Simple Gift Idea by Barb

Practically nothing throws me into a panic during the holiday season like an informal, last minute invitation of, "Hey, come on over tonight!" Because what follows isn't "Oh dear, what shall I wear?!" It is, "Oh dear, what shall I bring?!" In my circles, I'm known for handmade, which is great. But when I have half an hour or so to whip up the magic? Yikes!

So, here's a bit of inspiration that came out of one such moment. I began with a wide-mouth, 8-oz mason jar. I always have those around because I also like to make jellies and jams.

I began by sponging StazOn Studio Glaze all over the jar. It dries fast, so by the time I picked out the doilies I wanted to use from the Cardstock Doily Set - Intricates, I was ready to continue. I cut the doilies so that the curves would come up over the top of the jar. Then I simply glued them in place. I glued smaller doilies on top of those to cover some of the bare spots.

I set it aside for a minute to let the glue dry while I searched for the ribbon I wanted to use. Then I tied the ribbon with a simple knot. But, I felt like it needed a little something more. A little festive holiday sparkle, perhaps? Yes. So, I dabbed all over it with my Goosebumps Dauber and then sprinkled on fine glitter. 

Done! I had a cute little project to bring my hostess that night. It should be noted that I included battery-operated tea lights so as not to have open flame near the paper doilies.

Supply List

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts

Cardstock Doily Set - Intricates

Other

StazOn Studio Glaze

Goosebumps Texture Dauber

Glitter

Ribbon

Mason jar

Glue

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland by Barb

If there is anything prettier than a snowy day in the woods, I don't know what it is. With the low Winter sun catching on the snow, the whole world looks like it's dusted with glitter. I will confess, I actually crafted this piece back in August when I was still busy being crabby about the hot weather. A girl can dream, y'know?

For this piece I began with a 12 x 16" canvas panel to which I applied blue and white paint for the background. I used StazOn Cotton White ink and various snowflake stamps on the sky. I set that aside and went to work on my pieces from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts.

I started with the bare tree. I gave this a very thin coat of white gesso. I wanted some of the brown to show through so it would look more like a bare, frosty winter tree. Once it dried, I coated it with glue using my Essential Glue pad. I worked quickly, "inking" a section and sprinkling it with glitter before moving on to another section. 

I used Brilliance Pearlescent Poppy on the birds to give them just a tiny bit of shimmer.

Next came the deer, which I coated in Versamark embossing ink, dusted with glittery embossing powder, and then heat set. With those done, I went to work on the fir trees. I coated them with a liberal dose of white gesso - sponging it on so it blobbed up in areas to give the trees some texture. While the gesso was still wet, I sprinkled on white glitter, then set them aside to dry.

Once all my pieces and the background were completely dry, I glued everything in place. Using a palette knife I slathered on more white gesso to make the snow look real and drifted and trampled. I sprinkled on more glitter while those areas were still wet.

I can just about hear the cardinals calling to each other as the deer take their hushed steps through the snow.

Supply List

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts

Deer

Tree 2

Pine Tree Shape Set

Leafy Branches with Birds - coming soon

Other

Acrylic paint

Gesso

StazOn Cotton White ink

Versamark embossing ink

Brilliance Pearlescent Poppy ink

Essential Glue pad

Glittery embossing powder

Glitter

Palette knife

Glue

Snowflake stamps by RubberMoon

Christmas Candle by Barb

What I love most about this time of year are the sparkly, twinkly lights and flickering candles all over the place. Back when I lived in my mountain cabin, I had a brick chimney that ran all the way up the wall to the ceiling. I packed as many candles as possible on the mantle! I don't have a fire place or chimney where I am now, but I can make do with a little imagination.

I began this project with a 5 x 7" canvas panel on which I sponged shades of red and brown acrylic paint. While it was still wet, I sprinkled it with "gingerbread" glitter (some glitter I've had forever that has a brown cast to it - it always reminds me of gingerbread!).

