More May Flowers

Hello Crafty Friends

I wanted to share some more of Eileen Hull's newest release of dies, which include

some beautiful flowers and also a new  Heart and Soul Flower Pocket die (#661112).

I made a couple of sets of flowers, the first one is the Heart & Soul Flower die (#661108)
along with the Heart and Soul Pocket die and also Eileen's new Honeycomb Embossing
Folder (#661447).

The flowers are simply die cut with some patterned paper from my stash and the bee is
from a Wendy Vecchi Art Parts set.

Die cut the holder and emboss.

Paint the whole of the pieces with Deco Art Media Fluid in Yellow Oxide.

Coat with a layer of  Deco Art Antiquing Cream in Raw Umber, leave to dry and rub
over with a damp cloth to remove some.  Antiquing Cream dries but it never 'cures' so you can
always rub it back, to age your items.

A close-up of the bee, coloured with Deco Art Media Fluid Paint in Carbon Black
and Yellow Oxide.  The wings were coated with Tim Holtz Distress Rock Candy
Crackle Paint.

My second project uses Eileen Hull's new Flower die, Pansy (#661109).  This is my favourite
of the new flower dies because, even though it is a pansy, it is a shape that can be
used to form different types of flowers, I was trying for a Camellia here...

You can see the shape of the petals in this picture.  To create the centre of the flower I
glued the petals to a wooden bead and then shaped the other petals with a pencil and added
them in layers around it.

The jar was given a coat of matt medium, followed by a layer of Distress Rock Candy
Crackle Paint (a technique I first learned from Wendy Vecchi)  and then sprayed with
Distress Spray Stain in Blueprint Sketch.

The leaves on both projects are from Eileen's Spring Leaves die (#661111).

Thanks so much for your visit, I hope to see you again soon.

Hugs, Anne xx
 ..........
PS, we have visitors arriving on Friday and I doubt whether I will have time to visit
and/or comment on your blogs, I apologise in advance, I will do my best to catch
up with you all in about two weeks time.  Take care! xxx

Tim Tag May 2016

Hello Crafty Friends

I am a bit late with my tag this month, but better late than never I guess!  You can 

see Tim's original tag HERE.

Despite having the set of stamps that Tim used, I wanted to use my new Sideshow set but unfortunately it all went wrong at the splatter stage so I went for Plan B and used the

Lady Rose set after all....

I really enjoy these Technique Remixes, so much so, that I got lost in the process

and I forgot to get any more step by steps.

This is the one that went wrong.  Tip -  if you have not used a metallic spray for a while, test it first otherwise you will get large 'blobs' everywhere - lol.

Have you signed up for Creative Chemistry 103 yet?  Full details on Tim's blog
www.timholtz.com

I hope you are all enjoying the weekend, here in the UK it is a long weekend and

so far the weather has been kind to us!

Thanks so much for looking, I hope to see you again soon!

Hugs, Anne xx

Wood.. A Word ... Something Wild ...

Hello Crafty Friends!

A quick post from me today.  The lovely Cheryl at Creative Carte Blanche is challenging

us this month to create something using Wood.... A Word ...and Something Wild.

I was lucky enough recently to attend an Andy Skinner Ministry of Mixology workshop where I created a project you can see HERE, if you missed it first time around.  I loved it so much that I bought another kit from Tando Creative and had another go!  I created a sea themed box for our (fairly new) bathroom (which already has a seaside theme). 

I would not be fair to Andy if I went into detail on all the techniques I used to create  this piece but I can tell you that I used Gesso and lots and lots of DecoArt Media Fluid Paints to create the frame.  The panel inside uses one of Andy's newest stamps - Toxic.

The above is a close-up of the inner frame which has lovely faux rusty bolts added.

And here is a close up of the inner piece on which I used Andy's new stamp and also attached

my lovely metal seahorse.  The seahorse was plain white initially and I just touched him up

with some paint.  I LOVE him!!

I am entering this at Creative Carte Blanche, where they have some wonderful entries
so far, if you want a treat, do pop over and have a look.  The CCB team always provide such
wonderful inspiration for us too.

So, by way of explanation, my Wood is the frame, my Word/Words are' beach and drift' and my Wild is the seahorse - I have this vision of looking through the porthole of a ship and seeing him - a bit far fetched I know, but that's how my mind works - lol.

