Commissioned Art

For years, I have been looking for a special piece of artwork for my living room wall. I fell in love with a huge canvas photo in an art gallery and dreamed I would someday take a picture and have it mounted. So far, that hasn’t happened and I was anxious to get something on the wall. So, I decided to commission myself to make a piece of art.

I started with a large, 6-pane window I bought at Green Door Studio. I washed it up, but left the white paint just as it was.

I added metallic silver paint to the majority of the window.

Next I added a bit of blue paint here and there …

And then some brown. Then I went over the top of the entire window with a semi-gloss glaze mixed with brown paint. Then I was ready to decorate …

I used a Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 rubber stamp to add some text to two of the corners. Archival Ink works well — I heated it just to be sure.

Then I went over the top with Texture Paste on a stencil.

I added a bit of paint over the top …

I used the same techniques in the opposite corner, but I added Lake Superior rocks and a bit of birch bark to that corner.

In the center of the panes, I used a stencil to add a compass with Archival Ink.

Then I added the photos behind the glass. I used Mini Glue Dots because I wanted to be able to change them out. I don’t like that the dots show in some places, but I really wanted the photos behind the old glass.

I also added a few tags, some wood pieces and more rocks to various spots on the window.

At the bottom, I added a piece of driftwood from the beach, along with a few more rocks.

I also added a charm from Tim Holtz.

I love how my window came out. I hope I’ve inspired you to make art of your own!

I Love the Great Lakes

If you are in Michigan, you are never more than 85 miles from one of the Great Lakes.  I visit them every chance I get.

Whether we are swimming, rock hunting, watching ships, exploring lighthouses or just sitting with our toes in the sand, I enjoy every minute of my time at the lakes.

I made this tag to showcase my love of Michigan’s Great Lakes.

I found the cork tag at Michael’s. I coated the backside with a very thin layer of Picket Fence Distress Paint. It helped soften the deep orange-brown color and I think it looks similar to tree bark …

I used Kreaxions Punch 902 with the “A” plate inserted in the punch. The plate comes with the punch and prevents the corner from punching out — nifty, eh!?!

I trimmed my strip of paper down so it was close to the edges of the punched out areas. I placed another strip of cardstock behind to create contrast.

I took the tiny flowers that came out of the punch and colored them with Fossilized Amber Distress Ink.

Then I glued them on top of the white strip, turning the flower so the blue petals still showed underneath. I added some tiny gems to the centers and then adhered the entire strip to the heart tag and trimmed off the edges.

I punched two additional flowers from the blue paper and added them and gems to the strip. And, finished it off with letters cut from a Tim Holtz die.

What do you think?

Down by the lake

Just because it is the middle of winter doesn’t mean we have to surround ourselves with it.

Instead, I chose to remember summer by creating this elegant lighthouse ornament.

For this ornament, I left the backside plain so it can hang on the wall in my living room.

I started by painting the lighthouse black. Then I added a bit of 24K Gold Embossing Powder to the rails and roof.

Once that was done, I coated the entire thing with Glastique Gloss to give it a rich, shiny finish.

Turning my attention to the ring, I embossed it with the Tim Holtz Brick Texture Fade and then colored it with Distress Ink.
When the lighthouse was dry, I traced around it on a photo of a sunset on Lake Michigan, cut it out and then glued it onto the back of the lighthouse.

I put the globe in place and then glued the ring onto the lighthouse. I use clips to hold it tight until it sticks.

Then I enameled a couple of Piccolos with Vintage Gold Embossing Powder and added them to the outside of the ornament. I added a bit of twine to replicate rope, and it is done and ready to hang on my wall!

Visit the Globecraft & Piccolo blog today to see another project I created with a globe … an altered cigar box.