MMW#9: ANYTHING GOES

Hi there! 

Ready for some more mixed media fun? I hope you can join us again this time! We have a super easy theme for our next challenge and it's chosen by Amanda. You can make anything your creative heart desires as Anything Goes this time!! Yay!

Our sponsor for this challenge is... That's Crafty! And you could win a £20 voucher to their online store!

I have the pleasure of announcing our winner... Her creation is out of this world and she very much deserves the prize... 

#10: Sarascloset

Yes, it is creeeeeepy! BUT, there's so much effort that went into this make, so many fun mixed media techniques used and the Halloween decor is just amazing! I'm definitely calling you before Halloween, Sara! :) Your garden really looks spookylicious! :) 

There were so many amazing entries it was nearly impossible to pick our favourites! We got the job done though and voted for the following FAB 3, in numerical order...

#6 Teresa

#9 Butterflied n Buttons

#13: Linda Simpson

Huge congratulations to you all! Please could the winner contact me (Ingrid) via ingridscraftscorner (@) hotmail. co.uk to claim the prize and to confirm if happy to join us as a guess designer next month. 

Don't forget to download relevant badges from the side panel and proudly show them off! 

Now onto the new challenge... There will be some changes to our team. Mo is unable to continue with her DT spot due to being ill. We're all very sad and are thinking of her. We're keeping our inky fingers crossed that one day she will be able to join us and remind us how very talented she is. Sending big hugs! X

We will welcome Lena as our new DT member from next month and I can't wait to see her in action! This lady is extremely talented and I'm very happy that she agreed to join us here at MMW! 

There will be some changes to our blog  from 2016 too! I couldn't possibly spill the beans just yet, but I can promise heaps of mixed media art and inspiration that will get your creative juices flowing. We have a couple more challenges and some fabulous Star Designers coming up still this year so plenty to look forward to! Feel free to let me know what you would love to see or read about in 2016. You can leave a comment with any suggestions. I'm all ears! This blog is here for you so don't be shy and say hi! If you are not a follower yet then please hit the 'follow' button so you don't miss anything. 

Our lovely team were busy in their craft rooms and created wonderful projects. Check them out... 

Amanda

Debs

Donna

Georgie

Ingrid

Laine

Yulianna

1st project that we didn't get to show you last month....

& 2nd project for this challenge... 2 from Yulianna! What a fab bonus, right? :) 

I hope you are feeling inspired to join the fun! We can't wait to see your gorgeous makes! 

I'll be back soon with some winners of 8 ATCs from Riikka and I. We had some awesome entries during our Swap Party! 

Bye for now and stay creative!

Hugs, 

Ingrid xxx 

& 

The DT xxx

An InLinkz Link-up

Star Designer: ASTRID MACLEAN

Hey there! 

I have invited a very special artist to share her work with us today! She has been a wonderful inspiration to me since I started blogging and today I'd like to say a BIG thank you to my dear bloggy friend Astrid Maclean for agreeing to being here with us today. A big thank you for bringing joy to others through her gorgeous art and her sweet blog posts. 

Astrid shares her work via her lovely blog Astrid's Artistic Efforts. When I visited her blog for the first time it was like discovering a big pot of gold! There is so much creative goodness it will leave you speechless and hungry for more! I would urge you to visit and follow Astrid's blog. You won't regret. 

I fell in love with Astrid's style immediately, because she creates the most amazing textures and her colour combinations are out of this world. Have you seen her recent work for the Shimmerz Design team? Oh my, they have made such a good choice when they asked Astrid to design for them. Keep up the good work, Astrid! We love you and your talent! x

We have a lovely interview here for you so enjoy: 

What inspires you most to create? / Where does your inspiration come from?

My inspiration comes from many different places, nature, other artists, things I see on Pinterest to name but a few.

Do you pre plan your pieces, or are they often the result of just 'going with the flow'?

I hardly ever pre-plan my pieces, I may have a vague idea in my head, or just stumble upon a substrate I think I would like to use, and then I just explore to see what happens. Usually things turn out totally differently from what I might have had in my head anyway.

What is your favourite medium to work with?

