Change Is Good

Hi everyone! 

I’m back! I’m back from a bit of a break from blogging. I know it’s been a while since creating something for myself and sharing it with you here. There has been a lot of change lately. I don’t even know where to start! So I’m not going to bore you with it all, but will tell you a little bit about what brings me back, what I enjoy doing nowadays and how my direction changed. 

I still design for the magazines and and have been busy cardmaking. I don’t have time to post about each feature and so I am hoping to pick a few cards from 2016 and 2017 to round up the years. I will post at some point soon. 

I still run the Mixed Media World challenge blog so I hope you can join now and then. The wonderful DT ladies do fab job inspiring you each month and I’m blesse to have them around. We are nearing 1000 followers on the FB page and will have a giveaway when we do reach the big number. I am very excited about that! 

I recently chopped my hair off so am now sporting a shorter hair. I have documented it in the layout below. This layout is not just about the hair cut though. It is very much about the new direction, my new hobby and  about what I have been up to lately. To elaborate... 

I love card making... it has a purpose.. you can give a card to your loved one.. right?

I also love Mixed Media, but more I was getting into it, more I was realising that I was just doing it for fun and blogging, rather than creating art and putting it up on the shelf. I didn’t want it to become a chore and I asked myself... what purpose does this have? What do I now do with this altered box or this or that... it didn’t go with the decor of my house and it was just ‘kept’. Well, I don’t want to spend hours on making something, then keep it for the sake of it and not actually enjoy it. I want my art or craft to have a purpose... 

Some of your opinions might differ in this and that’s absolutely fine. We all create for different reasons... This doesn’t mean I’m going to abandon my love for Mixed Media. Far from it.. I still enjoy adding this or that, but my style is somewhat changing. Also, I have been really enjoying memory planning, scrapbooking, album making etc. Why? Again, I feel like this type of craft has a purpose. I get to document photos that I have been taking for so long and just storing on my phone or on a computer. I now get to see them in the things I make, which makes me very happy! I have a wonderful family, friends, recently got two kitties and documenting the life moments has become my hobby. Besides, there are so many adorable scrapbooking and memory planning supplies it is VERY hard to resist hoarding it (apparently it is a completely separate hobby of mine) and playing with it! 

I’ve had a memory planner for about a year now and am enjoying it all. I might share some stuff at some point. I have recently signed up for the Hip Kit Club and will be regularly sharing my scrapbooking stuff from now on. Of course, I will always include a dash of Mixed media within. No doubt about it... I have made a few albums now and absolutely LOVE making them so I will be definitely sharing some too. I am hoping to prepare a few YouTube tutorials whilst creating so stay tuned if curious. I have been tinkering with some other form of scrapbooking and am seriously drawn to Travellers Notebooks. I’m all for the instant satisfaction and this could be he way forward. It doesn’t take that long to decorate the two small pages, you get to document a special moment in your life and get the ‘craft kick’ out of it. What more could you want?! So don’t be surprised when you see one here soon :) 

The below is my very first layout and I still don’t know how I feel about it. I need to practice more to make sense in working on a bigger scale. I hope you can stay and support me on my new journey and tag along to see what I come up with next and how my ‘style’ evolves. I’m curious to know myself. Many we can do a comparison about the same time next year LOL! :D 

But for now... here it is... the very first layout with the Hip Kit Club kit and a few close ups...

This layout was made with the following: 

• kuretake gansai watercolours

• Page Evans, Turn the page collection, most from the Hip Kit Club kit 

• vellum paper 

• Neat & Tanggled sequins 

• Lawn Fawn, hemp twine 

• American Crafts, white cardstock 12 x 12”

I hope you like it and also hope you will come back for the next post. I’ll be back with something fun soon! 

Bye for now! Thanks for stopping by! 

Ingrid xxx 

Designing for PaperArtsy with NEW Eclectica3 by Alison Bomber

Hey!

I'm back with a fun project and a very special post! I am over on the PaperArtsy blog showcasing the fabulous new stamp sets by Alison Bomber. That's right! I'm so excited for Alison, you have no idea!

I had a great fun playing with them and I couldn't just stick to one stamp when there are so many fabulous quotes to choose from. I created a fun Pocket Journal...

