SplatteRings Galore

     Lockdown has had two benefits for me, a little more time to craft, bake and garden, plus some really good demo videos on Facebook and You Tube. This project was inspired by Eileen Godwin's video on Facebook, using some stamps from Visible Image.

      Not being much of a painter this is something I might not have tried, but this is using paint to create a background, not a picture.....that I can manage.
      In the video Eileen used a white card tag backed with greyboard for stability, I have used a piece of mountboard which is nice and strong with a smooth surface.
      Eileen uses small amounts of acrylic paint, any brand as it doesn't have to be the expensive type, and spreads it on thinly with an old plastic loyalty card. It didn't look anything special but it doesn't have to, it's just a background.

      I did make a mountboard tag to start with, then started thinking about a larger project. How could I get a larger splat ring than the Visible Image one?......Ah ha....What about the Inkylicious splatter stamp?
      I have both the large and the small Inkylicious splatter, they are amazingly useful for backgrounds, for this I have used the smaller one.
      Using a circle die I cut a mask from Stix2 Masking Sheet, worked out where my splatter would go and then masked what would be the middle. This is the beauty of using a stamp press, you can line everything up with ease.

       I inked my stamp with Versafine Onyx Black and stamped onto the board, it looked good but another coat made it look better. I carefully peeled off the mask and used it again further up the board.
      Then using the Visible Image splatter I stamped with the same ink in three other places. The ink took a long time to dry, in the end I put it on the window sill in full sun and left it there while I collected all the other bits I would need.

     Using a white gel pen I added circles to the inside of the splatters, I noticed that my circle dies had tiny notches at each quarter, this proved very useful when adding the white lines through each circle.
     For the most part the lines and circles are almost spot on, there is one that is not but it's not glaringly obvious so I think it will be fine.
     I also found a stencil that has circles of increasing size so that came in handy too. I used another stamp from Visible Image to add circles of tiny dots in silver ink, they are not bold but as the board is tilted they appear. The final touch was to find something shiny to go in the middle of the large circles, the stickers I found have been in my stash for years! The small circles looked a bit empty so I added small stickers to them.
      I think it would be very easy to keep adding bits to this but I chose to stop after the stickers, I am happy with how this looks now. As to what I'm going to do with it, well I think it will probably make a book cover as it's approximately 7.5 x 5.5 inches.
     I loved what Eileen had made and once I had tried it I wanted to make more, the challenge of finding something to make a larger splatter really got me thinking. Being home with my stash has got me trying all sorts of things, all I have bought in the last eight weeks is some foam tape and a few plastic hair clips for birds feet.

I would like to enter this project in the following challenges:

Arty Divas - Anything Goes
Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

A Place To Start - Create A Custom Background
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

Scrabble Fairy

     Apologies for the late arrival of my project for Altered Eclectics, lots of things have been happening here, some good and some not so good, but that's life. Thank goodness for crafting, sometimes it's the only thing to do!

      This project is for a local charity shop, a way of showing how all the odd bits and bobs can be used to make a mixed media item.
     It all started with some scrabble tiles and a few buttons, then a good rummage through all my odds and ends.
     The frame is plastic, also found in a charity shop, it had a back but no glass. I cut a piece of mount board to fit in place of a canvas to work on.

      With the board in the frame I drew around the inside edge, so I knew not to put any embellishments beyond that line.
     With my trusty hot glue gun I began to add buttons, broken bits of jewelry and shapes made with hot glue in a silicone mould. Once these items are painted they take on a whole new look whilst adding lots of great texture to the project.

     I drew around the fairy so I knew where she would be going, that way I could avoid putting anything that would be underneath her. Using some stencils and a tube of filler I added some more texture to the board.
     Once all the filler was dry I painted a layer of gesso over the whole board, then a couple of layers of acrylic pink paint. A spritz with a pink mica spray added some subtle sparkle.

