Playing with Fresco's !

I was trying to think of something witty for this post but I couldn't think of anything ! So, on to the project instead ! I bought one of the cheap Ikea mirrors ages and ages ago and, having a little time on my hands at the week end, decided to dig it out and dabble with my Fresco Finish paints. If you've been on the PaperArtsy blog recently you will have seen not only the fabulous guest designers but also the wonderful video tutorials that Leandra has done. They show how to use these gorgeous paints and explain the differences between opaque, semi-opaque and translucent.

This is what the frame looked like before I started, I've used masking tape to cover the mirror so it was protected while I was dabbling.

I didn't take step  by step photo's and I wish I had done now as this is so different from when I started ! I used Ferro Texture Paste through the Crafter's Workshop Mini Bliss stencil. I then gave the wood a coat of Guacamole Fresco Finish to start with. As it's an opaque it covered the wood beautifully. I then started to build up layers and blending the paint with Cut 'n' Dry foam. The colours I've used are - Haystack, Pumpkin Soup, Hey Pesto and Brown Shed. I used the Mini Chicken Wire stencil with Hey Pesto in places and some Crackle Glaze to add some texture.

I put some Brown Shed in to a mini mister with some water and sprayed the corners without the swirls. I then started to stamp ! I've used PaperArtsy stamps and the large flower is from HP1109. I've painted the flowers with Fresco Finish paints too. The word bloom is from the Petals - Plate 4 set and I've stamped it on metal, used a wheel to add detail around the edge and a ball and cup tool for the four corners. I've then covered it with Brown Shed (fast becoming my favourite colour!) The little tags on the bottles are also stamped onto metal and given the same treatment.

The bird cage is stamped onto acetate and I've used a technique that I was shown at one of the first ArtsyCraft week ends I went on. I've used Brown Shed to paint the reverse of the acetate along the bars of the cage. Once dry I've then painted over the whole cage, on the reverse, with Snowflake that I've mixed a little Haystack into. Before this paint dries I pressed it onto some black card, and the paint acts like glue and sticks to the acetate. I've glued a small piece of Ideaology chain above the cage and also added some Filigree corners. The sentiment is from the HP 1204 set and I love it !

Here you can see the bottles from the HP1109 set and the tags too.

Once I was happy with the paint colours I used Classic Treasure Gold around the edges and over the raised areas of the swirls. I think the above photo has just about picked up the shine. I do love this stuff and it seems to be featuring on everything I do at the moment !

Show some love !

It's time for the next challenge over at The Fashionable Stamping Challenge and for the next 2 weeks the challenge is hosted by Brenda and Joanne. The theme is 'Show some love ! '

I decided that I would take the opportuntiy to make something for my other half for Valentine's Day. I prefer not to make a card but something that is more of a memento.

I've had the Wendy Vecchie Pocket Watch Art Parts for ages and not done anything with them, so decided this would be the ideal time. I started by stencilling the background using a numbers stencil and stamped over it using a Tim Holtz text stamp from the Going Anywhere set. The hearts are cut using a Sizzix die from some card stock that I've covered in Ferro texture paste and when dry embossed with a Texture Fade EF. I then covered it with Metallic Distress Stains.

I've used a stamp from the Odds and Ends Tim Holtz stamp set and cut the number 14 from the end and blended DI around the edge. The ticket is a Crafty Individuals stamp and I've blended DI over it too. I added some Ferro Texture paste to parts of the pocket watch. I then painted it with  Chocolote Pudding Fresco Finish paint, stamped the Tim Holtz text stamp over it and once dry rubbed Treasure Gold over the top. The screw head is a brad that I cut the legs off. 

I hope you get chance to join us for this challenge and do make sure you hop over to the main blog and check out the rest of the DT's fabulous work !

Spruce it up !

