Caught in Crystal 'Fragment' Wall Hanging

I decided to try an experiment to see if I could use the Caught in Crystal technique on the largest of the Tim Holtz acrylic fragments, using alcohol inks, gold leaf, and mica spray.

The Wording, and Vitruvian Man in a bottle cap

I used the Mona Lisa and wording from the Tim Holtz set, and some Da Vinci papers for the background the the Vitruvian man, and a brushes background stamp which I think is Lost Coast Designs. I popped the fragment on a piece of fabric coloured with mica sprays. The hanger is from the Artistic Stamper. The lace is coloured with a brown Pro Marker.

Close Up of the Caught in Crystal Fragment

Goth Wooden Arches

This is a bit of fun I made for Hallowe'en. It is a wooden arch, painted with Crackle Paint in Spiced Marmelade and sponged with Silkies. The stamps are a mixture of Stampotique and Inkadinkadoo which Hazel and Alison kindly lent to me as they were here for the day when I was making it. The words are computer generated and then image transferred so that the background shows through. The skull and crossbones are Grungeboard Icons, and I have added a spade charm to the tombstones on the back. The Scaredy Cat is actually the Cheshire Cat from my Alice set, on shrink plastic.



The idea was for it to be like a child's bedroom with the Keep Out sign on the door.

Faux Mica Tile Frame

I have made this frame for a tutorial over on Gingersnap Creations Blogspot. Can you guess what I made the faux mica tiles from?!

Art Journey Inchies Stampbord Mirror

I mentioned yesterday I had made loads of Stampbord Inchies with the new Art Journey set which I had intended to use on the copper frame for Petra, but decided it was over-doing it. So I have now made another of these mirrors, and apologies as I do seem to make these rather a lot! I dabbed the Stampbord pieces with Kaleidacolor Pastels, using more of the Peach and Pink on some, and more of the Mauve and Blue on others as I don't like the colours to merge with the ones next to them too much. Likewise I alternated between people images and abstract ones. I then sanded the edges, then edged them with StazOn in Gold, then glazed them with Glossy Accents and left them overnight, as I always dip my elbows into them otherwise! I then did my usual trick so that I could stick them together in a straight line, by turning them over and sticking them to each other with red line tape before sticking the mirror in place, otherwise it is really tricky. Who shall I give this to, I wonder?

A bit closer up!

 

 

 

Stampbord Little Boy in Copper Frame

I have made this frame with a Stampbord coaster in the middle as a gift for my dear friend, Petra. She has invited me to a cupcake tasting at her home this afternoon. Her baking is amazing and she grows the fruit she uses herself. I am very lucky to have a wonderful friend who bakes, crafts, is on the same design team as me, and lives only half an hour away! I hope she will like the frame which is not at all what I intended to make. It is one of the large papier mache frames from the Artistic Stamper and they are great value and you have the benefit of a wide frame to work with but also a deep recess, almost like having a shadow box. I had intended to decorate the frame with Stampbord inchies to co-ordinate with the design in the middle which is from two Art Journey plates, Writing and Inchies. My lovely friend, Alison, was very kind and ordered from Art Journey for the two of us as I am not brave enough to order in a foreign language in case there is some small print I haven't understood. In this instance, though, it does help if you know what Winkel means! Anyhow, when she came for the day and delivered my stamp set she also lent me her brand new Inchies set, how cool is that! I did make all the Inchies but they will be on a mirror which I will blog soon. I changed my mind because I liked the Viva Croco Copper background so much, I didn't want to cover it, so I just added a few pieces of the leaf stamp on Grungepaper, coloured with Pro Markers to pull it together with the central design.

For the coaster itself I coloured the Stampbord with Kaleidacolor shades from the Pastels set, and then stamped the little boy and the arithmetic from the Writing set, and the sentiment and the scrolls from the Inchies set, and then glazed it with clear embossing powder. I normally use Glossy Accents but it was such a big piece. As there was a slight gap between the coaster and the edge of the frame I wanted to fill this in some way and I tried out various colours of cord and braid which wasn't quite right, so I have used one of my fave products, Deko Ice glass glitter, from the Altered Element. I added a little extra on the frame to again try to pull the design elements together but I stopped after a few sprinkles as it was just buried against the copper background.

Sorry the photos are so dreadful but the glaze on the tile was causing a lot of glare, but I hope you get the general idea! I hope you like it, and I hope Petra will be able to find a little home for it. Off to have a bit of quiche now before I go out, as I need to have something savoury before I start on the cakes!!

