Thursday 28 February 2013

CASEing Linda Cain's Stunning Paper Artsy Shrine!




Over on the Paper Artsy blog they are continuing with their wonderful challenges to use their stamps, Fresco Finish Paints, and other products. This week's guest artist is Suzanne Czosek who has been making some beautiful items to drool over. I love her joie de vivre shadow box! Well, all the items are gorgeous.

As usual, I am a week behind the rest of the world and I am still stunned by the triptych Linda Cain made which you can see here. It is so inspirational and I love every detail of it. As you can see, I have totally CASEd it, mainly because I loved it so much, but also as a way of trying to change the style and colourway ruts I get myself stuck in. The only things I have changed are where I didn't have a particular item, and also I couldn't find my stash of these wooden icons, but I found this one I had already painted in copper and blue, so this partly influenced my colour scheme.


For the main image I used Lynne Perella 014. I love this beautiful woman's face, which I painted with Vintage Lace and Rusty Rose (Yes, I got it right this time!), with London Bus lips. Then I used Smoked Paprika, Autumn Fire, London Bus, Eggplant, Snowflake, and Limelight. I would like to say I stamped the word Imagination upside down on purpose but actually it was a mistake, and it would have been quick enough to redo the piece of card but I rather liked the quirky look.

Linda made metal birds for her piece which I much prefer to mine. I used a home-made mould, taken from a Tim Holtz charm, and then made up in clay and painted gold and dusted with gold mica powder.


I took a piece of Paper Artsy card-backed metal and ran it through a cogs Cuttlebug folder. I only chose this folder because it is the only large one I have to fill the whole sheet and it wouldn't have been my first choice, but actually I think I like the contrast of the soft flowers and beautiful lady with the more steampunk look of the cogs. I wanted a more copper effect to the silver metal so I rubbed Fresco Finish paints over it in Little Black Dress, London Bus, and Autumn Fire. It still wasn't coppery enough so I used alcohol ink in Rust, Orange, and Copper Mixative. Now I'm happy!


I glued thin strips of the metal around the top and sides and it really finished it off nicely. I put a copper metal embellishment behind the flowers which follows the curve of the arch and gives them a backdrop.


The final triptych - thank you so much Linda for a wonderful design and tutorial!

Wednesday 27 February 2013

Love is All Around Heart Hanging - Siblings


I made this heart shaped hanging for the Love is All Around Challenge over on Happy Daze for February, using the Artistic Outpost Think and Wonder and Whimsical Melange plates. I finished it off with pleated tissue tape around the edge, and Love adage ticket and bull dog clip. I hope you like it.

I am entering it for the Artistic Outpost Referral Programme for February, the theme of which is Anything Goes. You can buy their gorgeous stamps from them in the US, or if you are in the UK, from Happy Daze.

Tuesday 26 February 2013

Baby You're a Star!


I meant to blog this last week when I blogged it for Happy Daze but I had a funny old week, what with my unplanned trip back to France for a funeral, and I didn't think of it. I made this card for a friend who has had a baby boy. Now I know you will be too polite to ask, but Yes, she is much younger than I am, by about two decades, so it is not some tabloid heading geriatric shock birth! I don't have many baby stamps but this adorably cynical-looking plump baby from the Picture Star plate from Artistic Outpost suits my love of things that are quirky and not overly cute. I used some gorgeous paper kindly gifted to me by Petra and simply stamped all the stamps in the set in various co-ordinating shades of distress ink, then coloured him in with the same. It is so lovely and easy to grab a damp brush and add a little colour with distress inks.

I am entering this for the Artistic Outpost February Referral Programme for which Anything Goes. You can buy their stamps from them here if you are in the US, or from Happy Daze in you are in the UK.

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Gatsy Canvas

Over on Happy Daze blog today I have made this 5 x 7 ins canvas board using Artistic Outpost Gatsby stamps which I stamped on tissue paper and then pieced together onto the canvas and adhered with gel medium, and then blended Distress Inks over the top in Squeezed Lemonade, Peacock Feathers, Dusty Concord, and Chipped Sapphire. I used texture paste through a mask on the right hand side.  I also added a butterfly from Artistic Outpost Whimsical Melange. I finished off with some mulberry flowers and an embossed butterfly.

