Flowers - Alcohol Background & Pens

This post is an entry in Paper Artsy's Challenge - Alcohol Inks & Pens. I don't have any purchased alcohol inks and have had limited success making my own.
I had a look through the posts on PA's blog and as usual there were plenty to inspire. I really liked they idea of Dounia Larges's upcycled plastic as this is a media I have tried to use for projects before. I also like the flowers made from cans by Gail on the challenge original blog post.
But then suddenly it was Sunday and I hadn't created anything and I still live in hope of being able to order something exciting from PA.
So I found myself (easily) distracted from the work I should have been doing to create this simple page.
The background I had already made with an acrylic and alcohol effect so thought this was at least close to what the challenge was. I then stamped the flowers (Bo Bunny Stamps) and coloured with Pitt Artist brush pens.

Give Thanks

While Thanksgiving isn't an official holiday here, this is a good reminder of all we have to be thankful for.
The background of this page has been sitting for quite a while waiting for something to happen! It has the colour and some stenciling and the border stamping, done with a self-made stamp.
I added some more stamping - the little stars and crown, then added gesso with a credit card. I stamped the large heart (Viva Las Vegas Stamps) onto tissue first and also added a few smaller heart stamps. The Give Thanks was written with a black embossing pen and then blue embossing powder added.
I can't say that this is one of my most favourite pages ever - but still enjoyed thinking about how grateful we all should be.
This entered in the CAS-ual Fridays challenge - Be Thankful

Thinking of You - Ombre

This card is for the Addicted to CAS challenge - Code Word - Ombre.

I started with shades of blue and teal Gelatos on watercolour paper then layered with the script and harlequin (VLV) stamps. The sentiment is layering on a fabric ribbon and the girl stamp is from Viva Las Vegas Stamps. It was then mounted on scrapbooking paper and the card.

Deer Tree 2

So continuing on with CAS-ual Friday's Challenge - 160 - orange, brown & craft and my new die, my second card for this challenge.
I used two scrap booking papers, ripped and edged with Inktense pencils. I mounted the deer tree onsome orange card stock and then trimmed and added the sentiment.

Deer Tree 1

I have been looking at this die in a bargain bin at my local stationers for several months and finally was a little cheeky and asked them what their best price was! I thought this would be versatile as I can trim up the deer head to look like a tree trunk also. It has little birds, amongst the leaves, on its antlers, which are not quite as defined as I thought they would be, but pretty cute.
I made this card to fit with the CAS-ual Friday Challenge - 160 - orange, brown & craft.

I used the negative left after cutting to colour the background, added some Golden Hi-flow bronze metallic and some script stamping in sienna archival ink. Then I inked the edge of the image and the card base.

Poppy - Stencil

My wanted my second entry for The Craft Barn Two Weekly Challenge - Poppy to be more abstract, so started with a stencil that I thought could be turned into a poppy. I sprayed with DecoArt Media misters in magenta and red. Another floral stencil helped to fill the spaces. I then outlined the stylised poppy shapes used in the remembrance poppies with a black watercolour pencil and mounted on a black card.

Poppy - Inktense

Once again, our festivals and celebrations are out of sync - we have ANZAC Day in April, the equivalent of Remembrance Sunday in the UK, but happy to have a go at creating some poppy designs for The Craft Barn Two Weekly Challenge.
I do not claim to be an artist, which is why mixed media to so achievable and satisfying for those of us who enjoy art and creating but so not feel like 'naturals'. Even so, I thought I would give a more watercolour effect a go, using Intense blocks. Not perfect, but I think acceptable as a nice card.

You're Right!

I use this quote regularly with my class at school. They don't get it at first, but it makes them think and hopefully helps them be more positive about what they can achieve. SO I thought I would create a version for the Paper Artsy Challenge - Typography, Fonts and Quotes. I would love to use some of their products, as others who enter their challenges do, but I can't afford them until I manage to win a challenge! :) - but the  ideas in the blog are always helpful and inspire my entries.

