Creative Team March Challenge - Kimberly Jones

The Creative Team were challenged this month to create projects under the Floral/Spring Team and we are sharing their fabulously creative uses for Ken Oliver products.  The brief for this month was to create a project that was not a card, tag or Journal !,  tricky but the team as always knocked it out of the park.

Kimberly Jones has blown us away with this project, we cannot wait to try this for our lights.

Supplies Used:

Color Burst Splash Double -Sided Paper

Flower Punch
Double-Sided Tape
Hole Punch
Lighted Garland

Altered Linen Bag using Color Burst

Dunja Ducker from the Creative Team has taken a plain ole linen bag and turned it into something magical.

Dunja says:

Hello everyone, I hope you are well :)

If you follow me on Instagram , maybe you already saw my little Video?

I prettied up a linen bag. 

I've placed a stencil with circles on the linen bag, and dabbed them with an Embossing pad, then I removed the stencil carefully. Next I scattered transparent embossing powder on the linen bag (shake off the excess and return it to the jar).

I dyed the bag with Ken Oliver Color Burst using the Orange and Violet. If you watch the video you can see how amazing the colors react. You do not need to use much of the Color Burst Powders as a little goes a long way.  I scattered the powder onto the dry linen bag and then sprayed some water on it. After drying, I've embossed the word 'art' in gold and embellished the bag with rhinestones.

I am very curious to hear if and like the colorful canvas bag? I would be happy to read your comments.

Have a nice day

Take a look at my video here.

Color Burst Wood Pallet Sign

Creative Team member Tracy Pounds has shared an amazing 'off the page' Color Burst project with us today.  It's genius!!

WOOD PALLET SIGN

Tracy says:

" I used this amazing Sunflower stencil from The Crafters Workshop. I would love to share the process with you.

Here are the items that you will need: Color Burst (colors shown below), Wood Pallet Sign (available at the LBH), stencil of your choice, water bottle with mister, clear spray sealer

Miss Tracy's How To:

First lay the stencil on the pallet sign wherever you desire.

 Next begin sprinkling on the powders - carefully sprinkle desired colors in desired areas. It's okay to use more than one color....in one area. It will look something like this as you add the pigment powders....

     

   

Next, simply spray over the powders with your water mister....If you happen to be vertically challenged like me ( I'm a shorty), stand up for this step. Move your hand in a forward motion while spraying and be sure to "Spray like you mean it" ...no dribbling water....you want a strong, fine mist. Once you have sprayed, immediately lift off the stencil....and LOOK at the RESULT!!! It's like MAGIC!!!

I used my heat tool to dry and then to protect my beautiful Sunflower (after the wood was completely dry), I sprayed it with a clear sealer to protect my Color Burst Creation. Sealing it will also protect it from the elements if I decide to display outside. 

 I'm in love with the way it looks on the wood....I think it's incredible and I can't wait to create more Color Burst Creations on reclaimed wood surfaces! ...among other surfaces...my brain is churning around lots of idea...LoL!"

Thank you Tracy for sharing this inspiring tutorial. if you want to see more of Tracy's tutorial you can visit her blog at:

www.misstracycreates.com

Art at the Edge, Spring 2015 With Ken Oliver Crafts and For Keeps Sake Events

You may be in the doldrums of winter now, but it's time to start planning for spring and I could not be happier to let you know a little more about Art at the Edge in Spring of 2015.

There's no doubt that spring is one of the loveliest times of year in our little corner of southwest Indiana, in fact, it was last April that I decided to move back to Indiana after many years away...I'd visited with my family for spring break...and I was hooked.   

Spring in Newburgh brings saucer magnolias, tulips, daffodils, and dogwoods...southern Indiana is one of the lushest garden spots in the Midwest.

And Art at the Edge will be held April 24th-26th, right in the heart of Newburgh and, like last time, our local shops and merchants will offer some special deals for anyone who comes to Art at the Edge...you'll find antique shops, upscale clothing boutiques, gift shops, great restaurants and most of all a beautiful view of the Ohio River.

 

And I could not be more excited to teach workshops in Newburgh, with one of my new paper collections, Hometown, it's a collection of craft papers inspired by our historic little village.  It's going to be fun to see the places and sites that are the inspiration for Hometown.   

This time, we're offering 4 incredible classes featuring products from Graphic 45, Um Wow Studios, Ken Oliver Crafts and lots more...I like to create classes that pack lots of retail value and lots of value in the techniques you'll learn...this is going to be one heck of a creative weekend.

Here's what your weekend at Art at the Edge includes a lunch and dinner at Newburgh's famous Edgewater Grill with it's amazing river views, classes, Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, a Sunday morning workshop, a tour and some time with me in my studio, an onsite store with great prices and lots of brand spankin new products, a historic walking tour of historic Newburgh and lots of time to explore your creative side.  

For Art at the Edge Spring 2015 I've teamed up with For Keep Sakes Events to help me manage some of the administrative aspects of holding an art event of this size.  I've worked with For Keeps Sake for years...when it was a retail store in St. Louis and now as an event organizer...For Keeps Sake owners Nancy Wethington and Timmie Taylor have been in the craft industry for years and I am really happy that we're planning this event together.  

  

There's a certain kind of "joy of living" around Newburgh and I can't wait to share it with you...whether it's a stroll by the river, pausing for a moment to enjoy our river views or shopping in our shops and boutiques...you will love spending time with us in Newburgh. 

 

And one of the things that we're known for is our amazing sunsets...there's something about the way the river meanders past our town as it flows westward that makes a sunset here spectacular...most evenings the sky is ablaze with color.

