Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 264

The theme for this fortinght is Shabby Chic.

Now, I've never really got the hang of exactly what is and isn't shabby chic. So, I've got a couple of different projects to share in the hope that one of them fits!

I'm scheduling this post in June, and at this time, the hospital where I normally volunteer (but currently can't visit because of public transport restrictions) asked for donations of face masks for volunteers and visitors. I've made quite a few for my own family, and to make it more interesting, started stamping and shading plain cloth before hand-stitching the result. This is what I started with:

And these are photos of the finished result:

The instructions I used to make the masks is here. I'm not in any way a sewing expert and I don't own a sewing machine so the masks have all been hand-stitched. The edge pieces are the same cloth as the main part - I just didn't stamp or shade it at all.

The stamps are from a range of suppliers including Inkylicious, Craft Stamper magazine, Crafter's Companion and the inks are either Versacraft or Versafine Clair. The former is intended for stamping on cloth. The latter isn't, but in my not-very-scientific tests, when I heat set the images with an iron, they seemed to last as well as the Versacraft in a single wash. Beyond that, time will tell!


The second project is a card.

I recently saw a faux bleaching technique demonstrated on Create and Craft and liked the effect so much I had to have a go. I created the background by blending four shades of Distress Oxide ink on glossy card. I placed a Crafter's Companion stencil over that and sprayed with water. When it was dry, I replaced the stencil, slightly offset from where it had originally been, and dabbed black ink. Finally, I added some butterflies from a different stencil - this one from Imagination Crafts. I matted the result on black and then pastel green (not obvious in the photo against the white card) and that's it!
I do hope you can join us this time.

International Art and Soul Challenge 85

The challenge for this fortnight is Under the Sea and can be anything so long as there is an under-sea theme.

My immediate thought when I saw this challenge was to reach for my Josephine Wall Enchanted Dreams CDRom. Having said that, there weren't so many under sea images there, but I found one that's lovely and went with it.

I love the images on that CDRom, but I'm generally disappointed by the background papers supplied - they always seem rather plain and drab compared to the gorgeous, vibrant images. This time, I decided to make my own but not using digital means. I started with my 6in gelli plate. I added an all-over layer of Distress Ink, and printed it on to copy paper. Then, I chose a stronger, bluer shade and again applied a layer to the plate, but before printing to paper, I used a stencil to remove areas of ink. The result was the wavy pattern. I wanted to add a subtle hint of seaweed, so the next stage was to use a stencil of long fronds (from Crafter's Companion) and I added Distress Oxide ink through that. The result was definitely subtle! To get the stronger shades at the edges of the background, I stamped with Versacraft Ink. That's the most opaque of the inks I own, and it definitely gave the desired effect. I used some Creative stamps for this. They're supposed to be watercolour greenery images, but I think they pass for a stylised sea weed!

And, apart from some matting and layering, that's it.

I do hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 223

Our challenge this time is for Anything but a Card. Any theme, any technique.

When I stopped work, I joined a craft group. Such groups are extremely rare around here. (In fact, this is the first one I've come across which in any way meets my interests, and that's mainly because they're interested in crafts in general!) A session earlier this year was based around fabric painting. This isn't something I've tried before, and since I've got no artistic skills at all, I decided to play to my 'strengths' as a papercrafter. I bought a few Versacraft inks and raided my stamps for ones I could use which had nice, clear open areas for painting. The stamps are from Sizzix, Hobbycraft as well as a variety of others from my collection whose origin is lost due to my lack of making a note before storing on A4 stamp sheets. Versacraft ink is water-based, but should become wash-resistant once it's heat set.

I used the ink, with a little water added, to paint the images after I had used my heat gun to set the images. I was quite pleased with the result, but felt it needed something more. So, once I ot it home, I looked out Exquisite Trims in Thread Crochet by Caitlin Sainio. I chose a two-toned pattern as I just happened to have both pink and royal blue thread in my stash, and completed two borders which I then stitched in place.

My only issue with the finished result is the fact that the Hobbycraft bag is very course and uneven in colour, but that would be remedied by getting a better quality item to start with. I definitely think I'll be using these techniques again.

I hope you can join us this time!