Playing with Image Transfers by Courtney Cerruti

Image Transfer Art

One of my favorite things is COLLAGE, and of course as anyone who's been on Pinterest or Craftgawker knows, one of the most popular crafts right now is QUOTE ART.

So, when my friend Stefanie Gerard asked me to review the book, "Playing with Image Transfers" by Courtney Cerruti, I was super excited, because it's all about creating mixed media designs.

The book is very informative, and a brilliant go-to book for referencing how to create image transfers, using 5 transfer techniques, complete with supplies and photos of the steps in Chapter 1.  My favorite part of the book is Chapter 2, which she entitled "Purposeful Play" and it totally inspire me to open up my studio and PLAY!

The technique that stood out to me is "Photo on Canvas" because she points out that not only can you use copies of photos, but you can also use glossy magazine pages to transfer images onto canvas.  If you know anything about me, you know I'm nuts about altering magazines into crafts, fashion, and collage.  

I quickly gathered 4 stretched canvases and started tearing out magazine pages into strips.  Mostly pages of fashion with no words on them, were perfect for what I had in mind.

Just look at this sofa with all the fun flowers!  This print would make a great background for the next layer of the collage.

The first step was to arrange all the torn magazine pages  on the canvas until I liked the way they looked.

Then I flipped the torn pieces over (face down) to get them ready to stick to the canvas.

I grabbed my Aleene's Collagepauge gel medium for the image transfer technique.  I've done this technique before, but it's been probably 15 years, and I was eager to try my hand at it again.

According to the author Courtney Cerruti, it's best to apply the gel medium to the canvas, and then lay your image face down into the gel.  Then press firmly with your fingers or a library card to burnish the paper into the gel.  I'm sure that's where the magic is!  The ink in the magazine pages were being transferred into the fibers of the canvas.

Now the hardest part...leaving it alone to let it dry!

Once it was dry, I gently removed the paper with a damp sponge, using circular motions.  This was so fun, that I had a hard time stopping from rubbing it too much.  Be careful, because you don't want to remove the ink from the canvas.... just the paper!

Voila!  The canvases were so cool looking, and were the perfect base for a layered collage with paint and decoupage.  I was ready to grab my Tulip For Your Home stencil, paint, and a roller for the next layer.

I pushed the canvases together and laid the stencil over all of them, then painted a lime green chevron pattern over all of them.

I used a Dahlia motif stencil and tomato red paint to add a burst of color, and build a broader palette of hues.

I decided to turn the canvas around and mix them up to break up the pattern for a true collage feel.

Then I put on my creative thinking cap for the best Quote Art I could think of.  I had plenty of ideas from cruising on Pinterest, but there was one that stood out the most.  I cut magazines up for the letters, so that they would really stand out from the background.

I brushed Aleene's Collagepauge gel medium to the backs of the letters and then placed them on the canvas, and added a coat over the top to seal it.

The image transfers look amazing as a background.  I'm thinking I need to do another one, and use photos of my kids when they were little, maybe with their favorite sayings...

I'm so happy with the way it turned out! Now, I just have to find the perfect spot to hang it on a wall : )

Thanks to Courtney Cerruti, author of "Playing with Image Transfers" for your beautiful book, and for the inspiration to PLAY, connect with images, and to create more image transfer art!

Here's how to see what Stefanie's up to:

Stefanie Girard

http://thecardalbum.blogspot.com/ 

http://sweatersurgery.blogspot.com/ 

http://craftside.typepad.com/ 

http://recycledcrafts.craftgossip.com/ 

Facebook facebook.com/StefanieL.Girard

How To Make Tassel with Vicki O'Dell

I'm so excited, I just HAVE to share! The #CreativeGoddess, Vicki O'Dell has written a fun and informative editorial on tassels at About.com. 

