Art Journaling

This is the first layout in my new art journal. It is my July submission for the Gecko Galz Design Team theme "Sun, Moon, Stars".

I had allot of fun playing with markets, stamps, stencils and texture paste.

Teacher Appreciation Gifts: Painted Canvas

When giving gifts for the end of the school year, be sure not to overlook the school's office staff. These folks are the ones dealing with sick kids, kids with attitude waiting for the principal, irate parents, injured sports stars and everything else.

This piece is for Mrs Ward. She works in the office at my children's school. I feel like she is one of my closest friends as I have spoken to her so often over the last few years its disturbing. Her sense of humour and calm demeanor has maneuvered our family through many mini crisis. We appreciate everything you do!

How To Make The Canvas:

1. I used a 5x7 white canvas as the base of this project.
2. Print off a silhouette image of your choosing. I used this cute bunny from a Gecko Galz digital stamp set.
3. Spray the entire image with Tattered Angels glimmer mist. I chose a dark blue as I was doing a night scene. Once it is dry apply mod podge lightly with a fine paint brush and sprinkle mica powder where you want to highlight the image. I used a sparkly teal and an opal colour to give it a shimmery moonlit look.
4. I covered the entire image with glossy accents and allowed it to dry.
5. Using a black alcohol marker I retraced the original image to make it pop from the background.
6. Carefully I removed the canvas from the wood base and placed it in an altered frame I had painted blue.

Teacher Appreciation Gifts: Fairy Garden Stone

This is one of my favourite fairy silhouettes. It's funny to have a favourite, but I do. I tend to collect fairy images. It reminds me to believe in magic. Not that I believe in fairies....but rather I want to believe in the wonder and what ifs of fairy lore. 

My daughter has the biggest heart of anyone I have ever known. She thinks of everyone that touches her life and wants to thank each and every one of them. It's an admirable quality I think, though it does force me to come up with more gift ideas. 

This garden stone is for Miss Pickstock. She is more than an EA. (Not that being an EA is not heroic enough), but this particular one has been there for my girl at every corner of her academic adventure. She dried many tears, covered many injuries and helped to mold my daughter into the beautiful young woman she has become.

How to make a fairy garden stone:

1. I used a digital image from Gecko Galz and printed it on white copy paper using my inkjet printer.
2. Using spray adhesive, I glued the image to a ceramic tile that I had covered in Gesso. 
3. I used multiple colours of glitter glue to fill in the separate areas of the image. 
4. Allow to dry fully and then cover the image with glossy accents.
5. Once the glossy accents dried, I used a black alcohol marker to trace all the lines in the original image. This made the black ink sit on top of the glue and give a very rich stained glass feel.
6. Flat Backed marbles were covered with Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam and glued to the edge of the tile to create the border. 
7. After the glue dried and the marbles were stable I dripped more Glimmer Glam on top of them.

Voila...a sweet fairy accent for our wonderful Miss Pickstock.

Mixed Media Basics Lesson #2: Stencils