The Art Project 2017

Happy weekend folks .....

I've got special little project for you today ........ can't believe I haven't blogged this before, it's such a long time ago!
Last year ..... yes that's right .... last year, I was told about The Art Project that was taking place to raise money for the Manx Cancer Help charity.

The event was island wide and open to anyone.  Over 500 small canvases were distributed to all those who expressed an interest, and the idea was that you decorated it, however you liked.  It could be any design, using any techniques ..... your own personal style.
They would then be showcased and sold to the highest bidders to raise money for the charity.

Now you know me, I'm not normally one for pushing myself forward for anything but I decided to give it a go.
It was way before last Christmas when I first heard about it and to be honest I'd forgotten until the guy got in touch with me to say that he had the canvases and was I still interested, as he would drop one off for me.  Of course I jumped at the chance and here's what I created .......

I couldn't resist using one of my favourite, Finnabair inspired techniques to create this little piece of artwork ..... it's very Me!
It's a cute 5x5 inches in size and I named it Love Life. 

It's full of all my favourite bits and pieces ..... lots of metal embellishments, pretty flowers, gorgeous butterflies ........

Stencils and pastes, shimmery mica sprays, rich metallic waxes .......

 and of course lots of texture, texture, texture!

These canvases are now being showcased at the Hodgson Loom Gallery at Laxey Woollen Mills and I believe it's the last day of the exhibition today.  I might just have to pop up there and take a look.

Thanks for popping by ..... have a great weekend.

Cheerio until next time ......

Time for a change ......

Happy Wednesday ......

WOW!  this weeks going fast!!!  Just wish I could keep up!

Time for another challenge ..... it's the Happy Little Stampers Mixed Media Challenge today, and this month it's all about ........ RECYCLING

Using up all those bits and bobs saved from old projects ........ making use of that gorgeous box/jar/bottle that we just can't bring ourselves to throw away ....... or just giving something a makeover because we no longer like the colour or design.

I've given an old mirror a bit of a facelift ....... and had so much fun doing it!

It was a plain, wooden mirror that I'd basically started to decorate some time ago, using decorative papers, and then just left it .... it sat in the old craft room, unloved, not even hung on the wall!!! (I didn't even take a picture of it as it was .... but trust me it was plain!)
Not any more though ...... it's anything but plain!

I started by adding some detail and texture to the mirror (over the top of the paper that was already on there) using stencils and texture paste.  My favourite brick wall ......

The beautiful blossom stencil from Tim Holtz ......

And a few random stripes here and there .....

Next ...... inspired by the very talented Finnabair ...... I played around with paper flowers and metal embellishments ......

chipboard shapes, buttons, cogs and keys ......

Tiny seed beads,  that beautiful laser cut MDF word ......

and basically any other bits and bobs I could find in my stash.

Once I was happy with the arrangement I attached everything using a heavy gel medium and left it all to dry. 

I masked off the mirror in the centre and then everything was given a good coat of black gesso. 

Next came the fun bit ...... adding the colours. 

Lots of mica sprays ....... pinks, purples, blues and turquoise.  A touch of gold in there too.   love how the colours change in the light, and they blend so well.

Even the metal shapes take on the colour, because of the coat of gesso ...... love it!! 

Just keep adding more colour until you're happy with the result ..... drying in between each layer to really bring out the colours.  I love how all the texture really comes through .....

This was so much fun to do ..... but, if you're not really into the darker shades and using the black gesso scares you just a little bit,  then why not try white gesso as a base, use the same mica sprays over the top, and you'll get a completely different look.  Give it a go!

As always the challenge is sponsored by the Happy Little Stampers store

And the winner will receive a $15 discount to spend in the store

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.

Cheerio until next time