As I was teaching my Powertex workshop last weekend, I was also able to make a piece as we went – after all, one of the best ways to learn is to see one, do one… So this was the result of my Stone Art playing. It’s yet another piece that hasn’t made it to a stock list as it’s now taking pride of place in the newly decorated hallway. However, if you’d like a copy, please get in contact 🙂
Christmas for crafters starts soon enough, but for distributors and sample makers, it starts even earlier! This is the first of many I have been working on to be published – and is a little late as well. I blame the drying time… Anyway, enough of that, here’s Kaisercraft’s St Nicholas Collection of papers and stickers, their wooden snowflakes and laser cut tree, and House Shadow Box in a festive assemblage:
It’s a cracking set of double sided papers, some of which are designed to be backgrounds, others are vintage postcards and quotes ideal for cutting up and making into boxes, mounts and individual items for layouts. Others form great backgrounds for shadow boxes. The House itself is 30cm square with the roof on top and is pre-cut MDF which is easy to assemble. Here’s a gallery of close ups:
Other things you might need: Cosmic Shimmer Crystal PVA, Glossy Accents, Walnut Stain/Fired Brick/Peeled Paint Distress Inks to colour edges, Kaisercolor Raw Umber acrylic paint, Cosmic Shimmer Specialist Acrylic Glue, and Cosmic Shimmer Polished Silk Glitters for the tree. Oh, and lots of patience for all the cutting out!
This 12×12″ canvas board plaque demonstrates the versatility of several Cosmic Shimmer products as well as the That Special Touch masks. Built up in layers, this is the perfect cool blue summer home decor piece to showcase your creativity with texture and bling!
For a full photo tutorial, click here.
I’m starting to plan more sessions and workshops in The Studio, and will be trialling a monthly Art Journaling Session from 7:30pm to 10pm on the first Monday evening of each month. It’s a time set aside for you to work on a visual journal, which might be a record of your day, or your experiments in artwork or sketching, a means to express yourself in a private way, or something to show off and share.
I have a number of Stampington Art Journal magazines and art journal reference books for inspiration, as well as a few of my own journals. As a taster, the first session in August will be free (but please still book so I know you’re coming) so that you can chat more about what art journaling is about and what might happen during the session. After that, each session will be £5 to attend, and will include use of some materials as well as refreshments.
Please book via the Workshops page (tab at the top, or click here). And do email or comment below if you have any queries.
I’ve been using the tarmac technique again today, again on a trusty Ikea mirror. This time, I’ve used my Silhouette Cameo to cut shapes and letters from 300gsm card which I’ve stuck down directly to the frame. I kept the waste to use as a stencil later to layer the colours. Both colours are metallic, and much more iridescent in reality than in the picture. Careful masking with the waste layer and touching up with a brush allowed the lettering to be picked out against the main colour. I put an Art Deco style border around the mirror itself just to pick it out a bit more – of course, the viewer will be framed nicely. Add a bit of bitumen, rub back, and the piece is done.
Available to purchase (or order), £25, p&p extra. Please email with your requirements.
It’s a lurve theme over at The Crafting Cafe this month, and the DT got to work with digistamps from the fabulous Bugaboo Stamps. Ava and Deacon’s Love Word was perfect inspiration for this 12×12″ canvas board layout. I coloured the image with ProMarkers and the board with acrylic paints and added my new favourite tarmac technique. For a bit more detail, see my post at The Crafting Cafe.
In the last of the summer seaside theme posts for this month, I’ve made use of the new Pronty MDF crown available via Creative Expressions as the inspiration for my ‘King of the Castle’ project, also featuring their new Singles stamps ‘Treasure Seeker’ and ‘Sandcastle in the Sun’. I’ve used their acrylic inks to colour the images and added bling with polished silk glitters and pearlescent PVAs. It would be ideal to add to a layout or use as a standalone piece.
For a shopping list and full (printable) step-by-step tutorial: click here [PDF].
More bling next week!
I had some ‘me’ time today in between looking after pups, getting ready for tonight’s class and breathing a sigh of relief at meeting another Craftwork Cards sample deadline! I’ve been keen to try out the tarmac technique since coming across it on Karen Clare’s fabulous blog and seeing the stunning results of various Facebook friends who have been to her workshops. It’s amazing how an Ikea mirror, pet food cartons, a bit of acrylic paint and a solid block of tar can be transformed! Unfortunately the photo doesn’t pick up the gleam of the gold metallic paint and Inca Gold which set off the bitumen layer a treat. Definitely a project to be repeated and developed. Loved it!
As I mentioned last week, I’ve been playing with some crackle effect mediums over the past months. Last week I showed you the two-step Craquelure, new from Cosmic Shimmer. This week: Cosmic Shimmer Crackle Glaze. This is a single step crackle medium which you paint over the base colour which forms the crack colour. The top coat is then painted over the top when dry in the opposite direction, and in the colour that will be cracking. Here’s the result when Antique Linen Distress Paint is cracked over Cosmic Shimmer Mulled Wine Matt Chalk Paint.
The master of crafty invention, Tim Holtz (along with his friends at Ranger Ink), has come up with a brand new mini-applicator tool for the ever popular Distress Inks – if you’ve not come across it yet, it’s circular and smaller than his previous rectangular ones. I’m still waiting on my order for the tool, but I had a delivery of the replacement foams…
I came up with a storage dispenser for the foams, but the design was a little flimsy and I wasn’t entirely happy with it. As I was munching through some Cadbury’s mini-eggs (don’t you just love this time of year?) I was pondering the design… and then realised as I was about to chuck the tube away that it might be the solution. A quick check showed it was just the right diameter to take the foams, and a new design was born. Before… and after:
