Dragonflies Introduce the Spring with Relics & Artifacts Ambassador Heather Thompson

As the days finally seem to be getting longer and longer,  I yearn for spring.  As these long winter days seem to just drag on in this frozen tundra, there is a glimmer of hope with more daylight and the signs of snow slowly, ever so slowly, melting away. 

I yearn to see my dragonflies.  From little ones to big ones, to brightly colored and plump ones, each one has a unique beauty about them. Whether it’s the flawless look of their wings glistening in the sun or the unusual, but oh so captivating markings on their body, their beauty is unsurpassable.

So as I sit and wait for the subtle hints of the changing of seasons, I know when I see my dragonflies that spring is finally here and I can enjoy the beauty around me.

Supply List:
Relics & Artifacts Coquille
DecoArt Acrylic Paints
Cat Kerr stamps
Iced Resin Opals
ICE Resin

Ol' Jack Frost with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Sherry Westfall Matthews

Oh, the weather outside is DELIGHTFUL!

I love the changing of the seasons and here in the South, it just doesn't feel like Christmas time until we see that first visit from ol' Jack Frost. Truth is, some winters, the closest we get to snow is a crisp, frosty morn where we wake to find rooftops glistening and our lawns looking freshly glittered.

That's when my holiday spirit kicks in and my inner kid peeks out!  Yep!  You could say that Jack Frost has a hold on my holiday heart. This is my tribute to the "Architect of the Flake".

From my rooftop to yours, Merry Christmas Y'all!

"It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. The crisp winter air if full of it."
-- John Burroughs, "Winter Sunshine"

Materials:
Relics & Artifacts® Figureheads 
Apoxie Sculpt 
Kroma Crackle
That's Crafty! Acrylic Upright, Arch  
That's Crafty! Dinky Stencil Snowflake background
Gel medium
DecoArt acrylics
snowflake confetti
bottle brush tree
buttons & beads in cool, frosty colors
bleach 

From the Tribe: Relics & Artifacts® Guest Ambassador Jools Robertson

We regularly invite members from our Facebook Tribe to be featured as guest Ambassadors here on the Muse.  This month, we are honored, humbled, and thrilled to feature Jools Roberston as our Relics & Artifacts® Guest Ambassador.  

I was always encouraged to be creative from a very young age, my parents said I was great as a child as I would sit quietly for hours drawing, painting and cutting up!  Nowadays, I work full time as a textile designer working on commercial interior projects and developing product collections.  I’m constantly being creative working with textures, design and colour, which I love.

In my spare time, I enjoy all types of arts and crafts and working with multimedia, particularly altered art using paint, die cutting, stamps, lots of colour, texture and experimenting with new techniques. I am also a design team member for DecoArt and Stampotique.

To connect with Jools, find her on her blog, Creative Journey!

I’m very honored to be Guest Ambassador for Muse using the fabulous Relics & Artifacts® products.  I love to use architectural detailing in my work and always use moldings to create interest and dimension.  I also like to use various media to create texture, working with colours and metallics to create depth and detail. 

I chose to use the wonderful Ostensorium's design as it is such a fabulous shape based on a Medieval museum piece. It is also referred to as a Monstrance which comes from the Latin word, "monstrare", meaning "to show". 

The Romans used this type of vessel to hold and exhibit an honored object so it was a perfect place to use the beautiful Regalis center piece.  Just look at those cherubs! I started to do some research into them.  Wow! I was blown away.  I was inspired by one that had a red center and liked the silver colouration and beautiful jeweled finishes.  Now you need to know that I have a thing about wings! So, although unconventional, it makes it unique and personal to my style.

Here's how I put my treasured vessel together.

Step 1: Once I had assembled the Ostensorium I applied a coat of white Gesso and allowed to dry.

Step 2:  Apply crackle paste to the surfaces with a palette knife, thicker in areas to create larger crackles. I allowed the whole thing to dry for a few hours. Once it was dry, I adhered the Regalis pieces in place with a strong glue.

Step 3:  The wings!  I cut the wings in 300gsm cardstock using the Cricut ‘Lovestruck’ cartridge twice.  Glue both layers with PVA glue and apply texture sand with a stencil brush to create more texture.  Leave to dry for a few hours.

Step 4:  It's time get centered!  Paint the inside with Quinacridone Red and darken around the edge with Quinacridone Magenta and Carbon Black.

Step 5:  Apply a coat of Silver Metallic fluid acrylic once the crackle medium has fully dried.  Apply a wash of Carbon Black working around the edge of the embellishment details.  Wipe excess to create a tarnished look and highlight the crackle.  

