Rust No.3

Hi everyone!

Welcome to the 3rd rust creation! 

I think this is my favourite one (though it didn't start off like that!)  

At first I thought I had made a HUGE error - to be honest the colour wash I chose looked like a massive mistake - it looked too bright and I wasn't keen at all....but the Quinacridone Gold can make anything look beautiful!

      I covered it with embossed card and after the Paynes grey/white acrylic coat was dry I covered it with a wash of Decoart Media Cobalt Turquoise Hue....At this point I considered throwing it away! But I was determined to see it through and see what all of the colour washes looked like as finished rust effects. This was then painted with Quinacridone Gold - concentrated more on the patches of texture paste and dry brushed everywhere else. The edges were shaded with Paynes Grey

And this is what it looks like now....

This was a super simple one to finish...It was already in the form of a decorative frame with the embossing and the triple frames cut out so it didn't really need much added. I stuck some dictionary paper onto card and die cut leaf shapes

I then dabbed each leaf with Evergreen Bough DI before darkening the edges a little with Walnut Stain DI. I added a chit chat sticker to each leaf which had been dabbed with some Ground Espresso DI. The background was from the Prima Cartographer paper set...

I added some ornate metal corners which had been covered with Decoart Iced Espresso Metallic Lustre.

And there is the finished frame! Hope you like it...

The next one will be this frame...Hope you will come back to see what it became...

Thanks so much for being here!

Happy Crafting!

Laura 

xxx

The age of Gentlemen

Hi everyone,

 Over at Sandee and amelies Steampunk Challenges today there is the new challenge...

Top Hats and Moustaches

This is a tag that I thought would end up in the bin...

You know how it is - what seemed like a good idea suddenly goes downhill? Well I was too stubborn for that and after leaving it alone for a few days I decided I liked it to much to let it go. It might not have gone the way I intended it to go - but that doesn't mean it is wrong!

I started out with a cardboard tag - I wnated a window in it so I got a thick sheet of corrugated card and cut it to the same size of the tag and cut a window out. I then stuck it to the tag and covered it all with text paper (which got lost a bit in the layers of paint - never mind!)

 I began to dab lots of layers of paint...sorry but I have no idea what they were - becuase it got layer after layer and soon even I didn't kow what I was doing!

   Eventually it just ended up a weird green and I left it alone.....

  Some crackle glaze was applied followed by some white Antiquing cream that was wiped away with a damp cloth. 

 A few days later I came back and stamped the image of the gentlemen from a Paperartsy set using Jet Black Archival ink onto text paper. I cut it out and stuck it onot the tag.

 I stamped some cogs and gears and a script stamp

Classic Treasure Gold was snudged around the edges of the tag

Dictionary paper was added to the window and painted with lime green paint.

The quote that came with the stamp set was added to the window along with a stamped tape measure and cogs and gears

Brass embellishments were added

And there is my 'Top Hats and Moustaches' tag

Even if Steampunk isn't your usual style why not give it a go?
 You might just have a lot of fun doing it!

Remember we don't mind if it is just a hint of Steampunk you want to feature...

   Come and join us at Sandee and amelies Steampunk Challenge....

Happy Crafting!

Laura

 xxxxxxxx 

Things with Wings

Hi everyone! 

 Over at Fashionable Stamping Challenges today we are focusing on...

Things with Wings...

 I had just bought a wonderful dragonfly stamp set when I found out about this challenge - how lucky!!!

    So straight away I went to have a play with inks....

I had also finally managed to get hold of one of my favourite stencils too - so that had to come into the playtime as well...

I dabbed some of my favourite distress inks over the stencil - Mown Lawn, Shaded Lilac, Evergreen Bough and Tumbled Grass. Then I spritzed with water and pressed some white card down on the inky stencil.

I left it to dry and then began to blend some more inks over the card. I used mainly Mown Lawn, Tumbled Glass and Shaded Lilac for this...

Then I stamped some of the dragonfly stamps over the card using Mown Lawn and Tumbled Glass..

 I also went for an archival ink to add a vivid layer of stamping - for this I went for Cornflower Blue.

I diluted some white paint and splattered it over the card - hard to see in this photo, but it is there!-

  

  I edged the card with a little Black Soot DI and stuck it onto a card.

 I swirled some Distress stains onto the craft mat - I used Evergreen Bough, Shabby Shutters and Dusty Concord. I swirled some white card in this and left it to dry. When dry I stamped a picture of a dragonfly in Jet Black Archival ink. 

    I painted the wings with Decoart Turquoise Interference paint (sadly doesn't show up too well in the photo)

    I used sticky pads to raise the dragonfly up off the card.

