Tutorial: Collage-Tiled Background and Art Journal: Drop of Rain

Today I thought I would share how I make one of my art journal backgrounds and the materials used.

1. Using coordinating papers cut down strips and then into square-ish shapes (no measuring required)… oh and remove false nails.

2. Stick down onto page using any gel medium and a brush.

3. Trim the edges of the page down and then cover with a layer of gesso and a brush.  This just needs to be a quick coat so that it is quite translucent when dry.  This pushes the images in the paper to do background.

 

4. Using your choice of translucent colouring media colour over your background – this time I have used 3 distress ink colours applied with cut and dry foam.

 

5.  After this step it’s time to add additional interest to your background with stencils, texture mediums, stamps, etc… This time I have added modelling paste through a stencil using an art spatula.

6. Now you can complete and fiddle with your design until happy.  On this page I have some sparkly mist using my own mixed Aqua Tint spray bottles, and a whole load on the top to drip down.  I added gilding wax to the edges and texture, I added pictures from the Craftwork Cards paper pad that I used for my background with added pen detail.  Finally I stamped my quote.

 

 

Art Journal: Confidence AND CWC Paper Dolls

I managed to pick up the new Craftwork Cards Fab Fabrics collection and paper doll stamps so this is my play results. 

Here is a little paper piece wardrobe selection and a set of dolls….

As this new pad in A4 in size it seemed rude not to just use a single sheet for my background this time.  To push it into the background I went with gesso and matching gelato colours from Faber Castelle.  The mannequins and paper pieced clothes were done using the chipboard shapes that came with the paper kit.

Art Journal – She Dreams of Finding Paradise

I really enjoyed making this page today because of my latest paradise craze.  The background was collaged from the paper pad, covered in gesso and gelatos.  The other little paper bits were cut from the papers, as were the butterflies and birds.

Ingredients

• Craftwork Cards Paradise Pad and Toppers
• Texture paste
• Faber Castell Gelatos
• Gesso
• Distress Inks
• Gilding Flakes
• Stickles glitter
• Holtz Chit Chat Stickers
• CWC stamp letters
• Crackle Accents

 

Paradise Wall Hanging

Ingredients

• Chipboard
• Chipboard letters (CWC)
• Acrylic paints – burnt sienna and burnt umber
• Coloured guilding waxes
• Distress inks
• Metal brads
• Cropodile and eyelets
• Organza ribbons
• CWC stamps
• Guilding flakes and glue
• Craftwork Cards paper pad – Paradise
• Stickles glitter glues
• Sissal string
• Metal charms

I have been working on some home decor to give my living room a paradise theme so I had to get some of the Paradise papers in somehow! I cut some strips of chipboard and painted them to give a wooden crate effect.  After gluing them and adding brads and turned the the chipboard letters which were covered in papers, stamped with gilding flake glue and added flakes.  I then went around the edges with distress inks and guilding wax to hide the raw edges.

  

To finish I had glittered up a page of the butterflies from the pad and cut out a whole load with a scalpel.  They were shaped and added all over. Metal charms and some paper flowers from the same pad were added.  Finally I used my cropodile add eyelets for the string and for some ribbons.

      

Spring is Here!

Hurray the days are getting longer and the flowers are starting to bloom!  To bring the Spring indoors this year I’ve made a few items.  First up is a hanging wreath made from chipboard, craftwork card flowers and bows and candi, some ribbon from my stash and a polystyrene egg that I painted (see below)

Next up is a really low priced nest from Hobbycraft, some polystyrene eggs and some floristry wire.  I made a pale blue, yellow and green from my acrylic paints, I also had a yellow-green lustre effect and gold metallic acrylic.  Once dry extra details were added with stickles glitter and liquid pearls.

Finally I had a good play with the Spellbinders daffodil builder die to make half a dozen heads from Craftwork cards paper.  The yellow petals were made using the reverse of an orange pattern paper and coloured with squeezed lemonade and mustard seed distress inks.  Before adding the stamen I put a loop in the end of some floristry wire and poked it through for a stem.

Calendar Box Tags: March

This month’s tag was made using the Potting Shed paper kit from Craftwork Cards.  Accents include Glossy welly boots, crackled pots, Black Soot distress ink and some Sissal string.

Latest Tags for February

This month I have made four tags with the latest Craftwork Cards collections this I wanted to share..’'.

  

 Velvet Plum and stamped with ‘Love’ on candi pieces. Tag was from essentials collection and coloured with distress inks.

 More Than Words: Tag was a yellow base coat tag and elements and words were scalpled from the papers.

