Birthday Cake by four granddaughters

I had to share this birthday cake that my four granddaughters iced for me and my son-in-law for our birthday bbq over the weekend.

It was a complete surprise.  The hid themselves away in my son's kitchen for about an hour and all took a quarter of the cake and decorated it.   I am not sure who iced which bit, although I think the bottom left hand corner ws iced by the 9 year old (with N & P  being for Nanny and Paul).  and apparently I had to have a pearl necklace.

I love the "paint drips" on the side of the cake - very "on trend".  So basically an "arty" cake for me plus flowers as my son-in-law and I are both fairly keen gardeners.   Didn't they do well.

I also need to share the words my 6 year old granddaughter wrote in her card to me  (apparently all her own words with no prompting):  "Have an amazing day.  Love your art work.  Keep on going. Lots of love from T"   (There will be no stopping that girl now that she can read and write).

Poppy heads card

Another card using the Clarity Fresh Cut dies - the poppy head one this time, using some backing paper from the Clarity Rainbow River pad.  (Albeit I will confess that I had intended to use the more patterned side - but applied the glue to the wrong side of the paper - duh!)  I compensated by added a bit of sparkle pen to the poppy heads.

Nautical Birthday Card

Again designed in Craft Artist.  I used a couple of images, the ship, ad the blue with swirls.   This was copied and cropped and just the swirls added again the other side of the ship.  I drew a few lines to tie in the design (an achievement for my dodgy eyes to get them to join ok!)

Hopefully simple, but effective.

Sapphire Anniversary

It was back to those lovely Clarity Stamp Fresh Cut dies for this card.   Keeping it simple with a cut into the card, and backed with some gorgeous blue mirror card.

Steampunk Birthday Card

Gosh is it hot or what?   I haven't been in the mood for crafting with this heat, added to having had a busy week of appointments.  Although did have a lovely afternoon yesterday at Mamma Mia 2, with my daughter and four granddaughters - a lovely girlie afternoon in a air-condition cinema - bliss.

There is so much crafty stuff I want to get on with I just haven't got the energy.  I did sit and make four cards this morning, so I will share these over the next few days.

Here is the first one:

Designed in Craft Artist, and kept it simple - too hot to do mega thinking and designing!

Birthday Card

A card created in Craft Artist for my son-in-law to go with the Windmill and barge I painted for him as part of his birthday present. 

Simpe Sympathy Card

This is the second sympathy card I have had to make in as many weeks.   (Must be an age thing).  Once again kept it simple and used the Clarity dies,  this time with a little handmade backing paper using Imagination Crafts Sugar Mouse Sparkle Medium, which has given it a very subtle pink sparkle.

I also kept the front of the card very plain with no wording, putting that on the insert.

One Finished Barge

Well the first barge is painted (and even has a name).    I confess I changed my mind on the colours to paint it a couple of times.

As I mentioned before I painted the barge with Powertex, and then gave them a coat of white gsoo.  I commenced the painting with various acrylic paints (Makes include Amsterdam, Hobbycraft, Pebeo, IndigoBlu and Pentart.)

I created the flower containers, jug and bucket from FMM Air Dry clay, and then painted them. 

The "rope" came with the kit.

The decoration was painted with miniature ball tools, using the paint fusion technique.

and finally I gave it a name ... although I think I should have called it the Elena Dawn , which would have been a bit more "classy"

I have to admit that I am pretty pleased with the result, considering my eyesight isn't great these days as I am awaiting a cataract operation,

Canal Barges - a little teaser

Sorry ... I couldn't resist ... a little teaser of work in progress.  I built two of these barges from Clever Cut and am now in the process of painting them.

I applied ivory powertex to the insides of both of them, in an attempt to make them more weatherproof.  One had powertex applied to the outside, and both had white gesso applied.

That is as far as I have got - I can't decide on the colours to paint them yet!

Viking Longship - work i progress

I fell in love with a papiermaché longship whilst in Hobbycraft last week with my granddaughter.

I wanted it to be waterproof, so I applied bronze Powertex to the hull and ivory Powertex to the sail/  It didn't take long to dry in this weather.  It was so hot yesterday afternoon that I really didn't have the mojo to start on the painting, but suddenly decided to have a bash at it so to speak when it got cooler

I was a bit concerned on how I would achieve the wood effect over the Powertex, and just started by dry brushing various shades of brown along the contour.  I then took a fine paint brush and painted the darker lines, and then went back in between the lines with the varying shades of brown.   I am quite pleased with the result.

