Well second post today (see what you can achieve when you aren't at work).
Here is my take on the PaperArtsy keyring challenge. The pastel colours are way out of my comfort range but I found a pack of fibres whilst rummaging in my stash so though I'd use them up.
AND I used shrink plastic for the first time in ages!
Now what else could I do with that shrink plastic ....
hugs
jo
xx
I was so pleased to see France as the one of the guest designers for this semester PaperArtsy craft school (it sort of feels like craft school doesn't it, inspiration, new techniques etc). I have long admired France's work so it was a joy to see her take on using PaperArtsy products.
I loved how she used the crunchy waxed kraft paper for the cover of the notebook, so here is my take on it.
I found in the supermarket a nice kraft notebook with a good solid cover, it had a design on it but I used a mixture of Stone and Mocha Mousse Fresco paints to make a nice fawn colour and covered both the front and back.
I added some Brushed Corduroy and Vintage Photo distress inks on the edges, sanding and water flicking to get a distressed look. Stamped some numbers in Coffee Archival.
I had the piece of cotton already on my desk primed with Snowflake Fresco and it fitted perfectly on the front.
I took a piece of crunchy, stamped it and then scrunched it. Smoothed it out and then brayered it in Stone. Scrunched and smoothed again and added a little bit of French Roast with the brayer.
I couldn't find my tracing paper so used a piece of handmade paper that I had knocking around. I stamped it with Coffee Archival using Background Plate 3. In places I sprinkled some WOW embossing powder in Earthtone Pepper (loving some of the shades of the WOW embossing powders especially the Primary Bark and Earthtone Pomegranate, they aren't bright and quite shabby in tone), just to add a differing shade and of colour, it's quite subtle and probably won't pick up on the photo.
These were sewed on to the cotton in toning thread.
The kraft tag had a thin layer of Stone scrapped on with a credit card and then a thin layer of Mudsplat. this was sanded to distress and then in coffee Archival I stamped Mini 62 all over. On top of the Mudsplat I stamped Mini 69 in Versamark and used Frantage Aged Ivory Embossing Enamel. Some eyelets, wire coloured with alcohol inks, a button and some string to finish it off.
And finally ribbon, yes a lot of ribbon. I've had these spools of ribbon knocking around for a log time in a box (found them whilst trying to find the tracing paper). I basically found the end of each spool, held the ends in one hand, yanked it all out and cut lengths which I tied on the wires. Once they were all on I gave them a haircut to shorten the length.
So thank you France for the inspiration, but don't aks me what I'm going to use it for!
hugs
jo
xx
Well Spring might just be on it's way here in the blustery Shires, I've managed to get two lots of washing out on the line dried and I think we can finally turn the heating off!
Yesterday was Ally Pally in London or "any excuse to buy load of not needed but truly wanted stash"! I knew I wanted the new PaperArtsy fresco colours (especially as some were "inspired" by my cat - Taupe will forever be Maise Moo colour in our house). These were indeed purchased along with some stamps, gilding flakes and Frantage embossing enamels.
You know me, I just love my monochrome neutral palette so I was dying to start using all the greys (with a bit of pansy) for contrast.
The canvas had a very dark grey (mixed Little Black Dress and Snowflake to get a charcoal) all over. there are lots of bumps and textures as it was another re-used canvas!. Then I just started adding thin layers of Elephant, Concrete and Snowflake in that order.
I added some grunge paste through a stencil at the edges. One that was dry (shock horror I went and did some housework) I added some stencilling and stamping in a darker mixed shade using Little Black Dress and Snowflake. It doesn't matter if it isn't a clean image I just wanted that "shabby distressed rubbed off look". In some places I rubbed back quite hard with a baby wipe to reveal a hint of the charcoal. The dried grunge had Pansy over the top and then some Treasure Gold in Classic, White Fire, Renaissance and Onyxite.
In the middle. I randomly used my Versamark pad over and added sticky embossing powder, heated and one it was tacky put loads of gilding flakes over. Patted them down and then rubbed off the excess. Over the top of his I added some Frantage embossing enamel in Aged Scarlet and Aged Taupe. It's a chunkier embossing powder that melts into blobs as well as a flat enamelled look. I just sort of sprinkle it on, hold the heat gun at quite a distance to start melting it. Over the top of this I added some more grunge paste through a stencil. One this had dried I pit the stencil back over the top and went over with some Treasure Gold, a bit like bumping it doesn't quite cover all the paste but I think it looks good.
