Thursday 31 August 2017

Altered Notebook - Version 1

Altered Notebook - Tim Holtz Motivation 3 stamp set - by Nikki Acton
Hello and welcome to my regular Thursday post. Today I have all the details of this project over at That's Crafty.
Do pop back tomorrow for Version 2 - the second one is a little more grungy! 

Nikki
xxx

Saturday 26 August 2017

Eileen Hull Journal Number 2

Eileen Hull Journal - Brenda Brown workshop - by Nikki Acton
This journal die from Eileen Hull is proving very popular! This is number two for me - if you missed my first journal you can find it here.....
 Today's version is from aBrenda Brown workshop I recently attended at Let's Be Creative. You can see Brenda's original post here. As the techniques and designs are not my own, it would be wrong of me to share them but here are a few more photos instead!Eileen Hull Journal - Brenda Brown workshop - by Nikki Acton
Eileen Hull Journal - Brenda Brown workshop - by Nikki Acton
Eileen Hull Journal - Brenda Brown workshop - by Nikki Acton
 See you next week for some altered items I have been working on!
Nikki 
x

Thursday 24 August 2017

Autumn Leaves

It is Thursday again which means I am not really here but over at That's Crafty! Today a card with new That's Crafty paint and stencils - and a quote from Alison Bomber's PaperArtsy stamp set.
Nikki xxx

Saturday 19 August 2017

A bit fishy with Andy

Altered Tando Kit - Andy Skinner Workshop - by Nikki Acton
I spent a happy Sunday last week at a workshop with the ever creative Andy Skinner. The workshop was held at Let's Be Creative - if you live in the south of England and don't know about it - do check out their website. It is a wonderful location for workshops, easy to find, easy to park and great space! 
 Click Here
Website here
I had seen sneak peaks of the project and wasn't quite sure what it was - but here you go:
Altered Tando Kit - Andy Skinner Workshop - by Nikki Acton
A Tando Creative kit / Andy Skinner designed for hanging fish key rings - I love these fish!

I changed the design from Andy's sample slightly but you get the idea! As usual lots of mixed media / paint techniques that you can see on the main panels and the different elements of the fish.
Altered Tando Kit - Andy Skinner Workshop - by Nikki Acton
Not really my techniques to share - but pretty sure Andy has shown a lot of these on Hochanda - the ones with crackle paint and salt etc. I am currently working on something very different using some of them so I might sneak some how to's in when I blog that make...
One final photo...
Altered Tando Kit - Andy Skinner Workshop - by Nikki Acton
Have a great weekend.
Nikki 
xxx

Friday 18 August 2017

New challenge, new products...!

Hello :)
Today we have a new challenge over on the That's Crafty challenge blog and it's an easy one (at least I think it is!) - CARDS. 

Today That's Crafty also launch more new goodies on Hochanda - some new stencils, stamps, greyboard embellishments, paints and more. Do check out the shows on TV or on the Hochanda website. 

My card features one of the new stencils, this fabulous tree and one of the greyboard pieces - the cute little Robin. I have sponged layers of That's Crafty paint and added Black Soot Distress Ink over a red shimmer paint to get the darker areas. The photo doesn't really show but it is cool effect!
Nikki
xxx

Thursday 17 August 2017

Abstract Journal Page

Just a sneak peak today of my project over at That's Crafty, a journal page featuring texture stamps.
Back tomorrow.
Nikki 
x

Thursday 10 August 2017

Shimmering Upright

That's Crafty Upright with Deco Art Media and That's Crafty embellishments and shimmer paint - by Nikki Acton
Lots of crackle and shimmer on this MDF upright over at That's Crafty today. Be lovely to see you there.
Nikki
x

Monday 7 August 2017

You Love it or Hate it

Vintage Marmite Jar - Nikki Acton
Hi everyone. Today it is my turn over at A Vintage Journey for a Destination Inspiration post. Each month we select a technique, product, substrate and colour and four or five of us each create using that mix. 
I needed to work on glass - which was a bit of a challenge at first! I decided to alter a Marmite jar and after a few false starts created this vintage Marmite jar! Do hop over to A Vintage Journey for all the details.
Nikki
xxx

Saturday 5 August 2017

Eileen Hull Journal - Skype Edition

Hello! I have finally created a journal using Eileen Hull's Sissix Journal die - actually I have now done two - will share the other one another time.

