A Graduation Keepsake…ready for the Dorm Room!

Hi TCW friends! I’m honored to share today’s project with you:)

My niece is getting ready to attend college this year and I wanted to create a keepsake that she could bring with her to remind her that she is loved everyday while she is away from home.Graduation Canvas/Sue Carroll

I don’t know about you, but I constantly have trouble deciding which TCW stencils to use…I LOVE them all!!  The range of designs to choose from are incredible!

Well, after a few days of thinking, these are the two I decided to use….I like how different they are. One with intricate detail and the other open and bold.

Screen Shot 2014-07-02 at 8.33.21 AMTCW463 Byzantine

Screen Shot 2014-07-02 at 10.34.09 AM

TCW411 Circles in Lines

Graduation Canvas/Sue Carroll

I used extra heavy gesso along with TCW411 (Circles in Lines) and covered the front of my 10 x 10 gallery canvas.

Next I experienced a kind of  “happy accident”…let me explain.

It’s great to use gesso and paints because if you create something you’re not loving, you can usually wipe it off or cover it up with more medium:)  This was the case for me here…I wrote directly on the stenciled gesso that had dried with a Scarlet Lime pen…and I just didn’t like the way it looked…so….

I wiped off as much as I could with a baby wipe, and then used a navy blue (her room color) gelato to add color so that the stencil showed up more.

IMG_6191

I like the words left behind…”I meant to do that” haha.Graduation Canvas/Sue Carroll

I liked the added gelato color, so I added more layers of it.Graduation Canvas/Sue Carroll

Gelatos are easy to apply, simply “scribble” them on and use your finger to blend.  You can also spritz the color with water and move it around with a brush for a more watercolor effect.Graduation Canvas/Sue Carroll

I added lines of color on the sides of the canvas.

Graduation Canvas/Sue Carroll

Next, I took a piece of white card stock and sprayed TCW463 Byzantine with a Lindy’s Spray. (“grab a guy gold”)

I  cut out the round stencil, added sentiment with a Scarlet Lime pen and adhered it to my canvas with mod podge.Graduation Canvas/Sue Carroll Graduation Canvas/Sue Carroll

In a previous project I made several vintage book page cut outs with TCW450 Art Deco Leaves and I’ve been adding them to various new projects like this one.

You can see my previous project HERE.

To add some finishing touches to this piece, I added stamps and outlined with both the Navy Gelato and the Scarlet Lime pen.

and a few spritz of the Lindy’s Spray in “grab a guy gold.”

I wrote descriptive words about my niece on the sides of the canvas.

…and finally, the letter A for Amanda:)

Graduation Canvas/Sue Carroll

Hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday!  Thank you for taking the time to stop by TCW today!  It’s such a blessing to share with you:)

sue's signature

The Crafters Workshop Design Team Member.

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