NICOLE MARTEL

Word.

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Good morning!! By the time you see this post, I will be busy, running around like a crazy person. My sister’s baby shower is (today) and I’m sure I am going to need a drink by 5:00 today. While I’ve been helping my mom with plans and the cake, I completely forgot that I was scheduled to post today. Lucky for me, I’m always creating something…and I’ve been working on this piece all week, here and there.

I bought this wooden word on Etsy awhile ago thinking I would paint it. I finally got bored one day and splashed some paint on it and I like it! I used X-rated, Drop Dead Gorgeous and Broken Doll. The colors look great against the black. What do you think?

Eventually, I plan on hanging it above my scrapbook shelf. But for now, it will sit here. I do not like putting holes in my walls until I am 100% happy with the placement of things on my walls.

I hope you had a fabulous weekend! Thanks so much for visiting today!

NICOLE MARTEL

IT’S MESSY AND I LOVE IT!

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Good morning girlies! Hope you’re having a fabulous week. Today I’m sharing a wooden plaque that I altered. It’s been sitting on my desk for some time and I thought I could alter the back of the plaque. That way, I can flip them every now and then when I want to look at something different.

To begin, I coated the plaque with white gesso. Once the gesso was completely dry, I splashed acrylic paint (Drop Dead Gorgeous, Kiss & Don’t Tell, Last Sin) using strips of patterned paper. Then I ripped a page from a book and adhered it to the plaque using Matte Gel.

Then I stamped the “It’s Messy And I Love It” sentiment on patterned paper and mounted it onto the plaque using foam squares. To complete the look, I punched a few butterflies out from the book page and added some gems. As an after thought, I splashed some white mist to make it even messier.

This was such a fun project to make. If you’re looking for the stamp set I used for this project, check out Precious Remembrance Shop. In the meantime, stop by our shop to pick up a few paints and gesso to help motivate you to create something fun!

Thanks for visiting today!

NICOLE MARTEL

You and Me: Playing with Clear Gesso

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Good morning girlies! I have a fun art journal spread to share with you using some clear gesso and acrylic paints on the pink stitched cardstock Art Journal Page. I used the clear gesso to prep the page so the acrylic paints held their true colors. Sometimes, white gesso will turn the paint to a pastel color and I did not want that to happen.

Once the clear gesso was completely dry, I added the paint to the background. I used Drama Queen, Sweet Candy Kisses and Last Sin.

I used a heart stencil and platinum molding paste from my stash to add a shiny effect to the page. Then I added lots of papers and embellishments. Super simple, but fun.

Here is a link to my process video! Thanks for stopping by today!

NICOLE MARTEL

BELIEVE YOU CAN AND YOU WILL

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Good morning! I know that for some of you, mixed media makes you nervous. Listen, I get it…but you have no idea how much fun you are missing by not giving these journals, paints and molding paste a try. So…today, my goal is to show you how EASY it is to create a mixed media journal spread. You do not need to have a lot of product to do these spreads. If you have paint, molding paste and some stencils with a few scraps…that’s all you need.

I made this spread last weekend when I was bored and I didn’t really want to scrapbook a layout. But I wanted to play and get messy. I found the “Believe you can and you will” sticker in my stash and thought, I love that! I need to put that on a journal page as a good reminder to myself.

To begin this spread, I painted the stitched cardstock journal page using the Ooops! My Bad Haute Mess Acrylic Paint. You don’t want to completely cover it using the paint. Allow some white to peak through.

Once it’s almost completely dry, add some of the “Drop Dead Gorgeous” paint. Again, leave some white showing. You can paint over the first layer of paint.

Next, use a palette knife to spread on some of the ” X-rated” paint. I like using the palette knife because it creates a different look depending on how hard you press on the palette knife when scraping across the page.

Once the yellow is dry, use the Haute Mess Molding Paste and a stencil to create some fun designs! I like using this technique because it really brings the colors out!

When applying the Haute Mess Molding Paste across the stencil, be sure to hold the stencil in place so it does not move which will cause smearing. Also, make sure to spread a good amount of paste over the stencil and go over the stencil in one direction. I normally spread the paste from top to bottom in one fluid movement. Then, I repeat this process until the entire stencil is covered. Once the entire stencil is covered, you can carefully scrape any excess paste off the stencil to add it back to the jar. Carefully, lift the stencil off the journal page and let it try for one hour.

And here it is… amazing, right!? And super fun!

