Here in the Midwestern HEART of America where I reside, the month of March is when we begin to experience my favorite season of the year.
The glorious Spring awakening & greening is full of so many natural miracles & magic.
Green Day, Saint Patrick's Day, March 17th is a very special day for my husband Glenn & I. It is the day before our wedding day.
On March 18th of this year we will be celebrating our 20th Wedding Anniversary.
To commemorate this occasion, I created a mixed media assemblage canvas to decorate a wall space in our home.
Here is the story of the meaning behind it and a short Tutorial.
The genuine four-leaf clover comes from the white clover plant Trifolium Repens. It grows wild all over our property. It produces one of the earliest wild flowers to bloom in the Spring giving our honey bees strength, energy & nourishment.
The leaves of the rarely found four-leaf clover of this plant signify HOPE, FAITH, LOVE & LUCK.
The CLADDAGH has symbolic meaning too.
The hands signify FRIENDSHIP.
The crown signifies LOYALTY.
The heart signifies LOVE.
"With my hands I give you my heart & I crown it with my love."
(For more on the great story of the CLADDAGH, go to the Relics & Artifacts product page & read what Sandra Evertson wrote about it in her product description.)
My use of the color green signifies our luck in finding each other at a time in both of our lives when we desperately needed one another so much.
Our mutual understanding & respectful acceptance that each one of us is equally valued, important, needed & wanted to make our way of life & our relationship work.
How our earthy personalities, love of nature & the great outdoors compliment each other.
The harmonious balance between our very youthful imaginative hearts & our commitment to respect each other’s passions.
My use of copper signifies the continuous electric energy flow of our relationship, our mutual love, our romantic sensibilities, our artistic creativity & how compassionate & affectionate we both are.
My use of gold signifies our glow of optimistic positivity. How generous & giving we both are, our two big hearts of gold.
My use of the two sun symbols signifies the power we have, when the shining of our two bright lights join to make such a positive difference in the world, bright enough to light & warm the hearts of others.
My use of the flame symbols signifies the importance of keeping the cozy, welcoming, warmth of the home fires continuously burning. NEVER let them die or burn out.
I hope you take time to enjoy this Spring & have a very happy Green Day! I know I will!
Thank you for your time & I appreciate you showing your love by clicking on the heart in the comments section below this post.
HUGS! YOU ARE LOVED!
Tutorial :
1 - Begin by painting all of the craft blanks & the canvas with black gesso. Lightly wipe the black gesso off of the Large Sol Dresden while it is still damp. You only want it to antique the embossed recessed areas.
2 - After the black Gesso has dried completely paint the canvas with Copper VerDay Metal Paint then wipe it off with a damp towel. This creates a sparkling glow on the dry black gesso on the canvas. Set the canvas aside to dry.
3 - Paint the Ex-Voto hearts & the Helios with Copper VerDay Metal paint, being sure to let the edges still show a bit of black gesso, then set them aside to dry.
4 - Lightly highlight the raised areas of the Ex-Voto flames, Claddagh & Sol with Copper VerDay Metal Paint then set them aside to dry.
5 - Paint the Ex-Voto hearts with Galactic green ink from the Moonlight Duo Ink Pad then streak paint the leaf detail designs using ink from the darker Martian Green Moonlight Duo Ink Pad on a long, narrow fine detail paint brush. Highlight the areas on the CLADDAGH you wish to have green accents.
6 - Paint the heart on the CLADDAGH with metallic gold acrylic paint. Accent & highlight other areas on the CLADDAGH & Helios where you wish to add a touch of gold.
7 - Thinly paint a section of your craft mat with Copper VerDay Metal Paint. Place the Marrakesh red rubber stamp face down into the paint, the same way you would ink a stamp. Stamp the design onto the canvas as shown in the photo. Set aside to dry. The blank areas will not show once the Helios & Sol are glued into place. When the stamped paint is dry, paint the diamond, marquise, & tiniest circle shapes with metallic gold acrylic paint using a fine detail paint brush. When the paint is dry, highlight the gold diamonds & tiniest circles with ink from the Martian green Moonlight Duo Ink Pad. Apply the ink with a fine detail paint brush. It should create the effect of faux emerald gemstones.
Paint around the rim edge of the canvas with a paint brush full of metallic gold paint to give the canvas a finished look of uniformity.
8 - Paint the outside edges of the canvas with black gesso. When dry, glue the Large & Small Gold Daisy Chain Dresden strips to the outside edges of the canvas to give it a framed finished look. They have the look of gold 4 leaf clovers! PERFECT!
9 - Center the Helios & glue it down to the painted canvas.
Center the Sol Dresden & glue it to the Helios.
Mark the center of the Large Sol Dresden & begin gluing down the Ex-Voto Hearts making sure the flame points line up with the corners of the canvas.
Glue the CLADDAGH down in the center of the 4 Ex-Votos
10 - Snip the Peridot Bohemian Gemstones apart with wire cutters. Apply them with glue as embellishments on the canvas wherever you desire.
4 - Ex-Voto resin craft blanks
1 - CLADDAGH resin craft blank
1 - Helios laser cut wood craft Blank
1 - Large Sol Dresden in Gold
Marrakesh Red Rubber Stamp from Sandra Evertson's Tapestries Collection
8 ounce bottle of copper VerDay Metal Paint
Moonlight Duo Ink Pad in Total Eclipse Black
Moonlight Duo Ink Pad in Galactic Green
Moonlight Duo Ink Pad in Martian Green
Set of Peridot Bohemian Jewels Rhinestones
Package of Large Daisy Chain Dresden in Gold
Package of Small Daisy Chain Dresden in Gold
Other supplies used:
1- 8"x8" wall art
canvas
Black gesso
Various artists paint brushes
Inexpensive bright metallic gold heavy body acrylic paint
5 second super Glue