Believe Canvas

Well, blogging seems to go in fits and starts these days. The day job is keeping me really busy, but have the time, energy and inclination to blog!

This canvas combines Imagination Crafts goodies with one of the gorgeous Christmas 3D embossing folders from Crafter's Companion.

I started with White Gesso on the canvas and added Blue Starlights over it whilst wet. Next, I die cut some snowflakes - with a really old Crafter's Companion die set, and stuck those in the corners. I went over these with more gesso.

I then used Imagination Crafts Snoflake Swirl stencil firstly with Blue Starlight to creat a drop shadow, and then with Midnight Blue Sparkle Medium.

The after painting a piece of white card with Pearl Starlight Paint, I embossed it with Crafter's Companion Believe 3D Embossing Folder. Over the top of this, I applied Cobalt and Japanese Jade Alchemy Waxes. 

I finished off with a few little clear gems.

Cxxxx

Rusty Tag

Hope you managed to catch the shows yesterday! There's 3 more opportunities today to catch MJ's fab demos - 9am, 1pm and 5pm. 

Here's a large wooden tag decorated using one of the rice papers (design 012), with a Magi Cutz key and padlock decorated with Rusty Patinas - Rustique, Verdigris and Cafe Creme.

I used the same Rusty Patinas around the edge of the tag too. Hopefully it looks suitably rusty!
Cxxx

Rice Paper Card

It's almost time to settle down to watch MJ on Hochanda with the launch of the Vintage Imagination Crafts One Day Special.

This is a really simple card made by gluing rice paper to card, matting and layering and and adding to a card blank. The beautiful rice papers do all the work!! All I added was some ribbon as a finishing touch.

Looking forward to seeing all the amazing samples and demos on the show!

Cxxxx

Fly, Imagine, Dream

Today's the day - the launch of the Vintage One Day Special!! Lots of gorgeous Imagination Crafts goodies on Hochanda at 6pm and 8pm today, and 9am, 1pm and 5pm tomorrow. 

This journal cover started life totally white. I painted it with Sand Starlight paint, and added the rice paper (design 388). I knocked the paper back a bit with watered down Sand paint. I used the Feather Stencil to add the script to the front and the Flower and Keys stencil to add the harlequin design on the back - both with Bright Maroon Starlight Paint.

The words are also stencilled from the Feather stencil. Another simple make.

Don't forget to tune into Hochanda this evening for the launch!

Cxxxx

More Flowers and Keys

Another canvas using the Flower and Keys stencil.

I covered the canvas with Gesso, then added Sand and Bright Maroon Starlight Paints. I then added rice paper (design 407) in the top left corner, and used watered down Cafe Creme Rusty Patina to knock it back. For the stencil elements, I mixed Rustique, Verdigris and Cafe Creme Rusty Patinas to make the drop shadow, then went over the flower with Ruby Gold Sparkle Medium and the Keys with Cafe Creme Rusty Patina. Once that was dry, I added some Verdigris and Rustique Rusty Patinas to the keys.

Around the edges I used Artsy Stones, Ruby Gold Sparkle Medium and all three colours of Rusty Patina.

Back tomorrow with more samples!!
Cxxx

Flower and Keys

So, as well as the gorgeous new Feather stencil, there is also a fab Flower and Keys stencil launching on Thursday too.

This is an 8x12 Canvas, coated first with White Gesso, then Zinober Gold and Black Gesso brushed through. One half I covered with rice paper (design 012). I then used Structure Paste through the stencil in both the top left and bottom right corners.

Once dry, I went back over the Sructure Paste of the flowers with a mixture of White and Black Gesso, and painted the petals with a mixture of Zinober Gold and White Gesso. I also used the Zinober Gold onthe keys.

Back with more later.

Cxxx

Script Cheeseboard

Am loving these little cheeseboards. This one was really simple to decorate - but I love the way it turned out. 

I covered the whole of the board with rice paper (design 388) - love this design! I then added Chocolate Shabby Chic Relief Paste through the script part of the Feather Stencil. Around the edges I used the same paste with a brush to provide a frame. And finally added a ribbon bow. It was that simple.

Will be back tomorrow with a couple more samples.

Cxxxx

Vintage Cheeseboard

I had great fun with these lovely little MDF cheeseboards, making samples for the launch of the Imagination Crafts One Day Special on Hochanda on Thursday.

For this one, I used Clotted Cream and Antique Pink Starlights to paint the cheeseboard, then added rice paper over the top (design 448).  Over the top of the paper, I added some crackle effects with Crackled Feather stencil and Antique Pink Starlight. The large keys are Magi Cutz, and I coloured them with a mixture of Rustique Rusty Patina mixed with Black Gesso. On top of this I added a little Verdigris and Cafe Creme Rusty Patinas. I did the same with the edge of the cheeseboard. To finish, I added a little ribbon. 

