Family tree

This is really work in progress.   I bought the mdf shape at the Sandown Craft Show - unfortunately I can't remember the name of the stall - such a shame as they had some lovely stuff.

To start with I used distress inks on the trunk and branches, and then swapped to to the MediaArt paints.   I added lots of water over the top when I had finished getting the shading effect I wanted and sprinkled some Cosmic Shimmer clear Ultra Thick Embossing Crystals over it - making it wetter in some places.  I then heated the crystals with my heat gun, so that I got a random raised finish.  More distress ink was then applied.

I painted the leaves and the birds with more mediaart products.

However, I can'd decide what colour to paint the hearts - thus the work in progress!   I also have some tiny mdf owls that I might use instead - decisions, decisions.   Suggestions for the colour of the hearts welcome.  So far I have had suggestions of bronze, red and green.

New Home Card

New Home card made with the Craftscapes Stately Home kit and CAP2.   I used one of the layouts, resized the background, and added some more embellishments

Fabric painted bag (the other side)

You may remember that I attempted to do some fabric painting on a bag the other week; well I purchased some new stencils, the other week, and the finally arrived.

As you may recall, I wasn't happy that the owl on the other side, and didn't feel it "popped" enough, so this time I created a white background.

I placed the mask on the bag, and then placed masking tape around it to outline the size of square I needed.  Removing the mask I painted the square.

The mask was then put back, and the tape moved to hold it in place.

Finally with a stencil brush, having removed the mask, I randomly stippled the blue outline.

close up

and just to remind you - this was the first side.    (I think I might use the stippled edge idea, and add to this with a white stippled edge - that should make it "pop" more.)

the first side

I had intended to spend the day yesterday with a paintbrush in my hand, after stenciling the owl, but unexpectedly I had to look after my youngest granddaughters, so I though I would share what they got up to to prevent me from doing "my thing"!

Obviously it involved stencils! but I played it safe and they used card and water-colour paints.   They also raided my stash of flowers etc.

The 7 year old's cardboard bag - 1st side

and the reverse side

The 4 year old's stenciling and collage

another by the 4 year old - but she was getting tired by this time - lol!

Revisiting some stash!

I decided to turn out and tidy my craft stash in the study/craft room.  In the process I came across a lot of toppers and bits and bobs that I had.

I decided that I really ought to use some of these bits, particularly as I had saved them because I liked them.  (there is a lot of Christmas stuff - in particular sentiments that can be used too).

So this card uses some of those bits that I discovered, and I should clarify here that the centre of the flowers and the sentiment are actually silver and not gold as they appear in the photo!

However CAP2 didn't get forgotten as I used that to make the insert!

I confess that although I did clear out a lot of stuff, I still have a lot left, but it all looks a bit tidier and card has been colour coded and other bits sorted into boxes - i.e. stencils, stamps, embossing folders etc etc.  I also promise to try and put stuff back in its proper box when I have used it!   

Yes, I probably do have too much craft stuff, but can a crafter have too much?  I know my crafty pals will relate to this.   At least I have plenty that the grandchildren can raid!

..... and of course there is a lot more crafty bits winging their way to me .........   ooops!  (now where am I going to store those?)

80th Birthday Card

I had fun creating this card using CAP for a very dear friend and godparent of my children.    Tiz a bit cheeky, but I am hoping it will give him a laugh!

Where would I be without CAP for my men's cards.   The images and sentiments were mainly taken from the Golden Years digikits.

Mixed Media Fairy Door

This is a little mixed media Fairy Door that I made using a Fairy Door from the Works, which has an opening door,   Cute isn't it.   I knew as soon as my daughter picked it up for me whilst shopping, that I wanted to do something with it.

I delayed working on it until my new DecoArt paints arrived following the demo on Hochanda by Andy Skinner.