Signing up for Art at the Edge is easy, simple follow the link to the For Keeps Sake catalog of events complete the "sign up" sheet and send your deposit to Nancy or Timmie to reserve your spot...it's that easy and I guarantee you'll love the time you spend with us down on the river in Newburgh...I hope to see you here. 

Art at the Edge and Sweet Emotions Soaptions & Potions...

 

I just spent a few minutes with Amber, the store owner at Sweet Emotions Soaptions & Potions, and wow is she excited about Art at the Edge in October! 

 

 

When you come to Newburgh, Indiana for Art at the Edge you are going to want to spend some time with her!

 

She just opened this summer and her shop is amazing!  She hand makes soaps, lotions, fizzy balls and all sorts of cool stuff...all right here in Newburgh at her shop!   

 

And during Art at the Edge, she'll have demo tables set up so you can experiment and learn how to create your own custom blended soaps and lotions...it's going to be fun. 

 

And she'll offer special discounts especially for anyone who is at the event. 

 

I love the fact that this really cool shop is 2 doors down the street from me...I can pop in at a moment's notice for a little fix! 

 

Her products are all natural...

 

 

pure...

 

and made by hand.

 

 

And she has some cool vintage pieces and antiques at the shop too...

 

 

So make sure this is on your "to do" list when you're in town for Art at the Edge...

 

 

 

It will be a real treat! 

 

For more information about Art at the Edge...click here or

 

 

visit the sidebar at the right of the page.  There's still time to sign up...but only a handful of seats still available.  I hope to see you there!

 

Ken

 

 

Life's Beauty is Hidden in the Everyday!

 

 

It's something I remind myself of all the time...I just finished a cool project to help me remember it.  This altered metal frame project stands over 13" tall and is really fun to make, in fact, I'll be teaching this class this fall at... 

 

Scrapbook Generation in Springfield Missouri and at Art at the Edge in Newburgh Indiana.  It's loaded with beautiful floral embellishments from Stationer's Desk by Prima Marketing Inc.  

 

 

In the class we'll use Prima's new Color Blooms sprays to create a unique patina finish on the metal frame.

 



 

I love the simple look of this little project...and I can't wait to teach this in class! 

 

I hope to see you in one of those classes this fall!

 

Ken 

 

 

 

 

Prima Marketing Flowers at Art at the Edge SWAG ALERT!

You know if it's from Prima Marketing Inc...it's gotta be good!  That's why I am really excited to let you know...

 

 

That Prima Marketing Inc. is sponsoring an "out of this world" SWAG Bag for attendees at Art at the Edge. 

 

That's why if you haven't signed up...you need to...you are going to love the products their throwing in to make your experience at Art at the Edge like no other! 

 

You can still reserve your seat by clicking on the link here...

 

I'm planning two wonderful Prima classes for everyone at Art at the Edge...and this Swag Bag from Prima just puts it over the top! 

(The products pictured are a representation of the goodies that will be in your swag bag and shown as examples only).  You know if it's Prima, it's going to be good and I know you will be thrilled!

 

 

 

 

I really hope to see you at Art at the Edge...click here for more details!

 

Mixed Media Assemblage Eternal Prosperity and Happiness

This mixed media assemblage piece started as an example for an ICE Resin workshop I was teaching over the weekend at Ephemera Paducah in Paducah, Kentucky.

And as it came together, I realized the symbols I'd used in the piece were powerful Feng Shui symbols of eternal prosperity and happiness. 

 

 

It was really random at first...I used a vintage game piece with the number 88 on it. 

 

 

And I used a Chinese coin, because it was in my stash of demo pieces...I realized later that these two images were powerful symbols for Feng Shui practitioners.  In the Chinese language the sound of 8 is “fatt”, which means prosperity and abundance. The figure 8 represents infinity. Therefore, two eights seen together mean “eternal prosperity.” The 88 symbol is universally to unblock stagnate energy and to bring new energy.  88 also represents double happiness. And the game piece is red...another good symbol for Feng Shui practitioners.   It was quite random that I'd placed these pieces together.  I later realized it was kind of cool.  Chinese money, placed in the wealth center of your home is said to bring money your way...there's coin encased in the resin too.  

 

There are a couple gears, and a wire wrapped silk ribbon to hold the pendant. 

 

This piece, quite by accident, turned out so cool. 

 

To finish the piece, I added a #3 skeleton key.  The key is a symbol of discovering that which is hidden or secret, In this piece the key reminds us that we always have the key or the ability to unlock the secret to happiness, or prosperity... it's within us.  

 

All this is pretty "out there" for me...but when I stepped back and thought about the literary and Feng Shui meanings of the symbols I'd randomly put together...it seemed a very happy coincidence. 

 

Thank you for stopping by today...I hope you'll be inspired to make something beautiful!

 

Ken 

 

 

Embossed Copper Collage Classes

Last week, I had the opportunity to teach a couple classes in St. Louis Missouri and in Evansville Indiana...I am always amazed with the creativity my friends and students share when we're creating together.  

I feel extremely blessed to get to teach techniques that inspire others to make art.  

I wanted to share just a few of the photos from each class. I loved seeing the finished projects, and I think you will love them too.  

At the base of this project is embossed copper...we use embossing folders, copper sheets, and patina solution to create stunning backgrounds for our collage pieces.  

It's an easy technique that gives amazing results.  

Often, students bring family photos, my friend Ann commented that she had relatively few photos of her parents together in the same photo...she pieced a couple photos together to create this tribute to them.  

 I love how this project below has a family photograph incorporated into the collage.

  

Thank you again For Keeps Sake in St. Louis, Missouri, and Mary's Scrap Den in Evansville, Indiana for letting me share some art and some new techniques with everyone at your shops. 

'til next time,

Ken