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This article is written by Kim Kelley

Afraid ~  adjective \ə-ˈfrād, Southern also ə-ˈfred\  filled with fear or apprehension

Is there anything you are afraid of? Most people would answer spiders, heights, or tight places. Me? I am afraid of mists, spritzes, and craft sprays! OK that and spiders! I worry when I grab that spray bottle of color; will it splat, blob or not even make it on my project, making a total ugly mess. So today I am taking control of my fear and with toes crossed, praying I don’t mess up!

There are more companies making color sprays than I can list, so I decided to concentrate with my newest brand; Lindy’s Stamp Gang. There are also different types of sprays; glimmer, shimmer, flat and oh so many more.

For this project I am using a frame I purchased from Hobby Lobby for $1.99 in their clearance section. There were a few sizes and some different colors, but since I knew I could redo them, I was fine buying several.

I started by applying 2 coats of gesso all over, allowing it to dry between coats. Then, on one frame  I added distress crackle and on another the crackle paste.  I have never tried the paste and wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out.

Now for the fun (scary) part; spraying. On the frame with the distress crackle I used LSG Kissin Kenickie Coral, Alpine Ice Rose, Rambling Rose Pink, Autumn Maple Crimson and Phantom Fuchsia; starting with the lightest to darkest. So I decided to go darkest to lightest on the crackle paste. You really want to let the colors dry in between spraying or you can lose some of the individual colors.

After letting the frames dry completely I decided I needed a little more dimension. Grabbing some embossing powders that match well with my sprays I went to work. I added some versa mark in various places and started sprinkling my powders! With Lindy’s products you can order kits that will come with the spray, the embossing powder and magical powder (pigment powder) and they all complement each other.

It’s time for the embellishments. For me this is the best part, as I have gotten the scary spray over with, I am ready to decorate. There are so many things you can use to decorate a mixed media project. Today I am going with some chip board pieces, cheesecloth, flowers and some little bits and pieces.

Once I have it looking the way I want I add some varnish, not only sealing it, but giving it a nice shine.

I was afraid…afraid of the sprays, the spritz, the mists, but I have overcome that fear by realizing amazing things can come out of mistakes, that over-spray is only a word used in the car painting industry, and sprays can allow you to create beautiful pieces of art!

By now you must be sensing a theme, I figured many of you are like me, afraid, worried, and fearful of art and what you create. Afraid of trying new techniques, worried you will mess it up, not do it right. You wonder if you create something will others like it, worry if you put your art, that little piece of you out in the world how will it be received. I am here to say that no matter what you create it is right…there is no wrong in art. We all know there are people out there that will not agree or like what you made, but for everyone of those naysayers there are 10 more that will love it! That will see the love, heart and soul that you put into it. So CREATE, BUILD, MAKE what makes you happy and don’t be afraid to show it!

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Kim Kelley is borderline obsessive about her crafting and her art. She loves mixed media art because you are free to go beyond your comfort zone, using your imagination and exploring on anything goes mind set. Kim loves to learn and explore new techniques and hopes that any art she creates leads someone to find their inner creative artist!

Sites: itsallaboutcrafting.blogspot.com and www.facebook.com/kimscraftyconcepts

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