Saturday, July 22, 2017

Mixed Media Heart

Hello and thanks for stopping by!  Today's post is a book that I bought from the dollar section at Target and then altered.  I have had the book for quite some time; I tend to buy "blank" items, intending to alter them, and then feel intimidated by the process!


This book was made of a stiff cardboard, so it was simple to cover with gesso in preparation for painting.  After the gesso dried, I used a base coat of sky blue acrylic paint, later sponging in sections with metallic blue acrylic.  Using a heat gun to speed up the process, I dried the base coat so I could use a stencil on 2 of the corners.  Finally I sponged metallic copper acrylic around the edges and the metal parts of the book to add a vintage look.

The heart was created using buttons and flower beads from my stash.  I chose the buttons based on their shape and size; color didn't matter in this project since I was painting over the entire thing.  (mental note here....don't throw out ugly colored buttons!!!)  After gluing the buttons and beads into the heart shape, I covered the whole thing with gesso so it would accept the acrylic paint later.

I added torn pieces of vintage sheet music to the corners of the piece before sponging on a variety of blue, copper, and moss green metallic paints.  I hunt for vintage sheet music books at church rummage sales or estate sales; you can also find them at library bookstores.

The butterfly is from a piece of art paper a friend was getting rid of; I backed it with black cardstock to give it some strength and added black rhinestones.

This post is entered in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Get in Shape and A Vintage Journey's Challenge: All Squared Up

Thanks for visiting!  I welcome your comments!

7 comments:

  1. Love it Susan! Especially like the butterfly and the buttons. You are so creative! TFS!

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  2. This is a beautiful mixed media project! I love the vibrant color and all the little buttons you used!
    Thank you for playing along with us over Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! We all hope to see you again next week!
    X Zoey

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  3. Thank you for your gracious comments, I appreciate it!

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  4. Susan, I saw this in the gallery at A Vintage Journey, and it really caught my eye! I had to stop in to tell you how gorgeous this is! Great use of your less than desirable buttons--great tip! The colors are just so rich! We are thrilled you linked your project up with our All Squared Up challenge at A Vintage Journey! Hugs! Sara Emily

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    1. Thank you, Sara, I appreciate your thoughtful feedback!

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  5. What a wonderful cover you created for this notebook Susan! Love the colors, stenciling and beautiful button heart! thank you for joining us in the AVJ challenge! Julia xx

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