DecoArt Media Halloween Haunts Mixed Media Challenge

Just a quick reminder about the Mixed Media Challenge that is happening on the DecoArt Media Blog. For a round-up of the projects that the team created, visit this post:

https://decoart.com/mixedmediablog/article/135/mixed_media_haunts_challenge

And, the best part -- you can play along too, just follow these basic instructions: 

Join the DecoArt Mixed Media Design Team in a spooky Halloween challenge from October 1st through the 28th! Have a peek at our talented designer's projects on this page and be on the look out for our full tutorials on the DecoArt Media Facebook page throughout the Mixed Media Haunts Challenge! 

Feeling inspired? Create your very own spooktacular piece, using DecoArt Media products, and submit it below through the Inlinkz link at the bottom of our Design Team project photos. Entries will be accepted until October 28th at 11:55pm.

On October 29th, Andy Skinner will choose his two favorite pieces. The runner-up will receive $50 worth of DecoArt Media product and the grand prize winner will receive $100 worth of DecoArt Media goodies!

 

Have a great day, thanks for dropping by. 

 

Positivity Journal -- all in one!

Hello and HAPPY Wednesday. It's been one heck of a week so far so today I'm hoping for some calm and quiet so I can finish working on my next stamp release.

I've had such an AMAZING response to the Custom Journal Cover video I created this week that I wanted to put the important videos I've created for my Positivity Journal Project together in one post to make it easy for you to find them, in case you are planning on making one in the near future.

So, without prolonging this writing any longer, and because my coffee is ready -- here we go: 

Video 1: Getting started, and the MISTI

Video 2: Journal Pages

 

Video 3: Creative Masking

Video 4: Drawing and Painting your journal cover and attaching it to your chipboard

You will find more videos on my youtube channel related to creating journal pages, but these are specifically related to getting started and putting it back together again. 

THANKS for dropping by, have a wonderful day -- and do something creative in the spare moments!

Creating a Custom Cover for your Art Journal

I know I've mentioned this before, but I have to say it again!! I really like working with DecoArt® Media products. The quality is amazing, not to mention the colors they have are pretty great too!

For quite some time I've been working on a "DecoArt® Media Art Journal" -- meaning all the pages are created using their Media line in one way or another and sharing my process with you. I've got quite a stack and since I have just a few pages left to finish up, I thought that I should take a minute or two to create a custom cover to protect my precious pages so my cover looks as great as the inside pages.

Since I've been into making videos lately, I created a little video so you can see exactly how I do this.  Get a cup of coffee or tea and watch my video below and then get started making your own custom cover!

For this project I used the following supplies, you can find most of them at your local (or on-line) JoAnn Craft store or at the DecoArt Media website, which is here.

• DecoArt® Media:
• Black Gesso
• Fluid Acrylics
• Matte Varnish
• Media Misters
• Strathmore: Series 300 5.5 x 8.5 Wire Bound Journal
• Canson:  Acrylic Paper
• ThermoWeb Heat'n Bond
• Other: Pencil, Paintbrushes, 
• Black Permanent Pen

Thanks for joining me today, have a wonderful day and I hope you get some time to get creative!

Try something new!

Sometimes when you get in a rut -- whether it's creatively or emotionally -- trying new things can boost you enough to get out of it. And sometimes shedding old "schtuff" is necessary, but I digress.

I took a fun class over the summer and learned how to make this fun little woven decoration for a rock. Those who know me know that I'm obsessed with cool rocks, and seeing that I like to play with them and make little cozies probably won't come as a surprise.  At the end of the day, I came home with this little beauty -- a favorite rock found for me by a favorite kid in a favorite place.

And it will sit on my desk for eternity. But, I couldn't stop thinking about OTHER ways to incorporate this new technique into something cooler and more interesting.

And I came up with this sweet little heart. Only, this is a piece of sea glass wrapped with wire. Same technique, but wholly different supplies. I just love how getting out of the box can really knock your creativity into overdrive!

And this is what it looks like today -- and it's hanging in my window as a quiet reminder to nurture my creativity and try new things. What are you doing to nurture your creativity?

Have a wonderful day, thanks for dropping by!

Happiness

It's amazing what color does to an ordinary image.

I suppose color alone is a reason to be happy. But, when you have gorgeous flowers and bright colors, there's no reason to be unhappy!

This art journal page was made with my Words of Wisdom #2 Stamp set from Art Gone Wild and colored with DecoArt® Media Fluid Acrylics. If you scroll down a few days you'll find the Creative Masking video I created showing how I stamped this page.