While I waited for the background to dry, I used white craft ink (directly from the ink pad onto the chip board) to color the bricks - or, what actually ends up being the grout between the bricks. Once everything was dry, I adhered the bricks to the background using clear Creative Medium. Using a palette knife, I spread blobs of white acrylic paint here and there to look like snow.

For the candle, I colored in everything using Pico Embellishers and added glitter to the wax part for some sparkle. When it was dry, I glued the candle, ribbon and flowers onto the background. A few splatters of irRESISTibles later, and I was done!

Supply List -

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts
Candlesticks
Brick Wall 2

Other 5 x 7" canvas panel
Acrylic Paint
Glitter
Paper flowers
Ribbon
Imagine Crafts: Creative Medium, irRESISTibles spray, irRESISTibles Pico Embellisher
Glue
Palette knife

Winter Butterfly by Barb

About the only thing I miss in the Winter is seeing butterflies flitting around outside. So, in my fantasy world, there would be winter butterflies and they would look a lot like this. They would shimmer with beautiful iridescence and have all manner of sparkling bits on them that would twinkle in the Winter sun.

To create this Winter Butterfly, I began with a blank paper pulp butterfly mask that I had in my stash of craft stuff. I very lightly sponged on Silks Acrylic Glaze in Mediterranean Blue. Using a stencil and a heavier dose of the same paint, I sponged on snowflakes and then set it aside to dry thoroughly.

For the snowflakes, I cut pieces from the Snowflake Border and chose a few pieces from the Snowflake Shape Set as well. These I coated with white craft ink and while they were still wet, sprinkled on Frantage Shabby Blue embossing powder which I then heat set.

By the time I was done, my mask was dry enough to glue on the finished snowflakes. I added a little more bling using various rhinestones from my craft stuff stash.

To bring it all together and finish it off, I chose one of the snowflakes from the Snowflake Shape Set, slathered it with glue and dunked it in glitter. Then I glued a rhinestone to the center, and with that, my mask was complete. 

If you see a woman walking down the street wearing a Winter Butterfly mask, please know that she's mostly harmless - stop and say hello.

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts products used

 Snowflake Shape Set 

Snowflake Border

Other products used

ColourArte Silk Acrylics Paint - Mediterranean Blue

Tim Holtz snowflakes stencil

Frantage Shabby Blue embossing powder

Rhinestones

Beacon 3-in-1 glue

Glitter

A Candle in the Dark by Barb

The question I'm most often asked is, "Where do you get your inspiration?"

It might be easier to ask where I don't find inspiration. Because, it is everywhere! All the time. I only need to pay attention.

The other night as we were about halfway through one of the wildest storms I've seen here in about a decade, the power went out. And it stayed out for five hours. We were lucky - some people waited almost three days to get the lights turned back on.

The power outage was an inconvenience, but we were prepared. We lit candles and admired the sound of the howling wind and driving rain.

As I watched one of the candles flickering and throwing it's tiny light out into the big dark room, this cool Candlesticks set from Gina's Designs came to mind. As soon as the lights came on again, I was off and running... uh... painting!

The base of this project is a 7 x 9" canvas panel to which I applied acrylic paint. For the candle, I coated the base in gold Delicata ink. I gave the candle a real wax look by using a combination of irRESISTibles in white and shimmer. I used yellow irRESISTibles for the flame and sprinkled on yellow glitter while it was still wet. I love the way the flame catches the light!

Inspiration is everywhere. All we have to do is pay attention.

Gina's Designs products used

Candlesticks 

Other products used

Canvas panel

Acrylic Paint

irRESISTibles

Delicata ink

Glitter

Glue

Gift Tag Ornaments by Barb

First of all, can I just say how much I love the Winter Shape Set? I've been having so much fun with this set and I have so many ideas that I should probably order three more sets! This week I was thinking about holiday baking, which I love to do. Filling the house with all that glorious sugary, buttery scent and then handing someone a fresh tray of tasty treats? To me, that's what makes the holidays.

