Maria Sanchez

As an artist I often get bored with working in just one medium and when that happens I find myself looking for whatever I can use or get my hands on to create something. I'm actually sitting in my office with very limited supplies . Feeling a little frustrated and decided to cut paper. I recycled pages from on old romance novel, a coffee cup chip board wrapper and some prints of my artwork that I've had sitting around and not able to use. (I think the resolution was not high enough when I printed them.) However the colors are still vibrant enough to make flower petals. I basically cut out different sized petals from each paper source and glued to a circle. I embellished with a red pen on two of them. I think for most artist the satisfaction of creating something out of nothing is what often drives us to create. This was an easy enough little art project and I think I'll use them in my scrapbook when I get around to that. Otherwise they'll be in m...

Supplies:     Clean #6 Plastic     Permanent Markers     Scissors     Aluminum Foil     Oven (or small toaster oven, we used the toaster oven since we were only making a few pieces)  1. Recycle a piece of #6 plastic (polystyrene). You can get them at local salad bars, delis, and grocery stores. Just flip it over and look for a “6” inside the recycling arrows. 2. Start by making sure your plastic is clean, wash away any food debris. You can then cut any excess plastic away to make a flat sheet (use both the top and the bottom). 3. Draw image on your plastic canvas using permanent markers. The total image will shrink to about a third of its original size, and five or six times its original thickness. 4. Pre-heat your oven to 350°, and place a rack in the lowest position. Create a “tray” out of the aluminum foil by bending up the sides. 5. Place your art in the tray, then with an oven mi...

Such a warm day today, too hot to start a new painting, so I decided to start on this little mask. Instead of going with the traditional dod designs I thought it would fun to mix it up a little and try a lucha libre design. Turned out cute I think. I used craft grade acrylics and a paper mache mask from Michaels . I started by painting the mask white with gesso and then sketched my design and then painted it. I am embellishing with glitter... I think it needs a little sparkle. Not quite finished so I'll post a final picture once it's done.

I am so thrilled to share this project with you. I was selected to be a part of Kathy Cano-Murillo , also known as The Crafty Chica - Design Team for her new product release with Michaels . Kathy has always been an inspiration to me. I am grateful for this opportunity to blog and share what I created with her products. I chose her Crafty Chica Juicy Fabric Inks (I used 2 sets).  I decided to make a DIY Dia De Los Muertos Pennant Banner.  Here is what you'll need: CraftyChica Juicy Fabric Inks, canvas (I had a roll of it, so that's what I used) or any other white or light colored fabric. Ribbon of different widths and colors, Stitch Witchery (I am a no-sew kinda gal), some silk or paper flowers, glue gun/glue, scissors and an iron. I started out by drawing my design directly on to the canvas squares (in light pencil). I then used the fabric ink pens to color my designs. They are very easy to use and you can layer colors to get different hues. I mix...

I love this time of year. Getting ready for Dia de los Muertos comes early for me. Here is a sample of some of the crafts I am working on. DIA DE LOS MUERTOS MASK What you'll need: Wood skeleton face masks... I found these at my local Michael's . They come with a skeleton face already painted on them. I painted over mine with gesso to create a more custom look. I used acrylic paints and glitters. Including Elmers' glitter glue . Liquitex Basics, Crafty Chica paints , Crafty Chica paint writers , some cempasúchil silk flowers, ribbons, glue gun, and glue sticks, box cutter, sharpie pen and medium small tip paint brushes for details. I started out by covering the mask in gesso, once dried I sketched a design of my own and then used acrylic paints to color it in. I finished it off by adding different glitter glues for accents and a little sparkle. Once the paint and glitter is dry you can add the silk flowers and ribbons using a glue gun to adhere to the top part o...

I hope to share an easy DIY project every once in a while. This being the first of many. I am normally not a big crafter but I do enjoy DIY projects. This one is pretty easy I'd say and I didn't have to look far to find the items to make this. Here's what you'll need: Recycled tin, rubber cement, ruler, scissors, pencil, ribbons, glue gun & glue sticks, paint brush. Instructions: S t ep 1: Find a tin container to cover. I recycled a Rosarita's Refried Beans tin, but any clean tin will do. Step 2: Measure and cut a piece of your favorite scrapbook, magazine page, or leftover gift-wrap paper to fit around the tin. It could be a single strip of paper or small pieces added to cover the entire tin. Step 3: Cover the blank side of the paper with rubber cement. Step 4: Carefully wrap the scrapbook paper strip around the container while lining up the seams. Or placed randomly if using smaller pieces of paper. Step 6: Embellish the container with ribb...