The sale was painted with a pinky-cream and then I applied masking tape and painted the stripe down the centre.

The prow and stern were painted and then gold gilding wax applied, and various starlight coloured paints were stippled on to the "shields". 

Still a bit more to do to it - I shall add some centres to the shields with Nvo drops and then perhaps add some gilding wax or paint the drops.

I am also tempted to paint some sort of emblem on the sail.    I think it needs something like and eagle in flight.   I don't have a stamp like that, but I do have an eagle's head stamp ......... (and I might have an angel wings stamp in my stash - I forget)   .... so watch this space as they say.

Sympathy Card

I do love my new Clarity dies - they are so versatile.  I cut out the lily one in black card, and applied double-sided adhesive behind it and then applied some of the Clarity silvery gold leaf, and stuck it onto a plain white card.   Printed out the sentiment and mounted that on matching black card/

Another Jeep

I finally got around to painting the second jeep.

Glass etching

I had a little play with some glass etching paste.  Very difficult to take a photo of the items.   I discovered it was better to try and put some water in the containers to get a better photo

I tried a wine bottle and a coffee jar  (which came in useful when a dahlia broke in the garden)

Owl nd leves

Coffee Jar

Lantern ornament

I had this lantern set as a thank you.    I am going to give it to my son for his christmas decorations.   I was going to paint it all gold to go with his decor, but he said he would like a turquoise blue.

However, when it came to paint it although I was sort of going down the turquoise and blue route, I decided I wanted a sort of distressed oriental feel to them, with some patina and ruse effects, as they reminded me of pagodas.

close uptrying to show the patina effect on the top

 I suppose if he doesn't like them - I can always repaint them!   This is what it looked like before I started.

Glass Painting Experiment

I bought this little glass in Hobbycraft.   I had seen a video on glass painting, on a bottle, and having seen this item, decided to have a go.  It only cost a £1, so not to bad for an experiment.

 

So here is the finished result.   I sponged it with Starlight glass paints.  Firstly with sax blue, and then over sponged it on the raised bits with rich gold.   It wasn't a complete success as the gold caught more than just the raised bits.  However, as mentioned it was an experiment.    I want to try painting some bottles or jars, and then using a stencil over it with a different colour.

The great thing about these paints is that if you leave them to "cure" for three weeks they become dishwasher safe.   You could of course set them in a low oven for a few minutes like normal glass paints.

I am thinking that they will work on other surfaces too, and could be used outside as if they are dishwasher safe in 3 weeks, they should also be weatherproof too.   I shall of course experiment.

Wiondmills

I managed to finish painting my windmills today.    I am naming them Jack and Jill after the Windmills on the South Downs at Clayton.   Ok a bit of artistic licence with the painting, as Jack as a white cap, and Jill is a slightly squarer design of windmill in real life.

Below is a photo of one of the MDF windmills I built, before painting, and one of the white windmill that I repainted.  (I couldn't find my titanium white, and I really didn't like the finish - so it had a repaint today!

The black one will be going to my son-in-law as he requested one.

They weren't the easiest of things to paint, as you have to build them first!

Glass Fusion Coaster

Back on 13 June, I posted about  a Glass Fusing Workshop I attended with my daughter.   We have now received the finished coasters, which have been fused in the tutor's kiln.   I have taken a couple of photos one with flash and one without.

without flash

As it might not be obvious as to what I was trying to achieve, I will explain.   It is basically a landscape with a river and rocks at the bottom, then fields and trees and some flowers with a sunset (which was a bit more red than the orange I had hoped for), and then sky and clouds and the sun!

with flash

Mini Vardo

Just a quick glimpse of work in progress on a mini Vardo.     I do love these models.  Once I have finished painting it I will show the rear of it, which even has shutters on the window.   As you will see this mini version also has a chimney.

The granddaughters want me to paint the roof purple ..... so watch this space as they say!

Well before this post was scheduled to be published, I finished painting the Vardo.    So here it is finished.  I kept it simple and used two shades of blue Amsterdam paints, and Indigoblu Fuschia for the roof.

I finished the decoration using Nuvo drops.

