Got the blues

      Got the blues? - I haven't!

    I am a guest designer for Country View Crafts again this month after my Creative Collage got picked as one of their Top 3 last month! I was so happy to be asked to design for them again and really pleased when I heard the challenge was 'Die cuts' - Almost an 'Anything Goes'! - I could make anything I wanted as long as it featured die cuts - well, within reason! ;o)...

      I wanted to make a frame. While I was cutting a frame from balsa wood I thought "I have never made a triptych before" - I had seen them many times in blogland and really loved them. Perhaps it was time to make one myself? I cut out the three frames and chose two gorgeous printed photos. I decided to have a quote for the centre frame.

      I wanted the die cuts to look like they were part of the frame, not that they had been just stuck on. So I decided to do the technique of layering coloured paint with black and white dry brushed acrylic to make them meld in with the background but also POP!

     This creation is inspired by Wedgwood pottery which I have always loved. So I started by selecting various die cut flowers and attaching them to the frames along with some crochet lace. I also selected some buttons, metal charms and a wooden die cut key and safety pin.

  
















I applied some French Roast Fresco paint to the top of the frames followed by some crackle glaze. Then I applied some pale blue acrylic paint and watched as the crackles appeared.

     I then covered the frames with a layer of pale blue paint. I carefully made sure that none of the petals had become stuck to the frame as obviously the card will tend to do when wet. When the paint was dry the petals became tougher and less likely to be stuck down with each paint application. I followed this with dry brushing French Roast Fresco paint and then applying white acrylic paint. I then sprayed some Weathered Wood glimmer mist spray (homemade) and repeated this process twice more, finishing off with a final light brushing of white paint.

    I chose some ivory script print paper for the backgrounds in the frames - this was edged with a my favourite vintage colour Frayed Burlap DI. The quote was from a Tim Holtz stamp set and is one of my favourites to use.

    The frames were tied together with ivory hemp string.

       To really bring in a Wedgwood style and make further use of die cuts, I cut a die cut segment and attached it to the top of each frame before painting on a heavy layer of Antique Linen DP. I find that just dabbing it on doesn't give a heavy enough cover sometimes, so when I need a very heavy coverage I use a heavily loaded fine brush and just run the very thin paint over the area. The chalky finish of the paint gave an almost porcelain effect to the die cuts and really looked gorgeous.

       So there is my 'Vintage Wedgwood inspired porcelain effect triptych' - I hope you like it! - I would love to hear what you think! Why not hop over to Country View Crafts   and have a peek at the other inspiring creations over there - and join in the challenge as well. There is still plenty of time to get your creation entered in the challenge - What will you create with the always versatile die cuts?

         See you soon!

I would like to enter this in the following challenge -

Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Show us a new style/ Show us something new - This isn't a new style for me but I had never made a triptych before.