I don’t think I have just one favourite medium, but I can pretty much guarantee that Distress products, gesso and textures pastes are always to hand on my craft desk.

Do you have a tool which you couldn't live without?

I could not live without my ink blending tools, I specially love the new small size round ones from Ranger.

What's your craft space like?

My craft space is a corner in a spare room, which we call our study. I share it with my hubby of 42 years, and I have to say, he is pretty tolerant of my mess and ever-expanding drawers full of stash and overflowing piles on the floor. Definitely not a space to show off; I always dream of a dedicated tidy craft room with lots of space….

Do you have a favourite colour combo?

I don’t think I have a favourite combo, but most of my creations have brown on them somewhere. Depending on the time of year and/or my mood, it will be combined with blues, greens or warmer tones.

What is your favourite creation to date?

I find this one impossible to answer, I have absolutely no idea, I like some of my creations or parts of them, and others are failures. For me art is all about the creative process, once it’s done I usually lose interest…..

Astrid kindly made something special for us... 

How amazing is this piece? Fancy finding out a little more on how this was created? Hop over to Astrid's blog HERE and read more about the creative process! We absolutely love it, Astrid! THANK YOU very much for sharing this beauty with us and for all your support. Lots of love! x

Thank you, dear friend, for stopping by today! 

Hugs, 

Ingrid xxx

***Guest Designer: LENA HOLMSTROM***

Hi! 

Calling all mixed media enthusiasts! We have a very special post for you today! 

Do you remember our last winner, Lena? 

*****

Well, she is here today as our Guest Designer sharing her amazing talent with us! I hope you are excited! I promised you last week she would knock your socks off with her GD creation. Please tell me that this is not one of the most fabulous mixed media projects out there...?

"My secret garden"

My name is Lena Holmström and I live with my husband in Turku, city on the South-west coast of Finland.

Mum to three children, triplets born 1990.

Craft is my passion, it´s a big part of my life.

As long I can remember I have done something creative. I think it´s my mothers legacy.

Year 2013 I found Mixed media and I totally fall in love. I absolutely adore to getting my hands into paints and mists.

Quite often I use old books and magazine for my projects. Trash can also be treasure.

If you want to see more of my art you can find it here

https://www.facebook.com/Bruksflickan

http://instagram.com/bruksflickan

http://fi.pinterest.com/LenaHolmstrom/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/101831527@N08/

http://www.bruksflickan.blogspot.fi/

*****

Here are some other wonderful creations Lena shares with us... 

Mixed media layout

Here is my first canvas I painted

I love art journal. 

Mixed media layout made with furniture paint.

" Lady in black hat" 

Lamp I made from an old plastic head and news paper.

Lens's work really grabbed my attention and seriously made me happy. I love the way she thinks outside the box and is not afraid to go that one step further. Each and one of her creations beams creativity. I hope you are as impressed as I am. 

Say hi to Lena in the comments below, if you wish. I'm sure she will be happy to hear from you. 

But don't worry, this is not the last time you hear about her. I asked Lena to join are Design Team and she said yes!!! I'm excited and can't wait to see more of her arty makes. Welcome, Lena!! :) 

Don't forget, you have one more wee to join our ATC Swap Party here and our latest challenge 'Anything Goes on Wood' here! 

Have fun! Hugs, 

Ingrid xxx 

MMW#8: Anything Goes on Wood

Hello!

Did you miss us? :) I can't believe how quickly this month has passed! We're back with a brand new challenge and what a fun challenge it is! We're asking you to create ANYTHING on WOOD! Whether you choose to use a piece of wood as a substrate for your mixed media art or make it the star of the show... it's up to you, but you must include some wood in your creation (a tiny wooden embellishment in a corner does not count, ladies and gentlemen :))) 

This challenge was chosen by Mo who has not been very well lately. Despite the fact she has not been around we all think of her and say hi now and then. We want to show Mo that she is still very much part of the Mixed Media World so we've all created something for her chosen theme and would like you all to send Mo well wishes and create something for her. Mo has not been able to create lately and I know she misses it very much. Who wouldn't! So make her happy and join in! 

