The Wood Beyond the World

     Am I allowed the name of a book as a title of a blog post? Well, this one seems appropriate because it was written by William Morris and the subject of this post is a wall hanging I made in the style of or inspired by William Morris.

    The lovely Buttons over at Frilly and Funkie set the challenge and WOW!!! I was amazed by it...I am afraid I had not heard of William Morris before but I loved the examples I saw and the DT creations were amazing as always. I had to do this challenge...First, because I didn't know about this theme I had to do a bit of research on Google, I spent a long time gazing at the wonderful designs and I was ready to start....

    This is going to be quite a picture heavy post as I did a step by step photo record of it and I think that is the best way to see how it was done rather than wade through my ramblings...I will narrate it a bit of course! Make a cuppa! ;o)

     So off we go.....First of all I decided to make a tag (no surprise there!) and I needed to make a background. I found this monochrome patterned paper in my paper stash and, inspired by Button's stamp and paint technique that she used on her DT card, I decided to paint this with Distress inks.

I stuck the paper onto a card tag and covered it with two coats of Gesso (sorry forgot to pick the camera up - but I think you will get the idea! - It was paler than before and had a better surface to paint on)

I chose these Distress Inks

I began to paint but I really didn't like the edges not being distinct...so although it isn't very true to William Morris style (though I did find some dark edged leaf images) I chose to outline the leaves and flowers with black fine liner pen

All the outlines finished...

The finished painted background....I enhanced the shading that was already in the monochrome print by adding darker layers of ink. I thought, at this point, the image was a little too vivid and I wanted a more vintage look for this background....

So I added some Pumice Stone DI all over the tag. I was a bit worried at first that perhaps I had ruined it...You know that thought of "Oh No! what have I done?!" and of course removing the Pumice Stone DI would be impossible....after a while it did start to appeal to me and now I really like the muted antique finish of the background

The challenge requirements stated an animal should be included. I don't have many animals in my craft collection...(I don't think I could have got away with a bright pink die cut teddy bear!)
I hunted through my stamps and found the Tim Holtz stamp of a bird on a branch. I stamped it onto white card after wiping the ink very lightly onto the stamp. I didn't want a bright ink image, just a hint of an image so I could paint it with distress inks.

I covered it in a thick layer of gesso to make the image even paler

Then I began to cut around the image with a craft knife

I painted the bird with Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Scattered Straw, Fired Brick and Pine Needles DI's. Yes, I used a bit of artistic license here in the birds colouring! The branch was covered in Walnut Stain DI but I found the ink faded too much so I used French Roast Fresco paint instead

I wanted the bird to 'stand out' somehow and I considered various options before deciding to use a thick covering of Crackle Glaze. When it was dry I dabbed Walnut Stain ink over the crackles before wiping away to leave the cracks highlighted.

I put the bird onto the tag background...(No photo - I was sitting there trying to figure out what to do!).........hmmm.........This won't work....The bird (as sweet as it is) didn't look very good perched onto a tag....

I had some die cut card frames...Perhaps I can use that. I knew I didn't want to use the card though and I suddenly caught sight of the balsa wood collection perched on the top shelf.

I got a piece and drew around the die cut and began to cut out the frame.

The tag was no longer a tag....I was making a frame

I didn't want the frame to be this natural colour. I knew a dark wood colour was best because I wanted this creation to look like an antique. Although I do have wood stains I was reluctant to use them (because of the lace decoration to be mentioned in a moment...) I needed the colour of the frame to be a Distress ink colour so that it matches the decoration- I chose Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain blended together over the frame.

I cut the tag down to the right size and glued the two parts of the frame together.

I cut some lace die cuts to the size needed and dabbed them with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain DI's 

I stuck them to the edges of the frame - I wanted them to blend into the frame and instead of looking like lace they hopefully look like a wood effect decoration

Now my favourite flowers and leaves time! I dabbed some Peeled Paint DI over some die cut leaves

and a spur of the moment decision - I stamped some script over them very lightly in black archival ink. I blended some Vintage Photo around the edges of the leaves

The leaves were coated in crackle glaze and when they were dry they were dabbed with Forest Moss DI. The flowers were covered in Antique Linen DS and edged with Vintage Photo DI before attaching some of my favourite copper brads to the centres

 Rusty wire looped at the top of the frame was needed so I could hang this frame up. A skewer was used to make the holes in the wood.

I decided to loop the ends together and add some swirls to the ends to hang down from the top of the frame

I wanted the bird to perch on the frame and it needed some support so it didn't dip into the background. I used pieces of balsa wood because it was the exact depth of the frame.

I painted the balsa wood support with the same French Roast Fresco paint, because (I am so fussy about details like this) I wouldn't want any chance of seeing the pale wood...(I know! I am too fussy for my own good at times) The white you can see here is wet glue!

And here is the finished William Morris inspired frame....

