Anything But Cute Mixed Media Challenges

Hello Everyone!!

I have to say that reading the comments for my 60's retro card on Tuesday, I haven't laughed that much in a really long time!! I have just a few thoughts about what you wrote.

Chris (pearshapedcrafting) - Black and white sounds like a safe bet amid all those crazy colours.

Brenda - mini-skirts weren't for me, but I thought my bell-bottoms were cool at the time...I was wrong. lol

Ros - Regarding Mary Quant...when you're that beautiful, you can wear a potatoe sac and make it look good!

Patty O'Malley - Completely agree, and you can count that whole 80's leg-warmers and bangles era a complete and utter failure as well!

Beth Brovold - You're right about the hair in the 60's...it was no cup of tea either...but then again, have you seen teenagers nowadays?? Not much better!

Sarah - you totally cracked me up with that story about your Mom's psychedelic lime green and purple chiffon blouse!! I admit, I really want to see a photo of that one!

Massofhair - BWAHAHAHA!! A knitted bathing suit!! Sorry, I don't mean to laugh but BWAHAHAHA!

Angela - Swinging Sixties - yet another reason I'm glad I was a fetus!

Carol (crafty-stamper) - all I can say is...I'm going to need pics, lots and lots of pics! lol

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ON WITH THE SHOW

Today I reveal myself as the remaining design team member for the new mixed media challenge ANYTHING BUT CUTE. No surprise there I suppose, I've been yammering about it for over two weeks now!! lol

If you would care to hop on over an learn a little bit more about me, I have put together a few of my favourite mixed media projects from the last year for you to have a look at.

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A BIT ABOUT THE BLOG

Although we are a mixed media blog, we do not require big giant projects that take all month to make. We would love to see all kinds of art - cards, tags, canvas art, journal pages, ATC cards, recycled art, you name it...as long as you have included at least one mixed media product in your creation, that's all we ask.

We really want to encourage artists who have never tried mixed media before or are new to the mixed media arts. Everyone has to start somewhere, so our design team will always be on the look out for budding new mixed media artists. We also want to encourage all you experts to try something new, or improve an old technique, so we will be on the look out for those special artist as well.

Once a month, we will be have a Spotlight Post featuring either one of  our talented designers or a surprise guest. This is a post for tutorials, techniques, tips and tricks...you just never know who will be there and what they might be showing you.

We will also have a Feature Artist every month who will showcase a piece of mixed media art made especially for our challenge theme. These artists will be chosen from the winners of previous challenges.

We will also have the odd surprise post, that not even my design team knows about...I think I will keep the details of those under my hat for the time being.

Our first challenge starts in just 5 days, so grab a badge and hit that follow button so you don't miss any of the fun! ANYTHING BUT CUTE

Hugs, Pamellia

Try it on Tuesday - 1960's Retro

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to another challenge starting over at Try it on Tuesday. This time around our theme is 60'S RETRO. Fashion, music, colours, culture...etc.

I decided to go with a Thank You card to keep on hand for just the perfect occasion. I combined a little retro fashion, retro colours and retro style to create my fashionable card. I would just like to say that after spending a little time on Google looking for inspiration, that I am entirely glad I did not have to live amongst those wretched colours and patterns! Have you ever seen a bathing suit from the 60's? Yipes!

The tag was covered with burlap, a layer of white gesso and then I used a Prima stencil to lay down the polka dots. While the texture paste was still wet, I brushed on some DecoArt Americana paints Antique Gold, Burnt Sienna and Milk Chocolate from lightest to darkest in a radial pattern.

The sentiment was stamped with an doodle stamp set, I have no idea what it's called. The arrow was made with a Time Holtz arrow stencil using black texture paste and I fussy cut it out. The bubble die cut is from Memory Box the rays in the background were made using Tim Holtz stencil Rays and brushing on a little DecoArt paints Citron Green and Pistachio.

The butterfly is from Kaisercraft, stamped with Ranger Archival ink Jet Black and coloured with Vintage Photo and Shabby Shutters distress markers. The flowers were made with Joy Crafts Flower 4 die and coloured with Shabby Shutters and Crushed Olive. The ladies are from Tim Holtz's new stamp set. I paper pieced on their dresses from a couple of emboss resist pieces using Shabby Shutters to colour them.

OK, so the lace was really just for me...I needed to shabby it up a bit or I would have went crazy!!!

I am entering my fashionable 60's ladies into the following wonderful challenges:

- Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Anything Goes

- Crafty Boots - Thing with Wings

- Aud Sentiments - Challenge #130 - Things with Wings plus a Sentiment

- Crafty Catz - Challenge #276 - Things with Wings

- Simply Create Too - Challenge #84 - Pretty Woman

- Crafty Gals Corner - Challenge #16 - Girls, Girls, Girls

- Little Red Wagon - Challenge #286 - Seeing Spots

- Fantasy Stampers - Challenge #35 - Distress It

- Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge Blog - Use Some Lace

- Butterfly Challenge - #29 - Butterflies + L is for Lace

Just a quick reminder to have a hop on over to ANYTHING BUT CUTE and meet our next design team member! First challenge starts May 5th.

That's it for today. Thank you for stopping in and for all the amazing comments. I read and appreciate every single one! If you have any questions, please let me know.

A Vintage Journey - Guest Creative Guide - The Evil Queen's Vanity

Hello Everyone!

I am so excited to be here today and thrilled to tell you that I am the Guest Creative Guide at A Vintage Journey for their current challenge THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, hosted by the lovely and talented Julia.

I knew the minute I heard the theme, that I wanted to do something related to mirror in Snow White, so I pulled out some pizza boxes, lots of Tim Holtz products and came up with this. I hope you enjoy my gothic version of THE EVIL QUEEN'S VANITY!

The four corner adornment pieces were molded with crafter's clay and antiqued with Tim Holtz paints Black Soot and Tarnished Brass. The gemstones were tinted with alcohol inks. The charm is from Tim Holtz Idea-Ology and I stamped the sentiment with an alphabet stamp then covered it with UTEE and cracked it.

For the bottles I used the Tim Holtz faux cracked glass technique and alcohol inks to colour it. The feather is from the Sizzix Feather Duo die set. The scroll was crumpled up, stamped with Ranger Coffee Archival ink and the script stamp from the Urban Grunge stamp set. I rolled it around some toothpicks and glued spacer beads to the ends.

My Gothic Evil Queen vanity started off as a pizza box, like many of my projects do. For the inside of the vanity, I painted the cardboard with a combination of Tim Holtz paints Fired Brick, Pumice Stone and Aged Mahogany. I used the Gothic stencil and some texture paste to apply the pattern and covered the paste with Ranger clear embossing powder while it was still wet.

After the paste dried, I heated up the embossing powder and used it as a resist so I could attack my panel with sprays and keep the texture paste white. I used Tim Holtz Fired Brick, Pumice Stone, Walnut Stain and Tarnished Brass until I got the look that I liked.

The pillars were made with little boxes folded from the pizza box and some Kraft paper wrapped around my Swiffer handle!! Some crafter's clay moldings and waxed cord for texture. The flowers were also made from Kraft paper, coloured with Fired Brick distress spray and cut with the Tattered Florals die.

The leaves were cut from Tim Holtz's Garden Greens die and coloured using Peeled Paint and Forest Moss distress ink sprays. The pillars were highlighted with Tarnished Brash around the molded areas.

The mirror frame was cut from Tim Holt'z Ornate frame die and I used the distress glitter technique with Tarnished Brass glitter and Black Soot distress ink to give it that aged metal look. The letters are made from coated metallic paper, covered with UTEE and cracked when cooled. A little Walnut Stain was dropped between the layers and allowed to pool. This is the same technique that I used for the glass in the mirror.