Mon Ami Pierrot!

 I was sent this blank papier mache mask box and some other items (for another day!) from the Altered Element for my DT work this month. At first my mind was a bit blank as I was thinking of it as a doll's face, then when I started to think of it as a mask the rest was easy!  So I hope you like my Pierrot!

You will need:-

Papier Mache Mask Box
Shrink Plastic - White
Gel Medium
White Acrylic Paint
StazOn Jet Black
Glossy Accents

All from the Altered Element.

White Broderie Anglaise or similar
Black Marker Pen
White Tissue Paper

Harlequin Stamp
Any mask stamps

1. Paint the box inside and out with the white acrylic paint and leave to dry. Meanwhile, stamp a selection of mask stamps on white shrink plastic, cut out, and shrink.
2. Stamp the Harlequin Stamp on tissue paper with Black StazOn, and use the Gel Medium to adhere it to one side of the mask, down the centre.
3. Draw a diamond shaped eye on the other half and add tears, using the black marker pen, and add Glossy Accents to the tears.
4. Cut a piece  of the lace a little longer than you will need, fold over the rough ends, then use a gathering stitch to gather it into a ruff and stick to the bottom of the mask as shown.
5. Finally, adhere the shrink plastic masks around the sides of the box. Warm then slightly again with the heat gun so that they curve around the edge.

More Imagination Crafts Cards with Silkies and Stencils

Using Silkies through Small Kasbah and Bird Stencil, and Shrink Plastic Bird Cage

Easel Card made with Onion Shape to echo Moroccan style of Small Kasbah Stencil, smaller ones are shrink plastic, again with the Silkies

Silkies Through Bird Stencil. Bird captured behind Grungepaper Bird Cage Die Cut, painted with Silkies

Here are some more of the cards I made using Imagination Crafts Silkies and Stencils. Silkies 'take' really well on grunge and shrink plastic. I only needed one coat on the grunge and it dried almost instantly.

Mosaic Card Using Silkies and Small Kasbah Template

This is another of the cards I made for Imagination Crafts, again using the Small Kasbah stencil, and sponging through different shades of Silkies.

Some Good News!

Sorry I have been very slow to give you my good news as I have had problems with Blogger. After a wonderful month as September Muse on Gingersnap Creations Blogspot, which I was sorry to see come to an end, I was delighted to be asked to stay on as Contributing Artist for a further term.

Ali and Shar have been great to work with, very relaxed, and that has made me feel more confident and comfortable about contributing, which has made me feel more creative. If you haven't joined in with Gingersnaps before, do have a look. They have some really good tutorials, with very original topics, and there is a very user-friendly index with cross-referencing so if you have a few minutes, you can have a browse and pick up some useful techniques and inspiration.

I am so happy to have been given this opportunity, and will pop the info on here when I blog for them, which should include some stepped projects/tutorials!

Children Framed Collage

This is a little collage in a frame I made with images and text from the new Crafty Individuals stamp CI 277 and an Art Journey set. The frame was painted with a coral acrylic paint then a crackle medium and then a lighter pink paint. The images were coloured with Intense pencils and an Aqua Marker blending pen, just as an experiment.

I am having huge problems at the moment with uploading photos on Blogger so I'm afraid I have been a little quiet.

Trellis Card with Silkies

I recently made a batch of cards for a lovely lady called Sue, from Imagination Crafts, the company who make Silkies which are my new favourite product! The company specialize in mica based products which have a high degree of shimmer, but what sets the Silkies apart from other similar products I have used before is that they have very good coverage, so you can use them on grunge (covering that awful grey!), shrink plastic, and other difficult surfaces. They come in little nail polish style bottles with a brush, but you can sponge or brayer them on.


This isn't the card I intended to show you but I have been having massive problems with Blogger for several days, and have literally spent the whole day today trying to sort it out, as the kind people trying to help me can testify. If I can upload the other cards I will. For this card I used the Small Kasbah stencil from Imagination Crafts. The other cards I made used it in a Moroccan Screen style, but for this card I wanted it to look like a garden trellis with a plant growing up it, so I sponged Paris Trunk inks in Sprig and Sepia through the stencil. I stamped the fuchsia twice on white card and decoupaged it, curving the petals slightly. The main bloom has been coloured with Silkies to make it stand out, so you can see how opaque the coverage is over the veins, and the centre filled with Deko Ice from the Altered Element, which I coloured with alcohol ink. The others were painted with the pearly paint palette, also from Imagination Crafts.