Artifacts - January

I am taking part in Seth Apter's collaborative art project for 2017 - Artifacts.

Here is how Seth describes it....

ARTifacts (plural noun): a collaborative project for 2017 documenting adventures in art.

I would love to have you join me if this sounds like a project that intrigues you. This would be a no rules collaboration. Just find or make some sort of artist book, planner, scrapbook, 3-ring-binder, folder, or other container to document your creative experiences, whether they be in art, craft, or anything else. Then get to documenting in any way to style that works for you.

Here a couple of links to Seth's posts if you missed them.

Introduction - January

January Pages

So just stopping by to share some of my pages with you. My local friends have been encouraging me to scrapbook for a while but I can't engage with it! So this is my attempt at a sort of scrapbooking...

My first double page spread summed up the start of January for me - chaos - a major clear up of the craft room needed and achieved - order restored.... I tried to reflect this is my geometric pages!

 I decided it would be a good personal record to do a craft month summary... nothing arty about these pages - just a personal account of the months activities / highlights...

Now I confess I have done nothing for February yet - eeeeek! Must crack on... a highlight might just be my selfie with Seth at the NEC. A little cringy I know... sorry!

Nikki

xxx

Motivational distress ink tag

Hello! Today we have a new challenge at That's Crafty - the theme being 'Just Words'. You are invited to make the words the focus of your project. As always there is a chance to win a £20 voucher to spend at That's Crafty - yay!

It seemed a great opportunity to reach for my new Tim Holtz stamp set - Motivation 3. This is it's second outing for me - if you missed the card I made last week, you can see it here.

I started my tag with blue distress inks ( a mixture) and lay my Tim Holtz Hearts stencil over it, spritzed with water and mopped of the ink and water with kitchen towel. I also added background stamping.

I inked up another bit of card with yellows and greens and stamped the motivation stamp in archival ink.

At this point I couldnt think how to embellish my tag! No ideas - lol. I went to Pinterest - to my Tim Holtz board and Tag board for inspiration. I found a tag from 2014 that I loved and added the stars and arrow. I didn't realise at first but the tag was by Alison Bomber (Words and Pictures) and was actually a Tim Tag from that year.

Here are the links to Alison's post and the Artistic Outpost post with the originals!

Oh yes - I painted the chipboard stars by randomly dabbing with coordinating colours of distress paints.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nikki xxx

A splash of colour - JOFY stamps / Tracy Scott painted cards

Today I am over at That's Crafty sharing how I made these cards. Do pop over for more details.

Nikki

xxx

Stand Up... Be Counted

Today I am sharing one the designs I made using the new release from Seth Apter and PaperArtsy - but today, no rust! 

Do head over to That's Crafty if you would like to see more details.

Nikki

xxx

New Tim stuff - Believe you can.....

New Tim stuff has arrived! Well one stamp set anyway - trying to control just how much I buy - but confess there is a lot I want! I started out planning to make some bright coloured tags with this new stamp set - Motivation 3 - but I ended up making a grungy card! Who knows how that happened.

After lots of painty projects recently it was a joy to get my distress inks out and get splattering! Over at Simon Says Stamp this week the theme is to use your favourite tool? Hard to decide between die cutting - so my big shot, ink and paint tools- so I included them all. 

Backgrounds - distress inks - tea dye, hickory smoke, ground expresso

Dies - Mixed Media 3 Thinlits and Artful Arrows Bigz

Stamps - Tim Holtz - Motivation 3 - stamped in archival

Arrows - grungeboard - painted with black/red/orange hues.

Challenges:

Simon Says Stamp - Monday - Favourite Tool (Big Shot)

Nikki

xxx

Mini Burlap Panels

Just a quick post today! I am over at A Vintage Journey with this weeks Destination Inspiration post - where I have been transforming some previously loved burlap panels.

Nikki 

xxx

Rusty Heart Upright

Yes I am still playing with rust! What with the new PaperArtsy Seth Apter paints, Andy Skinner's ongoing demo's and now Tim Holtz's Distress Oxides - I think it might be a year of rust and oxidation!

Today we have a new challenge at That's Crafty! - I Heart You. In time for Valentine's Day of course - so do head on over for your chance to win a £20 voucher to spend in the store.

I confess this project changed colours a few times - it ended up a little dark so I restored it with purple hues! I started with Deco Art texture sand paste around the edges and then painted it all with black gesso. Once dry I dry brushed white to pick up the textures of the sand paste and brush strokes.

The rusty edges are a combination of various red/orange/rusty hues with some black thrown in - using both PaperArtsy and Deco Art paints.

The purple is a combination of Deco Art Phthalo Blue and Quinacridone Magenta.

I have used a That's Crafty MDF upright and a That's Crafty MDF Heart.

I would like to enter this into:

Simon Says Stamp - Young at Heart

Happy weekend everyone

Nikki 

xxx

Acrylic Wall Hanging

 Not often you see me do pink - but you will have to head over to That's Crafty for my weekly project to see anymore! 

Nikki

xxx

Special Words at A Vintage Journey

At A Vintage Journey today we introduce a new challenge hosted by the talented and lovely Jennie. Jennie has chosen Words that are so Special.

I found an old creation with this wooden frame to use for this project. I decided on my words and then designed a layout around them on a scrap of paper - so that I knew the sizes of card I needed etc.

 I started with the frame covering the previous colour using PaperArtsy Fresco acrylics. I stamped one of the text stamps from Seth Apter's new PaperArtsy stamp sets randomly over the surface too.

 I created two backgrounds on plain card again using the PaperArtsy chalk paints - lots of layering to get that worn look. I cut them to size and used the remaining blue to die cut the stars with Seth Apter / Spellbinders Robo Star.

The words - Dream and Believe - are my own stencil. I stencilled with Buff Fresco acrylic onto some brown card - once dry I stamped over it a little.

Have a great weekend.

Nikki

xxx

Getting rusty again....

I am over at That's Crafty with details of this project today. More rust techniques with the Seth Apter / PaperArtsy paints - with some added textures this time too!

Stamps are from Lin Brown - PaperArtsy.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Sandee and Amelie Steampunk Challenge - Something new / old

(New Seth Apter / PaperArtsy Limited Edition Paints)

Mixed Media Mojo - Love

Stamps and Stencils - Texture, Crackle and Paint

Craft Stamper - Take it Make It - Anything Goes

Nikki

xxx