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Sunday 31 January 2016

Anything But Cute

Today's tag was created for Anything but Cute challenge #9, ring out the old, bring in the new.  "Use something "new" perhaps a fabulous new craft item or something new that you have not used yet"
I used my glass beads that have been in my tickle trunk for eons, but never opened.  Here is my creation.
Products used were modelling paste, crackle paste, glass beads mixed with gel medium, lindy's color spray, gold acrylic, mica powder, chipboard, encyclopedia paper, gel pen, rub ons and some embellishments.




















I started with swiping on crackle paste, then added harlequinn texture with modelling paste and stencil, glued on encyclopedia paper with gel medium and added glass beads.  I mixed glass beads with gel medium and swiped onto tag.  Allow everything to dry.















I used lily plaque chipboard piece from my etsy store, i cut off the plaque part and just used lillies and chicken wire.  I painted the chipboard top and inside with black acrylic paint dusted lightly around outside around chipboard.  I also painted the raised harlequin pattern.















I sprayed the tag with Lindy's starburst color spray- delphinium turquoise.  The color looks different on white verus black.

















Next i dry brushed with gold acrylic on whole tag, while the paint is still damp i dusted with art ingredients mica powder, purple, rust, frozen lake.  I only used the mica powder only on the chipboard side.
















I inked the outside edge with walnut distress ink, and added black paint just on the edges.  To highlight the chipboard i used a white gel pen and drew on chipboard.
I also outlined the harlequin texture with pen.















 The glass beads look fantastic, next time i want to try through a stencil.  LOVE the texture you get, and the different highlights and lowlights you achieve due to the texture.
I added glossy accents inside the chipboard lillies now they have a glass effect.

Final touches were rub ons, brads, and epoxy dome with bird image underneath.  I attached the bird image with glossy accents, you need to use a lot of glossy accents and let partially dry before you cut around.  I usually don't leave it long enough I am way too impatient.

This one was a little more girly than my usual style, i have been enjoying playing with texture in my last few projects i think i want to try some them bigger next.  Maybe a canvas. We will see.


Have fun on your next scrapping adventure.












Monday 25 January 2016

New Beginnings

I had a lot of fun with this challenge from Mixed Media Place "New Beginning"  I explored some new textures and used a medium that i have had for a couple of years but never opened.

Here is my take, this is my favorite tag from my weekend crafting.  (funny story i told a fellow i work with that i spent the weekend crafting and he asked if that was a sport or something lol)

I am in love with this tag and Lminarte / ColourArte  primary elements that i used to color the entire tag.  I also used modelling paste, mica fragments, elements earth textures, acrylic paint, chipboard, and encyclopedia paper.




















I started with a manilla tag that i added some encyclopedia paper in corner with gel medium, added harlequin pattern with modelling paste and a stencil.  I LOVE harlequin pattern.  For more texture i used mica fragments and earth textures glued on with gel medium.















Next i added a cluster of chipboard, i used mechanicals, slide cartridge, a ragged edge from my etsy store.  I cut up the slide and the ragged edge frame.  I always cut things up there is no reason to use exactly how they came out of the packaging.  Once everything was glued on and dried i paint the entire tag with gesso except the encyclopedia print.















Next i painted the whole tag with primary elements burnt amber.  I have had these for awhile but never even opened.  I know i am not the only one out there who has unopened product.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE how this turned out.  I mixed the pigment with water, it was very watery, next i applied with a brush but i didn't brush on instead puddled on to the tag.  I think that was how i got all the color variations, some parts matte and some parts shimmer.  I love this so much i ordered more and even paid the exchange rate and shipping which can add up to alot when you live in northern Alberta Canada.

The black shadowing on the harlequin pattern and around chipboard and texture is from acrylic paint dry brushed on to just hit the high points.  Here i debated calling it done but no more more more.






I highlighted the chipboard gears by painting with my Dina Wakley heavy body acrylic paints.  These paints are great they are in super bright bold colors, just what i wanted to contrast against the brown/ black background.  Again i debated stopping and i said no.















