Work in Progress - Robots

 I thought I would share a little glimpse of work in progress on a little project I am working on.  Did I say little - erm well maybe strike that.   I started this a couple of weeks ago and sort of lost my mojo, and the items have been sat on the table for a couple of weeks.

It does take a while, as I needed to paint the back and the fronts, and I began to lose the will to live!  (Crafters will relate to this as we are an impatient lot and want everything to dry immediately)?

I finally found some mojo yesterday and finished painting the reverse sides (well most of them - I have found a few I missed, which will be rectified in due course).   I then started to add some decoration - the fun part.   I used Posca pens, Craft Artist Glitter Touch, and some Nuvo drops.

Since taking these photos I found my stash of googly eyes - the heads are now coming to life.   The next job will be to add the arms and legs to the bodies.   The aim is to create a sort of game for a little lad, so that he can mix and match bodies and the heads.

As you can see this is going to be a longish project, and once I have finished all the fronts, I will really need to attempt some sort of decoration to the back, and then varnish the whole lot.    So watch this space!

Family tree plaque

My daughter bought this MDF tree back in the Spring from Craftwood Creations, on the proviso that I painted it for her .... I have at last got around to doing it.  It is not entirely finished, as I didn't know what sort of background she wanted, so the canvas is just gessoed for the time being.   Also I didn't know what she wanted on the hearts, or where she wanted them placed, so for the moment nothing is stuck down.   Once she has decided I can finish it ....... or she can finish it herself.

I painted the bark with various shades of brown, and then having been playing with some stamperia creme paste and a tree bark impression mat, I used the "skin/mould" I created with the paste (picture below) as a stamp, and added some bark effect with light brown and darker brown paint.  I am pleased with the result.   The leaves were painted with various shades of green and a smidgen of brown.

I used various colours of paint on the owls until I was happy with them, smudging a lot of the colour on with my finger.  I then did a bit of highlighting with a couple of paint pens again smudging with my finger..   The flowers were painted with a couple of shades of aqua and some yellow added for the centre.  I then applied some Nuvo drops to the centres

The hearts were painted with the darker of the two aqua colours, and then I distressed the edges with a sponge and some grey nuvo inkpad.   I also distressed the edges of parts of the tree and leaves with a sponge and a black ink pad.

Below is the strip I made from the texture mat with the creme paste.  I managed to tear it as I removed it from the mat, but for the purpose that I wanted it for it was fine, and it was a first time experiment using the paste.   You can see how  I used it with paint as a stamp.

Steampunk Owl

As the weather has improved and I can get outside to paint, I delved into my stash for some MDF projects I had bought in the winter.   I had great fun painting this.   The kit was from Madhatters.

I used Pentart Rust Effects and Patina paints to paint it.  Rust effect for the base, key and cogs, and the Patina effect for the owl.

Before I started to paint I added Nuvo drops, and some outlines with Pentart Contour Liner. I also add some Pumice paste to the key to make it look even rustier before I painted it.

(I have discovered another steampunk owl in mu stash .... so keep an eye out for that one!)

"Hat-shaped" Box

I have been meaning to tackle this for a while, but couldn't decide exactly how I wanted to decorate it.  I decided to go with a faux leather effect  (Kraft card treated with glycerine and water and screwed up, and when dry I applied distress inks and distress oxides).    The faux leather was cut up into small pieces and applied to the box with heavy duty gel both under and over it.    When this was dry I highlighted all the "seams" with gold Nuvo drops.

I then applied random bits of screwed up tissue to the base with watered-down pva, to create a different "leather" effect.  This was then painted with various shades of oxides, and distress inks and acrylic paint.

I then created a buckled hat band from Hearty clay and a Katy sue mould, which I then painted in various shades of brown and highlighted the buckle with gilding wax (but decided it didn't show up enough so made it more 3D with more gold Nuvo drops.

I painted a selection of MDF cogs and a "star" embellishment with Pentart Rusty Effect and Patina paints.

Finally the whole thing was sprayed with Spray and Shine.

The faux leather effect

How it started off

7th Birthday Card.

I used the Craftwork Cards Polka Dot frame for this card, and backed it with some pink patterned paper from my stash.   I then cut out a butterfly from Clarity parchment - not sure what make the butterfly was as I seem to have a few in my stash.   I also vut the Happy Birthday and the number from the same parchment   The Happy Birthday was a Clarity die, and the number 7 was one in my stash.

I then created the sentiment in Craft Artist, and matched the colour of the wording with the parchment.   This was then mounted on another piece of the pink patterned paper and some Nuvo drops added.

Mixed Media: Decoupaged, Painted and Embroidered Panel

Really pleased with how this turned out.  I have watched the PinkImk demonstrations on Hochanda many times and have been tempted to try one.   A few weeks ago they had a bundle of various designs on sale at a silly price - so I though I would take the plunge.

The panel is about 8" x 8" with an extra little panel of embellishments.

I wet the material and then water-coloured it using Cosmic Shimmer Fabric Paints, and IndigoBlu paints for the face.  When it was dry I ironed it to set the colours.

I then painted the embellishment section and when dry I did some embroidery on it and added some beads (i.e. pearls on the bow).  Again I ironed the panel to set the colours, and  then painted a mix of pva and water to the back to strengthen and stop it fraying, so that when dry I could cut out the items.

The little elements were then added to the panel with glue.  I also did a little more accent painting, as well as adding some gems and Nuvo drops.

It doesn't show up that well in the photo, but the image is very sparkly, as I went over the whole design with Cosmic Shimmer Sparkle Star Fabric paint.  (I am in love with this - the effect is similar to a sparkle pen on cardstock).

I will eventually stiffen the whole thing with either PVA and water or IndigoBlu Fabric Slap it on.  I also want to get some matching velvet ribbon for the frame (although I may paint it) to finish it off completely.

Another Anniversary Card

This was an experiment after I watched a demo by Maria from Clarity Stamps on Hochanda, where she used a die on double sided sticky paper and adhered it to a glass jar, and then sprinkled glitter over it.

I decided I would try the idea on a card ........ perhaps I should have tried a less complicated and intricate die, as it was a time consuming and interesting task to get the backing papers off the cutout.  Not helped by the fact that I couldn't find my proper Clarity double-sided sheets, so had to use my roll of double-sided adhesive, which only has backing on one side - so I used baking parchment on the other side to run it through the gemini.  (As I type this in hindsight I realise I should have used waxed paper - not to self try that if you have to do it again).  Even so it was still tricky to get the sheets from the centre fine parts.

I persevered however, and managed to get it stuck on to the card and glittered with the blue pergamano glitter.  (Although I think there were a couple of little bits where the backing paper didn't come off completely, so a smidgen of glue was used to encourage those to stick.)

Being basically white on white and a rectangular shape on a square card, I decided it needed something else, so added some die-cut flowers out of mhy Clarity Shenandoah parchment pad, and added some pearl Nuvo drops to the centres.

The card is for my daughter and her husband, and she knows I often practice new techniques on cards for the family!

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.

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!

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.