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

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

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

Technique Tuesday # 7 - Marbling with Fluid Media Acrylics - DecoArt.

 #7

For this technique I used one off the tear-off palettes which has a lovely slippery smooth surface.

Add a drop of 2 colours quite near each other - here I used cadmium red hue and Hansa Yellow Medium.

Spritz with water and let colours gently come together.

Dip your card into the mix quickly before the colours blend and mix .....

..... and reveal some marbling effects.

This is one I tried with green gold and phthalo turquoise.

This just goes to prove you can get watery marbling effects with just water but I will admit the patterns are not so intricate as they are with other methods.

If you want to pin - here is the graphic.

Thanks for stopping by on another technique Tuesday and all the lovely comments you left on the Weathered Wood Crackle last week.

See you soon.

hugs Brenda xxx

Emboss resist Journal Panel

It's my turn over at the Country View Craft Project Blog and I am finishing the month continuing the blues and greens challenge theme with another technique and journal panel.
This is how I left it over there ........

But I wanted to grunge it up some more for my journal so I edged all four sides with raw umber blending it over with a blending tool and foam then I mixed a dirty wash of quinacridone gold and paynes grey and painted that round the edges.

I had used some card to mop up some of the paints as I had been using them and I stamped the old Tim Holtz quote on some, coloured in the letters with some Pitt artist pens and edged it with ground espresso distress ink before adhering it to the panel.

Thanks for stopping by.

Listen to your HeArt

hugs Brenda xxx