Step 6:  To highlight, use a dry brush with the Silver Metallic and then embellish with crystals.

Supplies:
Relics & Artifacts® Ostensorium 
Relics & Artifacts® Regalis
DecoArt White Gesso 
DecoArt Crackle Paste 
DecoArt Texture Sand
DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics:  Metallic Silver, Carbon Black, Quinacridone Red, Quinacridone, Magenta
Jewelled Embellishment 

"Once Upon A Midnight Dreary" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Sherry Matthews

So who's excited about our new Literary Hauntings Challenge?  I definitely am!  I've made "no bones" about the fact that I am frequently inspired by works of poetry and literature.  You might even say I've "pondered over many a quaint & curious volume of forgotten lore."

Add to that my love of Halloween and it's no surprise that I am a fan of Edgar Allen Poe. His words evoke imagery that rap, tap, tap on the door of my imagination!  This piece is an homage to Poe's The Raven.

Hope you will all join in on the spooky fun of our #RALiteraryHauntings Challenge!

Materials:
Relics & Artifacts® Ancient Soul
Relics & Artifacts® Troubador
VerDay Paint Set
Apoxie Sculpt
DecoArt acrylics
reproduction iron doorknocker

"Nursing is Like Gardening" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Heather Thompson

As many of you know, I am a nurse but also an avid gardener.  I enjoy them both immensely. During the summer months, I try to bring some cheer to work and I wear a real flower in my hair. Every morning after the long night shift, I pull my hair down and throw the flower on the dashboard while I unwind on my drive home from the crazy night I’ve just had.

This particular flower dried on my dashboard and it was just beautiful. Instead of throwing it out the window as I drive down the driveway the next night, I actually left it there to enjoy the beauty it had transformed into. Finally I decided that I just needed to capture it in time forever.

Since nursing and gardening are so similar, I wrote a small comparison and inspiration piece.

Nursing is like Gardening

Nursing is like gardening;
Everyday is a new day. Each day will bring new
Beginnings, new experiences. A new chance at life
To Bloom, blossom and grow.

Nursing is like gardening;
You will always have your pests.
Your frequent visitors, your difficult
Ones that are needy, that you don’t
Understand and never will. The
Ones that will present a problem
Around every corner and the ones that will never leave.

Nursing is like gardening
You will always lose some. No
Matter how hard you try and how
Much time and effort and heart you put
Into it. Some were just not meant to live.
For what ever reason, it was meant to be.

Nursing is like gardening;
Rewarding, hardworking, a learning experience,
Frustrating, fulfilling, distressing
Beautiful. From one end of the spectrum to the other.

Nursing is like gardening;
Worth every minute -the good, the bad and the ugly (and the stinky)

Enjoy every aspect and learn everyday. It’s
A good day when you can learn something new.
In every bad situation make it a learning experience,
And find something good with in it.
Nursing is like gardening.

Supply List:

Relics & Artifacts® Egg Shrine
Ice Resin
Spellbinders Designer Series Seth Apter Gridiron
Amazing Casting Resin
DecoArt Fluid Acrylics:
Phthalo Green-Blue
Cobalt Teal Hue
Ultramarine Blue
Titanium White
Americana Decor Crackle Medium

"I Am" Art Pin with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Heather Thompson

"I am"
I am the Queen of my own Castle.
I am a see-er of beauty all around me.
I am the creator of my own destiny.

I am a lover of nature.
I am a compassionate heart.
I am a true art girl.
This is me. 

Supplies:
MUSE® Art Stamps Oculus
MUSE® Art Stamps Namaste
Relics & Artifacts® Visage
Relics & Artifacts® Papillon
Apoxie Sculpt
Retro Art Cafe Digital Collage Sheet
Retro Cafe Clear Acrylic Tags - O'Charms
Red Lead Paper Works Chotski Pin
DecoArt Media Crackle Paint
DecoArt Media Ultra Matte Varnish
DecoArt Antiquing Cream Black
DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics: Titanium White, Cadmium Orange Hue, Diarylide Yellow, Payne Grey, Carbon Black, Cadmium Red Hue, Cobalt Teal Hue

"A Fair Lady's Shrine" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Heather Thompson

During ancient times of heroic knights and young fair maidens, kings and noblemen would have their young daughters fancied up in their most beautiful courting dresses and glamorous facial paint.

They would capture the eternal youth, first in portrait, by the most talented artists in the region, then they would encase it in a magnificent shrine made with the prettiest jewels and dressed in trims of gold and silver. The shrines were painted with the brightest pigments and tones for the most dramatic and eye-catching effects.

