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.
.

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:

Hanging Wooden Plank Decoration

Background prep showing marbling spray

I have had this wooden plank decoration hanging around for a few weeks now - It had been built and gessoed but what did I want to do with it?

The original idea was to do some folk art on it. Yesterday was the day I made a decision.  I painted it with Antique White Crystal Glitter Chalk Furniture Paint to which I added some Green Luscious Powder.   I then got out my cans of marbling spray and crackle sprays.  The white crackle spray didn't seem to show up that well ( need to practise again)- but the silver marbling was fantastic.  I will be using that again.

Today I decided to try out a stencil on it.    Initially the idea was to use texture paste and then paint over it - erm - well I got it wrong and the jar I picked up turned out to be clear!  duh!   Undaunted I tried again, carefully repositioning the stencil, and carefully stencilling this time, rather than using a palette knife, with Imagination Crafts Shabby Chic relief paste in Ashy Rose, Sage and Linen colours.

This was relatively successful - I did miss a couple of bits, but touched those up with a paintbrush.  I then went around the edge of the panks with the same relief paste in the rose colour with a sponge.

I took another picture this evening indoors as the piece was sitting on the dining table and the sun was highlighting the relief paste, and showing the dimension better.

Showing the dimension of the relieff paste.
(and more realistic colours)

Art Journalling

I am always intending to try some art journaling, but never seem to get around to it.   Well I rectified that today.   MY no2 granddaughter was with me for the day, and as she was busy playing on her x-box, I thought I would try out the new Peerless Designs "face" stencils that arrived in the post.  (I bought them because a) I am useless at drawing faces b) thought they might encourage me to play in my art journal and c) I thought the grandchildren might like using them.).

As it was raining, and I couldn't work outside or up in the Den, I thought I would stick to watercolour painting in the first instance - rather than acrylics, as slightly less messy as I was working on the dining table to keep my granddaughter company.  I also used some luscious powders, a sprinkle of brushos, some Izink ink pads, and a smidgen of starlight paint for the straight lines.   I also used some other stencils from my stash.

The picture on the right will be work in progress when I inspiration strikes me as to what I want to add.  Of course this is the great thing about art journals you can go back to them as and when you want and add more bits.

My granddaughter took a break from her video game and came to see what I was doing.  "Can I have a go please", she asked.  So here is her journal page.    (We were both working in the same journal, so I stopped working on my page for a bit.    I then did some later, and she also then did some more to hers.   She wanted to create an abstract look for hers - so it is quite different from mine.   She has fun with the luscious powders!

I confess I haven't quite got into the "grunge" look of creating pages - I will try though.  Confess I would never have thought of starting with a blue/grey face!

Whilst she was putting the finishing touches to her painting, I was trying to encourage her and tell her about the "Rule of Three" or at least odd numbers, and demonstrated on a little tag I had handy.  Here it is.

We certainly had a fun day - and I am getting ideas of what she might like for Christmas .... could get expensive!   I will keep my eye out for bargains on journals and ink pads etc.

Sending Birthday Wishes - an experiment

This card started off as a bit of an experiment - the inner panel was originally supposed to be the card, but I wasn't happy with it.   I used an Inkables stencil and versamark, and then embossed the design, and then used Luscious powders and Brushos over the image, sprayed with a little water.    As I said I wasn't happy with it.

I then took a black card and using the Lilies die cut out the aperture and cut away some of the Lilies.  I then cut down the original background and stuck it down behind the aperture.

Some sentiments were then stamped onto white card using the Creative Expressions Big Ideas stamps. and edged with black,.

It was beginning to come together.  I applied clear sparkle pen to the remaining Lily and placed a gem in the centre.

I felt it needed something else, so I applied some Nuvo White Blizzard Glitter drops to two of the corners ......... this is when it went slightly pear-shaped, as I managed to smudge the drops when I moved the card to let the drops dry.   Oh heck or words to that extent were said as I needed the card dry and ready to post the next morning  (I was making it rather late in the day I do confess - and I didn't have time to start all over again!)

There was nothing for it but to recreate the splodged mess all over the surround, by adding more dots and splodging them with my finger - thankfully it seemed to work.  Not quite my usual style of card, but it is for a felly crafter, who will hopefully think I have just gone for the "grunge" look.

An insert was crated in Craft Artist.

Unicorn

on black canvas

Playing about with some new goodies - Creative Expressions Glitter Kiss.

I applied the Sea Green Kiss first of all, and then went over the top with Silver Chrome Kiss.  I also added a few random bits of Cosmic Shimmer Texture Paste in Gold Pearl.

I then took some twine and some of the Costmic Shimmer Clear Texture paste and made the mane and fringe (In hindsight I should have done the tail too).    The twine was coloured with various shades of DecoArt Metallic Lustre and some Luscious Poweders.  The horn had twine wrapped around it and painted with Luscious Powders, and some jewels added.  The tail and hooves were decorated with paper effects and puffy paint.  Finally more jewels stuck on the body.

Not quite the effect I had envisaged, but I don't mind sharing failures (although it does look better in real life)

I couldn't decide how to mount the unicorn, so tried it on a white canvas as well as the black.  I prefer the white canvas, and when it finally gets stuck on to it, I shall probably edge the canvas with silver.

on the white canvas