August Moon Mail Fun

I was, as usual, delighted to get my little package from the RubberMoon Mail Club this month. There are always extra fun little goodies included. This time, in addition to the fun little leafy stamp from RubberMoon, it included an extra stamp and faux postage paper from 100 Proof Press and new 2 x 4" pieces from inchie arts.

I was immediately inspired. Since I'm constantly digging for my mail box key - it always seems to find the most remote corner of my purse - I decided to make a special key chain for it. This was so easily done!

I began by punching a hole in the top of my inchie arts square. Then I used the beautiful leaf stamp that Kae Pea designed. By the way, this was one she designed back when RubberMoon was barely a dream, thinking that one day it would make a really cool stamp. That day has come, and it is a cool stamp!

I used StazOn ink to do all my stamping because it is a solvent ink and won't run if it gets wet. I used sharpies to color in everything for the same reason. Five minutes later, I had a nifty new key chain and my digging for the mail key days are over!

Then, because it was hot and humid and I was feeling surly about that, I used the stamp to make a snowflake. Yeah. I'm very much done with summer weather. Can you tell?

Where will your imagination take you? Happy crafting!

RubberMoon Art Stamps used
Exclusive Moon Mail stamp
New Moon

Other products used
inchie arts squares
StazOn ink
Sharpies

Wait! That's not all!!! 

Through Sunday, August 16th, RubberMoon is having a 15% off sale on Halloween and Christmas stamps! Check it out!!!

BOHEMIAN ART APRON

  

     

                             It all started with a little grey skirt.

                            A skirt that had a lot of sentimental value.

        but so unassuming it was relegated to the closet wallflower  pile.

                                        always.

                                       until today...

                    today that little grey skirt finds her destiny...

                                                   

 see, this little skirt just happens to have a lovely little liner underneath...

                      and I just happen to have a pair of scissors

                        how convenient! (or tragic, depending on
                                 how you look at it) hee-hee
                                                                         

                                   no fear, just chop chop!!!

                 why yes, this is exactly how my bangs looked as a child...
                                    I still have the touch!

                                          carry on!

                            my favorite things!!!!

                            vintage papers!!!!

                           Rubbermoon spiral pod stamp!!!!

                           Tim Holtz Distress Ink from Ranger Inc!!!!
     
                            exclamation points!!!!



                                   **************************


               begin by random stamping on vintage paper...

                                   then

                create a 'reverse contrast' print

                          with white ink

                      stamped on dark paper

           I  just tore a page out of a magazine for this

    *(make sure ink is dry on glossier paper before copying)

  trim strips from stamped magazine page and place on vintage paper
                                           

                                                             

                                         


           add some fun little 'scatter marks' with a sharpie
           

                                                         
             arrange your stamped papers

             face down in your printer,

            put transfer paper in paper tray
               
           * I used 'Tailor' iron on sheets from Michaels

              then hit 'copy'!

                                       
                                 

             by the way  -  using 'reverse/mirror' feature on

             copier prevents words transferring backwards
                                                                                                                                                                                       
                                           
            Below are my printed copies...COOLIO!!!!!!

                                         

                                         

                                       
           now just put pattern face down on fabric, and iron!

                                               
             pull paper up and there you go!!!!!!
                                               

            * sometimes the pattern will just partially transfer

                                  no worries!!!!
                                                             
                                 it simply adds character

                                                     

       I made 3 transfer sheets, adding some of my own artwork

                                   to the mix


                   now it's time for 'cut & paste'!!!

                                         

         if you sew, feel free to stitch your little heart out.

                           I am much better with glue...

         I embellished  and bedazzled with buttons,

                   sparkly ribbons, and raggy strips,

                   
       including some cool mesh from Linnie Blooms!

                                                       

                                               
              and yes, my patches are also are pockets...

    and here ends the tale of how little gray wallflower skirt
                                         
            became the 'life of the party apron',
       
       and lived an artsy bohemian life happily ever after.


             xoxo

          *find fun stamps at rubbermoon.com

         * find more treasures at linnieblooms.com


follow me, lori sparkly franklin at sparkly-heart.blogspot.com
                                           or
                               find me on Facebook
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                                      Pinterest
                                          or
                       ETSY  - sparklyheartstudio



                                     


                                    '
                                         
                                         
                                                       

                                               

Bejeweled Bliss !!!

                                                 WARNING:

This project is HIGHLY ADDICTIVE!!!!

        I am not kidding. Continue reading only if you have 

  very strong willpower,

   a little place to create,

 and a penchant for all things 

sparkly!

 Cuz we are going to make some 'out of this world' 

 JEWELRY

   

      from a couple of awesome RUBBERMOON stamps!!!!!

                                           

first, you need a stamp or two...and a hunk of Sculpey Mold Maker Clay,

         and a package of white Fimo clay or Sculpey clay.

                   knead the molding clay to soften it, roll it to about 1/4 "
                          then simply press your stamp into clay.
                     I am using a pair of faves from Rubbermoon,

                               'spiral pods' ge2482a
                                           &
                              'mod marks' kp5098c

*ahem - it's obviously been a while since I used my studio toaster oven
                   it's such a perfect sized cubby for colored pencil tins...

