Pot make over

Here's a second plastic pot make over. Like the first one I have cut paper to the shape of the pot and painted it with Paper Artsy Fresco paints with the Gelli plate.

This time I followed a sewing theme and used Crafty Individuals stamps CI-401 Ladies Who Latte as my focal point, supplemented by stamps from CI-328 Sewing Notions and CI-461 Vintage Ads, for which I made masks in order to layer the images. 
I couldn't resist adding some die-cuts too, scissors and safety pin die cut from recycled metal with an old X-cut die set (Haberdashery).
Finally I added some crochet lace to hide the top plastic.
A few pics of the finished item:

Thanks for coming by,

I am entering the SSS Wednesday, and The Artistic Stamper challenges.

Metal Leaf

I saw the Vintage Journey challenge and the DT's beautiful makes and had to join in... at last some inspiration to get me back in the (crafting) groove!

I threw quite a lot of metallic looking mediums on this piece, the front cover of a book, usage yet to be determined.

I didn't take any in progress picture though, until I got to that stage.

The cover of my book was first gessoed, then I glued down a few (real) leaves, a die-cut (Tim Holtz Mixed Media die) and some corners (die-cut waste).

I used 3 colours of acrylic paints to create a "rusty" impression, adding silver to the high points with a soft cloth.

I created a cluster with a piece of designer corrugated cardboard which I tore.

A closer look at the metal shine....

I used foil on this die-cut    label

The "metallic" glint here is    from mica flakes sitting    on top of metal thread.

And the completed cover:

Thanks for coming by,
I am entering the SSS Wednesday, Creative Artiste, Vintage Journey,  Bleeding Art challenges.

Gift for the girls

There is nothing like a hand made gift for the girl that has everything... something with a personal touch and absolutely unique, is the answer for those times when nothing fits the bill.

With a fast approaching Christmas, I constructed and decorated this box from Art-C for a girlfriend to keep her jewellery in, well some of it anyway...

It's an easy project and, having chosen to cover the box entirely with paper, a fairly quick one to make too!

Supplies:
Art-C Masonite Shelf with Drawers kit
Imagination Crafts Rice paper
Scrap of recycled metal die-cut (Spellbinders - Persian accents)
Kaiserkraft stamp
Imagination Crafts: Starlights in Dark Orchid
DecoArt Metallic Lustre Wax Finish - Champagne Ice
Gesso
DecoArt Matte medium
DecoArt Ultra matte varnish

Do come over to the Craft Barn blog for the full step by step.

Thanks for coming by,
I am entering the SSS Monday, Inky Chicks, Creative Artist and Craft Stamper TIMI  challenges.

Stamping and embossing on metal

Today is my second post for the Country View Challenge inspiration  piece on the theme of Metal, chosen by the lovely Miriam.

This time I went for a more delicate technique of embossed metal, with a stylus!

First I die-cut a square of aluminium (another re-cycled container for a ready meal) and embossed a border with a Cuttlebug folder on all 4 sides. In addition, I embossed a paperclip in one corner.

Working from the reverse, I stamped my image, a freebie from Craft Stamper, with Archival ink.

I prefer to use the reverse in case I scratch the metal with my stylus as I should be using nylon but use metal depending on the size of the embossing ball I need.

Of course it does mean the image is reversed!

Next, using the stamped image as a guide, I use the stylus to create the first embossed lines on the reverse. This will show the outline of the design on the front.

Now I work  alternatively from the front and the reverse, progressively deepening the embossing. I use a mouse mat for embossing and a stamp block for refining.

Finally I apply black paint, let it dry a bit and softly buff the raised areas for contrast.

Make enough squares and you could get this... as I did some years ago (check out the post here).

Finally I added a piece of vanilla coloured metal that I embossed with a Ten Second Studio Kabuka mold (no8) and a piece of black metal die-cut with a Mixed Media Thinlit (Sizzix) before mounting the lot on Kraft card.

