Bleeding Art - A GDT spot

Hi everyone, 
I had some amazing news last month, my Halloween tags won me a GDT spot on the amazing mixed media challenge blog, Bleeding Art.  Picture the little happy jig I was doing.  Off went the email to the very talented Cathy Frailey to accept and back came the brief. "Shiny and Sparkly". Oh my!

I had a few loose ideas come and quickly go again. Those that know me, know that this kind of crafting doesn't come easily to me. I am happiest getting dark and grungy but I have been getting some practice in lately with the feminine look. With a daughter who is a true girly girl and granddaughter following in her mum's footsteps, I have had to take into account their tastes when making for them. 

The project for Bleeding Art that I finally decided on was a shrine/wedding arch for my daughter's wedding next year. 
Without giving too much away, this matches her colour scheme and the vibe she's aiming for.

I used a Tando Creative arch substrate that I was able to acquire at a recent "Ministry of Mixology" weekend. This particular kit is not in the shop yet but there're plenty more to choose from. It has been painted using Decoart media line and chalk paints/mediums to give a weathered look finished off with a clear wax to seal and for a bit of a sheen. 

Added lace and pearls from stash. The floor covered with hessian.

Threaded battery operated lights through the lattice for added shine and sparkle.

The bride and groom have been painted cream with a lustre medium added then a glitter medium through 2 different stencils. The little plinth the bride and groom are standing on was made from greyboard covered with paper then added the same lace, some ribbon and pearls to finish. Some little "diamond stars" stuck to the back. 

As I have had to keep this a secret, for obvious reasons, my daughter hasn't even seen this yet. I hope she approves.

A big "Thank You" to the ladies of Bleeding Art for allowing me to join them this month as a guest DT member. Looking forward to seeing everyone's entries into this month's challenge of  "Shiny and Sparkly"

I'd like to enter this into the challenge at
More Mixed Media Challenges - Anything Goes 

A Inky Mess - November

Sorry for being tardy on this - I was away from home and forgot to schedule - my bad

It's my piece made for the November challenge for "A Inky Mess" Challenge blog.

A small canvas using stamps and stencils from France Papillon. The Horses are from the "1800" stamp set, coloured with Caran D'Ache pencils.  The stencils are a mixture of her newest ones.

The words also are from France - "How Shall I Put It"

There are various paints and mediums used - all Decoart mostly from the media range including some interference paints.
The wooden stand is from stash

Please come along and show us your mixed media makes over at the Challenge blog and don't forget to leave my gorgeous teamies some love

I'd like to enter this into the challenge over at
Bleeding Art - Anything mixed media

October "A Inky Mess"

Good morning everyone
It's the 25th and that means a new challenge over at "A Inky Mess" challenge blog.
This month we have the wonderful Gecko Galz sponsoring us so you know their prize is going to be fabulous.
For my DT inspiration I have used another substrate from Tando Creative. Not as mini as last month to be sure but this file holder is still only 13cm square.
I started of by using modelling paste through a stencil then painting it. (Decoart paints/mediums)

This is the file holder when closed

and open to show that the decoration carries on to the end

if you look very closely under the rice paper, to the left of that daisy, you might see the magnet that forms the closure on this. 

and the spine

I have used lots of bits and pieces from stash, ranging from some TH ephemera (inked round everything), some glass flat backs, some pearls from a cheap piece of costume jewellery and some micro beads. The gaudy green stone has some twine wrapped round to act as a means of opening the book without damaging the whole thing.

The stamped saying is from Sheena Douglass' butterfly collection, stamped on more rice paper.

It was so much fun making this, even though it's outside that zone of comfort which we all have. I think it does everyone good to explore other areas once in a while and I know it helps my mojo return after it has a little holiday.

Looking forward to seeing everyone's makes in this new challenge 

And Now For Something Completely Different

I have always embraced the theory that crafters need to venture outside that little comfort zone, they create for themselves, once in a while. It helps to expand and grow and, for me, helps to encourage Mr Mojo back where he belongs. This is why, when Katy Leitch from Mixed Up Creative advertised a little Shabby Chic tutorial using a kit available from Artful Days, I jumped right in with both feet. Trepidation can come later.  I really enjoyed the series of videos that Katy made and made my own version of the hanging (of course) but did use many of the techniques, some old and some new.
This is what escaped my craft desk to hang on my wall

To be honest, I have had "a few bits" of similar ephemera in my stash for eons and never really known what to do with them and loathe to throw them away (as most crafters will identify with). I think I will now bring them out of cold storage and start using them.

I Haven't Been Idle

I know that not many projects have made it to my blog in the last few weeks - that's because most of them were gifts and swaps with other crafters and I didn't want to show them publicly until they had been received. Well most have now made their destinations so I feel happy about displaying on my blog.

