Upcycled Mixed Media Wall Art

Adding words to your mixed media art is easy with JOY letters. With so many different fonts and how easy it is to dye them, you are sure to find the right look for your message. For this sunflower piece, I upcycled coffee cup sleeves and the foil seals from coffee cans to add dimension and texture to my sunflowers. You will need: 11x14” canvas Acrylic paints: gold, orange, dark brown Stamp pads: green, dark brown, orange Brown ink Rubber stamp - any image Coffee cup sleeves Foil seals from coffee cans Glue, scissors, paintbrush, craft iron 1.  Paint your canvas with gold, adding areas of orange at the top and bottom. Add dark brown randomly around the edge. Stamp brown impressions randomly across the background.

2. Color your letters with brown ink and let dry. I used the Baby Monogram letters in pink - brown dye covered them easily. This font also comes in brown.

3.  Cut centers of sunflowers from a coffee cup sleeve that has a texture you like. Rub lightly with brown ink on just the raised portions of the cardboard. Add a little orange in the center and a dot of brown. Cut stems and leaves from other sleeves and color with green ink. Here are my pieces cut from three different kinds of cardboard sleeves:

4.  Cut petals into the foil seals with scissors. Paint the front of the flower gold with orange in the center. Paint the backs orange. Glue a flower center onto the petals and twist and bend the petals around the center.

6.  Arrange the flowers, leaves and stems on the canvas and glue into place. Iron the letters into position with the craft iron.

7. Add highlights to letters and flowers with orange paint. You can find Joy embroidered iron-on numbers and letters in a variety of fonts, colors and sizes at your local craft store.