Canvas Finnabair style

I have a friend who when she saw my Finn journals just fell in love with them and wanted to have a go at making something in that style. So I set up a day where we worked on a canvas each. Bearing in mind she has never crafted or done mixed media art before, she did a really great job.

Here are the photos of Sue’s canvas

And my canvas …..

We started by layering papers and adding texture paste through some stencils. When it was dry we sprayed some inks lightly on, stamped some images and splattered it with tea.

Next we started the composition by deciding where our photo was going to go and adding strips of canvas, coloured and patterned card, lace and gauze.

The last layers were the embellishments using flowers wood and metal pieces and more card where it was needed.

I used Evo-Stick wood glue which worked a treat to adhere everything down securely. The photograph is a download, this girl really seems to have a great character to me.

Then finally sprayed with more inks.

This little butterfly I found in my bits box left over from another project sometime ago.

We had the most wonderful day together and Sue was so pleased to take home her canvas that she finished. And I have to say I am rather pleased with mine too.

I hope you are having a great week. I thought I would share this quote I found -

I saw as a teacher how, if you take that spark of learning that those children have, and you ignite it, you can take a child from any background to a lifetime of creativity and accomplishment.

Paul Wellstone

hugs {brenda} x0x

Creative Chemistry 102 - Day 2

I know I have juggled the days about, but this is my last class for CC 102, I now have all 30+ tags finished and the most fabulous resource for inspiration and teaching. So …......… 

the last 8 tags to go in my collection.

Fabulous techniques using stencils.

Sorry, the light is dreadful here this morning, it’s pouring of rain and I took about 30 photos of this tag and this is the best I can get it.

#7 – Mixed-Media Layering

#8 – Embossing with Stencils

#8b – Embossing with stencils part 2

#9 – Embossing through Stencils

#10 – Stencil Stamping

#11 – Stencil Sketching

#12 – Ink Monoprint

#13 – Paint Monoprint

My tags are all labelled, put in a ring and ready for me to use.

Thanks to Tim, Mario and the team for putting this great class together and providing amazing inspiration, learning and a place to see and share our projects and other people’s wonderful take on the classes too. I shall miss this next week, but what fun it’s been.

Before I get back to DT and workshop samples I would like to wish you a happy Sunday and thank you too for being part of my creative journey and for all the comments you leave, it is so much appreciated.

“One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and to look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity”.

Edward de Bono

 

hugs {brenda} x0x

Creative Chemistry 102 - Day 5

Firstly welcome to new followers who have come aboard lately, thanks so much for joining me here and being part of my creative journey.

Second CC102 post for today and although it says day 5, I have not yet completed day 2 and will be going back to that to get it completed, especially as it’s about stencilling. Day 5 though is about embossing effects and Tim had more great techniques to share with us, six in fact.

Again some we have seen before either in Compendium of Curiosities or on Tim’s monthly tags.

#26 – Rusting

#27 – Sticky Glitter (unfortunately I couldn't get a photo to show the glitter but it is there, beautiful glittered snowflakes that twinkle in the light – wish you could see them. I will try again later if the light changes.

#28 – Sticky Leafing

#29 – Shabby Chic

#30 Tarnished Silver with a special mention of Shelly Hickox who first shared this technique on her blog STAMPTRAMP a couple of years ago.

#31 – Chalkboard. I have to say I found this the most difficult of all the techniques and as you can see it will take me a while to perfect it and this was my second go at it.

Hope you are having fun playing with new techniques this weekend and if you are still unsure whether to enrol in Creative Chemistry 102, I thoroughly recommend it. I am off to see if I can get Day 2 finished now, but so far this week I have completed 23 tags, not bad at all lol. If you haven’t seen the other posts from me and would like to, you can find them by clicking the day to jump you over.

Day 1, Day 3, Day 4.

Have a great Saturday afternoon and evening.

Take care.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Creative Chemistry 102 – Day 4 and Blogworthy Link

The focus for  CC102 Day 4 is alcohol inks and I have completed four of the five techniques Tim has shown us and what fabulous techniques to play with. I am sure we have all played with aspects of these techniques but Tim has put them all in one place and as for every day each technique has it’s own video.

Alcohol inks are a medium I don’t turn to very often, but I can see me using these more in my projects.

#21 – Faux Patina

#23 – Ombre

#24 – Monoprint

#25 – Faded Layers

Aren’t they just amazing techniques and look fabulous irl.

So it’s a very happy day for me today. Firstly Tinder (my cat no 2) who has been poorly didn’t have to have all those tests, x-rays and scopes yesterday as they sedated him first and found a very long piece of grass stuck in his throat that also went up into his nasal passage. No wonder he felt so poorly and was coughing and retching all the time, it had irritated his throat so much it was bleeding. Bless him. But he’s safely home now and is obviously feeling alot better, thank goodness for such lovely vets and  nurses at Farnborough Hill Veterinary Centre.

