Doors !!!!

Hello, and a very Happy Mothering Sunday to all you 'Mums' out there. Today I like to share my entry for the latest PaperArtsy Challenge titled "Doors, Windows and Architecture. As I was lucky enough to be the last challenge winner I had to use some of my fabulous prize for this project.

There are some stunning examples for this challenge over on their blog site so do take 5 mins and have a look.

For the main part of the houses I used various colours of ribbed textured card and Tim Holtz 'Artful Dwellings' die. The houses were then stencilled with grunge paste and painted with a wash made from Fresco Chalk paints.

The windows were made from shrink plastic which had been stamped with a set of fab stamps by Michelle Ward. The backs of these were coloured with Pro-Markers.

A little bit of stamping on the houses before attaching the windows and doors. The clouds were added to the top of the card using Snowflake paint through the Kim Dellow stencil and the bird was stamped onto a piece of white card and cut out.

A few touches of Treasure Gold in various colours, door knobs and numbers ----- all done.

When I attached the doors to no. 3 and 27 these were left slightly ajar for added interest.

Well enjoy your Sunday everyone, I just managed to get this post done before the challenge ends......Phew ! Take care and have a good crafting week. Jane X

Altered Cigar Box

Well after several days I have finally finished my cigar box for The Creative Carte Blanche Challenge this month titled "Thinking Outside The Box". Do grab a cuppa and have a look at the other entries and the wonderful teams boxes here.

I started with a very traditional wooden cigar box.

Which was given a coat of white gesso on the outside,

but not on the inside as I knew I would line it with paper and black felt.

The outside was then painted with Fresco Chalk Acrylic in Pea Coat and Evergreen, then small areas of Weathered Wood and then Stone acrylic paint.

Then using a Stencil Girl sun burst stencil applied some Grunge Paste that I had coloured with Beach Hut paint. Next I added some letters to the top and bottom using a Dylusions stencil.

The next couple of days I spent undecided on how to proceed ------ spent some tome searching for a clasp/knob ----

This I took off of an embroidery hoop that is designed to be hung to display the embroidery.

Finally I stamped some script to the 4 sides using a stamp from Studio 490 Art from the Heart set in Sepia Archival ink. This I embossed with clear EP.

Next I stamped a page from an old book with flowers from a Heartfelt Creations set in black archival ink and clear embossed these also. They were then painted with various colours of the Fresco Chalk Acrylic paint from the Translucent Range.

These were cut out, shaped and layered to form the 2 flowers on the top of the lid. The swirls and leaves were die cut and before everything was stuck in place the embossed script and the grunge paste were rubbed with small amounts of Treasure Pewter.

I added metal flowers from a jewellery kit to the centres of the 3 sunbursts on the lid.

Buttons were added to the centres of the 2 flowers.

Now I have a box that I am very pleased with !!!

So I've finished just before the closing date for the challenge but I'm glad I didn't rush the last steps as I fell sure I would not have been so happy with the end result.

Thanks as always for stopping by, hope your week has gone well so far and enjoy the weekend when it arrives. Bye for now Jane x

My Wonderful Nan

Recently I've been sorting through lots of old photos of my Mums and came across this beautiful one of my Nan taken when she was 19 yrs old --- in 1903.

Violets were her favourite flower and as these are out in the garden at the moment I had to take this shot!

My husband scanned this original so as we can pass copies onto various family members and there was a spare one ----- so I felt it was only right and proper to make a small memoir.

Over on the PaperArtsy Blog the current theme is 'Niches" so the 2 went very nicely together. To find out more about the 'Niches' click on the link here.

I began by dismantling this small chocolate box which measures 3cm x 8cm. Here is a list of the paints, inks and stamps used in this project.

Fresco Chalk Acrylic paint in blush, lake wanaka, china, haystack, beach hut, inky pool and very berry.

Stamps from PaperArtsy ESN03 and HP1004, Clarity Word Chain No 5.

Ink brilliance crimson copper

Mica powder in antique red

Treasure gold in ruby and olive bronze

Grunge Paste

Crafty Individuals stencil

Blue watercress blaze embossing powder

The box was given various layers of paint and then I added the dictionary definition of niche to the upper part of the sleeve. The 2 sides of the sleeve had grunge paste added through the stencil and then once dry more paint was added.

I then stamped Inspire and heat embossed, added some stamping which was brushed with mica powder and then added touches of Treasure Gold to hi-light areas.