     With all the paint dry it was time to add colour to the texture with some gilding wax.
     Before I started glueing bits on I had taken a photo of where I planned to put all the bits, so with to hand I started to add the finishing touches. A hot glue gun in hand I stuck the letters, flower, fairy and her wings to the board, along with a glitter covered flower in the top corner. It wasn't exactly as the starter picture but close, slight adjustments along the way which added interest.
     All that remained was to pop it in the frame, it was at this point that I was SO glad I had left that small border around the board, but the fairy could have been a little lower so she stood on the frame instead of floating a bit above it.
     The board bowed slightly, probably due to the paint, so I used hot glue on the back to seal it to the frame in the corners and along the edges. All that was left was to pop the back on and move the hanging points for a horizontal picture.
     Most of the items have come from charity shops, with the exception of the hot glue gun, waxes, spray and mount board, and they were already in my stash. To make something pink and girly was a little out of my comfort zone but I'm not too unhappy with the result.
     There is still a fortnight left to enter your project with Altered Eclectics, anything but a card or an ATC, we look forward to seeing you work.

I would like to enter this project in the following challenges:

An Inky Mess - Anything Mixed Media   (M)

Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Mixed Media   (M)

Eclectic Ellapu - Anything Goes   (M)

Altered Eclectics meets Rusty Patinas

     Another canvas for Altered Eclectics, this was also made for a workshop we had on Saturday. It never fails to amaze me how different all the projects were when they all started with the same materials, so much creativity in one room. If you would like to see the students work then please pop over to Facebook page Rushanne Crafter, there is some stunning work on view.

     To begin with I used texture paste and stencils, one with flowers and butterflies and the other with swirls. Some paper lace on the bottom left completed the texture layer.
     Next was to make some paper flowers. I had been told that it was difficult to get paint down into the flower so I chose to colour the petals with a marker before assembly, choosing a colour close to the finished item.

     The flowers were stuck on to the canvas using hot glue. I also added some leaves made using hot glue in a silicone mold, once painted there is no clue what the embellishments were made from so you could use old broken jewellery, plastic cake decorations, almost anything.

 

      I have used Rusty Patina Duck Egg to cover the whole canvas and the flowers, it's not a perfect match to the marker used but pretty close.

 

      After the Duck Egg dried I went over the whole thing again with Rusty Patina Cafe Creme on a sponge, making sure not to get a nice even coat as I wanted the Duck Egg to show through.

     Once the Patina was completely dry I used some Starlight Wax  in White Gold to highlight the flowers, leaves and swirls.
     The texture flowers and butterflies are lightly coloured with other gilding waxes.

     The birdcage is die cut from greyboard and painted with Rusty Patina Rustique which has tiny bits in it adding to the worn and rusty look.
     Inside the cage is a bird made with hot glue and a silicone mold decorated with Rusty Patins and finished off with a little Starlight Wax.
     The bird was stuck on with hot glue and then the cage was shaped and stuck over the bird also with hot glue, doing one side at a time. With the addition of another flower to the top of the cage the canvas was finished.

     Altered Eclectics is a mixed media and altered art challenge so you can come and join us with your projects as long as they are NOT a card or an ATC.

I would like to enter this canvas in the following challenges:

Hiding In My Craft Room - Freestyle

More Mixed Media - Anything Goes optional yellow
Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Swimming Along With Altered Eclectics

     I was challenged to produce a mixed media  project that wasn't grungy, so this is what I came up with. It's also the project I wish to feature for Altered Eclectics, a challenge for mixed media and recycled artwork.

     I started with an 8 inch square canvas and added texture using some  stencils to create weeds and stones.
     The weeds on the left are sections of lace cut and stuck on, there are also some small embellishments made with hot glue in a silicone mold added before painting.
     Once all that was dry, which wasn't long, I set about painting over it all with a light blue acrylic paint. Once the paint was dry I started to use some mica sprays to add shades of blue and purple, while this was still wet I sprinkled it with rock salt and left it to dry. The salt pools the colour and creates a great mottled effect but has to dry naturally, speeding it up with a heat gun doesn't get the same effect, the salt can be gently rubbed off once dry.

    The next step was to paint the weeds a greenish colour, along with painting the crab, seahorse and shells. I went over the weeds with a pearl green paint and dabbed a little on here and there.
     There are some rice paper words added at the top and to make the bottom look a little more like a seabed I have dded sand poured over a thick coat of PVA glue.  
     I chose to leave the shells in their natural state so after moving them around to get them where I wanted I fixed them with hot glue.

