Halloween Home Decor by Tonya Gibbs

Marion issued us a challenge this month to create a Halloween home décor item using paper from her collections. 

 

I decided to use her Mad Tea Party Line for my project, and a cut file from the Silhouette Store.  The original cut file was designed for a candy/treat container.   I added a battery operated tea light inside the hat to make it a luminary. 

 

I recycled a plastic lace spool for the stand, and covered it with black lace.  Scraps of paper from Marion's other papers were used to make rolled roses. I sprayed them with Perfect Peach and Pink Taffy Glimmer Mists. Once they were dry, I added glitter nail polish to make them sparkle.   Since the clock in the patterned paper was set to almost midnight,  I decided to make a banner and title it "The Witching Hour". The font used on the banner was Dilana Experiment.  Clear glitter nail polish offered an iridescent effect to the little black crows.

 

 

The grass is actually white yarn that I stained with Forest Moss Distress Stains, then I added the clear glitter nail polish in small areas for added texture and shine.   I poured clear and pink glitter nail polish inside a small bottle  to create a sparkly potion.  I love that the nail polish didn't mix. 

 

It was fun creating this luminary, and thought it would be great to fill up a small shelf.

 

Thanks for stopping in today, if you haven't already subbed - please do so!

 

Tonya Gibbs

 http://www.psychomomscrapbooks.blogspot.com

Curious Stamp Coloring by Tonya Gibbs

Today, I would like to share with you a tutorial for coloring the rose from the Marion Smith Designs Curious Stamp Set. I used my rose on a A2 birthday easel card. 

 

 

 

The rose from the Curious stamp set will be the focus of this post today.  I also used the large doily from the Tea Party set.  I stamped the doily image and cut it in half. Then tucked it under the lace at the top of the flower cluster on the inside of the card.

 

  

 

I have a limited selection of markers, so I had to work with what I have. I suggest that you experiment with your own color combos. Also, I'm not a copic coloring expert by any means! So please don't critique my coloring too much. Trust me, if I can do this, anyone can. Just takes a little practice.

 

 

To color the rose image, I used these Copic color combos....

Rose:    YR24, YR23, Y23, Y21
Leaves:    YG95, YG23, YG13

Sky:  BG10

 

 

I'm not doing a tutorial on coloring the entire rose, since I'm not an expert. Just offering a suggestion for stamping your image.

 

 

I started by coloring my stamp with my the darkest colors YR24 for the rose & YG95 for the leaves. Make sure you work fast before the colors have a chance to dry. 

 

 

Squirt blending solution on the stamp to moisten the stamp before stamping. (WARNING: The blending solution contains alcohol and is highly flammable. It should not be sprayed, or dried with a heat tool. ) The colored lines will lighten a bit when you use the blending solution, so I started out with my darker values.

 

  

 

Stamp the impression onto Copic Coloring paper. I used Neenah Solar White Classic Smooth paper. Allow the image to air dry completely before coloring - usually only a few minutes. WARNING: DO NOT HEAT SET THIS IMAGE - The Blending solution is flammable. As you can see above, the image is not completely clear and bleeding did occur from the blending solution.  No worries, since we stamped with the colors that we intend to use, we can correct these imperfections when coloring.

 

 

 

 

Color your rose one petal at a time. I started with my shadowed area of the petal, then filled in with a highlight adjacent to the shadowed area.  Change your color combos for your highlights and your shadows to give more contrast to your image. Reference a rose photo from the Internet to get a feel for what areas should be dark, and which areas should be highlights.

 

For your highlights use colors light - med (omitting the darkest color, YR24),  then for your shadowed areas use your darker - med. colors.  (omitting the lightest color, Y23).   Here is a quick color reference.

Shadow color combos: YR24, YR23, Y21

Highlight color combos: Y23, Y21, YR 23

 

 

 

Your lines will start to disappear as you begin moving across the rose, so be sure to work in small sections.    

 

 

 

 

Once the image was colored, I used a Spellbinder's bracket die to cut out my rose. For the card base, I used the damask from Marion's Scarlet collection. I also added a few butterflies and the frame from the Scarlet collection as well. I love how my flower looks perched on the easel when the card is open.

 

 

 

I didn't get into too much detail about coloring since I'm learning myself.  However, I hope you consider these techniques when using the stamp with your own projects.  

 

Thanks for stopping in today,

 

Tonya A. Gibbs

http://www.psychomomscrapbooks.blogspot.com

 

Mixed Media Canvas - Tonya Gibbs

Hi everyone, today I want to share a piece of art that I created to inspire a group of friends.  For those who have followed me for a while know that I'm in Weight Watchers.  Last week we had an awesome meeting where we shared our  group's success stories.  The three who shared lost a combined weight of over 160lbs.  WOW!  That in itself is encouraging to me!  We discussed the power in believing in yourself.  I was inspired in that meeting to create a canvas that I gave away at our meeting last Monday night.



 

 

Showcased at the bottom of the frame is Marion's Rolled Roses.  I love how the black in the roses pulls in the black from the chalkboard.  I also used scraps from her other digital journal lines to create the butterflies.  The butterflies were then dipped into melted UTEE to give them a glass like texture.