I really enjoyed making this and I will hang it up in my art cupboard to remind me of a very happy crafting day. One very good thing to have come from reading about this challenge (and all the subsequent research I had to do because I was unfamiliar with the style of the challenge) is that a crafting obstacle has been removed! I have been wanting to make myself a footstool for ages and I had the tapestry material ready but I couldn't begin because I had no idea what design to have...Now I have finally found the style I want!...now to get sewing ;o)

 Thanks for visiting and if you are still here after that mammoth post thank you for persevering! Hope to see you soon!

I would like to enter this for the following challenges -

Frilly and Funkie - William Morris Style
Country view challenges - Pick and Mix
Stamping Sensations  - The Great Outdoors
Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Swirls
Inspiration Journal  - Add a little P.O.P

Teal Appeal

    Two posts in one day! Well one post is about my blog candy so I won't actually count that! I am going to be busy for a while doing other non-blog art so thought I should post my latest creation now because with my sieve-like brain I am likely to forget!

     Over at Our Creative Corner there was a photo challenge and I couldn't resist. We were being asked to create something that was inspired by the colours and patterns in the photo and also include at least one metal embellishment.

    Of course blues and browns are always my favourite and this had a hint of green as well which I was intrigued by. I looked at my DI's wishing I had the lovely Peacock Feathers ink and then I decided to try Broken China and Pine Needles. I adored the colour combination. Again, not the sort of thing I go for usually but that is what I am really enjoying at the moment - Using colours I wouldn't normally use and trying different things.

    I got a white card tag and began blending Broken China, Pine Needles and Vintage Photo over it. I certainly wanted to capture the colours in the photo....I was also thinking about incorporating some flowers due to the pattern of the candle holder. To decorate the tag background I got some copper ink and stamped some script across it then began darkening the edges of the tag with more Vintage Photo.

    I got two more pieces of white card and one I covered totally in Vintage Photo and the other I used wrinkle free distress....I swirled Broken China and Pine Needles DI and Tarnished Brass DS on the mat and spritzed them with some blue glimmer mist and some water. I swirled the card in this and dried followed by dabbing in the ink until I liked the effect. Once this was dry I stamped some scroll shapes in copper ink in the corners.

I got some die cut flowers and blended a mix of Broken China, Pine Needles and Vintage Photo on them and then stamped some script in copper ink. I attached a copper metal brad in the centre of each one and glued them on the tag

I always adore the hearts and wings that Trace from Inkypinkycraft uses....and sorry Trace but I couldn't help but borrow your signature style again ;o) I got two wings that had been embossed and covered them with Broken China and Pine Needles DI and then blended some Vintage Photo into the outside edge. I got a twig heart and attached that in front of the wings with a rose that had been spritzed with blue glimmer spray and dabbed with pine needles ink.

 A copper eyelet was attached to the top of the tag and some seam binding was attached to it.

 

 

So there is my Teal Tag! So glad you were here to read about it and I hope you come back soon! There could well be some more bright colours to follow!

 I would like to enter this in the following challenges -

Our Creative Corner - Photo Inspiration
Artistic Stamper  - Tags
Tando Creative Challenges  - Flowers
Top Tip Tuesday - Up, Up and Away

Spring is sprung

   Hello everyone! Welcome to my new followers - So glad you are here....Only one more to go till I reach the magical '50'! Magical to me that it is - When I first began blogging my dream number of followers was 50 (I sure know how to 'think BIG'!) To me the number 50 seemed so far off and hard to reach it yet seemed like a perfect target and I can't believe I am nearly there!....

     My project for today has been inspired by two challenges...The first is Vintage Stamping Challenges which wanted 'Spring is in the air' creations...My first thought was, of course, flowers. If someone needs a trademark style I guess they are becoming mine!

    The second inspiration was over at Eclectic Paperie which is to create something using fabric. The demo I saw was by Micki Harper who is just so fantastic at mixed media - she is such an inspiration to me. So I wanted a bit of a mixed media feel to this project and having done a few canvases recently I was looking for something else to work on - and fabric seemed perfect.

     So I began to think about using fabric paints. I own some Pebeo paints and I have had them for years. I used to do a lot of fabric painting, but haven't done much in the last few years with the exception of the two t-shirts my children pleaded to have last summer...My son wanted a Scooby Doo T-shirt and he chose a picture from his favourite Scooby Doo book. My daughter is a Moshi Monsters fan so picked her favourite character - They have two very unique articles of clothing!

 






















I have done many fabric paintings in the past - My mother-in-law has several of them!

     I have some lovely cotton bags that were very kindly sent to me by my Mother-in-law's wonderful best friend. I have been told that she does read our family's blogs regularly and if she does peek in and read this I really hope that she will like this transformation of one of those bags.

      I have done Servietten technique on fabric as it is one of my favourite things to decorate with serviettes. However I have never mixed the two together - and dare I try some stamping too? That would be fun! It did occur to me to perhaps add in some buttons and some stitched elements but I think I will leave that for another time ;o)

     Here is a peek at the finished bag - A spring decorated bag! Normally I photograph things indoors but there was no way the picture was going to be lit well enough...so outdoors into the freezing, yet sunny day and here is the 'Spring' bag - pictured in very wintery temperatures!

