Elephant Kisses

So my cousin (who is really like a sister to me) has been going through a really tough time. She is also in the process of moving to a new place. So when I saw my July kit from Scraps of Darkness and that it involved elephants I knew I had to make her a cheering up/ housewarming present. My cousin has this (unhealthy ;)) obsession with elephants. As does her mother (my aunt) who used to give us 'elephant kisses' when we were younger. Hence the title of my project:

I used a 10x10 canvas for this. I used papers from the kit as the background and painted over it with water colors, acrylics, and mists. It was a complete trial and error thing. I tried something, if I didn't like it I spritzed it with water, rubbed a paper towel over it, and tried something else. I am pretty happy with the results and it was so much fun to make. Completely de-stressing.

To make the frame I stamped an image with gesso, and painted a square around the canvas with gesso, added embossing powder, heat embossed it, and then I went over it with a watercolor. I added the jewels to balance the flowers on the other corners out.

This was another trial and error result. I misted a doily to put in the center and I really hated how it came out. I tried something else, and then I realized that I did like the edges of the doily. So I tore those off and did a makeshift circle (the edges might not have torn off as cleanly as I would have liked). I added stickle dots and a stickle border and I filled in the center with gold paint. I really love how it frames the elephants and gives the project texture.

I had so much fun creating this that I have become completely inspired to do more mixed media canvas projects. I am working on one right now that I am loving how it's turning out. Can't wait to share it with you all!!