                                         ok, pencils OUT,
                                   prepared stamp molds IN!
                                           

                       just follow directions on package to bake.
                keep an eye on 'em. They brown up pretty quick!
                        generally as soon as you turn your back.

     *ventilation is a good idea too, there can be fumes while baking.

        Your home oven will work just fine too, but I prefer to bake
                   inedibles in a designated studio oven.

visions of my hubby nabbing one, eating it, and telling me how good it is
                   might have something to do with it too.

                     ok, yeah, I turned my back...they're a bit overcooked.

                                   but no worries! they're just fine!

give 'em a quick dusting of talcum powder to discourage stickiness...


                                                                           

               grab a piece of your white Fimo clay, knead into little balls,
                           and press balls into molds, then gently remove.
                                 
                               the molds are flexible, so this is easy

  
                       

here's a few out of their molds... trim off any excess with a sharp knife,

                                     

                                 then pop them into the little oven -
                                     and don't turn your back!!!!!

                         
                                           

                    after baking and cooling,  paint metallic gold!!!!!

                    define raised areas by rubbing with shimmer dust.
                       I used Pearl-Ex copper and bronze powders.
                                     
                 I  glued vintage paper to back of rectangular pieces,

                                                                             

                 
                          and glued pendant bails on to attach necklace chain.....




                                 now..... MUST ADD SPARKLES!!!!
                   
                              ( oh, you had to know that was coming )
                             

   
                                                                         
                                                                                   

                              assorted bits and baubles help inspire....

                                          and here we go!!!!!!


                                             
                                     but we need another layer...

                                                           

                                        yes, that will do nicely!!!!

                                        how about another layer?

                                                                         
                                                   SWELL!!!!!!

                                    one of my veryvery FAVORITES!


                                      insert one of the flower jewels
                                 wherever you choose...and you have
                                                          a

                      *****  refined + re - purposed vintage rosary  *****
                                                                                    

                                    ALL TOGETHER NOW!!!!!


                                                                               

                                                                                  

                                                                                 
Now that you are addicted,  I invite you to peruse rubbermoon.com

 where you can indulge yourself in a world of wearable sparkling

                                  possibilities!!!!!!!


       visit & follow my blog, sparkly-heart.blogspot.com
       or find my art on ETSY- searchbar -  sparklyheartstudio (one word)


go create something. lori sparkly

Stamped Spring Tea Cookies !!!!!

Winter is already bringing on a longing for color...

and it's not even January.

yet, here we are surrounded by

mile-high snowbanks 

and icicles the size of Cleveland.

So though I must concede to winter.

 I can find joy in the tiny perks that

                                                           winter brings.

I snuggle by a crackling fire,

 curl up with a colorful magazine and dream of hollyhocks in the garden,

 prepare a perfectly perfect cup of steaming tea,

 fill the kitchen with the fragrance of sugar cookies

fresh from a warm oven 

and with the help of Rubbermoon Stamps, turn the cookies into colorful flowers.

HA!!! TAKE THAT, WINTER!!!!!! 

begin with your favorite sugar cookie dough 

and a cute little flower shaped cookie-cutter.

I used an adorable bite-size, that way I can justify eating more...

use Rubbermoon stamp to emboss center of flower before baking

bake as directed,

cool for a minute, then gently re-stamp if necessary...

you can serve them at this point, depending on how hungry you are,

or 

if you can't leave well enough alone (like me)

you can decide they should have some razzle-dazzle.

as far as I'm concerned, everything always needs some razzle-dazzle.

 and you

 fill center depression with icing...

and wait

and wait

and WAIT

for icing to harden so you can 

add the dang razzle-dazzle.

*really experienced bakers know all these icing things, but you can already tell I am not a whizz in the baking department - I used pre made cookie dough...

ok, eventually the icing will harden enough to stamp on.

but remember patience is a virtue.

so then you take your nifty food-grade MARKERS ( such a brilliant baking tool, whoever thought of this deserves a crown. )

and just color the stamp

and

STAMP YOUR COOKIE, GIRL!!!!

if there are any cookies left by now, ( well, that's what happens when one has to wait for icing to harden...cookies innocently disappear ) then go ahead and add some colorful little candy centers using a dab of frosting for 'glue'.

then

pour a cup of tea,

and enjoy your

delicious

Spring Bouquet!!!!!

and now, here's a random picture of a cute hedgehog ornament on our tree.

taken while waiting for icing to dry. :)

find all sorts of cool rubber stamps that you can do really cool things with at Rubbermoon

find more of my artwork and stories on my blog sparkly-heart.blogspot.com

Your RubberMoon Tuesday Post: Instructions on how to create Painted Pony Power! from Teresa Cox Kolar and Purple Sun Studio!