I am entering my Evil Queen's Vanity into the following wonderful challenges:

- That Craft Place Ltd. - Alter Something

- Open-Minded Crafting - Challenge #34 - Recycle Something

- Altered Eclectics - April Challenge - Anything Goes

- Rhedd's Creative Spirit - April Challenge - Anything Goes

- Country View Crafts - April Challenge - Use Kraft

- Recycle, Re-Purpose & Re-Invent - April Challenge - Anything Goes Recycled

That's it for today. Thank you for stopping in and for all the amazing comments. I read and appreciate every single one! If you have any questions, please let me know.

Frilly and Funkie - Stencils

Hello Everyone!

It's time for another wonderful challenge over at Frilly and Funkie! This time Sue is our lovely hostess and she has chosen the theme STENCILS. She would like you to create a shabby chic or vintage style project and make sure to use stencils, the more the better. One lucky winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to Linda's shop The Funkie Junkie Boutique!

For the very back layer, I thought I would try a new technique and I just love how it turned out, but it ended up getting mostly covered up. I thought I would share the piece of scrap paper with my tester on it, so you can see how beautiful it looks. I call it Faux Embroidery.

I used the Tim Holtz Lace stencil and applied Perfect Medium over the surface. Then I placed my card stock on top of it and using my brayer, lightly rolled over the entire thing. I applied some Ranger clear embossing powder and heat dried it. Then some Abandoned Coral distress spray and after it dries, wipe off with a cloth. Isn't it a wonderful pattern?

For the top layer, I used the Tim Holtz Flourish stencil and then covered the texture paste with Ranger Weathered White Antiquities powder. Some Abandoned Coral ink spray and a touch of Picket Fence.

The ribbon was coloured with Tim Holtz Wild Honey and Abandoned Coral ink pads. The flowers were cut with Sizzix Tattered Florals and I applied some white embossing powder and Walnut Stain ink spray to give it an antique look.

For the golden yellow layer, I used the Latticework stencil from Tim Holtz and spritzed distress stains Scattered Straw and Wild Honey directly through the stencil.

The leaves were made with the Wendy Vecchi 3 Flourishes stencil. I applied the paste onto a white piece of card stock and let it dry. I fussy cut around the paste design and then spritzed with Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint distress ink. Dabbed on a little Picket Fence.

The flower sprig stamp is from Graphic 45 called Time to Flourish. I stamped it with Ranger Archival ink Coffee and coloured it with distress stains Wild Honey and Peeled Paint and then fussy cut it out. The butterflies are from the stamp set French Flight.

I am entering the following wonderful challenges:

- Through the Craft Room Door - April 21-27

- Ooh La La Creations - Challenge #178 - Lots of Layers
- Perfectly Rustics - Challenge #46 - New Technique

- Incy Wincy Designs - Faux Techniques (Faux Embroidery)
- Card Mania - April Challenge - #67 Flowers
- Inspiration Journal - April Challenge - Everything Goes
- Our Creative Corner - April Challenge - Colour Your World

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All of the following products that I used can be purchased at The Funkie Junkie Boutique


That's it for today. Thank you for stopping in and for all the amazing comments. I read and appreciate every single one! If you have any questions, please let me know.

Crafty Cardmakers and More - #137 - Dots

Hello Everyone!

Well, it's time for another challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers and More! This time around our lovely hostess Sally has chosen the theme DOTS. I decided to make a springtime birthday card using my new Tim Holtz colour Mermaid Lagoon...love it!

I used two techniques to create my dotted patterns. The main background was done using the emboss resist technique. The dots stamp is from Technique Tuesday and I used Tim Holtz distress inks Mermaid Lagoon, Peeled Paint and Tumbles Glass spray to colour the panel. The circle panel in the center was cut with Spellbinders Circles and coloured by inking two colours directly onto the stamp.

The large butterfly is from a dollar store bin, don't know what company. The small butterflies are from a Stampendous Charms stamp set, my new favourite!

The doily die is from Crafty Anne. The flowers were cut using a Joy Crafts Flower die and coloured with Tim Holtz Squeezed Lemonade. The leaf flourishes are Cheery Lynn and Marianne Designs.

