A Shimmery Mixed Media for Keeps

Hey guys Mukta here!!

I am back with a new project today and this one is a mixed media which you can use for preserving memories or as a decor piece. This one is also great for gifting Mom, friends or anyone close to your heart. I made it for Mother's Day, but you can do it for any occasion.

Layout in yellow lights

I made this project specially for my Mother-in-law. I am very happy because when I got married, I didn't get separated from my mother....God gave me another one who is just as kind hearted and concerned about me.

Layout in yellow lights

This one is for you Maa....and I will make sure you read this post.....lol.

Before I start to write more about this project, I would like to thank Itsy Bitsy for giving me this opportunity to showcase my work on this huge platform....I am so glad I am doing a GDT post for you guys.

Well....now let's get to work... to start the layout...I used dotted paper from the new paper pack Forever & Always which are linen papers with gold embossing on them. These papers are versatile and you can do so much with them. They are not very thin and they take ink really well. On top, I layered some corrugated sheet which was actually something in which IB sent me my papers in....so made the most of it and put it to good use.

I coated the entire paper with clear gesso as I dint want to hide the beautiful embossing. I did some stenciling using IB stencils. The script and the dotted stencils added more interest to my project.

Itsy Bitsy has a wide range of stencils which are perfect for mixed media work. The quality of the stencils is good and they stay put while you work. Do give them a try!!!

Then, I started placing all my flowers and embellishments while keeping my picture and the frame in the center. I did this just to get an idea how my layout would look. I have used a variety of handmade flowers from Itsy Bitsy and chipboard elements as well. The bottle caps are something I have in my stash which tell you how many sodas I had to drink to make this layout....:)

I marked the borders and then took everything off. I took a picture before I removed all my embellishments so I could place it back in the same way. now, I added a little white Gesso around the marked borders as I want that part to be a little muted than the other places.

I heat embossed all the chipboard elements in gold and then arranged everything back. The frame is raised above and is very dimensional. I added lot of chipboard below to lift it up. To adhere all my elements, I have used silicon glue from IB which is an awesome adhesive. But to make sure nothing comes out ever, I add a little white adhesive as well. Not needed but I did it.

I added some more elements to the layout like some flat back big stones, wooden butterflies and microbeads which are from IB as well.Then, once everything was thoroughly dried, I gave a coat of white Gesso and let it dry again. Then, was the fun part....I started to spray my frame using Itsy Bitsy color splash sprays Tangerine and Lime Splash. I kept adding layers and wiping the extra, using some tissue. I kept drying them in between.

Then, I did a little stamping at a few places. I then added little gold and copper dust at few places using my fingers. I also added some Fairy Dust in Tawny Gold on the wings, in the caps and on the butterflies. Added a little black paint at few places to give it more depth. Finished my layout with "Strong" sentiment heat embossed in Black and placed a Happy Mother's day stamp which is raised using some foam tape. You can use any sentiment of your choice to suit the occasion!!