It's time for the next challenge over at Frilly and Funkie and this time the lovely Rebecca has chosen 'Spruce it up!' Here's what Rebecca has to say:

Take a look around your desk or workspace and the things on it that you use to organize, communicate and run your life. It's amazing how we stop really seeing those everyday items!  Think of calendars, birthday/anniversary planners, writing implements, checkbooks, iPads, index card files, cell phones, file folders, etc..  Then, set yourself the challenge of making one of those 'plain jane' items into something that makes you smile, every time you use it!

I have to admit I struggled with this one as I don't use any planners or calendars (apart from electronic ones) so I looked around my craft room and spotted a box that I use to keep some of my stamps in. It was tucked away at the back of a shelf hidden from sight, so I decided it was perfect to have a makeover !

This is what the box looked like before I gave it a coat of Fresco Finish paint.

I then used my Gelli Art plate with lots of stencils and pressed the box on to the plate.

I used lots of Fresco Finish paint to stencil and stamp over the box. The flowers are stencilled using Ferro texture paste.

I've stencilled and stamped on all sides of the box, using Freso Finish paints to build up layers of colour.

 

The text stamp is from the Tim Holtz French Marketplace stamp set (my favourite text stamp!). I used the 'bumping' technique on the diamond Dylusions stencil to create the shadow. 

The letters on the front of the box are cut from mount board using the Tim Holtz WordPlay die, covered in Ferro texture paste, painted with Fresco Finish paint and when dry I've rubbed Treasure Gold over them.

The metal lace is made using a Ten Seconds Studio mould and I used the technique that I shared here. The little flourish is by Melissa Frances and I painted it with Fresco Finish paint and edged it with Treasure Gold.

 

The metal flower is the one I made a few days ago and I've added a Filigree flower to the centre and punched a small circle of metal, given it the same treatment as the rest of the flower and glued it to the centre. The leaves are cut using a PaperArtsy die and given the same treatment as the flower. 

The butterfly is cut using the Tim Holtz Mini butterflies die from metal and I've added some wire for the antenna. To finish off I've used Treasure Gold over all the raised edges and around the edges of the box too. 

I hope you get chance to join us for this challenge and make sure you hop over to the main blog to check out the rest of the DT's fabulous work. 

I'm also entering this project into the Eclectic Paperie challenge which is to alter a box.

Happy Birthday Kathryn !

The card I'm sharing with you today is a birthday card I've made for my best friend whose birthday is today ! Unfortunately, we don't live close enough to see each other very often and hence the card has to go in the post so I have to keep it relatively flat !

I've been having lots of fun with my new Gelli Arts plate and that is what I've used to create the background for this card. I've then stamped on top using  the Tim Holtz Mixed Media stamps using black Archival ink and white acrylic paint. The text is from the Tim Holtz Papillon set and I've blended DI around  the edge. The main image is a PaperArtsy stamp and I've masked her off and then stamped the script from the Tim Holtz French Marketplace set over the top. I've then blended DI around the edge. The little tag is hand cut and the text is from a Darkroom door stamp set.

The letter 'K' has been cut from mount board using the Tim Holtz WordPlay die, then I covered it with Ferro texture paste, painted it with acrylic paint and when it was dry rubbed Treasure Gold over it. The ribbon is seam binding which I've dyed using DI that I've spritzed with water.

We've had another load of snow overnight and all through today so we're not managing to go very far. I'm just hoping the Tesco delivery van gets through otherwise it will be bread and jam for tea !

Mini metal tutorial

We're definitely in the grip of some very cold, snowy weather here in the UK at the moment so it's perfect for hiding away in my craft room!

I made a project recently where I used a lot of metal which I'd distressed and altered to fit with the vintage look I was after. I thought I would share how I did this today, the technique was taught to me by the very talented Lin Brown and I absolutely love it ! If you check out Lin's blog there are more tutorials on how to work with metal that you can browse !

First of all die cut the shape you want to work with from metal, this is a flower cut using the Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers die.

Using the teflon pointey tool from the Ten Seconds Studio basic tool set, I then go around the edge of the flower to add some detail. I do this on a soft surface as this lets you make more of an impression in to the metal than on a hard surface.

