A delicate angel

   Hello again! More experimenting with stencils! This time using the Mini Antiquities which I LOVE...I had to use it on this wooden door hanger.

     I have these wooden door hangers that my Mother-in-law had made for me in the Czech Republic many years ago - She bought me a LOT of them and I have made them into many different items including a very cute Tooth Fairy hanger which has a little pocket for the tooth (saves searching under the pillow and it also means the 'fairy' has somewhere safe to put the £2 - Huh! the exchange rate was 10p when I was little!!!)

     I hadn't decorated any in a while so thought I should have a go at experimenting with my new Fresco paints on wood.

     I started off by applying some paste through the Antiquities stencil and left it to dry. I applied French Roast Fresco paint and then doing my usual crackle glaze followed by Snowflake Fresco paint.

 I wanted to keep the decoration simple so I chose some wings and covered them with crochet lace and painted them with Snowflake Fresco paint and then when dry I blended some Vintage Photo DI to highlight the texture of the lace.

I painted some smaller wings with Antique Linen DP and blended some Vintage Photo DI over them and then stuck them over the lace wings..

     Vintage Photo DI and Mocha Mousse Fresco paint was applied around the edges of the hanger and it was also sanded down to give an antique shabby effect. I love the subtle effect you get from dry brushing these paints....

    Some delicate die cuts were applied after being dabbed with Vintage Photo DI...A grapevine heart was added along with a photo applied to a patterned paper circle and covered in glossy accents to create a pendant effect. A twine bow finished the angelic creation.

           Hope you like this creation - I would love to know what you think of it





I would like to enter this in the following challenges -

Simon Says - Into the woods
Anything but a card  - Dust off your old supplies (wooden hanger)
Make my Monday  - Handmade embellishments (pendant)

The Flying Flower

         Welcome back to Laurart! I have been shopping at PaperArtsy and was spoilt for choice when trying to decide what to buy - I wanted stencils as I felt that was something I had not mastered yet and needed to practice - ( and I bought various Fresco paints, grungeboard letters, archival ink, hanging boards and Treasure Gold - but they are all part of other posts to come!)

   So, my stencilling experiments - I had fun making a nice tag...nothing planned, just sat and played - It was so much fun!

       First I used the chicken wire stencil and applied some paste. When that was dry I chose the three colours that I used for my last project - Scattered Straw, Tumbled Glass and Shabby Shutters. I began to blend them over the card.

        I added further detail using the chicken wire stencil again, but using Peeled Paint.

      I then applied Peeled Paint through the harlequin stencil. And then went around the edges adding some Vintage Photo just to enhance the shading and add some shabby look to it.

     Now to decorate it....I had some flowers left over from another project that were coloured with Weathered Wood and Antique Linen Stain.

       I cut out a butterfly from the Melange tissue paper. I stuck the butterfly onto card and then coloured it with the inks. When it was dry I added some Diamond Stickles glue (I bought this a while ago but hadn't used it yet - I am not really a 'glitter' person - But I really liked it!)

I wanted to capture that gorgeous iridescent sheen that butterfly wings have so I dabbed some clear embossing ink over the wings and that added a dusting of a pale pink iridescent mica powder. I am very new to using Mica Powders - so was unsure if I was doing the right thing - but I think it looked wonderful and gave just the effect I was after.

       And now the quote - Tim Holtz stamp was perfect - It is the little things that make life BIG! I adore that stamp and it was very appropriate for this tag.

    So there it is...fun experimentation and learning how to use stencils. I am going to have fun with my growing collection!

          Thank you so much for being here and taking a look at what I have made - your comments mean so much - I would love to hear what you think of my work! 


                     

       I would like to enter this in the following challenges -

The Artistic Stamper - Words
Inspiration Journal - Favourite Quote

Pots of Fun

       Hello everyone!

            Thanks for being here again to see what I have made. I decided to leave my comfort zone of flowery vintage shabby chic and see what else I could do....The idea came to me after seeing the Simon Says 'Use your Favourite ink' challenge - After making my Bundled Sage frame I thought I would have a go at the opposite! - what inks do I not use very often?

     I think it would be unfair to declare them my least favourite - I think all the colours are amazing otherwise I wouldn't have ended up with an immense collection of Distress inks...They are just the most incredible inks ever...and I want more and more of them!! However, I think we all find that there are ones that we reach for very often and others that just sit hoping for a day to shine....

