Wintry Christmas dome

 Glitter for Country View Crafts

The lovely Susan Seabert of Country View Crafts has now sold the CVC shop and handed over the products, name and challenges to Brenda O'Reilly who is the new owner.

This is a bitter sweet time as Susan and her husband will be moving down to Dorset to be nearer their family and for her and  me it is an end of an era. I am so happy for Susan but I also feel rather sad at the same time as I, with my sister, helped Susan set up her original blog and begin the workshops. In fact I taught the very first one.

But I will be continuing with Brenda and look forward to new beginnings with her.

So here is my second project for the November Glitter challenge.

I used two small wooden log slices, glued together and painted with gesso. When dry I placed them into the base of the dome.

One of the bottles was painted with a mix of toffee apple and mahogany paints, the other was painted white and sprinkled with fine glitter. Whilst they were drying I made a couple of labels using free images found on the internet and simple ones with words on. 

I glued a star to the little tree. I used a sponge to give the deer his colour using toffee and buff paints.

The base of the scene was covered with snow-tex and the 4 pieces glued into the wet mix and left overnight to dry.

The surface was painted decoupage glue and covered with fake snow and the chunky glitter -  which doesn't show up well in the photos.

The base of the dome was covered with a strip of glitter card, the dome had a strip of glitter washi tape wrapped round with some red twine tied over it.

This will go out as one of my new Christmas decorations for this year.

xxx

Supplies

White Gesso

Bottles

Tim Holtz Deer, 

Tim Holtz crackle paint, Rock Candy Chunky Glitter, Stickles

Snowtex

Decoupage matte Glue/Sealer

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint - Mahogany, Toffee Apple, Toffee, Buff

MIscellaneous - Fake snow, labels (hand made), Tree with star, wooden log slices, small cloche dome,

Glittery Christmas Bauble

 Using glitter for Country View Crafts challenge

This is my first inspiration project for our Country View Crafts November Challenge, with the theme of ‘Fireworks' - use glitter or embossing powder to make your project 'sparkle’ hosted by our lovely Cassie.

I attended the amazing InkC retreat recently where the workshops included so many amazing projects and I am sharing my finished Christmas bauble that our very own fabulous Susan Seabert taught on the sunday evening. We had a huge collection of napkins to choose from to create a decoupage background and then I added snowtex and glitter. The blue snowflakes caught my eye almost immediately and I love the finished effects.

Process Steps

Paint the bauble with gesso to seal it and give a white surface Dry and then seal.

Pull the snowflakes out of the napkin by painting water around the image first which allows you to tear images with a rough edging. This ensures there are no straight cuts left when the image has been adhered to the bauble. I used the decoupage glue which is a sealer as well.

Leave the bauble to dry. Then using a coffeestirreror brush add snowtex around the images. Leave it to dry again.

Use the decoupage to cover the top half of the bauble and add the glitter. Leave to dry.

Repeat with the bottom half.

Supplies

Bauble and napkin supplied by Susan.

Gesso, sealer and glue (I used Decoart's Decou-page), glitter - distress rock candy

Bats over the city for Halloween

CVC - Heavenly bodies/Space    

For my inspirational challenge project for Country View Crafts I created a simple scene to fit in with the challenge title and Halloween. 

Firstly create a background using brown distress inks - dip, drip and dry. Splatter etc until happy with it. Then die cut some buildings from the cityscape die set. Also cut some of the extras from coloured card to add some roof details.

Create another background using the same technique as above and using black, blue and brown distress inks, keeping it very dark. Splatter with the spritzes. Diecut the bats.

Take a third piece of card to create the night sky background, using removable tape fix the largest moon mask to the card. First blend over the distress inks and distress oxides .....

..... then start the distress process of using a small stamp block spritzed with water dabbed on to create movement, also dry between each step and splatter water droplets, dry some and repeat and blot others. Also splatter watery ink droplets and dry in layers. Remove the mask and give a final spritz around the edges of the moon. It softens the edge, allows some of the colour to creep into the moon shape to add shadow and texture, plus the oxides start to do their magic and create an oxidised effect where the ink components split, resulting in a muted, opaque, and slightly chalky appearance It reminds me of the milky way. 

When those layers are perfectly dry add the mask again and splatter the brushed pewter spray stain to create star constellations. 

They look grey in one light direction but sparkle in another. Don't forget to clean the mask and your paint brush straight away before the stain dries.

Remove the mask and dabble distress inks within the moon shape,, spritz, splatter and dry.

Assemble the city buildings onto the card, add some bats and a halloween message.

xx

Supplies linked to Country View Crafts

Tim Holtz Sizzix dies - Cityscape, Metropolis 661804, Mixed Media Halloween 661588

Tim Holtz Moon Mask THMSK0,

Tim Holtz Distress inks Walnut Stain, Ground Espresso, Frayed Burlap, Black Soot, Salvaged Patina

Tim Holtz inks for the sky - DI Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire, Tumbled Glass, Hickory Smoke. Dox Faded Jeans, Iced Spruce

Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain - Brushed Pewter

Tim Holtz - Spritz - Peacock Feathers, Hickory Smoke

Tim Holtz stamps - Skull Blueprint 659375

Faber Castell Pitt artist pens - brushes - TERRA

Toadstools

 Stamping Toadstools

“The children of the forest live deep in the roots of an old pine tree. They collect wild mushrooms and blueberries and shelter under toadstools when it rains.”

Elsa Beskow Children of the Forest

I love mushrooms, yes to eat, but also as a shape. I focussed on the Tim Holtz mini toadstool stamps and I made a small concertina book to house them all.

I stamped, painted, distressed all 7 stamps and the whole process focussed me in to light backgrounds, composition, shapes, colour mixing and blending. I used them to add an activity for my second Creative Sketchbook workshop that had a focus on 'Autumn'

Process Steps for all of the toadstools

Stamp chosen colour distress ink.

Stamp first using oxide inks to create the outlines and structures.

Use permanent ink fine black pen to create some of the outline and texture.

Paint DIs and/or oxides in layers similar to watercolouring.

 When dry add details with black pen.

Stamp mask and cut out. When image is dry place mask over.

Create background of your liking.

Toadstool #1

Stamp with Hickory Smoke - dry. Use black pen to start some of the detailing and outlines. Blend and layer colours of both oxides and inks to create a watercolour style. Colours listed below.

When dry add further details and shading with the black pen.

Stamp mask and cut out. When image is dry place mask over.

Blend pumice stone and lost shadow around the image. Drip water droplets on and blot and/or dry. Splatter with any left over inks on your palette and blot before they dry. Stamp texture using walnut stain.

Remove mask

Repeat similar steps of your own with all the toadstools.

xx

Supplies

All
Pens - Uni Pin fine line 0.1 Black, Uni Posca White
TH stamps - Tiny Toadstools CMS377
My supplies - media paper, black card


Toadstools 1
Stamped outline with Hickory Smoke
Colours -
TH - DOxs Hickory Smoke, Lost Shadow, Forest Moss
TH -DIs Picket Fence, Pumice Stone, Gathered Twigs, Rustic Wilderness, Walnut Stain.


Toadstools 2
Stamped outline with Pumice Stone
Colours -
TH - DOxs Vintage Photo
TH -DIs Frayed Burlap,
Paints - Snowflake


Toadstools 3
Stamped outline with Fired Brick
Colours -
TH - DOxs Fired Brick
TH -DIs Rustic Wilderness, Walnut Stain, Picket Fence, Vintage Photo
Paints - Snowflake


Toadstools 4
Stamped outline with Iced Spruce (small ones) and Hickory Smoke (large one)
Colours -
TH - DOxs Iced Spruce, Hickory Smoke
TH -DIs Peacock Feathers, Frayed Burlap
Paints - 

Toadstools 5
Stamped outline with Wilted Violet layered over on the stamp with Iced Spruce
Colours -
TH - DOxs Iced Spruce, Wilted Violet
TH -DIs Villainous Potion
Paints - 

Toadstools 6
Stamped outline with Scorched Timber
Colours -
TH - DOxs Scorched Timber
TH -DIs Scorched Timber, Ground Espresso, Picket Fence, Gathered Twigs
Paints - 

Toadstools 7
Stamped outline with Gathered Twigs and Picket Fence
Colours -
TH - DOxs Scorched Timber, Gathered Twigs, Ground Espresso
TH -DIs Scorched Timber, Ground Espresso, Picket Fence
Paints - Snowflake

Christmas Decor - Distressed, embossed Christmas tree

CVC Challenges Heavenly bodies/ space. Include stars and or planets in your project.  

