Art Journaling Session: Shiny Distractions

Posted on 3rd June 2024 by perfectly4med

Today’s Art Journaling Session at the Studio revisited working on aluminium foil. Last time, we used thinned acrylic paints to cover the foil with multilayer colour. This time, we played with alcohol inks. The inks are designed to stick to shiny surfaces and really pop against the reflective metallic background. There are various ways to add depth and texture, take ink off and add other inks on to make a very shiny and interesting collaged background for a suitable saying. I’ve included making notes below, along with a video of the techniques.

A very shiny colourful textured foiled background for an art journal layout

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It’s all the presentation: perfect packaging 2

Posted on 25th October 2015 by perfectly4med

I’m still in making mode ready for my church’s Christmas Fayre at the end of November. I’ve decorated these pre-made metal blanks and made them into brooches by using an epoxy glue to stick on the brooch clasp – details on the decoration are here.

I wanted create a bespoke presentation box to show them off at their best – it just so happened I could use the same size for the peacock and the dragonfly. Designing started with a 3×2″ base. I added ½” sides and tabs. For the lid, I enlarged it slightly, adding the thumb divots in the centre to aid taking the lid off. To raise the base (and create a hidey-hole for my business card), I designed a stage slightly smaller than the base, with ⅛” supports at the side to hold the item off the bottom and the holes with a slit between allows me to press the brooch back through and fix the item in place. Two boxes come from an A4 sheet of card, cut on my Silhouette Cameo. For placement of the holes/slit, I pressed the item down onto a piece of card, and was able to see a dent where the clasp and hinge of the brooch back were. A bit of triangulation later, and the hole placement was perfected. This was ideal as the brooch clasps were in roughly the same position on each item – it would have been much less practical for several different placements.

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Now Boarding Layouts (for Jones Crafts)

Posted on 15th February 2014 by perfectly4med

My final post featuring the Kaisercraft ‘Now Boarding’ papers, for now anyway, as all the projects are were made for display at the Craft Hobby & Stitch International Trade Show at the NEC, Birmingham starting tomorrow. Jones & Co. will be on stand L26 for those that are attending – pop by and say hello!

The first layout above features the ‘Terminal’ sheet as the background, with additions from the ‘Cabin Crew’ sheet – including the punched discs at the bottom covered with Ranger Glossy Accents. A couple of embellishments from the ‘Collectables’ pack have also been added, with everything being edged with Pumice Stone distress ink. Glossy Accents has also been added to the sentiment.

The second layout features ‘Luggage Carousel’ sheet as the background, with foreground elements from the ‘Check In’ sheet. I created the cutout in Illustrator, offsetting and merging the text to bind with the circle, and cut out on my Silhouette Cameo. The pictures are printouts mounted on large buttons from the Jones Creams Value Pack, and then covered with Glossy Accents. The foreground letters have been coloured with Stormy Sky distress ink, whilst everything else, including more ‘Collectables’, are aged with Pumice Stone distress ink.