Ok, so I attended a wonderful, fun, informative retreat for Kit and Clowder way back in 2015. I made some amazing friends and learned way more than I could fit in my little brain. One thing we tackled was a mixed media project. I love how it came out and have it in my office now. I get so many compliments on it, but I was just too scared to try it on my own. Fast forward to earlier this year, when I joined a swap. Among other things, we had to make a gift to send. Yes, make it. And it couldn't be a card. Well, hell. What was I supposed to do? I searched pinterest. I bought a crap ton of supplies to make a button picture. I just couldn't get into it. Every time I looked at those supplies, nothing came to me. Nothing except dread, that is. In one of my many shopping expeditions, I came across these frames in the $1 bin at Michaels. The wheels started spinning. I went home and yanked out the lovely box of mixed media supplies from the retreat (let's be honest...I might have, maybe...I could have...bought quite a few more things to fill up that box. lol). Then I started playing. My secret sister swap recipient has a beach-themed craft room, in shades of aquamarine/turquoise, so I pulled out those colors first. Have I said yet how much I LOVE the Lindy's stamp sprays? You know, to the point that I went from owning one set to owning maybe 25 bottles?!? Many layers of gesso, stencils with texture paste, sprays and embellishment later, this is what she got:
It's hard to tell in the pic, but this thing is all shimmery. She said it shimmers "like mermaid scales." Well, alright then! Success! It's mainly turquoise with some gold overlay here and there. Here are a couple close ups:
You can really see the gold here, and that big honkin' container of gesso. I used a coupon to get that from AC Moore for 50% off. Woot woot!
The word is a wooden one, and then I used some flat-backed pearls and rhinestones.
And then we have dolphins, seashells, crabs, flowers, and starfish, oh my! All embellies were adhered with e6000. That stuff holds anything. It's my new favorite. Thanks to my buddy Karen for introducing me to the miracle of it.
So, that's all I've got for you today. I've added some more goodies to my mixed media box, in anticipation of my next project. Ok, you caught me. It's no longer one box. It has expanded to fill three drawers. I'm a craft collector, what can I say?