First up is a tag I made as a swap within a group on facebook called Mixed Up Mixer. A mixed media tag with a Halloween theme.
This was the one I made

A greyboard substrate with paint and inked images layered with more (Tando Creative) greyboard cut into an arch and one of Tando's spider webs and (Tando Creative) brick stencil with (Decoart) modelling paste. Some cobweb fabric under a painted plaster cast skull. A few plastic skull beads to finish

I think the dimension is better appreciated here

My second Halloween themed project is now safely in it's new home

This time a little hanging

The skull was painted at the same time as the previous one, so is a similar colour. This time the greyboard substrate was brayered with paint, colours ranging from dark grey through to white. Then stamped with archival ink using stamps from Andy Skinner, high lighted with white gel pen.  The ornate die cut is one from Tonic's mixed media range cut from greyboard. Painted black then a variety of interference paint colours. Layered with another cut from the same Tonic range again brayered with paint then script stamped. The cobweb diecut to give another element in my scene.

Finished off with some white artstones and some twine to hang the picture with.   

Thanks for looking

  

I'd like to enter the projects as one into the challenge at

Bleeding Art Challenges - Halloween Mixed Media

A Mini Mini Book

Good Morning everyone.
No, I haven't mistyped my heading. This truly is a Mini, mini book, measuring just 6cm square with a 2cm spine. It is my project this month for A Inky Mess as part of their design team that I have been lucky to be chosen to join.

This month we are being sponsored by Luna Girl, a treasure trove of digital vintage ephemera.
I have used "Bring your Wings" and vintage postcards 2 to make this little project.

The substrate is part of the mini book kit from Tando Creative together with a couple of small butterflies and Textures 1 from their thins range. Some decoart modelling paste on the diamond shapes, some small pieces of builders mesh between the butterflies then some decoart paints to colourise the front.  Some art stones adhered with heavy gel medium for a bit more texture. 

The Luna Girl images were adhered back and inside

with the book pages being a mixture of DP and the postcard images, attached with book binding glue to the ribbon covered spine.

A couple of brass charms completed the look. 

Please don't forget to take a look at the gorgeous projects my teamies have made using the gorgeous imagery from Luna Girl then come back to the A Inky Mess blog to enter your project so that we may come visit you.

"A Inky Mess" Tag

Good Morning everyone

I have had a few weeks away and locked myself out of my blog, after all these years, now I can get this post up that I thought was prescheduled, I feel such a dafty.

I am here today with my first project, a tag, as a member of the "A Inky Mess" Design Team.

A fairly simple tag but with lots of layers.
The bottom part was started with some modelling paste through a France Papillon stencil (Rock Formation). When dry, a coat of paint to colour then a wash to bring out the texture. Then a piece of old book paper, again colourised with a wash of paint. Texture paste on the next layer with more paint both neat and as a wash before stamping with archival ink.  The picture frame was given a simple rusty effect with yet more paint then adhered to the picture base that was stamped onto a crackled substrate. A little word over a cambric layer under this. Some rusted wire shaped to form the means of "hanging" the picture with a tiny heart to hang from.

All stamps are from a range designed by France Papillon and made by Chocolate Baroque.
All paints and medium are by Decoart.

Frangifantastic

Morning all

"What a strange title!" do I hear you say? Well it's one of the words on the stamp set "Perfect Words" by France Papillon for Illusionary artists produced by Chocolate Baroque. It so seemed to fit this tag.

The tag itself was started as a challenge to myself - after seeing the challenge set by the Mixed up Magazine blog design team. Bold colour!! Now for those that know me - this isn't something that comes naturally. I prefer to keep to the muted tones of black and brown. Getting out of your comfort zone once in a while has to be good to expand the creativity of anyone. So with this in mind - I started on this tag.

The tag itself is from the "Tagtastic1" and an element from "Flaming hearts" - both produced by Tando Creative.

The heart shape first because I knew I needed curing time. the main heart shape painted red, then crackle paint and then yellow. The heart frame attached and Decoart ultra thick poured into the hole. Leave alone and don't touch. More on this later.

The main tag
A layer of white gesso. The neat greyboard can be painted on directly but would have reduced the brightness of the colours. The using a soft gel medium to increase flow time more and Decoart media fluids I mixed with up a storm on the tag.

Patience - let it dry.

Stenciling and doodling

adding the stamped word matted onto some sheer orange fabric

There's a smaller tag here to mount the heart onto. The flames are orange and coated with a crackle medium 

The wings are made using hot wax into an Artyco Crafts mould. Coated with perfect pearls before Decoart gold interference paint.

Outside of my comfort zone - for sure. Do I like it? Yes I do. Will I come back into this zone again? - for sure - just don't ask when.


I'd like to enter this tag into the challenge at
Make It Mixed Media challenge - Bold Colour

AIW Mini book

Morning all.
I hope you're all enjoying the unseasonable sunshine, I know I am.

Today I'd like to share a little mini album I made for a swap, held in a facebook group I'm part of . The brief for the swap was "no more than 6 inches" but can be any project you can dream up. Tag, ATC, Card, Altered item, Book ..... anything. Well this little book measures 6" x about 4" but it is also quite deep. The recipient has received it now, so I can share.

