New Mixed-Media workshop at Wynyard Teesside

On the 29th of March 2014 I'll be teaching a 40 x 30 cm mixed-media canvas workshop at Wynyard Teesside.

from 10am until 5pm.

We'll be using all kinds of ephemera, inks, paints, grunge paste, stamps, stencils and pastels to make a colourful creation for you to take home. 

The class will be packed full of mixed-media techniques that you can use on cards, journal pages and altered art, as well as canvases. All supplies are provided, just bring a heat tool and a apron.

The venue has plenty of free parking, is just off the A19 and has a Premier Inn close by.

If you're interested in booking on the class please contact Sue Tucker (on facebook) or Sue Tucker's email on sue.tucker1@btopenworld.com. Or let me know and I'll get you in touch with Sue. 

I'd love to see you there. 

Michelle x

These are some of the mixed-media canvases I've done so far. 

  

Dyan's a STAR!

Two blog posts in one day! 

In November I went to Dyan's Star book class at Art from the Heart.

 I saw this star book on the table on preview day way back in October, and I just knew I wanted to do the class!

 It was nice and heavy, well made and full of really great ideas and techniques. 

I'm so pleased I did the class because now I have this fabulous book to look at all the time.

 I had a few more bits to do to finish it off, but with working and Christmas I didn't get chance to complete it.

However last night I finished it, I just love picking it up, its wonderful.This is staying in the front room this one!

Love this star!

Dyan has this class on again on the 1st of March 2014, I totally recommend going to the class, its well worth it, you get a whole Tim Holtz paper pad and load of Idea-ology too. And of course Dyan's stella company!

I enjoyed it immensely.

Michelle xx

What did I do Last Year?

Happy New Year!

Hope you had a marvellous Christmas?

This is me making the 3 bird roast of turkey, goose and chicken. It was very tasty indeed!

2013 was an incredible year for me, I started the year off on the PaperArtsy design team.

What an honour, love Leandra and Mark. 

Then had the chance to do a spot of demoing at Alexander Palace for PaperArtsy too. It was heaving and met a lot of people from Twitter. :)

As if 2013 couldn't get any better Dyan Reaveley gave me an amazing opportunity to teach at Art from the Heart. I was a nervous wreck, but I enjoyed it immensely because the ladies and occasionally a gentlemen were really lovely and supportive :)

Then I was made redundant from work, so I had more time on my hands to make bread and to craft!

I had a dabble in other art too and tried oil painting. 

Which resulted in a painting being put in an exhibition in the Infinity Cafe in Stockton-on-Tees.

My little painting xx

I had a bumper crop in the garden this year, the sunshine made everything ripen quickly..a bit too quickly!

Then I went back into work in September, back to my first love geology.

I wonder where 2014 will take me?

Looking forward to the adventure.

I have heaps more crafty classes lined up too, can't wait. xx

Have a fantastic 2014

Michelle xxxx

Christmas Burlap Panels & Sleigh

I made these Christmas burlap panels and sleigh for a class I taught at Art from the Heart in November this year.

They are looking very festive on my wall at home.

I really love putting up Christmas decorations I've made, it makes them that little bit more special.

I've used the Tim Holtz burlap panels which are great because they have a hard panel behind the canvas so you can stick and stamp anything on the front of them.

I've used the gorgeous Graphic 45 12 days of Christmas papers for the panels and on the sleigh.

The sleigh has lots of Tim Holtz festive die cuts on it.

I really enjoyed teaching the class we had Christmas music, crackers and chocolates too :)

I'll be back tomorrow with another blog post, bring it on!

I have a lot of time to make up for.

Michelle x

Mixed Media canvas for Sarah

Hello you may remember me for such things as mixed-media canvases, altered art and the occasional arty tag! :)   Or you may not its been that long since I blogged last, but I'd like to try and blog something everyday while I'm off over the Christmas holidays.

I've got tons of crafty projects I've done over the past few months, mainly for classes, but I'd love to share them with you and to keep a record of what I've done too.

I'm really pleased to be able to put up this mixed-media canvas I've made for my friend Sarah. 

She's a beauty therapist and has magic hands when it comes to massage!

She has a fab new beauty salon and she asked me to make her a painting to go on her bare wall.

Her business name is Sulis Beauty Salon, Sulis is the Roman goddess of thermal springs, hence the healing waters of Sulis.

I've used lots of random things for the background and for the texture on the canvas.

Here's what I started with.

Some old map paper, lace, mulberry paper, ribbons, sheet music, hessian, book pages and Sarah's treatment leaflet.

I gessoed over the top of the bits of paper and ribbon, and used teal, blue and cream acrylic paint to blend in the background.  I painted through lots of different stencils to add interest and stencilled some grunge paste for texture. Then rubbed treasure gold over the top to make it shine.

I started to draw and paint the goddess Sulis, made up from my imagination, but loosely based on how Sarah looks. I used Golden interference blue paint on the hair and on the water so it looks like shimmering water too. You can just see the effect here on the hair.

I've used a mixture of shells and beads to represent the crashing water at her feet, with gesso over the top and blue treasure gold rubbed over the top.

No painting is complete without some drippage and there is lots on this painting. 

I'm pleased to report after handing this over to Sarah today, that she loves it. 

I'm always unsure if other people would love it as much as I do, so very pleased that she likes it.

I hope you do too x

See you tomorrow

Michelle xx

Normal service will resume shortly :) x

Normal service will resume very shortly.

In fact very soon....maybe this evening!

Michelle :)

I'm back!

I know I've been a very bad blogger :(
I'm very sorry about that.
I've just been under the proverbial crafty thumb over the last 4 weeks.

But I'M BACK

I have a backlog of projects to share with you and I can't wait to get them on the blog.

First up is a tag we made at my taster session at Art from the Heart on Saturday.
It was a full class, of lovely people, (the naughty end was very funny :) even Steven from Paris was over and he popped down too.

I've used Dylusions ink After Midnight, Crushed Grape, Squeezed Orange, Lemon Zest and Post Box Red for the background.

The owl stamp is Stampotique and I've used a glaze pen to make the black branches and owls standout.
I've used a blue Signo pen to highlight the branches and a yellow Posca pen to highlight the owl's eyes.

I've also used the yellow Posca pen on the skeleton too.

I used Tim Holtz's graveyard die on the bottom and coloured them with water pens filled with the same Dylusion ink colours I've used on the tag.

Skeletons in the closet?

I've used my huge leather journal for this page. 

I've used Dylusions inks and the new Dylusions stamps 'Pin up Queen', 'Boney Maloney', 'Day of the Heads' and 'This old House'.

I wanted her to look like a carnival girl so I gave her a bit of bling with stickles.

I had to get my thinking cap on and draw the wardrobe and the effect on the stockings is from using Distress Ink through some lace.

I love the way Dyan's perfect skeleton's hand curls around the door.

I've been trying to plough through my huge glut of courgettes from the garden.

I've been making flans, bakes, cakes you name it. I think I'm going to look like one soon!

Any ideas are very welcome. :)

Hope you have a fabulous week?

Michelle xxx