Friday, May 30, 2014

New Goodies and a HUGE Charm SALE‏


New Goodies + SALE!

Happy Saturday everyone!
This past week I was doing some organizing when I came across a huge box of charms that I had ordered quite some time ago. All amazing, made in the USA stuff! Buried treasure indeed! Many of them go great with our Sand and Sea goodies from the past weeks! For the first time ever, the ENITRE Charm Section is ON SALE! Over 325 different charms! This week only so stock up with you can and save some of your gold coins!



Ocean Fun! 

I'm loving all the new charms! I think several of them would go great with our Crab Sticks from last week. For some reason, out of all the charms, the pineapple is my favorite. Not sure why!





Merfolk ART SWAP!

A few weeks ago we announced our Merfolk swap and I'm already seeing some amazing pieces of art popping up! But don't worry, you still have lots of time to buy your Merfolk and play along. And the folks are still on sale in honor of the swap!




Mermaid Inspiration By Amy Nieman

These stunning Merfolk are by Design Team Member Amy Nieman! She did an amazing job and I love the bits of glitter here and there. And of course their pets! Fantastic Amy!




Mermaid Inspiration By Sherry Matthews!

These gorgeous Merfolk are by Sherry Matthews! "King Triton", "Calypso", and a rare and elusive "Marinataur"! What a clever take on a Seahorse! Incredible details Sherry!








Inspiration By Tracy Delisle!

This past week we celebrated Memorial Day, and this Folk Heart Shrine by Tracy Delisle seemed to capture a few patriotic moments for me. The sweet couple makes me think of a gentleman returning home from the service and of course the colors are perfect too. Fabulous piece Tracy!



Inspiration By Marie Garot!

This amazing Santos Doll is by Marie Garot. In addition to the Doll Form, she also used our Santos Doll Head Paper Cuts, Angel Wing Cut Outs, Small Circle Bird Shadow Box Shrine Kit, Small Stand Up Bird, and Cradle Birds Nests.
The stamped detail on this piece is absolutely divine, and all of the embellishments she picked work perfectly. If you want to view more of Marie's fabulous work, you can check out here NEW Etsy shop here! Just beautiful Marie!





Merfolk Art Swap!

Come join us!

Monday, May 26, 2014

Fish Sticks, Crab Sticks, and More‏


New Goodies!

Happy Saturday everyone!
A few weeks ago we announced our Merfolk Art Swap and Ocean goodies, and I guess you could say we're still dreaming of the sea. I'm completely in love with our new "Fish Sticks" and "Crab Sticks" (sorry, couldn't resist!) beautiful kits reminiscent of antique biology specimens! We have several new coordinating goodies as well! And of course they all go great with our Ocean Goodies from the past few weeks too.



Art Time! 

Some of you may recall me saying that I wanted to make an ATC with our Crab Cut Outs that said "Not Enough Art Time Makes Me Crabby". Well, that idea translated into something more grand! I've always been intrigued by antique entomology and biology specimen displays. And certain taxidermy pieces. However, I think I'm too chicken to have any actual pieces in my home. I'm very happy with my new Faux Crab Specimens! The Fish Sticks are awesome too, but the crabs were still calling my name! So I got to work...



First, I covered the areas I planned to paint with bright colors with Gesso. This step isn't required, but it will definitely make your colors pop and go on nicely with one coat. I had plans to create an Ombre look, so I need things to go on nicely with one swipe of the paint brush!


I decided on Hot Pink, Orange, and Red to create a lovely summer Ombre, perfect from my crabs!


Starting at the top, I layered on some pink. I used quick upward strokes.


I didn't clean my brush all the way. I simply wiped it with a dry paper towel. You want the colors to blend a bit, so no need to clean completely. You want to work fast, so the layers don't dry and some blending occurs. Orange went on second.


And then finally the red. I did the same technique on my base, working from the outer edges in.


So much fun! It looks like a crab popsicle!


Once my paint was dry, I stenciled the pieces with our new and fabulous Fish Scale Stencil. The pattern repeats, so it's super easy to line back up and cover a large area. I used Bronze VerDay Paint and a soft brush to "stipple" the paint onto the pieces through the stencil. I purposely stenciled just the bottom half of the crabs, fading a bit toward the top.


To finish things off, I inked my edges, painted the sticks with Bronze VerDay Paint, and painted my numbers and letters with Aqua paint for a pop of color. I glued it all together and done. My reminder to make more art if I'm feeling crabby :).



The new Crab Sticks and Fish Sticks also coordinate nicely with our Seahorse Shrine Kit from last week!


My other favorite new goodie is our Wave Stencil! I didn't have a chance to use it in my art project, however I did use it on our new Home Page image and I love it! It's definitely next on the list to try.



Inspiration By Gigi Butterfly!

With all this crab talk I simply had to share the AWESOME Dress Form Doll by Gigi Butterfly. Gigi is an accomplished painter and she creates breathtaking masterpieces. This was her first art doll, and I think she did an amazing job. Gigi used real crab shells which she collected from the beach. What a great way to use those treasures and make a piece special!



Merfolk ART SWAP!

A few weeks ago we announced our Merfolk swap and I'm already seeing some amazing pieces of art popping up! But don't worry, you still have lots of time to buy your Merfolk and play along. And the folks are still on sale in honor of the swap!



Mermaid Inspiration By Bonnie Ashurst!

These stunning Merfolk by Bonnie Ashurst were the first to arrive on the Boardwalk! I adore Mr. Mers sporty outfit and check out Mrs. Mers fish purse! The latest fashion trend? Great job Bonnie!



