Tuesday 29 December 2015

Wendy Vecchi art parts

Hi everyone - I am sharing a shadow box today I created using Wendy Vecchi art parts, lots of paint and splattering and texture paste!
I started with the background - a piece of card to fit the back of the shadow box. I did some random stamping, added texture paste through a stencil, used distressed paints and marbled them, splattered some white paint and distressed the edges. There was no plan at this point - I was actually at a crop and someone asked me how to make a painty background so I was doing a bit of a demo.

I took some different art parts and began painting again. I like to add one colour, heat dry and then add another - so building up layers which creates depth. I added some remnant rubs and chit chat stickers.


I took a  shadow box and added texture sand paste through a stencil and once dry added paint and a little treasure gold to highlight.
(Sorry about the reflections from the glass - lesson learned!)

I would like to enter the following:

Thanks for visiting today.
See you next time.
Nikki
xxx

Monday 21 December 2015

Extreme Masking on an ATC !!!

Addicted to Art - extreme masking - ATC
Hi everyone... so we enter Christmas week, I hope you are all looking forward to Christmas day and have lovely things planned. (If not - as it isn't great for everyone - it is just a day and normality will soon return!!)

Over at A Vintage Journey it is time for one of our Destination Inspiration posts, where 4 people each chose either a colour, a substrate, a technique or a product. Now sometimes when they come together they are a bit of challenge and this one was for me!
Love the technique and love ATC's - but it is quite a small surface to do this technique on!!! Anyway you can see how I came up with this over a A Vintage Journey today.

I would like to enter my starry ATC into
Our Creative Corner - Wish upon a star
Simon Says Stamp - Winter Wonderland

Merry Christmas
Nikki
xxx

Wednesday 16 December 2015

Say it with a snowman

A week till Christmas - are you ready? I'm not!

Here are a couple of cards I made using Tim Holtz Distress Glaze - for the details do pay a visit to the Country View Crafts project blog. 
I hadn't had chance to play with the glaze before now and it didn't go well the first time - but once I worked it out all was well.

I would like to enter
Take it Make it - anything goes seasonal

Nikki xxx

Sunday 13 December 2015

Giving and Receiving - it's AVJ Secret Santa!

Hello! Over at A Vintage Journey it is our annual Secret Santa - where we are each given the name of one of the design team to make a gift for, and then we receive one from someone else. I heard a few weeks a go, I was making for Astrid Maclean. At first I was stumped, didn't know what to make.

 Then I thought about Astrid's style and what she likes - 2 things came to mind - lots of texture and making books. So I decided to take my lead from Astrid - I went on her blog and downloaded and then got photos printed of some her designs for A Vintage Journey this year.

So I made her a book celebrating Astrid Maclean at A Vintage Journey in 2015. The photos on the pages are Astrid's work - not mine - and I have created and designed my pages to reflect her designs.

Here are the photos of all the pages.... please keep reading to the end to see what I received from Anne Redfern - it is amazing!








As I was finishing my creation for Astrid a couple of weeks ago the postman knocked on the door. Amongst the usual brown envelopes was a very neatly wrapped parcel. After initial curiosity I saw the postmark and guessed who it was from and that is must be my surprise Secret Santa gift. It still brings a smile to my face when I think about it. 

Earlier in the year I had the pleasure of meeting Anne for the first time and she had an amazing bag made from Tim Holtz fabric. I loved it. When I opened my gift I was so touched to find this gorgeous make up bag!


I confess this brought I tear to my eye - that Anne would have made me something so beautiful. 
Do hop over to Anne's blog for more details.
THANK YOU ANNE xxxxx

 It has been a difficult year, losing my mum. The team at A Vintage Journey have been wonderfully supportive and many sent me wonderfully crafted birthday cards for my 50th in September - a complete surprise. Anne's gift just added to this wonderful feeling. When life is tough, the kindness of others really makes a huge difference. Thank you all.

Nikki xxx

Sunday 6 December 2015

Quick cards for Christmas

Just a quick post today to share some very quick cards I made using Tim Holtz Scribbly Christmas stamp set - so handy for little cards and tags. I am over at the Country View Crafts Project blog today with a few more ideas on these.

Nikki x

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Sparkly Christmas Scene

Hello and welcome! I am really struggling to get many posts out at the moment.... my first in a couple of weeks.  It is the first of the month so time for a new challenge at the  Country View Crafts challenge blog and the theme is Create a Scene - chosen by Rachel Fisher.

I thought I would go a little sparkly on this card -  a little unusual for me! My icy / snowy foreground being gessoed card, sparkly mod podge and some glitter jewels - oh and I threw in some weathered wood distress spray too...
My background was also gessoed (is that a word and how do you spell it!) card. Once dry I sponged various blue paints on it and once dry embossed with a dotty folder. I sanded back to reveal the texture (hopefully snow-like!)
Some stamped trees, deer and a Stampin' Up wooden greeting finish my card.
I will be back at the end of the week on the Country View projects blog - hope to see you there.
Nikki
xxx

Wednesday 18 November 2015

A little bit of ink and a Christmas Tree

Hello everyone.. today I am over at the Country View Crafts project blog with this Christmas card - do hop on over for a few more details and photos.
Have a lovely day
Nikki