Obviously, I had to take plenty of close ups for you. It would be great if you could hop over to check it out. You can also find the links to various retailers so you can get your very own stamp set designed by Alison!

All the best,

Ingrid xxx

Designing with PaperArtsy Squiggly Inks, UTEE and New Paints!

Hi there!

I'm sharing my creative journey with you all today. Not all went the way I planned, but I got there in the end and you can find out when visiting the PaperArtsy Blog. I had a great time playing with the Squiggly Ink stamp set Bricks & Mortar 1 by PaperArtsy, the yummy new paint set by Tracy Scott and some UTEE.

Here's what I created...

Now, please hop over to the PaperArtsy blog to see how it was made and learn a trick or two. I hope you like it. 

All the best and Happy Easter! 

Ingrid xxx 

MMW#23 challenge inspiration

Hello!

Our March/Apr challenge is up and running and I am very excited to have our new teamies all together and sharing their gorgeous work for the first time!

I had a great time playing with PaperArtsy Grunge paste, Prima Marketing Heavy Gesso, making imprints using skeleton leaves, adding colour with Lindy's sprays and highlights with DecoArt crylic spray and Lustre paste. I also adding a contrast colour using some gilding flakes. It was great fun!

MMW Mood board 

Art Journaling for PaperArtsy

Hi there!

Thank you for stopping by my blog today! I have a very special post for you...

Today I am sharing some of my art journaling with you. I got the ooohs and the aaahs on as I was playing with the lovely PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Finish paints, Sara Naumann's journaling stamps and one of the gorgeous TCW stencils. I had a real blast, made an almighty mess and ended up with another colourful page spread in my file journal.

I truly hope that you find some time to hop over to the PaperArtsy blog to check out my post there. What more, I am crossing my fingers that you will enjoy it and maybe even share it with your crafty buddies out there. For now, I shall leave you with a few sneak peeks... enjoy!

Big crafty hugs,

Ingrid xxx

GD for That's Crafty: Pocket Letter

Hi there!

Thank you for stopping by today.

I am sharing a fun project over at That's Crafty today and was hoping that you will find a minute to hop over and check it out.

I had a great fun using my fuse Tool and played with embellishments. If you like exchanging little bits and bobs with your crafting buddies then this post is for you!

Here's a little sneaky peeky....

Have a lovely time during the festive season!

Merry Christmas!

Ingrid xxx

GD for That's Crafty + #10mindiy clips

Hi Lovelies!

I am back with more inspiration for you via the lovely That's Crafty blog and today it is more of a DIY project.

Christmas is around the corner and I find myself 'nesting' around this time as I want everything to look cozy, neat, clean and decorated so that I can enjoy the festivities to the full.

I created a few home decor items and would like to share with you my How To. Here are a couple of quick clips for you...

DIY Candle Cozies

DIY Sparkly Pom Pom Pen Holder

There is more on the That's Crafty blog so don't forget to hop over to check out the pics and more details. Thank you!

Oh, and that's right! I have set up my YouTube channel where I will be sharing these little #10mindiy projects and other full tutorials in 2017 so if you would like to see more please feel free to subscribe so the video pops up in your feed when I upload. You can also follow me via my blog here where I also share my projects made for magazines (a big year round up is coming up!) or my other socials like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest where I will share my cardmaking, mixed media, planner and diy projects and all around inspiration. Thank you!

I hope you enjoy the rest of the week to the full! Stay warm!

All the best, 

Ingrid xxx

GD for That's Crafty: Wintery Door Hanger

Hi!

I'm back with another post for That's Crafty! and this time I am sharing a mixed media project.

That's Crafty! is a wonderful shop full of various goodies and a lot of it is great for mixed media. The door hanger that I altered, for example, can be altered in many different ways. You can create some fancy sleep looking door hangers with a quote and a dash of stylish gold or make some for your kids' room to jazz it up a bit.

I also share a step by step, should you wish to recreate it. I hope you enjoy the post. Let me know your thoughts ;)

All the best,

Ingrid xxx

GD for That's Crafty!

Hi there!

I hope you are all well and are enjoying the preparations for the Holiday madness! I certainly am! :)

I am honoured to have been asked to guest design for That's Crafty in December and so you will hear from me every Thursday this month. 