     My favourites are Bundled Sage, Weathered Wood, Tattered Rose, and Antique Linen. My favourite shading and vintage effect ones are Vintage Photo and Frayed Burlap. My favourite brights are Peeled Paint, Seedless Preserves and Spiced Marmalade.

    So for this project I selected three rarely used inks - Tumbled Glass, Scattered Straw and Shabby Shutters (which I had never used before!) - And here is the finished creation!

    I had a china pot that I had planned to decorate in some way and I began to think of using servietten technique

         I love doing this technique but I wanted to something different with it. I started to think about using DI's on it...how about using one of the plain white layers that I normally cast aside?....how to get patterns though?....Stamp with black archival ink first?.....will that work?...only one way to find out!

     I love experimenting with crafts - with this project a few things did go wrong - but for me that really adds to the joy of it. The thought process of how to work past an error, what did go wrong? How can I get work on that? What would work instead?

    So I got a layer of serviette, and began to stamp various images on it...quite randomly, some text, flourishes, diamonds, pen nibs....I dried each very quickly with a heat gun to minimise the ink bleeding and looking blurred. I then applied the serviette to the china with modpodge and left to dry.

    The black stamping was a bit intense - so I decided to cover with a light coat of gesso to knock it back. I left the quote uncovered though as I wanted that to be more vivid.

  My usual technique is to apply the serviette and then when dry cover it with a coat of mod podge to seal it - but DI's don't cover glue so I applied the inks over the unsealed serviette. You have to change the application method, instead of swirling the blender you have to dab. I applied Scattered Straw first, then Shabby Shutters and then Tumbled Glass - just dabbing random patches of colour and trying to make sure it all blended.

                 The lid of the pot was decorated with a plain serviette and the same inks 

   And to decorate the lid - I chose a variety of dyed ribbons, jewellery bits and pieces and a grapevine heart.

        I think I now have three more favourite DI's! ;o)

   Thanks so much for being here to see what I have made - Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments - I really do appreciate you spending some crafting time with me!



    


I would like to enter this for the following challenges -

Inspiration Journal - Use a favourite quote
The Artistic Stamper - Words
Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Alter it

Journey of Love

  Hello! Thanks so much for being here to take a peek at my latest creation - This one is so very special to me....

    After the 'forgetting a challenge deadline' fiasco the other day, I decided to get this one done quickly! Husband was watching football and because I would rather watch paint dry than do that, I decided to have a go at making something. And I must say this was a JOY to make....I was determined not to let this Frilly and Funkie challenge slip away from me and well, they had me hooked as soon as I saw the title 'A Time for Weddings' I adore weddings and I couldn't resist using my own, which was only last summer, as the inspiration for it.

    My (ooops....I mean 'Our') wedding colours were Sage and Lilac, but the 'Frilly and Funkie' challenge asked for one colour...and with 'Simon Says' asking us to use our 'Favourite most used ink' -  I really had to pick Bundled Sage over the rarely used Milled Lavender....Oh it was hard to choose a colour - but with the 'Frilly and Funkie' challenge firmly in my mind it made it an easier choice! Without that I don't think I could ever have decided!

     
       So lets see what I made - This started out as a plain, unpainted, unvarnished light wood frame that has been sitting waiting patiently to be decorated for about six years now! I never seemed to find the right project for it - 

       I glued some lace around the frame, painted it with Gesso. I then painted around the edges with Taupe Acrylic paint and then covered with crackle glaze before painting with Picket Fence DP.

     I painted over the lace with the Picket Fence DP and then blended some Frayed Burlap DI over it before dry brushing with white acrylic paint .

      Although I do have many pattered paper backgrounds that would have been lovely used here - I decided I would make the backgrounds myself using white card. I stamped several flourishes with clear embossing ink, covered in clear embossing powder and then used the heat gun. After that I went over the clear flourishes with Bundled Sage DI. I did the same for the layered card that I attached the photo to, along with a white piece of card with Bundled Sage DP stamped onto the edges.

