Friday 29 September 2017

Tag Friday

I'm joining in with this Tag Friday at AVJ at quite the last minute, using left over bits and pieces and limited supplies. I have only a few boxes and tubs available to me at the moment so please bear with me for a while.

I began with a tag that I found in my cast off box.


So I collected together embellishments to decorate it with ....


.... and finished up with this.


Thanks for stopping by. I hope you'll pop over to A Vintage Journey to see the fabulous inspiration from the brilliant team.

Thanks for stopping by.

hugs Brenda xxx

Saturday 23 September 2017

Exciting news and new Journal

I've been sitting on this news for a little while but I'm really happy to announce that I am joining the Tando Creative Design Team and will be working with the fabulous Tando greyboard, acrylic and mdf products as well as continuing with demonstrating and teaching make and takes at the Mixology retreats and I'm so looking forward to it. So much so I recently attended one of Di's workshops at Let's Be Creative and made a new journal with her.




We all had fun using the Tando Art Journal Starter Kit which is a journalling kit laser cut from sturdy 2250 micron greyboard and consists of the following: 

2 x covers, 1 x drilled spine, 1 x 800 micron wrap around cover, 25 sheets A4 good quality cartridge paper, 2 book-binding needles and 10m of good quality book-binding thread.

I took a few pictures at the beginning of the process but then the concentration and the enjoyment of just sitting and making took over and the camera for forgotten.

I used one of the new stencils Di has designed that have added holes that will fit a standard ring mechanism. (The bottom right)


The stencil had crackle paste through it,


everything got a coat of gesso to prime and seal the greyboard,


the spine was given lots of gesso texture and layers of grungy, rusty paint,


and I also had fun playing with the Tando birds .....


..... keeping them to brown/black neutral colours.


Once everything was painted I assembled the journal - and here you can see the front, back and spine.


The front cover and ........


,,,,, the back cover.


It was a fabulous day and although these cute birds are not normally my style I wanted to play outside my comfort zone and loved the finished effects of the painting and stamping on them using the DecoArt media acrylics.

I wonder what else I will come up with with Di's products?????? We'll have to wait and see.
If you haven't visited the Tando Blog do pop over to see this journal and stop awhile to see lots of other fabulous inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy your weekend.

hugs Brenda xxx

Friday 8 September 2017

The new Tim Holtz stamping platform

I recently had the new Stamping Platform by Tim Holtz delivered and at last I've had a chance to have a play with it.

I just took some left over inked backgrounds out of my scrap box and cut this to size.


I put it in the stamp platform and took out the Victorian stamp set (again unused and waiting to be inked up) and laid out the stamps where I would like them on the background .......


....... laid the top down to pick up the stamps, inked them and stamped them.


The ink wasn't as dark as I would have liked so I was able to repeat the process to darken it ......


I used watercolours to paint the images .....


..... and then used the stamp platform again to add the sentiment.

 I just inked the edges and added it to the card to finish.


Now I am out of the boot and beginning to get the strength back in my ankle and leg I need to get up the Pack House to see what needs to be added to my items for sale, I though this might make a good start.


Thanks for stopping by.

hugs Brenda xxx


Tuesday 5 September 2017

Dragonfly Shadowbox Workshop

Sorry no Technique Tuesday today as I have been rather busy with workshops so I thought I would share the workshop photos of this rusted Dragonfly and Butterflies shadowbox.
I taught this at Let's Be Creative last week and had 11 most incredible variations from the attendees. I shared the original on my blog in April (see Here)


I also made another version and altered the frame too.


These were the amazing results at the end of the day.












Everybody enjoyed themselves and were pleased with their own version, I loved them all.

Thanks for stopping by.

Have fun create your own art.

hugs Brenda xxx



Friday 1 September 2017

A house is a home - altered wood block

I thought I would go all shabby vintage with my altered make for the new challenge at A Vintage Journey. The lovely Alison has chosen Altered Art and would like you to get creative with recycled objects in a vintage; shabby, mixed media; art journalling; industrial, timeworn or steampunk style. Turn something unloved and unwanted into a work of art. Try some repurposing - make something new out of something old, or incorporate an unwanted object into your artwork. Think tin cans and jars, old bottles, toothbrushes - the more inventive the better.


So my block started as this house shape with these words on it but I worked on the reverse side.


The recipe -
Tear some paper and adhere to the block coating the top of the paper to seal it.


Brayer over white gesso.


Paint dark green onto some card or watercolour paper ............


.................... then monoprint it onto the wood block.


This is what happens - 


Next scrape some white gesso over with a flat edge I used a palette knife..


Apply some random patches of white crackle paint and leave to dry.


Blend white modeling paste mixed with white gesso through a stencil.


Drip and spritz sap green, raw umber, burnt umber, white and titan buff media acrylic paints through the textures. Sand the edges and blend in ground espresso distress ink.


Brayer over white tinting base over the raised areas, seal the surface with the DecoArt matte sealer/varnish .....


 and then gather your embellishments together.


I kept to flowers and natural elements with an altered metal butterfly to finish it off.


I used Tim's tattered florals and a sizzix daisy to make the large shabby flower using


The smaller flowers are a mixture of bought ones.


Tims greenery die cut with white card, some bundled sage and ground espresso distress inks


Some cheesecloth, frosted berries and a metal butterfly altered with gesso and treasure gold.


All finished off with a jute bow and some natural dried flowers


Hope you like my piece of altered art which makes a great piece of home decor I think.

I hope we'll see you over at the challenge blog and even if you can't join in for September, you should definitely pop over to see the amazing inspiration from the rest of the team.

Have fun and listen to your heArt.

hugs Brenda xxx