Mixed Media ATCs - adventures in OOPS!

Learning to embrace the oops has always been an issue for me in the past, however, after taking a couple of recent online classes, I have been able to do much better about letting go of some things and let a few of the oops be visible and be a part of the finished project.
Matter of fact - these oops have sort of grown on me.

You'll need
Mixed Media Birds and Butterflies
copy paper
digitized dictionary page
cardstock (white)
vellum
laser printer
Gesso
foam brush
Gelli Plate
Acrylic paint
brush or brayer (optional)
Mister filled with water
Painters Tape
stencil (mini dot - my design)
stamps, (Texture stamps from Mixed Media Supplies, assorted sentiment stamps)
ink pad (black)
Markers (Tombow Dual Brush, SN Sparkle, clear or pearl mica mixed with alcohol or water)
Tape runner (Tombow)
Clear foam Tape (Kool Tak)
seed bead (optional)
Silver, gold mica in misters


Open your favorite photo editing program and size the digital bird and butterflies image as desired.  Print using a laser printer.  Open the dictionary page and print on copy paper.
Cut the printed dictionary page into ATC sized pieces.  Trim as needed if your printer doesn't do a bleed print.  The pieces should be a finished size of 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches.  Using the foam brush, apply a light coat of gesso on the printed side.  The print should show through.  Set aside to dry.

Print the butterfly page on a sheet of translucent white vellum.  Cut the butterflies and birds you will use for your project and set aside.
Section off an area of the Gelli Plate using the printer's tape.  The area should be slightly larger than your ATC card. 

Place small dabs of acrylic paint on the gelli plate, blend the colors with your fingers (brayer or brush) and lightly mist with some water.  Place the gessoed paper face down on the gelli plate and pull a print.   Pull a second print.  Repeat as needed. Let these pieces dry thoroughly.

Color the reverse side of the butterfly as desired using the markers.   The vellum may curl -- you can flatten it by placing it in a heavy book or pressing lightly with a craft iron between two pieces of copy paper.   Embellish with some sparkles using the SN sparkle pen.  Let dry.

Add a little more texture to the front of your gelli print using a stencil (mini dot) and some ink and a blender or air brush.  Stamp the sentiment (I jiggled the stamp - creating my blurred image and the OOPS!)  Using the blender and some light brown, add a little color around the edges if desired.

Adhere your print to a piece of cardstock cut to the size of the ATC.  Using a blender or the ink pad, add a little more color to the edges of the card.

Mist or fleck the mica on the ATC card as desired, add other embellishments  -
Using the clear foam tape, add the fussy cut butterfly and bird images  you've colored.  Name and sign your finished image.

These are so fun to make and remember, it's ok to embrace the oops!  Today's play was definitely a good one. 

Clay Play #2

I'm excited to share this week's Mixed Media Supplies design team project featuring some Mica from Mixed Media Supplies.  And I've been enjoying getting a little more clay play time in these past couple of weeks.  This heart has a little extra play and was fun to create.

You'll need:
Sculpey Clay III
craft knife
background stamp
bead reamer
heart template
stencil
markers (Tombow)
eBrush
Ranger Distress Ink
mica (Mixed Media Supplies)
wire
ribbon, fiber
Wire cutters, needle nose pliers
Condition the clay.  I used a pasta machine once the clay had been warmed in my hands.  Using the template, cut the heart shape using the craft knife.  Stamp using the background stamp.  If you're going to hang the heart, be sure to add a couple of holes for hanging.

Bake as per manufacturer's instructions.  If the clay is thin, it will still be a little flexible.  Let cool completely before next steps.
Since I know that this heart will not be exposed to direct sun or outside elements, I chose some different ways to add color and a little more texture.

I chose to color using some Tombow markers and sprayed using the eBrush from Craftwell.  The two colors blended nicely.  As you can see, I also used a stencil for the "dots" and some Old Paper distress ink.

After the inks have dried, I took a small brush and applied a bit of Pearl mica from Mixed Media Supplies to add a bit of sparkle.

I also made a few smaller hearts to be used as embellishments.  They are also stamped and baked.  Colored with a Tombow marker and a little mica added to the surface. 
Add a wire hanger, hang the smaller heart with a large ring and add a bit of fiber to the wire for a little more finished look.  If desired you could make your wire a little longer and add some curls and more fibers as desired.

Hope you'll enjoy some crafting time today or in the very near future.  Keep nurturing your creative soul.