Anything But Cute August Challenge - Shabby Garden

Happy Friday!! I hope you have fun plans for the weekend!! I will be glued to the television watching the Olympics :) I am so excited to be the hostess for this month's challenge at Anything But Cute!! I hope you will join in!!

For the theme of this challenge, I chose Shabby Garden, using the following Mood Board:

For this challenge, we are asking you to take a stroll through a romantic shabby garden. Create any mixed media project strongly inspired by the mood board. Think flowers and plants in cracked pots, peeling paint bird feeders, distressed timeworn furniture, crumbling statues, soft pastels and feminine accessories. Don't forget to tell us how the mood board inspired your project and have fun!!

I was inspired to create a mixed media birdhouse dripping a carpet of flowers and vines.

I purchased this wood birdhouse at Hobby Lobby (with a 40% off coupon ;) I painted it with Raw Sienna acrylic paint.

Next was Andy Skinner's Mega Crackle Technique. I'm so in love with this technique!! The crackle is amazing :)

To add a bit more texture, I created stencils with an Elizabeth Crafts Design brick die, and then cut them to fit the front of the birdhouse. I covered the bricks with DecoArt Crackle Paste.

For the roof, I used DCWV's Corrugated Paper and cut the edge with a Spellbinders  edge die.

I wanted my birdhouse to have a carpet of flowers and wasn't sure how to do it. I decided to try a length of cheesecloth and then started hot-gluing flowers in a random pattern.

I used several different leaf and stem dies to add greenery to the blooms and fill in any gaps between the flowers.

I mixed Lettuce Adirondack Ink with water in a Mini Mister and spritzed the leaves, patting them dry for a soft green hue.

To add a bit of color to the birdhouse, I added drops of Spun Sugar Distress Ink with water in another Mini Mister and spritzed the bricks to highlight the cracks on the bricks.

I grabbed my Prima Moulds and used air dry clay. I wasn't sure which one I wanted to use at this point, so I made a few different ones.

Once the clay dried, I rubbed DecoArt Burnt Umber Antiquing Cream over the pieces and then wiped it off, leaving the cream in the nooks and crannies for a weathered look.

I decided on the angel above the opening, welcoming the birds home :)

My house needed a bird, so I found this wood one at Hobby Lobby (yep, another 40% off coupon ;)

I spritzed it with DecoArt Violet Shimmer Mist, covered it with Nuveo Embellishment Mousse (from Sparkle N Sprinkle) and then covered it in crackle glaze. Once it cracked and dried, I used DecoArt Antiquing Cream in Titanium White to highlight the cracks.

I had to attach a wood peg for my bird to perch on. You can also see the cracks in the bricks in this pic.

One side of the roof had flowers so the other needed something. I painted Tim Holtz Butterfly dies pink and used the Mega Crackle technique. The bottom butterfly layer was stamped with a crakle stamp.

I added pearl strands from Wild Orchid Crafts and some glittered butterflies to the flowers.

To finish the edge of the roof, I added strips of lace.

For the porch, I used more corrugated cardboard paper cut with an Impression Obsession Beach Fence. On the corners, I used Frantic Stamper Garden Birdhouse dies for the climbing vines.

I'm entering my birdhouse in the following challenges:

1) Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Fabulous Florals
2) Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes Mixed Media
3) Love to Create Challenge - Anything Creative /Mixed Media
4) Rhedd's Creative Spirit - August Challenge
5) Things to Alter - Anything Goes
6) Decorate to Celebrate - Anything Goes
7) Love to Scrap - Take Two
8) Emerald Creek Dares - Get Outside and Play (birdwatching is a sport, right ??!! ;)

Now it's your turn!! Head on over to Anything But Cute to see the amazing projects my design team sisters have created for today's challenge!! I guarantee you'll be blown away!! Then I sincerely hope you will link up your Shabby Garden mixed media project!! I can't wait to see what you create :)