Today, I'm sharing my experimental play with alcohol inks and a few fun techniques. Here's a sneak peek... 

 

There's more on the blog so hop over to That's Crafty!  g for more info and photos. I hope you enjoy the post. 

Best wishes, 

Ingrid xxx

Collaboration with Magdalena Kusy

Hi there!

I recently ran a giveaway on the Mixed Media World blog and Magdalena was the lucky lady who won the goodies.

 I happen to have exactly the same supplies that she won and so I thought it would be fun to see how we both use it. 

I used these supplies to decorate my brown card A4 envelope for the current challenge 'Mail Art' that just started at the Mixed Media World blog. Take a peek and join HERE. 

Here are a few pics of my make. I hope you like it.

All the best, 

Ingrid x

Mixing Colours for Paperartsy

Hey Lovelies!

I know you haven't heard from me for a while and there is a reason behind it. We all need to take a bit of time to get things right sometimes and need to step back a bit. I will talk about it all another time. Today is a happy day and I'd like to share it with you!

I have a special post for you over at the PaperArtsy blog where I talk about colour mixing and show you a few simple steps to creating an abstract piece of art using just 5 Fresco Finish Chalk Paints. 

Hop over, check it out and let me know your thoughts ;) 

Big hugs to you all! 

Ingrid xxx 

Peek into the past...

Hello there!

Thank you for stopping by!

I thought I'd share my newest work with you today. I get so little time to create for myself nowadays so when I do I tend to create art. Something worthy, shall I say.

This time I was experimenting with 3D stones and balls and some 3D Flex by Powertex. The paste was a leftover from another project and I hate wasting supplies. I simply took a canvas and created a circles in the middle using my spatula and let it dry.

I picked it up the other day and I had a real urge to create something full of texture and colour yumminess, but nothing too bright. Nothing new then... :) So I came up with this..

Once the stones and sand were adhered using a bit of light modelling paste the entire canvas was covered in a black gesso. Then I played with the DecoArt fluid acrylics - Interference Gold, Turquoise, Purple and Magenta. 

It was pretty but not what I was looking for. It needed more work... It needed more depth and colour variation and toning down. So I used more black gesso, Decoart paints like Dioxazine Purple, Transparent Red Iron Oxide and even a dash of Glamour Dust paint in Black Ice. It's almost transparent so not completely black, I'd say grey with sparkle so it was great for shading. Toned down with black gesso again, added, removed, added, removed... you get the idea... until I was happy with it. 

It was screaming for some rust. I used Oxido primer and activator to add some rust to my stones and it also added that natural colour of decay... love it! I also used it on the dry wall tape to create my rusty mesh. The little rag is a piece of linen which was dyed using Distress Inks like Rusty Hinge and Vintage Photo and edges brushed onto Walnut Stain ink pad. The brads were also rusted. 

In the end I added a tiny bit of Silks in purple (or as they call it Snap Dragon) and ginger (Spiced Pumpkin). 

 

 

The baby in the photo is actually my Mum! She is held by her neighbour friend... this photo is an original and is over 50 years old. It was hidden in the drawer with some others and I thought it should be displayed instead. I love creating contrast in any way. Here I incorporated the vintage and decay into a modern way of creating art. I think it works rather well. 

The key hole cover is a real deal and was found at the Totnes Market when visiting. I found heaps of treasures like this one there and more items are waiting to be used. 

Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below or via our new Facebook Group ***Mixed Media World***. I hope to see you there! 

All the best, 

Ingrid xxx

Paperartsy meets Powertex... Guest Designer post for Paperartsy

Hi there and Happy Easter to you all!

I hope you are all well. I'm over at Paperartsy blog today with my latest piece of mixed media art using the wonderful Paperartsy and Powertex products. 

I created an abstract minimalist art using Fresco Chalk Paints, Grunge Paste and a few Powertex products. There is a full tutorial on Paperartsy blog so hop over to check it out!

I hope you like it! Feel free to share your thoughts. 

Big thank you for Leandra and Darcy for letting me share this with you! 

Hugs 

Ingrid xx

MMW#12 starting today - Vintage!!!

Hi there! 