Finally Madam Holbein (I think she looks a bit Tudory with that hat and ruff, hence Madam Holbein, Holbein the Younger not the older - look it up!). I painted a piece of mountboard in Elephant and Stone to give a neutral base. Stamped the lovely Lin Perrella in black ink and then started to paint her. Once I was happy with the colour I went over the top with a watered down wash of metallic glaze to give a subtle sheen. Around the edge I put some more Frantage embossing enamel and edged in black ink.
I'm really enjoying working with metallic textures at the moment, I know it's not everyones cup of tea and some of you might find it a bit too bright and blingy, but I have to admit - I'm lovin' it!
Hugs
jo
xx
Well I know it's been a little while since I blogged, but I have been making stuff just haven't been able to take any decent pictures because of lack of light seeing as we still appear to be in the grip of winter (I wonder if we'll look back at this time and go ah yes, now I can see that was the start of the ice age that sunk East Anglia, at the time we just grumbled about it being a bit cold and snowing for a long time).
I digress.
Anyway I made this recently using Lin's lovely flower from the Lin Eclectica No. 1 plate. I love the shape of the flowers and thought they would be great as 3D flowers.
I used Eggplant and Pearl Glaze to stamp the flowers on black card and then sprinkled clear matt embossing powder on them as well. Cut them out, curled the petals and added some buttons (from the old lady knitting shop - you know the type) which I dabbed with Indigo Treasure Gold. the leaves were painted in Tinned Peas and the Pearl Glaze.
The canvas is an old one that had something else on and I just RIPPED IT APART! I know how radical of me, but you know I didn't like it anymore so why keep it! I added a layer of texture paste in the middle of the canvas to cover up some of the old art work. It's so long ago since I actually made this that I can't remember what coloured paints I used but I suspect looking at it Inky Pool and Baltic Blue and possibly South Pacific. the centre panel had Indigo and Onyx Treasure Gold added through a stencil.
Various bits of stamping and some more foil (love using this) to add texture to the canvas and finally some fabric embellishment to add contrasting texture.
So, a short and hopefully sweet post today as a) I have to tidy up after our bathroom refit this week (very pleased with how it's turned out, just need to wait for the plaster to dry out before I paint) and b) I can't actually remember everything about how I made this!
hugs
jo
xx
This started out as something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. Underneath this thing of beauty is some texture paste, layers of a paint, two layers of PaperArtsy tissue paper and quite a few coats of Satin Glaze!
It just didn't work so I painted all over it.
As you can see I'm still on a it of a neutral vibe. Again I used Moonlight Fresco paint and scraped some Pewter Fresco paint over that in the middle and French Roast on the edges.
I'd seen Lin Brown use foil and Sticky Embossing Powder at Stevenage and really liked the subtle burnished metal look it gave. So both of those went in the basket along with some of the new Eclectica Sara Naumann stamps.
Using the words from plate No. 8 I stamped in embossing ink, put the sticky embossing powder on let that melt and put the brown / copper foil on top (first time round I put the foil down the wrong way and it lifted the sticky powder, a quick check on Youtube got me sorted!).
Next I used the little line stamp from plate 1 around the edges of the words and used a dull gold foil sheet. I really love how the embossing powder stays sticky and you can just keep laying the foil, rubbing it down and lifting off (I imagine it's a bit like leg waxing, but I'm too chicken to try). You can't really see the images as they are on canvas, you just don't get a "clean" impression, but I love how they provide a good worn, shabby base for the foil.
I was really happy with it so far and had to leave it for the weekend as I has the most fantastic birthday weekend treat thanks to my husband (luxury hotel, fantastic food,rather a lot of bubbly thanks to the waitress on our table and England v Italy rugby at Twickenham). Today I had a day off to recover and of course, have some craft time.
My neutrals textiles box has been sat on my craft desk for ages so I jut pulled out some random bits of fabric sewed them together. glued this on and then glued the flowers on. I emptied my whole button jar out trying to find some buttons small enough for the centres but no luck, but then remembered my bejeweller and crystals. I'd forgotten how addictive it is to stick crystals on but managed I hope, to restrain myself (there are some lovely blues ones in the box so I think something blue will be next!).
The remember is stamped in Coffee Archival on a bit of driftwood and I think it just anchors it all (you'll let me know if it doesn't won't you?).
hugs
jo
xx
Sometimes it's nice not to have to think too hard, to just follow a view instructions (use PaperArtsy products) look at a few photographs for inspiration (Suzanne Czosek) and of you go.
So I did.
I still really wanted to use the London Nights, Mushroom Fresco paints, the grey lilac colours are beautiful, deep in tone but so soft. So I found a frame and gave it a good couple of coats of London Night.
Before I stamped any text I wanted to add another layer so I used Mushroom to stamp the lovely leaves from the new Lin Brown Eclectica stamps (ELB01). Once stamped I rubbed them back a bit and then went over the top of the whole frame with a couple of light washes of London Night. I didn't want then massively visible (and they aren't) but there is another layer.