    I got the fabric paints and watered them down, adding some white so it was a paler colour and dabbed and blended to create a hazy background. I normally wait for the paints to dry by themselves but this time I was impatient, so I blasted it with the heat gun.

    When the background was dry I got the antiquities stencil and dabbed Frayed Burlap DI over parts of the bag....I didn't really consider the machine washing resistance of the ink - I just wanted that exact colour!

    Then I used a script stamp and began to stamp with Frayed Burlap ink over parts of the bag...carefully drying with the heat gun each time to prevent smudging.

Then I applied some pale green fabric paint over a flower background stamp and randomly dabbed some of it over parts of the images.

    Now all of the background elements were done and the flowers needed to be added. I chose Rose and Daisy serviettes and got the fabric serviette glue. I cut out various roses and daisies and arranged them on the bag and then glued them down.

The daisies of course were practically invisible as they were white and didn't show up against the colour background. Because I didn't want invisible daisies I brushed the petals with some very watered down white fabric paint - I didn't want any of the flowers to be totally opaque....I wanted some of them to blend in with the background and also be able to see a hint of the background detail through them. I was trying to get the effect of some of the flowers almost merging into the background and also for there to be some contrasting elements of a more opaque colour.

    When it was all done I painted some swirls with green and white fabric paint and I also very gently stamped some white fabric paint on the floral background stamp, just rolling it over various parts of the image so that there was a layering of effects....

....My first ever mixed media bag!  That was so much fun - I want to make more!

       Thanks so much for being here to have a peek - Hope you will come back again to see what I make next time.......

    I am entering this into the following challenges -

Vintage Stamping Challenges - Spring is in the air
Eclectic Paperie - Get Altered - Fabric
Artistic Inspirations  - Flowers
Simon Says Stamp - Chic to be Shabby
Country view challenges  - Pick and Mix

Style is Eternal

   Happy Wednesday to everyone...I haven't posted in about a week and that was mainly due to no ideas at all and a need to take a tiny break...Have been trying to catch up with some blog posts today and I also managed to do a tag! So lets have a peek!.......

   At Our Creative Corner there is a photo inspiration challenge...I adore this photo as it is just what I love - pastel vintage shabby chic....The requirements were to use the photo as inspiration and use fabric flowers and a crown...I had to have a go

  Strangely...my tag didn't turn out to be pale...I did try! I used mainly Tattered Rose DI which is very pale but all of a sudden I was using Weathered Wood and Vintage Photo and it got darker and darker...I was just trying to see where the inspiration took me and ....well, this is where I ended up!

    I used Tattered Rose and Weathered Wood distress stains all over the tag then sprayed with pearl glimmer mist and allowed the colours to run. I dried it with the heat gun then stamped script in Vintage photo randomly on the tag then I dabbed some weathered wood over a text stencil.

      I then was blending Tattered Rose, Weathered Wood and Vintage Photo all over and it got too dark, so I spritzed it all with water and dabbed dry with tissue. It gave it a very shabby vintage look and was a bit paler. I really liked the effect, especially now the text was now less vibrant and appeared to be blended in to the background

    I used some Weathered Wood stain on the central rectangle and stamped a border frame in weathered wood DI.

I don't have a mannequin die cut so I drew it by hand, cut it out, stained it with Antique Linen DS and stamped over it with Vintage Photo DI. I then used some Weathered Wood ink - watered down and spritzed onto the mannequin. I stamped a crown image and then painted it with Tarnished Brass DS..I couldn't resist placing it at an angle!

    I blended some Vintage Photo DI over some cut out flourishes and a fabric peach rose and I added these to the tag. I then cut out a cotton reel shape and two buttons out of card...covered with inks and tied up with embroidery thread.

    I was obviously inspired by the mannequin...and of course that led me to thinking about fashion. Then I remembered a quote, I believe from Yves Saint Laurent, who said "Fashion fades, style is eternal" I stamped the quote using an alphabet stamp onto tissue paper and then stuck it onto card covered in Tattered Rose DS.

   A piece of lace was stained with Tattered Rose and placed on the tag. A piece of ribbon was stained with Vintage Photo ink to compliment the browns already in the tag.

     A larger fabric rose was spritzed with Weathered Wood ink that was watered down and had a lovely pearl glimmer to it - sadly the photo just can't capture that kind of effect very well...

    So there it is...my photo inspired tag that really looks nothing like the photo....I was glad though that I just let myself create the tag without trying to be too strict about exact colours, because I really like this tag and I had so much fun making it. I knew I wanted to use Weathered Wood and Tattered Rose..and I definitely wanted some pastel elements in there. It was strange as I was making it to suddenly really want to bring browns into it. And of course I couldn't help but choose my latest favourite...how I managed without Vintage Photo for the last few months I will never know!

         Thanks for being here to see my latest creation - Hope to see you again soon!

                           
I am entering this tag into the following challenges -

Our Creative Corner  - Shabby Chic Inspiration
The Artistic Stamper  - Tags
Country view challenges  - Pick and Mix