Mosaic frame DecoArt DT project #2

Collector of Memories

This was my second piece for the DecoArt Mixed Media Design Team and this time I felt like going all pink and girly but with contrasting rusty elements. You may have seen it over the DecoArt Media blog but I like to keep a record of all my makes on here so I am sharing the full version.

I love collecting little embellishments whether they are made from glass, acrylic, metal, wood or card they enhance any project and add atmosphere and help tell the story behind it. I also like printers trays, collecting small items of vintage ephemera, curios and old collectibles that represent a moment in time in someone’s life. So I thought I would combine my love of these things and make a mosaic frame using small pieces gathered from all sorts of places, some of which are modern in that they are easy to buy on-line from those auction type sites etc, but given the rusting treatment they can all combine to look aged and timeworn found trinkets.

I also need to tell you that I am an intuitive artist and throughout this project (and most of the others I make) I instinctively changed course and added in more layers than I had perhaps intended. I have highlighted these to you and if you follow these process steps I am sure you will do the same. Enjoy and have fun.

Instructions:

Step 1.  Begin by cutting two of the mosaic frames and a back board the same size from mount board.

Step. 2 Cut another mosaic frame the same size from card and run through an embossing folder. I used the flourish as I could run it through twice once top and again on the bottom to create the embossed design.

Step 3. Use texture sand paste and a palette knife randomly around the edge of the frame and a little around the boxed areas. Heat dry or leave to dry naturally. Add some transparent crackle glaze randomly around the frame and also leave to dry naturally.

Step 4 Make up a mister of titan buff acrylic paint (I used 15 drops of paint in the Ranger mini mister) and another of quinacridone magenta (10 drops of paint) and use them with dabs of yellow iron oxide on a brush and a water spritzer to create mottled pastel colours over the frame and dry. At this point I could see my crackle glaze layers had been too thin in most places so I brushed on some more and again left it to dry. Repeat this colouring up in this step again as required.

Step 5.  Mix small amounts of the quinacridone magenta and yellow iron oxide separately on your mat with water and use a brush and a water spritzer to let the deeper colours mix and dribble through the crevices of the embossed design.

Step 6. Create a more vintage look by dipping small areas into a watery walnut stain distress ink wash on your craft mat, let it move around and dab away areas that need removing before drying with a heat gun. Use the inky wash on a small brush and add bits by hand if you need more control over it.

Step 7. Whilst you are waiting during drying times gather your metal embellishments and give them a thin coat of white gesso

Step 8. Next paint your metal pieces with raw umber and medium grey V6, blending in places. When dry give a few areas a coat of paynes grey and when that’s dry paint it all with quinacridone gold. I always end up ‘playing’ with the layers and here I added a little finger rubbed translucent white and then a wash of quinacridone gold over that.

Step 9. Add a pin prick mixes of quinacridone gold and raw umber together to just add some colour to the other embellishments and alter them. Rub in a little quinacridone gold and dribble some in the holes of this number plaque.

Step 10. Finish this monocle with some remnant rubs.

Step 11. Colour up the little bottle with a thicker wash of quinacridone gold and rub walnut stain distress ink into the cork stopper.

Step 12. Also colour the sides of the glass dome and sides of the base with a little quinacridone wash to vintage it up and adhere a photo to the base. I love adding vintage photos as they are often the focus of the story behind the project.

Step 13. Rub a little translucent white acrylic paint over the typed token to make the word stand out.

Step 14. Add a sticker and epoxy overlay to the cash key.

Step15. Finish the frame but adding some dabs of watery qiunacridonr gold in the boxes, spritzing with water and heat drying and also adding some remnant rubs.

Step16. Cut a small easel die cut in mount board and adhere to the back of the frame to allow it to stand.

The full product list can be found on the DecoArt Mixed Media blog and those Country View Crafts sell are listed below.

Thanks for stopping by.

hugs Brenda xxx

DecoArt Mixed Media Fluid Acrylic 1oz - Titan Buff DecoArt Mixed Media Fluid Acrylic 1oz - Translucent White DecoArt Mixed Media Fluid Acrylic Quinacrodone magentaww.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/decoart-mixed-medi DecoArt Mixed Media Fluid Acrylic 1oz - Yellow Oxide DecoArt Mixed Media Fluid Acrylic - Raw Umber DecoArt Mixed Media Fluid Acrylic 1oz - Medium Grey Value 6 DecoArt Mixed Media Fluid Acrylic - Paynes Grey DecoArt Mixed Media Fluid Acrylic 1oz - Quinacridone Gold DecoArt Mixed Media Fluid Acrylic - Burnt Sienna DecoArt Media Enhancer - Clear Crackle Glaze DecoArt Mixed Media - White Gesso DecoArt clear matte medium Sizzix Bigz Die - Mosaic By Tim Holtz Sizzix Damask and Regal Flourishes Embossing Folder Tim Holtz Distress ink pad - Walnut stain Ranger Inkssentials Mini Misters (3 pack) Ranger Inkssentials Mister Spray bottle Tim Holtz Bigz die - Small easel

InLinkz.com

Woo Hoo - Simon Says Stamp and Show Top 3

Hi Everyone    

I can't believe that I have got a Top 3 place at Simon Says Stamp and Show, this was for my steampunk alcohol inks card. I am sooo excited and am waiting for the blinkie to put on my blog, but I feel it is a great achievement and a huge thanks to Linda and the team.