For the text stamping I used one of favourite large text stamps from PaperArtsy Blackie's Children's Annual and Moonlight Fresco paint. Finally I used my favourite "when I want add a suggestion of grime" paint French Roast (with a touch of Chocolate Pudding) to just go round the edges. On top of this a smidge of Aquamarine Treasure Gold.
For the recess I used some purple metal and ran it through an embossing folder (love those trees). I put some Hey Pesto with a little bit of Moonlight over the top, let it dry for a bit and then gently wiped back to reveal the purple trees.
The wreath was a very gaudy bright gold Christmas decoration that I painted in Mushroom, then stippled on some French Roast and gently dabbed a bit of Aquamarine Treasure Gold in places. The bow is some sari silk and a pretty button with some hemp string threaded through and knotted.
Once I'd finished I realised the colours were the colours of the Women's Social and Political Union who had a high profile (if somewhat controversial and highly militant) role in getting women the vote (the First World War also had a big role to play in women getting the vote as well if I'm honest). Those women in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century did indeed use actions (and so did many other women in the latter part of the twentieth century) that allow me today to vote, to work whilst married, to get equal pay for the work I do, to be recognised as an individual and not as a chattel of the man that sired me or the man I married.
Not every woman in our modern world can live the same way as me, there are still many situations where women are not seen as individuals and treated appallingly. So in this week when we celebrate International Women's Day I give thanks to all those women (and men) before me who used deeds (and still use deeds) to change the world they live in.
hugs
jo
I loved how she used the crunchy waxed kraft paper for the cover of the notebook, so here is my take on it.
I took a piece of crunchy, stamped it and then scrunched it. Smoothed it out and then brayered it in Stone. Scrunched and smoothed again and added a little bit of French Roast with the brayer.
The kraft tag had a thin layer of Stone scrapped on with a credit card and then a thin layer of Mudsplat. this was sanded to distress and then in coffee Archival I stamped Mini 62 all over. On top of the Mudsplat I stamped Mini 69 in Versamark and used Frantage Aged Ivory Embossing Enamel. Some eyelets, wire coloured with alcohol inks, a button and some string to finish it off.
The canvas had a layer of Limelight as the base and then I mixed some Limelight and Mermaid to get a more minty bluey green and washed that over the top. 
The centre is a piece of mount board covered in thin layer of Grunge Paste in the centre. I was working on this at the same time as the canvas so I just used the various washed I was using on the canvas on this, just made the final layers a bit darker to contrast against the canvas. Some Treasure Gold in Acquamarine, Green Amber and Spanish Topaz over this (gave it a good buff to make it shine). I stamped and embossed the text stamp in Olive Archival again and added smidges of jade embossing power plus some bits of foil. It was edged in Frantage black enamel embossing powder (as was the canvas, just to tie it all in together and frame it.
I added some grunge paste through a stencil at the edges. One that was dry (shock horror I went and did some housework) I added some stencilling and stamping in a darker mixed shade using Little Black Dress and Snowflake. It doesn't matter if it isn't a clean image I just wanted that "shabby distressed rubbed off look". In some places I rubbed back quite hard with a baby wipe to reveal a hint of the charcoal. The dried grunge had Pansy over the top and then some Treasure Gold in Classic, White Fire, Renaissance and Onyxite. 
In the middle. I randomly used my Versamark pad over and added sticky embossing powder, heated and one it was tacky put loads of gilding flakes over. Patted them down and then rubbed off the excess. Over the top of his I added some Frantage embossing enamel in Aged Scarlet and Aged Taupe. It's a chunkier embossing powder that melts into blobs as well as a flat enamelled look. I just sort of sprinkle it on, hold the heat gun at quite a distance to start melting it. Over the top of this I added some more grunge paste through a stencil. One this had dried I pit the stencil back over the top and went over with some Treasure Gold, a bit like bumping it doesn't quite cover all the paste but I think it looks good.
Before I stamped any text I wanted to add another layer so I used Mushroom to stamp the lovely leaves from the new Lin Brown Eclectica stamps (ELB01). Once stamped I rubbed them back a bit and then went over the top of the whole frame with a couple of light washes of London Night. I didn't want then massively visible (and they aren't) but there is another layer.
For the text stamping I used one of favourite large text stamps from PaperArtsy Blackie's Children's Annual and Moonlight Fresco paint. Finally I used my favourite "when I want add a suggestion of grime" paint French Roast (with a touch of Chocolate Pudding) to just go round the edges. On top of this a smidge of Aquamarine Treasure Gold. 