Alice in the library... and outside

 Alpha Stamps has a new monthly kit for May and it includes this awesome Gatefold Window Card.

 I used two of the gatefold window cards to make a sweet little double sided Alice in Wonderland shrine. On one side there is an outside scene with fake grass and a window box and lovely pink roses. You can view the library through the window...

 if you look closely you can see the Cheshire cat sitting on a shelf in the bookcase.
Btw, I used the Finnabair Art Extravagence Rust Paste Set to paint the window frames and the flower box because I swear I'm in love with this stuff!

From the side you can kinda see both little scenes...

 The flip side of my shrine has a library scene and you can look outside. I used the Alice Plays Croquet Collage Sheet for my outside view. 

 You can tell you're in the library because there are stacks of books everywhere.

The White Rabbit is looking a bit puzzled by the butterfly sitting on a stack of books and perhaps by the mushrooms sprouting out of the floor.

Those wonderful framed paintings are cut out of one of the papers included in the May kit :)

If you'd like to see a complete list of the supplies I used click here.

 Thanks for stopping by and reading my post. I hope you have a fun and creative day!

Nature Encroaches, a mixed media canvas...

 It's been ages since I've produced anything on a canvas, so when Leslie (of www.alphastamps.com) asked me to make a sample using the new Dragon Sconce, I thought it would be the perfect time to dust off my easel.

 I had loads of fun producing this piece. I used lots of different techniques and some new products, and I tried really hard to document my progress so I could share it with you :)

 I started with a 10" x 10" canvas bought at Hobby Lobby. To the canvas I added layers of sewing pattern tissue and cheese cloth adhering it with Golden Regular Gel Medium. I glued the Dragon Sconce together and adhered it to my canvas with gel medium. Then I painted some random areas with Golden Garnet Gel (Coarse).

 After that dried, I used a cobblestone stencil (made by Clearsnap) and Golden Hard Molding Paste to add more texture to the center of my canvas.

 While the molding paste was still wet I sprinkled on some coarse glass glitter that I had in my stash. I knew I would paint over the glitter so it didn't matter what color it was.

 I let that dry overnight then I used gel medium to adhere a Faux Plaster Ceiling Molding Strip down the side of the canvas where it looked a bit bare. I added a bit of Golden Coarse Pumice Gel around the edges of the strip to make it look like it is embedded in the canvas.

 When completely dry I covered the whole thing with a nice thick coat of white gesso.

After letting the gesso dry, I added a layer of Golden Fluid Acrylics in Quinacridone / Nickel Azo Gold (one of my favorite colors!). To add interest and depth I layered Carbon Black over some of the textured areas and over the Dragon Sconce.

 While that was drying I used a Silicone Mold - Architectural Flourishes and some Creative Paperclay and made a nice scrolly bit. (When cured) I adhered it to the canvas with gel medium and painted over it and the sconce with Golden Fluid Acrylics in Micaceous Iron Oxide. Then I added some green and brown down the center of my canvas to prepare for my next step.

 I Googled "mossy stone wall" and found a photograph I liked so I could refer to it as I painted my cobblestones...

 This is what I came up with after several hours and many colors of acrylic paint. I don't think I could duplicate it if I tried but I love how it looks :)

 I was hoarding a Finnabair Art Extravagance Rust Paste Set and was dying for the perfect project to use it on and this was it. So off I went to google "rusty metal"... and I found the perfect photograph of rust to refer to so I could dive right in!

 The first color I used was this nice chocolatey brown...

 the paste has chunky bits in it to help make it look really organic and just like natural rust. I didn't cover every bit of the sconce and scrolly bit as you can see below.

Next I opened the lovely ripe pumpkin color and started painting it right over some of the still wet brown areas.

Here's what it looked like...

While that was drying a bit, I opened up the rich mustardy yellow. The yellow is the only one without the chunky bits in it.

I dabbed it on here and there until I liked the look I was achieving...

Then I referred to my sample rust photo and realized I needed to add a bit more of the chocolatey brown. I fussed around with it until I thought it looked pretty realistic.

 Here's a side view of my finished sconce.

Once the rust completely dried I added some Flower Soft around the cobblestones and on the edges of the canvas.

Of course this led me to want to add moss, twigs, and mushrooms!

Thanks for reading all the way to  the end! I know that was a lot to absorb but I hope it will inspire you to make a canvas of your own or to at least try the wonderful rust paste kit. I think I want to put rust paste on everything now!

For a list of products I used go here. Golden Gel Mediums and Fluid Acrylics can be purchased through Blick.