I haven't been about in blogland much this week, in fact I haven't been making much either. Two reasons - firstly I am really pleased to say that I have got some work for the autumn term. I have been approached by some of the schools I have been working with over the past 4 years and will be doing some work with them, but I have also taken on a short term contract for 3 days a week to be the interim headteacher of a small primary school in Oxfordshire. I have been to visit a couple of times and spent some time with the staff and meeting parents. I just need to meet the children now. It is a school I know so I am very much looking forward to being there. So I am going to be very busy with work after August and probably won't have the time to create, make and blog, but I will pop in and see people as often as I can. Where I am on design teams I am already trying to get ahead of myself to keep them going, but I may be asking for a sabbatical - we will see!!!!      The second reason for not being around is that somehow I got a stomach upset which laid me low and in fact I spent one day in bed which is really not like me - but I feel better again today and had the grandchildren yesterday which didn't wear me out too much.

So this morning I have spent a bit of time at my workbench and made this for this week's challenge at SSSS and it is ready and will be entered with only a few hours to go. But I am glad I got there.

A different shaped tag for a change, inked and stamped over. I then added the 13 red card made from a TH stamp and added a TH flourish using one from the grungeboard stripes elements. I also used the playing cards stamp from Art Impressions using stazon on tissue paper sprayed with adirondack colour wash stains. the little black plate is a plastic one and I used a white pen to write on LUCKY (cos 13 is my lucky number) and stamped over it with a text stamp and fresco finish old gold paint. Other little bits added to finish it off and eh voila.

 I hope you are manaing to find a bit of crafting time and enjoying the weekend. Thanks for stopping by today.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

The Stamp Man Challenge # 17 - Curls and Swirls

Firstly I am off to the Farnborough Craft Show tomorrow (Saturday), anyone else going?????

I have loved preparing for the challenge this fortnight at The Stamp Man and completed some of it while watching the fabulous TH on QVC during Tuesday afternoon. Hence some inspiration drawn from what he was doing

The centrepiece for this card was made using alcohol inks with a sentiment and a flourishes stamp. The next layer was a piece of patterned paper from my box,  I inked the edges, over stamped using a music stamp and then sprayed with cosmic shimmer and 2 of the edges paper pierced.

The background is another paper from my off cuts, clear embossed with swirls in 2 corners and inked over, then mounted on gold.

The ribbon was thread through a metal tag on which I used the altered metal technique as explained in the TH bible. Gold flourish die cuts gave this the third layer of swirls and curls and were also given the altered metal treatment which worked really well. The butterfly is downloaded and covered with glossy accents and glitter.

Supplies
Adirondak alcohol inks - gold, cranberry,  meadow and red pepper
TH stamps - Shabby French, Reindeer Flight
DIs - barn door, aged mahogany, walnut stain
Cosmic Shimmer - red firefly
TH Elegant Flourishes die
Perfect Pearls - heirloom gold
Rangers Archival Ink pad - black

Challenges which inspired me -
Studio L3 - Altered metal alcohol inks
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Stripes
Sketch and Stash - Sketch used  - old stash papers from my off cuts box, new stash - metal ribbon holder
Creative Inspirations - Distress
2 Sisters - Embossing

Happy Friday and thanks for stopping by.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Follow your heart - limited resources

Hi everyone - hope your weekend is going well.

This is another of my cards I made whilst in Swanage with Mum at the beginning of the summer. I took just a few supplies with me so that I had something to do in the evenings, it was great working like this. It challenged me quite a bit, but it was good fun.

This card I used some backing papers from my box of bits and the main part is from my gorgeous Mariposa matstock - you know the stack that I just love looking at and don't want to use. It is already glittered so I just edged it with pumice stone DI and gold stickles. The embellishments are a butterfly from my downloaded collection and covered in crackle accents, some seam binding tape, a little flower made with dictinary paper and a little cream ribbon rose with ealnut stain Di on it; some punched leaves, a flourish from a TH die and two tiny punched hearts with pearls. I edged the whole of the main background with antique linen and gold stickles. In the top left hand corner you might just be able to make out three of my glass glintz's with th pink circle shape stuck to them from the bottom DP. The sentiment is from a box of die cuts.

Hey ho - it's just amazing what you an do when you challenge yourself.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Have fun.

Luv B xxx

New home card

Hi Everyone

Sunday after a great BBQ with family and friends last night. We sat outside and lit all the candles we could find, it was a lovely evening. So relaxing, just wonderful.