To complete the spread, I hand-cut a buttefly image from patterned paper and then used my fingers to rub the paint on the butterfly to create a neat, blended look. Then I used Yes Paste to glue the butterfly to the center of the page. Once the glue was dry, I used foam squares to add the “Believe you can and you will” sticker to the center of the butterfly using a few foam squares. Then I fed a piece of ribbon through the metal key and adhered it to the center of the butterfly using a  Heavy Matte Gel. I added a few spashes of Turquoise Glimmer Mist and White Spray Ink just for fun.

 

That’s all there is to this journal spread! Think you’re ready to make one of your own? I can’t wait to see your creations in our gallery!

NICOLE MARTEL

12″x16″ Altered Wood Panel

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Hello everyone. Today I am sharing a fun wall piece that I created one weekend when I was bored. I couldn’t help but stare at all the pretty paints on my shelf and I was totally inspired to use as many of the Haute Mess Acrylic paints that I could possibly use on this project without it being too much. I used a 12″x16″ wood panel that I purchased from Jillibean Soup’s online store. They have tons of wood surfaces for all of your creative needs! Check them out!

 

To begin, I pulled all of the colors I wanted to use off the shelf and put them in the order that I wanted to paint them. I decided to go with a rainbow color scheme for this panel since I wanted to create a bright and colorful piece for my hallway in my home.

This is a much bigger piece than I realized…especially when I placed it on my desk. Here are all the pretty colors I chose for this project. Aren’t they gorgeous? I just love them all. The photos showcase their true colors!

I used a thick paintbrush to apply the paints on the panel. To prevent the paints from running over to the next strip, I used washi tape!

Here is what the panel looks like once the paint was applied. I added two coats of each color to reveal the true colors of each of the paints.

Once the paints were completely dry, I used a palette knife, molding paste and a 12″x12″ stencil from The Crafter’s Workshop to add some details to the panel.

When applying molding paste over the stencil you want to avoid moving the stencil to avoid smearing the images. Also, make sure you apply a think amount of molding paste over the stencil. This way, you can really bring out the details of the stencil. Once you are done adding the stencil on the right-side of the panel, carefully lift the screen and move it to the left-side of the panel and repeat the same process again so that the stencil covers the entire panel.

You may notice a few smudges here and there. You can easily fix this with the use of a palette knife. Carefully scrape off any molding paste that you do not want on the panel before it completely dries.

What do you think? Are you inspired to make something fun for your home? I am very pleased with how this turned out and I cannot wait to make another piece for my home! I think the next piece I create will include lots of blues and greens. We shall see what I’m inspired to make when the time comes. Until next time, have a wonderful weekend and I hope to see your creations in the Bad Girls Couture gallery soon!

NICOLE MARTEL

Color Blocking Journal Spread

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Hi everyone. I decided to mix a few acrylic paint colors that I normally would not use together. I wanted to create a pretty, but funky layout! This helps me step out of my comfort zone a bit to try new things.

I painted the chipboard art journal page using the black a Haute Mess Acrylic Paint (Bad & Tatted). This paint is so pretty once it is try. It is more of a charcoal color!

Once the black was dry, I used washi tape to create lines across the chipboard to create a fun color block background. Watch the video at the end to see how this was done! Then I painted in between the washi strips using the X-rated and Broken Doll Haute Mess Acrylic Paints.

I added a few strips of washi tape down the center of the spread to add more designs and color to the spread. Then I added some black foam butterfly stickers on the black to add dimension.

I used a Matted Gel Medium to stick the book pages down on the chipboard prior to embellishing. Then I used Molding Paste and a stencil to create the butterfly. I did not plan on using so many mediums on this piece, but I was feeling very creative! This layout was so much fun to make. I really enjoyed the process.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope I inspired you to try different mediums on your next project. My video will show you how simple these mediums are to use!

NICOLE MARTEL

WHAT’S UP DOG?

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Hi everybody! I have a fun canvas journal page to share with you today! I’ve been itching to scrapbook this photo of me and Goofy from Epcot! When we went to Disney, I made sure the guys knew that I NEEDED a picture with Goofy… I didn’t care what else we did that day, but I needed my picture. LOL

Initially, I was going to leave the left-side alone and use it for another page, but after thinking about it, I decided to use my inks and a stencil to add some fun flowers in the colors of yellow, blue and orange to kind of blend in with the colors on the right-side of the art journal spread.

