String Flowers

  Hello there!

      Hope you are sitting comfortably - Get a cuppa because here is a very picture heavy post! Today I am showing you a step-by-step. I don't usually do this as I find crafting so absorbing of my attention that I forget to pick up the camera and several stages get missed out - which makes a step-by-step pointless.....Today I can however share one where I did manage to stay focused on the camera....(well for the majority of it at least!)

     
      So here we go!......I loved adding the string swirls to the 'Hearts are for Loving' creation so wanted to re-visit that technique in more detail. I began with ...........

.........A pencil, piece of wood, hemp string and Mod Podge or PVA glue

 Draw any design you like! I chose flowers and tried to keep the images as simple as possible here. The more intricate the design the harder it is to attach the string......

                          

Apply the glue to the area you are working on. Try to keep it to small areas to give yourself time to work before the glue dries.

It is much easier to work in small sections rather than coping with long lengths of string.....

          All done and waiting to be completely dry........

..........One good thing is that the design isn't set in stone here...No one will know what is underneath when it is finished. As you can see here I have made several changes to the original design......Notice one flower (the most difficult part) - got changed into an easy swirl!!!

     The most important thing about this is to take your time - I actually really love spending time on intricate things like this and where attention to detail is required I usually have the patience of a saint! BUT...here I will admit to using some very naughty words and walking away counting to ten! I swear sometimes it was almost as if the string was having a tantrum "Nope! I am not sticking to this glue and there is NOTHING you can do to make me!"

Tip - Tweezers and toothpick are handy tools for getting the string to behave itself stay in place

Painting time!

 I covered the board with a layer of Snowflake Fresco paint which gives a lovely chalky finish...

         All done....now what next?

  Melange Tissue wrap.....covered with watered down Snowflake Fresco paint.....whoops!......nearly forgot to pick up the camera!

I chose my newest Fresco Paints....

    .........and I dabbed the paints all over the right side of the hanging, blending with a sponge....

I dry brushed some Chocolate Pudding Fresco Paint to add some definition

Then I dry brushed some Snowflake Fresco Paint to add highlights and a bit of a vintage shabby effect

      I rubbed on some Treasure Gold in White Fire to highlight the flowers and the edges.....Hmmm....seems I am gradually losing the gorgeous tissue wrap on here - This often happens, you get an idea and then it evolves and sometimes things get cast aside. I was sorry that I got to carried away with painting :o(

      I am always like this with dry brushing - I can't stop! I add layer after layer and usually go around in circles adding dark and then light before repeating it again...and again!

     

After a bit more paint I felt that the two sides needed balancing - so I selected a flourish stamp and stamped in Coffee Archival ink down the left side......

       When it came to finally decorating this I totally forgot about the camera!!!......

    Never mind - Here is the finished creation....

            I painted some card with Stone Fresco Paint and stamped the quote with an alphabet stamp using coffee Archival ink. A few strands of twine were tied into bows and added. the green bow is remnants from bridesmaid cress alterations from my wedding last year. I used some more twine wrapped around rusty wire to be able to hang this up.

        Thanks for wading through this post! Hope you liked it!

             See you soon!

     

Faded Flowers

Hello everyone!

        Today I bring you my first ever DT post!!!

      I NEVER thought that would ever happen! I have always thought that I couldn't possibly fit DT work into my craft life - and well, here I am hoping to squeeze it in and not notice getting squashed!

         Over at Our Creative Corner we are running the challenge 'Anything Goes' - I chose this because I wanted the first challenge to be one with no limits (except for the standard rules!)...We want to see anything and everything!


         I hadn't made a tag in a while so thought I would go back to one of my favourite things to make. I was very nervous about it being a DT piece so thought I would stay in my comfort zone....frilly, flowery, vintage shabby....everything I love!

        I cut out a tag and covered it with patterned pastel paper. I blended around the edges of the tag with Frayed Burlap DI to give it a vintage dusty look. Beige crocheted lace was applied to one side of the tag and then I went to work collecting flowers and bits and pieces to decorate the tag

    I stamped some script onto a torn piece of paper that had been covered in Antique Linen Stain and edged with Frayed Burlap DI..curled the edges slightly and attached to the tag with a flower made from die cuts....inked leaves and sheer ribbon were added

    I chose a small peach rose and dabbed it lightly with Frayed Burlap DI...another larger white rose was sprayed with homemade distress ink glimmer spray - made with Bundled Sage ink. This was placed on top of a patterned flower that had been dabbed with Frayed Burlap DI

     

        A printed out vintage style label that said  'Home Sweet Home' was added, secured with two pearl pins

      The Tim Holtz stamp quote seemed perfect for our Anything Goes challenge! A twine bow completed the tag......and we have a Faded Flowers tag!

Hope this inspires you! - Come and join in the 'Anything Goes' challenge that starts today over at Our Creative Corner - We would love to see you there!

The heart has its reasons......

   Hello everyone! Here is a Valentines offering today...I started this blog in November and I have been desperate to get to Valentines - Roses, hearts , lace (and hint to husband - Chocolates!!!!) In fact I was looking forward to Valentines so much I made a card about a month ago...sadly my haste meant I had no idea what the challenges would be and the challenges I wanted to enter required hearts....and stupidly I chose my favourite flower - the rose. I know I could have just added a heart somewhere but it really didn't look right with hearts and I didn't want to just add it in to make it fit into a challenge.

    Never mind...I can always make another and this was such a joy to make....

   So time to get into my comfort zone - girly, pretty, flowery, vintage. If none of these appeals to you then look away quickly!

      I was browsing the blogs seeing if there were any rose challenges for this romantic time of year and I visited Our Creative Corner....nope, no roses but they did want a valentines creation and asked that you follow the sketch design. I had never done a sketch challenge before and was intrigued...I would give it a go.

         Here is the challenge sketch.....

    I won't go into my usual very detailed "how I did it" as it was very much experimenting and juggling - so here is a basic explanation.

    First two sheets of card were wrinkle free distressed. One was brown and greens (Gathered Twigs, Pumice stone and Bundled Sage DI's) and one was pink and beige (Victorian Velvet and Antique Linen DI's). I then cut out squares and hearts from both sheets of card, dabbed the edges with Pumice Stone DI and stamped some of them with a script stamp.

    Then I cut some various sized cream card, dabbed some Antique Linen DI and stamped various things over them - flourish, lace, script and flowers. Now I had a mass of different coloured squares and hearts. I began to play, switching the combinations around, adding and taking away, deciding and then changing my mind!

  The background of the card was a very pretty script paper. I blended some Antique Linen DI around the edge.











 I chose sage ribbon and added it to two of the squares as specified in the sketch, one going over the square and one under to add variety.. I selected several metal embellishments, made a flower with a metal brad centre, made a scroll, chose a word from an embossed sheet of valentines words.






 

Everything was dabbed with Antique Linen and Pumice Stone DI to give it a vintage look. I arranged it all on the card and decided it needed a lace effect so the lace die-cut was used.

 















 

And so there is my first ever 'sketch inspired' design!  Bit too girly to give to my husband maybe? ;o)

    I hope you like it. Thanks so much for being here and as always I would love to hear your comments - They mean a lot to me

   I am entering this for the following challenges -

Our Creative Corner - Make mine mushy
Try it on Tuesday - Get Ready to Celebrate Valentines Day (include at least one heart)
The Artistic Stamper - Hearts and Flowers
Simon says stamps challenge  - Have a heart