Love Plaque with Dana

Thanks so  much for stopping by today! Dana here with my last project as part of the Zeus and Zoe Design Team. It's been great being a part of this team and I hope I have inspired you with my projects!

I created this plaque with one of Marivic's stunning Berry71Bleu Handmade Tags and supplies from my Zeus and Zoe Kit. I love the colors on this tag and the gold accents. Using the tag as my inspiration, I added a brightly colored patterned paper to a piece of cardboard. I used molding paste, a DecoArt Jacobean Floral Stencil and Glamour Dust Glitter Paint to add a floral design to my base.

This quote sticker is part of the 7 Dots Studio Hopefully collection and fit perfectly with the love theme of my piece. I tied a piece of May Arts ribbon around the plaque and highlighted the edges with some acrylic glaze as a finishing touch.

You can find more of my work at Berry71Bleu and my personal blog, They Call Me Tatar Salad.

Illustrated Stories & Sketches - Art Journal Page

Hi Everyone, Norma here with you today!!   This is my last post as an official Zeus and Zoe team member so I'd like to take a moment to thank Marivic for the giving me this wonderful opportunity to share my creations with all of you.  I have truly enjoyed working with this amazing team of talented ladies and all of these fabulous Zeus and Zoe products!!   A huge THANK YOU to all of you Zeus and Zoe fans too!!!!!

I really wanted to share a fun project in my favorite mixed media style so I created this colorful art journal page.

My background was already started with left over sprays and stencils so all I had to do was pick a focal image.  I chose to use this beautiful vintage lady from my Zeus and Zoe kit.  I colored her in using Prismacolor pencils, distress inks and markers, Liquitex soft body acrylic paint and a Faber-Castell brush pen.  I simply fussy cut her out of the paper and glued her onto my colorful world ;D

I added swirls with Golden Molding Paste and a DecoArt stencil.  Then doodled around the top and bottom of the page.  I added pops of color with Golden Fluid acrylic paints.  The fluid acrylic adds tons of color while allowing the colors underneath show through.

I added bits of vintage news papers from my Zeus and Zoe kit to create my title and for scallops along the inseam of the page.

I doodled flowers here and there to add some yellow as an accent color.  I wrote "Dare to dream in bold bright colors" along the top.  I imagine that this is the way my vintage lady sees the world.  I have to say, I'm so loving this art journal page!!  It makes me so happy with all of the bright colors and doodles, it's how I see my world, lol.  

Well friends, thank you so much for visiting with me today!!  I hope my art journaling makes you smile too, HAVE A BEAUTIFUL/COLORFUL DAY FULL OF INSPIRATIONS!!!

HUGZ!!!

Heritage Page by Denise van Deventer

Hello Everyone

Well the weekend is almost upon us and I am sure you are looking forward to it, as much as I am! ;-)

I have a heritage page to share with you today - Dad & Us.

This is a photo of my Dad and us 3 kids.  This was taken when I was about 7 years old. I just know that we were going to a function and we were all dressed up for the occasion. Don't we look spiffy?

I loved using the Zeus and Zoe crocheted round, buttons and text paper, as they really added to the heritage look and feel. The trim under the photo is May Arts trim and is really soooo divine! You will see I also did some  stencilling with gesso and here I used a beautiful DecoArt classic stencil.

Please check out the Zeus and Zoe Etsy store here, where you will find these wonderful crafting goodies.

Have a super weekend.
Denise x

Mini Album - "This is Me" for the April Challenge

Hello Everyone

I hope that you had  a super weekend and that Monday is treating you kindly! Denise here today with a mini album that I created for the April Challenge  - Life as it is Now - and I am really excited to show you what I created.

The challenge this month is to create and journal a project about "life as it is now," the subject being "you as an individual."  This challenge is open to interpretation and you can add as much detail as you wish, and share whatever you wish to share about yourself. Hidden journaling for personal information is fine. There is one additional requirement for the challenge, and that is to incorporate the use of buttons into your creation.