    

Hubbie cut the wooden pieces for me and I started by painting the block stand and dowling (trunk) with the chalk paint and when dry I sanded some corners and edges and rubbed the brown distress ink into it.

Next do the same with the side panels of the tree.

Cut silver mirri card to A5 size, secure it into the embossing folder/texture fade and run through a big shot. Remove it and cut two pieces to the size of the flat triangles of wood. Adhere them to the wooden tree shape.

Rub chalk paint over each side and rub of with finger and repeat till required look has been achieved.

Die-cut stars with gold mirri card and also rub in chalk paint and leave till almost dry then rub over with kitchen roll. Rub coffee archival ink pad round the edges and points of the star.

The the above and lowest photos have reflected the colour of my phone (red) back to the camera.

Collect together elements to make up the tree topper decoration (berries, silver pine cones and ribbons) and something for the wooden base, I had some tiny pine cones.

Glue the trim to the base, punch 3 small star and edge with brown distress ink.

Assemble and complete .

xx

Supplies mostly from Country View Crafts

Sizzix - Tim Holtz - Thinlits Dimensional Stars,

Sizzix - Tim Holtz - 3D Texture Fades A5 Engraved Large,

Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Industrious Stickers - Trims and frames

Tim Holtz star punch

Chalk Paint - Frenchic Yorkshire Rose

Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Walnut Stain

Archival ink - Coffee

Miscellaneous - silver and gold mirri card, berries, ribbon etc,

- Autumn Poppy Field

 Alison Bomber stamps - Poppy and Grasses Editions

Welcome Fall CVC #2 September 

1. Start working on the bottom half of the card first.

2. Make watery puddles of antique linen and vintage photo, dip card and dry several times.

3. Using iced spruce and hickory smoke repeat the same process as above on the top half of the card.

4. In the background dip in a little bundle sage and dry.

5. Dab vintage photo, aged mahogany and gathered twigs closely together on a craft mat and spritz with water. Tap stamp into the colours and stamp onto the card and dry. Repeat to create a collection of poppy seed heads.

6. Use masking paper and stamp the poppy heads enough times to cover all the stamped images. When they are covered stamp grasses using different brown and green oxide inks. Dry.

7. Remove masks and use black and white drawing pens to emphasize shapes, outlines and details of the poppies.

xxx

Materials

Distress Oxides Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, Iced Spruce, Hickory Smoke, Aged Mahogany, Gathered Twigs, Peeled Paint,

Stamps - PaperArtsy - Alison Bomber EAB37 Poppy Edition, EAB40 Grasses Edition.

Permanent Black pen White Posca Pen, masking paper.

Hanging Autumn Leaves

Welcome Fall CVC #1 September

And here we are in the first month of Autumn already and 

the challenge theme is about autumn colours in nature.

Starting with the focal elements here are some autumn leaves taking centre stage.

I found some discarded backgrounds I keep in a couple of files and added to them to be able to die-cut some leaves. 

I used leaf fragments dies ......

... dabbled small areas with watery distress inks to get more depth to the colours, dried them.

When dry I used my permanent ink pem to add veins, you can just see that on two that I started with.

 Next I blended brown distress ink round the edges and around the holes, ....

.... but the colours then seemed much more subdued. I decided to leave the green ones out at this point.

So I took out some reinkers and with small drops of water I dabbled colours back onto the leaves.

Finally I rubbed micro glaze over the inked leaves, left it to soak into the card for a few minutes, buffed it and then soaked the plain side with water, scrunched the leaves up and heat dried them. I had experimented with another piece of inked card first and the colours didn't move when the water was applied.

For the background I used distress inks with some Alison Bomber and Tim Holtz stamps.

Eh voila, the hanging leaves with the green ones back in again.

xxx

Supplies 

Tim Holtz Distress inks - Forest Moss, Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, Crackling Campfire, Scorched Timber, Spiced Marmalade, Ground Espresso, Vintage Photo, Frayed Burlap

TH Distress Reinkers - Barn Door, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade.

TH Distress Spritz - Rustic Wilderness, 

TH - Stampers Anonymous - Correspondence 225, Field Notes CMS396, Tidbits CMS488, Curator CMS493

TH - Sizzix - Leaf Fragments

TH Idea-ology - Ephemera Pack Curator. 

Alison Bomber - Pressed Grasses EAB40