I am entering this into the Artistic Outpost February Referral Programme. You can get their beautiful stamps from them if you are in the US - still loving them just as much as ever! - or from Happy Daze if you are in the UK.

Friday 15 February 2013

Paper Artsy Lynne Perella and Fresco Finish Canvas

I am still really enjoying the series of guest artists and the You Tube videos on the Paper Artsy blog, featuring Fresco Finish paints and various other Paper Artsy products.This week's guest is Helen Chilton who I have been a fan of such a long time I am afraid of seeming like a bit of a stalker. They are also featuring some new products which is very exciting. This canvas was a bit of a rushed job as I didn't really have time and hadn't intended to embark on a new project but was totally captivated by Leandra's video which you can see here. It is about 40 minutes long and I watched it twice and was completely spell-bound - she either spent hours making it or is a natural educator. I was in France when I watched it the first time and really wanted to get back so I could give it a go. Unfortunately whilst I was away our closest friend over there, Martin, died. I had to come home on the planned flight to take Mum for a doctor's appointment, and then fly back to France five days later, hence this canvas being far from perfect, but it was a bit of fun during a stressful week so I'm glad I did it. I will definitely have another go when I have more time.

You will need to watch the video for details of Leandra's technique but basically I followed what she said to the letter, stamping the Lynne Perella stamps onto Crackly Tissue Paper with Versafine in Onyx Black, heat setting it, then painting from behind with Fresco Finish Paints. I stamped the harlequin/script stamp which is an old Paper Artsy mini using Snowflake applied with cut n dry foam. I didn't have a script stamp which is what Leandra used, which would have been much better. I also couldn't find my chunky canvases which I know are up in the loft somewhere so I will have another search for next time. I went a bit wrong as for some reason I thought Leandra had said Snowflake for the face, and Vintage Lace for the cheeks, but it should have been Vintage Lace for the face and a pink for the cheeks. I could do with bullet points on the blog to accompany the video so I can follow things and not go adrift as there was such a lot to remember.

This was such a great technique and definitely something I wouldn't have tried without the video to guide me, so thank you very much to Paper Artsy for the wonderful 'product support' and the great blog tutorials. Mine is not up to Leandra's standard but I will try harder next time and blog my next attempt! In the meantime I am linking this in to the PA blog 
as I have used Fresco paints, Crackly tissue Paper, and Lynne Perella Stamps. Many thanks to my kind friend Petra for supplying me with the tissue and the stamps.

Thursday 14 February 2013

My Favourite Place is By Your Side


Happy Valentine's Day! It is the first time in 32 years together that I will have been apart from Colin on Valentine's although I am back with him tomorrow. This card is hidden away for him to discover! It is very simple, and uses one of the gorgeous new Alice Palice stamps by Crafty Individuals CI 373 - thank you Brenda for letting me stamp it up! Colin and I love ducks as we have them outside our place in France and they quack away constantly - I am about to phone him when I finish typing this and I know they will be joining in the conversation!

It is a very simple card. I cut a heart from stiff card and painted it with Fresco Finish paint then a layer of their crackle glaze and then another layer of paint, then stamped script CI 161 in white. I used Crafty Individuals' background paper and stamped the sentiment on another of their background papers and cut it out into individual words. I added some wooden hearts from Hobbycraft and just stamped the ducks on white cardstock.

The sentiment says it all ..........

Monday 11 February 2013

For My Friend - Crafty Individuals' Challenge


Over on the Crafty Individuals' Blog the Challenge is entitled 'For my Friend' and this is my contribution. There is a great prize up for grabs, but you can claim a code to receive 25% of an order from their website just for entering! I think that is so generous. So pop over and have a look at the details and see what everyone has been making.

I wanted a 'Love' theme to underpin my friendship theme so I used a heart shaped papier mache hanging with a love caligraphy stamp CI031 . I also used a script stamp CI085 and the word 'Friends' from the friendship caligraphy stamp CI052 and some little butterflies which were a Crafty Individuals' freebie I received with an order some time ago. The frame in the middle was a Poundland frame which I took a mould of using Siligum and then made up with clay and mica powders and I popped the picture of the three girlfriends from the Crafty Individuals' People and Places Miniatures Book inside. These little books are such good value and you always have a suitable image to hand.

I blended Distress Inks over the images and wrapped organza ribbon around the twine handle. Finally I added a purple ribbon bow and some blue mulberry roses.