Modern Art by Colleen Balija - May Guest Designer

Hello, everyone! Please welcome Colleen Balija, our May 2021 Guest Designer who is also one of our Certified Educators. She is quite active on Instagram and popular among crafters, too, not only because of her crafting skills, but also for her supportive and friendly nature.

Get to know Colleen

Hi, everyone! I’m Colleen. I live in the Chicago area of the United States with my husband and 85 lb dog named Atticus (who thinks he’s human). My goal is to eventually move to a place with a warmer climate like Arizona! I have two grown kids and one granddaughter, all of whom light up my life! I am passionate about my full-time job in human services and the mental health population. I adore music, reading, volunteering, and of course, crafting!

My crafting experience started about 6 years ago and has evolved into such a joyful part of my life. I challenge myself constantly to learn something new. I like to utilize my passion for volunteering in the crafting community, lifting one another up, building collaborations, and establishing lasting friendships. I hope to inspire you to do the same; you will feel so good about yourself when you learn a new skill, make wonderful friendships, and then pay it forward to your followers! I have met some of my dearest friends in this industry and feel so blessed to have found it.

Project Inspiration

Framed Wall Art Using Altenew Stamps and Patterned Paper

Hi, it’s Colleen! I'm honored to be Guest Designing on the Altenew Mixed Media Blog this month! Today, I will show you how to create beautiful Framed Wall Art for your home using Altenew Stamps and Patterned Paper!

I started with two Ikea frames that were hanging on my craft room wall. You can find those frames here. I took the frame apart and set the white matting aside to help me frame my finished piece. Then I prepared my wall art.

I wanted a modern, clean look with a rainbow of color, so I chose Mod Vases and Leaf Canopy Stamp Sets along with Permanent Black, Coral Berry, Butternut, Warm Sunshine, Sweet Leaf, and Caribbean Sky Crisp Dye Inks.

Step one was to trim 110 lb cardstock to 6×6 in size. Then I lined up 5 of the Mod Vases onto the white cardstock and stamped them in black ink. I used my Misti because I needed to stamp a few times to get solid coverage. Once that was done, I stamped a leaf from Leaf Canopy in rainbow colors (colors are listed above).

I used post-it notes to mask off the top of the frames before stamping my leaves. I love how these turned out with that striking black against those lovely colors! The last step was to frame it!

This is where the matting comes in to play! I centered my artwork beneath the white matting, flipped it over gently, and adhered it with purple tape. When that was finished, I inserted everything into my frame and placed it onto my craft room wall! At the last moment, I added a sentiment that says, “Serenity – Don't worry about what you can't control” from the Peaceful Serenity Stamp Set. That sentiment is so meaningful to me, and I wanted to read that every time I enter my craft room or my Serenity Room!

NOTE: Use tape if you want to preserve the matting in case you ever want to replace your artwork down the road!

Next, I decided to freshen up my 2nd Ikea frame, so I grabbed a sheet from the 6×6 patterned paper pack called Celebrate. I framed it in Mirrored black cardstock from Tonic Studios and then centered it behind the white matting. I used purple tape to adhere it into place.

Once that was finished, I placed it in the frame and put it beneath my other artwork! This was incredibly simple to do!

NOTE: Patterned paper is so detailed and gorgeous that it's perfect to use for wall art as I have done! You could easily add a special sentiment, too!

Here's a final look at both of my pieces as you enter my craft room:

I am SO happy with how these turned out, and they brighten things up in my room!

NOTE: You could use your framed wall art in any room of your house or gift it to a family member or friend! What a lovely handmade gift for someone!

I hope that you found inspiration from my wall art idea, and thank you for joining me today!!!

How amazing do Colleen's wall arts look?! They are clean, simple, and so modern looking pieces of art! They certainly did brighten up Colleen's craft room! Thank you for Colleen for being our May Guest Designer; we hope to see you again here!

Make sure you check out Colleen's blog, Instagram, and YouTube. She also hosts cardmaking workshops every month which sell out really fast, so do inquire about her latest workshop from her!

Don't forget to leave her some love in the comments. I am sure she would love to know what you think of her wall arts!

~SUPPLIES~

Mod Vases Stamp Set [ ALTN ]	Leaf Canopy Stamp Set [ ALTN ]	Altenew Peaceful Serenity Clear Stamp… [ ALTN ]
Celebrate 6×6 Paper Pack [ ALTN ]	Coral Berry Crisp Dye Ink [ ALTN ]	Butternut Crisp Dye Ink [ ALTN ]
Warm Sunshine Crisp Dye Ink [ ALTN ]	Sweet Leaf Crisp Dye Ink [ ALTN ]	Caribbean Sky Crisp Dye Ink [ ALTN ]
Permanent Black Crisp Dye Ink [ ALTN ]