Well hello again. Time sure flies by doesn't it. I can't believe we're halfway through March already. Can you?
I am LOVING the current topic at PaperArtsy. Art dolls have always fascinated me and there are so many different ways to make them. It's my turn to host tonight's blog post and I've made a chipboard doll using some of my favourite Squiggly Ink stamps. Here's a sneaky peak at my project. For full step outs you can head over to the PaperArtsy Blog. I hope you enjoy it.
Morning all. I hope you had a good weekend. Here's a little crafty morsel to start off the week....
While I wasn't consciously thinking Mary Jane Chadbourne when I started this project, I can see it has headed, well and truly in that direction (though clearly not a patch on Mary's own fabulous work, it goes without saying..).
I started out with this tag clutching a handful of cool chipboard tags and shapes, some Dinky stencils and a box full of great stamps by PaperArtsy. If you look closely you can see one of Emma Godfrey's new larger word stamps, Darcy's wings from one of her new sets, zig zag's from one of Clare Lloyd's early releases and chimneys (yes I did say chimneys) from Darcy's fab steampunk buildings set as arms (YES! ARMS!) Don't you think the tops of the chimneys look like frilly cuffs :oD Oh! And I used the stars from that set too. I used one of Lin Brown's bird wings for the beard. I thought it looked a bit like a pharoah's beard... and the hands are from a Lynne Perella Christmas set. No one was safe :oD
and it's Emma Godfrey's turn to share her new releases tonight. I LOVE THESE STAMPS. Emma's gone big and bold with this release which is PERFECT for some mixed media art, journalling and a bit of Bluebertie madness along the way... Emma has such a knack for putting together great elements you just know you'll go back to again and again. I love the bigger wording this time around and I think you will too.
Here's the video round up - enjoy
I've gone a bit more mixed media tonight as you will see...
I just kept layering up elements from the heart set until I was happy with this one. It's not my usual style but that made it all the more fun. The elements in the set are all so beautiful and well thought out. I would have thought this set is an absolute must for Valentines Day.
Next up is my swirly girly. I so wish we'd video'd the unveiling of this little lovely when I handed over my samples to Emma and Leandra. We all laughed so hard. Leandra, in fact, nearly needed oxygen at one point - I thought we were going to lose her :oD I made her using elements picked from the flower collection and the circle collection. The germ of an idea just kind of grew and there she was... I'd recommend stamping out all the elements every time you get a stamp set. Cut them out, move them around and see what occurs to you.... It's a bit like reading tea leaves, only way more fun...
Another Fresco frenzy here! I love the bright colours Emma picked for her samples, so I threw them ALL in there and I think they look great. The flowers are just so big and happy. I particularly like the swirly centres. They layer up beautifully. I turned them into chipboards and cut them out, layering them onto my base board. I love those scribbled squares (you probably noticed) so I decided to make them stand out and add some structure to the page by embossing them in white. I think the black and white flower stalk in the set makes a great frame. I can see it would be really useful for framing a page or giving yourself lines to write on in your journal too.
And just because I like to mix things up a bit and try out lots of different things I thought I'd show you how great the images work with a more delicate approach using Copic Markers and my favourite blues and greens. It changes the look completely.
and last but not least, here's a little door hanger I made for That's Crafty where I turned the circles into Sunflowers and used the sort of buckle shaped square from the flower set to make petals.
I hope you've enjoyed my samples tonight. Please do stop by the PaperArtsy Blog to see Emma's own amazing step outs and take in Clare Lloyds latest release too. See you again soon... Enjoy the rest of the week.
Yes, the amazing Kim Dellow has joined the talented team of Signature Designers at PaperArtsy. I was chuffed to little bits to be invited to be on Kim's team for her launch and I had an absolute ball playing with these fabulously cool, slightly retro images.
Here's Leandra's video roundup with all the details for your delight and delectation...
Aren't they great! They are in the shops now so get on over to your local PaperArtsy stockist and fill your crafty boots.
Here are my samples and a quick rundown of how I made them. I haven't gone for step outs as they're all pretty clean and simple but I hope you'll find the information useful.
The colour scheme was Chartreuse, Cheesecake, South Pacific, Autumn Fire and Hey Pesto. I mostly used Fresco Paints but I have used Prisma Pencils and Copic Markers here and there too.
My first sample is a mixed media piece. I kept the background really simple and applied Fresco paints using a credit card. I stamped the layered circle and the sort of dotty grid in Cheesecake and heat embossed with clear embossing powder before adding two large flowers made from the layered circles and the gorgeous leaves. I've stamped them very simply in black and kept the shading to a minimum.
When I first picked up the stamps it struck me how much the
square flowers looked like 70's style retro lighting. I've used washes
of watered down fresco paints to colour them so that they look like
glass and then added a mix of crackle glaze and glossy accents to add to
the illusion. The chair was made using the cloud stamp. I curved the
card with a ball tool and raised it with foam squares to give the
impression that it is upholstered. I couldn't resist adding a little
cushion (for extra comfort).