The beautiful vellum sentiment was an idea I got from my good friend SAMRA. It's one her her signature techniques and I love the look of it! I used a Kaisercraft sentiment and stamped with black StazOn.

I am entering the following wonderful challenges:

- Artistic Inspirations - Challenge #129 - Anything Goes with a Twist of Spring (2nd)

- Ooh La La Creations - Challenge #178 - Lots of Layers
- Scrapy Land - Challenge #16 - Pearls or Lace + Dies
- Crafty Creations - Challenge #287 - Seeing Spots
- Creative Moments - Challenge #66 - Anything Goes Spring or Easter
- Card Mania - April Challenge - #67 Flowers
- Simon Wednesday Challenge - Make Your Own Background
- Crafts 4 Eternity - Challenge #222 - Spring
- Come and Get It Challenges - Things That Start With "B" (butterflies, birthday, bling, blue, bow)

Don't forget to pop on over to ANYTHING BUT CUTE MIXED MEDIA CHALLENGES this morning. We have unveiled the next talented member of our design team!

That's it for today. Thank you for stopping in and for all the amazing comments. I read and appreciate every single one! If you have any questions, please let me know.

Scrapping4fun Guest Designer - Anything Goes #40

Hello Everyone!

I'm very excited to be here today as the Guest Designer for Scrapping4fun Challenges! I was thrilled when Rachelle asked be to join in for this challenge and even more excited when she told me the theme is ANYTHING GOES WITH LACE OR RIBBON! I sure hope you will all join in the fun!

Sometimes being inspired for an anything goes theme can be tough, but not this time. I've been anxious to put together a canvas representing my take on A Rainy Day in the Spring, so I thought I would take the time to finally do it.

The background is completely covered with DecoArt Crackle Paint, then it was coloured with Ranger Dylusions Jade spray and Distress ink sprays Gathered Twigs, Walnut Stain, Brushed Corduroy and Scattered Straw. The bubble stencil, which reminds me of rain drops, is from Prima and I coated it with Copper embossing powder.

Variations of the same treatments were used for the butterfly from the Tim Holtz/ Sizzix Butterfly Duo die set. The stamp down the side is from the Tim Holtz/Stamper's Anonymous set Bird Feather. The script stamp is from the Urban Grunge stamp set.

The leaves are from Prima. I dusted them with Wendy Vecchi Tree Branch embossing powder and then sprayed them with Walnut Stain distress ink spray. The flowers were cut with a Joy Crafts Flower die set and I used the same colours on all three flowers, but in different variations, so I would get three flowers slightly different but the same. Colours are Jade, Cracked Pistachio, Tumbled Glass and Gathered Twigs.

The cameo and corner embellishment were made using crafter's clay and various molds. I used Ranger products Rock Candy crackle paint, alcohol ink Stream, Dylusions spray Jade and some Picket Fence paint to decorate them. The panel is cut from Spellbinders and I gave it one of my wood technique treatments.

I dusted the entire piece with a little white paint to give it a sort of misty feeling. In the spring, when it rains where I am, it's nothing but fog as far as the eye can see.

I am entering my Rainy Day Canvas into the following wonderful challenges:

- Simply Create Too - Challenge #83 - No Digis or Stamped Images
- Crafty Gals Corner - Challenge #15 - Vintage
- That's Crafty Challenge Blog - Grunge, Grunge, Grunge
- Make My Monday Challenge Blog - April Showers
- Simon Says Monday Challenge - In The Middle (I placed my flowers in the middle of the card)
- Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Make Your Own Background

- Jo's Scrap Shack - Challenge #83 - Florals and Butterflies

- Inspiration Emporium - April Challenge - Anything Goes
- Mixed Media Monthly - April Challenge - April Showers
- Eclectic Ellapu - Purple Team for April - April Showers/Spring

Just a quick reminder to have a hop on over to ANYTHING BUT CUTE today and meet our next design team member! First challenge starts May 5th.

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That's it for today. Thank you for stopping in and for all the amazing comments. I read and appreciate every single one! If you have any questions, please let me know.