Finnabair Workshop

It’s taken me a couple of days to get time to post again after getting back from my crafty travels (and beware this is photo heavy). Having blogged about my Tim Holtz adventure last week, this last weekend saw me travelling to Swindon to take part in a two day amazing workshop with Anna Dabrowska also known as Finnabair and OMG what an incredibly creative two days we had with this extraordinarily talented and charming lady. Anna is the epitome of all things artsy and is a fabulous teacher. We explored mixed media Finnabair style over four workshops creating a layout. canvas, journal cover and journal pages and what an exciting, refreshing and inspiring journey it was. I thought I would share these projects over at Frilly and Funkie as their new challenge is Anything Goes.

My layout…….

My Canvas

My journal and one of the double page spreads. (I have some things to finish yet!!)

Starting with a prima canvas journal with resist covers.

If you have already been lucky enough to spend time with Anna, you will know what I am talking about and if you have a workshop already booked you are in for a most amazing treat and if you haven’t then what are you waiting for? I came away with so many techniques to use, so many ideas and so much new enthusiasm to create. I am raring to go and just need to find some time. (I think Anna must have brought Mr Mojo back from Ireland for me and in the most amazing mood that I want to be at my desk for the next week).

Saturday’s group

Lesley, Alison (Butterfly), Me, Emma, Astrid, Tracey, Alison (CraftyTrog), Anna, Nicky, Gillian.

Alison, Me and Astrid.

Anna teaching.

Anna

Alison, Anna. Astrid, Me, Jools and Alison.

Intensely working away.

Thanks Anna, I loved each and every second and enjoyed your company over dinner.

I hope to do this again one day.

Hope everyone is having a brilliant week especially as the sun is shining.

Stay creative.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Finding Mr Mojo–Tag 5

I will have to admit to a bit of cheating making this tag, it is actually one of six I prepared earlier in the year but only two got finished and they were given to very dear blogging friends. So what I did was play with making new backgrounds but then finished all four of the other tags, the backgrounds will be used for something else later on.

This is my re-take on Tim’s June tag of 2012. I used the marbleised background, stamped over it and then used a vintage image I had downloaded.

I followed the same steps but improvised along the way with colours and supplies.

Along with my DT makes and these tags, I think Mr Mojo is finding his way back home but I will continue and finish the 12 tags just for fun.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look and a huge thank you if you leave me a comment. I really appreciate the time you give as I know how long it can take.

I will be back tomorrow with some photos of the weekend.

Have a great day.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Using wood for UPA

The new Unruly PaperArts blogozine is published today and it is all about using wood in your crafting projects. There are the usual Reader’s Art Quests (RAQs) and columnist articles over the month. But sadly this will be the last month for UPA as Shar the creator and editor can no longer find the time to keep it going. It is such a shame.

This is my RAQ sample using a flat wooden birdhouse and a couple of wooden embellishments.

These birdhouses can be picked up quite cheaply and I got mine from the Range in the UK.

I had seen a video made by Leandra at PaperArtsy and decided to use her techniques to colour up and get some texture going. You can find the video tutorial HERE, where the process is described in detail and is very easy to follow.

I also painted the back using Fresco Finish paints and a piece of foam.

I gathered some wooden embellishments together, not sure which ones I was going to use at the time and I painted them all with white acrylic paint.

I decided to use the large bird and small dragonfly and painted them again with FF paints, then over-stamped the bird with a Tim Holtz stamp.

Using a small piece of twig also painted up I glued in a perch..

You can see the textures and layers of paint here.

Have fun working with wooden pieces this month and please enter your projects into the two RAQs which are 1. To use wooden accents and 2. Make a 3D wooden project. I think I have covered both with my birdhouse lol.

Thanks for joining me today, have fun.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Layers

It is my turn to choose the challenge at Country View Crafts’ Challenges and I chose ‘Layers’ so that whatever your style you get a chance to play along.

I have seen so many of those fabulous pop-up cards on the blogs over the past few months and thought it would be good to do one, but as I don’t have a die to help me out I knew I was going to have to start from scratch and design my own. When I was a teacher in the classroom my children always made topic books and putting pop-ups in them was great for them to apply some art and technology skills and they were really good at them, but I have kept to basic rectangles on which I have added images and ephemera.

Let’s start with the front cover though.

I have used Tim’s French Industrial paper stash and added a frame (cut for me by my friend Lucy), part of a tag from a TH purse, a stamped ticket and a crown and Fleur de Lys die-cuts. The frame was painted with distress paints, black acrylic paint and pewter treasure gold added (you wouldn’t believe it started off as a piece of white card would you?) The picture came from the paper stash.

The die cuts were black card and I coated them with distress embossing powder. For the fleur de lys I covered it in black soot and then sprayed it with a shiny varnish and put some pewter TG on it, but it faded into the background so I alcohol inked it with pitch black.

For the inside I cut a piece of the paper stash to size and turned to the back drawing in the lines I wanted to cut and to fold.

I pushed the pop-ups inwards folding in the appropriate places and then set about adding layers of card, images, ephemera, washi tape and words until I was happy with the effects.

So a very simple pop-up design but I think it looks ok

Looking forward to seeing you join in with the challenge this month. Please pop over and take a look at the inspiration from the DT and the winner and Top 3 from July will be joining us over the weeks too.

Have a creative week.

Thanks for reading.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Finding Mr Mojo–Tag 4 and Tim Holtz workshops

This tag was inspired by Tim's May tag 2012 (check out his blog for the full details of his tag), but I changed mine as I went along -  as you do!! It is a sample for Crafty Individuals who have new stamp sets just released and of course I love lighthouses so had to use this set asap. Please check out Jean’s blog to see the stamps and see the other DTs amazing inspiration.

I started with a tag that had been prepared from left over inks and stains from another project and stamped the numbers from the CI – 397 plate using cobalt archival ink.

I glued scrunched up blue tissue paper over the top and stamped the lighthouse and painted in using distress markers. The picket fence is perfect for colouring up the lighthouse itself.

The seagull was stamped separately on inked card, cut out and edged with walnut stain DI.

I added two wooden shapes both painted with white acrylic and this one stamped over with some of the names of the 31 areas used in the BBC shipping forecasts, as was the border that can be seen a couple of photos above.

Thought  would just add a few photos from the retail day and consumer workshops that Tim did this week. Firstly though I have to say it was just an amazing experience both from having Tim take the sessions and having him teach us about the products and how they work but also because I got to meet up with quite a few blogging buddies too, which was wonderful. So to Jennie (Buttons), Rita, Annie, Sue C, Jennie Boxall, Alison (Butterfly) thank you for an incredible time meeting up with you all and having so much fun. In fact Wednesday night we laughed till we cried.

Wednesday photos – beware you might need a cuppa to get through these lol.

Meeting Tim was fab.

and Mario ...

and Dyan.

Tables laid out ready for the day.

Tim teaching.

One of the 15 tags we made, this one just started and using remnant rubs,

Dyan teaching us how to use the Dylusions sprays.

Thursday's photos

Rita and Annie came down Wednesday....

Thursday's workshop - Sue, Jennie and me with Mario.

Tim teaching.

Jennie getting inky...

and Sue,

My work station. with tags in progress.

Our table (photo taken by Tim)

Us three getting stuck in (photo taken by Tim)

me getting bits ready to embellish the tag book (photo taken by Tim)

Just an incredible two days.

So today I am off to Swindon for the weekend where I will be with Alison again and more crafting friends joining in a 2 day workshop with Anna Dabrowska also known as Finnabair. (Photos to come next week). How lucky am I?????

Enjoy your weekend whatever you have got planned.

hugs {brenda} x0x