I hope I have inspired you to have a go at this technique or at least to use something metallic for your entry in the Country View Challenge. A £20 voucher is up for grab for one lucky crafter...

Thanks for coming by,

Embossed metal frame

Time does fly... holidays over, back to school is upon us and of course a new challenge at Country View! This month Miriam has chosen Metal as the theme, the perfect opportunity to use some of my favourite techniques with the shiny stuff!

But first, if you haven't been checking out the new stash at Country View Crafts, let me share my excitement upon the introduction of the Rubber Dance stamps... I'm especially thankful for Susan stocking them as, with the sterling falling, it's a lot easier buying from UK stockists!

My favourite images are Vintage, photo realistic, nature inspired and, as luck would have it, those are the ones first available at Country View Crafts here. (I'm hoping for more in the future...)

This is what I made:

At this stage I don't know if I am going to keep it as is and display as a photo frame or if I'll stick it on a card blank.

To make my frame I used a piece of aluminium saved from a ready meal (some survive the cooking unscathed and can be cleaned up well).

I die cut a rectangle from the middle, handy as I had the "Alu" brand embossed right in the middle... But I may still use the piece if I can hide it!

I then embossed the frame with a Cuttlebug folder which name I sadly didn't write down and has been lost to the mists of time...

If you recognise it, please let me know!

Next the fun bit... wet embossing and playing with powders.

I used Versamark all over the metal and started by sprinkling some of my mysterious mixes of EP.

I say mysterious because I made them a long time ago and can't really tell what exact colours are in them.


Before melting I covered the whole frame with a tarnished gold EP. The overall look is of distressed and aged bronze, but, in the next step I will bring back some gold.

I used Versamark again on the frame, but this time I try and ink just the raised parts and then apply mica powders in copper and gold to highlight the embossing further.

The focal image, Dancing woman from Rubber Dance has been stamped with Versafine black.
I added D. Oxides in Antique Linen and Walnut stain and spritzed a bit of water to age the piece. I created a brown frame to mat the image (just like a painting).

To finish I embossed another piece of recycled metal, ivory coloured, with the word "Authentic", and decided to add the die-cut word on top, coloured in black with an alcohol marker. Beware the paint has a tendency to rub off, so if you find black metal use that instead! A bit of copper wire threaded through holes and voila!

Here's the shine shot:

I hope I have inspired you to work with metal and that you'll enter our Country View challenge, nothing to lose and a £ 20 voucher to spend on some lovely supplies if you do...

For more inspiration check out what my teamies made here and come back on the 15th, when I'll post my second metallic project,

Thanks for coming by,

Also entering the Rubber Dance Forever, Craft Stamper TIMI and SSS Wednesday challenges.

Metal and chalk

Tim Holtz is reviewing some of his "old" techniques in his 12 tags of 2016 and January is a very industrial mix of metal and chalkboard. I was inspired to try ...

For a complete step by step I will refer you to the master over here as I followed the steps fairly closely. My focal image, stamped on black cardstock, is an image by Katzelkraft, or rather a very small portion, and represents a helicoidal clock, which I thought could be suitable for a Steampunk vibe.

I tried to make it stand out a bit more by popping up the spiral with increasing heights of foam pads but not enough to show in the picture.

To emboss the tag I used a Docrafts Plaid embossing folder, as on metal I thought it looked industrial.

I replaced the metal embellishment by an embossed word on the same black cardstock as I felt I needed that extra contrast of stark white against black with the rest of the tag being so grey! (Yes I know it looks blue in the photo.... the weather is just not cooperative and the natural light is hard to come by)


Thanks for coming by,

Also entering the Sandy & Amelie Steampunk, WOW Embossing powder and We Love To Create challenge.

Sew Shabby (chic)

Stamping Sensations challenge's theme this month is Sewing inspired, which is my opportunity to test my latest Rubber Dance stamps!
I decided on a shabby chic style with lots of lace motifs which I found on the Live and Love Craft blog.