Thanks for dropping by, have a wonderful day.

A Garden on Paper

Hello -- and HAPPY FRIDAY! 

Just wanted to share a few journal pages I've been working on and am finished with, or nearly finished with from my Summer 2015 stamp release with Art Gone Wild.  I am really loving comparing the first release from 2013 to now.

I feel like I've found my footing and am really excited about the possibilities. And, I'm furiously at work for the next set of stamps for Winter, 2016. 

You can order all of these stamps (as well as any past designs) directly from Art Gone Wild. They recently unveiled a new website -- and it looks AMAZING! 

Thanks for dropping by, have a wonderful weekend!

Creative Masking with Just One Stamp

I hope you're having a GREAT day so far -- and enjoying the stirrings of your morning. Coffee is involved with that, I hope. Today I thought I'd share a a super quick video (with no talking) that I made showing how you can get creative with just one stamp and a little creative masking.

I don't think this video needs any explanation, except that I'm cutting 2 post-it notes when the video first starts to create 2 masks at once.

I'm using the Words of Wisdom 2 Stamp set from my newest release from Art Gone Wild, you can find that here.

Here's what the page looks like after a little lettering and fill-in doodling.

I'll share how I color this fun page in another video! THANKS for dropping by, hope your day is creative!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Carrie Tuttle -- you are the winner of this round! Leave me a comment with you email and I'll contact you to get them sent out! Woohoo!

Words of Wisdom from Art Gone Wild

 

Hello and Happy Wednesday. Wow, this month is just flying by! Today I wanted to share a quick little video I created -- it's all about creating cool backgrounds for me these days.

Here's the journal page that I finished: the stamp set I used is from my newest release with Art Gone Wild, and it's the Words of Wisdom set.

 

This next piece of art was created from the drippy, left over paint.  I ended up trimming it to 4 3/4" x 6 3/4" and matted it on a piece of navy patterned paper before I mounted it on a blank card. I used colored pencil and a few markers to add some light color to the leaves and background, that really made the flower pop out. Oh, the flower is from Words of Wisdom 2.

THANKS for dropping by today, have a wonderful day and rest of your week.
PS. It looks like you can get FREE SHIPPING on the NEW Art Gone Website for orders over $75.

Mixed Media Haunts Challenge

Halloween is almost here and the DecoArt Media Team is getting spooky with DecoArt Media products to inspire your Halloween crafting. Click on the Haunts Challenge image above to see what the challenge is all about and WHAT you could win!

 

I'm not much into Zombies, Goblins or Witches, so I thought repurposing a cheesy little pumpkin decoration to make it dark and ominous would be a good move. And I love the results. Honestly, I wasn't sure how it would turn out when I started, but I had a vision and it ended up great! 

For this project I used two of my favorite DecoArt Media products, the Black Gesso and the Gold Metallic Fluid Acrylic. The gesso is AMAZING to work with -- and even watered down the Gold Fluid Acrylic is sparkly and delicious!  

Watch my video here to see how I transformed a cheesy little pumpkin door decoration into an elegant black Pumpkin that I love so much.  

Thank you so much for joining me today, I hope that I have inspired you to repurpose an old decoration rather than take it to the dump or recycle it at Goodwill. On a side note, I am sure you could find a cool item to repurpose at Goodwill, Salvation Army or other place items are donated!

Happy crafting, have a GREAT week.

PS. You can find the Groove Tool that I used to sand the pumpkin here, here or here. 

Arts are Elementary

The 10 x 10 Exhibit to benefit Arts are Elementary just uploaded the slide show of all the art they received for this year, you can see my two pieces under the first presentation, at their website which can be found by following this link: http://artsareelementary.org/

I love being able to create art that benefits the kids in my community! If you are interested and live locally, the ONE DAY show and SALE EVENT will be on Friday, September 25, 2015 from 6 - 8:30 p.m.

Favorite artists and paintings tend to go early, so be there early for the best selection. 

Happy Accidents Bonus Video

Hello friends and Happy Friday!!

Today I wanted to share a little video I hobbled together from the unused parts of a video I created for DecoArt Media. The original post went up yesterday, you can see that post and video here: http://decoart.com/mixedmediablog/

This video doesn't have the best sound quality, which is why it didn't make the cut on the video for DecoArt, but I thought you'd like to see how I finished this page.

Thank you so much for dropping by, please don't hesitate to ask questions if you have them! Enjoy your weekend!

Hello Sunshine!

