Woodland Gnome Hideaway

     Mixed Media Mania!  I love mixed media and I love to recycle in my art.  Hi!  This is Joyce Shaulis here today to show you how to make a cute gnome woodland hideaway using an ostrich egg shell and Susan's fabulous mini POP inks and her adorable gnome stamp set. 

To begin, I used the mini POP ink from Clearsnap, in Mystery and Susan's co-branded stamp set,
What's up Gnomey?  I stamped out multiple pieces on white cardstock.

For the background of the hideaway scene, I smudged Ice ink on a half of sheet of rice paper.  I then smudged Sky over top of the Ice.  On the other half of the rice paper, I smudged Fresh ink and then Cocoa on top of that.  Neutral or white tissue paper could be used as well if no rice paper is available.

 

 

I then used the mini POP inks like watercolors.  I pressed the ink pad onto a foam palette and then I was able to paint with a watercolor brush.  For this project, I used Ice, Sky, Fresh, Cocoa, Mystery, and Shimmer. 

  

Next, I brushed Decou-Page on the inside of the ostrich egg and smoothed out the inked rice paper.  I overlapped to cover all areas.  Wrinkles give a nice textured affect.  I then brushed overtop the adhered paper with more Decou-Page.

 

 

Using the back side of the "Live in Color" scrapbook paper, I cut small pieces in geometric shapes approximately 3/4" x 1/2".  I used modeling paste and a palette knife to smear small sections of paste and then I directly adhered the cut paper pieces.  I applied the paste about 1/8" thick or less.  I covered the whole exterior of the egg with the paper mosaic.  I allowed it to dry overnight, then I coated each paper piece with the Decou-Page.  I let this dry and then I sprayed the whole exterior and interior with a matte acrylic spray. 

  

 

 

I cut out all the gnome stamped and painted pieces.  I edged them all with the Mystery ink.  Then with hot glue, I glued wood picks to the back of all the pieces for stiffness, allowing about 1/4" of the pick to stick out from the bottom. 

  



 

 

I stained three wood balls with Ice, to be used as feet for the egg.  I adhered the balls to the bottom of the egg with modeling paste.    

 



  

 

 

With natural items like bark, wood, alder cones, acorns, I started hot gluing them inside the scene working from the back to the front. 

  











 

  

I continued to decorate the woodland hideaway, adding natural pieces and putting in my gnome.  I used reindeer moss and glued all around the edge of the egg, adding acorns and the painted leaves. 

 

 

 

I glued in the painted mushrooms and flowers.  I then embellished with tiny dried straw flowers. 

 





 

 

I hope you enjoyed my mixed media piece.  I am sure you can be creative and find other items to use for a woodland hideaway if you don't have an ostrich egg available.  Thank you for visiting and feel free to leave a comment. 

 

 

Joyce Shaulis     Susan K. Weckesser Creative Design Team Member

 

 

Susan K. Weckesser Products: 

 

What's Up Gnomey?  https://www.unitystampco.com/

Mini POP inks https://ww.clearsnap.com/  Mystery, Kiss, Fresh, Shimmer, Fresh, Cocoa, Sky

Live in Color  scrapbook paper

 

Other Products:

Decou-Page https://decoart.com/

hot glue and glue gun

rice paper

empty ostrich egg

3  1" wood balls

straw flowers

modeling paste

acrylic matte spray

nature findings: wood, bark, acorns, alder cones

 



 

Time Capsule

I recently lost my grandmother, so I decided to create an art piece in her honor. I created a time capsule with an old photo of my grandmother with her two twin daughters my mom and my aunt.

I created it from a making tape roll that reminded me of a clock's shape. I covered it with SKW patterned papers on the inside and out and also created the backing of the capsule.
I stamped the little SKW house stamp on white cardstock with archival brown ink. Then I covered the roof with clock's parts to compliment the time capsule theme. I colored the rest of the house with colored pencils. I cut it out and attached it to the capsule with a folded piece of cardstock.

I added felt green trees and my grandmother's photo which I cut.

