Friendship, Love and Happiness - a holiday and New Year wish....

We have a new challenge today at That's Crafty! and the theme is Anything Goes. As always there is a £20 voucher to spend at That's Crafty! for the winner!

As this challenge runs over the Christmas and New Year period I thought I would make a wish for us all for 2017 - of Friendship, Love and Happiness.

I used That's Crafty MDF surfaces for this wall panel and their grey/white board ATCS. My base and ATC's were brayered with PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk paints. I then used a selection of That's Crafty Dinky stencils on the ATCs.

My flowers are from Tracy Scott's PaperArtsy stamp set - (ETS01) and the words Tim Holtz Big chat stickers.

I wish everyone a wonderful Christmas!

Nikki

xxx

Totally inspired by Tracy Scott! Flower Power

When I say inspired by, I virtually mean copied! I did a great art journalling workshop with Tracy Scott recently and I decided to use her journal layout on a canvas. You can see her original piece on Facebook (21st October) @myjournallingjourney. Do visit her blog too...here.

Tracy Scott - Journal Page

We have a new challenge today at That's Crafty! and as the theme is Flower Power I thought this was perfect! As always there is a £20 voucher to spend at That's Crafty! for the winner!

I decided to add a border on my canvas version so used torn paper to create a mask around the edge... I added some subtle stamping to this border area.

The focal flowers are handpainted over a gesso and stenciled background and lots of doodling added! Got to say I need to work on this to match Tracy's drawing.

I used an Andy Skinner stencil in the background and Deco Art Media Fluid Acrylics to paint.

Nikki

xxx

Winter Magic - A Vintage Journey

I am so behind with my Christmas cards this year! At A Vintage Journey today we start the last challenge of 2016 and it is hosted by the fabulously creative Deb who has chosen Winter Magic for our theme. This is what she says....

For us in the northern hemisphere December brings the start of winter and for many that means freezing cold weather and Christmas. But winter is so much more than that and so we ask, how would you interpret the magic of winter? Snow, icicles, colours of blue, silver and white, the festivities of Christmas, misty winter landscapes; show us what your magical focus is for the season and in a vintage; shabby; mixed-media; art journaling; industrial or steampunk style.

I decided to incorporate two Tim Holtz Bigz dies - Mosaic and Snowflake Duo. I die cut and embossed the snowflakes and marbled various blue distress paints on my craft mat before swooshing them through it. With the leftover paint I did the same with a piece of card for my base panel. A little brushed pewter was smeared over the embossed areas and once dry I highlighted further with a white oil pastel.

I finished the base panel with the remainder of the metallic colour and filled in the gaps with iced spruce distress stain.

I die cut the mosaic panel and measured the card to fit over my base. I then sprayed with distress sprays and stamped with an old snowflake stamp. My greeting, some matt and layering and some little white snowflakes finished my card. 

Nikki

xxx

All Grungy at That's Crafty!

Time for a new challenge at That's Crafty! - and we are getting grungy. 

I have used a reverse canvas and began with some scraps on my desk - some hessian stars that were falling apart and some string - both secured to the canvas to create texture. Once dry I coated it all in black gesso. Dry brushing with white gesso highlighted the textured areas allowing me to emphasise with some blues and browns.

To build up the layers I took some corrugated cardboard and painted it before adding some mesh. Some painted coffee stirrers created the border. My heart came off a recycled project and I wrapped it in various yarns and strings.

My letters were computer printed, mounted for a bit more thickness and highlighted in blue before adding a little paint around the outside.

Nikki 

xxx

Getting angelic with Seth Apter!

Time for a new challenge today at That's Crafty! The theme is There must be an Angel.

You can interpret this anyway you wish. I decided to have a play with my Seth Apter dies in some little frames. For one frame I used the die cuts and for the other the negative space created by the die cut. Tim Holtz Salvaged Dolls fit perfectly inside too.

A few close ups:

Nikki

xxx

A happy accident! Simon Says Stamp Guest Design

Hi everyone. Today is my final post in the 'Designer Spotlight' at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. A huge thanks to Lols and the team for the invitation and their wonderful support throughout the month.

This week the challenge theme is Thinking of You.

I have recently purchased Tim Holtz Ornate Frame 2 and wanted to get this out of it's packaging (!) so decided to make a card featuring the frame and the leaf from an older set - Tim Holtz Sizzix Framelits LEAF BLUEPRINT Wafer Thin Die & Stamp Set.

I had an idea that went completely wrong but ended up quite well! I started with some autumnal colours of distress inks on some card - completely covering it with random patches of colour. I then intended to add some versamark through a stencil and heat emboss with clear powder to retain the multi colours under the embossed surface. However I failed to fully fry the distress inks so when adding my clear embossing powder I completely covered the card. I heated it anyway and ended with a mostly sealed surface - no stencil pattern visible!

