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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