Learning from previous experience of trying to do the salt technique on wood, I sealed the door first with decoupage glue.   The door was first painted with paynes grey and the salt sprinkled on it.   When dry and the salt was brushed off, I used various blues, umber and finally a coat of quin gold.  I added a door knocker with the greyboard bits from Andy's kit that I painted with gold and quin gold.

The outside was painted with pains grey and burnt umber, and then sprinkled with ultra thick embossing powder and heated to give it a rough texture, a bit more paynes grey and qui gold was added and the salt technique used.  (you can just about see the effect of the texture on the bit above the door.  

I wanted to add some more texture and fancied using some lace somehow to make it "prettier".   This was a bit hit and miss and a learning curve so to speak.   I dipped the lace in ivory powertex, and stuck it on to the surround,  I didn't really like the effect so proceeded to paint it with various colours of paint to match the background.

work in progress - with lace added

I had planned to make some flowers and leaves using air dry clay,, but couldn't quite get the effect I wanted.  I spied the flowers I had made the other day with Sheena's anemone die and stamps, and decided that was the way I wanted to go.

I used all the elements of the dies to create the various flowers (i.e. the calyx for the star flowers). They were cut out of black card and then painted with DYNA iridescent paints.   Over-stamped with black stazon, and then brush embroidered using mixtion paste and silver mirror foil added to the flowers, and gold foil to the leaves, and then curved to desired shapes    I needed something else to finish the surround so painted up some small shells from my stash  (the tub of shells came from The Works too).

I took a couple more photos in daylight;

with the door slightly ajar

I think I might have to buy some more of these - although I do have some plainer un opening doors in my stash (i.e. without a surround to them).

Steampunk Tray

Well it was supposed to be a steampunk rusty finish to this wooden tray.  Hasn't quite turned out as I wanted - I think I should have sealed the wood first with pva or similar.   Although I made sure the paint was very wet, the salt technique wasn't quite so good.   Possibly need to use sea salt or rock salt.

Painted in much the same way as the rustic heart, finishing with the quin gold.   I think it looks more like mahogany than ruster metal, but hey ho - I still like it.

I love the nails and bolt heads that came in the greyboard kit.  Painted with paynes grey and quin gold and a little gold rubbed over the edge with my finger - they look so realist in real life.

another view

Rusty Heart and Crackled Heart

At last my media paints and bits and bobs have arrived from Hochanda, and I have had a little play using one of the greyboard hearts that came in the kit.

I first painted the heart with paynes grey and sprinkled salt into it, which when dry gave a pitted look.  I then went over with some of the grunge media paints - a blue and a green and then finally went over it with the quin gold (which is actually red).    Love, love, love these paints they are beautifully translucent and I was really pleased with the rusty finish,   

Can't wait to try out more of the elements that came in the kit and do some steampunk art, which is slightly out of my comfort zone, but do admire the effects.  So watch this space.

I also purchased some of the different mediums.  I painted the whole heart with red paint, and then applied antiquing cream to the bottom half.  The top half of the heart was double crackled, with weathered wood and crackle paste, and painted yellow.   I could have done with applying the weathered wood a bit thicker, as I didn't quite get the depth of crackle that I wanted - will obviously have to play a bit more.

I then removed the antiquing cream with a baby wipe and stencilled the design .  I think next time I will do a resist technique for the stencil or some texture paste.   However, I was only playing and getting used to the products.

Finally I used some green paint and with a stencil brush applied some colour over the crackle paste effect.

Fairy Door

Enamelled Tray

I have had a couple of these trays for a while now.  I had got as far as applying black gesso last year, and had intended making some Christmas pressie, but when my husband died last October, my mojo disappeared.  At last I have got around to doing something with them,

My idea was to create a sort of Japanese lacquer finish.   As most people will who have worked with the Pebeo Fantasy paints, ceramic and vitrail - they do have a mind of their own.   Each section started off with a coat of Vitrail, but because it is on black, the different colours don't show up that well.   Two sections the gold and the cream one were more opaque colours.  I must look out for more opaque vitrail.

