Experimenting with Starlight Wax

I treated myself to some Imagination Crafts Starlight Wax the other day, which I bought mainly for mixed media projects to use as a gilding wax.  However as it is water based apparently you can use it in other ways.

I created the feather outline, by taking an image from the Net, and printing it out.  I then used Trace Down and transferred the image to some water colour paper.  Using my mapping pen I outlined the traced image with Pebeo Drawing Gum.

When the gum was dry I mixed the sky and apple green waxes with some water to a painting consistency and created a wash for the background.   When this was dry I removed the drawing gum to reveal the feather outline, and also went over the feather with a putty rubber to ensure there were no trace lines remaining.

I then edged the card with neat wax, using my finger so that it picked up the texture of the water colour card.   Finally I decided to attempt to use the wax for the words.  I used the Clarity alphabet stamps.  I put a little wax on my craft mat and spread it out using a damp brush, stamped into it and tried out the result.   It didn't work that well.  So I decided to use some cut and dry foam.  I spread out the neat wax again on my craft mat, and then used the cut and dry to pick up the wax and wipe it across the surface of the stamps.  A quick trial and yes it worked, so "inked" up the stamps again and prayed.

The water colour card was then mounted on pearlescent card and an insert created in Craft Artist.

Birthday Card

This was the second attempt at a card for my granddaughter.  I am afraid that the first attempt which was quite different to this - an experiment with Brushos that went very wrong - went in the bin.  Not often that happens, but I just couldn't rescue it!

So I decided on a completely different project.  I had been watching the programmes on tv today using IndigoBlu Luscious powders, so decided to do the background with those.   I used a random wash of blues, purples, golds and silver.   When dry I used a stencil from Sheena Douglas with Flitter glue  (another inspiration from watching the shows today!).

It's the the first time I have used Flitter glue through a stencil, and in fact although I have had them for many years, I haven't used my gilding flakes that much, apart from adding them as a finishing touch to some painting products.   So I am hoping that the result doesn't look too bad.

I confess I did have a little problem stamping the name, as I picked up the wrong Stazon, which was beginning to run out - so I had to re-stamp it, and although I was using the clear stamps from Barbara Gray, these old eyes had a little trouble lining the stamps up again!   Hey ho - as my Dad would say: A blind man would be pleased to see it!

The numbers were peel offs, which I coloured with Pebeo Black Marker.  To do this I put them on my non-stick sheet to colour them.  (Tip to remove the excess marker from the sheet I used Stick Away followed by alcohol hand gel - voila - removed!)

I then mounted the topper on black card, and finally on a silver pearlised card.

Hope she likes it

A simple Birthday Cake

My eldest granddaughter is a fan of Joe Sugg.   I believe she has actually met him.  I know she follows him on Twitter, and this was her design for her birthday cake.

There was only one downside - finding a tin of the right shape for the image - she had to make do with this one.    So I made the cake, and iced it, and then had the image she required printed on to sugarpaste at the local shop!

Another view of the cake:

a bit of mindfulness

I treated myself to some new alcohol pens the other day.   I have Promarkers, but these are the Spectrum Noir ones with a brush tip.   Oh they are so lovely to work with.  I know it was an extravagance so I was determined to actually use them,    Mindfulness seems to be the watchword these days, so I sat yesterday and just sat colouring!

I have a few colouring books, but the ones below were all postcard size and came from either Crafters Companion as a freebie, or from John Bloodworth's All Counties Craft Challenge Mindfulness Colouring Postcrds that I got from him when I made a donation to his charity in aid of Mind, when I met him at Sandown last year.

Crafters Companion image on sparkled card

One of John's Images

One of John's images

Another of John's images

Not brilliant as my eyes aren't what they used to be - but I really enjoyed just sitting and colouring - took me back to my childhood.

An afternoon crafting with the grandchildren

I had my youngest granddaughters to visit the other day, and we spent the afternoon crafting.  They love my sparkle pens, and also wanted to play with the brushos.  I also found the children's scissors, which had got mislaid in my stash, so obviously they had to be used too!

4 yr old's birthday card for her mum created with sparkle pens.
(she ran out of space for the word Birthday!)

4 year old's first attempt at using drawing gum and a mapping pen. which was
then painted with water colours.

7 year old's picture with drawing gum and mapping pen, and then
sprinkled with brushos and spritzed with water.

10 year old''s "art journaling" using sparkle pens for the abstract, blue purple piece,
using drawing gum and a paintbrush for the masking of the right-hand piece coloured with more sparkle pens.
Random "squiggles" on a piece of torn pearlised pink paper created with Pebeo marker pens.
 Finally all mounted on black card.

As you can see they had a fun afternoon, playing with Nanny's stash!

Messing about with Brushos

This was an experiment to try and draw a feather freehand.  OK a little more practise needed, but no bad for a first attempt.  I might try and trace an image next time.

The feather was drawn with masking fluid and a mapping pen on to watercolour paper.   I then sprinkled some dry brushos onto the paper and spritzed with water.  When dry it was mounted on black card.

Bouquet of Flowers

I used a stamp from my Clarity Club subscription for this card, coloured with pencils.   I also used a stamp from Clarity for the corners, which was one of my very first purchases.