HoPe

Hello!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

When I first thought about digital stamps, I said no thank you.  THEN I tried a digital stamp and needless to say I'm in love.  My favorite digi's come from Craftin Desert Divas.  

 

This HOPE digi caught my eye from the very beginning.  My family has been touched by cancer.  My Dad is a survivor, my Grandma is a survivor, several cousins survivors.. Cancer has touched so many lives.  My hope is that one day there will be a CURE..  Celebrate those survivors we have with us, Remember those we have lost and fight back for a CURE. 

 

Needless to say this Hope bear means a lot to me.  I decided to use lavender as my color for the ribbon.  Lavender is the color used to represent all cancer awareness colors. 

 

I used my Spectrum Noir markers to color (I am just learning the art of alcohol marker coloring and have lots of practice, but I was happy with the outcome).  Glossy accents was my best friend.. and wink of stella.  You can never have too much glitter!  The photo may not pick it all up, but it is glossy and glittery all over!

 

The cloud needed something more than just colored in so I jogged my brain a few moments and came up with Texture paste, blue gelato and white/clear glitter.  I mixed these three items on a slate and then with a paint brush placed it where I wanted.  I wanted it to look 'puffy' so I made some puffs as I went along.  I could see the glitter, but like I said.. one can never have too much.. so while it was wet I sprinkled (dumped) some more over the texture paste concoction.

 

I tried a few different approaches to a background, but remembered I had a background stamp from Sparkle N Sprinkle and what a fit!!

 

I have a mass amount of flat back pearls and these fit perfectly on the sides for the finishing touch!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Crafting

~Kara

 



Thank you

Hello!  Thanks for stopping by

 

I was raised to send thank you notes and still do to this day.  I try to send as many as possible and this one hits it out of the park.

 

My favorite thing to look at is the sky so a thank you note with the sky background is ME!

 

I started out using the Brutus Monroe cardstock (I'm obsessed with his cardstock).  I then took Brutus Monroe ink (Zest, Locomotive and Aubergine and the detail ink for the tree line)  These are chalk inks and are phenomenal.  They are permanent and you can water color with them if you wish.. I took my blending tool and created a beautiful sky.  I am all about sunsets, so to see the ending of the sunset on this card made me smile from ear to ear.

 

I then took my MISTI (by the way goes beyond it's name) and lined up the tree line stamp (from Concord & 9th - written in stars.  and stamped 2.5 times to make my tree line.

 

I stamped Thank you (from Honey Bee Stamps) and embossed with Lindy's Stamp Gang embossing powder.  Lindy's embossing powder is out of this world amazing.. it has a shimmer to it and it just adds a beautiful touch.

 

I then took the star stamp from the written in stars set and stamped several and embossed with again Lindy's Stamp Gang embossing powder.  I had to include the shooting star from the same set.  I just recently got the Sparkle pens from Spectrum Noir and so I tried to use the yellow and fairly certain I may not use it again over embossing powder.. It kinds just ran off.. Lesson learned!

 

I hope this sparked a creativeness in our mind to craft. 

Happy Crafting

~Kara

 



Snowflakes from The Ton

Hello!  Thanks for stopping by

 

I hope that you had a GREAT Christmas if you celebrate.  I wanted to share a tag and a card I made using the Snowflake stamp set from The Ton.

 

The first one is a card I made knowing it would go to my Dad and step Mom.  I could make purple everything and not blink an eye. 

 

I am going crazy over the 'bokeh' look.  I knew I could achieve the same general look with the snowflakes.  I took my distress ink and made the background with two different colors (Dusty Concord and Shaded Lilac).  I used the same colors for the larger snowflakes. 

 

The brighter purple I used Brutus Monroe ink Aubergine.  It made those smaller flakes pop!

 

I then took the gorgeous embossing power from Stampendous in the shabby white to emboss.  I feel like this is kind of chucky in style.  It's different than other embossing powers I have used. 

 

I then added Merry Christmas  and embossed to complete the card.

 

 

The tag I used the same exact colors and technique.  Adding to and from to make it a gift tag.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you had a very Merry Christmas

~Kara

 



Gingerbread shaker card using a digital image

Hello!  Thank you so much for stopping by!  Today I wanted to share a fear I conquered, LOL.  That is using a digital image!!!  Sounds craziness, but I just wasn't sure how to.. if I'm being quite honest.  I can't be alone in that.

