I started by using the back of an ugly piece of cardstock and applying Dina Wakley clear gesso. Gesso helps the pigment of your mixed media items sit on top of the paper and stay vibrant instead of soaking in. You just spread a thin coat on to your paper and let it dry and then you can apply as many mixed media items that you want. This also helps with the warping of paper, but it doesn't completely prevent it.


I used several items for the rainbow mixed media portion. I used hot pink Heidi Swapp color shine, a red gelato, an orange gelato, butter Heidi Swapp color shine, patina Heidi Swapp color shine, ocean Heidi Swapp color shine, navy Heidi Swapp color shine, and lastly a purple gelato. You can easily do this method with watercolors which is probably a more cost effective route.


To create this effect, I first marked a circle on my background on where my photo cluster would be. Then, I started with hot pink and put a glob of liquid on the edge of the circle. Then, using a straw, I lightly blew the color out to give this radial look. I didn't let each color dry before moving on to the next which gave me a blended look in some spots which I liked a lot.


I printed this photo as a 4x4, but it actually just squished down my 4x6 which I didn't expect, but I made it work. I mounted the 4x4 photo onto some light gray cardstock. I put some foam behind it for extra dimension as well. I used a Freckled Fawn square doily to add some frill. My title for this layout is actually from a Simple Stories diecut piece that says "Yup..this is the good stuff" which I absolutely love. I also included a flair from Freckled Fawn to the left of my photo.


This has been a really fun and challenging series to complete with Ariana. Please check out all of her videos and her crafty adventures in her shop! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed this series. If you want to see more of this series, or you would like me to revisit a specific portion, let me know in the comments. Thanks for stopping by!