Guest Designer--Happy Little Stampers-Textured Canvas

Hello, friends and visitors! I'm so honored to be Guest Designer at Happy Little Stampers Mixed Media today. I was super excited when I learned the challenge theme was to be "Texture", because if you are a regular follower, you know I LOVE texture! I had been inspired to make a "denim" mixed media project for some time after seeing some photos of pillows in an old Pottery Barn catalog, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make this denim canvas. In my messy, grungy style, of course!

  

For the background, I laid down Golden regular gel medium through a paper stencil I made using Tim Holtz Mixed Media Harlequin Thinlits die. Making paper stencils is so easy, and there's no clean up after use! After the gel fully dried, I covered the entire canvas with gesso. Next came Distress paints in Weathered Wood, Faded Jeans, Salty Ocean, and Chipped Sapphire applied in layers. Some colors I wiped back, and sometimes I heat set the paints between layers.  I did some sanding to remove some of the color (just like my most loved jeans) and then added more back,this time using Distress Crayons in Picket Fence and Chipped Sapphire. I continued with the wiping and sanding until I was happy with it.

I used my new to me Dina Wakley Leafy stencil and regular gel medium randomly to the front and sides of the canvas. I carefully marked my stencil, because I knew I would be replacing it to add more layers of medium. But even taking that precaution, it was a bear to realign because of the pattern.

When the gel had fully dried, I swiped on Distress crayons and smudged with my fingers and dried.  Then I carefully replaced the stencil and knifed through with Distress Crackle Paint in Picket Fence, allowed it to fully dry, and again, wiped on more crayon, this time watered down.

I had a major goofy at the bottom when I didn't realign my leaf stencil properly before adding crackle paint, so I had to do some repair work.  What a mess! I can't tell you all the steps I took to iron out my problems, but it involved sanding, covering the entire area with texture paste, re-painting, then adding crackle paste through another homemade Harlequin stencil. (I decided I was done with the Leafy stencil!)  Oddly the cracks never materialized (I usually never have a problem with the Golden), so I replaced my stencil and added Picket Fence Crackle paint. Whew! This is the canvas from you-know-where! Anyway, it has texture, wouldn't you agree?

I added more texture by using texture paste and TCW's Art Is stencil. I created the shadow using Black Soot Distress Crayon and a waterpen.

Next, I added stamping using the script image from the Happy Little Stampers Thinking of You set in Cobalt Archival. I also splattered on Distress Spray stain in Black Soot (I removed the spray tube from the bottle, and splattered directly from that) and heat dried. I've splattered up yet another top, but somehow managed to spare the shorts! Finally, I added microbeads in coordinating colors.

To finish my project, I stamped two Tim Holtz butterflies on white card with Picket Fence Distress ink and sprinkled with Ranger Sticky Embossing Powder, heated, and sprinkled again with Pumice Stone Distress Glitter. I gave them a hint of color using Tumbled Glass Distress marker and a waterpen, and the bodies are Liquid Pearls. When dry, I fussy cut them and adhered.

The tiny butterfly is Rubber Stampede and colored with Tumbled Glass and Faded Jeans markers and a waterpen. I fussy cut and layered on white card.

I sure have enjoyed spending the day with the talented Mixed Media Design Team at  Happy Little Stampers Mixed Media blog, and if you haven't yet, I hope you'll pop by to see all the amazing inspiration from the team!

I would like to enter my canvas in the following inspiring challenges:

Our Creative Corner A Beautiful Mess A bit of a mess, even by my loose standards!
Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #25--2nd Anniversary-I chose #18 "Texture"! Nov. 2015
  
A Vintage Journey Texture or Embossing Paste
Country View June Challenge-Crackle
Mixed Media Place May Challenge-Be a Light Moodboard I was definitely inspired by the blues and the Be a Light quote(My butterflies are the bright light in the dark sky and don't blend in.)

Thank you for stopping by today and for all your lovely comments!  I read and appreciate each and every one of them!

Hugs and Blessings!

Sara Emily