Mermaid Artist Trading Cards

Planning a 2 year celebration for Coastal Bohemian was fun and exciting and a wee bit hectic. 

The plan was to have a party day with plenty of giveaways , free crafts and celebration cake!!!
Everyone loves free crafts and food. Right? The challenge is to find a craft that is low cost , different , memorable , fun  and maybe a new craft for the guests. If we can provide a new exciting and unique experience over a 2 hour period we create friends. It's just an inevitable consequence of happy craft time. (God I love my job.)


Since the studio is near the beach in Myrtle Beach I always try to create nautical beachy themes, plus seeing as how the name of the company is Coastal Bohemian, you can imagine that mostly , my theme is beachy and nautical. That works.

I  had picked up this Stampendous  Mermaid stamp at Michael's a while ago . I knew she was my  star for the craft day. 

Artist trading cards are not something the average crafter is familiar with and I knew we could pull these off low cost and make this a very special experience in mixed media art. Bingo.

 I'll take you through my sample card.

I painted a base color paint on an ordinary trading card.

After that dries,

swipe on an additional color in a different direction. It's just a swipe to create a bit of interest.

Decoupage a bit of torn vintage paper to begin to build some background interest. I get old books at my local Library book sales for like $1.00 or $.50.

Next, I added a bit of fisherman's net , the real stuff. Just cut a piece to fit the card and use a good amount of Mod Podge to adhere the net. You'll need to coat the card with Mod Podge, add the net, Mod Podge over the top. Blow dry to speed up dry time,  of course.

I had stamped out  the mermaid image onto card stock. Cutting her out, I had to cut her down a bit to fit the card. 

I used a little gold stamp ink to add a bit of glam to my mermaid image and help her tone down from that heavy bright white of the card stock. I actually used my finger to add the gold ink.

The image was glued onto the net with a glue gun. 

From there add a few small seashells and pearls and of course a Coastal Bohemian quote. I've include a link to this printable for your own mermaid cards. feel free to get nautical and beachy with these.

To complete the card we add a backside of information. Here's a printable of the one we used. 

CB Trading Card Info backside

Here are a few cards and pics from our party day. 

Thanks for popping in to check out these little works of art. 

BTW...check around the internet for artist trading cards, they are highly collectible and swapped around the world. To swap cards, people join card swap locations and swap on a regular basis. 

Hope you enjoyed these cards.

Michele, the original Coastal Bohemian

Baby You're a Firework

These are adorable and make great hostess gifts. I like them as little shelf sitters as well. 

 I hit the reject pile at Home Depot( boy have I gotten some really good deals) and pick up different widths of wood and head back to my shop to cut them down.  These are 6" by 4" and 1" thick .

 Next I use a decorative napkin to create a festive background. This gets applied with a little Mod Podge . Of course I can't wait for this to dry so I usually do a quick blow dry to speed up the drying process.

I used publisher to design a saying and print on standard copy paper. Next I coat the entire paper with vintage wax that I use for my chalk painting. You apply it and then buff it. The wax seals in the ink and now when you adhere the quote with Mod Podge the ink won't bleed onto your project. This is one of the best tricks I have stumbled upon. 

 Cut your aged quotes into starbursts and adhere with Mod Podge.

You can drill holes in the corners and add twine or twisted wire to make these hang-able.

If you have visitors staying over  for the 4th you can hang them on their doors and really get a festive look going.

Thanks again for following along and I hope you feel inspired to do this or something else that may have spring boarded your imagination.

Michele , The Coastal Bohemian 

Art Inspired Sofa Table

I've been on a kick with the purples, blues and greens lately. 

It started with the Gypsy Soul piece I made as a gift for my sister's birthday. We had an open house down at the studio, for those of you who don't know, I have an art studio in Myrtle Beach, SC . We test and play and push boundaries with our art and we sure do have fun.

 This piece was made at an open house down at the studio. One of my teachers, Jeannie, is a paper artist, among other her other artistic talents and she teaches paper flowers , quilling, stamping, card making and more. I made this while she was teaching the  class that day of the open house. It's made on watercolor paper with spritz's of bold color using Dylusions and the addition of this pretty mandala. Jeannie had the Gypsy Soul stamp as well and gypsy and bohemian are well gypsy/bohemian. I used Diamond Glaze to create that protective glass encased look on the Gypsy Soul.

 Down at the studio we also take requests for future arts and crafts  classes plus we take requests from Pinterest....fun fun fun.

Below is my take on a piece of mixed media art that was sent over via video, as a request  for a future class. Again,I'm on a purple , blue and green kick and loving every minute of it. 
 I love the dragonfly. He makes me happy every time I walk into the studio.

 This sofa table was inspired from the dragonfly period, as it is now known. The colors remind me of a dragonfly , you know that glistening green and purples and blues that come through as he swoops around catching the sun.
And this is how we went from this .......

(During the making of the Gypsy Soul we were blotting our art with paper towels and I wouldn't let these get thrown out. I used them as accents on the table and I stamped my dragonfly onto one of these and cut it out as an accent on the mixed media piece above.)

....to this.

     Not so Coastal but oh so Bohemian .

Thanks for stopping by to see what we are up to around the studio.

Happy Mother's Day to all. 

Michele 

Don't forget to check us out on Facebook and check out our events if you are in town. We keep a complete
calendar of events under notes 
 tab in Facebook. We are also on Pinterest and Google Plus and Hometalk. We love when you stop by and send a little hello. 

Free Printable Bird Nest Design It's a gift for the holidays and Spring

This is a free page design done by me, Michele Michael , owner at Coastal Bohemian. 

It's a great piece to download, print and frame . You can used the framed art as a keepsake spring or holiday decor item .Showcased in a small frame,you'll  dress up a buffet table or mixed in among the flowers for Easter or Spring. Makes a fantastic hostess gift.

