Best Day Ever - Wooden Frame

Hi eclectic Paperie Fans!  Julia here with my 2nd post for the Design Team!  I have 4 adorable grandnephews and nieces (2 of each! ages newborn to 3 1/2) and so a lot of my artwork lately has to do with photos of them.  

Such is the case today - where I took a $1.00 wooden frame from Michaels - and a photo of my brand new Grandniece, Madelyn Margaret (born 4/10/14) that I printed from my computer onto a Claudine Helmuth canvas sheet ........

And morphed it into this:  I chose my color palette from the colors on her sweet little knit hat that the hospital gave her when she was born!

I've got lots of pictures to show you how I got from plain to fancy.  First I painted the frame with 3 coats of Gesso - letting it dry between coats. (Can I just say - it's SO hard for me to let things dry!! I am a very impatient crafter!)

Then I dabbed and brushed on Ranger Distress paints in Scattered Straw, Weathered Wood and Spun Sugar.  I'm still learning how and where to apply inks - so you can see this is kind of random.  I'm getting the feeling that with Mixed Media -  you don't really plan it all out from the beginning - your finished product just sort of 'happens'!?!  So for this Virgo, list making, planner -  it's a learning process to let go!!

Next up -  I stenciled using Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi stencils Check Mate, Create a Wreath and Dots and Stripes using Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi White Embossing Paste.  I also stamped sentiments from Forever Art and Sentimental Art, and the lovely lace from Forever Art using Garden Gate Archival Ink.  I have to say here - that I originally stamped the sentiments directly on the dried Distress paints - and they bled - so I ended up stamping them on some pink Coredinations Ranger Distress card stock and adhering that over the original stampings.  The lace piece stamped ok directly on the painted wood although the edges are a little bleedy(!)

Here are some close ups of each section.  This wooden sentiment is from Fancy Pants.  I inked over it with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink, sprayed it with Perfect Pearl Mist/Perfect Pearl for a little shimmer, colored the edges with my Black Soot Ranger Distress Marker to define the edges, grunged it up a bit by putting some White Adirondack Snow Cap ink on it with my finger - and when it was dry - I sponged Scattered Straw Distress ink over it all.

I added strips of Tim Holtz Ideology Industrious Borders that I inked with Cornflower Archival Reinker - rubbing the ink over the border pieces with my finger and drying it with my heat gun.  I sponged the whole frame with Scattered Straw Distress Ink to tone down the brightness a bit - and that also colored the stencilings.

I added tone to the petals of the Prima flowers using Worn Lipstick, Tumbled Glass and Scattered Straw Distress Stains. I also added some Adirondack Snow Cap Distress Ink to the petals with my finger.

I sponged the edges of the sentiment stampings with Scattered Straw Distress Ink before adhering them to the frame.

I couldn't size the sweet photo of Madelyn Margaret to fit perfectly into the square opening and it left a white border showing - so I sponged some Worn Lipstick Distress ink around the edges up to the photo - then rubbed some Adirondack Snow Cap Distress Paint on the edges as well.

So there we go -  a Plain Jane Frame - turned into a Lovely Madelyn Margaret Frame!

 

 And since this is a wooden frame - and there is one day left in the ePlay Challenge to use wood - I'm linking it to that challenge!   Be sure to check out the new challenge that will be posted here on May 1st as well!

Here's what I used:  You'll find most of the supplies at eclectic Paperie where I have linked them

Stamps:  Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi - Forever Art, The Beauty of Art, Sentimental Art.
Paper:  Coredinations Ranger Distress Pink,  Sticky Back Canvas - Claudine Helmuth
Ink:  Archival Garden Gate, Ranger Distress Scattered Straw and Worn Lipstick, Archival Cornflower Reinker. Ranger Distress Stains Worn Lipstick, Tumbled Glass and Scattered straw.
Accessories:  Wooden Frame - Michaels, Prima Flowers Princess, Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi White Embossing Paste, Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Stencils - Check Mate, Create A Wreath, Dots and Stripes,  Ranger Distress Paints Scattered Straw, Spun Sugar, Adirondack Snow Cap Distress Paint, Black Soot Ranger Distress Marker, Perfect Pearl Mist/Perfect Pearl, Fancy Pants Best Day Ever Wooden Phrase, Tim Holtz Ideology Industrious Borders, Gesso Liquitex