EGGzackly DecoArt NEONs ... for Easter!

Hey guys.. I originally saw this idea on old blog post years ago so I can't give credit to the original person I saw do it :(  I have since tried it a few times, but never blogged about it.. or used my neon paints.  Although Easter has come and gone.. We all use pinterest and I plan on pinning this! :)

My supplies began with DecoArt Americana Acrylic Neons..
Uh like I would try this.. while I am sick.. with any other paint?
There is also an orange and a red but these were the colors I grabbed.  I also grabbed my most fave black pens that allow me to write on all my mixed media surfaces, Sakura Identi Pen, Faber Castell Pitt pen and forever faithful DecoArt Acrylic paint pen.

Boil some eggs!  I usually got for the quick dozen and store them right back in the container from where they came!  Grab the aluminum foil too.. Yes aluminum foil..  Enough for each color of paint and double it if you have cheapy foil like I did! (big HA-HA)  Hey I use neon acrylics.. why would you be suprised to see aluminum foil?  I {heart} mixed media!  lol

I also like to keep baby wipes nearby, not just because I have a cold and it feels good on my nose!!  I also apply.. well you will see shortyl!!

Take the foil and scrunch it up.. come.. scrunch it!!

Then open it up.. and spread it out.. :) 

Then take some paint of your choosing and place it on the baby wipe and blot if all over the foil!!  Yes blot it.. BLOT IT REAL GOOD!! :)  Oh.. blot it kinda thin like though, because if you apply in areas too thickly it will make your speckles like paint rub or more like you applied it directly to the egg!

Place the egg in the foil and crinkle the foil around the egg again, open and repeat, till you have covered it enough and then place it in the carton cradled above the opening to air dry before repeating the process again, if you like.. with the next color...

I of course wanted more colors.. one color? nah not me!

See how they came out?  See how I also kinda cradled them above the egg carton slot.. Mainly so the paint wouldn't just puddle up in the bottom like they did when I use to dip and dye eggs. The air kinda gets a chance to whirl around the eggs and dry it.. rather quickly too!  Especially when the paint is thinly coated!  The colors are ALWAYS VIBRANT.. Hence my love for NEONS!!

Here are some closer shots!

I like them!  Hoping Brook does too.. Since she isn't into coloring eggs.. but she likes to see artsy things!

They need more.. I thought at first.. I would NOT go further.. but since Brook does read.. I decided to put some inspirational words on them and a message for her on a few!

I think she will like this one the most!!

Thank you for visiting & hope my pictures were helpful..
Late for Easter 2014.. on time for NEXT Year!!.. lol

April is.. Autism Awareness...

Each April I want to do something for Autism Awareness.  Nothing big.. mainly because I cannot obligate time,  I am never sure just how much I will have.  This year.. I asked some of my friends over in our FB group Mixing Up Everyday to join me by filling news feed on FB on April 2, Light It Up Blue , International Autism Awareness Day, with post.  Not ONLY did they create Lovely MIXED MEDIA pages, some of them also changed their profile pictures in support!  I am so grateful for my family and friends!  They allow me to be me and bring Brook along my artistic journey!  Very thankful for that!  This is my autism awareness page...