 

To top it off, I was almost boycotting digital images because I like the physical aspect of stamping to paper.  I have been scrapbooking for years and refuse to go digital.. To me scrapbooking is the art of placing paper to paper.  Maybe I am alone in this, but I guess it's how I feel.

 

The first thing I noticed about the digital image.. you can make it how large or small you'd like.. so the possibilities are endless in that aspect. 

 

I used the digi image from Craftin Desert Divas.  Not only are her digi's super cute, but her stamps are full of adorableness.

 

I also used the Brutus Monroe cardstock for my base.  It's super important to have a good cardstock and his cardstock is        AHHHH-MAZING!

 

I then used the Lawn Fawn Lets Bokeh set.  I am obsessing with the bokeh look right now.

I wanted a simple stamp and I really didn't want it to be Christmas.. So I used the word Joy from the Stamps of Life set.  I stamped it with black versa fine and used clear embossing.  I love clear embossing.  It adds that shine and crispness.. A picture may not show, but I love it.

 

Adding in my shaker elements added the final touches to this shaker card.   I'm on a mission to find a way to not have my elements stick to my transparency film.. It always seems to stick in the wrong places.. aka her nose in this one..

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope this has sparked some creativity!  Happy Crafting

~Kara

I entered this card into the Monthly creative challenge at Sparkle N Sprinkle anything goes.



Howdy

Howdy!  Thanks so much for stopping by. 
 

There are so many different options for many of these new dies.  I took out the Western Boot and just had this idea of adding a lasso to my card in some fashion.

 

It all came together just perfectly.  I used the Western Boot from the November release.  Once I die cut the boot I knew I wanted a solid background.  I traced the die with a pencil and fussy cut.  I then erased any lines left over.  I glued the boot die cut onto my solid white and perfecto!  Just the look I was going for.

Using my Cricut, I then cut out the word howdy and boy oh boy did it make the card.  I wanted to some how frame the word howdy .. I tried a few different options and then it dawned on me.. use the jute .. So I lined the rectangle and glued it all down.

I formed the lasso and glued it down. That jute was a little wild, so I did have to put a few books over it for the night.

I love this and love how it turned out!  Masculine cards are sometimes tough to come up with. This is a great idea for you to use.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  When shopping with Die-Versions be sure to use kara15 to save 15% off.  This is not valid with any other sales or promotions.

 

Christmas Tree from stakes

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Today I want to share a Christmas Tree that I made from stakes.  I may have raided my husbands stash of stakes to make these, LOL. 

 

I cut my desired lengths for the branches.  I then laid them out and cut the main trunk to the length I needed.  I did no measuring.. I really was not striving to be perfect as I wanted it to look not perfect.. if that makes sense. 

 

I painted the stakes and after it was dry I took a piece of sandpaper to each branch and the trunk.  Again, I wanted it to look a bit 'rustic' and not perfect.   

 

The first one I made, I did not put glue on before nailing and what a mistake that was.. on the 2 following I did put some E6000 glue down and then nailed.  The branches are now secure.. very secure.

 

I then used my cricut explore air to cut out the words for each branch.  I wanted the words to grow in size with each branch.  I found the general idea for these on pinterest.. However, if you want you could google Christmas words with how ever many letters you are looking for.  I then placed the vinyl onto the stakes. 

 

I had some ribbon and twine laying around so I used bells and small ornaments I had to hang on the branches.  Put a dab of hot glue on the back side of the branch so they stay in place.

 

This particular tree I did not mod podge over, but the other two I made I am giving away so I did mod podge so the vinyl would never come off.  That is totally optional. 

 

I hope this may has inspired you to get some wood pieces out with some power tools and create!  Have fun

 



Cricut projects

 

Thank so much for stopping by!  I wanted to share a few projects I have done with my Cricut.  I will admit, some of these projects were very time consuming.. The end result made them all worth it!   These were all given as gifts.

 

~Kara

 

 

 

 

Camo Wedding Card

 

Hello! Thanks so much for stopping by

 

Today I wanted to show a card I made for a wedding.  I absolutely love how it turned out.

 

I took my embossing folders out to choose the look I was thinking. I embossed a background panel and also paper for the white heart.  I then cut out the hearts using my Darice heart die.

 

I had made enamel dots from perler beads, so this was the perfect opportunity to add some to the card. I tied a little bow for the white heart..