The sections were coloured very randomly - with a few drops of each colour I chose just dropped in and allowed to do their own thing.   I then drew a cocktail stick through the designs in a sort of spider's web design to create swirls.  (dragging from centre out and alternating dragging from edge to centre).

Finally the rest of the wooden surround was painted with black ceramic paint.  I am in two minds whether to leave it as it is or whether to get a gold or silver Pebeo Marker and run it around the top edge of the sections, and to tie that in mask off the side edge and do the same with that to create a stripe around it,

Anybody got any thoughts!

close up of  the sections

another close up   (I love the effect of the section to the left)

Don't think this will be going any further than my dressing table to hold me nail varnishes!

MDF Christmas Baubles

I finished off my day painting in the sunshine on Tuesday with these two mdf "baubles"  (with apologies of posting something christmassy so early), but I had all the DYNA iridescent paints out on the table, and I had prepared them with black gesso a few weeks back.

I forget at which stand I bought them at the Sandown show in July, but it was the same place that I bought the 3D fairy doors etc.

I painted them with green/blue, then sponged on blue/green, violet/blue silver and gold DYNA paints in a random fashion,  The edges were outlines with Pebeo Silver Marker, and a few random dots of the same applied.

Tissue Box

I have had this box prepared with the blue grey background since the end of last year!   Oops!  At last I have got around to finishing it off.  Mainly because I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with it.  I had in my mind to do some "folk art" on it,

As you can see I decided on slightly more traditional style of paint fusion.  I used my new anemone stamp and leaf again - stamping in white to give me a vague outline to work to,  I outlined the aperture with Pebeo Silver marker.  (another new favourite)

another view

A Gnome House

I teased you the other day with a glimpse of work in progress on my gnome house.   It was such a glorious day today (Tuesday - yes sorry I have scheduled this blog) I sat outside and painted and took advantage of the hot, hot day.  I didn't even venture to the den, but sat on the patio to work in the sunshine.    I wish it had been more like this in the Summer, there is so many bits in the Den that I could play with.

I started off by painting a tissue box - but more of that tomorrow.  I then decided to paint the Gnome House I created from a bottle.

The one I painted the other day, I use the varnish and powders that came with the Powertex kit, but I just knew I wanted to use the Pebeo DYNA iridescent paints on this one.

and I have to share this too - my palette for the day - before I wash it all off.   I did think that I ought to cut it and mount it as a piece of abstract art - lol!   I thought I could call it "A Study in Pebeo"

Mixed Media Aenmones

I used Sheena's anemone die and stamps again, but this time experimented with acrylic paints and some decoart coloured gilding wax.

Most of the petals were painted with Pebeo DYNA iridescent paints, but the purple and pale blue had the back petals coloured with the gilding wax.

When dry I used the stamp for the markings, and then using the "brush embroidery" technique, I outlined the petals with Pebeo Mixtion Relief, brushed it out onto the petals,  and when dry applied Pebeo mirror foil.  (Blue for the dark blue one and silver on the other two)  The leaves were painted with yellow green DYNA, and shaded with a darker green Pebeo acrylic.  They were also treated with a little mixtion and some had green foil added, and some gold, because I couldn't decide which I liked best!  Finally I added a gemstone to the middle.

Painted with blue black Dyna and blue mirror foil, Gold foil on leaves

as above but with green foil on leaves

Back petals with gilding wax, front petals with purple/blue and red/blue
green foil on leaves

as above but with gold foil on leaves

Blue gilding wax on back petals.  Blue Green Pebeo on front.  Silver mirror foil and
gold mirror on leaves

as above with green foil on leaves

Fabric Painted Bag

I treated myself to this owl stamp recently from Blockwallah.   (My family are a bit owl mad so knew it would be put to good use - just have to make sure that it doesn't leave the house and find its way into the hands of my daughter and eldest granddaughter! lol!)

I was watching a programme on Hochanda where they were painting on fabric and it inspired me to have a go with a similar idea.