 I am home everyday and I have a daughter with autism.  She is now 9 years old.  She has many delays and things I even consider as acts of stubbornisms (yeah, not a word.. but it is today.. and as long as you know what I mean.. it's now a word!  LOL)  Anywho.. back to her.  Dealing with her is more than a handful at times, so I am glad I am allowed to be home with her, right now.  Not every child with autism is the same, so if you have dealt with one.. you really have.. only dealt with one!  You can't read a book and become an expert on the topic, but you can be enlightened and perhaps even open to the differences that makes us all individuals and remember that they apply  to people with different abilities as well..  You know.. For everything I think of that my daughter cannot do as your average 9 year old, I can think of 5 things that she is interested in or can do that some kids might not even consider.  Our days are not always easy breezy but they are always forever learning.  Sometimes I find myself staring at her and just in awe of the things that she chooses to entertain herself with.  Sometimes she will take over 200 photos in a day.. go back edit them; draw over them and add graphics.. Mind you, NO ONE in my household does this.. she taught herself.  She taught herself on a nintendo dsi.. and on the pc.. She will blend the sound of a Youtube video on one screen and the picture of another video to form another video and record it on another piece of equipment, no one taught her that.. but she loves to do it and finds COMPLETE JOY in it! She watches her programs in four different languages, two I recognize as Spanish and German, she also tries to use sign language..  She is amazing and frustrating and she is loved.. just as she is... Can I better.. I am sure I can.. she is my one and ONLY as I learn more.. I will do more, my priorities are keeping her safe, happy, healthy and productive.

Anyway.. Again as always.. thanks for your time...

Dress Swap 4x6 for Arsty Mail

Today I am sharing with you a 4x6 post card I did for a group.  I had to have a dress on it and it had to be 4x6.  You could put the dress on it any kind of way you wanted to and believe me I thought of at least 2 dozen ways to do so. :)  I told myself to use what I had!  Don't go out buying things.  You have more than enough supplies to pull this off.. Now sit your behind down and figure out what method you plan to use.  I thought about painting directly on the page and collaging papers; I thought about origami folks since I had just done over 80 dresses courtesy of a video I just watched by Michelle aka The Paper Addiction, but I also decided to just attach them to the backs on my postcards and envelope my cards instead sending them like postcards.

 

 

 Anyway.. I decided to do some mixed media painting on a watercolor paper with my DecoArt Acrylic neon paints..  A little lightweight stenciling with some punchinella with black Stazon and high lighting with my white Signo gel pen. added bling and adhered to a black dress form, with my favorite Helmar Craft Glue, then I  also added more doodling on it..

I placed it on top of a book page I gessoed with DecoArt Gesso and again using the neon paints, black stazon stamp pad, and white gel pen, in the background.  I also added the black Gloss Enamel paint on the edges to  loosely {frame} it where I again doodled!  This was fun to work with!!

My swap partner Terri .. I didn't know much about her.. so I looked on her FB page and saw she spent a lot of time at BSU.. (colors are Blue and Orange; adhered this dress with Helmar's Craft Glue to back of the other dress)  Hope she likes this.. :)  Especially since I am soooo not a dress chick.. lol!

Thank you.. for stopping by!!

DecoArt CanvasBoard: Blooms!

 

I had these canvas boards a while now.  I wanted use them and for some reason I hadn't.  Well today was the day I planned on doing just the opposite!  I had just had a Mixed Media Monday with Tracy Weinzapfel.  Where she had taken some acrylics and and baby wipes and created a beautiful pieces of artwork and I was going to do the same!  :)  I gessoed the canvas board with Deco Art's Gesso and then with a baby wipe I applied the acrylic paints from lights to dark.. (of course my neons were in the line up) :)

Did the same process for the bottom half with even more acrylics from Deco Arts..

Then I prepared some flower petals from a book I was DEFINITELY not going to read and had been using the pages as background scraps.  I even make some heart shaped Tulips.

I then got out my Golden soft gel medium and plopped a smidget on my craft mat so I could adhere my book pages to my acrylic background.  I would normally use decoupage, but I am trying something different and I want to be able to write or journal over it later.. if need be.. I painted over my book pages and added some splatters.  Splatters are just watered down acrylics for me flicked from my paint brush (smile).  I couldn't think of a quote.. wasn't a lot of space.. and once again.. we were in the middle of yet another snow storm.. So I decided to keep it simple.. and say BLOOM!!  Added some purple to the edges and called it DONE!

At the last minuted I editted this post and decided to add some additions.. :) to my Blooming Hearts!!  Enjoy!!  

Hope you enjoyed the finished product!!  Thanks for looking!!  :)