Hello Update!

Hello Lifers!

I hope you are all doing amazingly well.

I have been crazy busy and although I've been around on other blogs, it's been a little bit since I updated my own. (isn't that just the way it goes!)

Here's what I've been up to:

Marion Smith Designs

This month, I had two projects featured on Marion Smith Design's blog.

The first was a simple, but beautiful project using Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel, Water Colors, Vintage Sheet Music and Marion's "Curious" Stamp Set. 

You can see the full tutorial here: Stamping Gold with Curious Stamp Set

My second project features the joining of two of my favorite companies: Marion Smith and Graphic 45!!

I used Graphic 45's Small Matchbox, along with Marion's Garment District.

You can see more pics here: Garment District Altered Matchbox

Graphic 45

I have been having so much fun stretching myself on the Graphic 45 Design Team.

Here are 3 of my most recent projects:

YES! I actually did a "Project Life" style Scrapbook layout. My sister-in-law would be so proud! LOL

Did I go a little crazy on the fussy cutting? :)

I turned Graphic 45's banners in to a spooky shingled roof for my little house made from a file folder!

What?! YES!

You can see these and more over on the Graphic 45 Blog

For Others...

Many of you know that I have a total heart for an organization called Saving Grace, which is a home that houses and helps girls between the ages of 18-early 20s who have aged out of foster care, are homeless or have a living situation that is unhealthy.

Last year I was asked to come to their mentor/mentee retreat and do a project with the ladies. We did crowns and dress because the them was "What Not to Wear."

This year I am so honored to be asked back again. This year, the theme is "Fight Like a Girl" and I was asked to design a paper mache dress form.

Here is what I came up with:

I was able to use this piece on a mixed media website that I was asked to do a guest post for.

You can read more about the story behind this piece at: Mixed Media Art-Taking Your Art Journaling Out of a Book .

For me....

As an artist in this business, it is so easy to get so caught up in "assignments" that you never create just for yourself.

Last week, I felt that tug in my creative spirit. I thought...when was the last time I sat down and created with out an agenda? An honestly...the answer was close to 5 months.

So, I decided to change that.

I pulled out this old canvas that I had played with last year, but never finished. It had mod podged newspaper covered in Tattered Angels spray ink, with a green glittered fleur-de-lie kind of shape in the corner. Ya...I had no idea where I was going when I started this one! LOL.

I've been wanting to work more on my painting skills, so I decided to use this project for some fun experimenting on my painting style. I just played....

This is what I came up with: 

She's not done yet, but I love her. I plan on adding a quote and some other fun elements, but even if I never finish it or it takes me another year, it's still a symbol of what I can do and reminder to do it more often..just for the fun of it.

So there you go...a quick little update on what has been going on in my studio.

I promise, now that school is back in session, I WILL be more faithful to blogging. :) or atleast I'll try. 

Until next time friends, remember to make your art an intentional part of your life and not an after thought.

XOXO,

KERI

P,S. Did I mention my YouTube Channel "The Creative Life Studios?" I've got a lot in the works for it!

P.S.S. Did I mention I am taking a "Belts Bracelets" class from Christy Tomlinson? Ya...super excited. More on that later. :)

Graphic 45 Design Team 2014 Audition

 Hello Lifers!

Today, I have something a little different on the blog.

I decided to take a BIG leap and audition for the 2014 Graphic 45 Design Team and they require something a little different from any other DT I've ever auditioned for: a blog post dedicated to your audition projects.

Oh....and did I mention...you have to submit at least 6 (!) projects?

So grab a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine, depending on when you're reading this!), get comfy, and hopefully be inspired. :) 

Steampunk Spells

When I decided to audition, I decided to design all new projects (as opposed to using older ones) and I wanted to challenge myself to use things I had on hand.

My project featuring Steampunk Spells by Graphic 45 uses a 8 x 10 Chunky Canvas from Canvas Corp that had just not worked out. So, I turned it around and turned it into a shadowbox. 

I've always LOVED the look of Steampunk, but it's never been a style I could embrace easily. However, I think G45's use of oranges and turquoise brighten up the usual neutral steampunk pallet and made it much easier for me to work with.