The quote, as printed, had a distressed look, so I thought I would use this as inspiration. I started by using some homemade stamps that I carved form erasers to spell out Henry Ford and then covered this with a grey glaze, which I scratched with an old credit card to create the distress.
Then I added the quote and edge it with a red Stabilo pencil.

Hope

There are so many great things to do for this challenge from Paper Artsy - Typography, Fonts and Quotes. I didn't want to go with a mish-mash of fonts that could just end up a mess - so this one just evolved.
I had a page that had some patterned paper already on it so took the lead from the colours that were in it - turquoise and magenta - and went with that.
I added a layer of text through a stencil using archival ink and then added text from a magazine. I then dripped Liquidex Ink using the same colours. I used a script stencil and coloured texture paste which was them cut into the letters HOPE. The heart is a stamp from Viva Las Vegas stamps, onto tissue and them applied with matte medium. Some black Stabilo around the letter and the edges, a few black splatters and done.
The background has turned out quite busy, but I do quite like the textured script letters.

U for Uvula

Well I've done the obvious - now for the challenge to do something more unexpected. Something in a very different style this time. Gelato sticks smudged in the backgound and very cartoony. :)
This is for The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge.

U for Ukulele - Dreams

Again I was experimenting with the Liquitex Inks in my background with music and script stamping. I had cut some music notes and used the negatives to stencil and stuck on the notes shapes cut out.
This is for The Craft Bart Alpha Challenge.

U for Ukulele - Sounds Like Happiness

I was searching for an original word for the letter 'U' for The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge, and suddenly realised the obvious for me - ukulele. I don't know why this took me so long as this instrument is part of my daily life and I now have two pages completed for this already. I might still attempt something more unsual!

This background was created when experimenting with Liquitex Inks, then some stenciling, stamping and focal image and quote added.

Fireworks

Sort of feels like a relief to have a challenge that relates to my memories (I'm sort of over Halloween!) so was pleased to see the 'Fireworks' challenge from The Craft Barn.
The concept of 'Guy Fawkes' may seem a little strange, but I guess we are really remember the triumph of good over bad - if that's what actually happened. Fireworks look fantastic, and thankfully my current dog does not mind them, but I have had many year of animals that were totally spooked out. I hate to think what they would have done back in the day when we were allowed fire crackers, and let off strings of them. I think as a kid, writing your name with sparklers was still the best - simple, safe and fun.
So coincidentally, I happened upon something, maybe a Pinterest email, that featured the black paint scratch technique. So I thought this was the perfect thing to try. Although it is quite a common thing to do for school art, I actually don't think I have ever done it before, but it may happen next week in class for our art project - and the kids can learn about some history at the same time.

I didn't have crayons or pastels at home, so used some Reeves watercolor crayons I have, They don't really move that well, especially on un-gessoed paper so for this task they were fine. Some black acrylic and a skewer to scratch and we had fireworks. I thought I would link to Guy Fawkes by stamping The Beehive, which is our newer parliament building in New Zealand. I stamped it on tissue and stuck it on with matte medium and then added the well know quote.

Autumn Card

A simple card for Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Autumn.

The background had been sitting for a while, having been made with left over paints and texture paste. I stamped the leaves and coloured them with Inktense pencils then added the script stamp.

V for Virago

I wanted to create another entry for The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - V and found a small scrap of dictionary on my table left over from my first page The word on it - Virago. Now I had no idea what that meant - all I could see was the word 'aggressive' which didn't seem promising. But once I looked it up, the ideas came. I do like to find something out of the ordinary!

The background for this page just happens to be similar to my other 'V' page as I had put out too much purple paint at some stage and used it up through the same stencil in a couple of journals. I used images which show books about strong women and pushed it back with gesso, making sure the definitions where still visible. The circular definition is an image of a necklace and the sculpture is a bronze found outside the Casale Monferrato. I used grey Gelato to grunge up the border and added some journalling.

