How To Add Transfer Foil To A Creative Project

Hey there!

Welcome to INSPIRE!

Today I wanted to share the link to 

my latest canvas canvas project, created using the innovative products of ScraPerfect.

Head on over to the ScraPerfect blog

for full details following this link:

https://scraperfect.blogspot.com/2018/07/boho-inspired-foiled-feather-canvas-how.html

I also wanted to share some fun I have had these last couple of weeks, spending time with a couple of my nieces, and share the art they created, using many tips (and auntie's supplies) that I had taught them.

These girls AMAZED me!! So dedicated to the projects, seeing them through to the finish.
They did this auntie proud!

We also took an afternoon to visit an art district in a local community, unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot going on that day, the gallery was even closed 😞, but I did find a new art store for many of the art supplies I use, at more reasonable prices 😃 so it wasn't a complete wasted day.
Played on some of the local artisan metal sculptures too.

Made one of the nieces smile big, finding a book that has been selling out fast since it's recent release, as an early birthday present for this August baby.

While in the art district area, we also visited a boutique, "Made To Love" featuring hand crafted art, jewelry & apparel, to aid in giving children of Haiti, an opportunity to go to school.

Statement from their website:

WE BUY HAITIAN MAKE ITEMS FROM LOCAL ARTISANS MARKETS AND CO-OPS. THIS CREATES LONG-TERM, WELL PAYING AND SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYMENT. WE THEN SELL THOSE ITEMS IN OUR STORE LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN HAMILTON (LINK TO THE CONTACT US/GEO MAP PAGE). AND, THE PROFITS GENERATED IS USED TO CREATE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR HAITIAN CHILDREN.

IT’S A FULL CIRCLE CREATING TRUE GENERATIONAL CHANGE THAT WILL LIFT THESE FAMILIES OUT OF POVERTY AND BUILD HOPE WITHIN COMMUNITIES.

The art & merchandise is sensational, the stories, truly inspiring. Check them out at:

https://www.made-to-love.org

And to finish the week, we gathered my "mamma", and went to see "Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again", being that I have been a fan of ABBA & of the first movie, couldn't miss out on this!

If only we had danced in the aisles......

Thanks so much for stopping by today, an letting me share with you my busy couple of weeks.

Hope to see you again real soon!

Until next time....... Be a "Dancing Queen"!

Featured Today Over At The Creative Studio

Hey y'all!

I wanted to invite you to visit 

The Creative Studio (blog for Canvas Corp Brands)

where today, one of my latest projects is featured

using a variety of paints, mist & washes from Tattered Angels.

For full details on how I created

this farmhouse style wall decor,

visit The Creative Studio at:

http://blog.canvascorpbrands.com/farmhouse-wall-art-with-tattered-angels/

Thanks for stopping by!

See ya again soon!

An Exciting New Release Blog Hop With Rita Barakat!

Hey y'all!

I am so excited to be with you today!

Today is the 

new product release of Rita Barakat's latest

stamp designs for Technique Junkies!

And I have been asked to be a guest designer for the new release blog hop hosted by the 

Rita Barakat Design Team.

What an honor it is to take part in this exciting event!

The hardest part, was choosing which design to use.

Rita is an incredible artist, and I just fell in love

with her Floral Mermaid & Jellyfish stamps!

I love the ocean as well, the beauty and mystery that lies within, well it can certainly spark the imagination

of any blessed to witness it.

So I decided to make a 6x6 card, featuring my favorite in this collection, the Floral Mermaid & Jellyfish. (okay, so I love them all these are the ones I chose to use 😉).

I used a selection of colored & watercolor pencils to color my mermaid. I love the turquoise & emerald shades together, so I chose these for the mermaid tail, adding dashes of pink & purple closer to her torso.

I also decided to use this same color combination to  color her hair, doing the whole "ombre" blending color to color in layers.

For the jellyfish, I decided I wanted a bit more transparency of color, so I used Faber-Castell Gelato's slightly diluted with water and applied with a small brush.

My final touches to the Mermaid and Jellyfish, was using a variety of glitters throughout the stamped images, because naturally mermaids and jellyfish shimmer, using a thin layer of 

Best Glue Ever by ScraPerfect applied with a brush.

Using my Cricut, I designed a layered cardstock seashell to serve as the background for the Mermaid. 

I added each layer of the shell using double sided tape & dimensional squares.