As I was contemplating my vast array of cookie cutters, I realized that I had a lot of the same shapes in Gina's Winter Shape Set. Ding, ding, ding! Idea time! Why not make a little gift tag ornaments to adorn my baskets, boxes and plates of goodies? So, that's exactly what I did.

I took this project as an opportunity to play with all kinds of paint, ink and glitter mediums and combinations.

If some of the pieces felt a little plain after I inked or painted them, I added a little freehand design to them to give them a little more depth.

I used the snowman from this set in my Winter Gazebo piece last week (here), but I didn't use all the pieces intended for the snowman. So, I gave the hat, scarf and gloves to the penguin to wear.

The sled brought back fond memories of playing in the Michigan snow of my childhood, as did the ice skate.

These will make such fun additions to little holiday packages, and if people want to, they're sturdy enough to hang on a Christmas tree.

Gina's Designs Product Used:

Winter Shape Set

Other Products Used:

Acrylic Paint

Craft Ink

Sharpies

Imagine Crafts irRESISTibles

StazOn Studio Glaze

Stickles

Liquid Pearls

Winter at the Gazebo by Barb

Yes, I'm one of those. Halloween is done, so bring on the twinkly lights and snow and sparkly stuff! And no skimping on the hot cocoa and cookies! I'm ready. So ready that, with the help of Gina's Designs, I conjured up a magical little snowy park I can go to.

I wanted to give my piece the feeling of a chilly evening after a good snowfall. So I began by using ModPodge to adhere mulberry paper to my canvas board. I slathered on some iridized purple paint to give it that late evening shimmer. To mimic snow that had been trampled while building Mr. Snowman, I spread gesso over the lower portion of the mulberry paper and added clear glitter while it was wet.

I set all that aside to work on the gazebo. To this, I sponged on plenty of gesso. I didn't worry about making it smooth and pretty because I wanted it to have that "just snowed" look. While the gesso was wet, I sprinkled clear glitter on it as well.

I wanted the lights to really shine against all that glittery, shimmery snowy stuff. I coated the strand and sockets first with green irRESISTibles. I let it dry for a few minutes and then coated the bulbs with various colors of irRESISTibles.

Finally, it was time to turn my attention to Mr. Snowman. I coated everything but the hat with gesso and this time, instead of sprinkling on glitter, I smashed glitter into the wet paint. I painted his hat with black acrylic paint - I accidentally got some of the wet white gesso on it, but I kind of like the mottled effect.

Once the paint had dried, I tied a red ribbon around the hat. I also dabbed on Liquid Pearls for the eyes and mouth and added rhinestones for buttons. As for the carrot? Here's why you never ever ever throw away scraps from Gina's. You guessed it - that nose is a punch out scrap from a different project. I don't even remember what set it might have been from - I have a baggie full of little scrap bits that I've saved and find all kinds of uses for.

I made the arms from branches that I snipped off of the tree that came in the Winter Shape Set. I gave them a light coat of brown craft ink.

All I had to do was glue everything where I wanted it. Now I have a sweet little Winter Wonderland all my own!

Gina's Designs Products Used

Winter Shape Set

Gazebo

Light String Border

Other Products Used

Gesso

Mulberry paper

Clear glitter

Acrylic Paint

ModPodge

ColourArte Silk Acrylics

Liquid Pearl

Craft Ink

Imagine Crafts irRESISTibles

Imagine Crafts Creative Medium (Silver)

Nevermore by Barb

I've been a fan of Edgar Allan Poe's work since I can remember. Of course, what's probably his most famous work, The Raven is at the top of my mind the closer we get to Halloween. I make it a point to read it every year and something in it always strikes anew. So, when I first saw Gina's Designs Gothic Chandeliers, I knew right where I was headed.