Finishing touches were texture stamping along outside edges with white acrylic paint.  Adding the title and a little metal onto accent card then criss crossing with elastic.  I am not sure on the elastic but the holes are punched so something needs to so in there.  This one is a keeper.

Next are a few of my favorite spots on the tag.

















The earth texture up close and personal, I especially love the edge along the print, the color pooled around it and made it darker and bold.
















Here you can see the brightness of the gears, and on the background the color variations from the primary elements pigment.
















Here you can see the mica fragments with the highlights and low light created from the texture.

Going to explore more with TEXTURE.









Saturday 23 January 2016

MIxed Media Monthly Challenge

I have been in crafting heaven lately, the weather has been cold and we have been house bound. Luckily Alex is at an age where he doesn't need constant monitoring.  So I have been creating tag and more tags while exploring new medias.

Today i finished a tag for Mixed Media Monthly Challenge here is their challenge board


with a few of my favorite things.
And here is my take...
















I used rock candy transparent crackle, acrylic paint, mica powder, mica fragments, glass glitter, distress embossing powder and lindy's spray. The final product is not where I started but sometimes that is how it goes.















I started with spraying the tag with various lindy's sprays, and swiped on rock candy distress crackle paint.  Allow to dry

















Next I added an assortment of embellishments, ribbon, twine, chipboard, metal accents.

















I wanted to paint the embellishments black and leave the crackle so the color would pop through but nope i didn't like it so I painted the whole tag with black acrylic paint.  I love how the paint looks on the crackle.















I lightly dust the tag with black paint (so mica has something to stick to) then dust with mica powders.  I used Art Ingredients frozen lake, gold and cold pink.  Once applied i misted with water to set the mica powder.
















Close up of the mica along the crackle paint.  LOVE IT.


















I added swipe of gel medium and sprinkled on glass glitter, mica fragments, and distress embossing powder.  Lots and lots of texture.  I added white lines by running the edge of my palette knife through white paint and pressing into tag.
I allowed this to dry overnight to make sure everything was set.













 Finally i added metal wings antiqued with lindy's spray, added a clock face on top.  I have been saving this clock face for a couple of years.  Next i added claws along bottom of clock face.  In the center of claws is a spinner and actual clock piece.

Both the clock face and claws hands i got from Treasured Memories in Edmonton.

Really loving mixed media right now.

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Lindy's Stamp Gang

Here is the color challenge over at Lindy's

I like this one a lot, nice muted colors

and here is my take

















I watched a bunch of u tube videos and tried some of the techniques.  I love how it turned out.

Problem- I love making tags but now i have quite the collection of tags - what do i do with them?  So far i just put them in a basket.













 I covered a tag with encyclopedia paper, my mother in law has a gem of collection of old books.  Layered tag with vintage tile chipboard, ribbon, washi tape, thick twine that was stapled on (my favorite), and some really old mesh tape (another favorite).  I added some rock candy in the right top corner.














vintage tile chipboard
Finally i added some flowers into the corner cluster then, brick texture with transparent gel medium.
















Once everything was dry i painted the whole tag with white gesso.
Since i had created the brick texture with transparent gel medium i was able to wipe off the gesso so the print paper was visible.
















I applied moon shadow mist Van Dyke Sepia along the outline of the brick.  I unscrewed the mister and used the bottom tip of the tube to apply color.
















Added starburst bells of ireland green  and starburst Jazzy Jivin purple along corner clusters.  Again i applied with the bottom tip of spray tube then misted with water.  I reapplied colors until I had dark sections.

In the top corner i just wiped some color on i didn't want anything dark or bold so it wouldn't draw attention away form the focal point.  The crackle texture pops out once color is added on top.











Next i highlighted the brick texture even more, I painted the brick outline with paint acrylic paint.  now it pop pop pops.

