I used an old book page with the definition of Nest positioned slightly askew with this sweet sweet nest image, (Image was downloaded from Graphicsfairy.com), representing so many of the things we love and enjoy about this time of year , including family. This is a time we hunker down with family reunions and love one another  and we Nest. I hope you get to some "Nesting".


Make note that this image is not to be used for resale. Background may not be considered a public domain image.

To download click on the image above for full size image and then click save image . If you have any problems email me at CoastalBohemian@gmail.com  or click on this link https://www.facebook.com/events/160209951170637/


Happy Holidays friends. 


Michele 

Teapot Bird Nest

Make an old teapot into a elevated showcase for a bird nest home decor piece, just in time for spring.

Forgive me for only having the finished product but my directions are simple enough for you to recreate this your self. Again, if you've read some of my other posts you know I tend to dive into a project like a mad scientist once the idea hits, forgetting to take pictures of the before.

 This is a teapot from World Market similar to the ones used here also from World Market. I re-purposed mine as they had become very damaged inside . They sat around my studio for a long time and then I got to thinking about the teapots one day . I was trying to create a faux bird nest when I looked over at these lonely teapots that where begging to have a new life. And what a new life they have.

 There are a few pics that seem similar but I'm trying to show different angles and capture the nest and eggs so keep scrolling.

I added newspaper inside the nest to give the nest a slight base. I added some hot glue and inserted my nest. After , I took some Dollar Tree eggs and old book pages and covered the eggs with the paper mache . I used my paint brush to get them nice and evened out around all those edges. This was a very messy hand on event. I even tinted the pages on the mini eggs using a watered down Mossy Green from Martha Stewart acrylics from Walmart. 

This picture is an awful picture of the glittery foam eggs I used but I pulled this from Amazon to show you what kind of eggs I used. I wanted a solid egg and not the collapsible fillable kind.

I added newspaper inside the nest to give the nest a slight base. I added some hot glue and inserted my nest. After , I took some Dollar Tree eggs and old book pages and covered the eggs with the paper mache . I used my paint brush to get them nice and evened out around all those edges. This was a very messy hand on event. I even tinted the pages on the mini eggs using a watered down Mossy Green from Martha Stewart acrylics from Walmart. This picture is an awful picture of the glittery foam eggs I used but I pulled this from Amazon to show you what kind of egg I used. I wanted a solid egg and not the collapsible, fillable kind.Make sure to snip the ribbons off before attempting the paper mache.

https://www.amazon.com/10-Foam-Hanging-Easter-Eggs/dp/B06X945TPG/ref=sr_1_16?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1490777540&sr=1-16&keywords=foam+glitter+eggs

 I used a old candlestick as a pedestal and using E6000 glue placed the lid from the teapot upside down onto the candlestick . The small knob on the lid gets set into the cubby of the candle holder. This now acts as a more reliable footing to adhere your teapot. Glue your teapot to your new base and allow to dry. Bingo. You are done.

In the end I gave the green one away as a gift but not before adding the word nest right on the front of the teapot . I had ripped around the edges of the word NEST and decoupaged it onto the front. I finished it off with a faux bird from the Dollar Tree. I'll see if I can get a photo of that to add to this post.

Thanks again for reading and I hope you are enjoying the Spring weather.

Michele Michael 

Coastal Bohemian

www.CoastalBohemian.net

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Crystal Shells -Bling it on.

I've been wanting my friends and fellow crafters to be showcased on my blog as guest bloggers . I've learned so much from all of them throughout the years. This is a guest blog from my first craft buddy, Cathy from LI NY. She sent me a few of these little gems and I was in heaven .

 I remembered that we had grown crystals when we were cub scout leaders together. This is way better.
And now from Cathy.

So my dear friend and fellow bohemian asked me to write something for her blog, so here I go:

During the cold dreary days of winter my daughter and I embarked on a few crafting journeys.  One of them was to turn some of the thousands of sea shells i have amassed over the years into something more  well, worth keeping around.  We decided on a process that would literally grow"crystals" onto the shells.

A very simple process really.  all you need is a flat container ( I used glass) water and borax.

We super saturated the water with the borax (kept mixing it in until the water could no longer dissolve the borax). Next we  put our shells into the solution taking care to make sure they dont touch each other.  Make sure the shells are completely covered with the solution.  Let them sit overnight and viola! Beauties are created!  These shells are going to adorn a picture frame with a nice beach picture of my daughter and I.  I was also thinking they would be amazing in a jar, or used in making bridal decorations...even in a bouquet!!
(Insert  enthusiasm from Michele at Coastal Bohemian here)
"Oh hell yeah!!!
We used small flat shells for the most part, but I'm sure any shell would be perfect. So next time you are itching for a simple yet satisfying craft, head to the laundry room for that Borax!

P.S.  I believe Borax can be harmful if care is not taken.

Insert from Michele at Coastal Bohemian
https://wellnessmama.com/26407/borax-safe/ This is a link to safety and use of Borax.Thx to Wellness Mama.



Cathy,  the other bohemian

Thanks Cathy for sharing your fun and excitement for creating. 
This is an inspiring piece.

Upcycled Folding Tray

Attendees will build an upcycled foldable tray and paint a beautiful finish and apply a vintage looking designed inset. 

Learn techniques for working with paints to create texture . Learn tips and tricks for faux finish and decoupage application.
Designs and sizes may vary depending upon product availabilty. Remember this is an upcycled project. :)

This is a great home decor piece and can be used as a focal piece in a dining room , on a cocktail table to serve guests or as a lovely and heartfelt gift.


We recommend bringing a smock . Please call or text or message to reserve a seat. We want to accomadate all our students. 631-245-2674 coastalbohemian@gmail.com