I began with a 9 x 12 canvas panel which I coated with purple acrylic paint. I used a stencil and sponged on acrylic paint for the clock. Then I slopped on a couple different colors of alcohol ink and some bright green acrylic paint. Slopping paint and ink on stuff is fun!

The chandelier was the biggest, most time-consuming part of the project. First, I masked off the ravens with blue painter's tape, then I coated the chandelier silver by pushing an ink pad all over it. Then I coated it with holographic embossing powder and heat set it. 

I used Amplify! in black to coat the birds. After it dried, I hit them with the heat gun - Amplify! sort of puffs up when it's heated so it gives the birds a little more dimension. I "lit" the candles with irRESISTibles in yellow, and added teardrop rhinestones to the chandelier to really make it shimmer.

The feathers, from the Feather Shape Set, were very easy. I simply pushed them against a black craft ink pad. Craft ink is a little thicker than water-based inks so it gives chipboard a really good coat with less of a mess than painting.

I finished things off with a tiny apothecary jar of "poison". The poison is really just green acrylic paint, a dropper full of green ink, and a bit of Pearl Ex for shimmer. I glued the bottle to the canvas.

Of course, no Poe tribute would be complete without the infamous "Nevermore" as "quothe" by The Raven. So, my last task was to stamp that on the canvas using rubber stamps from Blue Luna Press and black StazOn ink.

Gina's Designs Products Used

Gina's Designs Gothic Chandeliers

Feather Shape Set

Bird Shape Set

Other Products Used

Acrylic paint

Clock mask by Tim Holtz

Craft ink pad

Silver ink pad

StazOn ink pad

Holograph embossing powder

Rhinestones
irRESISTibles

Amplify!

Rubber stamp alphabet by:

Blue Luna Press

The Not-So-Scary Scarecrow by Barb

I've had this project waiting in the wings for a few weeks. In fact, as soon as I received my Fall Shape Set from Gina's Designs, I ignored everything else I had to do and did this project instead. So many fun pieces and possibilities!

I began the project with a 7 x 9" canvas panel. I sponged on blue paint for the sky, and brown for the dirt. I used rubber stamps and dark green craft ink for the grass. I set that aside to dry and worked on all the pieces I wanted to use. 

For the "Fall" banner, I used a dark amber ink pad on the background pieces and copper irRESISTibles spray for the letters.

I wanted the corn stalks to look not much different than how they came, so all I did was stamp on them with olive colored ink. I painted the scarecrow's face and the crow with felt tip markers and ink pens - I used a white gel pen to mimic burlap and make the crosshatch on his face.

I turned to my scrap pile of fabric to clothe him, cutting pants from an old pair of jeans and the shirt from an old t-shirt. To give the shirt a bit more interest, I stamped on the fabric with a dark orange ink and gave it buttons by dabbing on Liquid Pearls.

And what's a scarecrow without stuffing?! We've all seen that movie! So, I took a few small pieces of twine, frayed them, and tucked them under the sleeves and pants to look like straw.

This project also gave me the chance to use some Creative Paper Clay and my new Sandits. I had never used either before, but now I'm kind of addicted to both! 

The pumpkins were pretty easy to do. I simply rolled little dough balls and flattened them out a little. I used the dull edge of my X-acto knife to make the pumpkin ridges. I let them dry for a while and then dribbled orange alcohol ink all over them. I made the stems by pinching little bits of the clay and doused them with alcohol ink too.

After they dried, the stems weren't flat enough to stick to the top of the pumpkins, so I used my Sandits tool to sand them and the pumpkins down just enough so I could glue on an even surface. I did the same thing with the back of the pumpkins so they would sit flat against my canvas panel.

It was a lot of work and a lot of steps, but it was so much fun to do. Bonus! I got to learn some new crafting skills and play with new products.

Gina's Designs Products Used

Fall Shape Set

Other Products Used

Sandits

Creative Paper Clay 

Acrylic Paint

StazOn Ink

irRESISTibles

Alcohol ink

Felt markers

Gel pens

Twine

Rubber stamps by:

RubberMoon, Artistic Outpost and Stampscapes

Fall Door Hanger by Barb

My house might not be clean (who's got time for that?!), but it is decorated for the season!