     I wanted to add some jelly fish so I made them on my craft mat with hot glue and then dusted them with pearl mica powder.
     To add a splash of bright colour I used an MDF fish and covered him with foil using a 2in1 glue pen. I have added some glossy accents to his eye.
     Altered Eclectics challenge runs all month so you have lots of time to come and join us with your projects, we would like to see anything but cards and ATC's.

I would like to enter this canvas in the following challenges:

Colour Crazy Craft - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers - Anything Goes

Flower Canvas

     Welcome to this months project for Altered Eclectics, a month long mixed media and altered art challenge blog with an anything goes theme.

     This was made using some of the new products available from Woodware and Stix2. It started life as a blank white canvas, it was them painted with one coat of white gesso.
     The paint splatter is from the new collection of fabric spray paints by Colour Factory, here I've used blue, green and yellow. Spayed from around three feet above the canvas I got smaller droplets.
     While the paint was drying I dabbed around the edges with transfer foils in gold and blue, the tacky paint picked up on the foil giving it a little sparkle.
     The flower was stamped on to white tissue paper then added to an area on the canvas painted with PVA glue, it was then sealed with another layer of PVA over the top and left to dry.
      The petals and leaves are coloured with Fabric inks taken from the ink pad with cotton buds and blended on the canvas.

     The 'bubbles' on the flower are filled with a mix of mediums to add texture and interest. The small dots at the base are made using the new glue pen, apply the glue, allow to go clear and then apply transfer foils. The large pearl dots are hot glue dots made on a craft sheet and dusted with pearl mica powder. PVA glue topped with micro beads make the next sparkly row of dots, these are followed with gold holographic peel off dots and to top the whole flower head there are some gold dots made with the new fabric pearl paints from Dutch Doobadoo.
      The sentiment comes with the flower stamp, this is stamped in black on to white tissue and added to the canvas in the same way as the flower was. The tissue goes a little translucent when painted on so the speckles of colour still show through, this is the benefit of using tissue, it almost disappears ans saves you having to try and stamp direct on to the canvas which can be problematic.
     Don't forget any mixed media or altered art project can be added to our challenge blog at Altered Eclectics, the only thing we don't accept is cards and ATC's.
   

Materials list - available from your local craft shop
Woodware Craft Collection - JSG480 Bubble Bloom - Lilly
                                          Dutch Doobadoo Pearl Pens
                                          Fabricadabra Sprays
                                          Artcreations Canvas
                                          Crafter's Fabric Ink Pads
                                          24173001 White Gesso
                                          98091H Holographic Dot Peel Offs

                                          DWFX04  Dreamweaver Mica Powder - Moonstone

                                          

Stix2 Anything -   S57238 White Tissue

                           S57048 PVA Glue 100ml

                           S57075 Micro Beads (green bead pack)

                           Transfer Foils

                           S57366  Glue Pen

                           S57234 Hot Glue Gun  &  S57235 Hot Melt Glue Sticks

                           

I would like to enter this canvas in the following challenges:

More Mixed Media - Anything Goes (optional - bright colours)

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes

A Bit More Time To Craft - Anything Goes
Inspiration Destination - Anything Goes

Dot Painted Gecko

     For this months challenge at Altered Eclectics I have made a dot painted mini canvas. This is something I have wanted to try for ages but never got round to it, I'm so glad I finally did because it was so relaxing to make.

     I painted a small 6x4 canvas board with black gesso, I wanted a gecko on it so I searched the web for a free image outline and printed it out. I'm not very good at freehand drawing so I cut out my gecko and stuck him on to the canvas, then I painted over him with some more gesso.
     You can see here he really stands out because he's nice and smooth against the canvas but once painted he will fit in to the design quite well.
     I have used some pearl paints I have in my stash so it will have an added dimension to it when finished.

