Love Mixed Media Canvas by Design Team Member Jennifer McMurtrey

Being a member of the Craft Warehouse Design Team has been one of the greatest experiences in my life. Being challenged to create projects using products I would not normally select is difficult, yet fulfilling. Additionally, I have made lifelong friends who all share the same love for crafting as I do.         
                                                                                                              For this month’s blog assignment, I created a “summer honeycomb” mixed media canvas using patterned papers from Teresa Collins, My Mind’s Eye, and Studio Calico, Taylor’s Clips, and DIY Thickers.

My first step was to paint a white 10x10 canvas with America Moon Yellow acrylic paint. Once that was completed, I used Mod Podge to adhere a piece of patterned paper to the canvas. Next, I applied more of the acrylic paint and scraped some of it off to create a distressed look.

An important step to remember throughout this process is to liberally apply Mod Podge to all layers of the project. This will involve a lot of the sealer, but it ensures that everything stays in place on the canvas and that it is protected.

A big trend this year is the use of honeycomb or hexagons on projects. To incorporate this into the assignment, I created hexagon shapes in a Microsoft Word document, cut my patterned papers down to 8 ½” by 11”, and fed them through my printer. I hand cut the hexagon shapes and began pasting them to the canvas with Mod Podge.

Once the hexagons were applied, I used a leftover piece of paper to create a hexagon template in order to apply tinted molding paste. Using the molding paste gives the project more texture and depth so it doesn’t appear flat.

To continue adding depth to the canvas, I cut flowers from the patterned paper and applied them using Glue dots. At this point, I also adhered Studio Calico wood veneer butterflies.

Next, I used the DIY Thickers, which have adhesive on the front and back so you are able to decorate the letters with a medium of your choice, to create the title. I used black American Crafts Pop Microbeads on the Thickers and in the centers of the flowers. After affixing the microbeads to the letters, I used Mod Podge to adhere everything to the canvas – remember to use a lot of Mod Podge keeping in mind that it dries clear.

The last step was to add my photo, which I again cut in a hexagon shape, by inserting it into the Taylor’s Clip and gluing it to the canvas.

- Jennifer McMurtrey, Design Team Member