Stampotique Designers Challenge ~ Under the Sea! ::SDC 206

This is the 5th Stampotique challenge for this month and the last week for me as a Guest Designer on the Stampotique Designers Challenge.  I want to say thanks to Stampotique for this privilege, I've really had a wonderful time!

The challenge this week is hosted by Kristen who says "The ocean is my happy place.  It is calm and soothing and I love the sound of the waves.  So this week, I challenge you to create an ocean themed project."

I, too, love the ocean.  I decided to make this a recycling project at the same time.  Most of us have painted a room somewhere in our house and have the paint stirring sticks to prove it.  If that paint stir stick is old, dry and covered with paint, so much the better.  We call that texture, right?  I call my project "Something fishy this way comes". Now in its second life it has become a highly decorated old paint stir stick all spruced up and living a new life as a wall hanging.

Directions:

I started by giving the entire stick a fresh coat of gesso.  It doesn't have to be smooth, the more texture the better.

I used my Gelatos to get the desired oceanic colors.  I mixed Metallic Mint and Blueberry Gelatos and then blended the colors with a baby wipe.

I stamped by image, Smumanha, die cut some sea themed images and pulled some twine and thread out of my stash.  I colored in the die cuts with Pan Pastels and colored the mermaid and the edges of the phrase with Memento markers then set all these elements aside.  Now it is just a matter of putting it all together with some glue that dries clear.

Supplies

Stampotique:  Smumanha and Something Fishy this way comes (phrase)
Inks:  Jet Black StazOn and Memento markers, StazOn Studio Glaze
Pan Pastels
Sizzix Die:  Sand and Sea
Miscellaneous:  Glass Sea Beads, gesso, twine, turquoise twine, Super Tacky Glue, old paint stirring stick

Thanks for following this July journey with me!  It has truly been a delight to meet these challenges using my favorite stamps some old and some new.  I hope you'll play along this week with us, don't forget there are prizes to be won.

To those of you who are aware of my current circumstances, I just want you to know that we are leaving for Myrtle Beach, SC this morning.  It will be a two day drive for us, all of our belongings will be coming down south with the movers in a few weeks.  Our house is finally finished and life can soon get back to normal!  We have enjoyed living in New England for the past 14 years; we'll really miss all our friends.  We're off to a new adventure!

Take care, big hugs, talk to you soon ~ Renee

Include Zentangle in your Homework to make it more fun!

I am currently taking an on-line class with the FABULOUS Jenny Doh. ( If you don't know who she is just Google her.)  For this week we had to produce a homework project that showed what we felt our true artistic calling is.  Hmmmmm.  What I seem to do naturally is recycle ugly stuff and make it cute.  Also, I love to just "play" with different materials and mediums.  So this is what I made for my homework.
I started with an 8.5"x11.5" piece of white card stock.  I used some of my favorite Alice in Wonderland stamps, Stampington's Tea Party stamps and IndigoBlu's Alice stamps.  After stamping figures and words all over the paper randomly I started tangling around the images and words.  When I finished with that I colored areas with copic inks.  Now I have a piece of my own paper!  I photocopied this so I can use just the copy and keep the original in case I need it again.  So this is what my paper looks like:

I had a 4 1/2" paper tube that I wanted to cover with the paper.  So I cut a strip for that.  Then I made circles for the top and bottom of the tube out of the same paper and sealed the edges with 7 Gypsies tissue tape.  I sealed everything with Mat Medium to give it a little strength, let it dry and then started punching holes in the top circle.  The holes were to hold the pearls at the top that I hung bits and pieces of chains, mirrors, crystals, etc.  Just whatever I had left over in my scrap bag.  The little bottle at the bottom says "Drink Me" and I filled it with glitter glue.  I wrapped the little bottle up with blue waxed twine and glued it to the bottom near Alice's feet.  This makes a cute paper weight and was really FUN to make.

Simon Says Stamp Challenge

This is my first entry to the SSSC.  The challenge is "Anything Goes" so....here goes.

Just a little something to use as a "Do not Disturb" sign for my studio door.  It is made from a recycled brown bag with a handle.  Stamps are by: Stampotique, Tissue tape by Tim Holtz, Tattered Floral die cut flowers by Tim Holtz Alterations, Gesso mixed with acrylic paint for the background, Black Staz-on ink used for stamping images/phrase and a few rhinestones to dress up the Prom Queen's outfit.