Under 30 minutes?

That's the title of the new challenge at Country View Challenges - ME make something in UNDER 30 minutes, you gotta be kidding, so what to do? I had been umming and erring for days before I decided that the best thing was to write myself out a recipe to follow and hope I could get it done in the time. Here are a few before, near the end and after photos, no process steps as that would have compromised me making sure I got done in the 30 minutes.

This is the recipe -

1. Take a tag and dip it in several watery washes of dark blue media fluid acrylics and dry to get a mottled effect.

2. Take a numbers text stamp, embossing ink and gold embossing powder and randomly stamp and emboss to create a design.

3. Tear a piece of patterned paper to fit across the middle of the tag and ink over it with chipped sapphire distress ink. Flick it with water and dry it then glue it onto the tag.

4. Add some torn strips of of tissue tape and blend the blue distress ink over that.

5. Stamp some text randomly over using watering can archival ink .

6. Take the embossing ink pad and run it roughly round the edges of the tag and sprinkle with gold frantage.

7.Grab some rusted embellishments, discarded fabric pieces and ribbon to build up a collage to finish it. 

Ok, I had a sort of design in my head so I gave myself permission to pull out most of the items I thought would work well together as I guessed it would take me more than half an hour to make decisions on what to choose and where to find all the bits. This is what I had.

I also got out the tools and supplies I had itemized in the recipe. Gluing all the metal bits on wasn't going to be easy under time constraints so I got the glue gun warming up too. At the same time I was writing my blog post, I always do this so that I capture the essence of the process with the write up as well as the photos.

I laid my desk out ready to start ......

.... and set the timer to go.

I worked through the steps dipping, drying, stamping, embossing and was really pleased with the progress I made, so much so that with still a little over 2 minutes to go I had finished all the steps  .....

.... and managed to grab the camera quickly to show you.

  So I pulled out some rustic ribbon (one of Tim's I think) inked it with the chipped sapphire and quickly stapled it to the top of the tag and managed to grab a photo of the finish line.

Two seconds left and yes I was done - phew the recipe had worked. I got the blue mottled background I wanted ....

.... and the rusted elements I collected together went on fine.

 The gold frantage picked up some of the text stamping as the archival ink must have still been wet.

Yes you can see hot glue in areas but that was the sacrifice for getting a mixed media tag done in 30 minutes .....

.... and because I had grabbed elements that were in bits boxes I had time to create the background and get it made up in the time. Yay.

Not too bad for a quick project - I'm sure it would have been a bit different if I'd given it the usual procrastination and over thinking time lol.

So if you fancy having a go then do pop over to the Country View Crafts challenge blog and see what the rest of the team have come up with and pop over to their blogs to see what sacrifices they made to get something finished in the 30 minutes.

Thanks for stopping by, have fun with your crafting this week.

hugs Brenda xxx

Canvas board mixed media

I'm over at the Country View Crafts shop project blog again today with a textured background and layered paints and distress ins canvas board. You can see the texture here and if you would like the instructions as to how I made it I would be happy if you popped over to CVC Project Blog to find out.

It's Friday and another weekend but would you believe the last one in January - no I can't believe it either. here we go again.

Take care and enjoy your art.

hugs Brenda xxx







Updated - from CVC project blog

I am using one of my most loved canvas boards which is 5 x 7 ins in size. I have made a fairly simple textured background and then take bits from my 'left overs' box to die-cut the dapper man and create a card.

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I began by taking a palette knife and mixing DecoArt modeling paste and white gesso together in about a 50:50 mix and then roughly spread it over the surface leaving some of the canvas board exposed and left it to dry.

Choose three colours that will tone and blend together well and not create 'mud', ie 3 warm colours, 3 cool colours or take one colour and make a tint and a shade of it to go with the original.

(In color theory, a tint is the mixture of a color with white, which increases lightness, and a shade is the mixture of a color with black, which reduces lightness. A tone is produced either by the mixture of a color with gray, or by both tinting and shading).

Take blue-green light media fluid acrylic paint, mix with water to create a very watery wash and dip the board in and dry it.

Repeat the above step with burnt umber.

Take blue-green light, mix with titanium white and drip the paint through the canvas, spritzing with water and heat drying when you are happy with it. Repeat with burnt umber mixed with titan buff.

Blend over evergreen bough distress ink, flick with water and roll dry with kitchen paper.

Repeat with vintage photo and again with evergreen bough to get depth of colours.
Give a coat of ultra matte varnish to seal the distress inks. Be very light with the brush otherwise the varnish will move the distress inks around.

 

Rub a coffee archival ink pad around the edges and over the high points.

Then choose the elements you want to add to make a mixed media piece of art or you could add an easel and give it as a card.

I love mixed media backgrounds, hope you like this one.

Have a great weekend.

hugs Brenda xxx

Watercolour powders 1

I have a card and the process steps on the Country View Crafts Project Blog today and thought I would make another one for here.

Follow the steps on the CVC blog HERE but mix and match your powders, I used brown bistre, royal blood infusion and grey brusho to show how they can all work together. The two steps needed to create this are so easy and can produce some amazing effects.

Gather some items to embellish the card and create your focal point.

I edged the card with ground espresso and created a small collage with a sentiment.

