Flapper Compact

I've been meaning to make this for ages! I bid for some gold compacts on e bay with a view to making some little collages inside, and in particular I wanted to make one with an art deco feel to it, using the Flapper Fashions and Gatsby sets by Artistic Outpost. I finally got round to it and am entering this into their monthly referral programme for July which is here.

The art deco paper is from Joanna Sheen, many moons ago, and I got the tiny hand mirror charm from e bay and filled in one side with silver ink to look like a mirror. As she has her hand outstretched I wanted her to look as if she was holding it. The car from the Gatsby set has been stamped onto shrink plastic.

Lynne Perella Shrink Plastic Charm Bracelet inspired by Carol Quance for Paper Artsy

This week on Paper Artsy, one of my favourite guest designers is back, Carol Quance. Carol made a gorgeous bracelet made up of shrink plastic charms with Lynne Perella stamps and Fresco paints, so of course I had to give it a go! I am entering the challenge here.

I didn't have a heart die or punch so I used circles which wasn't ideal. I tried using the translucent Frescos but I think as Carol suggested the opaques would have been better. I embossed before shrinking so that only one layer of embossing powder was needed.  It was a fun project and I'm sure the left over charms will work well on cards, etc.

postscript:

I decided to make some charms using Bora Bora opaque paint and making my own heart templates but I'm not sure whether to remake the bracelet or not - what do you think:-

Indigo Blu Gilded Heart

 The current Indigo Blu challenge is Summertime and I am entering this heart which I have made for my dear friend, Pauline. We went to the Newbury Artstamps show the other week and had a great time. It was quite quiet which was great for us as customers, so we had a rare chance to have a chat with Kay from Indigo Blu who was demo'ing and was very sweet to us. What a genuinely lovely lady she was! We bought some new Indigo Blu stamps which will make it easier for me to join in the challenges in future. In fact Pauline lent me the main stamps for this heart, which are the ones I bought her for Christmas from the Bloomin' Great set, which comprises the flowers which I thought were perfect for the theme, and the frame which gave me a chance to use their gilding flakes and Flitterglu which works brilliantly. I have also used their Script stamp and Kroma crackle.

I used shrink plastic for the centre of the largest flowers, and added leaves from the set. I finished off with Treasure Gold in Ice Fire round the edges and sprinkled over some tiny turquoise beads.

Distress Stains Canvas Board - Sue Carrington at Paper Artsy

Over on the Paper Artsy blog this week, Sue Carrington is back! I love Sue's work and I was lucky enough to meet her briefly at Ally Pally this year. I was really inspired by the canvas board piece she made and have stuck as closely to her inspiration as my supplies allowed, for my challenge entry piece:-

I have used a smaller canvas board than Sue used, a 5 x 7. I need to try to make items which either take up less space or are useful. Colin has told me this week I have to 'get rid' of all my 'art work' that has been on the mantelpiece in the living room. He didn't use the word 'art work' actually. So I will be offering things to anybody who comes round to craft! Fortunately I don't feel any attachment to things once I have made them; the fun is in the making, so I'm not bothered. I started off by stamping with Frescos on some old telephone directory sheets from France. I haven't had such fun since Helen Chilton was last on Paper Artsy, so thank you, Sue! I made a couple of sheets as I thought they would be useful for future projects. They are real people so please don't call any of them up (the French people I mean, not Sue and Helen):-

I remember years ago stamping with paint and giving it up as a bad job, but this was great. I don't know whether it is to do with the quality of the PA stamps or the Frescos, or a combination of the two, but you do actually get a good clarity of stamping. I love the viscosity and vibrancy of paint compared to inks. I chose the French directory because I wanted to use this Hot Picks image with the Eiffel tower. I added some cogs which are cut from the Tim die in shrink plastic, then dabbed with Versamark and two types of embossing powder before shrinking, for a rusty look (I think I used some Vintage Photo ep - sounding vague here as they were in my pre-made embellishment stash).

This is the base of the canvas before I added the main image. I used the harlequin mask with Bora Bora mixed into the Grunge Paste as per Sue, highlighted with Ice Fire Treasure Gold, and similar colours of Distress Stain although I think I will try to pick up Squeezed Lemonade at Newbury Art Stamps tomorrow as I didn't have that one and I think it would have lightened it. I used the flourish from the Hot Picks set in Snowflake to try to lighten the effect although maybe my stains were a bit damp as they sucked up the whiteness a bit.

 I used a bit of the pink washi tape I made following Darcy's instructions last week with a stamped button I saved from when I made the wooden block when Helen was on some time ago. I love how the bits and pieces we are learning, are starting to build up over the weeks!

Ok, I feel I'm rambling today and explaining things in a very back to front order. I took some migraine tablets yesterday which have left me feeling very odd as some of you have witnessed before! So I shall leave it at that.

 

 

 

 

Thorndon Hall Letter Rack, Notebook, and Pen Pot inspired by Carol Quance

Over on the Paper Artsy blog this week, Darcy has been back with the most amazingly creative and imaginative projects you have ever seen in your life! She has made washi tape on wooden spools with its own storage made from scratch, which you can see here, an apron, and the most amazing stuffed cat which just blew me away. I had intended to make the apron and spent hours looking for the one I know I have tucked away in my craft room, but to no avail. So I am very sorry Darcy, and Paper Artsy, to be so feeble - it will probably turn up and I will make it soon. Unless it got stolen by Gillian, in which case I may never find it!!  I hope you will go over and look at the projects Darcy has made. What a mind!