Many pictures follow so I hope you'll bear with me.
The papers are all from Vectoria Designs from their Alice in Wonderland collection. Other bits and bobs from stash. The bookplate on the spine is from Tando Creative.

Front

Back

Spine

inside cover with page one

you can also see the string on each of the inserts between the main pages for private journaling. this is possible because the base of each page is card folded to form a double open ended sheet. One end is adhered to the spine page holders leaving the other end open.

inside front cover with a concertina file with ribbon/buckle closure

opening page one

opening page one totally to show more tag space

pages two and three. both tri fold pages with tags

following four photos show the pockets and tags and journaling space inside these two pages

all the openings on pages two and three

pages four and five

page four - a double pocket page with tags

page five opened with belly band for more tags etc. this has a magnetic closure

 page six and inside back cover

page six - a waterfall with magnetic closure

tuck pocket under the waterfall

 

 tag inside the back cover pocket

A lot of pictures I know but I am unable to do a video of it so this has to make do.

Thank you for staying with me through this journey

I'd like to submit this mini into the following challenge

the Mini Album Makers challenge

I am a Winner .......... yayyyyyyy

A very good morning/afternoon/evening to you all. Are you all sitting comfortably? This is going to be a loooooooong post.

If you have been following any of my latest projects on this blog, you will have seen that a number of projects were aimed at the Illusionary Artists challenge being staged, The task was, using either France Papillon's or Andy Skinner's stamps in the Chocolate Baroque Illusionary Artists range, create a project (or seven). Link the project into one of several spots and be judged by both artists. The prize was a feature blog post on the respective artists blogs. No mean prize considering the bragging rights this affords as both are amazing professional artists (as well as being lovely people) and I have had the greatest pleasure in meeting them both and taking more than one class in the Ministry of Mixology weekends.

Well I am ecstatic, to say the least. France loved my little mini book featuring Auntie Margo and co and it was this project that secured this fabulous prize for me.

Please click the link above to read more about this project.

So what new projects to feature in this post on France's blog? 

I made a few, trying to feature not only the stamps but also the fabulous stencils designed by France and produced by Tando Creative. The first two projects because I wanted some storage for some of my goodies.
First was a little book case to house the mini books I'd already made. 

Decorated with crackle paste through the "Rockformation" stencil on the outsides before painting and inside paint through the "crackled" stencil on back and shelves and paint through the "torned circle" on the insides and stamped with crackle stamp from "Rock'n Rust" plate.

Next storage for those stencils.....or for the journals that France both encourages, teaches and inspires with the help of her special team of butterflies both on facebook and her blog.

Purely functional with just the moths from the "Creepers and Crawlers" plate. Stamped onto some brusho-coloured watercolour paper and cut out, with a bit of interest inside with heat embossed owls from Stampendous.

The purely functional projects done - some real playtime.

This acrylic tag went in the box of some very special items to France. I must give a shout out to Nikki Killinger for the backwards crackle technique. Such an awesome way to decorate any clear substrate.
On my tag I used the boy from "Auntie Maud & co." and the little hearts and sentiment from the "perfect words" plate. 

Another tag - just because

From the Tando kit "France Papillon Tags and embellishments", and using "Rock formation" and "Rusted rivets" stencils with crackle paint before painting. A dusting of stampendous embossing enamel. The newt was cut out from tissue paper and adhered with matt medium. The moth was stamped into hot glue, cut out and coloured with mica powders. Both stamps on the “creepers and crawlers” plate. The sentiment is from the "Perfect words" plate stamped onto part of the embellishments kit that was painted, treated with one step crackle and then English red oxide antiquing cream applied and wiped back. Rusty wire "holds" it all together with a little help from some 3D glue.

Finally 

as previously mentioned, France is very inspirational in the Art Journaling field as well as Mixed Media. It is because of her that I actually started my very first art journal after all these years of not understanding "WHY". Anyone who has not done any art journaling and is still dithering really needs to go and get stuck in. The “A layer a day, a spread a week” approach is really working for me and I know I'm not alone. I won't bore you here with my spreads done so far but one of the prompts was "Shadow of the morning". This next piece evolved whilst playing with decoart sosoft fabric paint with this prompt in mind.

You can see the "rusted rivets", "circles", "torned circle", "crackle" and "rectangles" stencils all being used before stamps from "Rock'n Rust", "Perfect Words" and Auntie Margot and co" make an appearance. This piece of fabric has been used to cover a 3x3 signature booklet made from A4 envelopes I have, that were bound, coptic style.

the fabric adhered to the envelopes and machine stitched round the outside

I hope you enjoyed looking at these projects almost as much as I enjoyed making them and I thank you for your endurance.

Once again, I want to thank France for not only choosing me as her guest on her blog but for being such a wonderful and inspiring lady.

All the paints/mediums are from Decoart 

(except the brushos and mica powders)

All the stamps, stencils and more can be found in France's shop