Mixed Media Painted Pony

Hello and welcome to my first ever art tutorial! :-D 

I do a lot of teaching but, 

have never considered myself a writer/blogger.

 With that being said

I am excited to show you my process for

creating this 5x5 inch mixed media painting. 

Here we go-wheeee!.........:-D

Kristen of  RubberMoon and I met only

a few months ago. Kristen was conducting a workshop at

Lori Sparkly Franklin's studio. It was at that workshop that I fell in love with

RubberMoon Art Stamps.  So, this 

"RubberMoon Creative Team Adventure" is new and exciting and I am loving it! 

First Phase Materials

Time to get down to serious fun. 

My favorite kind!

Begin your painting with these materials

1/2" deep, 5"x5" gessobord

Naples Yellow acrylic paint

Burnt Sienna acrylic paint 

I have used Golden and Liquitex paints here. However, other

 brands of acrylics will work just fine.

Under layer

Apply a smooth under layer of Naples Yellow.

(Can't help thinking this little bottle of paint looks lonely-lol). 

Any type of acrylic brush will work for this step. This is a nice opportunity to

experiment a little. See what kind of brush you like.

Extend your under layer all the way 

around the sides.

Each new layer must be completely dry/ "bone dry" before

continuing with the next layer. Using a blow drier is a great way to

save time.

Texture!

For the next step you will need your Burnt Sienna paint, 

a rough paint brush (one with hard, scratchy, bristly type hairs. 

I save my worn out brushes for these textural treatments like the one shown below). 

Apply Burnt Sienna over the yellow with a nice rough

brush using very light and wispy

brush strokes. Using your brush with this technique will

produce this textural over painting allowing the beautiful yellow to show through. 

You will need to apply your paint sparingly and often. Building up to the look

shown above.

Next, prepare to get a little bit messy. Now it is time for a nice dark color like

Burnt Umber Light on this Linnie Blooms Mixed Media piece. Use the 

fabric like you would a stamp. Your fingers will 

get full of paint. No worries. It will wash off with

soap and warm  water.

Apply this to your canvas like a champ!

I mean stamp!!

This is the lovely result. More wonderful and unique texture!

More layering

Now apply another layer of Naples Yellow. Use a stiff, rough brush. Apply very light and wispy strokes. Gradually build up the application of paint until it covers the surface with some of the

colors and textures from beneath showing through.

Stamping!!

Woop Woop!!

Next apply Burnt Umber Light or any very dark (not black-too harsh)

paint to this RubberMoon Art Stamp 

Use this wonderful stamp

randomly, varying the position of the 

stamp around your painting.

(Little confession-this pattern has always 

been one of my very favorites! I bought this stamp

from RubberMoon and now I can use

it whenever I want, as much as want, how ever I want. Muaaahhh! 

I can get a little revved when in the creative process).

A little more layering

(layering is one of my favorite things- can you tell?)

For the last layer, apply cream colored paint. Again, use your stiff, 

rough brush with wispy strokes.

Stenciling!

Now it is time for your stencil. This is a hand cut stencil I made myself.

I made it from a manila file folder. Simply sketch the figure you would like

and voila! You can use the stencil again and again.

Apply a layer of gray paint using a stiff stencil brush.

  Less is more here. 

Too much paint will squish under the stencil and result in an unattractive, 

globby outline. 

Tweeking

Make the image more sharp with an additional

layer of paint applied with a soft bristled, pointy paint brush.

(Oops! Please excuse the blurry picture. 

My photography skills can be a bit lacking at times) lol!

Nice crisp looking under layer of gray. 

(Thankfully a crispy-I mean crisp! photo as well). 

Next apply a layer of earthy red with a soft, pointy brush.

 And finally a layer of cream.

Shading

Like so! :-)) 

For shading, add a little of the gray to your cream. 

 Use a very small, very pointy brush here.

Leave the 

mane and tail of your pony gray for now.

More Stamping! :-D

I used this little sweetie pie RubberMoon Art Stamp 

for one of the very last details-impressionistic moon shape.

Voila!!!

Add details that you desire with your small pointy paint brush. Here I have enhanced the pony

 with some shading, spots, facial features and added wisps of cream and white in the mane and tail. Some careful wisps of cream and white around the legs with your scratchy old brush, little dots for some added pizzaz - Pony Power!!

Fini! 

More Ponies!

These are additional Painted Pony compositions using

different color combinations. 

The main thing to remember is to have fun!!

When making your own stencils you are free to make anything

you want-flowers, fish, trees, birds-anything. RubberMoon Art Stamps and Linnie Blooms Mixed Media Products add to the creative experience! Visit both of these wonderful companies at http://www.linnieblooms.blogspot.com/and http://www.rubbermoon.com/

Experiment and enjoy!

Find more of my art on my blog: http://teresacoxkolar.blogspot.com/

Also, check out my Etsy shop: http://www.teresaketsyshop.etsy.com

I am on Facebook too: Teresa Kolar and/or Purple Sun Studio

All the very best!-Teresa :-D