped them with more Unity Stamps and Heidi Swapp Ink, this time in Navy and Aqua before adding gelato straight from the tube to the chipboard and smearing it around with a wet finger. Do add more depth, I went back with the same gelato color just around the edges. 


I edged my butterfly clusters with my water-soluble Scribe-All pencil in black and then added a little water-down gesso around them and some splatters. 


The butterflies, for me, are a sign of being reborn and leaving the old behind. They are in front of the rain and gloom because they choose to leave it behind.

I hope today inspires you to try something new...and to be like these little butterflies and fly beyond the gloom that life sometimes tries to keep you in.

XOXO,
Keri









Monday, January 12, 2015

Making Watercolors with Marion Smith Designs

Hello Friends!

Today on the Marion Smith Designs blog, I am showing off a new way to use your Color Lab pigment powders by Marion Smith Designs.

Here's a sneak peak!


For more pics and a full tutorial, check out Marion's Blog!


XOXO,
KERI



Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Inspirational Art with The Crafter's Workshop

Hello Lifers!

Today on The Crafter's Workshop blog, I am sharing this quick and inexpensive inspirational plaque: 


Check out The Crafter's Workshop BLOG for a full Snapguide tutorial.

XOXO, 
KERI

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

What's up 2015?!?!

Happy New year!!

Are you having a great year? :)

For the last few years, the beginning of a new year has brought one of my all time favorite experiences: The Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show!!

It is held each January in Anaheim, California and I have had the total privilege the last few years to be able to attend.

Alas...this year I will not be...BUT...I do have the AWESOME privilege of having 7 projects featured in the Graphic 45 Booth!

Since the week leading up to CHA is notorious for sneak peeks, G45 has been showing some new collections, one of which I got to make a project with.

And let me tell you...it is DROOL WORTHY (the collection...not my project...OK...it's pretty good too! LOL)

The collection is called "Artisan Style" and it is all about the romantic era of the 1920s and Art Deco style.

G45 showed off this picture yesterday on their blog: 


I used a vintage 7Gypsies Cathedral Window Chipboard album of my base and cut my flowers with Tim Holtz "Tattered Florals" die for Sizzix. 

Here's a few pics you didn't see on the G45 blog!



There will be more pics to come and to see the full "Artisan Style" collection, check out the Graphic 45: Sneak Peek Artisan Style

XOXO,
KERI