I created grass by using double sided tape and green flower soft. Then I added embellishments like the picket fence which was sprayed with a copper spray, chipboard bicycle and chipboard birds on the top. I finished the capsule with colorful flowers.

This was fun and sad to create but I'm really happy with the result.

Have fun creating!
Einat

"Home is where the heart is" canvas

Hello dear friends, Einat Kessler here with a mixed media canvas. Directly from the CHA show I wanted to share with you the project from the amazing workshop Susan and I taught at the show.

Start with a 6"X6" canvas and paint it with teal, yellow and green acrylic paints. water your brush and blend the colors to create a more uniform background. Then add patterns using the ever so fun Susan's stencil using distress ink and a blending tool.

Stamp the house stamp on white cardstock and then color it with Pan Pastels. I like to use a baby wipe as my brush. it has a really nice wash effect and you have more control of the areas you color.

Color some white paper flowers in the same technique. Stamp the canvas with some washi tape stamps from the "A little bit washi" stamp set and a sun from the "Fly away" stamp set. Use permanent ink so it will stay on the canvas and not smear.

 

Cut some flowers and butterflies from the Beautiful Daydreams patterned paper and write the title on a white cardstock. Assemble your canvas, adding the house and all the embellishments. Add little swirls using the number 9 on the stencil in different directions. To finish the canvas add some distress ink and Pan Pastel to all the edges of the canvas.

Have fun creating!
Einat

Let it Snow double frame

Hello crafty friends, Einat Kessler here with a project to warm your hands ! Now that winter is here and some places are already snowy and white you probably have fun photos of playing in the snow, building snowman or making snow angels. Here is a great idea to display these photos in a double chipboard frame!

Start with stamping a piece of thick transparency with a snowman from the Let it Snow set. Use a permanent ink like StazOn to make sure it will not smear. Emboss the snowman with white embossing powder. I used an embossing markers to make sure I only emboss the inside of the snowman and not cover the black outline. Cut around the snowman shape.

Stamp two clouds as well. I embossed one cloud with teal, grey and sparkle embossing powders and covered the other one with white paper.

Then cover the bottom of the chipboard frame with cheese cloth to create your snow.

Add a little light blue color with color spray or Pan Pastels.

Adhere the snowman and clouds on the frame and add rhinestones.

to finish the frame stamp Let it Snow on the frame. Stamp the sentiment from the same set on a white piece of cardstock and cut it in a cloud shape. Adhere it to the frame.

Now all you need to do is go outside, have fun and take a picture of it!

Have fun creating!
Einat

Faith

Hi dear crafty friends! Einat Kessler here with a new project to inspire you.
This week we are celebrating Hanukkah, the holiday of light and faith. Many of my non Jewish friends have been asking me what exactly is this holiday? Well...it's a miraculous story of faith, courage and light.

The best way to tell this story is first to share with you a card I made that summarize everything you need to know. 8 burning candles and the word faith are Hanukkah in a nut shell. I created this card from bright patterned paper which I then colored with Pan Pastels in fiery colors: yellow, orange and red. Before coloring I cut 8 candles out of kraft cardstock and layered them on my card as a mask. Then I colored around them creating a white candles image.

Then I colored the cardstock candles with the same colors. I added the word faith from Susan Weckesser's Painted Sentiments stamp set and the number 8 with Susan Weckesser stencil.
I adhered the candles to the card with 3D foam tape and my card was ready!

How does the card tell the story of Hanukkah you ask? Well...here's the story...

In 175 BCE, Antiochus invaded Judea.  The second temple in Jerusalem was looted and services stopped, Judaism was outlawed. Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple. He banned circumcision and ordered pigs to be sacrificed at the altar of the temple. Antiochus's actions provoked a large-scale revolt. The Jewish revolt was successful. The Temple was liberated and rededicated, it was cleansed, a new altar was built in place of the polluted one and new holy vessels were made. Olive oil was needed for the menorah in the Temple, which was required to burn throughout the night every night. The story goes that there was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight-day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle - Hanukkah!

Without Faith the revolt could not have succeeded, the temple would not have been freed and God would not have given the Jews the miracle of the oil. This holiday of light was created because of the faith that darkness can be overcome!

