Stencil Test Drive with Jessica Sporn

Can you see me dancing? I look fabulous, by the way, as I jump up and down clapping my hands in frenzied excitement. . . . 

Okay, so it may not be the prettiest thing to see, but the excitement is genuine as I. Am. Thrilled to be participating in Jessica Sporn's Test Drive for one of her newest Stencil Girl products; Frames!

It felt like my birthday when I received the elegant 9 x 12 stencil in the mail, and I've been playing with it like a toddler with a new toy ever since. But I digress. Wanna see what I did with it? Okay then, here goes:

Journaling with Frames

My first play date with the stencil was with my journal. I used the oval frame in the set as a central element on the left of the spread and then used a piece of another (turned upside down) to represent a necklace on the right. Wait, here's a better shot of the oval:

Gel pen, molding paste, silver leaf and Stickles glitter

I began by placing the stencil on the page and simply colored in the exposed areas with an iridescent gel pen. I then off set it a bit and pushed molding paste through the same stencil. Before it dried completely, I applied silver leaf to the surface and then waited (impatiently) for it to finish drying. I loved the raised look it gave me and decided to finish it off with a few smudges of silver Stickles glitter.

Frames Banner

  

But I wasn't done there. I really wanted to do something that showed the variety of the stencil, so I decided to take some 4 x 6 pieces of painted cardboard I had in my stash and create a banner of sorts using all of the frames in the set. Since I'm a Mother Goose fan, some of those vintage images made their way to the party as well. Here's a close up of each piece of the puzzle, all of which were created with a mixture of molding paste and black fluid acrylic paint:

A portion of the rectangle frame (shown in the green piece above) was masked off to create a "door" and another stencil in the set was used to create a "roof". 

Each were highlighted with iridescent Stickles glitter for movement and depth.

Rounded Rectangle Frame

Oval Frame 

(this is the same stencil used in the journal above)

Square Frame

Rectangle Frame

And there you have it! I loved my play date with Jessica's Frames and look forward to using the beautiful stencil set again and again. Thank you Jessica for your support and generosity! 

Oh but wait! You can win one too! Here's the deal:

Now go see what the other artists did with the Frames stencil! But before you do, be sure to leave a comment here because Jessica is giving away a Frames stencil to one lucky winner, and EVERY comment in the test drive will be eligible to win. The more times you comment, the more chances you have to win!

Comment by Midnight, EST 10/13/2013

So go check them out! Here are all of the artists participating in this week's Stencil Test Drive:

Linda Kunsman

Maria McGuire

Nathalie Kalbach

Anita Houston

Janet Joehlin

Valerie-Jael

Jessica Sporn

Have fun and good luck! 

The giveaway is now closed. Thank you for taking the drive with us . . . xo!

(Happily linking to Paint Party Friday too!)

Kristin xo

Paint Party Friday: "I Am Made of Stars"

"I Am Made of Stars"

9 x 12; cold pressed watercolor paper

Happy PPF . . . .

I hope this finds you well! I've had a couple of busy, arty days and am filled with joy because of it. I just came off of a long stretch absent of creativity and missed it so much. It's crazy how much our moods can be lifted when we give time to ourselves, right?! 

Anyway, this week's painting was inspired by a book I was meant to read. I picked it up from one of my Mom's bookshelves a week ago, set it aside, and then (like a new word you've just learned and then keep hearing everywhere) for some reason people kept asking me if I'd read it. Seriously, like 3 people in a week - over a book from the 90's that I had never heard about until a few days ago! I took that as a major sign, and got to reading. Well, if you've ever experienced The Four Agreements (Don Miguel Ruiz), you'll understand why I read it in a matter of a few hours. It really is inspired.

And inspired I was then to create this - "I Am Made of Stars" - a 9 x 12 mixed media painting on watercolor:

Created on a gessoed surface with multiple layers of stamping and doodling

Sentiment written on neck with both matte and glitter pens

Also used: iridescent confetti stars and silver leaf

And here she is in her entirety:

Thank you for your time, thanks to Kristin & Eva for hosting PPF and have a happy, creative weekend. Perhaps with a trip to the bookstore thrown in for good luck. . . .

Kristin xo

The Summer of Color - PURPLE

"The Dreamers of Dreams"

8 x 10 Journal Page

{This page was inspired by my Dad (a huge Summer of Color fan ;) who suggested that the color Purple reminded him of the moon. Serendipitously, I found a poem by Arthur William O'Shaughnessy that went perfectly with the theme. The portion I used here reads, "We are the music-makers / And we are the dreamers of dreams / Wandering by lone sea-breakers / And sitting by desolate streams; / World-losers and world-forsakers / On whom the pale moon gleams: / Yet we are the movers and shakers / Of the world forever it seems."}

Oh, Red . . . 

What amazing pieces you've inspired! Your work was bright, bold and full of beauty. I loved watching our Flickr pool pop with color as your art was added throughout the week, and so appreciate the love and dedication that you put into it. Thank you for your kind comments to one another, for the supportive community you've created on Facebook and for sharing your links with us here as we head into our final Summer of Color weeks together . . . 

