Having fun with Mixed Media

 I don't have a card group in October, so I thought I would work on my Christmas Card Buffet.  I have never worked with Mixed media before.  In my sorting and organizing my papers, I found some scraps from Halloween.  They weren't enough to make multiple cards for a group so I thought I would use this time and opportunity to play with the Halloween papers from various years and stamps from various years and mixed media. I played with Distress Oxide inks, Texture paste, Stickles Glitter Gel, and wet embossing.  It wouldn't be possible without the All purpose mat!

This is the Creativity in Motion (bundle CC9208).  The "hello" moves.  I stamped other things on there that don't move plus put the Halloween Gnome stamp sent images around the edges.

I used the Distress Oxide ink in the middle with the stencil and texture paste. There are 14 different colors on page 80 of the catalog or online..   The mini ink blending foam tool and pads are on page 81. 

There are different Distress Oxide inks and different stencils and Texture paste.  I used the heat gun to help dry the paste on all of these and it leaves it smoother than if you let it air dry.

The Stickles Glitter gel Nebula (Z3807) is amazing used with the distress inks!

I just used the Distress Oxide inks by themselves and stamped over them.  

This is the same but I cut the windows outs to have the color show through.  

I love the squares and how you can cut out different spaces for larger images.

There are a number of stencils you can get for the texture paste.  One has a number of squares.  I cut them a part for easier use on the cards.  You can also get stencil sheets to make your own stencils.

These last 2 I used the Distress Oxide inks directly on the cards.   The one below I used the wet embossing.  

I used the white powder above and the black below.  The white embossing was done first as a resist and the black was done after on top of the Distress Oxide.

You can share your playing with new techniques.  Check out my Facebook page for the different technique videos I have shared.  I am only doing the Technique Tuesday at 2pm now.  I also have print tips you can put on 4x6 tags to help you do new and different things.  Stay tuned for the Christmas Card Buffet Zoom classes- samples and sign up coming soon. 

Creativity in Motion

 September is National Stamping Month and Close To My Heart has hit this bundle out of the park!  The theme is Creativity in Motion.  There are a variety of cards that you can make.  Go to my website to see the projects you can do.  The bundle is 20% off buying each item individually.  

September 19 at 2 pm MDT, CTMH will have an online workshop on putting all of the pieces together.  You can create together and enjoy the National Stamping Day.  Besides the products you see on that page, you will also need the thin cut rectangle and square.  I have been having fun with the 6x6 and 8x8 size papers that I have long forgotten I had to use.  Good news is that I am using up my stash, bad news there is only one of a kind papers in the stash so if I really like something - there is only 1 of a kind to admire and give away.  Here are some of the creations I have had fund making.

 Click the link - get the bundle and join in the Creativity in Motion.  Join in the CTMH official Facebook page and sign up as "going" to the September 19 event.  Come to my business Facebook page and join from there and keep up with what I am doing.  Let me know if you want to join the Zoom pages or cards that happen once a month.  

Take time to play - take time to organize

I love to create.  I have a 10 foot table and I have piles of projects that I am working on.  From time to time I re-organize and the table becomes clean.  They say if you make your bed every day, it gives your day a better start.  Clearing the table does that for me.  

Close To My Heart has always had packets and projects. Over the years I have organized in different ways.  I discovered that my latest way was leaving the finished 12 x 12 scrapbook pages in the same packet with the directions, sometimes embellishments and the directions.  Although they were all together, I didn't get to see the ideas and use them in other projects and I thought I had all this paper but it was really already been used.  I put the pages in page protectors and then in albums. (I still need to buy more of both.) I put the directions in 3 ring binders and labeled them. ( I already had 23 3 ring binders of various sizes.  I did an index of each binder and then copied that index into a major index. I then had bags of leftovers.  If there were enough pieces to do other pages or use in the various sizes of page protectors, They are in one spot.  The scraps for other use are in another  The whole packets in another spot and the plain cardstock in another container.  

I am still in the process of doing this but I can almost see the table.  In between the sorting, I have been working on, finishing and starting different cards.  Organizing for me isn't as much fun or seemingly productive as making things.  I have realized that taking time to organize once in a while means I don't spend endless time searching for things I know I have.  

I have started to plan over a weeks time in blocks to: create, pick up, organize, and dream.  Have fun creating.  Have as much fun as you can organizing.  I you have questions or ideas for other people, comment on this post.  Good Luck