I used textured paste with a Prima doily stencil on the Kraft background, a printed paper which I punched with a Martha Stewart border punch.
I stamped my dress form on a piece of Prima paper (old collection) and gave it a bit of colour with a pink Gelato. A scrap of tulle and a bit of ribbon creates dress in progress on the dress form.

For embellishments I added real and faux buttons, a doily,  other stamped elements from the same Rubber Dance set and a scrap of gauze.

Thanks for coming by,

Also entering the Polka Doodle , Tando Creative and All Sorts  challenge.

memories

I have been trying to muster enthusiasm to start on a few scrapbooking pages and had a look through my existing layouts (it usually works...) and found this one that just didn't work.

The background had been stamped, embossed with clear powder for a resist effect, sprayed and foiled...
Fortunately, because these are vintage photos, I didn't glue them to the page but used tissue tape to hold them in place so I could easily start again.

First I thought the background colour was too dark so I wanted to add white paint without losing all of the kraft background.
I have been wanting some 3D matt gel but I couldn't get any in the shop and bought the Ranger transparent texture paste, figuring it would be similar. I stencilled it through a Prima/Finnabair doily stencil in 3 places and when dry applied white paint over the paste and embossed areas wiping with a wet rag to reveal the design.

I added a doily die-cut (Prima) and a flower and leaves die-cut (Marianne dies) from metal and painted with acrylics.

Can't say it's perfect but it's definitely better than it was... I have a facing page to be transformed too so I better get to it before I lose interest!

Thanks for coming by,

I am entering  the WOW Embossing Powder and Paper Artsy challenges.

Time

The new theme for the Paper Artsy challenge is Time and I toyed with several versions until this one :

The background has been sprayed over a Cogs and gears stencil (TCW) in blues and brown.
I used the Wordle.net again (see my previous post) to generate my time words panel and printed it on top of a Brusho'ed and Micro glazed stamped panel.

My feature stamp is from the Hot Pick 1206 and I made a watch face embellishment with a bottle cap.

Also making an appearance is the Mixed Media thinlit by Tim Holtz (recent purchase) which I used on a piece of copper coloured metal.

Thanks for coming by,

Also entering  the Craft Barn, Craft Stamper, That Craft Place, and  That's Crafty challenges.

Blue

I took advantage of the nice long week end to take my time creating something just for me. I would say journal but I had to do it out of it since I intended to have 3D elements.
I attempted to put MORE on my make and took inspiration from Artful Times challenge who are asking for some Finnabair style.
I haven't quite managed the profusion of objects Anna puts on her creation but I'm still pleased with the result as it's certainly more busy and more 3D than usual.

For supplies I have thrown lots of mediums at my "canvas",  with lots of Finnabair products such as the doily stencil and some stamps.
I applied some Gelatos in blue, pink and violet in some places and instead of spraying with water I used a mix of Fresco Blueberry and Prima Bloom in Cobalt.

I selected my embellishments in my box of bits and everything bar the bottle cap is recycled: old buttons, shrink plastic waste, aluminium from food packaging etc...I prepared them with a coat of Gesso before spraying with the same mix as before and finished them with Fresco glaze mixed with micas as well as a bit of gilding wax.

In the background I used the Messy Art set (Artistic Stamper), a texture stamp (Finnabair). The heart is from a cling set from Prima/Finnabair and I replaced the inside by the word "Art".

Finally where Finnabair would have a photo I created my own with a Paper Artsy stamp (Hot pick 1207)

I have stuck my page to a cardboard backing to flatten it and I might crop the excess later although I kind of like the frame effect.

Thanks for coming by,

Also entering the Artistic Stamper, Pan pastel UK and Paper Artsy challenges.

Olde Worlde

Welcome to the new challenge at Vintage Stamping Challenges where I chose this month's theme, Olde Worlde. Think Victorian era, chocolate box houses or villages, engravings, Steampunk... any thing older than a century!

