Floral Anniversary Card

 Just a simple card with a rose stamp  and sentiment from my stash and water coloured with Artistry Ink pads.  Liberal dotting with a matching fine liner pen,

Male Birthday Card

Aperture created using a "string art" die (Birch Press Designs).  Backing paper from Clarity Designer Sheets, with Happy Birthday stamped on it (can't remember make).  I then cut strips from the same designer paper to create the boarder,

 

Card made using  stamps from my Clarity membership collection.  Coloured using Artistry ink pads - the pink and green being used as water colors.  Surround free-hand drawn with a matching pink fine-liner, and then painted using the same green as the leaves on the stamps.

Casting Compound Experiment

I tried a little play and an  experiment with the casting compound yesterday.  I created the mold shape by forming Hearty clay around a geode shaped mold, and "stamped" into it using various flower and leaf cutters.

I then coloured the casting compound to produce a pale olive green colour and poured it into the mold I had created.

When dry I painted it with acrylic paint (attempting to do a paint fusion technique).   It wasn't a complete success like the one I did pressing flowers into the clay) - but it was an experiment!   Also not helped by the fact that my dodgy eyes didn't want to play properly when I came to paint it.

Never mind you have to experiment to see what works and what doesn't.    I think it would be quite successful doing smaller pieces that could be turned into pendants, with just perhaps using one cutter, and then pouring resin over the top to finish them off.   I may attempt a thin resin topcoat over this as well.

MDF Train - updated

I shared a picture of an MDF train I built the other week, and have since done a few tweaks to it.  So here are a few views of the finish item:

Man's Card

Made this for my son-in-law ...... I normally do something train related!  However, this die came with my Clarity Membership subscription, and as he is a keen gardener and love the butterflies that visit the garden I decided to use it.  Die is cut from red pearlised card stock, and mounted on a piece of hessian, which was in turn mounted on to a piece of matching hand made paper.   I then created some faux stitching with a matching fine liner pen.

Paint Pouring and a Resin Geode

 As I am so far behind with blog posts, I am combing two posts today.  I used some of the left over resin from the jewellery to start a geode.    This is the back of the geode, which was the first layer I did.  I didn't like the effect much, so when I poured the second layer I used slightly different colours and some gold leaf flakes.

This was the finished result.

I then did some paint poring with a ready mixed paint kit that I had, which contained various blues, a beige, white, silver and gold.  The silver was brilliant - although you can't appreciate it in the photos.  Maybe when I have either top coated them or resined them it will show up better in the photos.

This first one started off as lines of paint dribbled across the surface - and then I went a bit mad!

This one was poured over the cut off end of a small water bottle - look at that silver!

These three coasters were done with a ring pour - alternating the colours on each one

Playing with Plasta (Casting Compound)

I do like this new medium to work with - and will be doing a lot more.    I made another owl (mainly because I couldn't find the first owl I did using this compound - it has vanished off the face of the earth!)   This time I used a mix of pigments to get a light chocolate colour, and then added gilding wax over the top.

 I also tried a technique of dribbling a colour into the mold first.   

Resin Jewellery

 

I confess I have been a bit remiss and not posted recently, although I have been playing with various "goodies. so I am tempting to catch up over the next few days.   My excuse is that family matters have had to take priority (as they do from time to time).

I had a lovely play with some resin and jewellery findings the other day when it was lovely and warm and I could work outside and in the Den.   (I try to avoid doing resin indoors, as it can get a bit messy!)  The top picture wee using various molds with either dried flowers of coloured resin.

The next two pictures were made in cabouchon molds and then stuck onto bezels:

These next two photos show resin done in backless bezels (you have to have them stuck to special sticky tape to pour them, which you then remove.   I have used various colors of resin, dried flowers and glitter bits/   The second picture shows the backs 

Transformation

 

So today I applied a little gilding wax to the little candle holder/trinket pot.   It has completely transformed it.   Here's a reminder of what it looked like yesterday:  

Experimenting with Casting Compound

 

The weather was a bit better today, so I had a little experiment with some of my Plasta (Casting Compound) from the Glass Hut.

I watched a demo the other day creating a mold from clay and pressing flowers into it. and then pouring in the Plasta.    When set the clay is removed and you have a relief picture.

I confess I did have a slight accident when taking the clay off and managed to crack the plaque - I wouldn't have minded but the clay was nearly all off!  Never mind these things happen, and it was only a quick experiment.   I had the clay impression in another mold, and some of the Plasta crept under the edge, and it was focusing on get rid of the clay under this that caused me to crack it!    I have stuck it together with porcelain paste, and in real life it doesn't show as much as in the photo.

I then highlighted the details with acrylic paint and dusted the back with Luscious powder.

I used a couple of flowers out of the garden - one was a tiny scabious and I have no idea what the other one is - it tends to self seed itself in various places.    I also found an ear of wheat growing in the garden, and some different grasses that I picked on a walk to the local shop.

I had some left over compound, so I made this little candle holder/trinket box.   I shall do some more of these using different colours.

Owl dreamcatcher

 

I finished this today - it has been sitting on my to finish pile for too long!    Mind you wit my dodgy eyes it took a while to thread the beads on - most of an afternoon!  (but, that did include searching for thread and beads that the thread would go through - lol!)

I took two photos one indoors and one out, as couldn't get the light quite right!

Messing about with bits and bobs!

So I decided to paint a couple of bits that came as bonuses with a couple of orders.   I am not sure which way up the little pen holder is supposed to be so taken a photo both ways - lol!   A pal said it looked a bit oriental - perhaps I should have painted a dragon on it !!!

I decided to keep both items fairly simple as I am a bit out of practise with my one stroke painting!   the other two sides of the larger holder also had leaves painted on them.

 

Painting: Subset and boat

This was the last in this little series of paint alongs with Matthew Palmer.   Not sure I am really happy with it, but loads of friends like it.