A pathway well traveled

Recently we decided to visit the Magnolia Plantation, a favorite place to stroll. You can see a lot more color in the spring when the Azaleas are in full bloom, but the Camelias are a favorite of mine and they are all in bloom right now. They give such a romantic feel to the pathways and arbors. They look very similar to a rose with layers of soft petals in a variety of colors. This is a pathway that I fell in love with because beyond the arbor there are 2 paths and you must choose, much as in life but here you can come back and choose the other, as well.
You can never go wrong in this gorgeous place because at every turn their is a secret garden, a beautiful pathway with bridges, cypress swamps, statues and wildlife. Yes, we saw an alligator and a gorgeous crane, a few peacocks and one that was all white. So regal looking.

For the IAE team blog party, I hosted one of the giveaways and this is what I made. It measures 9-1/2 x9-1/2". I started out with a plain wooden frame with the heart and wings. I wanted to give it a copper patina, so I used my favorite turquoise paint (Jamaican Sea by FolkArt) to paint the entire thing. I then went over it with a Burnt Umber on a dry brush keeping it light so as not to have the brown too saturated. I did use a bit more around the heart and wings to highlight them. Next, I used a Cranberry red on the heart and wiped it off immediately and rubbed a bit of antiquing glaze on it and wiped that off right away,also. Next a white pearlescent paint was applied to the wings and I came back in with the burnt umber rubbing it on the raised areas only and wiping some of it off until I achieved the look I wanted. I then sealed it with a satin polyurethane.
Lastly, I made the collage in the middle using some scrap booking papers that complimented the color of the frame. I must have had 30 sheets pulled out to find the right ones. I wanted them to be whimsical and yet had a patina of their own. We all know how much I love vintage, distressed edges, torn papers, etc.

Tell me what you've been up to lately.