Happy crafting day to all my friends. I am here to inspire you with some ideas for some quick cards to make. Sometimes you don't have alot of time to spend on creating that custom made card and I'm here to tell you that's possible with just adding a bit of mixed media to your card background. Using plain white card stock allows you to create your own color palette to match your gift bag or present. Art Anthology has provided a really pretty mood board for color and idea inspiration:

These colors are so pretty for the spring and scream happy  happy happy. So I used them for my color choices for cards.  

With the use of stencils, I sponged on some 3D paints from Art Anthology (photo on the right) and the other card was 3D paint mixed with Art Basics Snowflake Paste. 

The image on that card was stamped with black archival ink on water color paper and then colored using Art Anthology's Colorations sprays and I watered them down for a nice pastel effect.  The stamped image is from Oxford Impressions. 

The last card I stamped my title and stars with embossing ink and heat embossed with white on water color paper, then spritzed the page with water and using watered down Colorations Sprays I painted the background. Stamped my cupcake image with  and added Snowflake paste and seed beads for the frosting. Quick easy cards that didn't take alot of time but were fun to make. Hope you were inspired. 

For a full listing of supplies check out my post on Art Anthology's blog 

Wishing you a weekend filled with happiness ..... xoxo Toni

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Hard to believe it's already May and it's such a pretty time of year. Everywhere you look gardens are bursting with greenery and color so my project today I decided to create something also bursting with color. For my design team project with Art Anthology I wanted to utilize a tutorial I watched quite awhile back from Holly Young on YOUTUBE showing a DIY video on how to make some wonderful flowery fluff simply out of crushed styrofoam.... so thank you Holly.

I started with a 8x10 canvas and used the inside of the canvas to provide dimension to my project. 

The background was first stenciled with texture paste using a brick stencil. 

The chipboard pieces were prepped with gesso and then painted silver and smudged with black soot DI to give it a pewter look. Flat side pearls were added to the gate to provide rivet appearance. 

Reindeer moss was added as the greenery then to make this cute flowers out of the crushed styrofoan and then all the cute little blooms were added to the moss. These blooms were quite easy to make. Don't let them intimidate you. Just put on some cool music and grab yourself something to drink and sit back and create. 

Ideaology pieces were added to the piece for interest, as well as mini art stone here and there for more texture. 

Be inspired by natures art, go outside and take a walk, get some sun, breath some fresh air, then come back inside and get messy with your products. Creatively yours, Toni

Entering this piece in the following challenges: 

Country View Challenge- Flower Power 

Frilly and Funky - Put on your Inking Cap

City Crafter Challenge-You Can Do It #360

Simon Says - The Great Outdoors 

Eclectic Ellapu - Anything Goes 

Mixed Media World - Anything Goes with a Twist-Watercolors

For your pleasure here is a Snapguide tutorial to share my process for this project. 

Check out How to Get Creative With Crushed Styrofoam by Toni Burks-Grijalva on Snapguide.