Thanks for stopping by
Have fun creating!
Einat

Moments Layout

Hello dear crafty friends Einat Kessler here with a special project for our Want2Scrap & Susan K. Weckesser week! This is a collaboration between two great companies so I decided to create a layout which is sort of a collaboration too. The layout has the photos of my mom and her twin sister...sort of collaboration right?

You can see how to create this layout step by step in this video tutorial.


I started with the Beautiful Daydreams paper by Susan Weckesser. I wanted to create a scene layout with a meadow, flowers and a little house.

First, I had to cut out the flowers so they won't be covered by the cheese cloth. Then I used the Happy Homestead stamp by Susan K. Weckesser, a cheese cloth for my meadow and the beautiful Want2Scrap Designer Embellies, which I double embossed, to create the scene.

I added Want2Scrap Moments title and my layout was finished!

Have fun creating!
Einat

Summer fun frame

Hey there crafty friends! Einat Kessler here with a fun and easy project you can create with your kids! A super easy frame for a summer fun photo!

These summer days are perfect for all kinds of water activities...the beach, the pool as long as it's cold and refreshing! This frame project is so easy you can create it with your kids.

Start by cutting a 5" X 7" chipboard square. Then create a frame by removing a 4" X 6" square from the middle. Color the frame with blue acrylic paint or distress ink.

Stamp the wonderful boat stamp from the Sail Away stamp set on Beautiful Daydreams paper and cut it out. Color the boat and the waves with coloring pencils. Adhere the boat to the bottom of the frame.

Cut the sun from the same paper and adhere it to the frame as well.

Then stamp the cute kite from Fly Away set twice. Cut both of them out. Color with coloring pencils. Adhere the kite to the frame. Add a string to the kite and tie around the frame. Then cut the small ribbons from the second stamps and add them on top of the string.

That's it..you're done! This project is really easy and could be a perfect project for children. You can create a set of a few frames for more summer fun photos!

Have fun creating!
Einat

Home canvas

Hello Susan Weckesser fans, Einat Kessler here with a new fun project!
When I got these amazing stamps this project just popped into my head. I just knew it's going to be so much fun playing with these stamps and with a lot of color.

I created a mixed media canvas full of layers and techniques. I started with painting the canvas with acrylic paints and then adding some tissue paper.

I stamped the adorable house stamp from the The Happy Homestead set on a white cardstock and created the bricks with modeling paste. I colored it with mists and ink. Then I colored the roof with some orange acrylic paint and Perfect Pearl powder. I added the windows and door with 3D adhesive.

After the house was adhered to the canvas I added more layers and texture with stamps and masks. Finally I sprayed everything with mists.

To finish the canvas I added two cute clouds from the Fly Away set, a "tree" and some flowers.

Have fun creating.
Einat Kessler
Susan K. Weckesser Design Team

Home of inspiration

Hi Susan Weckesser's fans, Einat Kessler here with a fun inspirational project!
One of my favorite Susan weckesser's stamps is this cute adorable house (LOVE stamp). So I decided to use this stamp and create a project that can be an inspiration for you all.

I started with stamping the house on different Susan Weckesser's patterned papers and cutting the parts of the house like the window, door or roof. Then I played around with the parts so each house got a different color of window, roof or door.
I embellished the houses to fit the sentence I wanted to add.
"The house does not rest on the ground it rests on a mother": I stamped the Motherhood is a verb stamp and cutout the image. I added lace, some cut flowers and the sentence.
" Fill a home with love and it will fill your life with color": I added some colorful buttons on the house's roof and added the sentence.

"Home is where the heart is": I cut hearts in different sizes and shapes and adhered them on the roof. I added the sentence replacing the word heart with a shaped heart.
"Home is an inspiration for memories": I embellished the house with parts of clocks which to me represent time and memories. I added the sentence and wrote the word memories in a circle shape to compliment the clocks' shapes.

These four cute houses can be a mini album, a banner or even be placed on a frame. You can keep on creating houses and add more inspiration!

Have fun creating!
Einat