Conceptually, the more beautiful and alluring the shrine, the more appealing to the eyes of would-be suitor knights, all in the hopes of marrying the young maiden to a rich and wealthy family and unifying powerful families. 

After accords were struck between the fathers of the noble maidens and the suitors, the fair ladies dressed in the most magnificent formal attire.  In this final show of beauty and opulence, maidens were officially affianced to their future husbands in hopes of finding their happily ever after. 

Supply List:
Muse® Art Stamps St. Cecilia
Muse® Art Stamps Oculus
Relics & Artifacts® Dresden Trim Wrought Iron Gold
Relics & Artifacts® Bohemian Jewels Ruby
Ice Resin
Iced Enamels Shattered Mica
DecoArt Media Primary Magenta
DecoArt Media Primary Yellow
DecoArt Media Phthalo Green-Blue
DecoArt Media Cobalt Teal Hue
DecoArt Media Cerulean Blue
DecoArt Media Cobalt Black
Liquid Pearls Buttercup
Coffee Break Designs Mini Ornate Framed Shrine Kit Style 5
Seth Apter Stamps Spot Lights
Seth Apter Stamps Border Lines
Metal Frame
Rhinestones

"The Reading Room" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Sherry Matthews

"Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are."
~Mason Cooley

I can't even imagine a world without books. Books educate and enlighten. They entertain and ease our stress.

Books are a ticket to escape to a haven all our own or a way to connect to faraway lands . Books introduce us to innumerable people, both living and dead.

They transport us through time and allow us to journey through space. Each journey begins with the turn of a single page.  When you curl up with a good book, where does it take you?

"For a fantastic voyage without leaving your nook, crack open the cover and travel by book." ~Sherry Westfall Matthews

Supply List:
Relics & Artifacts® Andromeda Mini Throne
Muse® Art Stamps Basque
Muse® Art Stamps Celestial
Muse® Art Stamps Devotion
Apoxie Sculpt
DecoArt Craft paints
E6000 adhesive
Embossing powders
Ranger Perfect Medium stamp pad
vintage shadow box
vintage millinery flowers
scrapbook paper

"Nature and Art" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Heather Thompson

As many of you know I not only create art inside, but I also create art outside. I have been gardening for as long as I have been working. I use art both inside and out as a release from the stress of work. So whether it is in the gardens or in the studio, it relaxes me. It frees me. 

So for me to be able to make something I can enjoy for my gardens is a bonus. To sit in one of the many places in my gardens and enjoy the true art of nature and to see a beautiful piece of art that shimmers and shines in the patches of sunlight breaking through the leaves is a reward in itself.

Nature and Art, they go their separate ways
It seems; yet all at once they find each other.
Even I no longer am a foe to either;
Both equally attract me nowadays.

Some honest toil's required; then, phase by phase,
When diligence and wit have worked together
To tie us fast to Art with their good tether,
Nature again may set our hearts ablaze.

All culture is like this; the unfettered mind,
The boundless spirit's mere imagination,
For pure perfection's heights will strive in vain.
To achieve great things, we must be self-confined:

Mastery is revealed in limitation
And law alone can set us free again.

-Selected Poetry of Johann Wolfgang van Goethe,  'Natur und Kunst' (2005: 124-125)

I wanted to make something functional but yet stunning, a piece special for my gardens.  Enjoy the process of this piece. 

But with all artists, there is the idea, implementation of the idea, following through, altering the idea, and then through many other steps, set backs, and "AHA!" moments, there is the completion of the idea.  It is then time to capture the completed idea so others can envision in their own eyes the true beauty and elegance of a piece. 

Of course, with any creative process, getting the picture to capture its true essence is sometimes just as long, complicated, and tedious as the project itself. The things we will not do to try and get the perfect picture are few and far between.  The balance between the perfect project and the perfect photo is sometimes literal!

Supplies:

Relics & Artifacts® Crosse Icons
Relics & Artifacts® Chandelier Pendants I
Relics & Artifacts® Chandelier Pendants II
Relics & Artifacts® Chandelier Pendants III
Relics & Artifacts® Facia Familiaris
Relics & Artifacts® Cameos
Relics & Artifacts® Flaming Hearts Ex Votos
Relics & Artifacts® Medallions
Relics & Artifacts® Visage
DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics (Titan Buff, Paynes Grey, Quinacridone Gold, Transparent Yellow Oxide, Cobalt Turquoise Hue)
DecoArt Media Antiquing Cream (English Red Oxide, Patina)
DecoArt Media Gesso (White, Black)
DecoArt Media Crackle Glaze
Swarovski Crystals (Copper, Clear, Smokey Topaz)
Ice Resin
Iced Resin German Glass Glitter Shards (Ancient Gold, Sterling, Onxy)
Iced Resin Opals (Crystal, Fire Opal)
Iced Resin Bronze Shattered Mica

"Treasured Memories" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Sherry Matthews

My mother, my children, and I enjoyed a quick trip to the beach last October. Our time together was short-but, the memories we made will last a lifetime.

