Texture,Crackle and Paint! at Stamps & Stencils

Hi everyone, time for our February challenge over at Stamps and Stencils and Rachel is our lovely challenge theme setter this month; here's what she has to say about it.

This month I would love to see what you come up with using texture, crackle and paint! Anything goes using stamps and/or stencils - make it mixed media please. 

Great challenge! Apologies before I start as I have no step outs, the light was very poor when I was making it and so it's just the finished project with closeups and a little explanation along the way...

I started with some Prima paper I've had in my stash for a while and spread gesso through a harlequin stencil (one of my favourites), next some Lake Wanaka and Antartic paint was washed over the area before adding book text and a further layer of crackle embossing paste through the same stencil...think that's ticked all the boxes at an early stage.

Splashes and splatters of Space Cadet and Lake Wanaka paint and then some aged silver embossing powder powder was melted over the area.

Stamping in black archival and splashes of white and black ink completed the base. Next buttons dry brushed with white paint before tickling with silver treasure gold and silver micro beads were added.

Finally the butterflies, the small ones were trimmed from the paper but the larger one is a PaperArtsy stamped and embossed image and the mixed media card is finished in shades of blue...ooh and I added some stitched detail around the edge.

Hope you'll have time to join in the challenge, can't wait to see what you create, crackle and texture is one of my favourite challenge themes!

Thanks so much for stopping by and please hop across and see what my other talented teamies have made for you.

'Springtime' for ATP Exchange

Hi everyone, over at ATP Exchange it's a Springtime themed challenge chosen by the lovely and talented Annie, here's what she has to say.....'For this challenge I would like to see the colours of 'Spring' in your mixed media projects. You can include flowers/birds if you wish as long as you have a fresh colour palette.'  All the details can be found here.

When I think of Springtime colours, acid yellows, vibrant purples and lime shades of green come to mind. I have been itching to do some journal pages again, so I thought this was a perfect opportunity to add layers and texture and fresh colours. I started off with 2 pages of mixed media paper that would fit in my Finnabair journal.

I prepped it with some Finnabair gesso, then started laying down some lace, scraps from my desk and tattered floral tyvek flowers with matte medium. Sorry no photos of the stages but hopefully you'll be able to see the details in the photos below.

I applied some transparent gel medium through a Prima stencil and some crackle medium spread randomly.

Next a glaze, I mixed some green gold and a little cobalt turquoise fluid acrylic with some glaze medium. This was brushed all over the pages and particularly in the textured areas, left for a few minutes and then wiped off with a baby wipe till you are happy with the depth of colour.

I used the IZINK to create drips or drops and then stamped the lovely new Finnabair butterfly stamp in black and clear embossed it.

The opaline IZINK was rubbed over the crackle glaze to lighten it. I also stencilled some chalk paint through TCW chicken wire stencil to have some light areas as well.

Stamping in black archival with the prima clear stamps, then gel medium and those lovely beads and micro beads....love these!

I've added pencil scribbles/shading around the squares and flowers and lastly that wonderful quote I found, it seemed so apt.....

.....If you've come across from ATP Exchange you'll be aware that sadly it's our last blog challenge, never the less I do hope you'll join in with Annie's fabulous theme and follow the links to their blogs to see the wonderful inspiration from a very talented DT, all of whom I've loved working with and been inspired by.

As the saying goes, when one door closes another one opens and I'm really excited and very happy to say a new adventure will begin soon.....and with some familiar company, keep a look out...details to follow shortly!

Hope you enjoyed the post, thanks as always for stopping by.

Something from the weekend...

Quick post...I've just had a lovely 'dabbling weekend' at Lin Brown's workshop. We played and experimented with some fabulous products and I just thought I'd share this double page spread which I created.

I've used a small Finnabair journal I had. It was difficult to get a good picture showing the true colours...it's much greener in real life....and shimmery! Amongst the layers of tissue, doily and stamping are Luminarte silks, grunge paste and treasure gold.

As it is green and includes stamping, I am entering it into the Sunday Stampers challenge... the theme this week is 'Green Onions'.

Like many others I am having trouble with the blogger dashboard....only showing one post, so I hope you have managed to drop by or stumbled across this post. Take care and happy crafting.

Tiny Tin...take 2

Yes, when I made the first  tiny tin I already had an idea for a butterfly themed second one...add in the CC3C technique of distress glitter and the 'Sunday Stamper Challenge' of Brown and Blue and here's the result.

Apart form the touch of blue to lighten the project I wanted to keep to neutral tones so I've used pumice stone, vintage photo and black soot distress glitters. For the kraft glassine flowers I've used the 2 smallest sized tattered florals die. After scrunching up, I used touches of the 2 distress paints below and brushed with perfect pearls. Hopefully you can see the various stages of the flowers below.

The movers and shapers butterfly is cut from clearly for art modelling film, a butterfly stamped on in black and I just used glitter on both sides (no paint or ink) so it would still have transparent areas. I then heated the butterfly to mould it. The smaller butterfly inside was stamped and then scissor cut.

I've used chit chat stickers and remnant rubs inside and outside. To add some extra reflection inside the base as it's deep, I used a piece of very thin extra sticky tape (approx 1/8th inch) just inside the rim and sprinkled it with more pumice stone glitter. 

As well as the Sunday Stamper Challenge which I have linked above, I am of course entering this in Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge, which this month, as it's an even numbered challenge is sponsored by 'The Funkie Junkie Boutique'.

I haven't any more tins, tiny or otherwise at the moment  and although I have really enjoyed making them they can be quite fiddly and time consuming so I will be quite happy making something a bit more straight forward......well more normal size anyway! Thanks for looking in.

Sunday Stamper Challenge '303'

Eternal Flame is the theme this week, or flame colours, which for me means deep orange and red....no I won't say burn't orange...Here's my entry.

I've used pan pastels in yellow diarylide, orange and permannent red shade. I started by sponging some yellow on to card stock and then built a background starting with versamark through a couple of CW stencils, I then used versamark with 2 different Kaisercraft stamps (the butterflies making another return visit) and built up the pan pastel colours. Tim Holtz tissue tape formed the background on the card blank and to finish some ribbon, a button and a little walnut stain DI around the edges.

Sunday Stamper challenge '302'

Well having missed last weeks, I had to submit one this week, the theme is...'Mother Nature's Son'. It's a one layer tag starting with some Chatsworth paper which had layers of fresco paints and quite a bit of stamping until I overdid the paint.

I've been wanting to use this beautiful Clarity stencil and got carried away with the stencilling... I added some primary elements pigments giving it a beautiful shine. The second lot of stamping was very simple in black archival and just some ribbon to trim as I didn't want to lose the bling or flower heads. Quick but at least I've managed an entry!

Sunday Stamper challenge '300'

Well a bit late, only because I craft at a weekend,  so I am either early or last minute but ideas buzz round my head in between....I'd hoped I would be submitting a chunky ATC but after 2 hrs Mr Mojo exited and it went from bad to worse so I'll have to go back to the start with that one. However not to be beaten especially as it's the 300th this little hanging came together fairly quickly for 'Dream'  In fact it's not quite dry.

I stamped the butterflies on to 1 ply tissue (idea from Hels) and you can probably see a slight haze around the bottom one...because it is still a little wet.

I've used my favourite fresco paints, CW stencil, Kaisercraft Butterflies and treasure gold...........and I have managed to load the logo as well!