Art Nouveau Card

I tried a little experiment with this card.  Having cut the die out of black card, and an aperture out of the gold pearlescent card, and backed it with some green glitter card (having discovered small "freebie" pad of it in my stash when looking for something else (like you do - crafters will understand this!).  I decided I wanted to emphasize the design a bit more .... so out came the Nuvo drops. which although coloured still show the glitter of the card underneath them.  I used Ivory seashell on the flower with Strawberry Coulis jewel drops around them.  The stems and leaves had Key Lime Jewel Drops applied, and a few highlights were done in a few other sections with White Blizzard Glitter drops.  (I think I am in love with Nuvo Drops!)

I printed the sentiment out and then mounted it on the same green glitter card and then black card.

Christmas Lanterns

Yes I know it is only July, but I got sent these as an apology for the delay in sending out some other kits ... more of those later eventually.

However, I seem to have another model building addict in the family.   I had the youngest grandchildren to stay over the weekend, and settled down after the two youngest had gone to bed to build this ..... well their older 12 year old sister saw me get it out and asked if she could help.      Yes .... well .... I put the hanging frame together, and she built the lanterns!  (I did get to do part of one!)  She loved doing it and wants some of her own kits to build (this could become costly on my part - lol!)

Eventually I will get to paint it (at least I hope I will and she doesn't want to do it - lol!) when we have decided the colours as it is going to be for her Dad.   (Maybe I will treat her to another one so she can make it for her Mum).

Paint pouring with a difference

I have had some old eucalyptus logs for a while, and they have been calling to me to do something to them.   Obviously I have had to wait for them to season, and with this recent spell of hot weather, I decided they were dry enough to do something with them.

First of all I painted them with Crystal Glitter paint and then I did some paint pouring on them with Pebeo Vitrail and then Pebeo Moon and Prismé paints.  I literally just poured the paints randomly over them and let them do their ow thing.   I did use a kebab stick to mix a few of the colours into each other, and then splodged some of the colours around the edge at the end with a paintbrush.

The really look good in real life with an "enamelled" finish to them.    The grandchildren will now be able to sit on them and toast their marshmallow over the firepit!

The picture below show them last year.  (As regular readers of the blog will be aware the poor old useless chiminea has been recycled as a fairy house and now resides up the garden in a flower bed.)

Purple birdhouse

I had a pal visiting for a few days last week, and she loved my earlier birdhouse.  Well there were two in the kit. so I offered to make her one.   I asked what colour she would prefer and she said purple.

Well I took a bit of artistic licence with the purple, and used a couple of shades.  I also know teal is another favourite colour, so I made some roses and leaves from GMM air dry clay.  I also battled with that perishing butterfly die and managed to cut one out, and painted that too.  She is also a steampunk fan, so whilst looking for the veiner for the leaves, I discovered my Katy Sue cogs mold, and made a few clay cogs, and painted those with Cosmic Shimmer patina paints.

My pal also loves Pebeo DYNA paints, so I felt they had to be incorporated, and applied this to rood, which had had fibre paste roughly applied to it.   Her favourite favourite DYNA is blue/black - so I painted the stand with that!

Having thought that I had finished it and taking the photo above, I realised that it needed a little more decoration .... so the Nuvo drops came out!

Belated Birthday Card

It was my neighbour's birthday, and I forgot .... so a quick card was needed.  I used one of the new art nouveau Clarity dies, with some clarity parchment behind it, and one of the Clarity stamps  (I originally wanted a butterfly where the stamp is, but had so much trouble getting it out of my new die, I had to abandon that idea.   The sentiment was created in Craft Artist and mounted on the same parchment.

(Apart from the hassle with the butterfly die that wouldn't work - this was a lovely quick card)  I do love the Art Nouveau styles.

MDF Biplane

I got around to painting the other biplane in the kit I bought, and decided to go for two shades of blue from my Amsterdam paints.   However, I couldn't resist prettying it up with some roses ....... So here was have it a "girlie" plane!

MDF Bandstand

I had a lovely time building this bandstand, and then painting it, (though I confess the painting was a tad tricky at times, as you had to build it first and some parts were a bit difficult to reach).

I can't remember all of the paints I used.   The creme colour was an Amsterdam paint;  and the gold was a pentart paint, and another one, and I think the blue was too.   The green was a mix of Amsterdam paints and Indigoblu paints.