I had fun making this autumnal door hanger. I love that Gina's Designs not only carries bits and pieces to put on crafty items, but the bases that are so often needed to begin a project. Such is the case with these sturdy Door Hangers.

I began my project by using a putty knife to spread orange, brown, and white acrylic paint on the door hanger. I spritzed it with both copper and gold irRESISTibles to give it some shimmer. Then I set it aside to dry thoroughly. While it was drying, I chose some leaves from the Fall Shape Set. I dabbed various colors of acrylic paint on these as well. Then I sprinkled them with matching glitters. 

Using those leaves as well as some silk leaves and a paper flower that I have in my "craft stash", I then assembled the piece with glue. 

I felt like the piece still needed something - a little more color and texture. So, I dabbed on Distress Stickles to both the background and the leaves. I also stamped on the branches using Chocolate Brilliance ink.

Now the inside of my home is as colorful as the outside is! I definitely need to get more of the door hangers so I can make one for every holiday and season. I'm already plotting out a Christmas design in my mind!

Gina's Designs Products Used

Door Hangers

Fall Shape Set

Other Products Used

Acrylic paints

Stickles

irRESISTibles spray

Brilliance Ink

Glitter

Rubber stamp by RubberMoon: Tall Tree

Skeleton Photo-Bomb by Barb

It's October and I am going Halloween crazy! I couldn't resist playing with the new Skeleton Shape Set from Gina's Designs.

"Skelly" was easy to bring to life. I sponged gesso all over him, leaving the finish kind of bumpy to mimic bones. Then I gave him a coat of ColourArte's Silks in iridescent blue just for a little shimmer. Finally, to bring out his silly side, I glued on some googly eyes that I have in my stash.

The background is a canvas board that I coated with clear, chunky embossing powder, heat set, and then dripped alcohol inks all over it. The little village is made by stamping with black ink on yellow paper and then cutting it out. 

Since the big thing these days on social media is photo-bombing (intentionally showing up in the background of someone's photo), I decided to have the cute little ghosts photo-bomb Skelly. They were made by stamping on gray paper with gray ink, and then cut out.

From there, it was just a matter of gluing everything together. 

Gina's Designs Products Used

Skeleton Shape Set

Lightning bolt - coming soon!

Other Products Used

Embossing Powder

Ranger Alcohol Ink

Gesso

ColourArte Silks Acrylic Glaze

Rubber stamps from RubberMoon - Scary Neighbors & Ghoul Friends

Fashion Forward by Barb

I have a secret love of sewing. It's how my hands-on creativity began decades ago. I still sew or quilt now and then, but it has largely fallen by the wayside in lieu of painting and rubber stamping. One day I will have a room just for sewing, where I can leave out my machine and fabric and not worry about anything getting splattered. Until then, I'll splatter stuff that can take it - like these adorable dress forms from Gina's Designs.

The background was easy enough. I began with a thick layer of gesso and while it was still wet, I smooshed lace and punchinella and rick rack. Without waiting for the gesso to thoroughly dry, I used a stencil and slathered on Creative Medium in silver and gold. Finally, I set it aside to dry completely.

For the dress forms, I coated the "body" with black acrylic paint that I stamped with white craft ink once dry. I painted the stands with StazOn Studio Glaze. 

The corset was coated with glittery embossing powder which I then heat set.

The other two forms were finished by simply adding bits of left over lace, ribbon, rhinestones and flowers. The "skirt" below was made from a peacock feather.

Now, if I could just clear some space for my sewing machine...

Gina's Designs Product Used

Dress Forms & Corsets Shape Set

Other Products Used

Canvas board 

Gesso

Imagine Crafts Creative Medium

StazOn Studio Glaze

Tim Holtz Stencil

Acrylic Paint

Craft Ink

Rubber stamp by Stampin' Up!