 

Adding some camo paper behind my white panel added the final touch. 

 

It's a simple card. 

 

Thanks for stopping by

~Kara

 

 

Snowflakes are winter's butterflies

Hello! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

 

I always say I live in the wrong part of the US.. I like warm and sunny weather.  Here where I reside, we are fortunate that NO accumulation has happened yet.. At least I'm thankful, LOL.

 

When I saw the sentiment stamp from So Suzy Stamps.. Snowflakes are winter's butterflies... I just knew I needed it.   I love butterflies and this is one way to get me through our rough winters..

 

Purple everything!!  That's what I feel.   So of course I went purple.  I used the Snowflake fusion cover plate from My Favorite Things.  I chose a lilac color and to have a contrasting dark purple behind.    I went back and forth as to whether or not glitter was needed to pop out a snowflake.  I tried a few and did not like the outcome, so I used the plain lilac.

 

The tag that I stamped and embossed my sentiment on is from Craftin Desert Diva's Pocket Pieces.  This set is so versatile and be used in so many different ways.  The stitched look is a look I LOVE!

 

I took some twine and wrapped it around that tag to give it a different look.  The snowflakes I used are shiny and give a little flare to the card. 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope that if you dislike snow where you live, that you too can see it through different eyes.. Butterflies

 

 

 This card is entered into these challenges.
Sparkle N Sprinkle Creative Challenge
Craftin Desert Diva's linky party



Christmas Tree Pallet

  I wasn't sure if this would be an epic fail or win.  The Christmas tree made from pallets is going viral. I am sure you have seen the post I speak of. 

 

Here is my take on a Christmas Tree pallet.

 

I started off with a pallet and kinda gauged where I wanted to cut.  I knew I wanted some of the nails and or nail holes to be present on my tree.  Added rustic look!  So I cut and placed the 'branches' in the order I wanted.  I used a stake I had laying around, however, I wouldn't use a brand new one again.. It needs to be 'roughed up' to go with the pallets.. Unless you are using a brand new pallet.

 

I then took some scrapbook paper and mod podged it onto the pallet.  I did let this set over night.  If I were to do this again, I would for sure make the paper fit the 'branch' .. not just the 12 inches in length the paper is.  The morning after, I took my sander and  roughed up the scrapbook paper a bit.  I didn't want it to be perfect. 

 



For my other branches I took some acrylic paint and just randomly painted with a bunched up paper towel. Again, I wasn't going for a 'perfect' look.  I wanted to be a bit messy and primitive if you will. You can make the tree any color you wish.. I'm a purple fan to the extreme, so I did purple.

 

After I the paint dried, I put a thick layer of mod podge over every part of the tree.  The paint dries quick as you only put a thin layer .. Unless you do thick painting.

 

I added some buttons and a star that I scuffed some paint up.  Screwed it all onto my stake and there you have it!  I did paint over the stake.  As I said earlier, it was too new looking.  I'd stain it or just get some wood that looks used next time.

 





Thanks for stopping by!

~Kara



Hello Fall!

Hello!  It's Kara here on the blog.  I reside in Western PA and Fall is usually FREEZING cold, but as I write this.. it is a whopping 70 degrees!  So Hello Fall!

 

I took some watercolor paper and sprayed Starbursts from Lindy's Stamp Gang to create the green background.  For the Hello Fall, I used a mixture of sprays ranging from Lindy's Stamp Gang to the Color Bursts from Ken Oliver to pearlescent sprays.

 

I wanted to make a simple, but beautiful card.  I used the Hello Fall Die from Die-Versions to be my heading.  I love this die as there is so many ways you could display this on a card.    I went simple and do I ever love how it turned out!

 

I then took some twine from Annie's Paper Boutique and wrapped around a few times.  I then used the Blessed stamp (Thankful Squeaks set) from Craftin Desert Divas and the tag die from her Pocket Pieces Die set. I attached the Blessed tag to the twine and gave it a little glue to hold in place.

 

The two small leaves came from Simon Says Stamp die set Maple Leaf Corner.  I used the Dylusions orange paint to add some fall color.