The inner part of the box was painted and then stamped with the text on the sides. The MDF heart was given 2 coats of blush paint, stamped, Nan added with peel-offs and the edges touched with Treasure Gold.

When I was growing up my Nan lived with us and many hours were spent on her lap watching her crochet, then when I was 5 yrs old she taught me to crochet and knit. The table cloth in the background of the picture was crocheted by my Nan and we used this on our wedding day underneath the wedding cake. The flower was a pattern I learned from the great lady all those years ago and I've never forgotten how to make them. 1884 being the year she was born.

I know niches usually have statues or such likes but this is my version.

The lovely Lucy - Annie,

at 19yrs old,

photographed by the Eastbourne Photographic Company on October 23rd 1903 !

The finished sides.

Lucy - Annie was a very special lady who inspires me each and every time I pick up a crochet hook. Sadly she died whilst I was carrying my daughter at the grand age of 96! so unfortunately  they never met, but now she too is a great master of the crochet hook.

Thank you as always for stopping by, I hope you have a good week, take care. Jane x

Stencilling with Grunge Paste inspired by Sara Naumann

Good evening and welcome, tonight I am sharing 2 cards that I've made using a technique being shown over on the PaperArtsy Blog by Sara Naumann. To follow this in technique in greater detail click on the link here.

For this I used a blank cream coloured card measuring 18cm x 13cm.

To begin with I cut 2 pieces of white card one measuring 17cm x 12cm and the other 9cm x 6cm, both pieces were given a coat of Fresco Chalk paint in Baltic Blue.

The larger piece was mounted onto the card base and then a piece of cream card was cut measuring 16cm x11cm and stuck on top.

Next I coloured some grunge paste with Toad Hall and Guacamole paint and spread this through a honeycomb patterned stencil. A small piece of white card was also spread with the coloured grunge paste ready to stamp on for the centre.

Using Versa-mark ink I stamped and then white embossed one of the images from Lynne Perrella 011 onto some kraft card.

Once the grunge paste was completely dry I distressed the edges of the card and then lightly coloured them with Antique Linen D.I. as this has a slight green tint. The 2 side edges of the kraft card were torn so as to be in keeping with the green honeycomb card.

The small piece of card with grunge paste on was then stamped using Walnut Stain D.I. and stamps from Hot Picks 1004.

A piece of navy twine was tied around the edge of the kraft card and 4 screw shaped brads were used to attach the stencilled card and the kraft card to the base.

The stamped grunge paste was mounted onto the small piece of painted card and then a piece of cream card. The clipboard top was cut from black card using Tim Holtz Movers and Shapers Mini die and then rubbed with Decorate Metallic Lustre in Black shimmer to give a metallic appearance.

When I was using the coloured grunge paste I had some left so quickly grabbed another stencil and spread the remainder through the baubles.

Once the paste was dry I cut the baubles out leaving a slight margin all the way round. Then using a white linen card I stamped the bunting and the laying down baubles from Jofy 07 stamp set in Archival Watering Can. Once completely dry I then coloured these in using 2 water colour pencils and then blended the colours with a wet brush.

The grunge paste baubles were given some Treasure Gold in Olive Bronze before sticking onto the card and finally 'Believe' was stencilled on using Bundled Sage D.I. and Brilliance Pearlescent Olive and Crimson.

I really like how these extra baubles have turned out, a little bonus!!

The grunge paste mixes really easily with the paint and its a great to colour the paste if you are not going to paint the whole piece once the paste has been applied.

Thank you to Sara for the tips and inspiration, a technique that will be used many times.

Thanks for stopping and reading this blog and your comments are very much appreciated. Hope you have a good week, take care and enjoy your 'Crafty Time". Jane x

Layers and Dimension

Hello and welcome back, todays crafting session is a card with not only layers of card, hessian and thick board but also layers of acrylic paint forming the background of the artwork.

Items Used

White smooth card

Kraft card

Brayer

Piece of scrap cardboard packaging larger than the white card

PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk paints in Toad Hall, Snowflake, Pumpkin Soup, Inky Pool, Beach Hut, Autumn Fire and French Roast.

PaperArtsy Grunge Paste

Tando-Creative Baroque Stencil by Andy Skinner

Distress Ink in Antique Linen and Walnut Stain

Archival Jet Black

Versa-Mark and Clear Embossing Powder

Stamps From Graphic 45 Secret garden and Clarity Word Chain no 5

Distress Stain in Gathered Twigs

Tando-Creative Flowers and Stems Grab Bag

Treasure Gold in Olive Bronze

Decoart Metallic Lustre in Black Shimmer

Small piece of frayed Hessian

2 Brads, 1 Feather and 1 Wooden Bead

Small Tag cut from white card

I started by brayering the smooth white card with all the paints except the french roast. The cardboard packaging was placed underneath the white card so as the when brayer went over it took the impression of the corrugated ridges. The white card was turned from portrait to landscape and back 4 or 5 times. I began with the toad hall green around all 4 edges and then gradually built up the remaining colours.

Next I cut the card to size and added the grunge paste through the corner part of the stencil.

Once the paste was dry I replaced the cleaned stencil and coloured the paste with antique linen ink and then applied some treasure gold.

The flower from the grab bag was painted with autumn fire and toad hall mixed with a little french roast for the stem and leaves. Once dry this was stamped with the text stamp using the black archival ink. This was then given 3 coats of clear embossing powder.

Next onto the small tag for the centre, this was coloured with antique linen all over, then the clock was stamped in black archival ink. Once dry the edges were lightly coloured with some walnut stain and then I dabbed some gathered twigs DS onto the craft mat and flicked this at the tag with a small paint brush. ( great fun!!) The edges were lightly rubbed with the metallic lustre.

I then tore the edges of the kraft card and stamped randomly round the edges with the text stamp using 2nd generation walnut stain ink.

Now onto the finishing touches--- Dream was stamped on the side of the background card in black, this was then stuck onto the kraft card and 2 metal brads were attached in diagonally opposite corners.

This was then attached to the card blank with double sided tape. String was tied to the top of the tag and then a bead threaded through and a knot tied to finish it off. The hessian was frayed to the right size and stuck with pin flair glue, next the feather before attaching the tag and finally the flower was stuck on also with a good blob of pin flair glue to give some height.

I really like the texture of the brayered background.

And the richness of the colours.

I would like to enter this card for the following challenges;

Tando Creative 'Lovely Layers'

and

Hels Sheridan's Sunday Stampers 'Depth and 3D

Thank you as always for stopping and reading this blog, I hope you have enjoyed it. All comments are much appreciated and if you have any questions I will endeavour to answer them to the best of my ability. 

I hope you all have a good weekend when it arrives and hopefully the weather will cheer up a little bit as its been very dull the last few days here.

Take care and hopefully see you here again soon,  bye for now Jane x

Peeled Paint Wooden Christmas Hanging

Todays offering was inspired by Liesbeth Fidder's Peeled Paint Hanging Board over on PaperArtsy's weekly Challenge, if you have a few spare moments do pop over to their blog and have a look at the DTs gorgeous samples for the week.

Main Items Used

An off cut of tonged and grooved wood

Cardboard packaging

Smooth white card

White Gesso

PaperArtsy Fresco Paints in Mermaid, Snowflake, Pewter, French Roast and Inky Pool

PaperArtsy Grunge Paste

Vaseline Jelly

PaperArtsy LPC 011 stamp set

Stampers Anonymous Mini Holidays 2 stamp set

Tando-Creative Reindeer Masks

Archival Jet Black ink

White Embossing Powder

Stampendous Aged Ivory Embossing Enamel

Dovecraft Wooden Sentiment

To begin with I sanded the wood to a very smooth finish.

I gave it a coat of white gesso before applying several layers of mermaid and snowflake paint. Once dry areas were then lightly sanded to reveal touches of the wood.

2 screw in eyes were attached to the back of the wood for hanging and 2 screwed onto the bottom to attach the cardboard to.

The cardboard packaging and the white card were also painted at the same time.

The wood and the bottom edge of the cardboard were then stamped with the pine needles image using the black archival. I then added some Inky Pool paint around the edges with a sponge.

Next I lightly coloured some grunge paste with the french roast paint and applied this through the reindeer masks, the smaller one was done first. Once these were completely dry I then rubbed them with Treasure Pewter Wax Gilt and Metallic Lustre in Black Shimmer and buffed with a soft cloth.

The painted card was then stamped using the bottom edge of the main stamp from LPC 011 in black archival ink. 

Once dry areas were then applied with the vaseline jelly and then a coat of pewter paint was brushed on with a couple of small areas of the inky pool also. This was then left for several hours to dry.