     As the canvas is only 6x4 I needed a small item to make the dots with, I tried the ends of pencils and paint brushes but they were all too big, a dressmakers pin stuck in a cork proved to be the best tool for the job and comfortable to hold too.
     I drew around the gecko with a white gel pen and then painted small pin head dots all the way around him on the inside of the white line.
     To add other interest I stamped some circles with the paint, using a paper mask I was able to overlap them.

     This paint dried quite quickly so I was able to begin painting with my pin head to make patterns around the shapes on the canvas.
     I did look at some Aboriginal art on line before I started to give me some ideas, they were amazing and this is no where near as impressive but I can understand the calming quality of the action.
     I kept to four colours for the entire painting although in the photograph this doesn't show very clearly.
     Having tried a small project I now wish to make something much bigger, maybe another canvas or maybe a piece of furniture.
     
Altered Eclectics is an anything goes challenge for projects other than cards or ATC's, we like to see mixed media and altered items so get your thinking cap on and come and join us.

I would like to enter this picture in the following challenges:

Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes

Love to Create - Anything Creative/Mixed Media
Left of Centre Creative - Stripes and/or Dots
Dragonfly Journeys - Polka Party

Postcards From Paris

      Here is the sister project to Memories Of Summer as promised. The small board helped me to try out a few things before tackling a larger project.
     This is also my contribution to the Design Team at All Crafts Challenge. We have a new Anything Goes challenge starting today for projects that are not cards.
     This project was inspired by the frame which was found in a charity shop, it had no glass and was very distressed, which saved me having to make it look old and worn.
     I have used a piece of hardboard cut to shape as my 'canvas', it has been painted with a base coat of cream emulsion before adding any colour. The coloured paints used are all EcoGreen Acrylics, including the gold.
     Once dry I began to distress the board by using Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy around the edge and stamping with a crackle stamp in the same colour. I have used a stencil top and bottom with some homemade texture paste, a mix of decorators flexible filler and gold paint.
 

    Then I moved on to using masks, a crown over the gold area and more Distress Ink to dull it down a little. A Fleur-De-Lis  over the pink area with a mix of mica spray and pink paint dabbed on.
     At various places over the board it is stamped with a Tim Holtz swirl in brown ink and there is an area top left that is stamped in Distress Ink Aged Mahogany with a Stampin'Up French Script stamp. The chandelier is stamped in Archival Coffee.
     The letters spelling Paris are patterned vellum over a pink thin card die cut with an X-Cut die, then I drew around the outside of the die on maroon card and hand cut. To get the vellum to stick without showing glue I used a Stix2 double sided sticky sheet, this means there is glue all over so it doesn't stand out like small areas would.

     The gold Fleur-De-Lis was a small hanging decoration, so I filled the hole at the top and once dry dabbed it with gold acrylic paint to hide it. It has a narrow pink ribbon holding it onto the board, it is threaded through a small hole drilled in the board and tied off at the back. I tried various types of glue but it kept falling off, so I thought it was best tied on, there is a backing board so it doesn't show once in the frame.
     The postcards are a mix of a free digi and cards from my Grandmothers postcard album copied and reduced in size, they are mounted on varying levels of foam pads.  I felt it needed a little something pink in this area to balance it so I have added some paper flowers.
     There is a pound coin in the top left of the main picture to give some idea of the size of this project, it was a joy to make something larger than usual,  I hope you like it, I certainly do. Now I'm on the hunt for more old frames!
     Please come over to Craft My Life All Crafts Challenge and show us what you've been making, remember it's anything but a card.

I would like to enter my picture in the following challenges:

Dragonfly Dreams - Anything Pink
Eclectic Ellapu - Texture / Embossing
Fussy and Fancy Friday - Lots Of Pink
Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes

Memories Of Summer

      Having a little time to play for fun this is a small canvas board I made. It's a sister project to something much larger inspired by a charity shop find, but more on that next week.
     To begin with I painted the board with acrylic paints in pink, cream and pale green. Once dry I began to stamp using Distress Ink Broken China and a Tim Holtz swirl stamp, then with gold acrylic paint and the same stamp. The script is a retired Stampin'Up stamp using DI Aged Mahogany.
     The postcard stamp is from Creative Expressions stamped in Archival Coffee. Before adding any other items the edges have been distressed with DI Brushed Corduroy and the surface stamped with a crackle stamp in the same ink.
     The picture frame is made using a silicone mold and air dry clay, once dry it was painted with brown acrylic and touched up with gold acrylic. The stamp in the centre is a real french postage stamp stuck to the frame and covered with glossy accents.
     The Eiffel Tower and the word Paris are stamped on pearl cream card in Archival Coffee and clear embossed, then die cut using the matching dies in the Sizzix set French Flight. They are both mounted on thin foam pads, Paris is coloured in with gold pen.
     There is a pen nib in the Sizzix set but i chose to stick a real nib onto the writing. There is a gold organza ribbon and bow to hang the postcard up by or fold that down and put the card on an easel.
     What reminds us more of a past summer than photographs and postcards, these things are kept for years and sometimes avidly collected, I have a postcard album my Grandmother gave me that is over a hundred years old, it has some beautiful images in it.

I would like to enter my board canvas in the following challenges:

Vintage Stamping Challenge - Anything Goes

Stamps and Fun - Create Your Own Background

Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Altered

Fake Or Fortune?....neither, just FUN!

      Having spent a day at my friends house playing with paint this is what I brought home. Well that's not entirely true, I brought home a painted and part decorated 12x12 canvas that needed a few finishing touches.
     I've not done anything like this before so it was quite something to just let loose and splodge with only a rough idea of the end product. All I knew was it needed to be greens and I wanted to use architectural bits and bobs. It's best to have a very basic plan because it really evolves as you play. My hardest thing was to let go of the uniform approach and the urge to keep things 'as they should be', like not putting two hinges on and having the lock in the middle!

      We began by covering the canvas in different colours of acrylic paint, it really didn't look very inspiring at that stage! Once dry I added some dabs of gold with bubble wrap, some mica misters through a stencil and some gold texture paste through another stencil, plus a little black cat in the corner.
     We had lunch then as you can't really hurry the drying of paste too much. The tissue in the corner is Tim Holtz tissue added with a matt medium underneath and over the top to seal it.
     Stamping with ink seems to get a bit lost on a bold canvas so we stamped with acrylic paint, just remember to wash your stamp off as soon as you are done. It is also best to support the canvas underneath so you get a good impression. I had been itching to use Chocolate Baroque's Gothic Fragments, I love the church window. I have also used their Texture Fragment stamps on here to do the silver bit across the middle. Neither set has been mounted on foam so that I can bend them, to use only part of the image or to stamp on uneven surfaces or round corners.

     I also used a script stamp and the phrase 'Art washes away.....' which is also a Choc B stamp.
     The hinge and keyhole are cut in Grunge Board with a Sizzix Bigz die Hardware Findings, then given the 'rust' treatment from Tim Holtz book, both are attached with tiny brads through the canvas. The key is from an old necklace found in a charity shop to which I've added a tassel and a tiny tag, all held in place with a screwtop brad coloured with alcohol ink to match the chain.
     The oval in the textured area is stamped with a 'Y'  on cream card, then distressed with Old Paper and stuck on with matt medium. Once dry it was distressed again with Vintage Photo to tone it down a bit.
     The whole thing changes with the light because I've used some acrylics with a sheen to them, mica sprays and gold texture paste, as well as metallic paints and metal findings.  
     This has been so much fun to make and I like it so much it's actually up on my living room wall! Hey, does this mean I'm finally an Artist? Fake or Fortune? definitely not fake and sadly not fortune either, just FUN!  Thanks Jane.
     If you would like to try one of these and you live in Norfolk, England then give Aldridge Crafts a call and book a workshop. I can guarantee you'll have lots of painty fun.

I would like to enter this canvas in the following challenges:

Altered Eclectics - Alter Something (a canvas)

The Artistic Stamper - Use Distress (paints, powders and techniques)

Country View Crafts - Painty Pleasures (it was)

Make My Monday - Anything But A Card

Craft My Life - Anything But A Card

Eclectic Ellapu - Texture (pastes and rust)

Stampin'For The Weekend - Anything But A Card

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Creative Moments - Anything Goes and Add Sparkle