This mini album is about Me, as I am now, in 2013, and is called "This is Me".  So one day, I will hopefully look back at this  little album and remember exactly what my life was like in this year.

It was actually quite easy to get my thoughts together for this project, as I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to journal and the points I wanted to highlight.

So firstly I wanted to have a photo of me, as I am now. Can you imagine me in 20 years time, looking back at this moment?

I also wanted to document what my life is all about and what is important to me.

Then I went on to document the things that I really enjoy and love! These are certainly the "stuff" of life!

I certainly had to have a picture of myself and my son in the album, as he is certainly the sunshine in my days! He has added so much joy and love to my life and is certainly one of the best things I have ever done! ;-)

Here is another picture of me and is adjacent to a big 42!! So that kinda tells you exactly where I am at! LOL!

So that is my "This is Me" album and I used some wonderful goodies from the Zeus and Zoe kit.

I loved the metal trinkets and rounds, the stick pins, the beautiful buttons and the wonderful laces and trims, the Prima Say it in Pearls, and so these were what I used throughout this album. 

I was also fortunate to have some Glamour Dust from DecoArt and this was really fabulous to colour the papers and metal round with.  The Zeus and Zoe Etsy store can be found 'HERE'.. and you can obviously purchase these wonderful goodies there.

It would be so super if you could join us for this challenge and we really hope to see your entry soon!

Just a reminder as so the wonderful prizes you could win:

Our main sponsor for May is kind enough to send some extra trim for a random winner this month..

The random winner will get trims from May Arts.

Crepe Paper Flower Tutorial

Thanks for stopping by today! I always look forward to Spring when things begin to turn green and flowers begin to bloom! I created these beautiful flowers, a variation of a flower by Melissa Frances, with Crepe Paper, DecoArt Glamour Dust Glitter Paint and some fabulous buttons from my Zeus and Zoe kit.

Step One: Cut 5 pieces of crepe paper to measure 1-inch x 1.5-inchs, making sure the longer length runs with the lines on the crepe paper. These 5 pieces will form the inner petals of the flower. Cut 7 pieces of crepe paper to measure 1-inch x 2- inches, making sure the longer length runs with the lines on the crepe paper. Using scissors, round the corners on one end of each of the pieces to make a petal shape.

Step Two: Use your thumbnail and a finger to smooth out the crinkled  lines on the rounded end of each of the petals.

Step Three: Dip the tip of each rounded petal into DecoArt Glamour Dust Glitter Paint. Let dry.

Step Four: Use the 5 smaller petals to form the inner layer of the flower. Pinch the straight end of each petal to form a teardrop shape. Use hot glue to adhere the petals together.

Step Five: Layer and adhere the 7 larger petals onto the backside of the 5-petal flower you just formed.

Step Six: Glue a button to the center of the flower to finish.

In addition to the elegant pink flowers, I also created some fun colored blooms.

Remember, there is still time to enter the March Challenge. Link up your challenge by the end of the month for your chance to win a prize! Like the Zeus and Zoe Facebook Page to receive up-to-date information about challenges, upcoming sponsors and contests.

Until next time,
Dana

March Challenge - an altered book cover

Hello there! It's Yvonne here. I recently started art journaling in old books and for the March challenge, I altered the cover of my art journaling book.

I started by cutting a window on the cover and some inner pages. I wanted to create some depth for the beautiful Zeus and Zoe embellishments but still wanted for the book to fit nicely on a bookshelf. 

I used the DecoArt stencil along with Golden glass bead medium to create a raised texture on the cover. Then I painted it with DecoArt paint and added some PearlEx for some shimmer.

For the base of the window, I used a vintage birthday card and some pretty embellishments. I also added some swirl chipboard to the cover. All from the Zeus and Zoe store.

