I did it!

Well t is hard to believe but I actually have accomplished some creativity - under pressure to boot!

Very good friends of ours are getting married next month and I promised her I would do something special for the wedding - my job was the guestbook. Guestbook you say - this isn't a guestbook! Well, as you know I don't do anything normal or usual! This canvas will be set up at the entrance to the hall along with a few cards that will prompt the guests to write down their answers to some of the most 'common' marriage questions ever asked....

"What were you really thinking when we were saying our vows?"

"What is your favourite memory of us?"

"When did you know we were meant for each other?"

"What is the best marriage advise you were even given?"

I created nine different journaling prompts for a cool twist on the usual. The whole idea is that there will be one of these cards at each place setting and the guests will be asked to fill it out and sign it of course. Deposit back in the special box and at the end of it all, I will create a mini book for the happy couple to no double have hours of fun reading what everyone had to say!

Now onto the canvas (16x20")...

Started by applying Gesso, then colored it up with Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Line Paints in Yellow, White & Black (mixed the white & black to get grey of course).


Cut out a flower from one of my Cricut Cartridges and made it into a mask....inked it with Tim Holtz's Black Soot Distress Ink...

Wanted to add some texture....so before things got too dry, I laid over a strip of bubble wrap to get this great effect!

Cut out a leaf from another Cricut Cartridge to do another mask....

Attached my photos (8.5x11" and two 4x6") and die cut flower using Claudine Hellmuth's Multi- Medium


I played around with the letter placement...love the 'together' but was struggling with the placement of 'live, love, laugh'

not my fave...changed it eventually!

Check out the masked birdcage! They are using a large birdcage as a collection device for the cards...so thought is would be a cool idea to incorporate it into the canvas....



So here is the final result! What so you think? I am more than happy with it!
Have to tell you quickly a funny (not at the time though) story...I sealed the entire canvas using Claudine Hellmuth's Multi-Medium Matte....thought what a great idea right? NOT!! Came up to wrap it up before I was to head out the next day to take it to her...and what did I find? The photos all had a blue hue to them! It was like they had bled! I was devastated! I was tired, heading out the next morning on a long car ride to the city to deliver it...now what? First, got my craft knife out and tried my best to peel of the photo's...SUCCESS! Reprinted the photos, attached then this time using Provo Craft's Terrifically Tacky Tape.

Not to get burned again - I allowed the prints to dry a bit longer before applying a bit of paints on the edges to blend it all together. I did NOT seal the photos this time around. Not sure if it was because I hadn't let the photos dry enough or due to the fact they were printed at home. I am going to try again when I have the chance, but this time will allow to dry for several hours and then apply the multi-medium and see what happens.