Mermaid Art Dolls + a NEW ART SWAP‏

New Goodies!

Happy Saturday everyone!

This past week has been nice and toasty in Indiana. The days are getting longer, the nights are getting warmer, and my craving for ice cream is getting stronger! (It's entirely possible I caved and had a Banana Split last week!) Summer is coming, and was the inspiration for this week's goodies and Summer ART SWAP! We've got fabulous Articulated Merfolk and lots of goodies to go along with them!

CHECK IT OUT HERE

New ART SWAP!

I'm so excited that we'll be swapping Merfolk! That's right, we are including the guys this time around. A fun challenge for some of us. So often the poor guys get neglected! You have plenty of time (over 2 months) to get your swaps to us, so jump on in! The water is mighty fine indeed! Oh, and I put the folks on sale in honor of the swap!

GET THE FULL DETAILS HERE

Art Time with Mr. Crabby and Mrs. Angel! 

 

If you notice, my sweet mergal is holding an Angel Fish, and Mr. merman is holding a crab, hence the names above! But to be quite honest, in our household it's more likely to be the other way around :). Like I said in the listing, I really want to make an ATC or Collage with the new crabs... "No art time makes me crabby." I think the crabs are my favorite new thing, aside from the Merfolk. And yes, you can have crabs too. Never thought I would say that in a newsletter! Lol!

Supplies: Medium Chipboard Mermaid, Medium Chipboard Merman, Fairy Doll Head Paper Cuts, Fish Cut Outs, Fish Paper Cuts, Sea Creature Cut Outs, Sand Dollar Cut Outs, Gelatos, White Sharpie Paint Marker, Blue Sharpie Paint Marker, Glue N Seal, Black  and Sepia  Archival Ink

I started my Merfolk by spray painting all of the pieces gold. This was great because it sort of looked like sand! Spray paint on the chipboard dried ridiculously fast, which was an added bonus.

And then blended them with my waterbrush. I love the difference that just a little bit of water can make. If needed blot the excess with a paper towel. I was going for an Oceany watercolor look.

For some fun and added texture, I added some accents with my White Sharpie.

Once my book pages were dry, I attached them to my pieces with Glue N Seal. I used my pieces to trace around the paper, then cut, sanded, and inked the edges. For my guy, I wanted him to have a vintage swimsuit look, so I painted on the suit with Sharpies. Red would have looked great too!

I finished them off with some embellishments and of course Stickles! The crab (love those crabs!) looks awesome with just a touch of red acrylic paint and my other favorite, the Sand Dollars, just a swipe of white paint. I used paint from my Sharpie Marker because I was lazy. The Sand Dollars were sort of fun to design, because I was forced to do something asymmetrical and more organic. I loved the way they turned out.

Inspiration By Tracy Delisle!

Several of you know Tracy Delisle, and this week was her birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRACY! She has been creating some amazing shrines lately, and this Moon Shrine is definitely among my favorites! She also Used Our Star Cut-Outs, Prima Genie Stone, and Rusty Stars. This Shrine always reminds me of one of my favorite quotes.

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."    
     - Norman Vincent Peale

Inspiration By Gerri Herbst!

This FUN Circus Collage by Design Team Member Gerri Herbst makes my heart happy! It definitely captures all things Circus and has a ton of movement! Gerri used our Circus Paper Cuts, Collage Sheet CV5 (background tent), ATC Chipboard Circus Tent, Muscle Man Cut-Outs, ATC Circus Flag Cut-Outs, and Stickles. Love!

Inspiration By Linda Cain!

This super COOL Bust Stand Up is by Design Team Member Linda Cain! The Gear Wheels are the perfect touch, and you can find even more great photos on Linda's blog. As Linda notes, this would make a great Father's Day gift! Fantastic!

Inspiration By Kim Collister!

And to put you back in the doll making mood, what could be better than an Santos Frida! This stunner was created by the talented Kim Collister using the Medium Santos Doll Kit, Frida Head, Flaming Heart Trinket, Artist Pallette, and more! She's beautiful Kim!

Happy Mother's Day!

Whether you have children or fur babies. Whether you are a mother or are celebrating a beautiful mother, I hope you get to do something you love this weekend. And if it's taking some time to create some art, enjoy every second!

xoxo