Mixed Media Joy

I'm a member of an online paper crafting community called Stamp Nation.  On their site, they have recently been having some classes focusing on mixed media and how to bring that look into cards.  Admittedly, I'm not a mixed media crafter, however, the classes and videos have been inspiring and I've taken inspiration from some of the techniques.

While watching some of the videos on mixed media, I found myself thinking that I didn't have that particular supply or tool and so I couldn't try to replicate what I was seeing.  It's quite easy in paper crafting to see someone use a certain medium, stamp set, or tool and immediately want to hop on a website and place an order for the exact products...ask me how I know!!  However, if I take a moment and deconstruct a technique, I usually find that even though I might not have EXACTLY the same mediums or tools to use, I have plenty of supplies that can be used to achieve a similar outcome.

Take for instance this card below.  In making this particular card, I didn't go out and buy anything special...I looked around at my supplies and decided to use what I had...and believe me, I have a lot to choose from!!  The video I watched used acrylic paints to achieve a background...well instead, I chose to use my re-inkers for my Catherine Pooler ink pads and create a water color background.  Once that was dry, I used a pretty background stamp sprayed with water to achieve the sort of stenciled effect on top of the water colored background.  This wasn't exactly the technique used in the video, but close.  I believe they used a stencil to achieve a similar layer on the background.

One thing I think of when it comes to mixed media is layers.  Since I wanted to add another layer, but yet not cover up the background, I chose a lattice die cut from my stash and cut it out of plain white card stock.  I figured that this would add a layer, but yet allow the background to be a focal point as well.  I wanted to add a sentiment, but again, not cover up too much...so I added a smaller sentiment.  Once I added the word JOY, I couldn't help but add some sparkle as well!  I hope you enjoy my take on mixed media!