Tuesday 24 May 2016

Dressmaker

This month I have been greatly inspired by the design team on Crafty Individuals blog. I have been a fan of the stamps for a long time, but have only just discovered their blog.

Here is a double page spread in my very" Old Girl's Annual." I have incorporated one of the drawings on the page into my design.
Several crafty Individuals stamps and a few fabric swatches and paint colours.
I really enjoyed this and would like to enter it into the Crafty Individuals challenge.
Also, I would like to join in with A Vintage Journey, sew special.


Sunday 22 May 2016

Dream Girl



Yesterday, my eyes feasted upon the most beautiful piece of art from Lynne Moncrieff. It inspired me to create my own piece and to enter it into the Crafty Individuals challenge, which is, anything goes.

I began, in an old book, by gessoing the page, adding crackle paste through a stencil and painting watery fresco paints, to tie in with the images that I had chosen. I used Dusty Teal, Rose and Lavender.
Next, I sprayed water on and around the crackle and sprinkled Paperartsy infusions, blotting them when they became too dominant.


Next, I used a stencil and with coffee archival, added some script to the background and also a piece of very old ordinance survey map. There is some wrinkle free distress technique there too using Vintage photo and Tattered rose distress sprays.


I assembled my piece, using 2 pictures from the crafty Individuals People and places 2 miniatures pad. A few flowers, some old lace and a wooden frame and word which I covered with treasure Gold Aquamarine. The flower centres also have the Treasure Gold treatment.
I loved creating this piece and am so grateful for the wonderful inspiration from the uber talented Lynne Moncrieff.



Saturday 21 May 2016

Keepsake box

As the topic on Paperartsy this fortnight is doodling, I was more than happy to contribute. I find doodling so relaxing and have started to make a collection in a notebook to use for reference.

Here is my Keepsake box.


I began by covering my box with torn papers....manuscript, dictionary and a favourite set of my stash papers that are a vintage style.
I created a crackled finish by applying Fresco French Roast, Crackle glaze, and finally Vintage Lace, making sure that each layer was dry before applying the next. I added some pictures and labels and sanded and distressed the finish. Finally, I added some script with blue archival ink.

Next, I treated the inside of the box with the same process.

I chose PA minis for my stamping (MN07 and MN10) and, with black archival, stamped the couple onto some vintage music paper (Finnabair). As the faces did not show up too clearly, I stamped them again onto plainer paper and glued them over the top. Next, I doodled some vintage style flowers around the couple, including a frame. For my doodling I used a black Fude Ball pen. I watercoloured the flowers using Derwent Inktense and aged them with distress inks.



I added a TH metal word band which says.."dream as if you'll live forever" and a few roses and some ribbon. I used some vintage lace to frame them.

In the lid there is a child, another Paperartsy mini stamp (MN13). I have framed him with a wooden frame painted in French Roast. I also added lace to the window, so that you can see it from the outside. I added a Prima flower.


I have imagined that my box was lovingly created by the lady in the picture and that the other images were her loved ones. Perhaps she kept letters or little tokens in the box. 
I hope that you have enjoyed sharing my creation. Thanks for looking, and don't forget to visit the PA blog for more inspiration. 




Wednesday 18 May 2016

Celebrating life

Tonight, I really wanted to reconnect with Kim Dellow and her fabulous Face on Friday group. I love what she is doing and feel guilty for not contributing more often.
So, tonight, I created a face which was very quick, vibrant and energetic.
Just  few strokes of fluorescent paint. A quick sketch with Stabilo pencil and washed over with water and a little colour. I scribbled" Celebrating Life" because, that's what the piece felt like.


So, I am entering this onto the Face on Friday blog. Thanks Kim, for your inspiration.

Saturday 14 May 2016

Infusions hen

Here is my attempt at using Paperartsy Infusions as a watercolour medium.
I saw a lady on Hochanda demonstrating watercolour painting using brushos, so I thought......mmmmm, might try that.

I worked on heavy mixed media paper and started by drawing my hen. Copied from an image on google.
Next, masked off the bird with masking fluid, which I hadn't used before.
I wet the sky area with water and then used blue infusions as a wash on top, dabbing with  kitchen roll as I went.
I also wet the ground and scattered some greeny infusions straight from the pot and, with my rigger brush, created grass.
Next, I removed the masking fluid and painted my bird, adding a little black pen at the end.
I am really pleased with my first attempt and think that the hardest part is the initial drawing of the subject. Hope that you like!


