Stoked to be the Top Talent Spotlight over at Our Creative Corner

Get out!  I am so honored to be highlighted over at Our Creative Corner today.  The challenge theme this month is 'Anything Goes'.

You may remember that way back last spring I couldn't resist the $1 wooden birdhouses at JoAnns.  In my typical Julie ADD fashion I flung myself into decorating birdhouses with wild abandon but quickly burned out before finishing the last one.  Since then this lone sad little birdhouse has relocated numerous times on my work desk silently mocking me.  The combination of the 'Anything Goes' challnege and a long, grey winter kicked me into gear with visions of a warm, green spring, and fairies frolicking in my garden.  I decided they needed a shelter. Here's how it went down...

The lone birdhouse survivor. It had been sitting here gessoed and with a blue roof for months.

The blue roof wasn't working for me anymore so I went with green.  I had visions of mud-packed walls (it is the Pacific NW after all) so added some texture with modeling paste.

I painted the walls with a combo of brown, burnt sienna and black paints.

I really liked the way my Garden Nymph Hideaway turned out last year so I added flowers to the roof of this one too.  I think I've had these flowers for almost 10 years.  So happy to put them to use!  My plan was to have it monochromatic like the garden nymph's digs but once the flowers were all on there I kind of liked the  multi-colored look.

While browsing the clearance section at Hobby Lobby several weeks ago I spotted some acrylic glazes reduced 80%.  Without a clue how to use them, but loving a good deal,  I picked up some bottles.  It turns out they are intended for model makers to add to their vintage airplanes etc.  "Hmmm..." I thought to myself.  "What the heck.  Let's give it a whirl!" I added some Pine Wash over the mud-caked walls of my little cottage.  The barest hint of green that it added is just perfect to suggest what a mini dwelling hidden away under some ferns in the forest would look like.  Almost done!

 

I went to the craft store to pick up some finishing touches.  When I grabbed the packaged moss I noticed that it sure did look like the 'real moss' that serves as grass in my backyard.  Why pay for that?  I felt confident that I could harvest my own.  It was ridiculously easy.  I took a fork and gathered up chunks of moss.  Then I set them on a paper towel and placed it on a heater vent overnight.  The next morning I shook off the excess dirt and wah-lah!  Dried moss!  I attached it and the little mushrooms with hot glue.  Some Stickles in the flower centers completed my project.

Now that Valentines' Day is past I'm ready to start decorating for spring and St. Patrick's Day.  I think my little Faerie's Cottage will fit right in on my mantle.

Thanks so much for stopping by and slogging through my post.  ;)  Have a wonderful day!

Stampotique-a-licious-ness

A couple of weeks ago Sam threw down a challenge (SDC 149) to use pink, turquoise and polka dots on a project.    I've had a couple of those little unfinished wood birdhouses sitting on my desk, all gesso'd up and ready to go and thought I would whip up a little something-something really quick with one of those.  I painted, stamped, colored, textured...and then painted, stamped, colored and textured some more.  The deadline for the challenge came and went and then the new Celebrate challenge (SDC 150) was tossed out.  Clever me thought I could combine the two, but, um...no.  All that to say I have two projects to share today - both having pink & turquoise, but only one with polka dots and the other celebratory...kinda.  ;)

Initially the 'celebrate' banner was supposed to go across the the front of the house (along with a 'today' banner) but this little house really is itty bitty and the banner just looked too big.  I still thought the banner was kinda cute-ish so plopped it onto a card.  

Oliver cracks me up with his sad little face. I was thinking he was wearing a party hat but maybe it's a dunce cap. And perhaps that's why he can't quite get his celebration on.

Before the whole Celebrate thing came up I was thinking of putting 'Home Sweet Home' on the front of this.  Still might.

Several layers on this baby.  Tissue paper, washi tape, stamped images, acrylics, etc.

 Heart Boy is a little charmer, isn't he?

Wishing you a fab week.  Thanks for taking a peek!

Steamy Birdhouse

My son's school has an art auction coming up next week.  I thought I'd create a mixed media canvas for it, but the canvas wasn't speaking to me.  Yesterday I had to stop at Joann's for something and sitting there were some cute little wood birdhouses.  Since they were only a dollar or two I picked up a few.

I've got big plans for these little gems and so far one is finished.

It started as raw wood.  I covered it with gesso and stuck torn book pages on the roof.

At this point I was planning on just painting it, but I don't have the color on hand that I had in mind.  I'm not sure how, but a steampunk idea hit me.  I painted the roof with a combo of metallic gold and bronze paints, glued gear die cuts onto the base and then covered it with metal tape.  The roof is darker and and more bronze IRL; looks kind of yellow-goldish in the pics.  I attempted the blistered paint technique again but it didn't work as well this time.  I used Distress Paints so maybe it's more a regular ol' acrylic paint thing.

To finish it off I painted over the base with black acrylic paint, wiping it off the metal part, and added some washers and a knob to the roof.

Pssst..Stampotiquers.  I  tried to figure out a way to include a tag on this for this week's challenge.  No go.  ;)

I'm not sure if this is the one I'll donate to the auction.  We'll see if I get any other ones finished in time.