....Welcome to a new challenge at
Creative Artiste is a monthly challenge blog for everyone who likes to mix their media. So, as long as you like to use various mediums on your creations, we'd love to see you enter the challenge.
A big Thank You to everyone who entered the challenge in December. Your projects were all fabulous and our winners have been announced on the blog.
Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"
We have opportunities to be a Guest Designer for all our winners.
Creative Artiste is back after taking it's annual break in January. My batteries are recharged and I'm looking forward to another year of creating mixed media projects to hopefully to inspire you.
February features St. Valentine's Day. My husband and I decided not long after we were married, nearly 42 years ago, not to give each other over priced Valentine's gifts. It's more fun to surprise each other randomly throughout the year with thoughtful gifts, flowers and chocolates.
And, after giving each other the same card one year for Valentine's Day, we decided not to bother with cards either. It wasn't even a romantic card, it was a jokey one!
Saying that, I have made a heart project for this month. But it's not a Valentine's one. I've called this
"My Stone Cold Heart"
I have upcycled a cardboard box with a drawer insert. The box measures 7"x 5"x 2" (18 x 12.5 x 5 cms).
1. I started by giving the box a coat of black gesso. Once dried, I painted it with a dark brown acrylic.
2. I gave it a coat of DecoArt Weathered Wood and let that dry. I then added a top coat of Burnt Umber acrylic. The Weathered Wood allows the top coat of acrylic to split as it dries revealing the base layer and giving an old 'peeled paint' look. I gave the inside of the drawer the same treatment.
3. I assembled a selection of metal elements and a panel of card treated with acrylics and Weathered Wood. They were all glued in place with Prima 3D Gloss Gel.
4. Once all dry, I used a stiff brush to add Pebeo Silver Gilding Wax to the elements.
5. I wanted to use a Prima plaster heart I have from an old Flaming Hearts set.
6. I gave the heart a coat of black gesso.
7. I filled the space in the heart with Prima Art Stones and Soft Matt Gel.
8. I gave the heart and stones a coat of black gesso.
9. I cut some squares of greyboard and painted the edges with black gesso. I then applied some DecoArt Crackle Paste and left it to dry. I added some Crackle paste to the heart also.
10. I dabbed black, and white, acrylic paint over the crackle to colour it. I used more black on the larger square.
11. I added a mix of black and white acrylic to the heart, using more white paint to make it lighter.
12. I layered the squares and fixed the heart on top. I glued the whole piece to the inside of the drawer.
Now it's your turn to have fun and create your mixed media projects. You can enter our challenge as many times as you like. A full list of the rules is on the challenge blog. For more inspiration please visit the
Creative Artiste Challenge Blog to see the fabulous mixed media projects created by our multi talented team.
Remember to have fun crafting and enter your
"Anything Mixed Media Goes" creations in our
February challenge.
For all of you who like to celebrate, have a lovely St. Valentine's Day!
I have entered this project in the following challenges:
