Good Luck Card for a Dear Friend

Hi Everyone and a very happy Friday to you all. Todays card I made for a very dear friend who is leaving her job soon as the travelling to London has started to take its toll, so she has decided to work nearer home to be able to spend more time with her family. I would also like to enter it for The Sunday Stampers Challenge as the theme is 'Browns' and it fits the bill nicely.

As there is a fair amount of die cutting in this project I will just go into detail for the parts that need explaining like the background, flowers and ivy leaves.

ITEMS USED

Stamps; Studio 490 Flower Art, Heartfelt Creations Sun Kissed Fleur, Good Luck greeting

Old book pages

White card for stamping + odd pieces in various colours for die cutting

Dies; Tim Holtz Trellis, Bird and cage movers and shapers, Sizzix Vine 2, Memory Box Garden Sprig.

Distress Inks in Vintage Photo, Iced Spruce, Walnut Stain and Antique Linen.

Versa-mark ink pad

Black and Clear Embossing Powder.

Brilliance ink pad in Coffee Bean

Distress Stains in Brushed pewter, Antique Bronze, Gathered Twigs, Seedless Preserves, Picket Fence and Fired Brick.

Card For mounting from Craftwork Cards Sweet Pea Collection.

Distress Stickles in Vintage Photo

Glossy Accents

Cosmic Shimmers Antique Gold Mica Powder

Treasure Gold in Olive Bronze and Renaissance

DecoArt Metallic Lustre in Black Shimmer

Sizzix Embossing Folders

To start with the background white card was stamped with the large grid stamp from the Flower Art set in Iced Spruce. It was then brushed all over with the Antique Linen and the Vintage Photo. Once dry it went through the embossing folder and then the raised parts were coloured using a blending tool and the Iced Spruce and the Walnut Stain around the edges. The trellis and the ribbon were then attached.

I then added a contrasting ribbon to the centre of the green ribbon and some Olive Bronze wax to the edges of the trellis and odd parts of the raised background.

Next I stamped the Flowers onto the book pages in versa-mark and embossed with the black EP. These were then coloured with the Distress Stains mixing the colours as I went on a white tile.

You can achieve some lovely colours when you mix them together.  The picture below shows one using Antique Bronze, Seedless Preserves and Gathered twigs.

Although its hard to see in this photo the metallic does give a wonderful shimmer.

I stamped and coloured many more flowers than I needed but they are now in a box ready for another project. The flowers were cut out with scissors, there is a die for these but they really are quite easy to cut by hand.

I then decided on how I would layer the flowers up before applying the metallic lustre and treasured gold to parts of the petals. These were then buffed when dry and the flowers assembled using a wet glue. The centres were then filled with Glossy Accents and when that was completely dry I added some Stickles.

The card that I used to mount the work on was from Craftwork Cards and this had some Walnut Stain added to the edges just to draw the eye in. 

Next I did the die cutting, The ivy leaves were cut, then embossed with the Far out Florals folder, then using a blending tool inked with Walnut Stain. The picture below shows the before and after vine and I feel for this project it needed that extra texture.

The greeting was stamped onto white card in the Coffee Bean ink , then embossed with the clear EP and the ladybird was coloured with a red pencil. This was then cut with a craft knife and the edges distressed with a pair of scissors and inked with the Vintage Photo. Whilst the ink was still wet I brushed on some mica powder to add a slight shimmer as it catches the light.

Ok all components now ready its just down to assembling, I used Pinflair glue for this as I wanted some parts to have a bit of depth to them. The Dragon fly was cut from a punch and the word adventure was from an old K & Company chipboard set I had but felt it fitting in well.

Well I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, perhaps some quality crafting time to be had! Whatever you do have fun, thanks as always for stopping by and hopefully we will get together again soon. Until next time take care, Jane x

Please feel free to leave any questions or comments below, its always lovely to hear from you and I will answer any queries asap. 

*DREAM* Mixed media Canvas

Well Todays entry is a mixed media canvas that I'm entering for the Sunday Stampers Challenge titled Dream. To see Hels Sheridans stunning example and all the other entrants click on the link   

http://pinkleart.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/sunday-stamper-week-300-dream-lover.html 

There is a wonderful blog candy to be won this week as its her 300th anniversary.

Ok, so I had a little play time yesterday and I had been promising myself a messy session with some paint and stencils and this is what I produced. I will give a list of the paints, dies, stamps etc that I used and then a brief summary of how it was made.

ITEMS USED

Canvas measuring 5"x7"

Stamps by Graphic 45 and 7 Gypsies

Acrylic paint from PaperArtsy in Blush and Nougat

White Gesso

Tim Holtz Dies Fleurs di Lis & Eiffel Tower and Trellis from the new Frameworks series

Spellbinders Brackets Die

Stencils by Imagination Crafts called Bay Leaf and Dylusions Alphabet Border Small

Tag from InkyDoodles MDF Shapes Bag

Grunge Paste by PaperArtsy

Distress Inks in Iced Spruce and Vintage Photo

Distress Stains in Brushed Pewter, Tumbled Glass and Seedless Preserves

Brilliance ink pads in Graphite Black and Starlight Black

Perfect Pearls Mist in Blue Patina

Cosmic Shimmers Mist in Plum Tart

Creative Expressions Vintage Plum Gilding Wax

Cosmic Shimmers Mica Powder in Antique Blue

Treasured Gold Wax in Sapphire, Olive Bronze and Pewter

Decoart Metallic Lustre in Black Shimmer

Sizzix embossing folder

Paper scraps, lace, corrugated card, dry wall tape, black peel-off letters, hemp string, odd transfers, gems,2 eyelets and thin suede cord for hanging

The rose and leaves had been previously made and dipped into UTEE in the Melt Pot

To begin with I drilled the 2 holes in the top of the canvas and then gave it a coat of gesso. Then I stuck on the various papers, lace etc with a mix of 1part white glue and 1part water. Next using the grunge paste and stencils added the texture. This was then given a coat of gesso and then when this was dry a coat of blush acrylic paint.