Sending you heaps of love and healing hugs, Mo! :) We miss your gorgeous art and hope you recover soon! xxx

Our last winner, Lena, was busy crafting with wood and created the most amazing piece... it's jaw droopingly fabulous and I will write a special post to show it off on Sunday 18th October. Something to look forward to, right? :)

***

The sponsor for our next challenge is the amazing...

Artist Trading Post

...and they promised a £20 voucher to our winner! Wow! Thank you! 

***

My teamies made the most amazing pieces for Mo's challenge too. Check them out... 

Amanda

Debs

Donna

Georgie

Ingrid

Laine

Yulianna
*image to follow*

I know what you are also waiting for! You want to know who won our last challenge, right?! Heheee...

Our winner is.....

#6: Beatriz

CONGRATULATION!!! Please email me (Ingrid) to ingridscraftscorner (@) hotmail .co.uk to claim your prize and confirm if you would be interested in guest designing for us next month!

....and our FAB 3 are as follows... 

#42: Nikki Acton

#46: Kakichka Kat

#27: Elli

What a fantastic selection of art! I can't stop admiring it all! Thank you all for sharing it with us here. Please feel free to download the relevant badges from our side bar! You should display them with pride because you really are true mixed media artists!

There were so many gorgeous artworks I was pinning to our PINTEREST like mad!!! You guys rock!!!

Don't forget... we're also running a fab ATC Swap Party and everyone is welcome to join in! See the post HERE! 

That's all from me today. I hope you will enjoy the rest of the weekend and perhaps squeeze a bit of crafting in too! We shall look forward to seeing your gorgeous makes. 

Hugs, 

Ingrid xxx

An InLinkz Link-up

***ATC SWAP PARTY***

Hey there, party people!

It’s time for some fun so get a beverage of your choice and let’s get to it! ;)

I promised you a party, right? Well, this is not the wild party on a Friday or a Saturday night that you might know. This is a super-fun mixed media ATC swap party! Whooohoooo! Excited? Good!

I was once chatting to Riikka after seeing her gorgeous ATCs on Facebook when I simply asked ‘Fancy a swap?’ and she said ‘Yes’… That was easy, I thought! Hehee… And then it hit me… why don’t we do something that’s fun for everyone and that’s exactly what this is about. This swap party is all about connecting with like-minded people, making friends in the blog world and being creative to your heart’s desire!

To make it more fun, Riikka agreed to make 4 ATCs and I agreed to do the same and so we have 8 ATCs in total to give out as a little prize to 8 different participants at the very end of our swap party! I (Ingrid) will announce the winners on our blog here and on our MMW Facebook page.

Riikka created these little beauties…

Now you are excited, huh?! :) And here are the ones made by moi…

Any game has a few rules and points for guidance and ours are as follows:

• Your ATC must be 2 ½” x 3 ½” (6.4cm x 8.9cm). 

• Your ATC can be portrait or landscape orientation. 

• Theme: Anything Goes! 

• The choice of techniques and media is up to you, but remember we are a Mixed Media focused blog. 

• Mark the back of your ATC with your name and the date. You can also add your contact details, if you wish. 

• Write a blog post with pics and a link to our MMW challenge blog post for the swap (button on the side bar). Do remember to mention in your post, if you are interested in swapping at all and also whether you are interested to swap only within your country or worldwide. 

• Don’t make your ATC to chunky, if you are going to post internationally so it fits a simple envelope and won’t be too pricey to post! Or… go all the way, it’s up to you! 

• Please don’t include anything else in the envelope, perhaps a note to the lucky recipient. This is to avoid any disappointment (one gets a happy mail, the other doesn’t kinda thing…). This is just a friendly advice though…

• 8 ATCs will be selected randomly to win 4 ATCs from Riikka & 4 ATCs from Ingrid. Only Mixed Media ATC will be entered into the draw! 

• Make sure you follow this blog so you don't miss a thing! 

• Have fun creating your Artist Trading Cards!!! :)

How will the ATC swap work:

• You will make an ATC (you can make one or more, depending on how many you wish to swap/enter). 

• Write your post with all the details and links and hop over to our MMW blog. 

• There is a Linky button on the bottom of the MMW blog post that will be active until 26th October 2015! You have a whole month to enter! Yay! 