      Strips of card had Bundled Sage DI blended on them and then Picket Fence DP stamped on with a script stamp, this was mirrored in the background where I used the script stamp but stamped with Vintage Photo DI. Peeled Paint DI was used with a flourish stamp to add a darker green for contrast.

     I then constructed the picture, layering the card, adding a metal quote and a heart shaped stamp made with Bundled Sage DP and layered with a grapevine heart.

       A metal tag was covered in Bundled Sage and Picket Fence DP and the month of August calendar from Tissue Tape (we got married in August) attached with a white heart brad.

       Cream roses, frayed material, sage ribbon (from our wedding decorations) pearl pins and pearl decorations and delicate white diecut flowers edged in Vintage Photo DI completed this creation....it really brings back beautiful memories of a wonderful day....

         So there it is! A wedding day creation! I do thank you for being here to see it and would love to know what you thought of it - I hope you like it!

     And just to add a further sentimental touch to this post I would like to share with you our wedding song - Music is so very important to us and was a huge part of the wedding -Hope you like it!

I would like to enter this in the following challenges -

Frilly and Funkie - A Time for Weddings
Vintage Stamping Challenges - Pearls and Lace (touch of elegance)
The Artistic Stamper - Words
Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Alter it
Simon Says  - Favourite Ink

Memories are made of this

 Hello everyone!

         I am so sorry I haven't been able to comment on people's blogs lately....Hopefully I will find time to catch up and visit you all soon. I am afraid my attention has been focused on my challenge blog Our Creative Corner which at the time of writing this has 507 entries! That is a LOT of commenting for me to do! I am determined to view and comment on each - it is wonderful seeing so much wonderful talent - If you haven't entered yet...why not do it?! It is 'Anything Goes' so get over there and show us your creations and you could be our Top Talent!

        So on with what I have made....There haven't been many posts from me lately, it has taken me much longer than normal to make this creation and several days to write up this post and because it has taken me so long I totally got the deadlines wrong! I had made it for the Frilly and Funkie challenge 'There's no time to waste'....and I totally forget the deadline...I am so grateful for the lovely challenge idea and where it eventually led me.

        On Simon Says they were running a challenge to use 6 x 6 papers....Well, I had a pack that were perfect for my ideas for the 'There's no time to waste' challenge....Luckily, I will make the Simon Says deadline...I really think I need a diary ;o) !!!!

         I wanted to make a mini album...I really love making albums from scratch - when I was first doing scrap booking I did buy some ready made albums, but I soon realised how easy it is to make your own. For this album I was focusing on 'Time' and thinking about my children growing up and how fast it is that they grow.

         I have been keeping a book where I write all the funny things they have said and the date they were said....so that in the future they (and anyone else) can look back on them and (hopefully) laugh! From their first words - and I am still writing in it now....I decided to make an album that featured some photos showing how they are changing alongside some funny little quotes from them....

         I constructed a simple book from card...making an accordion style hinge and covering each page with Melissa Frances 5th Avenue papers - Which are just so gorgeous!

        

For the cover I had a page that was quite plain, so I stamped some clocks, a quote and some words in Frayed Burlap DI...I didn't mask the stamps as you can see, because I wanted the effect to be more rustic and overlapped....

    To decorate the front of the album I used a die cut flourish covered in Frayed Burlap DI, a mini tag with the word 'TIME' stamped on it and faux stitching around the sides. A gorgeous metal flower which was a lovely gift from a wonderful crafting friend, centred with a heart brad that had been painted with Weathered Wood DP and smudged with Frayed Burlap ink. A stamped clock face with glossy accents to add a glass effect was added, before the whole thing was up with string.

  ........and a grapevine heart and key was added to hang down from the album


   For the pages inside the album I chose various Melissa Frances 5th Avenue papers...some are plainer than others so I chose some stamps to decorate the plainer pages. I inked around the edges with Frayed Burlap DI to add a vintage shabby look and added some quotes from my children....

       Thanks for taking a peek at this mini album! And thank you for being here despite my absence - I will be back doing the rounds and being nosey very soon!

           

        I would like to enter this in the following challenge -

Simon Says - A little paper
Fashionable Stamping Challenges  - Anything Goes
The Artistic Stamper  - Words
Inspiration Journal - Add a favourite quote - My childrens's quotes are my favourite of course - but a close second is the 'Live in the moment...' quote that I used in the album.