Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #2 - Around the House

Welcome to the second Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - Around the House!

Hello! This is Rachel, and I'll be your host this month! For the month of July, I am challenging you to look at your household items in a different way. Use string, paper towels, cheese cloth, or tin foil to create texture. Try 'stamping' with paper rolls, cardboard, or bubble wrap. I was browsing my utensil drawer and thought that cheese grater could make an interesting stencil! Just think outside the basic supplies and look at things in a new light! And of course HAVE FUN and use your imagination!

Our generous sponsor this month is Die Cuts With a View. This fabulous paper company has started making amazing textured papers like corrugate, burlap, canvas, even chalkboard and white board stacks! DCWV also has a great collection of stencils that any mixed media artist would want in their collection. They have supplied this unbelievable prize package for TWO random lucky winners! Package includes 1 12x12 paper pad, 4 textured 6x6 paper pads, and 12 stencils!

Now to get to the gorgeous Around the House projects! I created my tall canvas using a beautiful piece of 'junk mail' as the centerpiece...

Here is a collage of my step-by-step process, including how I used some around the house items...

#1 Shows the beautiful images I tore out of the most recent Yale Medicine Journal. #2 I adhered crinkled pieces of tin foil to my canvas. #3 Pick out some bright matching paint colors! #4 I also adhered strips of DCWV burlap paper and then painted. #5 The cut image was decoupaged onto the canvas. #6 and #7 I stamped over the image with paper tubes and bubble wrap. #8 I rolled kitchen string in decoupage and paint and wrapped it throughout the canvas.

I'll have a lot more up close photos posted on my personal blog post, but I really wanted to share this one here. The tin foil is such a great item to add. Even when it's covered in paint, the shimmer from the foil still peeks through.

Guest Designer - Jenn Shurkus

Jenn lives in New England, with her kitty Mister Harley and her boyfriend Chris. She's been papercrafting for 15 years, and has played multiple roles in the paper craft industry as an independent store manager, designer and teacher. With a degree in graphic design she is also Copic and Ranger certified. She is part of the Lawnscaping Challenge Design Team. Jenn loves to show people new and clever ideas to design their cards and projects. She has a flair for the "artsy-fartsy" without going over the top. She designs her projects in the way to inspire, but not intimidate. Jenn is eager to share her creative passions with others and encourage their artistic growth. She currently is teaching classes with Lawn Fawn, Hero Arts, Ranger and more. You can read more about her, and her handsome kitty Mister Harley and wicked cute boyfriend Chris on her blog {creative chick} http://www.shurkus.com/ . You can also follow her creative adventures on instagram and facebook.

I was lucky enough to be with Jenn while she created this stunning art journal page for our Around the House challenge. Make sure to visit her blog for more amazing tips and tricks about her process, plus a bonus Around the House page she created for us!

Now more inspiration from our amazing Design Team!

Donna 

Carved a wine cork for a stamp, cut a wine cork for flower centers, used plastic bottle top for circle stamp, added Dixie Cups to background

Lynn

used bottle caps and silicone pot holder as stamps; cardboard as a stencil

Lalo

Used bottle caps, string, and even a pizza cutter

Lynn K

used bubble wrap, paper towel, old gift card, and CD case as applicator tools; bottle caps as stamps

Melanie

used masking tape, dry wall mesh, and pieces of wood

We don't have many rules, but ask that you do follow the ones we have! 

* Mention in your post how you used Around the House items

* Your post must link back to the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge post

* Add a link to your direct post, not your entire blog

* You can enter up to 5 times, create whatever you want, and HAVE FUN!

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