Monday, April 6, 2015

You are Unique... Embrace it!

Spark Some Kreativity Saturday @The Kraaft Shaak

I'm honored to be heading a new venture at the Kraaft Shaak. This post marks the first installment of Spark Some Kreativity  Saturdays.  A design team has been assembled by Heather at the Kraaft Shaak, and will be coming to you every Saturday with unique project and ideas that we hope will "Spark Some Kreativity". 

Recently, I've been feeling "unartistic"...yes, it's a word I just made up. My inner critic has been out in full force. I find myself questioning my talent or lack there of. So, when I got my hands on the Mixed Media kit , I challenged myself to create something that could help me get out of my mental rut. My kit came with a Kraft canister and so many fun goodies. I was blown away by all the items that come in the kits. It truly is a fun way to get a feel for mixed media. One of the unique features of these kits is that you can pick two sample items to play with, a paint and a medium.  However, I opted to let Heather  surprise me and pick my samples. I truly got a mystery box.


After a few days of thinking of what to do with the container, I decided that it would make a wonderful motivation/inspiration bank. So with a box of mystery items, I decided to embrace the color that I would not otherwise chosen as my first choice. It's golden chalk paint by Prima. I gave the container two quick coats of yellow paint.  Boy, was it yellow. Like I said, yellow is not my go to color. I went all in and used it as my base color. This choice proved to be a of a bit challenge later. 

I used some archival ink in black to stamp some music notes throughout using a stamp from my stash. I then got a bit ahead of myself and used texture paste with a doilie stencil. I soon realized that the colored texture paste would get in the way of the colors I was going to add. So I had to painfully scrape away the paste. It was painful because I really loved the color I had achieved. 

After taking off the texture paste, I used some distress paint to add some more color. I found out that chalk paint as a base coat doesn't necessarily  play well  with others. My distress paint floated on top of the chalk paint and if I moved it too much, it would just come off. So, I had to be careful. I found that it worked best when I dried the top layers as I was adding new colors. The kit included a square of corrugated paper. I used it to add more texture and layers onto my piece in pink. 

Once I was happy with my background, I used a dictionary page from the kit to add some interest on half of my container. I then doodled and added some text. 

On the side where my text layer ended, I decided to add a face or half of a face. This also proved to be a bit of challenge on my chalk paint base. My inktense colors would come right off if I used too much water. It took some patience, but I got it looking semi-decent. 

Once my main elements were in place, I worked on some fun details. I mixed some Flat Magicals with some black sand texture paste to create a color that complimented my background. 

I then used a die cut sheet from the kit as a stencil. Since I was working with a cylinder, it was challenging to get a stencil to bend. The paper ended up being a great stencil for this job. I held its shape and did the job.

I've never used black sand texture paste. It's grainy like sand, but sharp like glass. It gave some interesting texture, and it took on the color beautifully.

My intention for this item was to create a bank to add quotes, inspirational  or motivational messages to myself. So, I cut an opening on the top, and this allows me to add to it when I feel like I'm being hard on myself. When my inner critic speaks up, I will make an effort to shout back.."I am unique, I am talented!"

 I hope this Sparks Some Kreativity and you find a way to create a "happy bank" of your own.  Please visit the Kraaft Shaak Design Team page every Saturday for a new "Spark" every week. 


Materials Used:
Tim Holtz Distress Paint :





23 comments:

  1. I love your idea of a inspiration bank! I need one of those as well... Feeling very negative lately about myself. I shall have to get a canister and follow your lead 😊

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    1. If you do create one I'd love to see it. The beauty is that you can use just about anything as a bank.

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  2. Oh Sandra - what a joy it is to hear your answer to that negative inner voice! Create something to keep you creative and POSITIVE! I love the idea so much.
    I found the chalkboard paints to give a bit of a challenge as well - glad to see a pro struggle a bit, but get right on with it!! I love the finished piece.

    Thank you for kicking off the Design Team with such a great project.

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    1. Hardly a pro, we are our worst critics most of the time. Sometimes a reminder is needed to tell ourselves we are Awesome!

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  3. Oh my goodness, I absolutely adore this idea of a happy bank/inspiration bank. What a fantastic idea to help us quiet that inner critic and Spark our Kreativity!! Great work as always!

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    1. Thank you! Who doesn't need more self love?!

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  4. What could not be a better way to kick off the Kraaft Shaak' s Spark Your Kreativity Saturday, than with a Spark Your Kreativity Motivational/IInspirational Bank!!! Perfect, just perfect! ! Gotta get me one of those, thanks for the idea spark!

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    1. Thank you! If you create something I want to see it! :)

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  5. What could not be a better way to kick off the Kraaft Shaak' s Spark Your Kreativity Saturday, than with a Spark Your Kreativity Motivational/IInspirational Bank!!! Perfect, just perfect! ! Gotta get me one of those, thanks for the idea spark!

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  6. Excellent! What a great start to the design team.

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  7. Way to go +Sandra ArtfullyMade! Interesting about the chalk paint! I just got some new chalk paint and the swatch is granular feeling, more like gesso. I'll report if it has the same problems. Love your bad boy bank! Keep all the dark cloud stuff in there!

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    1. Can't wait to hear all about it. Chalk paint is different for sure. But so much fun.

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  8. Good idea...your Kreativity Motivational/Inspirational Bank! I appreciated learning about the properties of the chalk paint...ya made it work...even though it presented a challenge. Good job!

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    1. Thank you! Hope you found a bit of inspiration.

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  9. Great way to inspire creativity and chase away the demons.

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  10. Great project Sandra!
    It is always a challenge to work on a cylinder when you are accustomed to working on flat. You "recovered" fabulously and created something really great! Thanks for sharing it with us!

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    1. Thank You! Cylinders are a challenge...no wonder I stay away from them.

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  11. Although you had some set backs here and there, your end product came out beautiful! I especially like the part where the face meets the book page. :) You should add to your AFA page that you would like affirmations sent with any trades you get...you could then drop those into the can. Don't read them until you pull them outta the can. :)

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    1. That is a great idea! I am going to have to add it to my page. :)

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  12. Excellent results and so fun to see the progress photos. Such a clever idea.

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  13. Excellent results and so fun to see the progress photos. Such a clever idea.

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