I also decided to use the word "Imagine" as the greeting, cut out from cardstock.

In finishing, I added my Mermaid, Jellyfish & word, along with adding a flat back pearl in her hand, as her treasure.

I also used a few Dew Drops from The Robin's Nest to add a bubble look to the corners of the card & to the Jellyfish tentacles.

A simple card, with loads of cheerful color, and delightful stamp designs!

Thanks so much for stopping by, please leave a comment below letting me know you visited, and for your chance to win a prize!

And don't forget to visit the 

FABULOUS Rita Barakat Design Teams blogs

and do the same with their new release project post's too!

Rita Barakat https://wp.me/p47OIs-HA
Betz Golden https://scrappycafe.blogspot.com/…/princess-mermaid-shadow-…

Jenn DuBell - https://yvonnebijouxcrafts.blogspot.com/ technique-junkies…

Karen Jiles- https://stampinakapalace.blogspot.com/…/technique-junkies-r…

Yolie Burke - http://www.justyolie.com/…/technique-junkies-rita-barakat-h…

Stephanie Eaton - http://inkedartist.com/?p=1971

Details can be found at  https://wp.me/p47OIs-HA and will be announced on Friday the 6th on the blog at RitaBarakat.com

And don't forget to visit the Technique Junkies to see their July New Releases as well!

Just follow this link:

http://techniquejunkies.com/july-2018/

For the Rita Barakat Stamps I used in this project

visit these links:

http://techniquejunkies.com/jellyfish/

http://techniquejunkies.com/floral-mermaid/

Until next time.....

Get Crafty!

How To Create A Flea Market Inspired Vignette Part One

Hello there crafty folks!

Welcome to INSPIRE.

I have an absolutely new obsession.

How I NEVER really checked this, or the folks behind it out before, is way beyond me.

That obsession? Fixer Upper, 

with Chip & Joanna Gaines.

Have I been living in a cave?

Her farmhouse style, mixing vintage with elements of modern, BLOWS MY MIND!

So, in an effort to spruce up our homestead, just cosmetically of course, without emptying our pockets, I am finding thrifty ways to make some changes.

Ways to bring new style to old space.

First spot to work on, our entry way.

I have a mini dresser there, that was given to me, and a while back instead of replacing the drawer knobs, I altered the existing porcelain ones that were already on the drawers, using clay, rose silicon mold & paint to create a "vintage" look.

You can follow the following link for photo's and the full details on how I did this using products from Canvas Corp Brands.

http://blog.canvascorpbrands.com/for-the-home-drawer-knob-re-hab/

So now I have decided to try my hand at a "flea market" style vignette, to add to the top of the dresser in the entry way.

 My first project, a galvanized can to hold greenery.

All I have is larger cans that once held beans or tomato sauce, so naturally this is my base.

In my stash, I had received an unopened package of corrugated card stock in a grab box, so I decided to use it for the "rippled" look so many home decor tins have these days.

First I measured and cut the cardstock, I glued it the can using wood glue, for extra strong hold. Once cured, I added clear gesso, followed by white gesso.

After the gesso had dried, I used a metallic silver paint, applied lightly with a brush, and for the final step, I added Finnabair Art Alchemy Metallic Wax in Brushed Iron, applying with my finger, randomly over the surface of the can, to give a "washed" looked to the surface.

Add a couple of silk greenery picks I had on hand, and I have the perfect first piece towards creating my flea market style vignette.

And the cost? NADA, as I had all these things on hand.

Thanks for stopping by today. Check back again soon, as I will be sharing this project in stages, trying to use from my current stash, to stretch dollars as I go along.

Until next time......

Get Creative!

Returning To My First Creative Love

We all have one, that first creative spark

that absolutely thrilled us with the end results.

Mine, was working with canvas, Whether it was painting

or drawing, work with canvas has truly been my greatest

creative love.

Turn some music on to inspire me, and I am carried

away, leaving behind the troubles of yesterday, and transported 

to a place of peace & beauty.

That is where I was with my latest canvas work.

My favorite, peaceful vacation spot.

With waters in hues of turquoise, deep blue & pale green,

I reminencsed of the fresh salty air, and the sounds of the gentle waves.

Only one way to relive that moment in time......

A piece of canvas art.

With Faber-Castell Gelato's & Aqua Pencils, and a with little help from Jane Davenport's Inkredible Inks too, I did just that.

I love the blendability of the gelato's, and how well the aqua pencils worked for adding depth and detail.

