Shannon Helwig Designs

Hello! I'm so glad you could join me today as I share my latest project! Finnabair recently came out with some new metal frames and as soon as I saw the Rusty Teapot, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! The teapot is gorgeous as is, but of course I had to alter it.  Here is my Shabby Chic Altered Rusty Teapot: I added some texture with a stencil and modeling paste.  For color, I chose Lavender Impasto Paint by Finnabair.  It's a really gorgeous hue and I paired it with some accents of Metallique Wax in Aged Brass, also by Finnabair. I used a teacup mould by Stamperia that fit the theme perfectly.  I painted it with Sparks Acrylic Paint in Iris Potion and hi lighted it with wax in White Gold. I decorated the teapot with Prima flowers from the Lavender and Lavender Frost Collections. I added a Victorian Hand from Finnabair's Art Daily collection on top of the teapot's handle.  I colored it with waxes in Heather Hills and Aged Brass.  It was a pe

Hello Friends! I'm excited to share my project with you today! When I saw Finnabair's March 2019 Art Recipe and that they turned it into a challenge, I knew that I had to create something!  Check out this amazing art recipe: Look at those yummy colors and products! The challenge allows you to use colors such as vintage shades of gold, rusty brown, pink, and green.  The Finnabair products that must be used are: Art Basics: Clear Gesso Art Alchemy: Métallique Waxes Art Ingredients: Mini Art Stones Art Extravagance: Icing Paste Here is the project that I came up with for this challenge: I think the real star of this project is the Clear Gesso, even though you can't see it!  I used it to cover the tissue paper so that when I added color, it would sit on top and not absorb into the paper.  It also protected the sticks that I found outside and sealed the ends of them.  I like to use resin with my moulds, but I don't like how shiny they are when hardened.  I co

Hello and Happy New Year (a bit late)!!! I hope everyone had a happy holiday season.  It's always such a busy time of year and I slacked on my blog posts.  I promise to do better moving forward.  Did you make any resolutions for the new year? I made just one and it's to live in the moment.  You hear that phrase a lot, but do you ever stop and think what it means?  I've spent most of my life either living in the past or waiting for something in the future.  I want to just enjoy today. I'm the happiest I've been in over 20 years, and I want to enjoy every second of my life.  Fall in love with life again! I did and it's amazing! Okay, enough about that.  Let's take a look at my latest project.  I altered an MDF heart that I got from Hobby Lobby. For the background I applied some modeling paste through 2 different stencils.  Then I painted the heart with black gesso.  Next I used one of my favorite Mixed Media products, Finnabair's Rust Effect Paste T

Hello! I'm so glad you could join me today for my latest project! Are you getting ready for Fall? I love this time of year when the weather starts cooling down and it's pumpkin spice everything (though I must confess I've never had a pumpkin spice anything) ! One of my most favorite things to alter is pumpkins (fake ones)! It's literally starting to look like a pumpkin patch in my craft room because I've been hoarding them.  I have so many ideas! You can really do anything to a pumpkin that you can do to a canvas, only it's a more interesting shape!  For my first pumpkin of the season, I had the idea to do a Galaxy pumpkin! Here is what I came up with: ( top view ) To start off my pumpkin, I used some graphite paste through a star stencil. Then I added some of Finnabair's mini stars and melange art pebbles.  After applying a coat of black gesso, I started to incorporate some of Finnabair's Texture Fantasy Rust Effect Pastes.  Aren't these colo

Hi guys! I'm back with a new project AND some exciting news! I have finally created a YouTube channel where you can watch how I create my art! It's something that I've wanted to do for a really long time and I'm so proud that I made it happen! Please visit and subscribe to my YouTube channel right  Here ! My new project is a mixed media altered frame.  Instead of using it for a photo, I've made it my "canvas". I really love the way it turned out. I've been seeing this door mould in a lot of projects from my fellow artists and I had to have it!  I love using moulds with paper clay for my embellishments.  I usually make a bunch at one time since they take awhile to air dry. For this project I used a bunch of Finnabair's Rust Effect Pastes.  They are so full of texture and can transform anything into a magical work of art.  I especially love the new Fantasy Texture Pastes!  The colors are absolutely amazing!  If you haven't tried them

Hello and welcome to my brand new blog! This is my very first post and I'm super excited to launch this baby! I hope this can become a creative space for me to share my love of mixed media.  Feel free to ask me any questions about anything! I'm often inspired by my fellow artists and I think it's very important to give credit where credit is due.  If something is not my original idea I will always tell you who the idea belongs to.  While our projects turned out very different, I got the notion to alter a pair of ballerina shoes from the sweet and exceptionally talented, Aleksandra Mihelic. You can visit her blog at: http://papermade-fairytale.blogspot.com/ Without further ado, here is my project: I started with a 10x10 canvas panel and covered it with a layer of white gesso. For my background I used a stencil with modeling paste, added some white crackle paste randomly, and then used a few stamps to create added interest. To build my composition, I ad