Celebrating Autumn by Barb

It's here! It's here!!! I know it won't be official for a couple more days, but in my little kingdom, Autumn is here! And I couldn't be happier. Bring on the cool, crisp days and the blinding array of color washing the hills. It's all I ever need for inspiration.

For this piece I used Gina's Designs Leafy Branches with Birds. To begin, I gave each piece a light coat of gesso. Once dry, I painted everything with various Autumn-y colors of Twinkling H2Os. I love the shimmer they lend to the piece.

I wish I could tell you how I did the background, but I really can't remember. It started as a background for a different project, but I decided I didn't like it so I blobbed color all over it. Then it was too colorful, so I spackled creative medium all over it using an old punchinella strip. Then it looked too weird, so I whitewashed the whole thing with watered down gesso. The wet gesso picked up some of the underlying colors and it gave me the feeling of a cool, foggy morning. Just the thing I needed my pretty, colorful trees to stand against.

My point there is, don't give up on a piece if it isn't what you're going for. Set it aside and haul it out later to inspire some other project.

Gina's Designs Product Used

Leafy Branches with Birds

Other Products Used

Gesso

ColourArte Twinkling H2Os

Re-inkers

Punchinella

Music Speaks by Barb

"Where words fail, music speaks."

~Hans Christian Andersen

This has long been on of my favorite quotes. As a musician, I know the beauty of being able to sit at a piano and play out feelings that are too much to express any other way. I treasure that ability. Music also is a international language. Put together a group of people from every country on the globe, cue a Mozart song, and they'll all get something from it. 

I began this piece by sponging gesso onto a 5 x 7" canvas panel. Once dry, I got a brush very wet with a few different colors of ColourArte's Twinkling H2Os and just blobbed and streaked them wherever they wanted to go. When the paint was dry, I stenciled on the treble clef with Imagine Crafts Creative Medium in silver and stamped a few notes on using Distress Ink.

I printed the quote on a piece of vellum cardstock and mounted it to a frame from the Victorian Silhouette Frame Set. This, as well as a bit of ivy from the Collage Frame Birds & Ivy Set, I coated with black acrylic paint. After the paint dried, I coated it with Imagine Crafts irRESISTibles in Tuxedo Black.

I love having this reminder that when all else fails, music is there.

Gina's Designs Products Used

 Victorian Silhouette Frame Set

Collage Frame Birds & Ivy Set

Other Products Used

Gesso

Acrylic Paint

ColourArte Twinkling H2Os

Imagine Crafts Creative Medium

Imagine Crafts irRESISTibles

Crazy for Coffee by Barb

Henry Ward Beecher said, "A cup of coffee -- real coffee -- home-browned, home-ground, home-made, that comes to you dark as a hazel-eye, but changes to a golden bronze as you temper it with cream that never cheated, but was real cream from its birth, thick, tenderly yellow, perfectly sweet, neither lumpy nor frothing on the Java: such a cup of coffee is a match for twenty blue devils, and will exorcise them all."

Anyone who has known me for more than, oh, 25 seconds, knows that I'm a certifiable coffee addict. It took absolutely no stretch of my imagination when it came to this design. I began by painting a canvas board with white, blue and brown acrylic paints. Then I added the splatters, rings and coffee beans - all of which are done with rubber stamps.

I coated the gears with Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate ink and dabbed a bit of Pearlescent Sky blue over that once it had dried.

I painted the spoon with Imagine Crafts Creative Medium in silver. While it was still wet, I used a rubber stamp to make the impression on the handle. When it had dried completely, I used my finger to rub blue ink into it to make it stand out more.

I began the mug by painting it with a layer of gesso. After the gesso was dry, I colored it in with Colour Arts's Twinkling H2Os. I didn't want an empty mug (mercy, no!), so I colored in some liquid using a Sharpie. I also added Distress Stickles to the "liquid" to give it extra sparkle. I used a rubber stamp with StazOn ink for the words on the mug. For the steam I painted the piece with gesso and then glopped on a thick layer of Distress Stickles.