This was my first and was a Skype Collaboration with Brenda Brown. I have been struggling to find my crafting mojo recently and Brenda came up with the idea of us crafting over Skype. So last week that is what we did - a 5 hour video / crafting session interrupted only by the odd cup of coffee and knock on the door.  Here we are starting off.....
Bad photo - lots of light through Brenda's window!
Now Brenda is far better at recording what we did - so if there are any discrepancies in our posts - it is probably mine that is wrong! The plan was to each chose a stage that we each had to follow....

We started by giving our die cut journals a coat of paint and then a layer of weathered wood - so we could create some crackle later. We worked mostly with Deco Art paints and mediums.

We then worked on front panels:
1. Brenda - brayer 2 colours -  I used Blue Green light and Cerulean
2. Nikki - Dip, Drip and Dry - I went with Phthalo Turquoise - eeek ended up with a big splodge I didnt like and needed to fix immediately but I couldn't!
3. Brenda - Any stamping - I went with a script stamp and Seth Apters Turnarounds
4. Nikki - Stencil using Paint - hurrah my chance to cover my splodge! It was white chalk paint through Tim Holtz latticework stencil for me
5. Brenda - Wash or glaze a single colour all over - eeeek I didn't want this - but had to! Diarylide Yellow watered down (now my blues have all turned green - grrrr) (NB anyone wish Deco Art colours were easier to spell?)
6. Nikki - Use a stencil (again) in anyway - still trying to rescue by spodge and now overly green panel! I added ultramarine through a That's Crafty Dinky circle stencil and Quinacridone Magenta through punchinella.
7. Brenda - Edge it / Frame it - I added Black archival around the edges.

Some of the stages.....
We then moved back to our journal itself and both started looking for die cuts and embellishments. We decided the front needed something circular and some words but each did our own thing - still chatting away. I often facetime a friend on Cyprus and hate video chatting but while we were crafting it was good fun! 
Frappuccino?
Having added the magenta to my panels I needed to balance my colours a little so added Reminisce Chalk paint over the weathered wood on the journal and then used some on my die cuts. (Seth Apter's Steering Wheel die to the rescue - had three on my desk which I adhered together.)
Here's the back.... can you see the splodge - I can, but I think I rescued it!
and my spine....
the insides... one signature made... need to add more and decorate inside a bit!

It was time for the big reveal!
We finally showed each other what we had done.... very different! Here is Brenda with her's - but do head over to Bumblebees and Butterflies for the real thing!
Thanks Brenda - it was great fun and really helped motivate me again! We plan to do it again soon... watch this space.
Nikki
xxx

Friday 4 August 2017

Anything but cards for That's Crafty!

I am having a busy few days here at Addicted to Art and I am back tomorrow too with something a little different.... 

But for now it's a new challenge at That's Crafty! Do join in these fortnightly challenges for your chance to win a £20 voucher to spend at That's Crafty.

The theme this time is Anything but Cards so I took at 4 inch square white / grey board panel and used one of my new Zinski mini stamps. I did a card recently with the little cat and now it is time for the dog! I followed a very similar process and you can see how I made it here.

See you tomorrow!
Nikki
xxx

Thursday 3 August 2017

More Oxide play!

Hi everyone. Playing with distress oxides today over at That's Crafty for my regular weekly post.
Nikki
xxx

Wednesday 2 August 2017

Monochromatic Abstract

Hi everyone. I am back over at PaperArtsy again this evening for my second creation for the current theme - Dark to Light / Contrasts. A little simpler this time - I have used PaperArtsy stamps and stencils to create this black and white abstract piece.
If you missed my first post you can find the details here.
Back tomorrow with my latest project for That's Crafty.
Nikki
xxx