Herb Garden in a Box

Hi all!! I'm Janel and I blog at NellieBellie! I'm so happy to be on board with Zeus and Zoe as a new Design Team Member. I'm beyond thrilled to be able to use the fantastic products!! My blog is a lifestyle blog with a little crafting, a little cooking, a little DIY, and a whole lot of giggling. I'm beyond thrilled to "meet" you and be able to share projects with you often!! Be sure to stop by and say hi!

Wouldn’t this be such a sweet little box to give to someone? Or just keep for yourself. An herb garden in a box. There is something about having fresh herbs right outside my kitchen door that makes me feel so happy. And, this little box lets me give that feeling to someone else easily and inexpensively. What a great way to start Spring!! Get these little herb plants started and let your friend plant them when the ground is ready! I made the box from a cardboard box easily found at a craft store. I used DecoArt’s stencil and paints to give the box a wonderful spring pattern that is fun and whimsical. Wood circles are attached and more DecoArt paint is used to write “Herb Garden in a Box” on them. (The same wood circles and paint make cute plant id’s inside the box.) A fabulous decorative flower from Zeus and Zoe embellishes the front of the box. And cute little flowers from Zeus and Zoe(jazzed up with DecoArt paint) are embellishments for the wood circles on top. To create the “garden” fill plastic cups (cut to size) with potting soil. I set the cut cups into the tops that were cut off (flipped upside down) for added stability. Plant a seed or two in each cup, water, and add the plant tag on top. Include fun accessories like a trowel, more seeds, and an embellishment (this butterfly is also from Zeus and Zoe and is so sweet!). Now let your friend know that the seeds are live and ready for them to care for and see their faces light up with delight when you give them this gift!!

March Challenge Project - When Life Really Begins

Hello everyone, Norma here!!  I'm so happy to be here with you today to share my very first Zeus and Zoe project.  This month we are challenging you to create a "New Beginnings" themed project using a mask or stencil.

So for my take on the challenge, I created a 12x12 mixed media canvas inspired by this beautiful Barbara Deangelis quote,"The moment in between what you once were, and who you are becoming, is when the dance of life Really Begins".  

To create my canvas, I started out by adhering handwritten vintage letters and sewing patterns from my Zeus and Zoe kit.  Next I added the flourishes with molding paste and a DecoArt Spiral Scroll stencil.  Once the molding paste was dry, I painted over the entire canvas with acrylic paint.   Then I fussy cut the birds and flowers from the KaiserCraft, Sweet Nothings Collection - Devoted patterned paper that came in my Zeus and Zoe kit and highlighted with a wash of  DecoArt Twinkles craft paint. 

I found this beautiful vintage photo on Magic Moonlight Freebies.  What I really liked about the photo is that she looks so happy, don't you think.....like she's very happy with where she is in her life.  I thought she matched the quote perfectly.  So I matted the photo with KaiserCraft, Sweet Nothings Collection - Devoted patterned paper and some beautiful embroidered lace from my Zeus and Zoe kit.

My kit also contained beautiful Manor House Fantasy Moonlight flowers and a piece of butterfly printed canvas that went perfectly with my design.  I fussy cut one of the butterflies and a flower from Designs Galore - French Floral Text patterned paper (also from my kit).  Then added more of the Twinkles craft paint to all of the flowers and the butterfly for some added sparkle (cause you can never have to much, lol).

To bring everything together, I added some of Zeus and Zoe's beautiful velvet lilac ribbon and embroidered flowers.  I also tucked in Prima flowers and bling from my stash.  Next I hand wrote the quote onto the backside of the Kaiser patterned paper, fussy cut and inked.  To complete my design, I added purple paint to the edges.  I really like the way the purple paint frames the composition.  

This month's challenge is sponsored by DecoArt and they've given us some fun prizes to share with you.  So I hope I've inspired you to play along with us in this month's "New Beginnings" challenge!  

To find similar items to what I used on my project, visit the Zeus and Zoe online store and don't forget Marivic can put together a special kit just for you.  So if you have something in mind just let her know!  

Thanks so much for joining me today!  I'm really looking forward to seeing all of your beautiful creations, have a beautiful day!!

