Loving Thought - Julie Hickey Designs

It's Tuesday! Here's something I've been having ready for some time now and it's actually been in use already. So, while I show it here as a small canvas style project, it's made on top of a MDF coaster and I actually use it as my tea coaster when I'm doing computer work. Like right now, the tea cup beside me is on top of this coaster! 

The piece is done using acrylic paints and embossing powders. The lovely leaf design is a stamp by Julie Hickey Designs and it's called "Loving Thoughts". The technique I used is something I've picked up from one of Birgit Koopsen's videos, although she usually doesn't use embossing powders. I embossed the leaf design using white powder, made some splashes using golden one and then coated the whole thing with couple layers of clear powder - kind of giving it a resin coating.

Thank you for stopping by today! Have a great day!

Materials: Julie Hickey Design, WOW! Embossing Powder, Prima Marketing, Sinelli

Pick flowers not fights - Julie Hickey Designs

Hi there! It's again a new week! Last week I shared my first Seth Apter team post over three videos and posts. This week I'm sharing several videos as well. Some of them are process videos, like this one I'm blogging today, and some are Facebook live recordings. I also have big news as my second online workshop for Artful Academy is live now! You can find more info about it here (link) at Artful Academy's website. I'll also make a proper blog post about it soon.

But back today's post! It's done with some lovely supplies from Julie Hickey Designs with added details using several other brands. I started the page with some text stickers by 7 Dots Studio, added some washi tape by Paper Garden and then started to add some mediums to the page. As you can see from the video below, it was a relatively fast and straight forward page to make.

Thank you for stopping by today! Have a pleasant start to the week! 

Materials: Julie Hickey Designs, 7 Dots Studio, Paper Garden, Ranger, Prima Marketing

Stamped brooches - Julie Hickey Designs

Moikka! Today I'm sharing two little brooches I made using stamps by Julie Hickey Designs. They both come from the same set called "Floral Frames". 

I first stamped the designs using Archival Ink to a piece of tissue paper. I then colored the pieces using water-based markers. I colored two wooden buttons using acrylic paints and after the paint layer was dry, I added some soft-body gel medium on top and collaged the trimmed stamped piece on top. The markers hold quite nicely without bleeding even though I was a bit worried about it! 

I added another layer of the gel on top, sealing the tissue paper with it. On top I added a little word, cut from an old book. Then I just glued the brooch part to the back and the buttons were done! The white markings on the brooches are made using Posca markers. 

Thank you for stopping by today! Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday! 

Materials: Julie Hickey Designs, Prima Marketing, Sinelli, Posca, Ranger

Dimensional sunflowers - Julie Hickey Designs

Hi there and sunny Wednesday! This piece now has a special meaning to me. I made it some time ago, but haven't blogged it previously. Then last Sunday, it was sold during an art sale to benefit Jo Packham. It was an online event, arranged by Seth Apter to help out Jo Packham. You can read more details here (link). 

When thinking of a piece I have and could donate to the sell, I saw this little sculpture-like piece on my window sill. I thought the little sunny blooms might be eye-catching and the saying in the base "be thankful everyday" echos the gratitude to be asked to participate. So I chose the piece for the benefit sale. I was so happy when I saw it sold! It's my second ever sold piece, the first being another benefit sale a long time ago. I'm sending this to its new home this week and I'm very excited about it! I hope it spreads joy. 

The piece is done using Julie Hickey Designs stamps. The blooms and the saying are from the "Mini Sunflower" set. The flowers I stamped on top of yellow cardstock, colored with markers, layered with a wire between the layers. The centers of flowers are out of old buttons. The base of the piece is out of air-drying clay first painted black with black gesso and then treated with embossing powder and beads. The little plaque in front is done with triple-embossed piece of cardstock, where I then stamped the saying while the powder was still hot. 

Thank you for stopping by today! Wishing you a sunny day!

Materials: Julie Hickey Designs, WOW! Embossing Powder, Prima Marketing, Sinelli

Be Happy! - Julie Hickey Designs

Hello there and happy Thursday! I'm sharing another project using Julie Hickey Designs stamp. This time I made a tag and recorded a process video while doing it. You can see that below.

The tag is done using "Be Happy" stamp set. It's a wonderful big sunflower that fits to the "Be Happy" theme so well. As you can see from the video, I first stamped the flower to my background to have an idea of the area, kind of sketch it. Then I added mediums on top and finally stamped the flower back on top having colored it beforehand. You can browse the Julie Hickey Designs products here (link) at Sweet Huni Designs site.

Thank you for stopping by today! Have a happy day! 

PS. Remember the Facebook live today! Happening at my blog's Facebook page (link) at 2 pm EST / 8 pm CET! 