Will hopefully be back later to share another sample.
Cxxx

Feather Bag

Here's another of my samples for the Imagination Crafts Vintage One Day Special, launching on Thursday at 6pm.

This is another one using the Feather stencil - this time to decorate a canvas bag.

I used ordinary masking tape to create the borders, and painted the background with Clotted Cream and Sand Starlights. I then used the Feather stencil to create all the detail with Zinober Gold, Topaz and Passion Flower.  There really isn't anything else too it, other than edging along the masking tape with Topaz to create an outline. Then I just removed the tape!!

Don't forget to tune in to Hochanda on Thursday at 6pm and 8pm.

Cxx

Vintage Charm

So, this week sees another great One Day Special from Imagination Crafts. The theme this time is Vintage!! As ever, there are gorgeous Rice Paper and Stencils, alongside Starlights, Rusty Patinas and Shabby Chic Relief Pastes.

This is one of the 10x12 Canvases cut in half and painted first with White Gesso and Green Starlight paints, then sprayed with Blue, Green and Orange Mix Media Sprays. Have to say that the Orange Spray got a little lost in the strong blue and green pigments. I then added a piece of rice paper (design 407) over the top, which adds more interest to the background. 

I used Zinober Gold Starlight paint through the new Feather stencil that MJ shared on her FB live last night, and then Ruby Gold Sparkle Medium, slightly offset to create a drop shadow. The postmark was added in the same way. The script is from the same stencil,with Linen Shabby Chic Relief Paste. And finally, the "Dream" word is one of the Magi-Cutz with Zinober Gold Starlight and Ruby Gold Sparkle Medium.

The ODS launches on Hochanda at 6pm Thursday - make sure you tune in!!

Cxxx 

Parisian Last Chance

So, we're heading for last chance on the Parisian One Day Special, so be sure to tune in at 5pm. Here are my last two samples.

The first is another canvas using rice papers, Starlights, Alchemy Waxes, Magi-Cutz, Mix Media Sprays and stencils. 

And the last is a very simple ceramic heart covered with rice paper, stencilled over with Relief Paste, and edged with French Lavender Alchemy Wax.

Don't forget - last chance at 5pm.

Cxxx

Paris Cards

Two more show today for Sue with the gorgeous Parisian themed One Day Special - 1pm and 5pm. As well as canvases, I made a couple of cards for the shows.

For the first one, I used Starlights (mixed with a little glycerin) on my Gel Plate withe the Damask Stencil to create the two background pieces. On one of those pieces, I added rice paper. And the front topper was also made using rice paper. The white background at the very back is from running the stencil through the Gemini.

The second card is the one Sue showed on the first show on Friday - using Transparent paste through the stencil to create an embossed effect, then rubbing Alchemy Wax over the top.

I will hopefully be back before the last chance show with the rest of my samples. 

Cxxx

Paris Amour!

It was great seeing all the fab samples and demos on Hochanda yesterday. Sue is back this morning at 9am with more techniques to share.

Here's another of my samples - another canvas. 

For this I started by spraying the canvas with water, applying white gesso then adding Rich Gold, Clotted Cream and Kiwi Green Starlights. Then I added the rice papers, and over the corners I used Malahit Relief Paste and Sage Shabby Chic Paste through the French Damask stencil.

I used the Crackled Feather Stencil to add some crackle texture around and over the rice papers - this was with the Peridot and Inca Gold Alchemy Waxes. There are a few Magi-Cutz on there for added decoration, and some punched circles.

The canvas is edged with Inca Gold Alchemy Wax.

Hope you catch the shows.

Cxxx 

Voila!!

Did you manage to catch the launch show of the Parisian themed Imagination Crafts One Day Special? Some great demos and fab samples from the team.

This is another of my samples, using one of the rice papers, Magi-Cutz, the script from Les Ciseaux stencil with Gold Relief Paste and of course Starlights in Banana Yellow, Hot Pink and Rich Gold.  Artsy Stones add a little bit of texture.

Sue will be back at 8pm tonight and again at 9am, 1pm and 5pm tomorrow.

Take care,

Cxxxx

Paris Tag

So today's the day. Sue will be on your screens at 6pm for the launch of the Imagination Crafts Parisian Hochanda One Day Special. Today's share is an MDF tag.

