Sunday, March 24, 2013

Relish Simple Pleasures!

Not only is today Monday, and a new challenge for Simon Says Stamp & Show, but Spring has officially sprung Crafters! YAY! This week, our challenge is all about words. From your favorite movie lines, to a sentiment on a stamp you keep meaning to use more, to an inspirational quote,  to something a family member is always saying...this week we challenge you to "Use a Quote" on your craft project!
I love quotes, heart felt sayings, thought provoking phrases, meaningful Scriptures, and stamp sets that contain them. I often cut quotes out from magazine articles and pin them to my corkboard. I even save every fortune from fortune cookies. I really am turning into a hoarder...wow! That is why I have so many stamp sets...I love the words they contain and not just the images. That is a big reason why I love Wendy Vecchi's stamp sets from Stamper's Anonymous. Not only do they have great images, but they always contain great phrases or quotes. I thought this one from her new Sunshine & Art set was perfect to celebrate the delights of the awakenings of the Spring Season on this canvas. 
I've had this gesso'd, and collaged with ephemera and flower canvas for ages with absolutely nothing in mind to do with it (actually have 4 of them), until now. I have it a little more color on the base with Claudine's paint to make a fleshy color.
I stamped this beauty in Jet Black, although she came out a little choppy with all the texture on the canvas. Not to worry though. I used a Sharpie to fill in, but it altered her looks some.
Tim's Distress Paints came next, first with a paint brush. I love using a paint brush and these paints. With their thin consistency, if you make a mistake you can just use your fingernail and easily clean up the mistake. You can't do that with acrylic paints without making a mark. That's a huge selling point for me! 
Next use for them...stencils. I used a Crafter's Workshop Cosmic Swirl Stencil here. But, no squeezing or dabbing, just gently swipe side to side. It side might run under the stencil some, so if you want a crisp image, don't use them, but I didn't need anything precise here, as I was going to be making layers anyway. I used a scrap piece of paper to block off the portions of her face I didn't want covered.
She looks totally different with hair! I used the stencil and a Krylon Gold Leafing Pen to add more detail and highlighting to her hair. I also used more of Claudine's Paints to elongate her neck.
Wendy's Embossing Paste and her Wildflowers & Bird Stencil came next. I wanted her to smell the Spring flowers! I used tape to hold the stencil down. I love this Paste!
More paint brushing and Distress Paint onto the Embossing Paste. It takes it fabulously! I also painted the collaged flower and freehanded background flowers, leaves, and stems. Then, using my finger, and channeling my inner preschooler, I used the Salty Ocean and a little water and colored in the sky portion of the canvas. I love the versatility of these paints! I can still see the lady up in the corner and music notes perfectly, while still having a beautiful blue hue! Perfect!
Using a Walnut Stain Distress Marker I gave her hair a little more contrast and bounce!
A Spring scene needs a sun! Wendy's stamps helped me out with that and the quote! I colored it in with Distress Paint and the face with Distress Marker. I love the way it came out.
 
 
Is there a particular quote or saying that is your favorite of all time? Or maybe there is one that is pertaining to you at this very moment. If so, create an inspirational work of Art and enter it into our challenge. You just might be the lucky winner of a $50 voucher to Simon Says Stamp. You can also be named as one of the "Top Three Picks" for this challenge. Good luck, and please visit the other DT member's blogs, their inspiration abounds!
 
Supplies:


I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

43 comments:

  1. Outstanding! I love all the details.

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  2. The lady has got wonderful hair of yours - a great idea and the card together with the sentence has become super fit! I love that spring glow! I wish you a great week, Dagmar

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  3. Smashing. I love the idea of using the template as her curly hair :-D A most beautiful and colorful canvas, I can almost smell the flowers, too ... Suzanne x

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  4. Smashing. I love the idea of using the template as her curly hair :-D A most beautiful and colorful canvas. I can almost smell the flowers, too ... Suzanne x

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  5. Wow...who worries about painting faces? What a brilliant tutorial with stunning result.(:o)

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  6. She's beautiful, Anita. Love her curls!

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  7. I love the way your brain works! What a fabulous way to use this stamp to get a completely different result. So cool. I never would have thought of using a stencil for her hair. You achieved wonderful movement and texture. The embossing paste adds lovely dimension to the flowers and that sun is killer. He makes me happy. Very inspirational, Anita.

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  8. Fabulous canvas Anita! I love the way you made the hair, so very clever. The flowers are lovely and so is the quote.