Thank you for stopping by! What a beautifully sunny day we have today. I will be off for a little walk in the gorgeous country side, but before I dash off, I'd like to let you know that there is a new challenge starting today at the Mixed Media World challenge blog! 

I really hope you can visit to see the amazing inspiration my teamies produced for Lena's challenge! You will be left in awe as I was when I saw the images... from me, you will get a little vintage card. This card was made using little scraps, some lace, rusty and embossed bits and bobs as well as the gorgeous Paintables by Prima coloured by the yummy Spectrum Noir Sparkle pens by Crafter's Companion... 

As you can see I couldn't resist a little opulence and added gold flakes by Cosmic Shimmer here and there. I really enjoyed making this card. I hope you like it and an give something old another life or create something vintage looking for our challenge! 

Have a great day! Hugs, 

Ingrid xx

Challenges:
We love to create - Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes
Simon Says Wed Challenge Blog - A bit o' green

GD for 12 Christmas Tags with Loll and Friends

Hi there!

Thank you for stopping by! As the title suggests, I have the pleasure of sharing a little Christmas tag with you as one of the invited designers for Loll's annual event Twelve Christmas Tags with Loll & Friends. 

I got very excited when I received the invite from Loll again this year. Last year I created a little winter wonderland on my tag and this time I thought I'd do something a bit more rustic looking. 

I started with collaging some real music (my other half is a musician and was about to throw it away! Sinner! I salvaged it :)) I added a doily onto my tag. white gesso and a dash of white Crackle Paste went over it, when dry I blasted it lightly with my heat gun which lifted the corners of the doily revealing the music sheet underneath it! What a lovely surprise I thought! I love happy accidents! :)

I distressed & sponged the edges and stamped using the Archival Potting Soil ink. The branch stamp is from the gorgeous Christmas stamp set by Clear Impressions. I added the gorgeous Shabby White frantage by Stampendous randomly around the edges to add interest to my background.

The flower is my own design, I simply drew a few petals of different sizes and irregular petals on some thicker vellum, dyed it using the Festive Berries, Barn Door, Peeled Paint for the greener leaves & let it dry. Once dried, I scrunched them up a bit on the tips, added Walnut Stain to the 'hills' and edges, covered in Clear Rock Candy crackle paint by Tim Holtz, glued together with some tacky glue & added the Gold Stickles by Ranger Ink to the centre of the flower. A few stamens & a string were added to add layers.

A little tip for you... if you want your string to be nice and stiff looking rather than floppy just add a little bit of the fabric stiffener by DecoArt & leave it to dry. I simply run my fingers over it with the stiffener and hand it high up to dry straight. Once dry, I lightly roll it up & store for when it's needed. You could dye your string in any colour and then use the stiffener, if you want it to coordinate with your project. I was happy to keep it white for now. Btw, when I say string, this is actually a thin crochet yarn. You can use the stiffener on any textile really. The rusted wire simply had to be added using a mini stapler. Love this stuff! I also added a little word sticker by Tim Holtz. I went over the sticker and the whole tag with the white Ink Edger by Prima.

Maybe one more tip.... the white flourishes on each side of the flower were also handmade using an air-drying clay & a silicon mould. If you dust you silicone mould with a little bit of corn starch, press your clay in, let it dry & remove. Paint with white gesso and sponge over raised areas using Potting Soil ink (or whatever you want). Lightly sand down any rough edges too.

I heat embossed my eyelet using the Vintage Photo EP by Tim Holt giving it the rusted look before applying it to my tag. The ribbon/seam was dyed using a combination of Peeled Paint & Evergreen Bough stains. Oh, and a dash of Crushed Olive, all by Tim Holtz. I hope I haven't forgotten anything. If you have any questions then leave a comment below... here's the finished tag...

I hope you like it! I had a great fun working on it.

I hope you can join Loll's challenge. You could win a voucher from STAMPlorations or Happy Little Stamper or even a wonderful stamp set designed by Deepti! Hop over to Loll's blog for more details!

Thank you for stopping by!

Ingrid xxx

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Challenges:
Love to Create - Anything Mixed Media/Creative Goes
Mixed Media Monthly Challenge blog - Texture
Stamping Sensations - Festive Flowers & Foliage
That's Crafty!  - Tag You're It!