For this, I used Rich Gold and Green Starlights with White Gesso to cover the tag, then added rice paper to the bottom left corner. I then masked off the scissors in the stencil, to leave the flowers, and used a combination of Gold and Malahit Relief Pastes. For the flowers, I rubbed French Lavender (Purple) Alchemy Wax over the relief paste. 

The little Paris and France circles are Magi Cutz covered with paint and wax. Lots of ribbon to finish off!! 

Don't forget to tune in to see Sue with lots more samples from the DT and loads of demos!

Take care,
Cxxx

Simply Scissors

Another day - another sample for Sue's shows on Hochanda starting this Friday at 6pm.

For this canvas, I started by painting the 10x12 canvas with white gesso, and Silver Gold, Amethyst and Dark Orchid Starlights. I added buttons to the corners of the canvas with Transparent Relief Paste, and painted over them with the gesso and Starlights.

I then applied Platinum Relief Paste through the stencil for the scissors, Linen and Lavender Shabby Chic Relief Paste for the flowers, and Dark Orchid Relief Past for the script and jewels. This took a bit of masking off, but the effort was worth it.

A background stencil and Platinum Relief Paste added the texture down the sides.

Will be back tomorrow with another.

Take care,

Cxxxx 

Pack your case!!

... although you really won't get much in this little one!  I've got a thing for little boxes and cases - and have had this (and a few more like it) in my stash for a while. Friday is the day when Sue is back on your screens for the One Day Special on Hochanda at 6pm. 

The case itself needed a couple of layers of gesso before I could start, so the pattern didn't show through the paint and rice paper. Once that was dry, I covered the whole thing with Clotted Cream Starlight paints. Then most of it was covered with rice paper. 

I added a bit of texture with Malahit Relief Paste and Sage Shabby Chic Relief Paste through a stencil. Inca Gold and Peridot (Green) Alchemy wax were used sparingly to add more colour around the edges.

The tag is made from rice paper stuck onto card, and the little "buttons" are from the same piece of card, sprayed with red and cut with a punch.

I will be back tomorrow with another sample to share with you.

Cxxxx

Oooo la la!!

A little Parisian charm is coming to your screens on Friday in the form of some great Imagination Crafts goodies. There are Parisian themed rice papers, stencils and Magi-Cutz alongside all the greats like Starlights, Texture Paste, Relief Paste and Alchemy Waxes.

For this, I cut a 10x12 canvas in half, and painted the background with white gesso and Banana Yellow, Silver Gold and Mediterranean Sky Starlights.  The texture on the left is some ric-rac and Artsy Stones that I stuck on before painting.

The "Paris" word is from one of the rice papers, and I used several of the stencils to create the script and other texture using black gesso and Platinum Relief Paste. The Eiffel Tower and the stamp are Magi Cutz.

Sue will be on your screens on Friday at 6pm for the launch of the One Day Special, and again at 8pm. She will then be back at 9am, 1pm and 5pm on Saturday.

I have more samples to share with you over the next few days - so I will be back!!
Take Care

Cxxxx

Village Bauble

Over the past two days, I have been demonstrating load of gorgeous Imagination Crafts goodies at the Craft4Crafters show at the Bath and West Showground, and meeting lots of lovely crafters. There's still another day tomorrow, but I have had a lot of interest in one of the cards I have made, so I said I would blog the details so they can remember the steps.

It's a really simple card - but very effective. Apologies for the blurred photo - and the messy red water drops!

So, the first step was to lay the Village Bauble on watercolour card, then stipple through with black gesso and a stencil brush. 

Once this was dry, I laid the stencil back over, and lined it up. I then moved the stencil slightly. The idea is that the black gesso will create a drop shadow. Icy Snow Paste was then spread over the stencil creating this effect.

Once the paste was dry, I put the stencil back over and used a small stencil brush to apply Starlight Paints. I used Diamond on the berries and tree trunks, Pearl on the leaves, trees and roofs, Silver on the ribbon and buildings, and Black on the bottom of the bauble. Once again - apologies for the watery orange blob!! 

To create the card, I mounted it onto silver glitter card then black card.

As I said, a few simple steps for an effective card.

Take care, 

Cxxx

Vintage Mirror

Mandy-Jane is back on your screens in under an hour with more of the Imagination Crafts goodies. I spotted my mirror on display in the earlier show, so thought I should share it.

Back in the days of Sheena's Paint Fusion, I bought enough of those black Ikea mirrors to last me a lifetime! I still have a good half dozen in my box. So, I thought I would use one for another of my samples.

I didn't take many photos of this one - so no real step by step to show, but I can explain what I did.

I painted the whole mirror first with White Gesso, then again with Mediterranean Sky Starlight mixed with the gesso.