Secondly I got home last night after a lovely evening with friends to find that my dear friend Terry had posted on Face Book that I had a special mention from Tim on his blog post showing his latest Blogworthy Links. My Halloween canvas had obviously caught his eye . (Full post HERE)

How lucky an I? And that’s the second Blogworthy mention I have had this year. So a huge thank you to Tim, I am so glad you liked it.

Having rained during the night we now have a lovely sunny morning and all is good in the world. Long may it last.

Have a great weekend and some super creative time.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Creative Chemistry 102 – Day 3

I know I’ve missed out day 2 but I am still waiting for some bits which should come in the post this morning so I can get on and finish the stencilling. But for Day 3 it’s distress differently and I had great fun making these tags.

I just love the distressing and a couple of these we have touched on in Tim’s tags for 2012 and 2013, but you know Tim he always has something more up his sleeve and with each video he gives all the product information and tips and tricks to help us get more and more out of each of the distress range available.

#15 – Smudge Stamping and those who are taking CC102 will see my (deliberate lol) mistake.

#15b – This goes alongside the previous one and is explained in Tim’s class. I am sure you CC102ers will definitely see the (deliberate) mistake now.

#16 – Brayered Stains

#17 – Photo Tinting. The background is another tip given by Tim blending stains.

#18 – Faux Cracked Glass – love this effect.

#19 – Distress Glitter Rock Candy and the background is from Day 1 Stamping Resist.

#20 – Distress Glittering – you can tell it’s coming up Halloween can’t you?

I am sure you are having as much fun as me if you are taking the classes, but oh boy there is so much being covered so I know I won’t get it all done in a week. Good job we have lifetime access then isn’t it?

Just a quickie to finish off with. At ‘Crafts-Too Challenge You’ we are looking for someone to join our design team who has a clean and simple style and is UK based. This someone will complement the other styles in the team so that we have a range of different projects to inspire potential challengers. If you would be interested in receiving a monthly goodie bag with some products that we focus on then please pop over HERE to find out all the details. The call closes tomorrow but please try out.

I am on tenterhooks today as Tinder, our other cat has gone in for tests today as he has been a very poorly boy this week. I am hoping there is nothing seriously wrong with him.

Thanks for stopping by today. Be inspired and creative and have a fabulous weekend.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas #2

Still catching up but here is my card version of Linda’s second tag for this year. I have not quite cased her tag but it is very similar in colours and other elements she has used so do pop over HERE to see her inspiration and to join in the fun.

I didn’t have frayed burlap distress paint so I used brushed corduroy with the picket fence and perfect pearls heirloom gold. I used a different card and found it soaked up the water very quickly before marbling very well.  However after I had prepared everything for the card I ironed the cardstock to straighten it, which worked perfectly, but it took up some of the embossing powder fragments that were still left on the heat mat and made it more speckly.

I made the stars the same way as Linda did but added rock candy stickles over the top, you can’t really see the glittery effect they have which is a shame.

I always think this deer is such a grand fellow with his nose in the air and he has a scarf to keep him warm on cold, starry nights. This was made with muslin soaked in antique linen distress paint.

Stamps are by Tim Holtz as are the die cut stars and deer.

Linda has the full details of this challenge on her tag 1 post but in essence make a tag or card etc. and take something as inspiration from Linda’s tag for your own make, link this up to her post and enter all 12 challenges by December 22nd to be eligible for the draw. Linda is very generous with her prizes so you could win a $50 or $25 voucher to her on-line store ‘The Funkie Junkie Boutique’ and even get 10% discount over January 2014.

I made two of these cards so my card box is starting to fill up now.

Enjoy your day and creative time.

hugs {brenda} x0x

Creative Chemistry 102 – Day 1

I’ve managed to get all my makes done for this fabulous on-line class by Tim Holtz, and I just love seeing how the distress paints have worked and playing with the techniques Tim is showing us.

All of the techniques together. I love making and keeping the tags as reference points for the future.

#1 – Distress Paint Marbling

#2 – Coloured crackle (the background is another version of #4). Each leaf has a slightly different finish to it.

#3 – Altered Surface (the background is another version of #1)

#4 – Eroded Metallic - I was lucky enough to learn this from Tim himself on the retail day in Coventry.

#5 – Stamping Resist

#6 – Industrial and a bit of a happy accident here. I used a blending sponge that had black soot distress ink on it and when mixed with the DP it seemed to stick more to the metal tape and I got a darker metallic look.

There’s still time to do Creative Chemistry 101 and then join up for 102 if you haven’t already. Details can be found on Tim’s blog HERE and at Online Card Classes HERE. These really are so much fun and you have life long access to keep going back if you want to. I am so looking forward to having 30 tags ringed together at the end to have as a reminder of all the different techniques we will have learnt.

hugs {brenda} x0x