Wendy Vecchi Workshop in London

What a fabulous weekend it was both Saturday and Sunday, meeting up with crafting and blogging friends to have a meal together (I lost count how many of us there were in the end but we started with 15) and to attend Wendy Vecchi's Make Art workshop, we had such an amazing time. Wendy created a fabulous box and some tags for us to make using her signature products and we learnt some of her new techniques first hand and got lots of new ideas, tips and tricks.

Wendy has a great style for teaching and demonstrates and explains her techniques so well ........ and of course blending with archival ink rather than just distress inks was a revelation in itself. No really it was only because I always reach for the DIs and never think to use anything else.

She wanted to show us how in such a short time and using the same products our boxes were becoming so unique and individually personalised to our own preferences.

Here's mine.

I loved making this box using Wendy's embossing paste in a new and different way, it is such a cool shaped box and looks fabulous with the metal trim....

.. and label.

You can see the flower and button on the lid from this angle.

In the afternoon we made technique tags and here are mine featuring the gold texture paste, clearly for art, wendy's coloured archival inks and matching embossing powders, stencils, stamps and art parts.

One tip Wendy shared was that she always cuts down her tags she prefers to work on a 5 1/2 inch long tag rather than the standard 6 1/4 inch and I have to say I also like the dimensions as a more compact surface to work with.

 Tag 1

I wasn't going to buy this cup and saucer die but I can see all sorts of ways it can be used now.

Just look at the gorgeous teaspoon Wendy found us to use.

Tag 2

We used clearly for art and Wendy's stamp it - stencil it rose. It's so easy to use this range to get exact colouring in. 

I loved creating the 3D rose and vase and using Wendy's fabulous stamps and stencils.

Tag 3

More stencilling, stamp and art parts ......

... and the star is one of her own embellishments.

Tag 4

Wendy had very kindly stamped and embossed on some of the tags for us leaving us more time to create the backgrounds and get the pieces all assembled on the card.

This last tag was right at the end of the afternoon and a long but amazing day - I admit to not looking to change anything on this one and just get as much of it done before we took some photos and left for home.

Wendy also very kindly had some souvenir buttons made up for us.

And these were the tags she had made.

Here are just a few more of the photos from the day, I am hoping I will get some from some of those who attended as I missed out on getting any with Jenny and Sue - so girls if you are reading this do you have any I can have please?

Myself with wendy ....

.... Lesley, Cathryn Nikki (AVJ)

.... Tracy ....

.... Toni ....

.... Jane and Julie (AVJ) .....

.... Suz and Jane ....

.... Annie (AVJ) ....

.... and Anne (AVJ).

Thanks for staying with me through all the photos, but I really wanted to record the fullness of the day. A huge thank you to Wendy and her husband Rick for all the hard work they put into making everything run so smoothly and to all my crafting friends both above and those I didn't get photos with. It is certainly a day that will remain in the memories that stand out in my life.

I hope you have had a good start to the week and will be able to fit in some personal creative time today or soon.

Take care.

hugs Brenda xxx

Summertime for CVCC

Eeek it's the first of August and there's a new challenge starting at Country View Crafts, hoping to remind us what time of year this is!!!! So I concentrated on what the garden could look like if the sun was shining.

I started with a size 10 tag stamping the cone flower from the Flower Garden set of stamps and watercoloured with distress markers. I chose five orange, yellow and red tones and then four green tones for the stem. I then rubbed microglaze over it to seal it.....

... and added remnant rubs to create a background ....

..... then used the remnant rub resist technique to add colour with distress stains - peacock feathers, evergreen bough, scattered straw, crushed olive and mustard see (which has turned green ugh!!!!). Once dry I blended over scattered straw, shabby shutters and tumbled glass distress inks and flicked water over to distress the colours.

I coloured up some seam binding using rusty hinge, scattered straw and barn door distress stains and added a treble bow.

At this point I was rather disappointed with the flower which looked too grungy for my liking ...

... so I stamped another on Tim's watercolour paper and cut it out sticking it over the top which now gives it a brighter colour, more dimension and balances the colours out better.

To finish off I added a word disk dabbed with alcohol inks and rubbed over with treasure gold ....

.... I used a splatter stamp to add some picket fence distress paint splatter dots and some text stamping using forest moss distress ink ......

I hope you will pop over to see some fabulous inspiration from the team and look to join us during the month of August.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great summer, hopefully with some good weather.

hugs Brenda xxx

Tag Friday at AVJ

Welcome to the fifth friday in July and at A Vintage Journey that means it's Tag Friday. Firstly I would like to wish my hubbie a very happy birthday today - you will see his card on another post later next week. So let's take a look at the tag I made for today.

You may remember my tutorial post demonstrating how to use distress products to create a rusted patina effect which I used on this little trophy.

I also showed you how to use a similar process to create a rusty galvanised tin effect suitable for a watering can and created this little sweetie, but it didn't have a home so here we are with a tag for it.

I took a mop up tag ....

.... blended antique linen, bundled sage and evergreen bough distress stains over it ....

.... dripped and flicked some water and heat dried it.

I gave it a gentle covering of distress micro glaze and left it a minute or two to dry while I started this post and then rubbed it gently with a piece of kitchen towel. I blended over another layer of distress inks and flicks of water creating a double layer of distress.

I added some background stamping using a flourish/flowery stamp from a very old set of Tim's called artful flight using potting soil archival ink and heat dried it.

Then added a piece from the mixed media thinlits to give some depth and texture.

The sentiment is from simple sayings -  the butterflies from french flight framelits ....

.... and I also added the small bird from Tim's new punches range.

I finished off with flowers from the tiny tattered florals set and a rusted muse token.

Now I feel happy that the old watering can has a peaceful home in the garden.

Thanks for stopping by and do please go take a look at the other wonderful tags offered up by the AVJ Creative Guides - you won't be disappointed.

Have a wonderful weekend. I am off to London to the Wendy Vecchi workshop and really looking forward to it. I am also excited about seeing blogging friends some of whom I have never met. I shall post some photos  next week.

Take care.

hugs Brenda xxx

A Visual Journey #30

I am in one of those moods where ideas aren't sparking in my head and I'm bereft of creative connections. It's times like this I need someone to ignite my inner muse and challenge me to try something different, so for me the best place to go for that is Pinterest and take a look around until I see something that inspires me.

Today I was really taken with a video that Marta Lapkowska made for Lindy's Stamp Gang and followed her steps to create a mixed media journal page. I do recommend you take a look whether you need a shot in the arm like me or just to stimulate your curiosity.

I followed Marta's steps to create an artsy background using torn papers, masking tape and I used dylusions ink sprays for the colours. I have to say at this point I was not sure this background was going to work ........

.... but following Marta's steps in my own way I ended up with pages that I am really quite pleased with.

Adding the stamps, the definition lines, the words and the circles really added to the artsy look.

Even through all the layers you can still see some of the torn text and music papers.

Thank you Marta for the inspiration, it was the perfect thing I needed to do right at this moment and I am pleased with the results I got. 

Thanks for stopping by on my Visual Journey and I can't believe I have managed 30 double pages this year, the journal is getting very fat. Please pop on over to Marta's blog and see the amazing projects she has displayed.

Take care.

hugs Brenda xxxx