Create with a song...

It's been awhile since I have worked on my "Songs in My Heart" art journal.  There are lots of songs in my heart, but not a lot of 

time in my life.  But, I made some time for this song creation so that I could share this one with you as my last post on the Linnie Blooms Design Team.  I want to thank Linda Barutha for giving me the chance to play with her canvas shapes and for giving me inspiration to jump into mixed media art.

The song is "Ribbon in the Sky" (by Stevie Wonder) and it is one that right away popped into my head when I first got the idea for this song art journal.  Ribbons in a sky...

My first step was to use some water-downed inks to water color with a checkerboard stencil for the sky.  I added in some free-hand clouds using white gesso.

Next I added my rainbow ribbons that don't end in a pot of gold, but rather a shiny heart with rays shooting out.  Are you wondering what those rays are?  They are upside down birdies---Linnie Blooms shapes are so versatile!  I colored these shapes with more inks as watercolors and added some Stickles to the heart.

"This is  not a coincidence 

and far more than a lucky chance

but what it is

that was always meant

is a ribbon in the sky for our love

from now on it will be you and I

and our ribbon in the sky"

I sure had a blast playing with my Linnie Blooms shapes and I am certainly going to keep playing.  Here is just a little peak at all the FUN!

 ~Kelly

Create one from the heart and two for fun...

I'm creating Valentines big and small with my Linnie Blooms canvas shapes today.  I have not ventured my mixed media onto canvas before, so I started with an 8"x 8" size so I wouldn't feel too overwhelmed.  I knew that I wanted my embellishments and textures (along with the quote) to be my focus, so I wanted a more subtle background.

I spritzed some Distress Stain (worn lipstick) with water and just splattered, brushed, and dripped it onto the canvas and then let it dry overnight so that the splotches and bubbles dried just as they were when wet.  I wrapped the canvas with some metallic yarn and added the sentiment with a Sharpie marker.

I used Copic markers to color the house/arrow and heart.

I stamped (with gray ink) the background of the canvas with some Close to My Heart stitched hearts, wrote my sentiment  (wherever you go-go with all your HEART), and then layered, layered, layered.  You can spy some punches, button, stamps, burlap, tulle, twine, stickers, and a bingo card. 

One Valentine present done.

When I looked at my Linnie Blooms canvas pocket one day, for some reason I saw a beak.  So this became...

THIS! (with the help of my daughter). 

 With oil pastels, she colored the pocket and I colored the wings (a Linnie Blooms canvas sunflower cut in half).  We added some eyes and some punched half circles for layered feathers and she is going to stick a small treat in here for her teacher.  WHOOOOOO wouldn't want to get this cute owl?

And one last Valentine--a silly one!  Using up patterned scraps with these painted Linnie Blooms canvas hearts and LOTS of googly eyes--inside the card it says "EYE" love you lots!

Three Valentines done  (more to do).  Whether your Valentines are layered, from the heart, cute, or silly...they are OH so special when they are hand-made.

~Kelly

Create some love...

I'm thrilled to be sharing my next long canvas blank with you in my vellum mason jar series. If you missed my other canvases (fall and spring) you can see a peek at the bottom of this post. This week I'm playing with hearts!

I decided to go with a different background this time, even though I did love painting the chevrons with Scotch blue painters tape before. I randomly stamped small hearts in different shades of red and pink (it was a good way to test which of my ink pads were drying out). I used acrylic paint to create a black/pink border which really seems to help it look complete--like a frame.

I cut out my vellum jar, inked the edges, and added some Stickles (rock candy) for some bling. After I painted my Linnie Blooms canvas hearts metallic red, I used a Papertrey Ink gingham background stamp with white ink to add even more texture. I used some decorative paper straws as my "stems" and added a few felt hearts in with the canvas ones. I also twisted some knots in some Linnie Blooms textures and I love the way they add one more unexpected element to the bouquet.

One of my new favorite finds is this "burlap paper" from DCWV. It's still able to fray like traditional burlap, but it provides a stable background for my LOVE stamp. When it comes to a sentiment, you can't go wrong with the Beatles! I love to use song titles and lyrics in my designs.

Valentine's Day will be here soon! Time to add some hearts all around the house!

~Kelly

www.kellystarsallthingscrafty.blogspot.com