Beginnings: My first design for Flossie Scrapper and some thoughts.

Hello again:

I have been working away on my first project for Flossie Scrapper.  It is a mixed media canvas with a coffee theme.  I am starting out the video with a discussion as to how I come up with theme and color scheme.  That first step in creating is often the most difficult.  So here are a few of my thoughts.

I start with a theme or an idea.  It can come from a stamp or theme that I recently have noticed and upsurge in or one that I am attracted to, say elephants.  Or more than not, as I am wandering through my stamps, I spy an image that begs to become something, little bits of inspiration.  Recently I found 3 stamps nestled together.  A flower, an rain boots and a stamp that related to spring rain.  I would not have put them together, but lying there they seemed to want to show up as such.  In the end the rain boots didn't make the cut, but the flower and saying stamp did!!I also wanted to use my watercolor pencils and try to blend with only a blending pencil, no water. worked well.  The image is not great but you get the idea..

Spring Rain always brings violets.  Saying stamp was used as a background stamp and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  Not sure I liked the pink paper with the violets, but oh well!

But Back on topic.  So my inspiration was Coffee.  There seems to be several coffee themed blogs, stamps and dies.  But oh what color to make this.  Well, once I have a theme, it generally "tells me" the color.  Then I go out and look for something that uses that color.  Most often this is pattern paper, or a package of embellishments.  In this case I used a package of Prima flowers.  Next step is chose my media.  So using the prima flowers, I matched to inks, dyes, paints that I had that worked with that scheme.  Next is the actual items to be used: Stamps, Stencils, Texture Media and tools to create the texture.  Once assembled I just start.  Between every layer I make sure that I seal that layer, so if I make a mistake it can be saved..  That has been my saving grace on more than one occasion.

So here is a sneak Peak of what is to come,  So, with a stack of distress inks, sprays, pain and stain I started.  I used stencils and texture paste to create a background and then "colored" each area.  The prima flowers in the corner were the inspiration.  They are not attatched, just there to keep me in line.

The basics.  background applied and colored, rough images added.  Don't you just love that Tim Holtz stamp!!

Here I have added a few more details, and am starting to prepare the middle cup.  I used several products to achieve that "whip" and there is even a plastic lid over it, curious!!  Wait for the Video.

Well what do you think?   I will be back with the final project and list of all the supplies that I used.  

Josette