I pulled my Flonzcraft True Gentleman set and stamped the "older" of the 2 gentlemen with Versafine as well as the top hats, for which I'd prepared a mask, on a piece of ivory cardstock. I tore and distressed the panel before affixing to a brown mat.

For the background I started with a piece of patterned paper which I inked with various distress inks, a piece of baking parchment (loooong story) embossed with a folder and wet embossed (Walnut stain ink + Frost embossing powder).
I added a border made with textured paper which I coloured with Walnut Distress ink and added 2 screw-shaped brads.

For embellishments, as my faithful readers will know, I love to make my own, so I created a "seal" using a postmark stamp and gold wax adding it over some multi-coloured threads.

 

I created a metal frame for my silhouette portrait also from the True Gentleman set.



I am enjoying this set very much and I find it invaluable for those difficult masculine cards!

Hope I have inspired you to join us! You don't normally need to create a vintage project but this month vintage is definitely an option considering the theme! Remember that you DO have to include stamping - no digis allowed. Our lucky winner will receive a fab prize of a $20 voucher from Flonzcraft so don't miss out on your chance to win!

Go on and hop on over to the Vintage Stamping Challenges blog and see all the DT’s work for more inspiration.


Challenge : Stamping Sensations



Love travel

Valentine's day is the big event on the blogs and as I have already something prepared I opted for a love of a different kind....

The Rubber Dance colour challenge for February has a theme of Love and the colours Turquoise Chocolate Brown and Deep Red. I went overboard with these dark colours and the result is ... well... dark!

This also meant I had to do most of the stamping in white acrylic which doesn't do justice to the details of the stamps.

For my background I used Gelatos, overstamping images from the Rubber Dance Travel plate, stamps I won recently on their blog.

I added a heart die-cut which I painted with brown paint, a layer of crackle (Imagination Crafts) and a top coat of white paint. I embossed a piece of metal with the word Travel as a finishing touch.

I am also entering the Imagination Crafts and the Live and Love Crafts challenges.
Thanks for coming by,

Shiny Things Inspired by Pam Thorburn

You may recall this book cover (image right) which  I decided to complete using the same colour scheme but with shine!
I took inspiration from Pam Thorburn's project that you can see here with her step by step and Finnabair Sparkle and Shine blog hop.

My base textures were sequin waste, drywall tape (joint tape/scrim), Memory box Tessatina die-cuts, X-Cut Corner die-cut (from the Trim Borders set) and a piece of lace. Sadly this last piece doesn't work particularly well.
I also used the letters to form the word "Dies" since this is what my book will contains. Sounds ominous, but I couldn't think of another relevant word under 5 letters!

I applied my metallic tape with pieces roughly cut to the sizes of the different textured areas in a bid to make the joints look as natural as possible. A slow progress and delicate touch is required at this stage, the tape is thin and can tear (translation: it did tear!)

After painting with Frescos and removing the colour from the highpoints I added Gloss medium in the recesses, here and there, to adhere fine glitter for more shine...

To finish I used a stamp from Paper Artsy Hot Pick 1204 and made embellishments with Tim Holtz Hardware Findings die, painted, crackled and silver foiled in places.

And if you wondered... yes I haven't finished the spine! I plan to use fabric for that so I don't have to deal with any cracking.

Thanks for coming by,

Inspired By Keren Baker

For the second topic of the year Paper Artsy has chosen metal. Another exciting theme for me since I love working with metal.

Keren chose plumber's tape and since I have a large roll, I had to try her ideas... or at least one of them! It will be obvious from the photo that I stuck to Keren's design very closely and only substituted the focal stamp by one from Hot Pick 1206 and added a key/feather motif from a Ten Seconds Studio mold.

I found the embossing quite hard to do since, from the back, I couldn't see very well where to emboss as I had left the paper liner (my tape is adhesive). Alternatively a piece of aluminium (those ready meals in foil dishes for instance) would do the job adequately.

I didn't find a good way to take the photograph of the shiny metal either!