Added some final details, i stamped with white acrylic paint and dot texture along top right corner.  The final affect is fantastic it looks like burlap.  Finally i dry brushed the whole tag with acrylic gold paint.  It gives it a transparent shimmer.















 some close ups- this one was fun to create!  I had three days off and it was a fun crafting weekend.

Sunday 17 January 2016

3-D Steampunk Eyewear

So here in Cold Lake it is -30c, so cold, freaking cold.  We had an indoor day staying in our PJs all day.  I had a very productive day, i took on SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk Challenge- anything steampunk.

So my son and I have been playing this app- The Room, it is a puzzle game and it has this eyepiece you use to see secret codes.  (if you love puzzle and finding clues you need to play this game)  Anyways the eyepiece intrigued, so there is the inspiration here is the final take.


I love how it turned out, loved it so much i made this a new chipboard kit on my etsy store, 3-D Steampunk Eyewear.








Here is from the side, the goggles have a lens added onto.  How FUN!









 I layered together the goggles, then added 1" high piece of empty toliet paper roll. (it was the exact size i needed)  Next layered gears on top of roll.
 I rolled 0.5" thick piece of cardstock in an 1" tube and glued a gear lens on top of it.  I painted it gold on inside and out.  I painted a section of vanilla cardstock with chipped sapphire distress paint and glued the lens tube onto it.  Allow to dry.  Once dry add glossy accents inside- a lot of glossy accents.  This will take awhile to dry.  It will look like a camera lens.











 I glued the lens tube onto the bottom lens tube on the goggles, added wood dowels along the outside of the bottom lens tube.  Painted the whole thing gold with acrylic paint.  Next i highlight with black paint then dust with mica powder.  I used teal, purple, and rust.  The black paint tones down the gold goggles and gives the mica something to adhere to.  Once i finished i sprayed the whole piece with water to set the mica.  If you want more gold to shine through just wipe off some mica and black paint with a baby wipe.  I just did small sections at a time otherwise the black paint will dry before i get the mica on.








The finished goggles.










 Now the tag, i watched a bunch of u tube videos on mixed media, art journal pages before i started my tag.  I wanted to see how Lindy's sprays would work on several difference media.  First i painted the tag with white acrylic paint, allowed to dry then sanded some off.  Next i added crackle paint onto the tag with a palette knife, nice and thick.  This i allowed to dry overnight so it was 100% dry and crackled.  Over that i added harlequin pattern with modeling paste.  Allow everything to dry.

 When dry i added some color with lindy's moon shadow mist, treasured island aqua.  I added some water as well to blend the edges and get some drips.  I held to tag up vertical to get the drips.  I loved how as the drip ran down the tag the spray seeps into the cracks.
Next i added some Lindy's magicals (i love these)  time travler teal, steel summer, and shabby turbine teal.  I just added some powder right onto the tag.  The magicals  react with water and you get a couple of tones.
 Sprayed with water.  I also loved how all the sprays settled into the medias differently.  The color will settle into the modeling paste, and cracks but not onto the crackle surface.  Color also saturated the sanded areas deeper than the painted areas.  Again i held up the tag vertically to get drip.  I just love how the color travels into the cracks.
 Here is a close up of the colors.
 I have discovered the key is to stop when you have got something you love, sometimes if you keep playing everything just gets muddled. I added some distress ink around edges.  Now even though it is dry if i was to spray with water or any liquid medium the magicals would still react and i didn't want that.
 So i used a palette knife to apply gel medium over top.  The magicals will react with the gel medium as well, so i worked fast.  This is a heavy coat of gel medium so it took all afternoon to dry.  I love how the final tag looked and felt- like plastic















Once the gel medium was dry i added some stamping with texture stamp and black acrhival ink.  Added some rub ons, rubbed white acrylic paint along tag edges and outlined harlequin pattern.
 Added more rub ons and journal strip.
I didn't added a lot and embellishments to the tag, the background turned out so beautiful i didn't want to hide it.  I also didn't want to take away from my eyewear.        

I am in LOVE with this tag!