The tag was also given a coat of gesso and a coat of blush. The letters were then stuck onto the tag and the edges stamped with iced spruce and brushed with the mica power. Finally the edges were sanded to reveal the wood.

Next a sprayed the canvas with the perfect pearls, the cosmic shimmers and a little water and tilted and twisted the canvas so that the colours mixed and blended between the different layers.

Once dry I then added the stamping to the canvas, Paris was first stamped in the starlight black and then over stamped in the graphite black to give some shadowing.

Making sure this was completely dry I then added extra colour using the Distress Stains. This was applied with a brush and my little finger! Touches of colour were also added to the die cut trellis so as to make it blend in rather than stand out too much.

The Eiffel Tower was embossed with the Sizzix folder and then rubbed with the sapphire treasured gold. The 2 brackets were rubbed with the black shimmer and all were buffed when dry.

The rose had some sapphire wax added to the edges of the petals and the leaves had some olive bronze added to the tips. These to were buffed when dry.

The ticket was given a coat of nougat and then stamped in the graphite black.

The canvas was then given touches of the vintage plum gilding wax and the pewter and sapphire treasured gold to the stencilled areas and the corrugated card to help make them stand out.

Then it was down to the assembling, after trying various designs, the transfers were applied before everything was secured in place with some pinflair glue. The gems were then added and the eyelet's were placed in the holes at the top and the suede cord threaded through and knots tied in each end.

A good evenings work I felt, little finger has a deep plum tone to it today but other than that there is no evidence of a messy, inky, painty session what so ever!!

I hope you can join me again soon for another crafty session, thanks as always for finding the time to stop by and read this blog. Any comments or questions are always appreciated and will be answered asap. Enjoy the rest of your week and take care, Jane x

SPECIAL My entry for The Sunday Stampers Challenge

Hi Everyone, and a very Happy Weekend to you all. My blog entry today is also my contribution for Hels Sheridans Sunday Stampers Challenge, to follow her blog and weekly challenges click on the link ink on my fingers

List of Items used
Packaging card 15cm x 12cm
 White Gesso
Grunge Paste by Paper Artsy
Distress Stains in salty ocean, broken china, bundled sage, pewter and scattered straw
Archival black ink pad
Walnut stain Distress ink pad
scraps of craft card and white card
Aqua markers on various colours
Versa mark ink pad and clear embossing powder
Stamps : Jofy 12 by Paper artsy, Petal set by Clarity stamps and Text Background and words by Inkydoodles
Glossy Accents by Ranger
Treasure Gold gilding wax in Indigo, Pewter and Renaissance
Flower Charm by Tim Holtz
Scraps of wool

Firstly I gave the card a coat of white gesso, and once this was dry I applied the grunge paste through the mask in the top right hand corner. Unfortunately  I do not know the name or make of this mask as it's one I have had years and no longer have the packaging but I vaguely remember it being a german make ?
Next I applied various coats of washes using the distress stains, these were dabbed onto a ceramic tile and mixed with a light spray of water till I reached the tones I was happy with. Once all was dry I stamped the flower and petals in archival and the text background in walnut stain. The 3 petals with special on were scraps of white card coloured at the same time as the background, then the petal shape stamped on followed by the word special both in archival black ink.

The 3 individual petals were then heat embossed with clear embossing powder twice to give a smooth glossy effect.

The words You Are So were stamped onto the craft card in walnut stain and then distressed round the torn edges. Whilst still damp the edges were then curled using the point of a thin knitting needle.

The tag was stamped with the centre of the flower stamp from the Jofy 12 set in black archival and the edges distressed with the walnut stain also.

The centres of the 2 flowers were coloured with aqua markers and then once dry glossy accents were applied.

The flower petals with the small flowers inside were also coloured with aqua markers and the blue petals with the spirals in had a little of the distress stains brushed on just to give a deeper colour.

The leaves in the bottom right hand corner were embossed with clear embossing powder and then the centres were made paler by gently brushing over with a wet paint brush and then dabbing with some kitchen paper to dry.


The deeper blue to the embossed design was obtained by gently rubbing with the indigo wax using my little finger and then after a couple of minutes buffing up with a soft cloth.


The 3 special petals were cut out and glued on at a slight angle to the stamped image on the picture. The metal flower embellishment then had the wool secured through the centre hole and was then stuck onto the picture with glue.


The edges of the tag and words had a small amount of the treasure gold wax in renaissance applied, the wool was then attached to the tag before securing them all to the picture with glue.

The flourish in the top right hand corner was then given a thin coat of the treasure gold wax in the pewter and the indigo. This just helps to hi-light the fact that this is a raised image.



This was also buffed with a soft cloth once dry, this only takes a couple of minutes to dry but is essential otherwise you will just rub it off again. I have only used my finger to apply this wax, but if you use a brush then a solvent would be needed to clean the brush afterwards as it is not water soluble. Having said that it comes off my finger with a quick wipe with a baby wipe and a wash with soap and water.




Well thats my entry for today and the Sunday Stamper Challenge, hope you have enjoyed todays project and until next time, take care and happy crafting,  Jane x