Believe it or Not . . .

This week marks our second-to-last color prompt. We will be working with Purple this week and our final color (announced at the bottom of this post) next. If you haven't yet joined us and would like to, please know that you are more than welcome anytime. We would be honored to have you. 

So how many weeks are left in The Summer of Color?

A total of three. After we complete our final two weeks of color prompts, we will have a wrap-up week in which we share what we have done during our time together. For those who are thinking ahead, this means that you can either create something to house or showcase the body of work you've made over the Summer, or you can simply share pictures of your work as a whole. More on that later, but know that there will be linking opportunities and another giveaway in our last week as well . . .

And now . . . The Red Week Winner is . . .

YOU

Please Email me your address and I'll get those Red hot goodies right out.

Ready for the Color Purple?

Our color prompt this week (Monday July 25th to Sunday July 31st) is the mystical, magical, regal color of Purple. Should you choose to accept it, your Bonus! challenge is to in some way incorporate a little shimmer and shine in your work. This includes but is not limited to the use of fine glitter, glass glitter, sparkly embellishments, crystals, metallic objects or anything else that would stop a deer in it's tracks . . . As before, please (A) link your blog or Flickr feed to the widget below so that others can find you (B) leave one comment if you created a Purple piece and (C) leave two comments if you completed the Bonus! challenge. 

Oooh, show us the Purple Giveaway. . .

(A vintage child's dictionary page featuring the color Purple, two vintage postcards (both written on and one stamped on the back), 8 yards of Darlee 20 Gauge copper wire, Liquitex Soft Body acrylic paint in Brilliant Purple, Stickles glitter in Lavender, a set of ten Loew Cornell white nylon brushes and a sprinkling of iridescent purple and clear Swarovski crystals)

And what is next week's color prompt?

ORANGE

(Monday August 1st to Sunday August 7th)

"Orange is red brought nearer to humanity by yellow"

-Kandinsky

I hope there's a Bonus! challenge. . .

Well, you're in luck. Should you decide to take it on, the Bonus! challenge for the color Orange is to in some way incorporate your favorite quote or poem. You can either include the text directly into your work or you can let it serve as your inspiration.  

Thank you and Have Fun! 

Kristin xo

The Summer of Color - PINK

"Seek Joy"

8 x 10 Watercolor Journal page

This page was inspired by the following quote:

"If we were talking to you on your first day here we would say, 'Welcome to planet Earth. There is nothing that you cannot be or do or have. And your work here - your lifetime career - is to seek joy'."

- Abraham

You continue to amaze me . . .

Just two weeks into color prompts and The Summer of Color has already proven to be an incredible journey. Your Green work was beautiful, diverse and so obviously created from the heart. Thank you for your comments to one another, your dedication to the project and the enthusiasm and passion you bring to your work. I love the community we're building here and am honored that so many of us are sharing it together. 

Have you checked out our Flickr?

I must say, it is really impressive! At last count, there were 100 pictures in our gallery and it continues to grow daily. If you haven't added your work to the Flickr pool yet, I highly encourage you to do so. I love seeing our work in one place and I'd be thrilled if we were all represented. If you have any questions about Flickr, please feel free to go here. For more Summer of Color community and connection, check our our Facebook page. It's quickly becoming my favorite new hangout . . .

Drumroll please . . .

The winner of last week's Green Giveaway (pictured in the post below) is . . .

YOU

Please email me your address and I'll get your Green goodies right out!

Now, on to PINK week!

I'm thrilled to hear that many of us are already excited about this one. If you haven't joined The Summer of Color and have been wanting to, now's a perfect time to start. Judging from your reactions, I can already tell that it's gonna be a great week. . . As of Monday the 27th through Sunday July 3rd, you may link your artwork inspired by the color Pink in the widget below. This week's Bonus! challenge is to in some way incorporate wax into your work. In summary, (A) please link your work in the widget below so that others can find you, (B) leave one comment if you created a Pink piece and (C) leave two comments if you completed the Bonus! challenge. Good Luck! 

And what is this week's pretty in Pink giveaway?

Bazzill basics 8 page scrapbook in pink, several pink bingo papers, two vintage (written on and stamped) postcards from the 1920's, one vintage nursery-rhyme playing card, several pink "keep this coupon" tickets, Liquitex soft body acrylic paint, Hubba Bubba bubblegum ;) and a sprinkling of clear, iridescent and pink Swarovski crystals and beads.

And what is next week's color?

YELLOW

(Monday July 4th to Sunday July 10th)

"How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun."

-Vincent Van Gogh

"What a horrible thing yellow is."

- Edgar Degas

Is there a Bonus! challenge for Yellow week?

But of course! Next week - should you choose to accept it - your Bonus! challenge is to incorporate metallics into your work. Metallic ink, paints, leafing, embellishments or otherwise, the choice is yours.

Have Fun . . .

Kristin xo