 

I adhered the main green background to my Kraft Brown (oohhh I love Kraft Brown, LOL) and just like that the card was complete!  I love love how it turned out.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

 

As always, when purchasing goodies from the Die-Versions shop use kara15 to save 15% (can not use with other sales or discounts)

 

~Kara

 

 

Snowman Wreath

Hello and thanks for stopping by!  Today I am sharing two snowmen wreaths I assembled.  These snowmen have went viral (not mine specifically), but I wanted to say that anyone can make these!  They are super simple and turn out so full of adorableness!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

~Kara

 

 

 

Holiday Bows

Hello!  Thanks for stopping by today!  Can I just say, there is never too much PURPLE in the world!!  I am obsessed with anything purple and had the bright idea to try a purple Christmas card.

 

I used The Holiday Bow stamp set from The Ton.  This is a layering stamp set and the outcome is just so gorgeousness.  The look of a real bow is just amazing.

 

The cardstock base is Kraft, then a layer of white, purple and back to Kraft for the main part of the card.

 

I took some twine and made it look as if they were hanging.  One can never have enough sequins, so I dressed it up a bit with shiny beautiful sequins.  I used Momento purple Ink and Hero Arts Unicorn white.  Merry Christmas I embossed with Hero Arts white fine powder.

 

The sentiment came from My Style stamps.  It may be a little too large on the page.  I am undecided about that.  I am happy to say that I will be making these as my cards this year.  So I will play around with maybe a smaller sentiment or even rearranging how the page looks.

 

I am extremely happy with how it came out.  It looks stunning in person.

 

 

 



Mixed Media tag

 

 

 

Hello!  Have you tried any projects using mixed media?  If you have not, I urge you to try.  It is so freeing to create.  There are no 'rules' to mixed media.  However you place things on your project is how it goes.  I am not an experienced mixed media artist, but I am a beginner who loves to have fun!  The first step to being great at anything, is practicing and just plain starting.

 

I used my Tim Holtz tag die set and cut from a manila folder I had laying around.  It's a great size tag that allows you to have lots of options size wise.  I then took my Dylusions Paint that I purchased from Simon Says Stamp at their Ranger sale and used my finger to paint the blue and purple.  I had no rhyme or reason to where I put the paint, just where I thought it looked good.

 

I then took a Tim Holtz stencil and with the black Dylusions paint, dabbed some over the stencil.  The 'exploding' heart is from Limor Webber.  I had been eyeing up her stamps and low and behold on Blitsy came a Limor Webber sale.  Have you checked out Blitsy???  Check it out here and be ready to purchase!  Use the link I shared and receive $10 off of your first order when you order within 24 hours of signing up using my link!  I love Blitsy and find amazing deals!

 

I then took the Beautiful Life stamp set from Honey Bee Stamps and used the You are loved and hearts.  The You are loved should not have been purple, but in the spur of the moment I was not prepared for embossing that popped into my mind.  I grabbed the purple and embossed .. Not the smartest idea to emboss purple over purple paint.. It still looks awesome, but lessoned learned.  The hearts I used my Hero Arts white embossing powder.

 

After the hearts were ready, I took a brush and painted in some pink Dylusions paint for a little pop of color.

 

The small dots came from a stencil.  I used a lime green gelato and my whipped spackle to create the color you see.  I added some twine and ribbon to the top.  I plan on placing this on either a card or in my scrapbook. 

 

I am in love with Mixed Media creations.. I truly hope you try it out as well.  I'd love to see what you create if this has inspired you!

 

Happy crafting

~Kara

 



Tim Holtz Crazy Bird gone Halloween

 

 

 

Calling all Crazy Bird lovers!!  I just can not get enough of these little guys from Tim Holtz.  They all have their own personalities.  The accessories make them! Versatile and can be used for any holiday or occasion!

 

I took the Crazy Bird stamps out and decided which lovely was going to make it to the Halloween card.  Stamped with my Misti and colored with the Spectrum Noir markers.  I just received these alcohol based markers from craft day on HSN, so I wanted to give them a spin.  I need practice for sure, but I love them.  I used the accessory stamps and die sets for the hat and pumpkin.  Trick or Treat is from the sentiment crazy bird set.  Brilliant release Sizzix and Tim Holtz, they are all amazing!

 

I used the tag from Craftin Desert Divas for the Trick or Treat.  Twine came from Annie's Paper Boutique.  I also used Avery Elle Wonky die set for the fun stitched backgrounds.

 

I used Dylusion's paint for the background directly behind the bird.  I just received these paints and are they ever amazing.  I want to paint everything.  I just used my finger tool (lol) to paint the orange and purple.  Under the bird I put some black and let me tell you, black is not easy to cover up or blend with.. Lesson learned!  No fear, cover ups are possible.  Behind my pumpkin is also a disaster.  When I opened the orange paint, it splattered.. thank goodness the pumkin looks awesome right there!