  Truly Scrumptious: this one was different for me and I tried to play mainly with a single element from the papers and coloured it with watercolour pencils and liquid pearls

Butterfly Parade: what a beautifully effective kit!  Tag was from the Base Coat set and the butterflies have been glittered with stickles.

Calendar Box Tags: February

This month’s tag features a glossy bow and a crackle heart all made with Craftwork Cards Kitch collection.

Another Tag: Letters and Postcards

 

Made using a plain white CWC Essentials tag, Papers from the correspondence designs, plain white candi, distress inks (old paper + vintage photo + black soot), crackle glaze and a selection of script stamps.

Just before making this tag I had just finished making this one for fun, coming up with some different ways of using liquid pearls and glossy accents - again this was with Craftwork Cards Papers:

Calendar Box Tags: January

Here is my January tag from my Craftwork Cards calendar box that I made last year.  Each month has a different kit on it and this one is Time Flies.

Framed Art: Botanica Butterfly Tag

Technorati Tags: craftwork cards,framed,butterflies,tags

I am really loving the Craftwork Cards papers!  Here is a framed 8 x 10” piece of art that I made.  It looked amazing on the wall and within a day it had been sold!  I tried to give the butterflies some life like qualities by getting them to fly away to the top flower.  Hope you enjoy :)      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• Papers, paper butterflies, diecut flowers and tag: Craftwork Cards
• Textured watercolour paper
• Distress Ink: Vintage Photo and Tattered Rose
• Gilding Wax: Pewter
• Glossy Accents (on the butterfly bodies and the flower in the lower corner)
• DoveCarft mini alphabet stamps

Matchbox #1 Time Flies

Technorati Tags: craftwork cards,butterflies,matchbox

Continuing with the Time Flies theme here is my altered matchbox design from inside my head.  The concept is that it can be used as a sort of worry box or wish box.  I wrote the inscription “If you tell a butterfly your wish, he will fly away and make it happen” so voila: you open the drawer, whisper your wish and when you close it he flies away and makes it happen…

The top of the matchbox was converted into an easel fold with extra card and the butterfly I hand made with my latest favourite technique!  Shrinkles!!!  Stamp and colour your design (I used twinkling H2Os to colour him in) and then heat with your heat tool!  Before it set too much I shaped the wings.  The paper flowers were hand punched.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• Papers – Craftwork Cards (Time Flies)
• Shrinkles Plastic 
• Distress ink – Holtz: Tattered Rose
• Gilding Wax – Creative Expressions: Bright Gold
• Butterfly Stamp – Lavinia Stamps
• Watercolour: Twinkling H2Os
• Liquid Pearls: White Pearl
• Bits and bobs: flower punch, stick on pearls, stick of aurora borealis diamantes, metal/pearl embellishment, metal button 

Time Flies ... Fly With It! Tag Challenge Entry!

 

So I wanted to finally start a blog and this seemed like a good opportunity.  I would say I'm fairly new in the public Crafting World but I came across a challenge on the page http://tagalongchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/ that would give me something to do!  This week's challenge: Tick Tock.  At the end of this post I've provided the meanings behind the elements on this piece.

Ingredients

Papers - Craftwork Cards (Time Flies)
Gilding Wax - Creative Expressions - Pewter and Patina
Distress Ink - Tim Holtz - Tattered Rose
Stamps - DoCrafts mini alphabet
Glossy Accents (on the clock faces on the butterflies)
Liquid Pearls - Silver Pearl
Paper Doily
Other bits and bobs from my stash - organza ribbon, clock hands, pink mini rose buds



Technorati Tags: butterflies,challenge,craftwork cards,doilies

Symbolisms You May Have Missed...

All in all I'm quite happy with the finished result and the symbolism of the design.  I didn't want to go down the route of doing a vintage and heavily distressed or steampunk style - instead I wanted it to be a bit more light and happy. 

1. The clock hands pointing towards the wording leads you to the words, but at the same time, separating the hands represents the two realms of time that we experience as humans: real world and dreams and how they are so separate and non-sync.
2. The wording of Time Flies... Fly With It suggests that although we can't stop time and have to go along with it then let's at fly instead of dragging our heels! 
3. I love that the clocks on the butterflies (from Craftwork Cards) all have the same time on them - so although they all exist at the same time they all chose their own path.
4. Why FIVE butterflies?  Numerology interests me.  The number 5 represents unpredictability, being always in motion and change.  There's a more in depth description of five here: http://www.numerology.com/numerology-numbers/5
5. Finally - the clock key on the ribbon represents that our life is essentially as long as a piece of ribbon held together by time (a very deep discussion point) and every time the clock needs to be reset (with the key) new buds will bloom (rebirth and new life after time ends).