To create lots of detail on the flower I then scribble using the teflon pointey tool, again on a soft surface.

This is what the flower looks like when I'd finished scibbling !

Next I used a metal working wheel, from the same Ten Seconds Studio set, to go around the edge of the flower. I actually did this on an acrylic block, but would have been better on a softer surface to make more of an impression.

To start distressing the metal I've used the little wire brush which scratches the surface of the metal.

To start and age the metal I use the Fresco Finish Brown Shed acrylic paint. As this colour is one of the more opaque colours it works really well over the metal. I gave it a generous coat using a piece of wet 'n' dry foam.

I let the paint dry slightly and then dab some off using some kitchen towel.

Then I cover the whole thing with black acrylic paint, and again let it dry slightly before dabbing some off.

As the paint sinks into the recesses of the metal you get the Brown Shed showing through as well as the black paint.

I've used this flower on a project that I'll be sharing later this week, I've also made some leaves using the same technique to go with it.

I hope you're staying warm if you've got cold weather but also finding time to get crafty !

Life and Art !

Well they certainly got the weather forecast right for today ! It's definitely not a day for venturing far if the cars skidding around on our road are anything to go by !

I'm sharing another 'paintey' project today, I think I've painted it within an inch of it's life and I did have to stop myself from keep adding more !

I started with an offcut of mount board, which is great (and cheap!) as it's really sturdy and it also die cuts quite well. I covered the board with pieces of DP from the Tim Holtz paper stacks Lost & Found and Crowded Attic. I used the Ferro texture paste and a stencil for the swirls at either end of the board. Then I gave the whole thing several coats of watered down Fresco Finish paint. By watering it down it still allowed the print to show through from the paper.

The stamps I've used are all PaperArtsy and I've used black Archival ink to stamp on top of the paint.

The little bird in the centre is a made from shrink plastic and a PaperArtsy stamp. It's been stamped onto clear SP, which is great as the bird was actually looking the wrong way but because the SP is clear I could turn him round ! The letters are all cut from mount board using the Tim Holtz WordPlay die. I've then covered them with Ferro texture paste and when it was dry painted them using Chocolate Pudding Fresco Finish paint. Then I added some Treasure Gold, I love this stuff!

I think you can just about see the shine from the Treasure Gold on the letters on this photo.

I added more Treasure Gold to the swirls rubbing some on with my finger to highlight the raised edges. The two butterflies are from Linda's Funkie Junkie Boutique.

I'm hoping for some serious crafting time this week end but I will definitely have to fit a walk in the snow in somewhere !

A bit of something different....

Well I hope you're all managing to stay warm in this cold snap we're having here in the UK. I know it causes disruption but I do love to see the frosted trees and landscape, and I love to go for walks in it too. 

The card I'm sharing today I made for my sister's birthday before Christmas. I always like to do something really different for my eldest sister as she's quite arty herself and I feel I need to do something out of the norm, so to speak. 

I've attended a few of the lovely Lin's classes as well as the ArtsyCraft week ends, that have sadly finished now, and one of the things that I loved was painting onto fabric. Well, actually, there were loads of things I loved, but this is just one of them ! The background was made using Distress Inks and stamping with the Classics #3 Tim Holtz set using second generation stamping. I then stamped the text, without using a block, over the top. I used the same text stamp, which is a Katzelkraft stamp, to make the background panel. The hinges are made using the Tim Holtz Hardware die and I've cut it from metal and distressed them with acrylic paint. The main panel is made using another stamp from the Classics #3 set and I've stamped it onto white cotton fabric. I heat set the ink and then set about painting it using PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints. I've not got a wide selection of colours, so I had to mix some to create colours that would blend together. It's very important to dry each paint colour before you start the next section otherwise it starts to bleed into one another and gets very messy ! I frayed the edges and then added some Old Gold Fresco Finish paint.