My favorite part is at the center...gears from Want2Scrap that I altered using nothing but Tattered Angels Paints. 

Gears--naked and dressed:

So fun, right? :)

Here are a few close-ups: 

My flowers were made 2 ways: (1) the colored flowers are cut using Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Die for Sizzix from Tim Holtz Nostalgic Kraft-Core Collection from Coredinations. I then embossed it with a gear embossing folder from The Paper Studio and Distressed it with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Walnut Stain. (2) The Metal looking flowers are cut using Spellbinders Dies and then colored using Tattered Angels paints (like the gears.)

 

French Country

Still feeling fall? Next up is some beautiful G45 French Country.

This project was made by doing a mixed media collage background using French Country Paper, Liquitex Matte Gel Medium and Tattered Angels Paints all on top of an 8 x 10 canvas from Hobby Lobby that I had on hand. 

I then cut about 40 flowers using Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals, wet them, scrunch them and Tattered Angels them (is "Tattered Angels" a verb? LOL)

I used a stack of mat board to lift my wrought iron piece up so that I could then tuck the flowers all around it.

Nutcracker Sweet

From Fall to Christmas!

For this project, I found an empty ribbon spool that once held 2 inch wire edge ribbon.

How "sweet" is this little scene!?

To make my 3-D scene, I fussy-cut out my characters from a sheet of G45's Nutcracker Sweet paper. I distressed them and then used pieces of bend mat board in the same of an "L" to make them stand. I was very strategic on the size and placement so the supports were not easily seen. 

A Place in Time 

G45's A Place in Time had so many options for styles-12 to be exact! Since I am tired of winter and longing for spring, I decided to use the paper for April, as well as a little throwback G45 line "Romantique."

For my base, I had this small 9 x 9 wooden tray that used to hold wooden veneers. (I've been hoarding this one for over a year just waiting for the perfect project!)

I colored my plain wood with Heidi Swapp Color Shine in Chartreuse. 

The green/gold color went perfecting to make this:

A few of my favorite close-ups:

The flowers are stems from Petaloo and the butterflies are from Heidi Swapp (colored with the same Chartreuse Color Shine as the base.)

Wanna guess what's in my little bottles? CHIA SEEDS! Don't they almost look like little pebbles?!

Phew! Are you doing OK? Do you need a break? 

No? Let's Keep going!

Magic of Oz

This collection has long since been one of my favorites from G45. They did a BEAUTIFUL job interpreting "The Wizard of Oz." I was so inspired by it that I made 2 projects with this collection.

First...I was inspired to make this amazing (if I do say so myself!) mini album.

From the outside, it just seems like a mini album, but the inside holds a secret...

Both the front and the back covers have 5 little flaps featuring the good on the front and then bad in the back, BUT...that's not the secret...do you see it?

All 5 of the center pieces open...making 5 even smaller albums. Each on has a small magnet to keep it closed and features one character on the cover.

Can you tell I LOVE this collection? No...then this one will change your mind.

This was the last project I made and I have to say it is one of my favorites of all time because it is so out-of-the-box...or should I say "out of the closet!"

Yup...that's a high heal shoe. It started out as an ugly plain black pump (purchased at my local thrift store for $4.) Then...came the glitter. I used the AMAZING Glitter Blast Spray Paint from Krylon in Cherry Bomb to transform it in to my own ruby slipper. 

Inside my ruby slipper is a mini tag album: 

And of course you can't talk about the "Wizard of Oz" with the Yellow Brick Road:

Or high heal shoes with bows and bling:

So there you go! My 6 audition projects for the 2014 Graphic 45 Design Team. 

To my readers...I hope you enjoyed looking at them as much as I enjoyed making them. These were definitely a labor of love. I hope to use these as tutorials soon, so check back to see how I did it!

To Graphic 45...thank you so much for this opportunity and for visiting my little blog. I hope you had fun.

To All..I will leave you the way I leave you every time we are together: Remember...choose to make your art intentional...not an afterthought. 

XOXO,

KERI  

P.S. Thank you for forgiving me for some of my pictures going outside the limits of my blog frame. I wanted my pics to be SUPER big! :)