Easy Mixed Media Valentine Art

 

If you're looking to add a little Valentine art to your home, or want to create something easy to give someone special, this is it!

I love to decorate for every holiday & season. So I change my decor often. And, every year I always want to add something new. This year I made this sweet little artwork that combines canvas, watercolor paper, acrylic paint, & watercolor paint.

I painted a 5" x 5" canvas with Deco Art acrylic paint in the color, Jewel Green.

While the canvas was drying, I cut a piece of watercolor paper to be approximately the same size of the canvas. I dipped a heart shaped cookie cutter in to Artist's Loft watercolor, Alizarin Crimson.

I pressed to cookie cutter onto the watercolor paper.

While the paint was still wet, I saturated my paintbrush with water & filled in the heart. There's no need to dip the brush in the paint. The water will pull the paint into the heart.

I tore about an inch off of the paper around the heart. The rough edge gives it more interest.

So there wasn't such a stark transition between the white watercolor paper & the Jewel Green, I painted a thin, watered down wash of Artist's Loft watercolor, Earth Green. I went a little heavier on the torn edges & kept it very subtle on the rest of the paper.

I used Tacky Glue to adhere the paper to the canvas. 

I didn't add glue all the way to the edges of the paper. I wanted it to appear as though it were attached to the canvas with nail heads. So, I added these nail head type stickers to the corners of the paper.

Having a Galentine's party? This would be a fun project to do with friends. It would also be a great project to do with kids. Fun, easy, & inexpensive!

Linking To:

The Cottage Market,  Funky Junk Interiors, The Answer Is Chocolate, Flutter Buster, Our Hopeful Home, My Thrift Store Addiction,  Confessions Of A Plate Addict, My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia, Creatively Beth, County Road 407, Pieced Pastimes, Southern Sunflowers, The House On Silverado

Valentine Or Anytime Art

 

I have been waiting for the perfect piece of furniture to try out the Waterslide Transfers from Dixie Belle Paint Company. However, since my husband retired a year ago, & I closed my booth where I sold painted furniture, I've been a little lazy when it comes to painting furniture. So, I haven't actually been on an active hunt for that perfect piece. 

I've still been wanting to try the waterslide transfer so I thought it would be perfect for a Valentine project.

I first painted a 5" x 5" canvas with the chalk mineral paint color, Fluff. 

The colorful side of the design, that you will see when transferred, has a clear plastic sheet over it. The back is more like paper & is in shades of gray. Having the design on the back helps you line it up properly for your project. I turned the transfer over & used a pencil to trace the canvas on the paper side, then cut it out.

I then removed the plastic sheet from the colorful side of the transfer & placed it on the canvas with the colorful side down. Once I had it placed correctly on the canvas (this is where the gray side comes in handy), I laid a wet paper towel over it. I rubbed over the paper towel with my fingers to make sure the transfer was laying flat against the canvas. 

After letting it sit for 3 minutes, I removed the paper towel & pulled up the transfer backing, leaving the beautiful baroque design on the canvas.

Now for the Valentine part...

I used Sculpey oven bake clay. I conditioned the clay to make it soft & workable, then flattened it to approximately 1/4 inch thickness.

Once the clay was flattened out, I added texture with a stamp from Redesign With Prima.

I used a cookie cutter to cut out a heart. 

I preheated my oven to 275 degrees, then baked the heart for 15 minutes.

I wanted to stick with the neutral colors of the transfer, so once the heart was cooled I painted it with a brown acrylic paint that matched one of the colors in the design.

I didn't worry about perfect coverage because of the next step.

To highlight the texture in the heart, I rubbed on Silver Gilding Wax. I typically go for gold or copper gilding wax, but in this case I wanted to pull out the silver from the transfer. Copper would have been pretty too & given it a completely different look.

I glued the heart to the center of the canvas using E6000.

This is a pretty, neutral piece of art perfect for Valentine's decor if you don't decorate with the traditional red & pink. And, the neutral colors make it perfect for enjoying all year long.

Linking To:

The Cottage Market,  Funky Junk Interiors, The Answer Is Chocolate, Flutter Buster, Our Hopeful Home, My Thrift Store Addiction,  Confessions Of A Plate Addict, My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia, Creatively Beth, County Road 407, Pieced Pastimes, Southern Sunflowers, The House On Silverado

Vintage Napkin Holder Turned Valentine Art

I bought this old, handmade napkin holder at my local thrift store for $1. I knew it would get some type of makeover, I just wasn't sure what kind of makeover. Like so many "project pieces", it got stuck away until the time hit me to do something with it. And, when I finally pulled it out to do something with, the plan was to just keep it a napkin holder. But with Valentine's Day coming I went in another direction.

When I peeled off the paper that lined the bottom of the box, it revealed what the last person that bought it paid for it.

I was worried that once I painted it, the ink & the knots in the wood would bleed through the paint. So I gave it 3 coats of Dixie Belle Paint Company's BOSS. BOSS blocks odors & bleed through. 

To add texture to the outside of the box, I did a raised stencil. To do this, I placed a Stick N Style stencil from Re*design with Prima on the side of the box. These stencils have an adhesive back so they stay in place nicely.

I used a hotel key card to spread Dixie Belle's Mud over the stencil. I made sure to get a good layer covering all of the stencil, then scraped most of it off.

Even though the stencil is very thin, the mud is higher than the base & leaves a nice texture.

The Mud is porous & can take paint differently than the rest of the surface being painted. So, I covered the box with Dixie Belle's Spray Wax to make it an even playing field.

I painted the entire box with 2 coats of the color, Cotton. 

I wanted a wash of a bright, pretty color, & turned to the VooDoo Gel Stain color, Temptress. This is a water based stain which makes it easy to use & easy to clean up... no need for gloves with this stain.

I poured a little of the stain into a container then added a tiny bit of water to thin it out. I used a brush to cover the surface with the stain.

Then I used a damp rag to wipe most of the stain away & just have a wash of the color. It rested nicely in the recessed areas of the raised stencil to reveal the pattern.

I also washed the stain on the inside of the box.

There was a hole in the middle of the box that I covered with a pink paper doily. But, the hole showed through the paper.

To hide the hole, I painted a wooden heart with the color, Soft Pink.

So it wasn't so plain, I placed the same stencil on the heart once the paint was dry. I used a makeup sponge to dab on Stick With Me, a glue used to add Dixie Shine. Dixie Shine is like using gold leaf, but without the mess or waste.

Since I was doing a Valentine project, I chose to use the color, red. Dixie Shine also comes in gold, silver, & copper.

You need to wait at least 15 minutes after adding the glue before applying the shine. Dixie Shine comes in a roll & I just cut off a small piece to use. I placed the Shine on the heart facing up & rubbed over it with my finger.

I peeled up the Shine & used the areas left on the paper to cover any missed or sticky areas.

I love the texture that it made using the makeup sponge to apply the glue.

I glued the wooden heart to the center of the doily.

I wrapped a pink bottle brush tree, that I bought at Christmas, with a tiny Valentine banner.

I glued the tree into the box, then glued in a cute little vintage style Valentine.

Although it looks like the Valentine is an old card, it's actually a reproduction from Hobby Lobby of a card & is metal & has a stand.

This box has come a long way from holding napkins.

Linking To:

The Cottage Market,  Funky Junk Interiors, The Answer Is Chocolate, Flutter Buster, Our Hopeful Home, My Thrift Store Addiction, The Painted Hinge, Yesterday On Tuesday, Confessions Of A Plate Addict, My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia, Creatively Beth, County Road 407, Pieced Pastimes, Southern Sunflowers, The House On Silverado