I've made the flower using the Tim Holtz Mini Tattered Flower die from Kraft Glassine paper. I've screwed it up and then rubbed Walnut Stain DI over and added the little metal heart which I picked up at The Bead Scene when I attended one of Lin's classes. The gorgeous lace is from Linda's Funkie Junkie Boutique, which is now open again !


I'm having a bit of a paint splurge at the moment so you may well see a lot more in the next few posts !

Planes, trains and automobiles !

I'm running a little late today so I'm on catch up ! It's time for the next challenge over at The Fashionable Stamping Challenge and the lovely Yvonne has chosed Planes, Trains and Automobiles !

I decided on a jumbo tag for this challenge and lots of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints !  I painted the tag with Haystack, Pumpkin Soup, Guacamole and Hey Pesto, drying the paint in between each layer.  I used a water mister and added some Brown Shed Fresco Finish to it and spritzed the tag and finally did some stencilling with a Dylusions stencil. The aeroplane is a Katzelkraft stamp and the 2 men are from the Artistic Outpost Diesel Punk stamp set. I've painted them around the edges with Chocolate Pudding Fresco Finish paint to make them stand out better. The text stamp is from the Tim Holtz French Marketplace set and the honeycomb from the Mixed Media set. I used second generation stamping for the large cog, which is a Katzelkraft stamp.

I stamped the word 'Voyage' from the Tim Holtz Classics 1 stamp set then I cut the bottom off the tag and attached it with jump rings. The letters have been cut from mount board using the Tim Holtz WordPlay die, covered with Ferro texture paste and then painted with black acrylic paint. When they were dry I used Classic Treasure Gold to highlight them.

A quick project from me today, I need to get back into the swing of things ! I hope you get chance to join us for this challenge and make sure to check out the rest of the DT's fabulous work.

Follow your muse !

It's time to kick of the challenges over at Frilly and Funkie for 2013 and I have the honour of hosting the first one of the New Year ! So, now that the festive season is over and we're all getting back to normality, it's the perfect time to let your 'muse' wander free and see where it takes you. This could lead you down the route of journalling, altered art or trying something you've never done before. Just make sure to let us know in your post where your 'muse' has led you ! Most of all, have fun !

I decided to let my 'muse' wander down the path of doing the things I love the most (stamping, using metal and paint) while also making something that I will use.  I am always desperate for stamp storage and so I decided to make a home for some of my Artistic Outpost stamps. I started by cutting 2 pieces of mountboard and then I ripped up some 7Gypsies Paris collage tissue paper and stuck it down with Multi Matt Medium. I stamped images from the Artistic Outpost Paris Exposition stamp set onto tissue paper and stuck them down in the gaps of the 7Gypsies tissue paper. When it was dry I gave the boards a coat of watered down Fresco Finish paint so that the stamped images were knocked back a little. I also stencilled over the top using more Fresco Finish paint and I dry brushed some more paint around the edge and then stamped over the top using the Tim Holtz Fabulous Flourish stamp set.

You can see more of the stencilling and stamping on the back cover.

The hinges, key and lock are all cut from metal using the Tim Holtz Hardware die. I've then added detail using the teflon tip metal tool, covered them with Brown Shed Fresco Finish paint and then with black acrylic paint. The Brown Shed shows through the black and gives it a really great antiqued effect. I've used the same technique on the filigree metal embellishments too. The word 'create' was made using a Ten Seconds Studio mould and I've also given it the same treatment as the rest of the metal.

The roses were made for a previous project but I didn't need them so they'd been hanging around my craft desk looking for a home. They weren't the right colour so I painted them with gold Fresco Finish paint which has given them a slight sheen but they fit in perfectly with the metal. The lace is the gorgeous May Arts crocheted lace from Linda's Funkie Junkie Boutique, which has now re-opened and there is 10% off everything through January 15th.

I hope you get chance to join us for this challenge and do make sure you hop over to the main blog and check out the rest of the DT's fabulous work.