I made a video of the majority of this spread. After I finished, a few hours later, I still was not happy with the layout… so I added a few more embellishments which you do not see in the video.

I had some stamps from Jillibean Soup and one said “What’s Up Dog?” Totally perfect for this page. I was so excited. LOL

You’d think I had a mad crush on Goofy or something with all the hearts, but I just like hearts… and I happen to have a good amount of them in my stash. I have been all about using up my stash lately. Every time I turn around, there’s a new collection that I want, but I am not buying. LOL

More hearts and buttons to pull this journal spread together. I am much happier with this page with the added embellishments. What do you think? Have you seen these Art Journals in the shop? Check them out! They are fab! Click here to see the video!https://youtu.be/BoGc-_YUbSI

Thanks so much for visiting today!

Products used: French Script Canvas: Post Cards from Paris Art Journal, Haute Mess Acrylic Paints: First Crush, Drama Queen and Make it Rain

 

NICOLE MARTEL

Altered Tequila Bottle

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Hi everybody! I’ve been saving my husband’s tequila bottles for sometime now. He and his friend Billy can kill a bottle in just one night. I don’t think that’s something to be proud of, but I like that my husband brings me his stinky bottles home. Might as well re-purpose the bottles because I am positive, those bottles of tequila cost a pretty penny.

To begin, I coated the bottle with two coats of gesso. Once it was completely dry, I dipped my fingers in the gesso and rubbed all over the bottle so that I could get the gesso into the cracks.

I let the gesso sit for an hour to dry. Then I mixed some Molding Paste and a little dab of paint so I could use a 12″x12″ stencil to paint flowers onto the jar.

I like to use a palette knife to mix the molding paste and paints so I do not lose any of the mediums. If you use a paint brush, the bristles will take up the mediums…

I carefully smeared the paints across the stencil, being careful not to lift the stencil or let it slide.

Once the paint was completely dry, I moved on to the next step. I had this piece of molding in my stash from the shop… I thought it would be perfect for the back of the jar! I used the “Kiss & Don’t Tell: Haute Mess acrylic paint.

I painted the 7Gypsies keys using the “Kiss & Don’t Tell and Make it Rain” paints. I love blues and greens… They are my favorite colors. Once the mold was dry, I used molding paste to adhere it to the back of the jar.

 

I used molding paste to glue the metal heart to the center of the mold. Then I rubbed some gesso over the metal since I planned on painting the metal once the gesso was completely dry.

Once the jar was completely dry. I waited three hours just to be sure… I used a brush to cover the bottle with lots of the glass bead gel. This gel looks soooooo pretty with the little beads once it is dry!

Take a closer look at the little details that are hard to see on the bottle in the photo. Gorgeous!

Products Used:

Haute Mess Glass Bead Gel, Haute Mess Gesso, Haute Mess Molding Paste, Haute Mess Acrylic Paints (Kiss & Don’t Tell, Last Sin, Make it Rain).

Thank you so much for visiting today! Now, don’t all run out and drink tequila just to get the bottle…any bottle will work. Save yourself from a hangover.

NICOLE MARTEL

HELLO LOVE

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Good morning! I am excited to share this bright, vibrant, layout with you today! You might want to put sunglasses on because it’s pretty bright. LOL, I love yellow… whenever I’m creating with it, it makes me so HAPPY. Today, I’m going to share a fun tutorial with you on how you can use gesso, paints, stencils, and stamps to create a fun, vibrant layout. I am also going to share with you, how you can create your very own die cuts! Super fun!!

To begin, I covered a sheet of white cardstock with gesso. Once the gesso was completely dry, I added a few different colors of acrylic paints. Do not skip the gesso. The gesso helps harden the paper so it’s easier to cut out the images. I got messy and blended the paints here and there.

I let the paint sit for about 20 minutes. These paints dry fast, but I wanted to make sure the paint was completely dry before I moved on to the next step.

I love this sunflower stamps so used this stamp to stamp all over the painted cardstock. Then I cut the images out using a pair of scissors. Here are the colors I used on this layout. I decided to go a little crazy with the colors, but I love the outcome!

I used my butterfly punch to use up all of my scraps. I did not want to waste any of the painted paper… My thought was, I can keep these in a drawer to use on another project! Saves me a lot of time and work!

Here are a few close-ups of the completed project. What do you think? This is such a fun technique and it’s sooooo easy to do!

Thank you for visiting today! Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!

 

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