So I do hope it is ok, but this week I am entering the challenge using Thorndon Hall papers and Fresco Paint, based on last week's guest artist, Carol Quance, who is one of my favourite people ever. I was so pleased her projects meant that I ordered these papers as they are gorgeous and I know they will go a long way. For this project it was fun to build up layers of stamping on top of the papers, rather than what I would usually do for anything Paper Artsy-style, of stamping on layers of Fresco. I wanted to make something really useful, a letter rack and pen pot to go on the living room windowsill next to my laptop so I don't have a pile of clutter next to me constantly - Colin calls it my nest.

I painted the letter rack edges with Fresco Finish in Pansy and then cut all the pieces of the Thorndon Hall paper. I stamped a huge selection of stamps in co-ordinating shades of Archival inks. I wanted to stick the pieces down with gel medium so I thought I would use Archival rather than distress, although I edged the pieces with Vintage Photo. The stamps I used were the Keyhole Clock, Letters Mini 8, Numbers, Letters Plate 5 (the diamonds and All the things wording), Travel Plate 4 (Postmarks), LP014 (Script and Lady with Tea Cup), and Clocks 5 (The time of my life, Hours Minutes, Tape Measure). I also did some stamping with Fresco Snowflake.

 

This is the back of the letter rack. I love that particular piece of Thorndon Hall paper with the flowers on!

The penpot has been painted with Pansy Fresco and then pieces of the Thorndon Hall paper cut and stamped as for the letter rack. I used little pieces for the inside dividers to finish it off inside.

 

I love the pens on this piece of the Thorndon Hall paper as they go with the pen holder! The clock is stamped in Snowflake Fresco.

The notebook was an after-thought late last night when I was popping it into the letter rack. It's the one I've been using for a while so it's already dogeared but I thought I would use some scraps to match it to the set. I stamped the background in the same way as for the other items. I stamped the Tea Cup hat lady from LP 014 but carefully cut away the tea cup and added a shrink plastic pediment as in Carol's projects last week, gold embossed and stamped with the script mini Mini 26. The image has been coloured with Distress Inks and I cut a frame with a memory box die kindly lent by Petra. Thank you, Petra!

A close up of the lady with her new hat!

The set on my garden bench.

I have started to have a little play with the washi tape Darcy showed us. I have made washi tape before using Superdrug microporous tape - don't know where I put it! But I haven't tried it with Fresco paints which really intrigued me. There was some really old Sainsburys tape in the medicine cupboard. Hope no Paper Artsy folks need bandaging any time soon! I used Mocha Mousse, Lilac, Claret, and Rose, and I'm sure these colours will work well with the papers:-

And I've stamped with Archival inks using some of the stamps used on the main project but it's coming up to the deadline now so I will have to return to this another time!

Sun, Sea, and Beach Challenge for Crafty Individuals - Flip Flop Papier Mache Box

 

 Over on the Crafty Individuals' blog you have just enough time to make your entry for the June challenge, which is Sun, Sea, and Beach. All the details are here but basically just use one Crafty Individuals' item in your make, and incorporate the theme, and just for entering you will be able to claim 25% off anything you buy from the shop, anhd you will be in with a chance of winning a wonderful prize! You have until the end of the day on 30 June to enter. For my bit of inspiration I have decorated a papier mache box in the shape of a flip flop, to keep those beach-combing trinkets in (you know, the things we used to give to Mum to put in her handbag!).

I painted it with Fresco Finish paints in shades of orange and yellow and used images from 272, which are the shells and text, and 278 which are the beach huts and the parasol girl, and 034 which is the round text stamp. I painted my images with the Frescos, incorporating shades of blue with the orange and white. I finished off with some pearls on the thong that would go between the toes.

Do hope you will join in!

Lynne Perella Canvas Inspired by Carol Quance

Phew, I made it! A combination of going to bed late and getting up early! I adored the canvas Carol Quance made, which you can see here, and I have used very similar elements. I used an 8 x 8 canvas as I didn't have a 6 x 6 box canvas and I wanted deep sides. I used similar colours to Carol although mine looks quite pink in the photo and is actually more orange IRL. I used some Zesty Zing in the centre as that is where my main image was going to be and I thought it would highlight it. I used copper Inka Gold over the stencilling but would love to get some more Treasure Gold as I am quite hooked now!

I coloured the Lynne Perella image from LP 01 with Distress Inks as for the card yesterday and added a shrink plastic pediment, this time stamped with the script mini Mini 26. I didn't have a die for the wings as Carol had, so I used some chipboard wings which I triple embossed in gold and then stamped into the molton ep with the script stamp and then highlighted with Treasure Gold in Ice Fire. I made a shrink plastic version of the same main image using Inktense pencils to colour.

As I had a larger canvas I wanted to fill in the edges so I went over the whole canvas and the sides with the script mini, and the small script from LPC014 in various shades of ink to match the paint colours used to create depth, and then used the small script in black and in Snowflake. I tried using Picket Fence Distress Paint but this didn't work well so I had to go over it again with the Fresco - Yay for Frescos!

For the sides I did the same as Carol and used the harlequin stencil with the grunge paste, and then the Crowns from LPC014.

Here's another photo with a bit less glare on the main image.

 

I am entering this into the Paper Artsy challenge, inspired by Carol Quance's canvas.