Edited:  I have just noticed that SanDee & Amelie's challenge is Anything Goes - Steampunk/Industrial - mine is more industrial but I think it fits the theme.

As always, thanks for looking and I hope to see you again soon!

Big hugs, Anne xx

Pretty in Pink?

Hello Everyone!

Pretty and pink are not words you will find here very often....

I look at some of my blog friends creations and think to myself - I could never do that!

But, I love trying out new things and so, have tried to create something pretty in pink....

I started out with some beautiful Maja Design papers, distressing the edges and adding some faux stitching and a few tears here and there.

I added some stencilling using a Tim Holtz stencil and DecoArt Crackle Paste coloured with Picked Raspberry Distress Ink Re-Inker.

Some stamping was added using Spun Sugar Distress Ink and a stamp from the Tim Holtz Papillon set.  It is faint but I wanted it to be very pale.

To finish off I added the birdcage and the word dream - both elements are from Scrapiniec, the cage, bird and word were coloured with Distress Paint and then I added DecoArt Crackle Glaze to the word 'dream'.  The ribbon and pre-made flower are from my stash.

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

Frilly and Funkie  - Opposites Attract
Stamps and Stencils - Think Pink

Thanks, as always, for looking.  I hope to see you again soon.

Hugs, Anne xx

May Flowers at Art With Heart

Hello Friends

What better way to celebrate May than with Eileen Hull's latest flower releases!  So the Inspiration Team are celebrating all month by showcasing some of Eileen's new flower dies and also her re-release dies.

Today, I have used Eileen's re-released Candy Box die and the latest flower release - Heart & Soul Flower die.  I also used Eileen's fabulous Sunburst Embossing Folder.

I wanted a rusted tin effect for my box with galvanised steel accessories.

A close-up of the Heart & Soul flower.

I prepared the box cover first, by painting some card with DecoArt Media Fluid, Burnt Umber and once dry the card was embossed with Eileen's Sunburst Embossing Folder.

A coat of DecoArt Antiquing Cream in English Red Oxide was applied, when dry it was wiped over with a slightly damp cloth.

Next, I die cut the candy box and assembled it as per the instructions.  I painted all the edges with DecoArt Media Fluid in Raw Umber.

I covered the box and drawer with the 'rusted' card and then dry brushed DecoArt Cobalt Teal Hue to give a slight patina look.  When I attended an Andy Skinner class recently, he said that you should always 'try out' techniques on a scrap - which is what the little scrap at the front is

To create the flower centre and the drawer pull I painted  them with a mix of  DecoArt Grey Value 3, a drop of Prussian Blue Hue and a drop of white.  This gives the look of galvanised metal.

Once the flower was die cut, I used the Waffle Embossing Folder (in the same pack as the Sunburst folder above).

To create feet for the Candy Box I used some scrabble pieces, two glued together for each of the feet, painted with Raw Umber.

Here is another look at the finished box, I hope you like it!

Thanks so much for your visit, if you would like to see more the new release flowers and re-released dies, the team will be posting their creations each week on Eileen Hull's BLOG.

Take care, hope to see you again soon!

Hugs, Anne xx

Sew Special at A Vintage Journey

Hello Friends

The talented Jenny (Buttons) is our host this month at A Vintage Journey and Jenny's theme is 

Sew Special.

Here is what Jenny says:  Add fabric to your entry in some way, be it felt, burlap, ribbon or cloth and if your really feeling brave maybe include a touch of real or faux stitching.  We are looking forward to seeing what ideas you have to incorporate this sew special theme in your vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journalling, industrial or steampunk projects.

My thoughts immediately went to Tim's dress form die when I saw Jenny's theme.  I was also inspired by one of Richele Christensen's quilting projects (a pin cushion) and I made a pin cushion 'button' box, using fabric I hand stamped and one of Eileen Hull's dies - the Cookie Box.  I also made a card to go with it.

There are a lot of photos so I will try to keep the words to a minimum.

  Using Blueprint Sketch paint I stamped onto some cream coloured cotton with Tim Holtz Dots and Floral stamps.  I didn't worry too much if I missed bits because I wanted a shabby look anyway.  Remember to wash your stamps immediately after using any paint on them.

Cut the fabric into triangles.

Machine stitch the triangles together.

Cut into a circle and hand stitch a running (gathering) stitch around the edge.