The only bag I had in my craft stash was a Hessian one - so the image is more subtle than on a white background, but hey ho - work with what you have got.

I masked off the area, and then mixed some acrylic paint with Decoart fabric medium for the background in gold and gold with a beige added.  I dried this and then using proper fabric paints, I stamped the owl and the leaves.  Then using a paint brush and more fabric paints, I coloured in the owl and added a few more leaves by hand.

I felt that the image didn't stand out enough from the hessian, so I carefully moved the masking tape, and re-positioned it, and with a sponge went around the edge with more fabric paint.

close up of design

I have some stencils on order for an owl and some toadstools - so watch this space for when I tackle the other side!

Fairy House

I love Paverpol and Powertex, as you have probably gathered if you have followed my blog over the years.    Hochanda had some Powertex kits on the other week, and I treated myself.

The Fairy House was made using the black Powertex kit, which came complete with the fairy door and some lace.  I had quite a bit of t-shirt material etc in my stash and some scrim etc.

The House started off life as a Kenco coffee jar (other makes are available), but I wanted a square house.

When wrapping the material I left a small square of jar showing, so that I can insert one of the battery tealights eventually, so that it lights up.

Once dry the black finish was dry brushed with the powder colours and varnish that came in the kit.

In situ on the rockery (possibly!)

I loved doing this, and can see the granddaughters asking for one each!   Certainly a variation on the vase I made from a similar coffee jar a few years ago, using Paverpol..

and here is a sneaky peak of something else I am currently working on - will do a new post when it is finished  (i.e. when painted)!  (finished house will be on blog on Friday 16th Sept)

Water-coloured Anemone

I have at last got around to using me new Sheena dies and stamps.   I rarely buy dies these days, as I can't warrant the expense as I don't sell my cards.  However, these were on a half price offer on Hochanda along with a Lily and the stamps to go with them.   It would have been rude not to buy them! lol!

Also I rarely do much stamping, or water colouring these days, so this made a nice change.  the flowers were die-cut using Sheena's stamping card, which is quite thick.   More delicate flowers could be made using copy paper.

I used my aqua marker pens to paint them.

Having taken the above photo, I had an inspiration and got my Crafter's Companion Clear Sparkle overlay pen out and brushed over the flowers and leaves.    It is really subtle in real life rather than where the flash has caught the sparkle in the picture.

A little heart

I couldn't resist the sentiment on these little wooden plaques, that I bought whilst away with the family for a few days last week.

They were just plain white with the sentiment, but I decided to do some folk art on them.   This one is for me - family take note - lol!

and this one is for a pressie:

ps - although I bought these in a little gift shop, my daughter tells me that they saw the same thing in the Works this week!

Glass Doodahs (Sun Katchers)

Yup I don't know what they are really called, but feel free to call them what you want.   The website calls them Sun Katchers. 

Yesterday I decided it was about time I played with the glass kits I bought at Sandown in July from   http://glassgardenstudio.webs.com/  It was a lovely sunny day so I decided to sit out on the patio with the soldering iron and set to work.   It's years and years since I did any soldering in earnest.

The heart with the mirror was slightly easier to put together - needless to say I started with the more difficult one with the glass nugget in the centre.

Anyway I am quite pleased with my first efforts, and I think my husband and father would have been pleased to see my results - not a dry joint in sight!

Today I had planned to get some gardening out of the way, and make the other two.  Of course best laid plans - it started to rain as I finished pruning and before I mowed the lawns - typical - which also meant no sitting on the Patio and playing.   I was very naughty and did the soldering on the dining table!  (shhh don't tell anyone - but the table was well protected, and I was working on my special heat proof mat.)

The triangular one was a bit interesting to do too!

I shall send for some more kits - but think I will opt for the ones with mirrors in the centre next time!  - lol!

I wish Bath wasn't so far away would love to do dome of Glass Garden Studio's workshops.