Just Mixed Media magazine has arrived

To say I've been a bad blogger is an understatement!  My sister-in-law, her husband and my mother-in-law, who is 93 years old, have recently moved to South Carolina.  They were our house guests for 2 months while looking for a house.  We had a really fun time but I don't do well with such distractions.  I go into full on "mommy mode" and start cooking non-stop as well as trying to do everything else I can do to make my company comfortable.  On the heels of their visit I made a wedding cake for some close friends and helped organize their wedding reception.   Even after the guests have left and the cake commitments are fulfilled it takes me a while to put the brakes on.  Last night I made home made pasta and a lovely fresh tomato sauce to go with it.  So tonight it will be left overs and I'm getting back into my art studio at long last!

I might have mentioned a few months back that my daughter and I were taking a trip to China.  It was an amazing adventure!  We were there for 11 days and saw so many wonderful things, including climbing a portion of the Great Wall and visiting the Terra Cotta soldiers.  It was a trip of epic proportions for me and a dream come true.  I've been to China before but not this part and I've never been on a tour bus there either.  Very interesting.  I believe it's the best way to see so much of a country without having to worry about not knowing the language, etc.  The Chinese people were so kind and patient with us.  I have chop stick issues due to my arthritis so I'm sure my eating habits are extremely offensive.  We walked over 10,000 steps every day, at times Holly was practically dragging me along but I made it through all the exhibits.  While there I found some wonderful Washi Tape.  I used some of it to make this face canvas.  The colors are not my usual palette but I was trying to mimic the ancient stones used to build the Great Wall and so many other structures.

Today I was reminded that I had submitted this to "Just Mixed Media" magazine when I received my copy in the mail.  What a nice surprise!  Hopefully this is just what I needed to get me back on track.  This is what the cover of the newest issue looks like.

And this is the piece that I was privileged to have published using StencilGirl products and Dina Wakley paints.  Notice the hand carved stamp I had made in China while I waited, it's in the left hand corner.  They even gave me the red wax to stamp with.  The Chinese newsprint was used to wrap my tiny little soldiers that made the trip back to South Carolina.

So nice to be back in my studio!  I hope you get a chance to check out the copy of this magazine when it hits the news stands.  It's a great issue.

Hugs~ Renee

P.S.  Here's an early morning photo of my amazing mother-in-law (MaZarate).  She is wearing the crown I made back in 2017 in a Prima class.  She didn't want her photo taken without her make up but I think she looks AMAZING!

StencilGirl Face stencil by Andrea Matus DeMeng looking like Frida

I'm doing a series of faces using the same stencil by Andrea Matus DeMeng provided to me by StencilGirl Products.  This is to demonstrate how with just one stencil many different looks can be achieved.  The one I'm sharing today is my take on the artist Frida.

As mentioned before, after designing my master board type face design I just made a few changes on the photocopied face and added a collage of deli paper flowers and a few paper flowers made by Prima.  Her eyes are actually Jane Davenport's washi tape eyes.

I hope you'll play with this idea and just have fun with it.

Hugs ~ Renee

More Stenciled faces using Andrea Matus DeMeng's stencil

I used the StencilGirl Products face stencil by Andrea Matus DeMeng to make more faces.  This is to demonstrate how the same stencil can be used for a completely different effect.

The headpiece is stenciled from the hem of  Sue Pelletier's baby dress stencil.  I've used a lot of random stencils in the background also.  The paint is Dina Wakley heavy body acrylic paint in Turquoise, Ruby and Night with touches of white gesso.

I hope you'll make faces along side me with stencils, it's addictive.

Thanks for stopping by ~ Renee

I'm the Guest Artist this week on StencilGirl Products! A Tangled Face

If you follow my blog I'm sure you've noticed that I'm in love with stencils!  So you can imagine my delight when StencilGirl Products asked if I would like to be their Guest Artist, my response was a resounding "YES".   I mean who could say no to that?!  They provided the stencils of my choice to work with and I very happily choose  Andrea Matus de Meng's "Abigail, A Timeless Woman" in the large 9" by 12" size.  This is what my finished portrait looks like, it's called "A Tangled Face".  The process is shared on the StencilGirl Talk blog today, please just click on the link if you would like to check it out.

I'll be sharing a few more portraits during the month of April, all created with the same stencil but each one looks completely different.  I hope you will pop in and take a look at them.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hugs ~ Renee

Sneak Peek!

Here's a  sneak peek of projects I've been working on using Stencil Girl products.  Stay tuned for my upcoming Guest Artist blog with them in April.  It'll be worth it!  This is just a warm up using Distress Crayons and Scribble Sticks by Ranger.  And of course a face stencil from Stencil Girl!  They are the best.

I'll let you know when the SGP posting is so you can see what else I did with this same stencil.  Thanks for stopping by, hugs ~ Renee

Aladine Projects for Creativation Part 2

Here are a few more projects made for the French company Aladine which were featured in their booth at Creativation and then again a few weeks later in Germany at a trade show.  Just a cute little tag and a card made with their Cassis ink, stamps and embossing powder.

Thanks for stopping by!  I'm in China right now with my daughter, we left Joe here to hold down the fort, but I'll be back soon and hope to share some photos of our adventures there.  Maybe I will find some cool ephemera that I can mix into some projects.  Who knows?  Take care, we'll talk soon, hugs ~ Renee

Aladine Products- Projects made for Creativation Part 1

Whenever the craft and hobby shows take place there is always a tornado of activity going on behind the scenes to prepare for it.  The Creativation show in Phoenix, AZ is no exception to this tremendous push for projects to display showcasing each company's products.  I had the privilege this year to create projects for a company called "Aladine".  They mailed me inks and stencils and I to made an effort to make a group of projects with only their product, which is harder than it sounds.  This is what I came up with...tags, cards, gift bags.  They didn't specify how many they wanted so I just made projects for about 2 weeks.  I thought I'd share them with you since the big show here and in Germany are over.

Of course I designed a master board to cut up and use for projects.  Here's one that I couldn't use so it was sent to a magazine hopefully for publication.

Then I did a lot of techniques with water and their inks, stamps, embossing powder and stencils.

This is a series of tags to demonstrate different techniques.

Next week I'll share a couple more projects created for Aladine.  Thanks for stopping by ~ Renee