Vicki wrote an article on jewelry making with tassels, and she included an editorial about how to make tassels. And guess who's tool she featured...Yes, the PattieWack Tassel Tool! Please click over and check it out, and then click on over to her massive website for more creative ways to make jewelry and so much more. 

— with Vicki O'Dell

Vicki's website is filled with crafty goodness.  She's a brilliant teacher and her tutorials are written so well, and filled with tons of pics for easy steps and inspiration.  You'll find her at www.vickiodell.com 

The Creative Goddess, Vicki O'Dell

While you're there, just click in her search box for tassels or pompoms and see how to make some really beautiful jewelry, using the Pattiewack Pompom Tool and Tassel Tools. 

Thanks so much Vicki!

Kids Crafts 1-2-3 Issue #11

I'm all giggles this morning! My Kids Crafts 1-2-3 magazine came in my mailbox and I couldn't hardly wait to open it.

Long time friend and editor of the magazine, Jennifer Perkins, asked me to contribute a few projects for the summer issue. Isn't her family adorable? And she is an awesome Designer and Blogger. Of course her big focus right now is kids crafts and parties for families. She has a pretty spectacular party in this magazine for all things plaid and lumberjacks. Yes, lumberjacks! LOL. 

I feel very honored to be in the company of so many great designers, including Kathleen George, and so many more!

Sometimes it seems like boys are left out of crafting a little bit but not this month in the magazine. Several fabulous product were featured including Tulip One-Step Tie-Dye kits in camouflage colors. These are so cool for boys to make camo T-shirts.  So quick and so fun!

Speaking of boy-friendly crafts, one of my projects in the magazine is a nature scavenger hunt that's pretty fun. Girls will like this too! All you need is a recycled pizza box, Aleene's Original Tacky Glue, and a list of items that can be found on a nature trail, for the kids to go and find. Check it out on page 46. 

I didn't leave the girls out because I did a Boho Bag on page 61. You'll find that it's easy to make, and it includes tie-dye for the girls. All the details are right there in four easy steps!

I just want to say thanks to Jen for including me in this issue of Kids Crafts 1-2-3 Magazine. If you're not a subscriber already, you can subscribe online at www.kidscrafts1-2-3., or pick one up at your local Walmart in the magazine section. There are at least 34 projects in this magazine that your kids are going to love! And if you're not a mom or a dad, but you're grandparent,  this is the perfect go-to source for keeping the grandkids happy all summer!

Crazy Fun with Mixed Media

I love #Tulip #PuffyPaint, and have been painting with them since the 90s, but this is different than painting on sweatshirts and T-shirts. I decided to take it one step further with stencils and a black canvas. We had a fun time experimenting with dimensional paints yesterday @ilovetocreate and I had a blast! Here's how to do canvas art with stencils:

I used the Lips Motif Stencil from the new #Tulip For Your Home products. First I sprayed the back of the stencil with repositionable adhesive. Then I pressed the stencil onto the canvas, which was already black.

I squeezed red tulip dimensional paint over the stencil and started spreading it with the palette knife. I use lots of paint so it would have deeper dimension. 

I added several more colors and kept spreading it with the palette knife.

Then the next step was the hardest (giggle) because I waited for 10 minutes to let the paint set up enough so that it didn't smear when I peeled off the stencil. I'm really lucky that we have a drying space with lamps so the drying process works faster. 

That's me and Stacy peeling off our stencils. 

It was so cool to see how it turned out!

I really like how that all the paint has so much texture. 

The last step was just to grab a tube of bright neon yellow and write "kiss this!"

I love how it turned out so much that I did another one. This time I used an animal print stencil, polkadot stencil, and a butterfly stencil. You might say I'm addicted to this new idea for using Puffy #Tulip dimensional paints!

Stacy, our Tulip Brand Manager, was having just as much fun as me!  And Miranda was taking quick pics to capture the giddiness.

And of course Miranda had to put it on Instagram. We truly had a fun and creative day here @ilovetocreate!