The inside was done using the random squares stamp from the set which I coloured with Fresco's and glossed with glossy accents to give a bit of added interest.
All those cool squares and circles are perfect for a little robot. I've used the paints with lots of water to give a sort of metallic glow with lots of highlights to give the impression of a shiny surface. I curled the paper with a ball tool again to give more dimension and I've applied glossy accents to add a little extra shine which hopefully suggests metal. The cogs and gears were made using that gorgeous layered circle again and a little bit of doodling with a fine tipped marker.
I just love those little birds and the funky flower shapes. I've used my Prismacolour Pencils to colour this sample and blended the colour using Sansodor and a paper stump. I did the doodling with an ordinary fine liner and gave the birds little glossy orange jackets to add to the space age feel. I LOVE their little tape measure waistebands. Aren't they great!
So then, enough of my blather. If you haven't done so already, I hope you'll head on over to the PaperArtsy blog to see detailed step outs of Kim's own amazing samples. You can also find stockist details and further links to blogs and social media for Kim and her design team, though I've included some blog links below for you too if you want to take the scenic route.
Sorry for the prolonged absence. You know what it's like leading up to Christmas. Busy, busy, busy... especially when you're making your own cards... I know you'll all be nodding vigorously and probably be nursing a serious case of Crafter's Crouch - LOL
I love Robins so I was very excited when I saw this Dinky stencil at That's Crafty. I'm really pleased with how these little cards turned out. Pretty much just a simple resist technique using Golden Gloss Gel but it really makes my little heart happy :oD
Find yourself a piece of patterned paper you like, push some clear gel medium through the stencil and leave it to dry. Then you can paint the background however you like. I used the Abstract Squares dinky stencil to put down some fresco paint. I used cheesecake, snowflake and antarctic to keep the background very understated and reflect some of the colours in the patterned paper. If you get any paint on the robins themself you can just wipe it off. When the paint was dry I stamped and embossed some musical notes and some flourishes.
I used the dinky star stencil and some Dreamweaver silver embossing paste sprinkled with silver heat embossing powder and I love the dimpled texture you get. Sprinkle on the embossing powder while the paste is still wet and heat in the usual way then set aside for the paste to dry thoroughly.
Here's one I did slightly differently as I wanted a more masculine card. This one is a bit grungier and I used a slightly different dinky star stencil. I painted the background rather than use patterned paper for this one.
I think this would be nice with some metal embellishments on it too.
That's all from me today. Not many sleeps until the big day :oD
Back tomorrow with a clean and simple card using more fab Lin Brown stamps.
Are these gorgeous little acrylic tags. They're perfect for key rings. Here are two I made using some lovely Carabelle stamps, a bit of heat embossing and some Fresco Paints. Super easy. They'd make great little gifts if you could bear to give them away...
I added a little bit of stencilled texure using the Circles and Diamonds Dinky Stencil by That's Crafty and some Snowflake Fresco Paint mixed with Golden Heavy Body Gel (Gloss) and some Pearl Glaze (all by Paperartsy)
Obviously I need some more ATC's for my little crate so here's another one I've made using the acrylic ATC's from That's Crafty. Having not made an ATC for YEARS, I am now slightly addicted to these little beauties. I can't seem to put them down at the moment. The leaf stamp I used is a favourite of mine and has long since left it's packet (it is by U-Mount if memory serves) but I did see some lovely Sheena Douglas leaves at That's Crafty on Saturday that would do just as well as they're just the right size.
I used Fresco paints randomly applied in autumn colours on one side of the ATC and then stamped and embossed leaves on top of the paint when it was dry. When you flip the ATC over you can see the painted background on the other side so I shadow stamped more leaves around the edge and added a sentiment embossed in black. I love how you can still see the pattern showing through from the other side.
I hope you've been keeping an eye on the PaperArtsy blog. If not you've missed out on some really fantastic techniques with an extensive array of Gels and Mediums. I think I can honestly say this has been one of the most inspiring topics on the PA Blog so far this year. There seems to be no limit to what you can do with these amazing products and I've been gripped by what can be achieved.
Here is a quick peek at my own humble offering using a selection of my favourite Gels and Mediums, some gorgeous JOFY stencils and stamps and lovely Fresco Finish paints. Full step outs and all the links can be found at the PaperArtsy Blog, as always.
The fabulous acrylic tag was cut to order by the lovely Graham at That's Crafty. (Thanks Graham. I think I'm addicted :oD) If you fancy playing with acrylic yourself That's Crafty offer a range of items and will cut to order if you don't see what you want.
Thanks for looking. I hope I've given you some ideas for your own projects. If not then please do check out Leandra's inspiration posts and the truly brilliant work of the PA Design Team. There's bound to be something there to tempt you.
