Be An Adventurer

Again, this is for Viva Las Vegas Stamps March challenge,  twilight & dusk, the northern lights, dancing and twinkling stars, silhouettes and trees.

I has two new tissue papers, one very bold stripes and the other a gold swirl pattern. I started with the bold paper and then added gesso. The next layer was pieces of the second tissue.

The stars were added with texture paste through a stencil and then embossing powder added on top. This was a precise way to add the gold powder but I was still happy with the outcome. Once this dried, I stamped the VLV stars. These are turning out to be a very well used stamp!

The trees stamps are by Crafty Individuals and the sentiment stamp is another VLV stamp - both stamped on tissue and then added with matte medium.

Stars & Heart

This page was created for Viva Las Vegas March Challenge. Some of the inspirations were twilight & dusk, the northern lights, dancing and twinkling stars.

I started using Distress Markers sprayed with water to create a light wash effect. As I knew this would move I sprayed it with a fixative. The drips and splatters were made with Golden fluid acrylics. I then stamped two VLV stamps - the stars and heart The heart did not stand out as much as I wanted so I went over this with a Derwent Inktense pencil and activated with water. I hand stitched the muslin with embroidery thread, dabbed with the leftover paint and then added Golden mica medium. The stars have been dotted with Golden Glass Bead Gel.

I had no sentiment in mind so finished with some journaling.

You Make Me Happy

This card is for the Simon Says Stamps Wednesday Challenge to use more than one die or punch.
I wasn't totally happy with the execution of the idea I had in my head. I managed to mess up the card base when edging it with ink and so stuck on another layer. Although I was really careful, I show have used  heavier paper and it did wrinkle a little with the glue.

 A bit rushed to get the post done and my other photo was out of focus :(

Doors & Windows Challenge

This piece has been created for the Paper Artsy Doors & Windows Challenge.
Looking at their blog again today, I really wish I had put more time into this as some of the examples there are absolutely amazing. The pieces The two weeks of the challenges seems to whiz by and I often find I am thinking of ideas at the last minute.

I especially like the Seth Apter post, door to My Imagination. The rustic colours and the interactive aspect are inspiring.

I had ideas about a door using a piece of card I had embossed and coloured with Gelatos some time ago, but never used. The lattice pattern reminded me of a gate so I added more colour, hinges and a split pin as a handle. I was going to mount it in my re-purposed journal so sprayed the paged with green acrylic. I then stamped another piece of card with different stamps and colours for another layer. It was all then mounted and the two small pieces added with mounting tape to give some dimension. The small gate and ´Welcome´ sentiment were laser engraved onto thin wood pieces.

This piece is also entered in Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Layer It Up.

Twelve Month Challenge - March

Again posting for The Craft Barn Monthly Challenge based on the poem by Sara Coleridge.

The challenge this time was to include daffodils and hares. I started by painting my daffodils with watercolour paints, which did lead to a challenge with other layers, making sure they didn´t run. I had just purchased some fixative spray so using this certainly helped.
I added layers with torn tissue napkin pieces and  butterfly and vine type stamps. I loved this sketchy hare I found to use as a focal point in the foreground.

Check below for my Southern Hemisphere version.

At the school where I work we held our annual fundraising gala last Friday so this was the celebratory theme I followed.

I had a small piece of watercolour paper sitting on my table on which I had be practicing some paint effects. In itself it was nothing special and was probably destined for the bin. However it was ideal to cut up into triangles to make colourful bunting.

Again I used some napkins for the checkered strips and added bunting and other stamps before sticking on my main bunting feature. I think this really conveys the happy atmosphere of our gala - although actually, I spent 2 hours in a haunted house full of screaming children!! :)

Really happy with how these two pages look together this month.

Bit o´Green

This tag was created for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.
I don personally do St Patrick´s Day but thought I did not want to miss a challenge this week :)

A green spray with some green ink and some green fluid acrylic dripping down the tag. I liked the way the colours mixed and looked a lot like ancient trees. Add some more green acrylic circles for leaves, some stamping, a sentiment, ink edging and sari ribbon tassels - and it´s done!

Be Who You Are

These two pieces where created in response to a video by Deedee Catron on her Facebook group - Art Journaling and Mixed Media with DeeDee Catron.