 I found a free pic on the internet, printed it off, cut it out, then stamped the cage over it which is from the TH Artful Flight set. The background was rubbed with distress inks very lightly then spritzed with water, dabbed off with paper and heat dried. This has given it a light but vintage effect. I used Spellbinders and TH dies to cut the shapes to mount the parrot and cage on and the backing papers again are downloads. I used Photoshop Elements to crop the little butterfly and darken it and printed it out separately. having covered it in glossy accents I added it to give more dimension. The sentiment is from Raindrop Echo Designs, Anne often offers freebies either on her challenge blog, Sentimental Sundays, or on her own blog, they are easy to use in Photoshop. The ribbon was pleated and sewn to cover the join in the two papers.

I have this cute little bird feeder so I took a photo of the card behind it.

Neat eh?

Other materials used

Distress inks - black soot, shabby shutters and aged mahogany

Stickles - cotton candy and star dust

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday evening and hopefully shower free, though the rain and clouds are starting to roll in here. I can just hear some thunder in the distance, but otherwise we have been lucky and had quite a nice day. I managed to get lots more gardening done.

Take care. Luv Brenda xxx

Challenge List

Creative Card Crew #51 - Pink and green

Gingersnap Creations #57 - Wings

Craftalicious - New
Crazy 4 challenges #40 - Pleats

Caged Butterfly

Firstly I chose five challenges from Wednesday's challenge list to create this card. Color Throwdown where the colours to use are pink pirouette, melon mambo and baja breeze. Stampavie and more want you to use flowers. Flutterby Wednesday challenges us to use flowers with a butterfly, fairy or angel!  Fab 'n' Funky challenge us to make our own embellishments and Gingersnap Creations have asked us to create our art around our favourite quote. I knew I wanted to play with the TH birdcage again and this is what I ended up with.

I heat embossed the cage with a sparkly embossing powder and decided that I would put a butterfly in the cage rather than a bird. Quite inspiring for me I thought!! I made and added my own charms from beads and I made my own flowers.

 The swirl and quote are also by Tim and I printed out a tiny bird to add to the overall effect with another small MS butterfly.

The coloured papers fitted the colour challenge and I have used more of my music paper, sewing them all together. The card and baja breeze backing paper were edged with copper Adirondack acrylic paint dabber, the pink paper was distressed and edged with cotton candy stickles and the quote was distressed and edged with stardust stickles. I added glossy accents to both butterflies and the bird, and sprinkled some glitter into the glossy accents on the large butterfly. I have also used the Sakura glitter pen in places.

We are off to Walsall tomorrow to stay with some friends and I am so looking forward to going to see Rod Stewart on Saturday night. Can't wait.

Have a wonderful weekend yourself. The forecast is good for the UK so hopefully we will see some extended sunshine.

Love and hugs. Brenda xxxx

Other challenges

Papertake Weekly - Say it with flowers

Tuesday Morning Sketches - Your favourite colour combo and glitter

Digi Doodle Shop - Sparkle, glitter, glitz

A Blessing in pink and grey (and prize)

Good morning Friday Followers, I hope life is good for you. This is such a strange year, we have had some really difficult things to deal with and at the moment it is Maddie who is constantly in my mind and I keep sending her my positive thoughts, love and strength. She is supporting her friend whose partner has cancer and has had to go into a hospice this week. What a good friend Maddie is and she has partly been the inspiration for my card. She really is a 'Blessing', as a friend, a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter and an aunty and I pray she stays strong for herself in the way she is strong for others. My thoughts and prayers are with all of them at the moment and the families of her friends.

I am really pleased with this card and I have enjoyed working with the colours, they were inspired by a fab photo over at Sketcy Colors. 

This is covered in glitter as I wanted a sparkly card and I have been experimenting in new shapes for embellishments. The flourish is one of my new TH dies and the frame is off of the Home Accents Cricut cartridge. I used the sewing machine again and also made the flower as in my last card and put it over another shape cut on the cricut and covered in glitter. The backing papers and butterfly were printed from a Papercraft World CD and the rose image was cut from a 12x12 scrapbook paper.

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy whatever you are doing.

LOL Bxxx


WOOHOO the postman has just been and I have got a lovely new stamp from WHIFF OF JOY called 'Willow with basket'. It is part of the prize from Lexi's Creations for my win with my Easter boxes, I have also received a digi stamp from Lexi called 'A trio of ballerinas'. Thankyou Lexi and everyone at LC, your generosity is much appreciated. I shall have great fun playing with my new stamps.


Challenge List
Rosie D's Challenge 68 - Blessings
Totally Gorjus Challenge 25 - Texture
Corrosive Challenges #59 - Texture
Sketchy colors #19 - Pink, grey and white
One stitch at a time - Torn, distressed or shabby
Sophisti-cats #29 - So distressing
Crafty Angels #30 - My favourite thing  -  which has to be 'sparkles'
Cuttlebug spot - Bling
Practical Scrappers - Glitter and bling
Daisy Doodles - Pink + 1 (I didn't think the white would count????)
Creative Belli - Diecuts
Creative Cottage Challenge 6 - Things with wings
Flutterby Wednesday 105 - Butterfly, angel or fairy
Cute Card Thursday #108 - Touchy, feely