Creative Gym - Exercise #10

Hi everyone!

We are back to you with new, fun challenge!

"Such simple words! But words are mighty things;
They cast us down, or lift us up to rest;
They charm and strengthen' till our angel sings
The last of all the life-songs, and the best."
 (SARAH DOUDNEY, Some Words)
 

This month theme was suggested by Janka.

'One important word' !

Have you got some favourite or special word ? 
You can create any art of your choice; from cards or layouts, to mixed media pieces, altered art or journals. We wish you will join the challenge and have fun!

"Which word is the most beautiful?"

There is as many answers as people in the world. Some words sound great others are beautiful because of their meanning. 

I often dream... so my first pick was 'dream word'. The form was clear - dreamcatcher.

I covered my canvas with white gesso and dried it. My next step was to spray some water on top and then mix it with some mists from Lindy's Stamp Gang

I wanted to use my embroidery hoop which I sticked into my canvas. I added some lace in the middle. 
In that moment my phone rang. I picked up my phone... my 6 years old son came in to have a look at my work. I believe he was not imprssed with my make... he took some pencils and placed them inside my circle.
Exactly! This is what I was missing - peace! Most important word in the world.
I added those pencils and some microbeads around it. Additionally I added some white feathers, pearls and metal screws. My next step was to cover it all with gesso again.
I sprayed it with some mists and black Ecoline. Lastly I added some foam letters.
Flower is a symbol of our growing soul. If we all bloom with a smile on the face - one to another, with open heart, I am sure there will be peace all over the globe. This is my dream.
Dream - peace ♥ 

Products from Mixed Media Place:

I’ve chosen not only one word, but a phrase for my project because this phrase consists of two of my most important words : BELIEVE and MAGIC.
It’s important to believe and important to belive that magic can happen.
I see it almost every time I create, that magic can happen when I get my fingers into some paint or medium.
Here is my card with bright and positive colors with base from 7Dots Studio Domestic Goddess collection.

Products from Mixed Media Place:

I do rarely use really dark colors - this time I really had to :) Because my feelings today are very mixed - and art-journal is a kind of safety valve to me :) So I created a page about trust with lots of golden shine but also with dark colors at the background. Dark colors symbolize my uncertainty, if I can trust in someone. Golden light means that deep inside of me I trust in everything, that surrounds me, because everything happens for a reason.

Products from Mixed Media Place:

I had an amazing opportunity to take a workshop with two amazing teachers – Nathalie Kalbach and Birgit Koopsen here in Finland. That workshop really made me a color addict! So when I was thinking about the challenge piece, I wanted to create something with the teachings in mind. 

The word got me really thinking. There’s plenty of important words like love, caring, cherish and such. But the first thing I decided that the word needed to be in my mother tongues – Finnish. It was hard to choose but actually the playing with colors helped and I chose to go with “ilo” which means joy. 

To me that refers not just to the joys of my life (like my family) and to the joy of creating but the overall attitude towards life and happenings. 

Materials from Mixed Media Place:

Not really easy to pick only one word. The first ones that come to my mind were family, friendship, ... But finally, I settle on HOPE as I think it's what we need the most actually with all that is going on. 

I started to prime the canvas and a little wooden case with two layers of Heavy White Gesso. When dry, I added a design with a stencil and White Crackle Paste. While everyhting was drying, I stamped the wooden case with the windows stamp from the Old Town set and I glued the case with 3D Matte Gel. 

I added some micro glass ball I found in a discount store to add some texture. I covered those with White Gesso too and I added some flowers. I added Graphite paste around the window stamp and I covered the window's frame with Clear Crackle Paste.

I sprayed everything with Rust Mica Powder mixed with water. I added more color with Twinkling H2Os and Silks, added some White Gesso on top of the flowers, added more color, ... until I was happy with the result. Then I added more texture with some Micro Beads, Glass Glitter and Glass Beads

I die-cut two times the title letters in a piece of cardboard, I glued them together. I covered them with Gold Crackle Paste. 

I stamped the butterflies on a piece of cardstock, cut them, then covered them with a thick embossing powder. While the embossing powder was still warm, I stamped them again in ordre to give them some texture. 

  Products from Mixed Media Place:

Hello lovely Mixed Media Place friends. Using one word is a fantastic starting point for creativity. As soon as you focus on one word, all sorts of ideas, images, memories, experiences and emotions start to form in your mind. I have worked in my art journal, the perfect place for expressing ‘words’ and my word is ‘dream’. For me , the word dream is very closely connected to the word ‘hope’. Hope is that little spark that keeps us going, even during the darkest of times, and allows us to ‘dream’ of the things we really want in our lives and for our lives. The ballerina is just a symbol….doesn’t every little girl dream of being one. Their movements are so graceful, soft and flowing, as in a dream, and dancing is movement choreographed to a rhythm . Life has it’s rhythms, and we move and respond to them accordingly, and while dealing with all it demands of us, we must remind ourselves…..’don’t forget to dream’. To not dream is to be hopeless.

As always I gessoed my pages first, then added texture around the edge of the pages with a Finnabair Elementals “Lace” stencil and art Extravagance White Crackle Texture Paste.

Some stamping with Finnabair’s beautiful cling stamp, "Don’t Forget To Fly.” I did not use a waterproof ink to stamp with as I wanted the image to become soft and slightly blurred, as in a
dream, once it was lightly misted with water.

I knew roughly where the ballerina was going so started adding colour with Silks and misting with water.

 Some washi tape and rub-ons.

Also added some more stencilling in the corners using Pink and Gold Mica Powder mixed with art basics Soft Gloss Gel.

Products from Mixed Media Place:

We wish to thank you so much for taking part in our last challenge Exercie #9.
So many amazing projects, so much talents.
But... there is only one spectacular winner!

Butterflies N'Buttons!

We were amazed by this steampunk altered bird house.
Be sure to visit Butterflies N'Buttons blog to see more beautiful makes.

Congratulations!!! Please, contat us at: store(at)mixedmediaplace.com to claim your prize.

You have time to present your works until August 17th. Simply add a link to your work using the inlinkz tool below.
Our Design Team will then choose their favorite piece and its author will win a discount coupon to be used in our Mixed Media Place Store.

Have fun !

An InLinkz Link-up