Sharing a quick little Fast forward video I created using my new stamps! Don't forget, I've got a giveaway going on over on this post: Elegant Flower Frame + a Giveaway!

Thanks for dropping by, have a wonderful day!

Visit my YouTube Channel

I'm working on new videos this week and wanted to make sure that you all have the link over to my YouTube channel so you can visit and see what I'm sharing. My user name is CatherineMS, or you can click on the image below to visit!

THANKS for dropping by, have a great day!

Elegant Flower Frame + a Giveaway!!

This Elegant Flower Frame has so many possibilities. You can use it for a journal page, card or even for a Project Life Pocket. I love that, with the change of a few colors here and there this could look so different.

Or, add some layers and a sentiment stamp and maybe a coordinating die-cut shape to create a sweet and elegant handmade card.

This is the last of my top three stamps from this release...and in honor of that I've decided to give away one of each of these sets to ONE lucky winner!

All you have to do to be eligible to win is leave me a comment here on this post saying which of these three stamps is your favorite!

THANKS for dropping by, have a wonderful day -- and GOOD LUCK!

Hello Sunshine!

Yesterday I mentioned I'd post about my favorite stamps from this latest release, and I thought this one was it too. I do love everything about it -- and again -- imagine the possibilities of it. You could change the color combinations and achieve so many different looks with it.

 This might be my second favorite, definitely one that I can't wait to create something with! 

You can find the sunshine stamp here:

http://artgonewild.com/catherine-scanlon-cling-mount-stamp-sunshine-agc3-2770.html

THANKS for dropping by, have a wonderful day!

Fun Mushrooms Stamp!

One of my friends asked me which stamp from the latest release of new stamps from Art Gone Wild was my favorite, and I really had to think about it. I can't really choose just one - but this mushroom stamp is in my top 3.

It's also a super fun stamp to color too! Imagine all the possibilities! Check out this stamp, and the other new releases here: http://artgonewild.com/new.html

THANKS for dropping by, have a wonderful day! 

Today is a BIG DAY!

 I am SO EXCITED to share a few things with you!! The first, Art Gone Wild has been working super HARD since January to update and change their website to make it consumer friendly -- so you can now order my STAMPS directly from their website.  (Here's a link, http://artgonewild.com/)

The site looks amazing, they've done such a great job, I'm sure that you want to see it, but first, stick with me!! I've got more fun stuff to share!

Here's a sneak peak to hold you over until you get to the bottom here. Don't peak....not yet.

Not only will you be able to find EVERY SINGLE stamp that I have illustrated for AGW since 2013 -- but you'll also be able to purchase my very latest line, which is launching TODAY! This release is VERY near and dear to my heart as I worked for quite some time to perfect all the designs.

And....the best announcement of all: I've also got a SAVINGS code for you to use when you place a new order for in stock items! Well, there may be something better, but stick with me.

When you place an order for ANY of my stamps from the Art Gone Wild website, use code NewAGWSite15 and save 15% off your entire in-stock order. And, the coupon will be valid from today through October 1!

To top things off, I'm going to be having a GIVEAWAY next week in Instagram! I've got a WHOLE set of the latest release to let loose in you!

THANK you all for sticking with me. make sure to stay tuned for more sneak peaks and some tutorials using them in the NEAREST future!

Life's Memories and More

What a crazy summer it's been. While I haven't posted much here, I can say I've been getting around and getting things done. I made a trip to Life's Memories and More on August 1st and taught a couple of super fun Gelli Printing classes.

My students were VERY happy and created some amazing projects that day!

Look at these beautiful faces! That's creativity in bloom right there!

There are some GREAT things coming, TOMORROW to be exact, so be sure to drop by for a link to save on my stamps and MORE great news! THANKS for sticking with me through a super busy summer!

I'm in the heART Journal Magazine

Guess What!?! I was just published in heART Journal Magazine! To celebrate heART Journal Magazine has a given me a free issue bonus code to share with others.

You can get a free issue of heART Journal Magazine today!

Simply download the app on iTunes https://bit.ly/heARTMag or Google Play http://bit.ly/Heartjournal Then on your device follow these directions using subscriber code : Fall2015 (case sensitive)

• Install the App on your device
• Launch the Magazine
• On the Home Page, Tap on the Yellow subscribe button
• Tap on the Current Subscribers button
• Enter this: Fall2015 (case sensitive)

or go to our cart for a pdf version choose the Sept 2015 Issue and use coupon code Fall2015 in the check out process.

You will now be able to access your free issue. Remember, the code is case sensitive. For help with the coupon code, email heartjournalmag@gmail.com This code is good until Oct 15th 2015.

**************************************************************************************************************************

Available on iTunes or Google Play visit us on Facebook

 

 

 

Oh, there's a little surprise inside! Carla has included a link for you to download this coloring book page that I created for National Coloring Book Day inside! 

THANK you for dropping by today, have a wonderful FIRST day of September.

Cocoiro Pen from Zig

Recently I have been seeing a lot of people posting images and talking about a new pen called a Cocoiro from Zig. I loved the results that other artists were sharing so I thought I'd try one.

Here you can see my pencil sketch.

And below you can see the image after I used my new Cocoiro pen. What I like about it so much is -- I can get a nice cool brush stroke look without the floppyness (is that even a word) of using a paintbrush. The tip of the pen has just the right amount of substance to it allowing you to apply and remove pressure for cool lines like this!

The ink is also nice and black, which is another reason to love it!

Thanks for dropping by, have a wonderful day!

New DecoArt Media Tutorial

Good Morning all! I wanted to share a little something with you today! I've got a new video over on the DecoArt blog for you to check out!(Click on the picture below to GO there now!)

And here's a photo of the completed journal page. If you subscribe to my YouTube channel you'll see how I stamped this journal page using my MISTI tool.

I hope you enjoy seeing how I combined the Media Misters and Media Fluid Acrylics together to create this page in my Positivity Journal.

Thanks for dropping by, I hope you have a wonderful day!

One of my Favorite Places on this Planet

Lately I've been using the Panorama option on my iPhone to take pictures and this weekend when we went to one of my favorite places on earth I took this photo of two abandoned houses in a field.

If you haven't discovered that function on your phone yet, you should play around. The results can be quite gorgeous!

Painting with Weird Items

Well I'm feeling rather accomplished -- 2 blog posts in 1 week. Sharing a quick video with you today and the photo above show the final results in detail.

THANKS for dropping by, have a wonderful day!

Tonal Painting Tutorial

Hello there friends! Today I wanted to share a few art journal pages I have created lately. I'm really loving creating a cool piece of art like this using JUST ONE color. You can see a full tutorial over on the DecoArt® Blog, just follow this link over to the Mixed Media Blog:

http://decoart.com/mixedmediablog/project/295/today_is_my_lucky_day_tonal_study

I've been in a bit of an artistic rut this summer, and these exercises really do help get you motivated to create. Thanks for dropping by today, have a great day and hopefully I'll be out of my creative block soon!

Coloring Book Day -- woohoo!

Hello friends,

Today I'd like to share something with you that I think you will LOVE! In honor of Coloring Book Day I am offering this sweet page I created as a PDF download from my website.

I formatted it to print on 9x12 paper and took a Strathmore Visual Journal apart and ran that right through my printer. I love the way it turned out -- and can't wait to color it AGAIN! I think you could print it on any size paper!

Here's the original page I created in my journal over the winter, this one was colored with watercolor paints and Sakura Gelly Roll pens. 

 

THANKS for dropping by, and I'd love to see how your page turns out after you have colored it! I hope you have a wonderful day coloring!  

If you want some inspiration for coloring, check out what Tina is doing over on A Dog's Life!  She's got crazy amazing coloring skills and you won't be disappointed to see how she inspires with her talent! 

Lost Stars

Hello and HAPPY Wednesday! Today I want to share how I created a cool background that looks like the Galaxy, inspired by the song Lost Stars from the movie Begin Again.You can watch a video of Maroon 5 and hear the song here, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL4uhaQ58Rk

I love this song! Have a great day, and thanks for dropping by.

Every Morning

In honor of the weekend, I thought I'd share another video I created using my Art Gone Wild clear stamps. You can see PDF with the 3 paisley designs in this Early 2014 Catalog by following this link: Art Gone Wild

THANKS for visiting, I hope you have a SAFE and Happy 4th of July!

Sharing some Gorgeous Work

Hello friends! Today I thought I'd take a time-out from the video sharing, (don't worry though because I have another one for Friday) and share these amazing creations that were shared with me.

I recently joined a Facebook Group called stamping enablers and was immediately blown away by the way one of the other members used my stamps. The coloring and artistry with which she made two cards is amazing.

I don't think she has a blog, but you can follow her on Pinterest, here.

I feel so honored that she did such a wonderful job creating with my stamp designs.

Thank you Mayela and thank you all for visiting! Have a great day and I'll see you back here in a few days for another video!