Not wanting to waste what I had done I reached for my distress paints and began marbling the surface with different colours - drying each colour before adding the next. With the heat, the paint adhered to the sealed surface but retained quite a glossy finish and I loved it! The paints are more vibrant than when doing the same effect directly onto card ( I know - I tried it!).

I die cut my ornate frame twice - once in black card and once in white card - I painted the latter with Tarnished Brass distress paint before quickly sprinkling some embossing powder ( a mix of gold, dark red and brown) over it - not covering - just a light sprinkle. I then heat dried.

I stamped the leaf and cut one whole and 2 halves. I added my autumnal distress inks randomly over them - adding darker colours to the edges before taking Distress Crackle Paint and covering the leaves. Once dry I created the dimension using glossy accents.

The greeting from Tim Holtz Simple Sayings completed my card.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Nikki

xxx

All good things come to a (spooky) end......

Today I say goodbye to the Country View Crafts design team! I have been on the team for 2 years which has been fabulous. They must be bored of me by now so time to move on!

My final creation is for the current Spooky theme - I have used Tim Holtz blueprint stamps, layering the skull to create dimension. My background in embossed and sanded kraft core card.

Thanks for stopping by - see you soon.

Nikki

xxx

Crazy Cat Upright for That's Crafty!

I am very happy to be joining the That's Crafty! Design Team today and it is time for a new challenge on their Challenge blog. The theme is Friday 13th Part 2.

I decided to use one of the fabulous dinky mdf uprights  to create my slightly scary creation. I used Dylusions paints to create by yellow / red background and then black gesso around the edges. My crazy cat has been stamped in versamark and embossed with a yellow powder and then sprayed with black soot distress spray. I added a little sparkly mod podge which the camera hasn't liked too much!

Back tomorrow with another spooky creation and Monday for my final project in the Designer Spotlight at Simon Says Stamp.

Life has got a little busy here of late so sorry for my lack of visits - I may be a little quieter in blogland for a short while.

Nikki

xxx

Autumn Textures - Simon Says Stamp Guest Design

Hello! Another project today as guest designer at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge . This week the challenge theme is Autumn.

I made a project recently using 4 ATC sized greyboard panels on a 6x6 inch panel and I loved the layout - so though I would repeat it! You can find the original here - same idea, very different though!

I started by taking 4 greyboard ATC's and scratching and cutting off the edges - an Andy Skinner trick! I then painted them all and the 6x6 inch base with black gesso - ensuring I stippled the paint for added texture.

Once dry I dry brushed white gesso over the surface to catch the texture. When fully dry I reached for some translucent paints adding PaperArtsy Banana over the panels and a little DecoArt Quinacridone Red around the edges. 

Once dry I adhered to my base panel.

Next I reached for Tim Holtz Mini Tattered Leaves dies cutting 8 and using various distress paints (Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Aged Mahogany and Fossilized Amber) to colour them. I added a few vein marks with a pen too. I covered them in glossy accents and left to dry.

I cut an extra little panel for the centre and painted it as the ATC panels - before adding a Small Talk sticker.

Nikki

xxx

Love to paint.....

A bright and cheerful journal page today - all the details can be found over at the Country View Crafts project blog.

See you soon

Nikki

Christmas Gift Bags for Simon Says Stamp

Hello! Another project today as guest designer at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge . This week the challenge theme is 'Treat Boxes or Bags'.

I am busy thinking about Christmas ready for the opening of our pop up craft shop and so thought I would make a couple of Christmas Gift Bags - using Tim Holtz dies and stamps and the We R Memory Keepers Gift Bag punch board.

My smaller bag is decorated with Tim Holtz Doily die - coloured and chopped up to create a Christmas tree. I also used the Snowflake layering stencil.

My larger bag features the Christmas Tree from Tim's blueprint stamp and die set. Lots of distress inks and another layering stencil -  Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Nikki

xxx

That's Crafty! Dreamcatcher and a little video!

 

Since guest designing for That's Crafty! last month I have become a fan of their 'Surfaces range' - MDF and Acrylic. There was a new release last week of new designs including Uprights, clocks and Dreamcatchers. I designed this one using Donna Gray's new stamps - also by That's Crafty! I painted with PaperArtsy Fresco Acrylics.

If you saw the Hochanda show last week you may have seen this dangling in the background - LOL!

Now I needed to refresh on my video editing skills for another project and I remember I had taken a little video on my phone of the Dreamcatcher before sending it off to That's Crafty HQ - so decided to put together a little video. If I had known I was going to do it I may have got my video camera and tripod out rather that perching and balancing precariously on the window ledge with the dreamcatcher hanging on the curtain rail! 

The other side:

Nikki

xxxx