Wednesday 11 November 2015

Scribbling for Christmas

Hello everyone. Today I am sharing my second 'blue' themed creation for Country View challenges
This card was quite a quick one... I used Kraft core card for my base matt and to die cut the tree (Tim Holtz Festive Scribbles) and numbers. I love this stuff... cuts well, bit of sanding, add a little ink and hey presto!
I took some paper from one of Tim's paper stacks, adding a little stamping in the background and edged with vintage photo ink - and apart from the sentiment - that was about it!
Happy crafting - see you next time.
Nikki
xxx

Sunday 8 November 2015

Butterfly Duo Canvas

Butterfly Duo Canvas

Today I am sharing on the Country View Crafts project blog. Be lovely to see you there. This canvass uses lots of lovely distress paints!
Nikki
xxx

Friday 6 November 2015

Fireworks and Colour for AVJ

Baby You're a Firework Addicted to Art
Today sees the start of a new challenge at A Vintage Journey. Our theme this month is Baby you're a Firework - think bold colours, add some sparkle or some paint splats!

I made this seasonal card using Tim Holtz Distress inks, a Stamposauras stencil and a Tim Holtz die.
I started by adding lots of colour to my card with DI's:
Once fully dry I added versamark through my stencil and clear embossing powder to 'seal' the areas of colour. I then added Hickory Smoke and Black Soot DI's over the card and wiped off from the areas I had embossed.
I die cut Tim Holtz Townscape die in black card and cut my words from some cardstock coloured in the same way.

Do pop over to A Vintage Journey for lots more ideas and inspiration.
Nikki
xxx
Firework for A Vintage Journey Distress Inks

Sunday 1 November 2015

Blue is the colour....

November is here and so a new challenge at Country View Crafts with the theme of blue - chosen my Doreen. As I write this I am now humming the tune, 'blue is the colour, football is the game....' you might need to be a football fan and in the UK to understand that! I am more of a Reds girl myself though. Less of the rambling and on with the craft....

Blueprint sketch - what a fab new distress ink colour - used here with a combination of other blue DI's.  I cut an oval from the centre of my square and added some patterned cardstock behind (highlighted with a bit more blue). 
I took some little stars and gave a coat of gesso before dabbing various blue distress paints on (drying in between layers).
A whole month to play along with our Blue theme at CVC - and I will be back later in the month with another blue project that may be a little more seasonal!
'Till next time
Nikki
xxx

Friday 30 October 2015

Christmas Tag for A Vintage Journey

I like months with five Fridays as it means we get a TAG FRIDAY over at A Vintage Journey. Here is my tag this month. I recently purchased Ground Expresso distress ink so had a good play with mixing the range of browns using the wrinkle free technique - I used tea dye, ground expresso and vintage photo inks here. 
I added some more ink to the based with stamping the snowflakes and to the top layer through a layering stencil.
 I die cut some stacked snowflakes and gave them a coat of paint before edging with a little archival ink. I punched and embossed a circle for my bauble.
 I might make this into a card for someone now.
I am looking forward to seeing what the rest of the team have created over at A Vintage Journey - hope to see you there!
Nikki


Monday 26 October 2015

Butterfly Wall Hanging

Hi everyone. It has been a quiet month at Addicted to Art in October - only 3 posts, good grief what have I been doing! Here is a wall hanging I made a few weeks ago but didnt get round to posting. Luckily it fits into 3 current challenges:

This is a 9 x 3 inch MDF panel - I used my brayer to to paint the base and then sponged some paint through a stencil. I die cut some hearts and used used a crackle medium to create the effect. The butterflies are die cut and embossed with Tim Holtz - Butterfly Duo and I added some treasure gold to them.

'Till next time...
Nikki
xxx

Sunday 18 October 2015

Scibbly Christmas time

Time for a Richele Christensen inspired Christmas card using Tim Holtz new Scribbly Christmas stamps. There is a tutorial over on the Country View Crafts Project blog today.
Nikki
xxx

Tuesday 13 October 2015

Halloween for Try it on Tuesday


Hi everyone. Very pleased to be popping up over at Try in on Tuesday today as a Guest Designer. I used to be on the DT with this lovely group and what a great challenge blog and team of
crafters !
The theme is 'It's Frightening' so I made this Halloween card using a Tim Holtz layering stencil - 'Shatter' as my background. First I covered my card with wild honey and rusty hinge distress inks, I then added versamark through the stencil before adding thick, clear embossing powder. Once heat dried I added black soot distress ink over my card - but, of course, it only added colour to the non embossed areas.
A spider die cut, a chit chat sticker and my sentiment were added before a little ribbon and mounting on some embossed kraft core card.

I would like to enter:

Have great day.
Nikki
xxx

Tuesday 6 October 2015

Fresco chalk acrylic backgrounds


Today I am sharing over on the Country View Crafts project blog. I made these two cards from the same brayered piece of card using Paper Artsy Fresco Chalk paints.... I love this technique for easy textured backgrounds. Do hop over for the details.

I would like to enter:

Have a lovely
Nikki
xxx

Wednesday 30 September 2015

Inky fun!

Hi everyone - today I have a tutorial over on the Country View Crafts project blog. I started by playing around with distress inks and watercolour card... do hop over For more details.
Nikki
xxxx