So Serene

Hello everyone!

      We are back with another challenge at Our Creative Corner and Linda is hosting for us with a scraps challenge!

    All of this creation is made from scraps - well, except for the substrate! I couldn't resist buying a lot of Paperartsy substrates at Ally Pally last month and had to use one for this challenge!

     I have been visiting a lot of blog posts this month looking for some inspiration. Jenny, one of my wonderful team at OCC, was demonstrating using Distress Paints and I must admit I was totally ashamed when she mentioned mopping up the leftover ink/paint and using it for later projects. I am afraid I never do this...I just wipe the leftover paints and inks away with a cloth. I always knew that people mopped up leftover inks to use later, but I just imagined I would have masses of painted, inked card and never use it. Anyway, the next time I was playing with some Distress paints (Frayed Burlap, Peacock Feathers and Picket Fence) Jenny's blog post came to mind again and I used two pieces of card to mop up the paint. I wondered what on earth I was doing at that moment, because I didn't like the effect of the paint on the card and I thought "Well, that's one for the scrap box, never to be seen again".....How wrong I was!

     When I sat down to do this creation I thought of using Turquiose and Brown - a favourite combo of mine and I had already hunted through the scrap box and found several cream and turquoise decorations. Then I caught sight of the pieces of card with the DP smooshed all over. I really hadn't liked them when I did them, but now that they were dried they looked a lot better...a background already made! Love it!

    Out came some of my favourite Artistic Outpost - A frame from 'Chalk it up'. Some ivy from 'Hayride'. A quote from 'Serenity' and a picture of a mill from 'Old Grist Mill'

    I had the two pieces of background painted card and I stamped the mill stamp onto one with Potting Soil Archival ink.

The frame was stamped onto the other piece of card with Potting Soil and Cornflower Blue Archival ink. I cut out the frame and stuck it onto the picture of the mill.

I then applied crackle glaze to the frame and when dry covered it with Decoart Media Antiquing Cream - I LOVE this!!!! You apply a coat over anything you want and when dry you use a damp cloth to remove as much as you like. It is great for crackle to highlight the cracks and I find it works much better than using ink or acrylic paint. I love that it isn't permanent until varnished, so it gives you so much more control. This is on my favourites list already!!! The crackle glaze adds a little bit of dimension to the frame as well as that gorgeous aged look.

  In the center of the frame there was enough card left over to stamp a sentiment and I chose one from the 'Serenity' set. I stamped this in Potting Soil archival ink

The edges of the quote were sanded with a sanding block bought from Paperartsy at Ally Pally. My sister-in-law Alison recommended them to me. I had always used sandpaper or the edge of scissors to distress the edges of card, but this gave a much nicer subtle distressed edge.


   The substrate was painted with Chocolate pudding Fresco paint and then covered in crackle glaze and left to dry. I used Chalky Finish Americana Decor paint in Lace - I love this too! These Decoart products were bought at Ally Pally (along with liquid glass) and I am so impressed...the crackle glaze works really well with this paint! and the matte chalk finish is gorgeous!

     When the paint was dry and cracked I stamped all over the substrate randomly with an ivy stamp from 'Hayride', this came out a little dark so I dabbed diluted Lace Decoart paint over the top to tone the colour down a little.

The edges of the substrate were dabbed with Gathered Twigs and Peacock Feathers DI.

  

   

   I do use a lot of flowers in my creations, especially roses and I usually make up more than I need, so there are always a few in the scraps box. The Tando swirl was painted in Nougat Fresco paint but never made it onto the final project that I had intended it for. At last it found a home, dabbed with Gathered Twigs and Peacock Feathers DI, it fitted perfectly.

   

I hope that you will go raiding the scrap collection and make something for us this month! Our sponsor this month is Crafty Individuals and they have donated a gorgeous prize for one lucky randomly picked prize winner this month - It could be you!
     
   There will also be a winner and Top Three too....So many ways to win! But you have to be in it to win it! Hope to see you there!