I then dry brushed some Silver Gold and Dark Orchid Starlights over the top to add a distressed, aged look. The little girl is from one of the A3 Rice Papers on the show, with Champagne Sparkle Medium stenciled over and some Versafine Vintage Sepia stamped around. I also added Magi-Cutz Flourishes and Artsy Stones.

Make sure you tune in at 4pm to see the show.

Cxxx

Journal Cover

Am back with another sample made for Mandy-Jane's shows today at 12pm and 4pm. This time I have taken one of the Journals and altered the back and front covers.

I forgot to take the step by step photos for this - but I can hopefully remember what I did. So, firstly, I remove the front and back cover by gently prying apart the binder. I did take photos of this so I would have a guide as to how to put them back on - but you don't need to see them.

The next step I did was to decide on the rice papers for the covers - these are the insides of both the front and back.

And these were for the front and back - although at the last minute I swapped them over! 

I mixed Bright Maroon Starlight paint with White Gesso, and painted both the inside and outside of both covers. I added the rice papers to each part.

For the inside, I used the Swirls stencils firstly with Black Starlight, and then with Platinum Texture Paste. 

For the outside, I used the Inky Script stencil with the Linen Shabby Chic Relief Paste. 

I finished by adding some Diamond Starlight Wax around the edges before returning the covers to the pages.

Cxxx

Butterfly and Keys

Another make for Mandy's shows on Wednesday on Hochanda.

No step by step pics for this one as I forgot to take them. But this is what I did.

I used Aqua and Sand Starlight paints across the middle of the canvas, making sure it was large enough so as not to be covered by the mask.

I then used the Butterfly and Keys mask over the top with Structure Paste.

In the top left and bottom right corners, I used Transparent Relief Paste through the Baby Bubbles stencil. In the top right and bottom left I added Artsy Stones with some of the Cogs and Flourishes Magi Cutz painted with the Starlights.

The whole canvas was edged with Aqua Starlight.

Back soon,

Cxxxx

Little Red Beetle

Evening!! Am really proud to share with you my first sample for Imagination Crafts. The lovely Mandy-Jane Taylor will be on your screens on Wednesday 10th October at 12pm and 4pm with lots of gorgeous Imagination Crafts products.

I absolutely love this red beetle from one of the rice papers, and just had to team it up with the Magi-Cutz cogs.

I started with white gesso on the canvas which I had spritzed with water first to help it spread more easily.

After another spritz, I brushed some Misty Green Starlight paint around the edges. 

I then added some Pink Sorbet Starlight around where the car would go.

Next I used the Butterfly and Keys Mask with Red Mixed Media Spray. To avoid it spraying where I didn't want, I used some wax paper. Not sure I'd do that again as it left a very hard edge.

To make sure that the ink didn't move when I added other things, I spread a thin layer of Translucent Relief Paste over the top. When this was dry, I added the rice paper.

Using Smoky Gray Versafine, I added some texture to the edges of the canvas and the rice paper.

Sage Green Shabby Chic Relief Paste was added through the Baby Bubble Stencil.

The Magi-Cutz Cogs were painted with the Starlights and attached with Transparent Relief Paste. A few Artsy Stones were added and the little circles are punched from card painted with Misty Green Starlight, and sprayed with Red Mixed Media Spray.

Will have a few more samples to share over the next few days.

Cxxx

Silver Wedding

Over the summer, it was my sister and brother-in-law's silver wedding anniversary! I made them this boxed card using Kanban Love and Marriage toppers.

Purple is my sister's colour (I know - I had to wear the bridesmaid's dress!) so most of the cards I make for her are purple. The base of the card is made using one of the Crafter's Companion A3 double sided card packs - can't remember what the name of the pack is though.

I used the Kanban topper (perfect colour), and cut circles of purple, lilac, white and silver card using my Spellbinders Grand Decorative Circles 1. All finished off with a big bow!

I also made a matching box!! 

That's all for now. Back soon(ish).

Cxxx

Wooden Heart

Here's something that's really quick to make - and looks so effective. I picked up the wooden heart for a couple of pounds in The Range, and the letter tag in Hobbycraft for a quid.

I used Rice Paper 418 as it provided a nice background with no focal image.

I turned the paper over, drew around the heart and then used water to outline it, so I could tear the heart shape out. This was then stuck onto the heart. 

I covered the wooden letter tag with Rich Gold Starlight, using a stencil brush.

I applied Chocolate Shabby Chic Texture Paste through the Inky Script stencil.

And also added it to a paper rose.

Flat backed pearls were added to the tag.... 

... and the heart.

And finally the tag and the flower were attached to the heart. As I said, not overly complicated - but very effective. 

Cxxxx