Happy March everyone! This month at the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog we have a very happy challenge (in my opinion anyway) – Buttons!!! I loooove buttons and have quite a hoard of them. I was totally on board with this challenge and dove right into my drawer of stash. I decided to create a mixed media canvas with an ocean theme that I could use for a summer decor piece on my fireplace mantel.
Look at all those buttons!! Love! The canvas is base coated with Paper Artsy Fresco Finish chalk paint with crackle paste and stenciling on it. (Stenciling done with ColorBox Blends in Uniform and DecoArt Media Shimmer Mister in Turquoise.) I also stenciled some 'sand' with Scattered Straw Distress Paint and the TCW Mini Cell Theory stencil. I knocked back the brightness of the colors a bit with a thin wash made from DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics - Paynes Grey and Quinacridone Gold.
I hand cut the coral pieces but the sea weed and sea horses are Sizzix dies. I also had some funky vintage conical buttons that looked like limpets or some sort of sea creature so I glued those on too. The sand is Stampendous Encrusted mix - A Spoonful of Rust. Normally you sprinkle this on your project and heat from underneath to melt the embossing powders but that wasn't going to work on the edge of a canvas! I put down a layer of soft gel first and adhered the chunks and loose powder to that. When it was dry I could heat it from the front without all the stuff flying around.
The photo is from a camping trip at the beach two years ago. It's a nice memory since we're not exactly next to the coast anymore!
Be sure to head on over to Mixed Media Monthly to check out all the projects from the Design Team. They'll knock your socks off! Our sponsor this month is May Flaum, and if you join in the challenge you'll have a chance to win a gift pack (photo is just an inkling!) from her and a spot in her next online class. Thank you May! =)
The supplies I used for this project can mostly be found at Sizzix or Simon Says Stamp. Follow the links below and a shopping you may go!
The pearl buttons do an awesome job of complementing this project. Cool!
ReplyDeleteLovely.
ReplyDeleteSo Lovely project!
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ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful way to remember that vacation Lisa! Wonderful colors and textures - and I love all the buttons in a row you used!
ReplyDeleteI love this canvas! The stenciling, the color choices, the texture are all perfect!
ReplyDeleteI love the way your buttons look like abalone shells on the sand! Such a great way to display your memories!
ReplyDeleteI love buttons too... and those ones have a wonderful 'beachy' feel. Lovely :)
ReplyDeleteThis layout goes so nicely together the touch of the buttons in their color lends so nicely to the eye thinking shells. I can see you really spent some time creating this concept prior to playing.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of a more perfect marriage between this photo and that path of buttons. Awesome!
ReplyDeleteI love the ocean, so when I saw your project it brought back happy memories! I absolutely love the design and think it is a beautiful way to showcase your photograph! Lovely layout and gorgeous colors. :)
ReplyDeleteI love sea:-) Your LO is very close to my heart:-) Wiola.
ReplyDeletePretty project! Love the buttons!
ReplyDeleteLilian
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