Saturday 7 May 2016

Use a flower stencil

Hi, here is my second post for the Country View Crafts topic of "Add a stencil".
I wanted to play with the technique where you remove background paint through a stencil.

I started by gluing strips of dictionary pages onto my journal page.
Next, I painted blocks of colour using Paperartsy fresco Baltic Blue, Turquoise and Dusty Teal onto my page.
Before the paint was dry I laid the stencil over and removed some flower shapes through my stencil with baby wipes. Then, with fresco Banana, I applied paint through the stencil using a foam pad.


Next, I used the stencil as a template and drew through it onto patterned papers and cut out the flower shapes. I inked the edges to define them.
I doodled a little on my page using a watercolour pencil and my white Uniball pen. 
I added some words from a Tim Holtz chitchat pad, and glued down my paper flowers, adding buttons for the centres.
So, there is my finished journal page based around one flower stencil.


Don't forget the blog hop for this month. Here are the details:-

This month alongside our Challenge, we are also running a Blog Hop with a Sizzix Big Shot Machine & Die Bundle as the prize. To enter, you must be a Follower of our Challenge Blog and Hop along to each of our Design Team Members Blogs and leave a comment. We will still be running our normal monthly challenge and those who link their Use A Stencil projects will also be entered into our £20 Voucher draw. The Winners will be picked at random in early June.  So hop on over to Christine's 1st Project - Use A Stencil
 After you have visited my blog, its time to hop over to Brenda. 

I hope that this has inspired you to join in on the Country View Crafts blog. There is lots of time left to enter. Thanks for looking! 


Friday 6 May 2016

Wish me luck

Over on the Crafty Individuals blog, they are having an anything goes challenge. As long as you include one of their products. I have been coaxed over by the very talented Lynne Moncrieff and am joining in for the first time.

I began by covering my journal page in overlapped stamping of the background stamp CI-237 using Coffee Archival. Next, I tore round some CI images that I find so useful and glued them onto my page.
Next, I stamped over the images with a large heart stamp using Black Archival.
I covered all the remaining background with fresco paint in Taupe and stamped some script with coffee archival.
I stamped a couple of sentiments and then wrote the lyrics to Gracie Fields, "Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye" around some of the hearts.
I really enjoyed playing with these beautiful images and it has given me ideas to experiment further.

I am entering this into the CI challenge.


Sunday 1 May 2016

Monoprint lovebirds

Tonight I read through the excellent post on the Paperartsy blog introducing Monoprints and promptly scuttled off to my craft room.
Its one hour later and I am blogging my make.

I already had a few gelli plate prints and found a toadstool one. It is printed onto heavy, shiny card and so I decided to scratch into it. Started scratching the colour from the top of the toadstools and then decided to create rain.
Thought about the Jofy mini beasts and caterpillar and found the lovebirds.

One thing sparked another thing and before I knew it, I had printed my birds and beasts onto previously painted mop ups. A quick scribble or two and a bit of writing and Bingo! My first entry to the new PA challenge.


Use a stencil

Happy Maytime everyone. My birthday month and lots of hope for some extra daylight, sunshine, meals outside and summer holidays. And after the weather that we have endured recently, we certainly deserve some sunshine!
Over on the CountryView Crafts blog, our theme is "Use a stencil".


I have been playing with new stencils from Darcy Wilkinson, from Paperartsy; and using the wavy edge on this particular one, to create land and seascapes.
This one, which I didn't use for this project is the stencil showing the possibilities of creating water.


I created the sky and the land by applying various colours of Archival ink to my card. I applied it using my blending tool!


Here is the finished background....I masked off the sun with a post-it note cut to size.


I added some rays of the sun, some extra shading and then, using the stencil again, added some clouds and some hanging creepers using Black Archival.
I stamped the foreground with some Darcy Stamps. EDY18 from Paperartsy.
Finally, I added a little highlighting with a white pen.


Thankyou for looking. I hope that you will find more inspiration on using stencils over on the CountryView Crafts blog.

This month alongside our Challenge, we are also running a Blog Hop with a Sizzix Big Shot Machine & Die Bundle as the prize. To enter, you must be a Follower of our Challenge Blog and Hop along to each of our Design Team Members Blogs and leave a comment. We will still be running our normal monthly challenge and those who link their Use A Stencil projects will also be entered into our £20 Voucher draw. The Winners will be picked at random in early June.  So hop on over to Christine's 1st Project - Use A Stencil.

After commenting here, please hop over to Brenda. 

Products Used:- Darcy Stencil. Darcy Stamp.