I used pale green gems for the eyes....

I used a silver tag with the word 'Journey' on it.

  And there is my 'Things with Wings' card....Hope you like it!

I hope you will come over to Fashionable Stamping Challenges to see what the rest of the team has made to inspire you!

Remember we are a stamping challenge so please feature a stamped focal image on your creation.

You could be the winner of $20 to spend at Flonzcraft Stamps! And of course you could be picked as one of our Catwalk Spotlights!

Hope to see you there!

Happy Crafting!

Laura 

xxx

Collage Creation

Hi everyone,

    As you may have seen I started to experiment with a photo collage style canvas...I am just having a play around with some techniques and, although I am so far from mastering this style, I am enjoying playing around with it...

I began with a 1920's style photo that I printed up and after deciding where it would be placed (and drawing a guideline around it, I began to ink and spray, use stencils and paints etc to decorate it..

I did some Distress Stain splats with Peeled Paint and Evergreen Bough...I blotted the ink with tissue afterwards as I wanted the colours for this to be quite muted.

 Then I decided to add some spritzing of Dylusion colours using Dirty Martini and Calypso Teal.

Dot fade stencil was used with Picket Fence DP and Black Soot DI

I then began to use some stamping to add some detail and texture...I used a two different stamps - a script and text and using Jet black Archival ink I dabbed the stamps across the canvas.

I then stamped with Picket Fence DP onto the photograph

I added strips of printed tissue and tissue tape alongside where the photo was placed

A chit chat sticker was used edged with Black Soot DI

I added the photo and then decided to add a large metal flower...I brushed the flower with Gesso and when dry I spritzed it with Dylusion inks before gluing an Art Deco style button into the center.

I added two pearl pins to the flower decoration

Hope you like it!

Happy Crafting

Laura xxx

Splash of Red

Hello everyone!

 At Fashionable Stamping Challenges we are featuring as our challenge....

Black and white with a hint of Red

I loved this challenge more than I thought I would - basically because it was trickier for me than I anticipated (and I do LOVE a challenge!)

I decided it would be best to stick to a CAS creation (as best I could) because the stark shades of black, white and red don't really go with a vintage shabby chic style.

I thought it would be fun to make a frame (LOL!) and I decided to make the picture out of four images...each one with a hint of red in them.

I began with the face...

I stamped a music sheet background and it was then that the quote "If music be the food of love, play on" came into my head...being close to Valentines why not have the word 'love' featured!

So I made the words out of Label Letters and attached them to the piece of card...

The next one was...

I made the background by stamping a damask background stamp by Artistic Stamper in Black Soot DI. The black and white pattern was too stark...so when the stamped pattern was dry I blended more Black Soot DI over the card to create a grey background.

The heart was a Paperartsy die cut that was trimmed and then painted with Fresco Blood Orange paint. When this was dry I covered the heart with Decoart One step crackle and then when the crackle had formed I covered the heart with Decoart Antiquing cream in white. When wiped away it leaves gorgeous white crackle lines.
The continuing part of the quote was added made up with Label Letters


The next one was...

Again this background was done the same as the previous one. The heart was cut out free hand after being painted with Fresco Blood Orange paint and stamped with a music stamp using Jet Black Archival ink.

 The word 'love' was added from Chit Chat stickers and was edged with Black Soot DI and a red enamelled rose was added.

The last square was.......

 This background was a Paperartsy script stamp stamped with Jet Black Archival ink. I then cut a piece of card and painted it with Fresco Blood Orange paint. I stamped over this with Picket Fence DP using an Artistic Stamper background stamp.

    The words 'Play on' were stamped with an alphabet stamp using Jet black Archival ink on white card which was then cut out and stuck onto card that had been heavily inked with Black Soot DI..

    The edges of the red card were dabbed with some Black Soot DI

 I then had to construct the frame - done very basically (as my frames always are) I had plenty of cardboard left over from Christmas and so I cut a huge piece out as a back for the picture. After sticking the four pieces of card on and making sure they were straight and neat, I constructed the frame

The frame was made from balsa wood, four strips were cut and stuck together to form a rectangle. It was then painted with gesso and to stop it looking too plain (I am so not a CAS artist - sorry!) I added some lace. This was then also painted over with Gesso

I would love it if you came over to see what the rest of the team have made to inspire you at Fashionable Stamping Challenges!

Remember we are a stamping challenge so please feature a stamped focal image on your creation.

  

You could be the winner of $20 to spend at Flonzcraft Stamps! And of course you could be picked as one of our Catwalk Spotlights!

Hope to see you there!


Happy Crafting

Laura
xxx