Hello everyone! Welcome to day 2 of Faber-Castell and Waffle Flower Inspiration Week! We team up with our friends at Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft to bring you an entire week of mixed-media inspiration! We have Katie here today!

Mixed Media for Beginners

Hello crafty friends! Katie here. When I heard that Waffle Flower Crafts was partnering with Faber-Castell, I was really excited, but also a little bit scared.  I have a confession, mixed media isn’t really my thing.  Don’t get me wrong.  I think it’s GORGEOUS, and I greatly admire others that have mad art skills, but whenever I try my hand at some of the techniques, it’s generally an epic fail. There is a reason I try to keep it clean and simple folks! But when I received an AMAZING box of supplies from Faber-Castell, I was ready to roll up my sleeves and give it another shot.  I came up with three cards using my Waffle Flower stamps and the art supplies from Faber-Castell that are still definitely my style.  Each card builds a bit on technique from the last, but all are perfect projects for mixed media newbies.

Level 1 - Stamps + Markers

For my first card, I decided to keep it pretty simple.  I used the Stampers Big Brush Pen sets in green and yellow along with Waffle Flower’s A Bunch Stamp Set to create this card for Mom. To start, I stamped the outline of the flower trio in black ink on a piece of white card stock.  I used a stamp positioner to help determine the placement of the filler image and I proceeded to color the stamp first with light yellow and green, then with darker green and orange.  This was a pretty large area that I was coloring, and I have heard of tricks like huffing on the colored stamp to reactivate the ink before pressing it to the paper, but that seemed a bit germy to me, so I just let the markers do as they will. I loved variation effect in the petals and leaves. Stamp markers are a great medium for sets like the A Bunch Stamp Set.  Despite being a single overlay stamp, I was able to shade the flowers yellow and orange and the leaves green with no difficulty at all. To finish the card, I stamped a sentiment from the Feather More stamp set, trimmed the edge and adhered it to a green note card.

Level 2 - Stamps + Gelatos

Feeling bolstered by the success of my first card, I decided to reach for the Gelatos next to create this gem of a card using the Gemstone stamp set. Since I knew I was going to be adding water to the paper to blend the gelatos, I stamped the gems and sentiment in black ink on a panel of watercolor card stock.  Next using the Red Gelatos Collection, I scribbled a bit of the pigment inside each gem. I followed up with some water and the paintbrush included in the Gelato set to soften and spread out the color. I trimmed the panel and adhered it to a bright pink note card.

Level 3 - Stamps + Gesso + Gelatos

Ok, this is where it gets real.  For my last card, I used Gesso, Gelatos, and the Congrats stamp set to create a rainbow hued Celebrate card. Before I pulled out the Gelatos, using a paintbrush, I brushed Gesso all over a panel of water color card stock and I set it aside to dry.  I remembered using Gesso before in my High School painting class.  When you open the jar- it looks like white glue or paint, but among its many uses, it does a great job of priming paper and canvas for painting. Once the Gesso was dry, I scribbled some Gelatos in rainbow colors.  I used: I added water to the scribbles to smooth out and blend the colors.  I was amazed at the difference the gesso base coat made- the colors were much more creamy and I didn’t see any of my scribble from the Gelatos on the paper. I let the panel dry and stamped “Celebrate” from the Congrats stamp set in black ink repeatedly over each color. After allowing some additional dry time, I attached the panel to a red note card. A cascade of candy-colored enamel dots finished the card. Well, that’s all for me today.  Even if you think mixed media isn’t for you, I hope these cards encourage you to break out of your comfort zone and try something new while still keeping it you. Thanks for stopping by! --- Katie Thank you for sharing these fun and simple techniques with us today, Katie! We can't wait to try them!

Blog Hop Prize

We have prepared a $50 gift certificate to our store as this week's prize! A random winner will be drawn from comments left on all the postings for this event! Enter before 11:59 pm Eastern on May 17, 2014. The winner will be announced on May 18. Don't forget to check out Design Memory Craft Blog and their Facebook for more inspiration and prizes! See you tomorrow!