Liquitex spray paint and Scrap FX chipboard scrapbook page

This is my annual I NEED SPRING TO COME ALREADY post.
The days are numbered for the cruelest time of year. YES!

To celebrate, I made a Michael's Crafts Store run and picked up some new toys to play with:
Liquitex acrylic spray paints in pink and yellow.

This is not a tool for the faint of heart.
For one it's HUGE!
12 ounces- compare that to the 1 or 2 ounces you get with a craft mist product.
There's enough paint in this can to cover several walls (or furniture- IDEAS popping!!!!)
Which is why it costs an arm and I leg I suppose- 11 dollars a can!

Four things I quickly found out:

1. I definitely smelled the propellants used to make it go even though it's way more subtle than the MADNESS that is Krylon oil based spray paint. Use it in well ventilated rooms only.
2. It tends to cloud up over your work area- this thing is under a lot of pressure and comes out FAST- be ready.
3. The paint will mottle up, drip and make a hot effing mess so practice pressing the button gently before you use it on an actual project. Also? It dries slowly- GREAT for layering with stencils!!!
4. Consider cleaning out your work area to give spraying upright onto the wall a try. I know- you saw someone spraying down onto the desk in a video- not recommended. Tape up some kraft paper and get ready to feel like a street bomber (graffiti artist)- TOTAL BAD ASS!

The result:

 Scrap FX laser cut chipboard products
Ruffled Feather model number 2012223
Remember The Time wordlet model number 2012359
Speech bubbles FabYOUlous model number  2012372

Some detail shots:

K & Company Handmade paper. So glad I kept this pad!
Pink feathers and doilies? Yes please! 

I'm playing it safe with this project but no apologies I freaking LOVE it.
I was reading some street artist message boards hating on the Liquitex spray paints.
I think this is intended for US- hobbyists, paper crafters, memory artists.
Whatever you want to call yourself.
Go out there and give it a go.

Friday five!
Inkadinkaclings rubber stamps. SO AWESOME!!!
The StazOn Dove Grey is THE color for tone on tone effects.
Sharpie white paint pen- mixed results when I tried it over the spray paint but it's still super fun to work with.
American Crafts jute twine- LOVE!!! Seriously!
The Crafter's Workshop tags stencil- this was a GENIUS idea from Julie Balzer.

I hope you have a great weekend!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Oh happy day!!!

I am sick as a dog and a pathetic mess. I have NEVER been the type of woman who can put her big girl pants on when she's got the flu. This time I called Momma T so she could pick up Lola and take her away for a couple of hours while I slept.

Why? The damage:

• 2 chewed on "Portrait" collection flowers 
• 2 Maya Road resin flowers I will now have to search for in her pamper (UCK!) Not to use- to make sure she passes them

That is my life right now. So for every Mom who can roll her sleeves up, cook, clean and keep the multiple children from wrecking house while she's sick- you are my hero- you ROCK! When I grow up I wanna be just like you.

I got a nice little piece of news yesterday in the middle of my snotty drama- my Earth Day project has been featured over at 2 Peas. Here's the link: http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/gallery/member/464560-hernandm1/1729627-a-greener-world/

This was based on a beautiful Studio Calico sketch so I can't call it original but I'm glad it's getting some attention because it's a message I care very deeply about- doing little things to help reduce your carbon footprint.

I also want to show you an EXPERIMENT. This page will make no sense because it mixes really grungy dark techniques with bright and sunny photos but I'm planning a card project that needs practice so I whipped this up:

MATERIALS: Colorbok grid paper, Hambly Studio clear border stickers, Cosmo Cricket
Paul Bunyan alphas with  Glossy Accents
Flowers- Martha Stewart Clear Camelia stamps, StazOn in Blazing Red and Cherry Pink,
ColorBox chalk ink in Yellow Citrus, American Crafts Zing! in black and clear, Maya Road leaf pins

Weird right? Please give me your honest feedback- I am NOT the chick who asks if she looks fat in these jeans and expects a no. I want to know if I look like a hippo in heat if that's what's real. :)

Zing TIPS:
1. Double stamping to get the black zing border then the clear zing on the inside is not a good idea- overheating (or double heating) Zing! makes it turn white so be careful.
2. Heating the Zing! powder from UNDER the paper is better- got that from the AC post on youtube and went DUH! Of course!!!
3. ColorBox chalk ink takes a little time to dry up so it's perfect for embossing- I would have never know if I hadn't made a mistake while stamping.
But ya'll know this already! You are all embossing divas making this world spin while I just live in it. :)

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Can you feel it? It's SPRING!

Hello Spring!
Materials: My Little Shoebox papers & alphas, Bazzill swiss dotted paper- Fuschia, K & Co pink netting,
Liquid Pearls in pink

OMG NYC just had the most beautiful springlike day and I didn't know what to do with myself! I ran up, I ran down, I ran all around- Lola was happy but soon realized I had gone bananas and put me ON POINT in the middle of the park with a huge SHRIEK so we went home and watched Elmo for a while. I feel a HUGE weight lifting- GOOD BYE WINTER! Little dance little dance...

How much do I love the orange glitter alphas? MUCH dude MUCH!

Here's a new My Little Shoebox page. I got my prize package from 2 Peas with papers, stamps and alphas stickers from Farmer's Market and Home Tweet Home lines. I also bought some Green papers because I really wanted that woodgrain pattern- it's so mod! I feel so free with these papers! They are so colorful and playful that it just dissapates all the obnoxious angst I usually go through when thinking up a page. OFFICIAL MLS fan!!!!
Here are some close ups:

Luscious flowers! Bend up the petals and WHAM! instant texture.

Had "fun" cutting those itty bitty scallops- will need to practice.

Started with red pen but it disappeared into the orange paper so I had to go over it with red marker.

Now about this machine stitching technique:

Left to right: Yellow zig zag stitch- front of stitch followed by Yellow/pink zig zag stitch- back of stitch usually never seen since it's on the inside of your clothes.

Here's what I did:
1. Roughly traced circle and scallop border onto onion skin paper to give general idea of their location.
2. Glued template to the back of the scallop die cut paper
3. Put pink thread in bobbin at bottom of machine and canary yellow in spool on top of machine to get two-tone effect.
4. Using the rough sketch on the onion paper as a guide, I stitched a swirl shape onto the MLS die cut paper using a zig zag stitch so that the BACK of the zig zag stitch (usually hidden in the interior of your clothing) showed on the FRONT of the paper BINGO - instant 2 tone effect!
5. Turned paper over and giggled hysterically at the COOLIO effect.
7. Switched bottom bobbin to canary yellow string.
8. Swirled the FRONT of the zig zag stitch onto the spaces left by previous swirl.

Hope that makes sense- it's just a fun little tweak on the usual.
*Thank you Mary from the Scrapbook.com forum for helping me with proper sewing terminology for this itty bitty tute!

Here's the page again in larger format (and away from all my blogger template madness):

Required Miss Lola shot:

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
M.