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  9. Hi Anita, when I first looked I thought I recognised the face but would never have guessed that it was that lovely face stamp! Wow, wow and thrice wow! She looks beautiful with hair and I love how she seems to be smelling that flower. This is a genius piece! Hugs, Anne x

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  10. Wow!!! Amazing woman and her hair is so gorgerous. Beautiful art work. So fantastic idea. I love it :) And so a great quote you used. I love all the elements and the backround is really stunning. So beautiful flowers:)
    Greetings Asia :)

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  11. Hi Anita, hope you are feeling better. Love your canvas. Very very clever use of Tim's stamp, love how you used the stencil to add hair and changed her features slightly with a sharpie pen. Love the added textural flowers, perfect, she looks just like she is smelling the beautiful flower. Love it. Tracy x x

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  12. Anita...isn't it amazing what a little "hair" can do!? Wow...you really did alter Tim's classic stamp to give that girl a real makeover! Love the swirled hair from the stencil. That is a great idea! Love your background that you've had sitting around forever. You found a great use for it! I also love the stenciled flower you brought to the forefront of your piece. It really adds dimension and color. Very nicely done piece...very creative and "artsy". As always, imaginative and beautiful work! <3 Candy

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  13. Great step-out, Anita. It's always fun to see your process. I'm terrible about this. I lose the camera on my messy desk, or my fingers are so inky, I don't want to pick it up...or I just get lost in creating. I must get better about this now that I am blogging. Anyway...

    Love the Renaissance feel to this piece. The texture is great, and the stenciled flower is just wonderful. I didn't notice the faded background immediately, but saw it after about 5 seconds and went, oooooooooo...cooooool. That might be my favorite part. And the sun up in the corner. Nice touch!

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  14. An amazing result Anita...love the creative way how you've "made" the hair.
    Lovely in total!

    kind regards, Alie :-)

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  15. Love how you used the swirly stencil for the hair! Great idea! Wonderful sentiment.

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  16. Beautiful Anita, I love it. She is so pretty and I love the way you created her hair and flower.

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  17. Wow Anita! Love your canvas. She is a beautfiul lady, and love how you added that great head of hair on her. I am thinking someone of your skill can do the same thing and make a colonial or british parliment member with a white powdered wig look llike that. Her face is just so lovely. Perfect sentiment for her and the mood of the piece.

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  18. Fantastic Anita, such clever ways to build the picture and a great finished design.
    Have a good week.
    hugs {brenda} x0x

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  19. Amazing canvas! Her little "facelift" made her look a little more modern. All in all it turned out fantastic. I save all my fortune cookie messages too! :-)

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  20. How cool, that's a gorgeous idea, your canvas looks fantastic.

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  21. Very cool to watch your canvas unfold! I love that face stamp and now I want it even more y since I have seen the possibilies. Fab canvas!
    Kate

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  22. Wow, Anita this is fabulous! I never would have recognised that face stamp if you hadn't shown it, it's amazing how different she looks with hair. Love the way you have stencilled in gorgeous curls with golden bits (oh how I long for hair like that lol!). Love the canvas background with the ephemera, and how you have arranged her smelling a flower, and I too am a big fan of those unusual sentiment stamps :-) thanks for the inspiration. Maddy x

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  23. Super pretty canvas, Anita! Love to see the process of how you've created it! You always do something that's suprising to me! This time it was using the stencil for her hair! Brilliant! Hugs, Sandra

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  24. A stunning make with beautiful hair the colour of mine....or what it once was !!!! Great use of your stamps my friend and I love the quote

    Crafty hugs

    Annie x

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  25. Gorgeous project, Anita! I love how you stenciled in the swirls for the hair..clever and very pretty :)

    *mwah*
    Steph
    Simon Says Stamp!

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  26. Fantastic job! You are so original! Thank you for this wonderful tutorial! The hair is stunning! Barbarayaya

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  27. Wow amazing technique! You totally transformed the stamp and turned it into your own clever work of art! I for one am AMAZED!

    Ps you aren't a hoarder...you're a "collector" ;)

    Amy*

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  28. WOW!! Anita, What a fabulous project...AmAzing work as always... her hair is Beautiful... Thank you so much for the inspiration!! Hugs May x x x

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  29. I have to admit...that is the grooviest hair EVER!!! I'll just sit here and drool some more over this project. Don't mind me.....

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  30. I am so loving this! Thanks for sharing another fantastic piece!

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  31. What an amazing piece of art... I didn't recognise her at first; that hair really is fabulous! Love the layers in the background, and those zingy red flowers really pop...
    Alison x

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  32. I am total loving this! Love all the texture!!! awesome canvas and I love your quote..so true!!!

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  33. It's truly fascinated how you pieced this gorgeous portrait with all these different tools. Hope you're feeling better. Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday with your family, my friend.

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  34. What a clever way of using this stamp Anita. Love the blend of background to foreground with your taking advantage of what was already on your canvas. Hugs, Jenny x

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  35. Fine work there, chicka! I love how putting hair on her face totally changed the look. I guess that's true for all of us, huh? ;-)

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  36. What a fab work of art! Thanks for including all the steps in your post. I've been wanting to dabble in mixed media, but don't have a clue how to start. This will be a huge help! :)

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  37. Anita, I do believe this is a treasure! Love that hair and those eyes just amazing! Fabulous art going on here!

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  38. How cool is she!?!?!? Love the combo of stamping, stenciling, and painting. The flowers are amazingly rich in detail. This is AWESOME!

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  39. We are finally seeing that spring like weather too! Great inspiration for a great canvas! So many clever details in how you put this artwork together!

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  40. I can tell you had fun with this! Love how you used the stencil to make the curly hair.

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  41. This is so awesome! I LOVE how you created her hair :)

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