  

March Challenge: New Beginnings

Thanks for joining us today! Dana here introducing the challenge theme for March. The month of March brings longer days, warmer temperatures, the rebirth of flora and fauna and Spring! A talented set of new designers begin their term this month and to celebrate the commencement of the new design term and the upcoming Spring Equinox, the Zeus and Zoe Team challenges you to create a project inspired by the theme "New Beginnings." If you started a new job, moved to a new city, are taking a class, treated yourself to a makeover, repainted your house, celebrated the birth of a child, or are reorganizing your scrap space we want to see how this journey has inspired you! This theme is open for interpretation, so we are adding an additional requirement for this challenge to use a mask or stencil on your entry.

This beautiful calendar page came in my Zeus and Zoe Kit and I immediately fell in love with the image and gorgeous color palette. I always look forward to Spring when things begin to turn green and flowers begin to bloom and I created an inspirational piece to hang in my scrap room.

This quote sticker is part of the 7 Dots Studio Hopefully collection and fit perfectly with the New Beginning Theme for the challenge this month.

The Zeus and Zoe Etsy Shop has a fabulous selection of Manor House Creations flowers and vintage trinkets.

I used molding paste, a DecoArt Jacobean Floral Stencil and Glamour Dust Glitter Paint to add this flower design to my page. I love the glittery finish from the paint!

Our sponsor for March is DecoArt.

Since 1985, DecoArt has manufactured one of the broadest lines of acrylic paints and finishes for general arts and crafts use in the world. The line includes all-purpose acrylics for professional artists, crafters, and students. Located centrally in the United States, DecoArt manufactures numerous specialty paints that are designed specifically for surfaces like glass, ceramics, fabric, and metal, from its Stanford, Kentucky production facility.

Product Overview
DecoArt has one of the widest selections of paints and finishes for arts, crafts, and home decorating. DecoArt has a full product line which includes over 25 brands of paint and finishes. DecoArt products are sold in all major craft chain stores in the United States, as well as having a strong market presence internationally in over 75 countries abroad. 

Commitment to Quality 
DecoArt assures its loyal and new customers that they can use their products with confidence. All DecoArt products are non-toxic and user- and enviromently-friendly.

DecoArt makea safe products. Their paints and specialty products are made in the USA to federally-mandated and industry-wide safety and quality standards as established by the Art & Creative Materials Institute (ACMI). ACMI employs one of the nation's top independent toxicology groups at Duke University. All of the DecoArt formulas are reviewed and have been certified as non-toxic by this group. 

For a chance to win some DecoArt products link up your newly created project by the end of the month.

Prizes:

Random Prize:

Here are the rules: 
1. Projects must be linked up to our linky tool in the side bar, using the URL of the ACTUAL POST, not your entire blog. 
2. You may submit as many entries as you would like and combine your entry with up to 2 other challenges. 
3. Post this challenge to your blog and mention, in your post, that you are playing along at Zeus and Zoe TOGETHER with a link back to our Zeus and Zoe blog. 
4. All entries must be received by MIDNIGHT EST on the 31st of March. 
5. Entries to be submitted via the linky tool at the top of the sidebar ONLY, not by email and not by linking up in the comments section please. 

Information about our challenges: 
1. Zeus and Zoe Challenges are open to anyone, anywhere in the world. 
2. Our DT do their best to comment on all entries, you can make their job easier by turning off your word verification. 
3. Challenges are held monthly and each month TWO winners are chosen. One winner is chosen by our DT and the other is chosen by random draw. 
4. Challenge winners will always be announced within a week of the challenge closing and winners are then required to contact Marivic. 
5. Prizes not claimed within two weeks will be forfeited. 
6. The Merit winner will have an image of their project featured in the winners post, together with a link back to the homepage of their blog. 
7. Winners will be awarded a Winner's Badge to post on their blog...full bragging rights included! 

We can't wait to see your entries for this challenge! Thank you for your visit!