Mermaid Inspiration By Kimberly Heil!

Next up Kimberly Heil's fantastic duo made a splash! If you look closely, they both have the most wonderful tattoos! I'm loving that driftwood background too. Wonderful Kimberly. Dive in everyone!



Inspiration By Monica Downing!

Time to switch gears a bit (see what I did there? ha). This super cool Steampunk Heart Mixed Media Canvas piece is by Monica Downing! I adore so many things about the piece. Her colors pop, and the quote is so perfect. This piece makes me want to break out a canvas and some of our Chipboard Pieces, which is not something I generally think to do (the canvas part that is). So stunning and inspirational Monica!



Inspiration By Linda Cain!

Design Team Member Linda Cain has created this drop dead gorgeous Steampunk Santos Cage Doll. I would love to see this gal in person. Just look at that amazing texture, and all those fabulous embellishments! If you're like me, you want to know more about Linda's process, and you can find just that along with more cool photos on Linda's blog. Check it out here!



Merfolk Art Swap!

Come join us!

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Seahorse Shrine Kits and more Ocean FUN‏


New Goodies!

Happy Saturday everyone!
We're still dreaming of the ocean over here. Warm sand, salty breezes, and everything beachy. I'm really excited about our new Seahorse Shrine Kit and all of the fabulous new Pearl Cabochons to adorn your Sand and Sea goodies!



Merfolk ART SWAP!

Last week I announced our new Merfolk Art Swap and several of you have signed up and are already working on your Merfolk! You still have lots of time to join in. This will be a great swap and you won't want to miss it! And of course the folks are still on sale in honor of the swap!



Art Time! 
 

What do gambling merfolk like to place bets on?


Seahorses!


One of my favorite customers sent me lists and lists of hilarious Merpeople jokes that she dreamed up. I'll share some more below. But first, I wanted to share my fabulous faux mosaic Seahorse with you! Before I even designed the Seahorse Kit, I knew I wanted a faux mosaic look. Our new Peal Cabochons were just asking for it. I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to do it, but I had a few thoughts that were definitely experiments, and they worked! So here's how it went...



First, I sprayed my Seahorse with Silver spray paint. This was just to give a nice basecoat. Really, the color didn't matter too much.


Next, using a palette knife, I covered my Seahorse with acrylic paint. I put the paint on very thick, almost like I was frosting a cake.


I was hoping I could just stick my Cabochons onto the thick white wet paint, mimicking grout, and holding them in place without having to glue each one. And it worked perfectly!


I simply placed my cabochons onto the wet paint. I worked quickly, so I was able to finish before it dried. If you prefer to take your time, you can do a section at a time. You can also add more paint if your first layer dries too quickly. The trick is putting it on thick!


I wanted to give my piece more of a distressed, shipwrecked type of feel, so I covered the inside of my niche with Silver Embossing Tinsel and then sprinkled a bit more on the entire piece, fairly sparse. After I heat set my embossing powder, I added more white acrylic paint to the top of the piece using my finger. To finish the front, I inked the edges. On the inside I added a piece of water color paper from last week (from my Mermaid's tail), added a few shells, and a glass bottle coated with Mirror Paint. I also attached a Doll Head Paper Cut that looked like a mermaid to me!


She's dreaming of the ocean too...


I was very happy with the way my faux mosaic turned out. It was easy and fast. Don't be afraid to experiment and take chances!



What's a mermaid's favorite brand of chewing gum?
Trident!

How do merkids get to MerSchool?
They ride on the yellow submarine!
 
What happens to merpersons if they take too much time off from work?
They get docked.
 
How do you know if the merfolks aren't home?
They hang a sign on their door that says, "Gone Fishing!"
 
How does a mermaid stay fashionable?
She only hangs out in the currents.
 
Why won't merfolk ever misbehave on the job?
  They're afraid of being canned!

(Courtesy of QueenTina)




Inspiration By Linda Cain!


The beautiful Stand-Up Cameo Woman is by Design Team Member Linda Cain! I really love the paint color combination here. For the full details and more stunning photos, hop on over to Linda's blog.



Inspiration By Gerri Herbst!


This lovey red Mini Santos Doll is by Design Team Member Gerri Herbst! How cool are those feather wings? I also find her very charming and mysterious without a face!



Inspiration By Kimberly Heil!


This lovely Angel Ornament is by Kimberly Heil! I adore all of the purple, and the mega glitter wings are fabulous. Awesome job Kimberly!



Inspiration By Jena Acosta!


This Crown Shrine by Jena Acosta is just stunning. So much so, I decided to design Style II this week. Her entire piece is beautiful, but I especially love how she added ATC Fancy Frame Style 4 to the background and foreground! And just look at all of those crystals! Gorgeous Jena!



Inspiration By Nami!


I'm so excited to introduce you to Nami! Nami is Jena's daughter, and she is just 5 years old. Definitely our youngest featured artist yet. She may be young, but she has incredible focus and talent! These pictures make my heart happy! Here she is with her Mini Mermaid Theatre Shrine!

According to Jena: "She spends a good hour or two everyday drawing, painting, coloring...she does get really into it! She already knows what she wants to put on it, where everything should go...She used lots of things that she had found and been saving...rocks from the playground, a tiny key...huge sequin discs that fell off someone's costume at the procession, bits of easter grass and some beads.... She did all the painting on her own, chose what glitter to put on which pieces, how to place the rocks, how the arms would be posed...etc."



I love this photo! Look how she is presenting her shrine with her right hand. AWESOME job Nami!


Merfolk Art Swap!


Come join us!