Writing Slope Project

Along with the hanging planks, I have been working on this little project over the past couple of days, and must admit I am pretty pleased with it, albeit the photo doesn't really do it justice as it was the wrong time of day to take a photo really.
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It started off like this - painted with Crystal Glitter Antique White Glitter Chalk Furniture paint, mixed with Luscious Powders - Mermaid Tresses for the top and inside, Unicron Dreams for the sides, and a smidgen of Penny Dreadful for the escutcheon  (ooo get me I remembered the right word!).

I then added some decoupage with 13@rts multi-purpose gel medium, and then did a coat of the medium all over and inside the slope.

 

with decoupage

I then made some roses and leaves from FMM air dry clay.   It's a while since I made roses properly, normally for clay work I make what I call Marzipan roses - i.e. freehand with no cutters.   However today I used a cutter and Nick Lodge/Katy Sue silicone moulds and mats.  (Am a bit rusty, and my dusting needs brushing up on - pun not intended - another time I will colour the clay first!)

one of the roses

                         

Finished spray of roses, rose leaves and fern.

I also added some spray granite to the sides, and a little gilding wax to the escutcheon.

granikte spray

....and finally another view in a different light:

Introducing MDF Tim - Spaceman

My latest project is complete -  MDF Tim Peake (as requested by my daughter).

view of one arm

view of second arm

back

sitting

I had a guide from a picture of a lego Tim, and also some pictures of Tim's space suit.   I had an inspiration for his hair - I modelled it using FMM Air Dry Clay - this proved a brilliant idea, as it can be removed.    When dry the hair was painted with various shades of brown, etc.

Work in  Progress - Face added with Posca Pens

I used Craft Artist to design his "clothes"  - taking the badges in and re-sizing them.  I created some zips.  I also took his name badge from his space suit, and then redrew it using a couple of elements from the real one (i.e. clasps etc.)  Having checked sizes by printing on copy paper and adjusting as necessary, I had intended to print them on rice paper, but my printer didn't want to play .... and then by chance I found some printable clear adhesive sheets in my stash - Result!

Picture of Tim's space suit for comparison.

If you would like to build and paint your own MDF brick man - you can find him (or her if you want to paint it as a girl) at Clevercut.co.uk.

Canal Barge 2

Here is the other barge - which I managed to finish this week.   Again just mainly photos, as basically self explanatory.

Was a bit cheeky and named it the "Lady Mags"  ...... well the barge is for me!   The "barge" painting isn't quite so good on this one as was trying to be a realistic like the jug I painted, but on a small scale, and trying to get a brush into do it was a tad taxing with my dodgy eyes.

Close up of the ornaments on the top - made from air dry clay as before.   This time I added a kettle - pretty pleased with how that turned out.

Canal Barge 1

I suddenly realised that I hadn't posted the finished barges  Not a lot of explanation - I painted them with acrylic paints.  

I thought the best way was to just show a lot of views.

I will explain that the little ornaments on the top of the barge were made from FMM air dry clay, just using my fingers and a paintbrush to hollow out the bucket and jug.  The flower displays had some offcuts of scourer stuck in the top ( the rough side)  and then some little "stamp-plonker" flowers added.   They were all made in white clay, then painted.   The "rope" embellishments came with the kit.

It now has pride of place in my son-in-laws garden, and it is names after his wife and daughter.

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!

MDF Birdhouse

Another of my MDF Models    This one was painted with Pebeo paints and two shades of blue Amsterdam paints.

I used Golden Fibre Paste for the texture on the "straw" roof.  I painted a vine and leaves with Indigo Blue Olive Waistcoat, and created some little flowers from FMM Air Dry Clay.

Upcycling from this ......

........  erm looks interesting .... not

coated with Powertex and a few features added

.... here's a clue

a Fairy Door MDF kit given a coat of Powertex

and finally ......

........ a Fairy House

Yes I decided that rather than throw my poor frost damaged and useless chiminea (it would never drawn properly when you lit it), I would upcycle it into a Fairy House.

I started with giving it a coat of Powertex, and using an old dishcloth repaired the chipped opening, and then using strips of t-shirt material I made a "vine" to wind around it.   I also had an MDF Fairy Door kit in my stash, which was an almost perfect fit for the opening.

I then gave the whole thing and the stand a coat of Crystal Glitter Black Diamond paint, and added some texture and crackle paste to the fairy door and some acrylic paint.

I then made some flowers from FMM air dry clay  (oh gosh I am loving that product). and painted the flowers, leaves and some of the shapes I had already stuck on with Powertex,  with POSCA pens and acrylic pens.   These were then attached with more Powertex, as was the door.   Finally I painted the roses on the lid and on the side, and gave it a quick spray of varnish.

Ta da ..... no longer a useless bit of garden furniture, but a feature for one of the flower beds.