Out Of The Box

Once again there's lots of inspiration on the Paper Artsy Blog for their latest challenge - Squares & Grids.
I have also been enjoying watching DeeDee Catron create her art pages and this in another one inspired by her style.

I started with gesso and then a grey wash. The squares are Geli print scraps overlaid this a Viva Las Vegas stamp on tissue, cut up and stuck on. I used Golden Payne's Grey acrylic which I initially thinned and dripped but ended spreading with my fingers as I wanted it o grab around the edges of the squares. The vertical and horizontal paint lines were a happy accident. I randomly dabbed with my brush and they ended up almost looking like a woven pattern. I finished with watercolour pencil for a border, splatters, scribble and journalling with ordinary pencil.

Angel

I had been watching a video by Barb Owen on how to make a paper woven angel and thought the grid pattern created by the weaving, fitted for this challenge by Paper Artsy - Squares & Grids. I must admit, I thought I had until next week for this one - where does the time go?!
So I had to do a bit of improvising with the resources I needed as some of the things I may have used were elsewhere. Once again, this was a practice, thinking about craft activities for my class for Christmas.
I think it turned out quite well and should be achievable for 10 year olds, although they do find some of the fiddly bits a challenge.

I used Geli print scraps woven into a sheet of coloured paper, backed with scrap booking paper and then sealed on the front with matte medium, to make sure it was really secure. Even this looked great and I have enough to make several angels.

I made it slightly larger than the pattern, which turned out exactly right for the wings I had die cut from a design my son drew for me. For the face, I search for cherubs online, resized and coloured.

Addicted to Coffee

This is for the Addicted to CAS - Code Word Coffee.




I don't have too many a day, but when I do, I really like to taste the coffee!
So I thought I would use the resources around me and go with the real thing, starting with authentic coffee cup rings and some coffee grounds to use for texture.








A Flat White is my choice when I am out so that is what I chose to depict.
I added Golden Glass Bead medium to the coffee ground to give them a bit of shine.

V is for Grandma?

The current alpha challenge over at The Craft Barn is 'V'. For me that stands for Grandma - Violet was her name and even though she left us many years ago it is nice to have a reason to dig out the old photos and create this tribute to her.
Weren't those early photos amazing?!

Think Pink - Strong Girls

Now pink is not my go to colour! I think the rebel in me says '"Don't make me choose pink just cause I'm a girl!" and "Definitely do not buy me those pink flowery tools they make for girls!"
So I had to stretch myself to go completely pink for this Simon Say Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Think Pink.
Now, the CAS-ual Fridays - Fight Like a Girl Challenge 159 sounds a bit more like me, as in, "We are girls - we are strong!" Their challenge is link to Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in respect to all those affected, I'm happy to turn pink.

This is my first set of actual Artist Trading Cards. I have enjoyed other small pieces of art such as ICADs and tags, but not really having anyone to trade ATCs with :( - I had not made sets of these before.




























Although there are several layers - gift wrap, acrylic with gesso, Derwent Inktense blocks, stamping and die cuts - the outcome and sentiments are simple and hopefully effective. My favourite part is the leaves. The card stock I used was mauve so I toned it down by stamping with a small script stamp I have and really like the textured look that created.

Gift Box

As a teacher, I've always been looking for new ways to use resources, especially those things that would otherwise be thrown out. Now that I have got into mixed media, this attitude continues, and possibly grows, as I seem to be looking at everything with new eyes.
I had already been collecting a few little boxes, thinking about Christmas gifts. I'll possibly have to only buy things that will fit in the boxes I make!

This box doesn't fit any particular holiday theme but I really like the marbled effect that it has.
It stated as a cosmetic box which was covered in patterned tissue, which of course ended up a little crinkled, but I like that, and it helped the Gelatos I then applied go into the folds and create the effect. The tissue has some red flowers on it - to me pohutakawa, a bottle-brush type native of NZ. Although they are almost lost, and subtle, in the black background of the box, I used this colour as the feature of my small tag and string.













This is an entry in Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Treat Bag/Box