 

 

 

I wanted the frame to have a weathered inconsistent look.  The frame is one of the ornate wood frames with an inside opening of 5x7.  I painted a base coat with bronze distress paint, then crackled small portions.  I used an  Off-White linen acrylic paint to white wash over the top.  Once it was dry, I then sanded some areas to further disstress the wood. I used an Unity Stamp that says "If You Can Imagine It, You Can Achieve It!"  repeated all over the top  of the frame's surface.   I like that you are unable to see it printed clearly anywhere.  This makes you really focus on the words, and not just the quote.

 

 

For the background, I chose the Mad Tea Party paper "Roses 'R' Red".   I loved the repeated rose and clock patterns.  So I ripped it into irregular pieces, and combined it with some vintage recipes from a low-calorie cookbook.  I then covered it in gesso and recolored it with pink and gold gelatos.   A TCW damask stencil and molding paste were then added and the entire piece was colored again with gesso, gelatos, and finished off  with the bronze distress paint.  When you look at this canvas, the background stays in the background, but a closer look reveals the subtle hints of the patterned below the layers of paint!

 

 

For the quote, I used a saying from another Unity Stamp "Trust in your potential, enjoy the process, try something new, explore possibilities, but most of all BELIEVE!"   The stamp was ATC size, so I had to hand write it on the 5x7 cardstock.  Hidden inside the spray at the bottom, I have a clock - to remind you to take time for yourself.  A token that says "courage"  so you remember to have the courage to change your habits. And one that says "Believe" To reinforce belief in yourself!  

To me - this piece looks like a Tuscan kitchen.   The strong terracotta colors, combined with the rich roses and the chalkboard draw me in, and take me to another place. 


Thanks for stopping in today,

Tonya Gibbs
http://www.psychomomscrapbooks.blogspot.com

Resources:

Marion Smith Designs  Roses R Red, Rolled Roses
Faber Castle Design Memory Craft:   Gelatos - Pink, Hot Pink, Gold
Liquitex -  Gesso & Surface Prep Matt Medium
Ashley Home Decor - Vine
Martha Stewart Crafts - Butterfly Punch
Ranger - Utee, Distress Paint in Bronze. Coffee & Jet Black Archival Ink
Idea-ology - Tokens
Gely Roll - White Gel Pen
Cardstock
Cookbook
Doily
Prima - Clock
Unity -  Stamps

Cotton Tail Layout - Tonya Gibbs

Today I wanted to share with you a layout that I created using Marion's Grand Mini Album and Life Planner downloads. 

These are some of my favorite photos of my nieces.  We took them at Easter last year.  The bunny was such a sweet addition to the photo shoot, and Addie kissing the bunny was just the sweetest moment ever!

Designed  by Tonya A. Gibbs http://www.psychomomscrapbooks.blogspot.com

I really wanted the focus to be on the photographs for this layout.  So I tried to avoid too many embellishments and color.  Since their dresses had so much pink in them, I decided to avoid pinks in my paper choices.  If there is a dominate color in your photo, try to chose papers and embellishments that do not contain these colors.  It will help to send everything to the background and make your photo pop!  

I placed the photos into the photo frames that are available in the Life Planner download. These frames alone make this kit worth having. I just love their odd shape. I used patterns from both collections to create my own washi tapes.  Then finished off the layout with lace to soften up the harsh lines of the journal pages, and embellishments.

Thanks for stopping in today,

Tonya A. Gibbs
http://www.psychomomscrapbooks.blogspot.com

Masculine Layouts with Scarlet

I'm so excited to have the opportunity to use Marion Smith's digital images from the Scarlet collection. Last week I shared with you a layout I created of my niece Emily.  Today I want to show you how the same collection can be used to create a Masculine layout.  

Mr. Cool began first grade this week. He is the baby on my side of the family, and all week we have been saying "why did he have to grow up so fast!" When I found this photo of my nephew Cooper, I had to find a way to use it on a project.  Today, a year after the photo was taken, he looks so grown up.  I'm sure many of you can relate to this, as your loved ones go back to school.

Layout generated in Photoshop CS6, using the Scarlet Collection by MarionSmithDesigns.com

I used the masculine patterns from the Scarlet collection to create this digi layout. To make the layout more masculine, I focused on a monochromatic color scheme. Below are the patterns that I used......

In the Scarlet-Timekeeper paper I wanted to use the clocks and gears as a frame around the photograph, but the flower was too feminine. I decided to cover it with one of the clocks from the Scarlet-Clock paper.

I converted the Scarlet-folder page to black and white then inverted the image to give me a darker more edgy file folder for contrast against the layers of patterned paper.  Then I cropped only the edge of the folder to use on my layout.  You can see it poking out behind the gears in the above photo.

To create my washi tape - I used the Scarlet-LoveNote paper.  To make it dark, I followed the same steps as the file folder. Then changed the color to a rich brown so that it would have contrast, but not be too distracting. I then used a mask to give it a torn look.

I love to use things in an unexpected way. This collection has a very feminine vibe. By being selective with which portions I took from the collection, I was able to create a very masculine project.

Thanks for stopping in today. 

Tonya A. Gibbs

http://www.psychomomscrapbooks.blogspot.com