Materials: Julie Hickey Designs, Prima Marketing, Paper Garden, Tsukineko, Posca, WOW! Embossing Powder

Be forever passionately curious - Julie Hickey Designs

Hi there and pleasant new week! Today I'm sharing an art journal spread with a process video with you. It's done using some new(ish) Julie Hickey Design stamps Julie very kindly sent to me. I used a set called "Floral Frames" in this spread. 

I started the page by adding some pattern paper to my journal. On top I then added some stamped elements. I did those by stamping with embossing ink on top of old book pages, then embossing the pieces using platinum embossing powder and coloring them using watercolors. I repeated the designs by stamping the same images straight to the background.

As you can see from the photos and the video, I used the stamped elements also as embellishments. I cut the leafy branches loose as well as some of the flowers. The leaves I used in opposite sides of the spread to balance it out. The flower on the other hand I used as a headdress for the man in the vintage photo. By placing them as his crown, I turned the scholar looking man into a fancy showgirl. Maybe he got bored with the university life and wanted to try to be a performer in the Moulin Rouge. I always like to think of a story to go with the vintage photo and art journal spread.  

Thank you for stopping by today! Have a manageable Monday!  

Materials: Julie Hickey Designs, WOW! Embossing Powder, Prima Marketing, 7 Dots Studio, Ranger, Sra Granger

Thinking of You - Julie Hickey Designs

Moikka! What color do you often use when you are stamping something to be colored? Quite often black, right? At least that's the case with me. Most times I pick up either a black ink or a black embossing powder to stamp an image for coloring. I actually had a black powder jar in my hand while making these cards, but then decided against it and went with a green one instead.

I used Julie Hickey Designs' "Spring Jug" stamp set for my focal point. I stamped it on top of white cardstock and colored using felt pens. I actually made two cards, as you can see, and chose blue scheme for the other one and orange and pink for the other. Which one is your favorite? 

The cards are done the same way - a piece of patterned paper, some acrylic paint, ink and washi tape in the background and the flower arrangement on top. The sentiment is stamped on top of a piece of vellum and embossed using golden embossing powder.

Thank you for stopping by today! 

Materials: Julie Hickey Designs, WOW! Embossing Powder, Sinelli, Prima Marketing, Ranger, Posca, Paper Garden, Kuusade

Gossamer Wings - Sizzix

On gossamer wings

she gathers her sweet nectar

to share with others

- James Milstid

Hiya there! It seems that I have been on an ATC quest lately as I'm again sharing a set of ATCs! This time I made some with bees. 

I made the cards almost ready and then started to ponder about the words to include them. I wanted it to have some sort of story so I actually googled for poems or haikus with bees and found the one I added to the top of the post, a haiku by James Milstid. I picked a word from each line and included that to my card. Thus they are "Wings", "Sweet" and "Share".

I took step photos of my making of the cards and you can see those below! 

Step 1. First I cut my elements for the cards. I used Thinlits "Bee" die set to cut the bees. I cut two smaller ones and one big. The solid parts are cut from cream cardstock and the top layer from black. I then used markers to color the center of the solid part warm orange and added few touches of pale blue to the wing parts. I also cut some honeycomb using Thinlits "Hexagons" die set. The solid parts on the left are the ATC bases (warm yellow) and centers (kraft). 

Step 2. Next I adhered the base and center layer for the cards together using double sided tape. Then I added some white gesso and orange acrylic paint on top using a silicone brush.

Step 3. More layers to the background! On top of the paint layer I stamped some text and a big sunflower using Julie Hickey Designs stamps. Then I cut the hexagon part cut from mat gold cardstock from the Surfacez Opulent cardstock pack Gold to pieces and attached those to my cards using a stapler.

Step 4. As I had the golden honey theme already going with the hexagon, I added some more in the form of golden acrylic paint. While that paint layer was still wet I sprinkled some of the smaller sequins on top. I mixed two of the Making Essentials Sequins and Beads pack - "Gold" and "Limoncello".

Step 5. To add even more sparkle to the cards I threaded some beads from the two sets and some other as well to thin wire. I then wrapped the wire around the cards.

Step 6. Before adding the bees to my cards, I added some embossing powders on top. I inked the bees, drizzled some golden embossing powder on top and then covered the bees with clear powder. After melting there was just a hint of gold in each bee, kind of speckles of gold. I used foam dots to adhere the bees to my ATCs.

Step 7. To finish the cards I typed the texts using my mom's old typewriter and added some of the bigger sequins from the Making Essentials sets.

These as well as all my other ATCs are free for grabs or swaps! Please just send me an email, if you wish to receive one. 

Thank you for stopping by today!

Materials: 

663852 - Thinlits Bee die set

662517 - Thinlits Hexagons die set

663007 - Making Essentials cardstock pack

664532 - Surfacez Opulent cardstock pack Gold

663864 - Making Essentials Sequins and Beads pack Gold

664604 - Making Essentials Sequins and Beads pack Limoncello