There we go, a great vintage card in under an hour and a half, well it can be if you just go for it, but if you're like me you'll spend ages choosing your colours and your collage elements lol and take longer.

Here's the one that can be found at Country View Crafts project Blog, it would be lovely if you could pop over to take a look.

Have fun and happy Sunday.

hugs Brenda xxx

Block Heart

I seem to be well into hibernating mode at the moment, I always am this time of the year but I have managed to make my first Valentine project which can be seen over at Country View Crafts project Blog.

I know who will receive this in February.

Have a great week and listen to your HeART.

hugs Brenda xxx

A raised bottom box tutorial DMMDT

This was my Design Team contribution for DecoArt last October and thought it was about time I shared it here for you.
This is a shadow box I designed using greyboard and I placed the 'base' inside the box so that I could use one of two depths for my project (See dimensions below). If you ever want a box and have some greyboard to work with I go through the dimensions and process steps below.

Step 1 - Create the Shadowbox

1a. Cut two pieces of greyboard 18 x 4 cms and cut another two 13 1/2 x 4 cms to make up the sides.

Cut two more pieces 17 1/2 x 1 1/2 cms and another two 13 x 1 1/2 cms to provide the inside 'step' on which to place the base.

Use artist tape or another thin tape to hold the four sides of the box together, add one layer of tape on the top inside of the box as well as the whole of the outside, layering it if necessary.

1b. Adhere the four thin strips to the inside of the box on the bottom edge (these will form the ridges underneath for the background to sit on).

1c. When they are dry place the base onto the strips to form the background of your box.

1d. Cover the outside and inner panels with tissue wrap and  here you can see the dimensions of the base top and bottom.

Step 2 - Colour Mixing

Usually I just have drops of paint on my craft mat and blend colours as I go along but there are times when I want a specific colour palette and I will do myself a colour mixing chart. Pinterest is a great place to find new palettes to use and then I create one of these. The soft weathered blue that just happened on the alabaster technique below was my starting point and the colour palette that inspired me can be found at http://snapyourcolors.com/Chip/l4T5fR/


Step 3 - The background

3a. Cut a piece of card to fit the base (the size will differ according to which depth you choose to use).
Cover it with tissue wrap to fit in with the sides of the box and then use modeling paste and stencils to add texture.
Choose your paints, mix the blends of colours one at a time and then spritz, drip and dribble them through the texture drying before you add the next colour.
Lightly brayer some white back over the texture.

3b. Whilst completing this step and having mixed each of the colours I finger painted some on the outside and inner lip of the box frame.

Step 4 - The Cameo Frame

4a. Die-cut the frame from grey board and give it a coat of white gesso painting in all directions to get it as smooth as possible.

4b. Drag some texture sand paste over and dry.

4c. Use a wet sea sponge with Titan Buff and medium grey V6 and sponge on random areas of both colours.
4d. Mix three parts resin plaster with one part water and a little titan buff to colour it, pour on frame and drag over 90% of it pressing in with a palette knife and quickly add the smallest spot of prussian blue hue, a drop of the medium grey and a few drops of titanium white, mix together and also drag that across to create an alabaster background.

4e. When dry, rub off any loose surface material and seal with ultra matte varnish, which gets soaked up by the plaster very quickly. Repeat with a second coat when the first has dried out.

Step 5 - The Shadow Box border

5a. On a piece of card paint prussian blue and titan buff, dry it and then layer on a watery wash of prussian blue and dry.

5b. Die cut an ornate border, ink the edges with ground espresso and adhere to the sides with decou-page.

Step 6 - The Embellishments

6a. This is a free image from the internet, printed on photo paper and adhered to an mdf circle. I like to sand the edges and blend brown distress inks around it.

6b. This is a resin cast from a prima mould, painted with the prussian blue and titan buff mixed together and when dry I spritzed it with water and dripped some titanium white over it. Again when dry I highlighted the raised parts by rubbing on some iced espresso metallic lustre.

6c. These metal corners and handle were just spritzed with water with some titanium white dripped and dried. Again I highlighted with iced espresso metallic lustre.

6d. The metallic book plate and nib were given dabs of titanium white, paynes grey and quinacridone gold in separate layers, drying between each and highlighted with champagne ice metallic lustre.

6e. This is a number cut from card that had been embossed. I spritzed it with water, dribbled paynes grey and prussian blue over it. Once dry I blended titanium white over the raised areas using the back of a piece of cut and dry foam,dried it, then gave it a watery wash of quinacridone gold.

Step 7 - Assembly

7a. First glue the number onto the metal plate, then adhere it to the bottom of the cameo frame.

7b. Glue to photo onto the frame and make sure both are dry before the next step. (otherwise they might move a fraction while you are gluing other pieces on - said with experience!!!).
7c. Attach the mould to the top of the cameo frame.

7d. When these three are all completely dry use foam pads behind the frame and the part of the mould that is sticking over the edge and fix to the back of the box. The foam pads add great dimension.
7e. Use modeling paste behind the nib to attach it to the background.
7f. Glue the corners on and again leave it all to dry.

7g. Lastly you can put the frame upright and glue the handle to the top.

Hope you enjoyed seeing how this came together, especially if you missed it last year on the DecoArt blog. I can feel me wanting to have another go at one of these soon.