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy crafting <3

~Kara

 

 

 



Harbor Freight Revolving Storage ** made girly

Hello!  I am so excited to share the make over I did to the Harbor Freight Revolving Storage!  I am certain I spend more at Harbor Freight than my husband does!   Who says Harbor Freight is for men?!?!?  They carry items perfect for craft rooms!

 

I went to Harbor Freight with my 20% off coupon in hand and knew this was going to be mine!

 

I knew in my head that I didn't want that drab color in my craft room... Purple is my color for life and just makes me happy happy!  So off to Walmart I went to purchase some purple.  Once I got home, I remembered that I had some pink left over from painting my Raskog from Ikea.

 

I laid all of the parts out. My driveway is the painting booth for all things. that need spray painted.

 

I used Rustoleum Grape for my purple (it was on clearance at Walmart) and the Pink is Valspar Gloss Frosty Berry.

 

I knew it needed to dry for more longer than I wanted to let it.. I was EXCITED to assemble this baby and see it in the beauty!  Unfortunately, the night was nearing and I hurried along.. and it did NOT dry completely.  I had quite a few dings in the paint. I am not bothered by this as I plan on using this for crafty storage.. I don't plan on it staying perfect.  So I was ok with the chips here and there.  For a perfectionist, I might recommend to let it fully dry.. the chips will bother you, LOL.

 

Have you ever assembled anything from Ikea??? If so, you will understand when I say 72 nuts, bolts and washers reminded me of Ikea furniture.  I said to my husband as I assembled it, what in the world would need 72 nuts, bolts and washers.. His reply was.. I'm fairly certain this purchase was not intended to be purple, pink and hold glitter and glue.. OHHHHH I said.. LOL!  Made me chuckle.

 

 

Assembled, painted and BEAUTIFUL!  I absolutely love it!  It matches perfectly in my craft room and will hold TONS of items.

 

 

I placed a few items in the bins to see what kind of storage I was looking at.

 

This is the Revolving Storage from Harbor Freight and the Raskog from Ikea!  Near perfection in my MESSY craft room and messy Raskog.  I always say, if I clean it all up, then I won't find anything.

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy crafting

 

 

Merry Christmas

Hello! Kara here today with a traditional color Merry Christmas card. It certainly is turning Fall like here in Western PA.  With that brings chilly weather and with chilly weather brings Christmas!

 

I decided to make a tradition color Christmas card using a few different dies.  I used the Delicate Tree from the Whispers collection.  Using green cardstock, I cut the tree and just knew it needed something else. I then took the actual die and traced it on the red cardstock and fussy cut.   The star is a perfect size for the topper and it comes from the Make a Wish set.  The final touches came with using stickles to 'glitterize' and make it sparkle.

 

I love inking up the embossing folder before I run it through my Big Shot, so that is what I did!  It gives such a different look to each embossing.  Using green and red and then running it through my Big Shot.

 

The sentiment Merry Christmas is from the Sweet Wordlet collection Merry Christmas.

 

 

 

Thanks again for stopping by!  Be sure to check out the other amazing Design Team creations here.

As always, when shopping at Die_Versions, save yourself some money and use the code kara15 for 15% off your purchase.  Not valid with other discounts or sales.

 

~Kara

 

 

 

Fall Craft day

What a fun day had by all!   A few girlfriends and I planned out a craft day.   We were pinteresting for quite a few days planning and came up with a few great ideas.   We had lots of laughs and ended up with some great crafts!! 

This was part of the final paintings

I'll claim these..  Even though they look bad.   It was fun and that's what matters! 

Jamie starting her candy corn wine bottle 

I had these stems left over from sunflowers I had cut off..  They made a perfect stand to spray paint from! 

I had these scrap triangles laying around and sure enough they made a perfect candy corn! 

Jamie and Nicole did this project.   Super cute

Next up,  painting wine glasses to resemble a pumpkin 

Final group photo of all the different projects.   What a fun day! 

Fun Fall shaker card

Hello!  Thanks for stopping by today.  I absolutely love shaker cards!  I love how they look.  I love that they are interactive and not to mention just full of cuteness!

 

Fall is here in Western PA, so I got the itch to make a fall card.