Memories are the most treasured souvenirs we gather from any destination traveled to and any moments shared.

It's sometimes surprising which memories remain the most vivid. While the beach itself was quite fantastic,  our time together laughing and talking was magical.  And oh, how we hunted for seashells! Paying particular attention to the broken and usually less-desirable ones. Those were our favorites.

This heart is bejeweled with our seashore finds, just as my heart is full of treasured memories of our trip.

As I write this post, this "Souvenir Heart" is making it's way to my mother. It is my gift to her.

I love you, Mom!

Materials:
Relics & Artifacts® Chivalry
Apoxie Sculpt
Ice Resin
Iced Enamels Medium
Iced Enamels Turquoise
DecoArt Acrylic Paint
Tim Holtz vignette box
Tim Holtz IdeaOlogy Word Bands
Seashells
sand
coral
E6000
Letter Stamps

"The Gypsies" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Chrissy Colon

"The Gypsies in the noisy throng
Stray Bessarabia around.
Today over the river, long,
They’re lodging in their tents, worn out.
Like freedom their night-resting is –
And peaceful sleep the heavens under.

Between the wagons’ tired wheels,
Covered with rugs, long-used in wonders,
A fire’s flamed. A family’s Preparing, round it, a dinner;
A horse is gazing in the fields, Is sleeping, free, a teamed bear-thriller.

Amidst the steppes all well lives: The peaceful tasks of families,
Ready by morning for a travel,
And songs of wives, and children’ weeps,
And ringing of a mobile anvil.

But now, over the Gipsy camp,
The dozing silence is prevailing,
And heard is, in the sleeping steppe,
Just a dog’s barking and steed’s neighing.

Extinguished is each single light,
All’s peaceful now. The moon is shining,
Alone in the heaven height, And at the quiet camp is lighting."
--Aleksandr Puskin "The Gypsies" (1824)

Supply List:
Relics & Artifacts® "Andromeda Mini Throne"
Relics & Artifacts® Dresden Trim "Daisy Chain Small Gold"
Mod Podge
Liquitex Gesso
DecoArt Acrylic Paint
Napkins

Poem retrieved from https://www.poetryloverspage.com/yevgeny/pushkin/gypsies.html

"Spring is Sprung" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Sherry Matthews

The changing of the season is a bit like a changing of the guard.  Perennial bulbs begin emerging ceremoniously through the blanket of winter's debris, ready to stand at attention and mark the reveal of possibilities that "spring" forth. Mother Nature hoists her colors of blooms and foliage.  And my green thumb has sprouted.

These flaming heart pots were created to coordinate with the colors and style of my garden. But like Michael Franti said, " Every flower got a right to be blooming."

There are numerous ways to incorporate Relics & Artifacts® resin blanks into your personal patio decor. Papillon butterflies would be amazing on whimsical stakes fluttering above a plant or two and for a classical and elegant look, how about a piece from Facia Familiaris or a set of wings attached to a pot, all painted to resemble marble or terra cotta? 

Apoxie Sculpt is great for outdoor use too! It can be used to attach the resin blanks directly to the pots or to make plant markers and other adornments. 

To help you along, I've put together a quick Snapguide tutorial because with so many fabulous Relics & Artifacts® pieces to choose from,  you are really only limited by your imagination!

Materials:
Relics & Artifacts® Flaming Hearts Ex Votos I
Apoxie Sculpt
DecoArt Patio Paints
 

Day 5 with That's Crafty! and "The Heart, Unveiled" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Sherry Matthews

We are beginning the home stretch in our week-long party with That's Crafty!  What do you all think of both groups of rock stars so far?  It's been such a great feast for the eyes so far, so why stop now?  Today, we have Sherry Matthews with a piece that will cut straight to your heart not only visually buy symbolically as well. 

No beam outshines light from within one's soul,

Nor reflects more purely of words, yet told,

Nothing more powerful than the gilded hold,

That the heart has, once revealed.