I wanted the word "coffee" to look like an old enamel sign. I began by giving it a thick layer of irRESISTibles spray in wedding white. Once it was completely dry, I stamped "coffee" all over it, again using StazOn ink. I used the same shade of ink and, using my finger (which only stayed stained for about a day and a half), I lightly rubbed it here and there on the piece. To give it a little extra depth, I dabbed on Distress Stickles. 

And now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to get a cup of coffee!

Gina's Designs Products Used

Coffee & Tea Shape Set

Gears Boarders & Corners Miniatures

Etwas Langsamer by Barb Black

Etwas Langsamer

 Mixed Media 10 x 14

I actually did the clock and hands of this piece months ago. But then I couldn't figure out where I wanted to go with them. Happens more often than I care to admit! Sometimes a thing is just waiting for opportunity. That opportunity came a couple of days ago when I was sorting through old sheet music and manuals and books that I use for backgrounds -- trying to organize my chaos just a tiny bit. (As if!)

I spotted the note on some German sheet music: it read, "Etwas langsamer." Those years of high school German from decades ago made themselves useful. I knew immediately that it translated to, "A little slower." Aha! A background for my clock piece!

I decoupaged the sheet music to a canvas board and then splattered it with alcohol ink. As I worked I thought about the ridiculous speed at which time seems to be going by, and my autodidactic Latin lessons came in handy with "tempus fugit" (time flies).

To get the effect I wanted on the clock and steampunk man, I embossed them with Stampendous Frantage. Then I swiped over them with StazOn Jet Black ink. I stamped the woman and "tempus fugit" with StazOn Jet Black ink as well.

The only thing left was to glue everything together.

I love how this piece turned out. Time flies... a little slower, please.

Gina's Products Used

Skeleton Clocks

Steampunk Gentleman

Rubber Stamps by Blue Luna Press

Other Products Used

Canvas board

Imagine Crafts Creative Medium

Alcohol Ink

StazOn Jet Black Ink

Stampendous Frantage Embossing Powder

Black acrylic paint

Liquid Pearls

Over-thinking by Barb

I may be intelligent and I may be artistic. But having a nerdy side and an artistic side that are equally dominant makes for a rather crowded brain! I wouldn't have it any other way, but some days I wouldn't mind having an off switch just for a couple of minutes. It's easy to see where the inspiration for this strange little piece came from.

I began by coating Terri Sproul Presents: Woman's Head with gesso. Once the gesso was dry, I sponged on Distress Inks and spritzed on a little Fireworks spray. I stamped the numbers and letters using StazOn inks.

I colored in the lips with a water based marker and then coated them with Stickles.

Before I glued on the flower for the eye iris, I coated the rest of the eye using an irRESISTibles pico embellisher in white, and sketched in the eyelashes with a pico embellisher in black.

Then I had all kinds of fun with the "hair". I started with left over punch outs from my Tudor Rose project (which you can view here).  I always save the bits and pieces that are the waste of the main designs. Some of the shapes are really pretty cool and come in handy for stuff like this project. Other times I use them as spacers underneath things. Either way, don't toss 'em!

I coated the little curly-Qs with copper irRESISTibles. While I waited for them to dry, I colored a couple dozen skeleton leaves using StazOn inks and Delicata ink. I glued the leaves to the head and once those were on, went about gluing on the curly-Qs.

This piece might be a bit on the weird side of things, but I like it. It reminds me not to take things too seriously.

Gina's Designs Products Used

Terri Sproul Presents: Woman's Head

 Tudor Rose Singles

Other Products Used

 gesso

StazOn Ink

Distress Ink

Fireworks spray

irRESISTibles

Stickles

Numbers by 100 Proof Press

Letters by Tim Holtz