 

Here are a few items I used to make my card.

 

 

I used the Holiday word art from Craftin' Desert Divas and her new Pocket Pieces die to cut the center for my shaker.  I also used her Autumn sequins (what a bag full of gorgeousness this is)

 

Versa fine ink (one of my all time favs)

 

This shaker card I used a sheet of Foamie instead of my normal foam tape.  I wanted to try this technique.  I saw the video from Jennifer Mcquire and thought how much easier that must be.



 

The clear part of my shaker card is transparency film. I have one small square sequins stuck there at the top.. I guess that adds character!

 

The small pumpkin on the bottom left if from the Lawn Fawn Happy Harvest set.

 

I wanted to give my card a little different look, so I angled my shaker box.  I love how it turned out!  I hope you try a shaker card.  It is tons of fun.

 

Have a beautiful day! 

 

 



Mixed media card

Hello!  I hope this finds you having a wonderful day!  I have been watching many YouTube videos about mixed media.  At first, I'll be honest.. I wasn't a fan of it.  The more I looked around, the more I thought WOW is that ever gorgeous.

 

I truly do not think there is a right or wrong way to do a mixed media piece.  I used distress inks for my background.  I wouldn't use them for a project larger than this 6x6 card (just my opinion).  I will be trying the Dylusions Paint for my next mixed media project.  I think it will be easier to cover a larger surface.

 

I then randomly stenciled and stamped around various places.  For the gray hearts, I used my gelatos and texture paste.  I mixed up my concoction and spread over my heart stencil.

 

I wanted this to be a card and it didn't take me long to go to my Heartfelt Creations collection.  Think of you seems to fit just about anywhere.  Who wouldn't want you to think about them?

 

I feel this is just the start for me.  There are so many techniques and I will continue to work on my mixed media. It was fun to make.  It almost brought out your inner child!  I hope you try a mixed media project.

 

Have a beautiful day! 

 

 

Beach Canvas

Thanks so much for stopping by! I have a project here to show you.  I can not claim to be the creator of this canvas.  

 

I was on a week long vacation to Myrtle Beach and we had ONE bad rainy day, so what do we do??  We go craft shopping :)  The unfortunate part was, we flew in so there wasn't much shopping to be done that we could take home.  It was a grand time (who doesn't like craft shopping).

 

As I left the Hobby Lobby in Myrtle Beach, I noticed a canvas with a beach scene.  We still had a day left on the beach, so I knew I could grab some Myrtle sand and broken shells (how many people really scoop up broken shells, LOL).

 

I bagged up sand and found all the broken shells I'd need to complete the project.  I had no instructions, just a visual to go by, so I really wasn't sure what all I'd need.

 

I started with an 8x8 canvas.  I apologize deeply for my photo quality in this post.  I was doing this in the evening in the living room, so the lighting quality isn't the best.  I wasn't even sure it would turn out... good enough to share anyways!  But hey, if this can inspire one person.. then I've succeeded!

 

 

During the 60% off an item sale at Joann's, I picked up some acrylic paint.  It had a nice little variety for what I was going to use it for.  I never claim to be a professional painter (I just like to have fun and try new things)

 

 

I painted the water with the blue (if I were to do this again, I would add some white in it to make it look lighter in color).  The only blue water I've seen like this is in the Cayman Islands, LOL!

 

I had no instructions to follow and I couldn't find anything on the internet about adhering real sand.. I decided to go with my favorite mod podge.  Again, if I were to do this again, I do not know what I'd use, but by the end you can see how the sand reacted to the mod podge.. It doesn't really look 'natural'.

Next learning process came when I did the sand in sections.  I would not do this again.. I would mod podge the entire canvas area and then spread the sand.  Mod Podge doesn't dry quite that quick, so doing the entire canvas you want covered would be my suggestion.

 

I layered the sand and had to fill in several spots several times.  I believe this was from me doing 'patchy' areas and not the entire canvas.

 

I added the fencing, star fish, sandals and broken shells from the beach.

 

 

 

It didn't look quite right with the straight line of shells.  So I went back and scattered some to make it less uniform looking. 

 

I think it turned out GREAT!  Of course, with any project you have learning periods.  I would make another and change up a few different ways.  It definitely isn't going to be hung in an art museum, but for me and to remember Myrtle Beach 2015.. it turned out perfect!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope this can inspire you to do a project like this! 

 

~Kara