Pull the running stitch to form a circle and add toy stuffing.  Glue to a piece of card.

Make the Cookie Box (Eileen Hull Sizzix 659874) according to the instructions.  Paint the lid and bottom with Blueprint Sketch paint.  After adding a button to the top of the pin cushion, glue this to the top of the Cookie Box.

To make the card, I used Tim's Dress Form die, some paper from his Correspondence pack, some gauze and some ribbon.

I also used Tim's new Doily #2 Thinlit die and some Chit Chat stickers.  I machine stitched the elements to the base card.

I hope you like my projects, I had fun making them!

This month we are being sponsored by the fabulous Calico Craft Parts, a small, family run business who are offering a generous prize for one lucky winner, you can see all the details over at A Vintage Journey.  We really hope you will join in our challenge, it is such a great theme!

Thanks, as always for your visit, I hope to see you again soon!

Hugs, Anne xxx

Celebrate Your Style at Anything But Cute

Hello Friends!

At Anything But Cute it is time to celebrate!!  The whole of the DT are hosting the challenge this month, which is Celebrate Your Style.

As we celebrate our 1st Anniversary, we want you to celebrate what you do best..... mixed media!  This is your chance to do it your way, in your favourite style... so pull out those inks and paints and show us what you're made of.  You can make anything you want, just as long as it has some mixed media products on it.  HAVE FUN!!

We have some special treats too this month.  Along with our DT projects, we have invited some Favourite Artsts from last year, to come and celebrate with us - they have created some wonderful projects to inspire you!  We also have a wonderful line up of PRIZES from some amazing Sponsors (details HERE).  Please do join us for a chance to win some wonderful goodies!

I wanted to celebrate my style by creating a sea themed project.  Seahorses are my favourite sea creatures so I used three beautiful Seahorse knobs to adorn a mini cabinet, which I altered, Andy Skinner style and I used some clay from my stash to make an Octopus ....

This is how the cabinet started, I can't remember where it came from but it is made from several different kinds of wood and was a bit tatty looking.  It measure approx 12" x 5".   I was given one of these beautiful Seahorse knobs by my friend Carole and I scoured the world trying to find some more - thank goodness for Etsy!

I started by giving the cabinet a good coat of DecoArt Gesso.

Once dry, I painted the cabinet with DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylic in Cobalt Teal Hue.  When this was dry I applied a layer of Weathered Wood Crackle Medium.

Next, I painted the pieces with DecoArt Crackle Paint and left it to dry.  This is Andy Skinner's Mega Crackle Technique.  It really does create wonderfully large crackles.

 The whole cabinet was then painted with a layer of DecoArt  Ultra-Matte Varnish.  This will seal the work and help prevent the crackles from coming loose. It is best to leave this to dry naturally.

I made two 'washes', one in Quinacridone Gold and one in Cobalt Teal Hue and washed over the whole of the cabinet and left it to dry.  Here is a close up of the Teal wash.

It was a bit too pale for my liking so I painted the pieces with a good coat of DecoArt Media Antiquing Cream in Patina Green.  I left this to dry (it dries but does not cure) and then I wiped over with a damp baby wipe to reveal some of the underneath.

I moved on to the Octopus next.  I had some Sculpey Clay in my stash and after watching a couple of YouTube videos, I formed the clay into the shape of an Octopus.  Once I was happy with the shape, I used seed beads to form the suckers on his tentacles (Tip:  if you make an octopus, put the suckers on before you attach the tentacles, it is very fiddly otherwise!).

After shaping him I baked him in a cool oven (130F) and let him cool down.  I painted him with DecoArt Media Fluid in a mix of Quinacridone Gold and Pyrole Red (just a dot of the red).

To give the seahorses a bit of a lift, I mixed some Mica powder in a sea blue tone in a little water and randomly applied it, giving them a lovely blue hue.

I cannot decide whether I like the Octopus on top of the cabinet but it took me so long to make, I think I will leave him there and decide later!  Sadly I had to remove a couple of his legs so he would fit in the top....apparently there is a species of six-legged octopus, so I don't feel too bad!

So, I hope you like how I celebrated my style!  

We would love to have you join in with us at Anything But Cute, to help us celebrate our 1st Anniversary.

Thanks so much for looking!  Hope to see you again soon, well tomorrow in fact!

Hugs, Anne xx