Using the ink applies with a brush, just enhanced the depth of color.

I can not wait to use ALL of these products again soon.

So today, I challenge you, especially if your creativity is in a holding pattern

(as mine had been for far to long) return to that first creative love, maybe using products that were not available before, and watch your creative heart bloom again!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time.....

Keep On Crafting!

*I was in no way endorsed by Faber-Castell or Jane Davenport/American Crafts.

Finding Peace In Life After The Grief

Hello there.

It has been a couple of weeks since my last posting,

and a couple of weeks prior to that

since I have posted anything crafty.

The last part of April, until 2 weeks ago,

I had been caring for one of our fur babies that

had been diagnosed with cancer.

We weren't able to have children, and chronic illness

left us incapable of adopting.

Our fur babies are our children.

Our hearts are still grieving, as we had to make the heart wrenching decision to end our Emmett's suffering.

If there is any silver lining in this, he truly only suffered egregiously for 2 days, not eating or drinking, and unable to control the sickness.

Sadly this happened over the weekend,

but we wanted him to be in the comfort

of an office & staff he was familiar with 

since he was a pup, for the end.

We knew this was coming,

and had been made aware & prepared.

 On Monday, May 14 at 3:36pm,

we said our final goodbye to

our precious boy Emmett.

We were so blessed to raise him from a pup, 

and enjoyed 8 wonderful loving years

with this remarkable creature.

Not one day goes by that I do not

feel the weight of grief of not

having him here.

I am taking it day by day.

We live in the country, and have a beautiful

wooded lot, with a lovely single shade tree, that I can see from our kitchen window.

He has been laid to rest there.

Soon there will be beautiful wildflowers

and a guardian angel statue there too.

The morning after his passing, as I

looked upon "his place", a beautiful red cardinal, perched itself upon a stray single branch, just above Emmett.

I would like to think it is his spirit, still

watching over us, still being our "guardian" angel.

And I have seen that cardinal every day since.

Now my journey to find a sort of peace & comfort,

beyond the grief has begun.

Some day the pain will be less, but I will never forget

the love & companionship Emmett gave.

Love you forever,

Miss you forevermore

Our sweet boy.

Caring For Our Fur Baby With Cancer

Hello everyone.

I wanted to address my absence

in creative postings as of late.

A few weeks ago, one of our fur babies

was diagnosed with cancer.

We were given the

"make the most of the time we have"

versus the amount of time we have

suggestion.

Much of my days & evenings, are spent 

with our precious Emmett. He has good days, and not so good days. 

Recently has been more of the latter.

So I have been very limited in time,

generally only creating design team projects and posts.

If anyone reading this, would please lift us up in prayer, as we are facing this most

difficult time, it would be much appreciate it.

Our Emmett 💖

With our deepest gratitude.........

Del, Michelle & Emmett

How To Create A Simple Layered Card In Just 15 Minutes

Hello Crafty Folks!

Happy Saturday!

Are you looking for an easy

way to create a layered card for any occasion?

Even Earth Day?

Then head on over to the Chattering Robin's blog

and see how I put together a "nature" inspired

card, in just 15 minutes

using EXCLUSIVE products

from The Robin's Nest.

Just follow this link for full details:

https://chatteringrobins.blogspot.com

And for the products I used in this project,

visit The Robin's Nest online store at:

https://shop.robinsnest-scrap.net/main.sc

Thanks so much for visiting today!

Hope you visit again soon!

How To Beat The Sick Fur Baby Blues

Hey y'all!

Welcome to INSPIRE.

It has been a week or so since my last post.

Sadly, one of my fur babies had 

fallen ill and stopped eating.

So this mama has been giving 

round the clock care & attention 

to my boy.

Two vet visits in, and all we know is he

is severely & dangerously anemic.

And have zero idea of the cause.

He is now on steroids & iron supplements, 

and is starting to show great improvement, and eating everything we give him.

THANK GOD!

Our boy Emmett today.

So during his napping moments, I got 

out my sketch pad, and learned

some new techniques in drawing.

I loved this one so much, it has

turned into a canvas, and has been submitted

as a creative crew project with Canvas Corp Brands.

I thought I would share the "sketch" process with you, as well as the early stages of transferring this 

"artsy girl" over to canvas.

For the completed canvas, stay tuned,

as it is posted with Canvas Corp Brands, I will share it with you too.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time..............