Water-coloured Anemone

I have at last got around to using me new Sheena dies and stamps.   I rarely buy dies these days, as I can't warrant the expense as I don't sell my cards.  However, these were on a half price offer on Hochanda along with a Lily and the stamps to go with them.   It would have been rude not to buy them! lol!

Also I rarely do much stamping, or water colouring these days, so this made a nice change.  the flowers were die-cut using Sheena's stamping card, which is quite thick.   More delicate flowers could be made using copy paper.

I used my aqua marker pens to paint them.

Having taken the above photo, I had an inspiration and got my Crafter's Companion Clear Sparkle overlay pen out and brushed over the flowers and leaves.    It is really subtle in real life rather than where the flash has caught the sparkle in the picture.

A little heart

I couldn't resist the sentiment on these little wooden plaques, that I bought whilst away with the family for a few days last week.

They were just plain white with the sentiment, but I decided to do some folk art on them.   This one is for me - family take note - lol!

and this one is for a pressie:

ps - although I bought these in a little gift shop, my daughter tells me that they saw the same thing in the Works this week!

Glass Doodahs (Sun Katchers)

Yup I don't know what they are really called, but feel free to call them what you want.   The website calls them Sun Katchers. 

Yesterday I decided it was about time I played with the glass kits I bought at Sandown in July from   http://glassgardenstudio.webs.com/  It was a lovely sunny day so I decided to sit out on the patio with the soldering iron and set to work.   It's years and years since I did any soldering in earnest.

The heart with the mirror was slightly easier to put together - needless to say I started with the more difficult one with the glass nugget in the centre.

Anyway I am quite pleased with my first efforts, and I think my husband and father would have been pleased to see my results - not a dry joint in sight!

Today I had planned to get some gardening out of the way, and make the other two.  Of course best laid plans - it started to rain as I finished pruning and before I mowed the lawns - typical - which also meant no sitting on the Patio and playing.   I was very naughty and did the soldering on the dining table!  (shhh don't tell anyone - but the table was well protected, and I was working on my special heat proof mat.)

The triangular one was a bit interesting to do too!

I shall send for some more kits - but think I will opt for the ones with mirrors in the centre next time!  - lol!

I wish Bath wasn't so far away would love to do dome of Glass Garden Studio's workshops.

Shells and Mixed Media ... and Pebeo of course!

I have just had a few days away with the family, and whilst on the beach we collected a few shells, so when it came to child-minding them today, I decided to set them a mixed media challenge and use some of the shells, and some from a tub of mixed shells that I bought some time ago.  They also discovered my stash of buttons, and glitters!   Of course glitter and little girls are a MUST!  lol!

They were allowed to choose what they wanted to do, and I gave them a quick lesson in dry brushing with my effort.

Here are the results of their efforts.

4 yr old's door hanger - She applied some modelling paste with a palette knife, and stuck the shells on, and then painted the whole thing with black gesso..  She then dry brushed the shells with Pebeo DYNA iridescent paints  When dry, Crafters Companion Spray and Shine was applied, and she added a little glitter.   Then another coat of spray and shine to seal in the glitter.   

The door hanger is even better in real life - and for four years old she did an excellent job - must confess I was amazed how she comprehended what to do!

The 7 year old's Teddy covered with texture paste and then black gesso and gold DYNA iridescent.  Then decorated with buttons  He looks really "furry".

7 year old's door hanger - strips of different width masking tape was applied, as she liked he striped effect I did on her sister's hand mirror - and wanted to know how to do it)  and  Silver DYNA applied.  Tape was then removed and PVA glue painted between the silver stripes and glitter applied.   She then punched out some little flowers and painted then in silver, pink and purple and stuck them on.  Spray and Shine applied to seal the glitter.

A few weeks ago the 10 year old and I prepared "faux canvases" using MDF, and this was her finished piece - again the shells were attached using modelling paste, black gesso applied, and then dry brush with  Pebey DYNA iridescent, and a coast of spray and shine applied.   The black "canvas" was then stuck to the white MDF, and displayed using a Clarity Stamp display stand.

This was my effort at a "faux" canvas using MDF - texture gel applied at the bottom, and modelling paste sponged over the top two thirds.  Shells stuck on with modelling past and a little wooden flower applied for a sun.  Black gesso applied to the whole thing, and then dry brushed with various Pebeo DYNA iridescent paints.  (I do love the bluck black iridescent I used for the sky background)  Spray and Shine then applied, and black "canvas" stuck to white canvas.

I do love the idea of mounting a smaller canvas onto a larger one (Thank you Barbara Gray for the idea) -   .http://barbaragrayblog.blogspot.co.uk/  It turns it into a piece of art.   I might get the 7 year old to mount her teddy onto a canvas too!

Card for a teenager

Oh male cards are so difficult, particularly when they are in their late teens!   I kept it simple!

Happy Wine Day

I have a couple of pals that love shoes, and also like the occasional drop of wine.  I made these with them in mind!

The background thin canvas was crackled in both of them - same colors - just opposite way round, if you get my drift, and then mounted on a white deep canvas.

The mdf words and shoes were painted with pebio acrylics and then given a coat of 3D glaze

This last photo shows up the shine of the glaze slightly better in the sunlight,

these were the 3 shoes that came in the pack for painting

Pencil Case

Front

My youngest granddaughters needed a pencil case - and I remembered I had a blank one to paint - so it was out with the fabric paints and my special Indian Stamps.   It's not brilliant, but it was a very quick play.

Back

The base

Toadstools/Mushrooms

I had great fun painting these!

Using texture paste mixed with cream acrylic.  The red was painted over black gesso
and then over painted with red Dyna paint

Yes - you can get blue mushrooms/toadstools
Blue Black Dyna over Black gesso

I treated myself to a yard of Pebeo acrylics from Hobbycraft as they were on special offer at a silly price - loving them, as normally I have to mix up a lot of my shades.    So much easier when most of the shades are done for you!

Hand Mirrors

Backs

Fronts

When my granddaughters came to visit last week, I promised to paint up some hand mirrors for them,, that I had bought at the Sandown Craft Show; and asked them to choose what colour etc they wanted.

These are the results of my handiwork.   I was panicking that I had got their "orders" right - but can confirm that I did - and they were thrilled with them when they collected them this week!   phew!

They were all painted with white gesso, and then .....

B's was painted white, and then silver stripes applied with metallic marker (using masking tape).

T's was painted with blue-green Dyna and sponged with the purple DYNA.  I then painted some little paint fusion roses around it.

C's  was also white - but she wanted flowers on it - so she had larger roses painted on hers

The initials for all three were drawn free-hand using Mixtion relief paste, which had silver foil applied, and then the outlines were flooded with various Pebeo Fantasy paints to give the effect of enamel.

Granddaughters mixed media

I thought I would share some work by my 4 yr old and 7 yr old granddaughters  that they did when visiting last week.   The 10 year old also did a nice piece, but I didn't get to take a photo of that!

The heart and the angel were done by the 4 year old and the owl by the 7 year old.

I love the heart she painted Dyna paint over it in random sections, and then I showed her how to apply masking tape, and colour the gaps with Pebeo Silver marker pen.  She loved the effect  when we took off the tape.  I then suggested that she used a thinner silver marker pen to outline the colours and do some patterns with the same pen.

She then painted her angel and decorated her with the silver marker pen and drew on a face using micron pens.  I think she is going to be a mixed media queen!

The 7 year old's owl looks better in real life - the photo doesn't do it justice, but it was a mad panic to take photos before the went home.   She only achieve the painting of the owl as this required waiting for it to dry between doing the front and the back! (and it was gesso'd in black first!)