Tissue Box & Picture Frame

After I had done the washing today, I gave myself the day off, (as I had worked really hard yesterday finishing painting the patio furniture and another bench further up the garden) and got my paints out. 

I have had this tissue box for quite a while and because I had put it in a safe place, I kept forgetting to paint it!   I have been so inspired by Sheena Douglass's demos on C&C of her Christmas stamps, that I simply couldn't wait to have a play, albeit the stamps and DVD I ordered will probably not arrive until the end of the week at the earliest!  So it was a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained!  

The box was crackle finished with plum and then a shade of ivory emulsion.   As I hadn't got the Ivy stamp, I planned the layout, by using a small Ivy stamp from Joanna Sheen's pressed flower range.   This was purely to plan the layout as I completely ignored the stamp when I free-hand painted the leaves.   I had intended to put a flower on top of the Ivy, but my husband said it looked ok as it was - so compromised by painting a free-hand Clematis on the other side.   I painted the flower petals in cream first, and then overpainted them with the two shades of pink with a touch of cream added.   The little trails of "vine" were also done free-hand with a fine paintbrush and two colours.  Can't wait for the proper stamps to arrive!  Thank you Sheena for giving this non-painter the courage to even tackle free-hand painting!

I then proceeded to paint this picture frame, which again I have had for a while.  I painted the frame with the wet on wet technique using a pale ivory emulsion and blue metallic acrylic paint.  The frame was then painted in a more traditional "fusion" method of stamping first.  The rose leaves, are once again from Joanna's pressed flower stamps, and the rose was from Sheena's PF Rose set.  However, instead of painting an open rose, I added a "bud" centre as per Stephanie's one stroke painting.   I stamped the swirls and added glitter to them, and then I stamped the little bee and painted it with gold and silver acrylic paint and overpainted the black of the stamps slightly.  Just needs a coat of varnish now.

I mentioned that I had been painting the patio furniture and another bench further up the garden yesterday - well this was it - to match the paint makeover that I gave the swing a couple of weeks ago.  That black paint is brilliant - I bought it from IW and the best thing is that the brushes wash out in water!  Not only does it have a rust inhibitor in it, but you can also use it on plastic!   I have had a little practise with it on a hanging basket container.   So when the hanging baskets come in for the winter, I shall wash them up and paint them black (and the chains too I might add) and then shall do a bit of Paint Fusion on them for next year!).

Mags