CREATIVE CARTE BLANCHE - MY FIRST POST!

Welcome to Creative Carte Blanche everyone!  I am so excited to be presenting my first post for this wonderful new adventure with some of my dearest friends - Linda Ledbetter, Candy Colwell, Annette Green, Cheryl Grigsby, Hels Sheridan and Yvonne Blair!

We had so much fun working together in the past that we decided it would be a terrific idea to create an artistic blog- a place where artists of all skill levels could meet and come together as an international community and share new artistic adventures!  Our group of "creative instigators" will lead you with a monthly "prompt".

This month's prompt is "Anything Goes!" However, we would like you to try a new technique that you haven't attempted before or use a product new to you to create your artistic piece.

Without further ado, here is the piece I created:

I used techniques that I have been wanting to try but was too nervous to actually do!  This month's prompt encouraged me to try it.  I started with a canvas that I prepped with DecoArt white gesso.  I was also determined to use paper scraps that I had been saving forever.  This is how it started out:

I attached all the paper scraps with DecoArt matte medium.  After I questioned my sanity in undertaking such a project, I gave myself a pep talk and kept going.

Unfortunately I didn't take a photo at this point, however, I decided I wanted a soft look to the piece, so I used Ranger's Picket Fence white paint and watered it down slightly on a craft mat.  I applied the paint over all the paper.  Then I placed an acrylic block behind the canvas so that I could easily stamp the Poppies Alone image by Yvonne Blair for Impression Obsession onto the canvas.   I cleaned the stamp and stamped the small flower again onto the canvas.  I then used a small paint brush and Bundled Sage Distress paint to add color to the leaves.

The two flowers from the stamp were stamped onto an extra piece of cream cardstock.  I cleaned the stamp and then re-stamped the small flower onto cream card stock.  I used Scattered Straw, Fossilized Amber and Wilted Violet Distress inks to color the flowers.

After cutting out the flowers, I decided that they were too bright in comparison to my canvas, so I applied a bit of Picket Fence Distress Paint over the top of the flower with my finger.  Better!

Using DecoArt matte medium, I affixed the cut out flowers to the flowers previously stamped onto the canvas.

To be completely honest, I didn't like this canvas at all!  However, I decided not to give up - it just 

needed something else, but what?

Ah, back to the paper scrap bin!  These paper strips were already scalloped!  

Now I needed some color added to the various pieces and, of course, some lovely butterflies from the small butterfly trio byYvonne Blair for Impression Obsession!  I laid everything down loosely to see if I liked the composition.

Okay, now for the addition of Wilted Violet Distress Ink to the different pieces - the color did the trick!

The butterflies also had a touch of Picket Fence paint applied to them with my finger to tone down the colors and were affixed to the canvas.  One more touched still needed...

The addition of a strip of orange-gold card stock behind the two scalloped paper strips made the piece  come together and pop!  I am happy!  What a process - goes to show you not to give up on an art piece!  

Hope you will feel brave and try something new as well!  You won't regret it!

Susan