Summer Of Color -- Week 3 -- 2 Purples & 1 Yellow

This has been a CRAZY week! I came down with bronchitis, mixed with an upper respiratory infection, along with something going on with my ears. Needless to say, I walked away with horse pills for antibiotics, a pill to help with my cough (that hasn't done much!), and an inhaler. 

So, my work wasn't complete until Saturday! I was really rushing against the deadline! However, I got my piece done & I am content with how it turned out. 

Yellow is not a go to color for me, and purple I tend to play with from time to time. I saw a post on Facebook that gave me an idea. So, this is how it manifested. :)

Again, I used Liquitex acrylic paints and modeling paste. I also included Ranger Stickles Glitter Glue. (I am OBSESSED with Stickles! They fix EVERYTHING!)

Thanks for stopping by to my purple & yellow party! :) 

See you next week! 

Summer of Color - Week 2 - 2 Pinks & 1 Orange

I am finishing early this week, and I know it's going to kill me to wait on Monday to arrive! 

The reason that I am finishing early on in the week is because I got together with a group of my crafty, artsy teacher friends today and we played! 

The idea for this came about due to money being tight for all of us and that limits our options of things to do during our summer break. Finding time for art during the school year is very challenging and now we have a plethora time. So, we've decided to hold a weekly group get together. 

Today was the first day of our weekly summer play dates and it was FABULOUS! It was great sharing ideas, tips, and encouraging each other. 

2 pinks + 1 orange... Was tough for me this week. The colors I chose didn't quite translate onto my canvas as I had hoped. So, I did my best to stay within those hues. :) 

Here's how I started... This was the palette I was going for. 

I love me some Crayola colors! No joke! 

I used a canvas this week covered in gesso that I textures with a paper towel. I used acrylic paints and modeling paste by Liquitex, a silhouette that I google image searched and traced on to a scrap sheet of paper, TCW stencil, Elmer's gel glue, loose glitter, and random flower embellishments/stickers that I had in my craft room. 

I built lots of layers and melted the crayons pictured above using a lighter. I just kept adding until it "felt" right. I am slowly learning to 'art with my heart'. When I am connected with my feelings while creating, I always end up loving what the end result is. I believe this is something that I inherited from my grandmother. She was an amazing artist. I miss her dearly and wish she were still around so I could 'art with my heart' with her... :) Love you Grandma! Love you mucho! 

I took some pictures of my end result. The first set is without flash... the second set is with flash. 

 Close up of the top. 

 Close up of the bottom. 

 The whole picture. (No flash)

 The whole picture. (With flash)

 Close up of the top. (With flash.)

Close up of the bottom. (With flash.)

Thanks for stopping by! :) See you next week! :) 

Summertime Sadness

But, not really! I just thought of that song as I was thinking about summer. (My fiance, My Freddy B, loves that song!) 

There's no better time than summer, especially when that well deserved break comes along, that I have worked my tail off for all school year. However, before we get all "teachers have it made"... Let me just say that while I may have finished work on June 8th, I will NOT be paid again until Aug. 31st. Yeah, you read that right! A ridiculous amount of time, to stretch the very small amount of money I was paid out for the remainder on my contract. 

With that being said, I have begun to fill out applications for part time positions to pick up while I am on summer break. Is it considered a break if I am working part time? Well, it'll be a mental break! ;) I was speaking with a friend this morning about summer & working. She made a valid point, that if the job is something you enjoy, it's almost a benefit. You make money while getting a brain break because it's something you enjoy. There's a saying about that right? Something along the lines of, if you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life. 

That's what I am hoping for! :) 

There's another part of me that would really just love to be home for the entire summer & work on the projects that have piled up around the house. However, in my convo this morning with my friend, she made another great point! (She's so smart! I miss her dearly!) She said, those projects around the house end up costing money too. While you're working on them, you think, "Oh! I need this! I'll go to Target!" And if you are anything like me... I can NEVER get out of Target for under $80+. EVER! 

So, here's to part time job happiness and good times! :) 

Summer of Color 5 -- Week 1 -- 2 Blues and 1 Green

Here are my wishes for this summer...
1. To become more involved with my blog. 
2. To be inspired by color.
3. Update on my wedding plans. 

So, here's to the first 2 wishes being worked on! Summer of Color 5 is my mission for the summer. Each week will bring new color schemes and exciting play time! This week's color scheme was 2 blues and 1 green. 

I love me some blues and green. I was definitely in my happy place, and the creative bug bit me at about 11:30pm last night and I worked until about 3am. I've always said that I am my best at night! 

I used a combination of acrylic paints, gesso, and modeling paste by Liquitex. I used Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels and color mist by Mister Huey's for accents. I also used 2 stamps. One is by Julie Nutting. It's a cling stamp in the style of "Betty". (I found Betty last summer in CT, and fell in love with her! So, she came home to FL with me soon after.) The other stamp is Itty Bitty by Unity paired with with Donna Downey. 

I started with a coat of gesso, and then spread on my 2 shades of blue on top of the gesso. Then, I took my shade of green and splattered it all over my piece. Next, I stenciled on some tinted modeling paste. I tinted it with the color mist by Mister Huey's. I painted and splattered a few puzzles pieces. I stamped "Betty" and filled her in with watered down acrylic paints. I finished her by misting her with the Glimmer Mist. Last, I stamped the quote, cut it apart, and misted it with Mister Huey's color mist. 

I am in LOVE with this piece. I am so happy with how it turned out. I can't wait to hang her in my dining room.

Thanks for stopping by! :)