No gift is greater than given attention,

No treasure more precious than love's first mention,

No act more heroic than the promised intention,

That the heart gives, once unveiled.

What a provocative and beautiful poem and piece!  Be sure to swing by the That's Crafty! blog to see what Fliss Goodwin has in store for you and remember to leave a comment on each day to be entered to win the prize at the end of the celebration!

Materials:
Relics & Artifacts® Ancient Soul
Relics & Artifacts® Chivalry
Relics & Artifacts® Dresden Trim, wrought iron (gold)
Relics & Artifacts Bohemian Jewels, aquamarine
Apoxie Sculpt
That's Crafty Surfaces, Acrylic Uprights-Arch (pack of 3)
That's Crafty Dinky Stencils, Moroccan background (TC069)
Viva! Mirror paint
Gilder's Paste(antique gold, german silver)
E6000 glue
Fabric glue
DecoArt Elegant Finish Paint in "Emperor's Gold"
DecoArt Acrylic Paint Black
Modelling paste, palette knife
Dremel tool, carving bit
Sari fabric scrap
Wood chess pieces

Day 2 with That's Crafty! and "My Glasses: A Story" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Milagros Rivera

It's day 2 of our week-long shindig with the lovely ladies of That's Crafty! in the United Kingdom.  All week, we are partying it up with fabulous projects featuring That's Crafty! melded seamlessly withRelics & Artifacts®.  Be sure to follow along with us all week because there is a giveaway at the end of the celebration!  Keep reading for details.

Today, we have Milagros Rivera and does she have an awesome story to tell!

Since I was little, my mom used glasses.  She actually has had to wear them since her teens. I was the designated companion to help her pick her prescription frames.  She always purchased an inside pair and an outside pair.  And they were BIG!!!! II loved being able to help her make the decision and I secretly loved trying them.  She wouldn't let me try her glasses because she was afraid the prescription would hurt my eyes, but in the store it was game time!

Come of age is here and now it's my turn to need glasses and to bring my daughter with me, and I totally know she has the same fun experience because she tries dozens every time she comes with me!

Back in January for Creativation, I had the pleasure of seeing Sandra again and to meet for the first time fellow Art Sisters, Monica Downing, Cat Kerr and Heather Thompson.  My current choice of glasses reflect those treasured trips I with my mom to eye doctor. I enjoy them immensely and they have an effect on people I can't describe.  They are a conversation piece of sorts and I have ended up talking with a lot of people because of them.  So when the time came to do my collaboration piece I decided to go with this Visage piece I hadn't used and make a me of sorts on the That's Crafty substrate!

Besides giving you a closer look to my textures (I made you a Snapguide) I will give you a closer look at all the people that wore them while in Phoenix!

Gorgeous Sandra Evertson sporting the look!

Switcheroo between Monica and me!

 Heather Rocking it!!!

Yes Cat wore them too!

Jamie Dougherty looking great!

Yes! Dyan Reaveley was also wanting to try them too! Turns out we have the exact same prescription!

As you can see we had a lot of fun, and I thought my post had to reflect that equally! Who knows?  Maybe you'll get to meet me and rock my glasses as well!  Enjoy the next post over That's Crafty!

Now for the giveaway details!  Be sure to follow our celebration of all things Relics & Artifacts® and That's Crafty! all week.  Visit the Muse for inspiration, leave some love along the way, and be entered to win ***3*** sets of Relics & Artifacts® Matte Resin craft blanks of your choosing!

Be sure to visit the That's Crafty! blog and see the beautiful project Carol Fox has in store for you today!

Supply List:
Relics & Artifacts® "Visage"
Relics & Artifacts® "Regalis"
That's Crafty! MDF Upright "Decorative Top"
That's Crafty! Dinky Stencil "Floral Background"
Apoxie Sculpt
DecoArt Dazzling Metallics
DecoArt Americana Acrylics
DecoArt Metallic Lustre
The Crafter's Workshop White Gesso
The Crafter's Workshop Modeling Paste
 

"Wabi Sabi" with RELICS & ARTIFACTS® Ambassador Sherry Matthews

According to Wikipedia, Wabi Sabi is a concept in traditional Japanese aesthetics constituting a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".  The wabi sabi aesthetic embraces characteristics of asymmetry, simplicity, and an appreciation of natural characteristics and processes. With this bracelet, I try to encompass those same attributes.

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." - Scott Adams

Supply List:
Apoxie Sculpt
Ice Resin
Ice Resin tint "Beryl"
DecoArt Acrylics in brown and black
DecoArt One Step Crackle
jewelry findings
embroidery thread