The first uses the pink colour palette used by Deedee and the second is my interpretation using a turquoise colour palette.

Memories

This post is for the Simon Says Stamp challenge - Homemade Flowers.

The background is a mixture of stenciling and sprays. The flower feature uses a flower from a lei which has been sprayed with colours and then melted with a heat gun, then layered with patterned paper and muslin.

1st Journal Flip Through

I featured this journal, and was a challenge winner, in this post and now the journal is complete so thought I would do a flip though video - and it´s the first one I´m brave enough to talk in. Small steps :)

Mixed Media Moods - February Again

Feeling super inspired this month so have a second creation for this challenge. While my inspiration came from the top middle segment of the mood board, I did end up with some similarities, with the vertical line created by the jute and sari ribbon.

I wanted to incorporate the star motif and so used a self drawn and cut star that I have used before and really like. The centre of the cut out is used as the star in my other piece.

The texture paste pieces took a bit of work as they lost their shimmer as I hadn´t noticed that the texture paste was matt, so I added more and then sprayed with a fixative to stop it moving. I then wasn´t sure about the big piece so cut it up. I possibly over did the mica paste and I would have liked the star to stand out more, but it is what it is and overall I´m happy with another interesting creation and all the textures.

And ... another video...

Mixed Media Moods - February

This challenge group is really growing now and I do enjoy the creations and inspiration from Deedee and Jenn.

My first page uses inspiration from the mosaic/grid effect in the bottom left. I cut up a brayer roll-off page from Gelli printing for the collaged pieces, with a turquoise glaze over the top. The heart is the inside from the heart in my other piece for this month.
Check out my video below.

Somebody To Love

The latest Song Title Challenge fro The Craft Barn is 'Somebody to Love' by Queen.

My obvious choice was Oscar my Löwchen who is very cute and cuddly. I was told by my daughter I should have chosen my children! - but I knew I had this photo which was taken on the first day of our school term in February. He was totally not impressed that the Summer holidays were over and was looking very dejected! :(

This page was created in a re-purposed text book so the text was already int he background. After printing and trimming the photo, I used some of the scraps to add more texture and interest to the background. Then I decided to write one of the verses of the some in across the page:

I work hard every day of my life

I work till I ache in my bones

At the end of the day

I take home my hard earned pay all on my own

I get down on my knees

And I start to pray

Till the tears run down from my eyes

Lord somebody, ooh somebody

Please can anybody find me somebody to love?

As soon as I had written it I realised that the pen was probably not permanent and I wanted to ass some glaze, but then thought I would embrace that and let the pen add the colour to the glaze. Pretty happy with how that worked.

Next some zigzag stamping in cobalt blue and black around the edge. The song title was stamped on tissue and added to the photo with ´Queen´ and the crown stamped on the page.

Background for SSS

This background started sometime ago using leftover modelling paste, which I had coloured, and paint so I thought it would be good to work on this for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Make Your Own Background.

Next I added some pieces of two different napkins.

Next came some scraps of book text and gesso. The corner motifs were stamped onto the page and then connected with black pen. The flower and sentiment were stamped on tissue and then stuck to the page. The flower is backed by a used baby wipe. The ephemera is not my favourite par of the page but I was happier with it once I tom=ned it down with tome antique white acrylic.

Blog Candy - The Craft Barn

I am so loving the look of these Paper Artsy Infusions and it would be amazing to have some.
This opportunity to win the new colours is from The Craft Barn - hoping this is my luck week!!

Watercolour & PearlEx

This page has been created for the Paper Artsty Challenge - Paint with Infusions.
As I sait in the previous post, I don't have any Infusions, although I would love some, so have again substituted Jaquard PearEx.

This page came together from a few things I had started. I work on the background specifically for this challenge, sprinkling the PearlEx on the page and spraying with water. As it has no binder, I wanted to fix it as it tend to rub off otherwise so dabbed some matt medium onto it with a brush. I probably should have used gloss as I may have kept more of the iridescence. I then added more texture with some stamping.

I had been playing with water colours to paint some small water colour flowers so decided to layer one of these with calico and various papers to create the focal image. All in all, I'm quite pleased with the finished page.