Winter canvas: Flurries?

I was given a challenge/inspiration by my sisters. One sister posted a picture to my FB wall and the other commented that I could certainly make my own. While artists don't like to hear that their work can be easily duplicated, I always consider the challenge in it. I would never be able to duplicate it and no one ever really can. Everyone has differing tastes, styles, and supplies. I certainly didn't have the supplies the artist had used but I did have some motivation to get going.

And a blank canvas.

I wish I could show you the inspiration but without being able to link it to somewhere, namely the artist, I'd rather not. It was shared on FB by the Sizzix company because it used their dies. I couldn't find it in a blog post on their company site, nor could I find the direct link to the artist's blog. So I'll just move along...

Without getting into a whole lot of description, I am very pleased with the result. This canvas was probably one of my favorite background I've done. The soft blues were from Lindy's Starburst sprays and a couple stencils from Joggles. But the process of using my chipboard snowflakes (Creative Embellishments) as masks for the sprays got me really excited about the background. Because the Lindy's spray so fine a mist and the chipboard pieces were so detailed, the white "ghosts" of the snowflakes added an extra layer without anymore work. I will keep this in mind for future projects.

I went with a collage and just pulled out matching blue items from my stash. When I found the Santa, I decided this canvas would be a bit more than just "winter". I hesitate to call it "blue Christmas". I may settle for "Flurries".

Thanks for dropping in for a look!
-Wy

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I'm all about Christmas right now and I think it's because Northern NY got so much snow "early" this year. Normally, we don't get significant snowfall (that hangs on) until after Thanksgiving. But this year, at the beginning of Thanksgiving week, we got about a foot of snow. And it's still here.

And let's face it, if you're from the Northern part of the US, snow is the trigger for feelings of Christmas. You want to stay inside and nurse a cup of hot cocoa, listen to Andy Williams sing THAT song, and bask in the glow of little multi-colored lights on an artificial tree. Sometimes, you even get the urge to go shopping. Everyone is having some sales and all the Holiday stuff is in stock.

I was inspired by a shopping trip to the Ashley House in Norwood, NY. They always dress the place up beautifully at Christmas. This year, they had a wonderful display in the "lobby" area of reds and whites. Lovely cardinals and red bows. Magnificent white owls and snow globes. Inspiration strikes everywhere.

This is an 11 X 14 canvas. I had the background done in the reds for a loooong time. Perhaps since last February or even last Christmas. I don't often work with red so it may have been for a forgotten project. Anyway, it was perfect for my new inspiration.
The ornaments are just torn paper that was already embossed with the gold. (It's from Paperwishes, called a "color me" paper.) I just tore out circles and arranged them. I blended the edges with gelatos. I used a light silver but it didn't give enough definition, so I went over it again with black.

It seemed to come together very quickly and when that happens I always second guess myself. Does it have enough? I had to remind myself that the background took time even though I may not remember the work. So yes, Virginia, it has enough.

-Wy
"There'll be scary ghost stories, and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago."
               --Andy Williams, "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"