• Enter your name + a word ‘swap’, if you are interested in swapping with someone, under your image when linking up. Don’t forget to mention your intentions in your post too!

• Once you see an ATC in the Linky Gallery that you like, simply visit the creator’s blog by clicking on the entry, leave them a comment that you are interested in swapping with them. If it is mutual, you can then exchange PRIVATE emails via their blogger profile or their contact form. Don’t forget to join their blogs so that you can stay in touch! 

• Please note, our talented MMW Design Team may enter their own ATC via the Linky so make sure to keep an eye on their blogs too! Wouldn’t it be awesome to receive an ATC from one of the girls?! This swap party is opened to anyone who wants to swap mixed media ATCs and make friends in the blog world! 

• Once you have received your swapped ATC make sure to let the other person know (and thank them…). 

• Feel free to blog about the received ATC and share it on your social sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. or your blog or whatever gallery you like to use. If you could add the link to MMW again that would be great so people know where the idea came from and can join the fun too! 

We will be posting a few of our favourites from the linky gallery selection throughout the month on our new MMW Facebook page and on Pinterest so join there and keep an eye out!

Our current challenge 'Anything Goes with Autumn Colours' will still be running too! Join HERE!

We can’t wait to see your Artist Trading Cards entered below and are looking forward to making friends with mixed media artists all over the world! Let’s play! :)

Big warm hugs,

Ingrid xxx & Riikka xxx

An InLinkz Link-up

MMW#7: Anything Goes with Autumn Colours

Hello and Happy Sunday!

We're back with a new challenge! I'd like to thank all who joined our last challenge 'Gorgeous Textures' and would like to say that the entries made me super-happy! Your makes were absolutely amazing and it just shows how much talent is out there! You took time and made an effort to create something amazing and we appreciate that you decided to share your creations with us here at Mixed Media World. We love seeing your art so keep it coming! We're bringing more inspiration for you today so hope we spark the curiousity and hunger to create more after seeing our inspirational DT makes...

First things first though! We have a winner of our last challenge and the super-awesome artist behind the fabulousity is...

#9 Lena

CONGRATULATION!!! Please email me (Ingrid) to ingridscraftscorner (@) hotmail .co.uk to claim your prize and confirm if you would be interested in guest designing for us next month!

It was soooo hard to choose (it always is, really.. I'd pick you all if I could!), but we have decided in our FAB 3 and these are....

#16: Butterflies n Buttons

#39: ElenA ZerrA

#6: Suzi

What a fantastic selection of art! I can't stop admiring it all! Thank you all for sharing it with us here. Please feel free to download the relevant badges from our side bar! You should display them with pride because you really are true mixed media artists!

There were so many gorgeous artworks I will be pinning on our PINTEREST like mad!!!

I promised to show you what our fabulous DT created for Laine's challenge 'ANYTHING GOES with AUTUMN COLOURS' and here's what you've been waiting for....

Amanda

Debs

Donna

Georgie

Ingrid

Laine

Yulianna

Did I say I was proud to have these talented chicks in my team? I know, a number of times! But I'll say it a hundred times over, because these makes are just wonderful and I can't wait to see your interpretations of the theme.

Laine made it soooo beautifully simple for you! You can make anything as long as you use mixed media and use autumnal colours. So you don't need to worry if you don't have any leaf stamps or stencils or similar, it doesn't have to be related to the season, but you should use the colours of autumn and have a great fun layering and using various crafty goodies! I can't wait to see your make!

Feel free to use the kinky (I mean the Linky!! Darn you, predictive text!!) below to join the fun! You could win a £15 voucher to the Glitzcraft online store!! What a fab prize! They have gorgeous stencils, glitter pastes and other fantastic goodies so do your best for your chance to win!

Before I say goodbye I will let you onto a little secret... Come and visit our blog on 27th September 2015 and join the party!!! *wink *wink... I can't say too much so keep your peepers on the blogger reader for the exciting post! If you are not a follower yet then hit the 'Join with Google' button so you don't miss a thing!!

Bugs hugs to all, have a fabulous time being creative!

Ingrid & DT xxx

An InLinkz Link-up