Welcome to another of my weekly posts for Creative Expressions. We’re still working with the Winter Flowers stamp set and this time I have used it as a centrepiece for a mosaic frame. The frame is made of MDF, covered with card and available as a two piece kit for maximum flexibility. I’ve made the mosaic ’tiles’ from card misted with Cosmic Shimmer Vintage colours. For more making details, read on 🙂
It’s Wednesday and Creative Expressions DT Day for me – the featured stamp set for the month is the fabulous CE Winter Flowers. For this project, I’ve mounted them one of the new Pronty MDF plaques available from CE. For more making details, read on 🙂
A quick 3D layered collage for winter featuring heat proof acetate and embossing glitters – my design team blog post project for WOW! Embossing Powders for their Christmas & Winter challenge theme this month. More details on how I made this are over at their blog.
Some how, in between packing boxes in the studio, completing Day 1 of CC102 and catching up with various admin jobs, I’ve managed to snatch some moments to work on December’s workshop project – a hand made Christmas Art Journal. For more details and to book your place, go to my Workshops Page.
It’s not long to wait before my little corner of the blogosphere captures it’s 250,000th view. I gave you a sneak preview of my giveaway a couple of weeks ago… and here’s the whole thing! I’m giving away an A3 quilt featuring 100% cotton fabric onto which I have hand drawn and shaded tangle patterns that I’ve published on this blog, quilted with cotton/polyester wadding and then hand bound with a black fabric binding. It’s labelled on the back with my name and the fact it’s my seventh quilt.
As mentioned before – all you have to do to win this giveaway is to be the person closest to the 250,000th view that leaves a meaningful comment somewhere on this blog (spam doesn’t count!). All you have to do then (Sandy F. take note – that’s twice now) is respond to the email from me asking for your postage details!
Just a little thank you from me for supporting me over the months and years 🙂
I managed to get through to the second round of the Creative Expressions Design Team Call 2013-14, and the next challenge was to create a project using their ‘Belle of the Ball’ stamp set. This comes as a rubber sheet which needs cutting up and mounting on the foam backing suitable for use with acrylic blocks – some of the images could have done with a little more space round them, but I managed 🙂
The closing date was yesterday, which allows me to share the projects with you – and yes, I did more than one: one to show I can make a card, another to demonstrate I can think outside the box, and a third to demonstrate altered art and making something out of a cheap pound-shop photo frame. The centre canvas one is quite a size, and even the bow is adapted from the dress stamps. The frame one is a 4×6″ aperture, with the centre coloured dress mounted in front of the glass – printed with Versacraft black ink onto white cotton and coloured with ProMarkers.
I’ll share another tip with you – the label that accompanies the rubber stamp sheet laminates well, and the foam covered stamps stick nicely to it and the whole lot still slides nicely into the original packaging. Perfect storage solution 🙂
It’s officially autumn here in the UK, and on cue, the sun has disappeared, the temperature has plummeted and the rain is thrashing down! I’m having a go at getting on the Creative Expressions Design Team, and submitting a last minute entry to their design team call which closes today. As part of the application, I had to create a piece on the theme of ‘autumn’ and spent Wednesday making this piece. It’s in a 50cm square frame and features a 12×12″ alcohol inked glossy background, stamped and heat coloured embossed copper leaves and stamped and outlined lettering. For more making details, read on!
It’s ‘Decadence’ theme over at the WOW! Embossing Powders blog this month (don’t forget to enter your creations for a chance to win six powders of your choice in a handy carry case) and I decided to glam up my envelopes by creating my own faux wax seal. For more details, do pop over to my Design Team blog post and check out my photographic guide.
I had the pleasure of a request to tutor one of our friends’ sons over the summer. Harry is 12, and has joined me in the studio for two hours each week and for his final two sessions we decided to make a statuette of his favourite video game figure – Link from Nintendo’s Ocarina of Time.
This statuette stands just shy of 50cm/19″ tall and had a wire frame, foil and polystyrene structure covered with masking tape to bind it all together before covering with Powertex bronze. The next layer was Powertex soaked fabric before piecing the tunic, cuffs and belt/bandoleer combo. We made the shield from Powertex ‘clay’ and dried it over a jam jar to set the curve. The same clay was used to form the sword and both hands, with the sword supported by a wire centre. The shield was connected by using Powertex to glue to the fist and elbow and a supporting fabric structure in the centre, supported while drying.
Harry preferred to not use the metallic pigments which would have given a more bronze-like feel, and we’re both delighted with the outcome! I’m impressed with the versatility of Powertex and the flexibility of the fabric really lends a sense of moment and dynamism in the final piece.
I’ve just updated my workshops page with two new sessions:
Make Your Own Embellishments – Saturday 5th October (£25)
A day of demonstrations and practical hands-on experience making your own embellishments for card making or scrapbooking: includes tips and tricks for colouring, moulding, shrink plastic, customised ‘metal’ tags, paper and fabric flowers, colour coordination and embellishing die cut lettering. If you have a layout in mind, bring your photos and make your own bespoke embellishments to match.
Painting with Powertex – Saturday 2nd November (£50)
In this session we’ll be using Powertex (a specialist pigmented liquid fabric hardener) as a paint. You’ll explore building up layers and texture on canvas and on a frame, making a complementary air dry clay to create figures or shapes to embellish your piece, and learn techniques to colour your pieces further with powered pigments.
For more details, pictures and to book online, go to my workshops page. Full terms and conditions are also available using the link at the bottom of the same page.