Using a soft tissue the artwork was then rubbed all over, were the vaseline had been applied the top coats of paint then peeled away!

Really love this effect.

The edges of the wood and the cardboard then had the stampendous enamel applied and heated.

The wooden Jingle Bells sentiment was give 3 layers of white embossing powder and before heating the finally layer a tiny amount of turquoise glitter was sprinkled on the J and B.

The peeled paint card was then stuck onto the cardboard before attaching the 2 eyelets at the top.

The glass star and silver bells were attached using 3 star shaped brads that I coloured with a silver Pro-marker pen.

Thin leather cord was then used for the hanging and tying the 2 pieces together.

I was amazed at how well the paint rubbed off where the vaseline had been applied, this is a technique I would definitely use again so a big thank-you to Liesbeth.

I would like to enter is hanging for 

PaperArsty's Weekly Challenge 

and

Sunday Stampers weekly Challenge titled Winter.

Thank-you as always for stopping and reading this blog, I hope there is something you might be able to take away and have a play with at sometime. Enjoy your week-end and take care Jane x

All comments and questions are greatly appreciated.

Window Canvas

Hi everyone and a very happy thursday evening to you all. Todays offering was inspired by Liesbeth Fidder's Altered Canvas over on PaperArtsy's blog, to view this click on the link ;

http://blog.paperartsy.co.uk/2014/07/gd-liesbeth-fidder-3-altered-canvas.html

The Main Items Used

10cm x 10cm canvas

Thin scraps of wood

White Gesso

PaperArtsy Stamps Lynne Perrella Collection LPC011 and Jofy 28

Small amount Lace

Tissue Paper

Archival ink in Jet Black and Sepia

PaperArtsy Grunge Paste

Clarity Brick Stencil

Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics in Blush, Inky Pool, Zesty zing, Mermaid, French Roast, Nougat and Snowflake

Distress Stain in Antique Linen and Gathered Twigs

Distress Inks in Walnut Stain, Tea Dye, Brushed Corduroy, Pumice Stone and various shades of green

Treasure Gold in Sapphire and Ruby

DecoArt Metallic Lustre in Black Shimmer

Dylusions Alphabet border small Stencil

To begin with I gave the canvas and the strips of wood a coat of gesso. Once dry I stamped randomly some text with walnut stain onto the wood and then added some ink to the edges to give an aged look.

I then coloured the white lace with some watered down distress stain.

Now using Liesbeth's idea I stamped the image from LPC011 collection in jet black ink onto some crumpled tissue paper. Once completely dry I attached it to the canvas using some watered down PVA glue.

If you look hard at the stamped image you can see there is some ripples in the tissue paper----

I then heated it gently with the heat gun and hey presto it became completely smooth!

Before reading Liesbeths blog entry I would have tried stamping straight onto the canvas but I am so pleased with the effect the tissue paper gives.

Next I added the honeycomb using the sepia ink and a stencil on the plain part of the canvas, and the grunge paste was smoothed throughout the tiny squares on the Dylusions stencil. Once this was dry I added the colour to the canvas using the chalk acrylics.

I then added some odd stamping using pumice stone ink and the edge of the V from the stamp with the 3 crowns on the set.

The lace was added as the curtain and then the wood was attached to form the window frame.

I then raided the button box and found a rose shaped button but it was a revolting pink so it was given a coat of copper paint and then hi-lighted with the black shimmer wax.

The grunge paste was hi-lighted with the sapphire treasure gold.

Next using a piece of white card I then made the brick effect with the grunge paste and the brick stencil. Once dry I cut it to shape and gave the whole piece a coat of watered down acrylic paint.

The bricks were then coloured with D.I. and hi-lighted in places with the ruby and black shimmer waxes.

This was then attached to the canvas raising the corners to the same level as the wood with some double sided foam.

I then stamped several ivy leaves from the Jofy stamp set and coloured them in with various shades of distress ink. These were then cut out and curled to give some shape and form. I found some dry thin sticks and added these to the bricks before attaching the leaves and a few rose buds.

Once these were all added I kept starring at the piece but felt it still need something----

and then decided on the banner with "Dream"

I would like to enter this for PaperArtsy's weekly Challenge,

and Sunday Stampers titled 'Knock on Wood"

Well it's fast approaching the week-end so I hope you all have a peaceful and restful time, thanks as always for stopping by and hopefully we will meet here again soon. Take care and enjoy some quality crafting time Jane x