Coffee Time - Guest Designer Frilly and Funkie

Hi everyone. I am thrilled to be Guest Designer today at Frilly and Funkie. The challenge this month is 'In the Kitchen'. I decided to include a kitchen theme as well as using a kitchen item - salt.

My panel is around 6inches square with a slight recess and frame. I decided to work directly on the frame but worked on measured heavy card stock for the central area. For both I started by creating some texture using stencils and texture paste and allowed to dry. For the centre panel (card) I added watery washes of Deco Art Media paint in Quinacridone Gold and Paynes Grey - allowing them to merge together a little and then sprinkled salt on, leaving it to absorb the moisture and pigment before wiping away once dry.

I also used the same technique on the border with 2 blue tones - but with less salt to create a more subtle effect. I also dry brushed gold paint over this surface to reflect the colours inside the frame.

I die cut the tea cups (coffee in this project!) from Tim Holtz’s Tea Time Bigz die and sponged with blue paint. before returning to my stencil and added gold paint. I added blue archival ink around the edges of the cups to make them stand out a little more.

I reached for the quirky quotes from Tim Holtz Snarky Small Talk and decided this coffee one was perfect! A little sponged paint toned down the white card.

I think there are days when this quote is very appropriate for me!

Nikki

xx

Altered Coffee Tin for Stamps and Stencils

Hi everyone. It is an honour today to be Guest Designer over at Stamps and Stencils. I have a step by step over on their wonderful blog today.

Nikki

Scrap Metal Book Box with Andy Skinner

A couple of weeks ago I attended an Andy Skinner workshop - Scrap Metal Book Box. Great day with Andy as usual - packed with paint techniques and a little humour!

For Andy Skinner followers you can probably spot many of his techniques on here, many he has shown on Hochanda - so while I would love to share the details, they are not mine to share!!! Although there is a bit of Nikki thrown in too!

So lots of pics of the finished project....

I am back on Saturday with a project for PaperArtsy. Have a lovely week.

Nikki

xxx

Textured quote panel

Hello and welcome to my second post of the day. Earlier I posted my Rusty and Crusty canvas for the new challenge at A Vintage Journey - you can find it here.

And it is time for a new challenge over on the Craft Stamper blog too, as always it is Anything Goes as long as you include some stamping. For my design I created this textured 6 inch square MDF panel. I added lots of texture paste, sand paste and leftover card scraps before painting it all black. Once dry, I dry brushed with white gesso before adding Deco Art Media Fluid Acrylics to colour. I added some extra white dry brushing at the end too. 

I stamped one of Alison Bomber's PaperArtsy quote stamps on some white card and heat embossed in white before using the same fluid acrylics to colour the card. 

For this months challenge at Craft Stamper the winner will receive 2 stamps sets from Imagine, Design, Create.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Nikki

Rusty and Crusty with Texture Paste, Paint and Seth Apter's Baked Texture

It's the first Friday of the month so another double post day for me! First up we have a new challenge at A Vintage Journey and this theme is perfect for me! Rusty and Crusty!! Our host is the creative genius Autumn Clark.

Now first up I must say my inspiration for this came from the wonderful designs of Lisa Rasmussen - who I have been seeing all over Pinterest - if you want some male card ideas - I recommend you pay her blog a visit. 

I made this while away at a craft retreat, so sorry, no process photos. I began by formulating a composition and collating my pieces - the 6 inch wooden panel as the base, some corrugated cardboard, some wire mesh, greyboard cogs and bolts (That's Crafty), Tim Holtz hardware findings keyhole die cut in greyboard, some cheap plastic chain and 2 strips of greyboard.

Each were given varying amounts of texture paste / texture sand paste and allowed to dry. I covered them all in black gesso and once dry dry brushed with white gesso for contrast and to highlight texture. 

Next I began adding paint - Deco Art Media Fluid Acrylics in Quinacridone Gold and Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide plus PaperArtsy Green Patina. The corrguated card was roughly painted brown with some blue highlights.

The combination of the texture sand paste and Deco Art paints makes for great rust - thanks to Andy Skinner for this one. Finally I took some versamark and added around the edges of the panel and the keyhole before apply patina Baked Texture.

Thanks for stopping by - don't forget, if you haven't already, to visit A Vintage Journey for more inspiration and to, hopefully, join in our Rusty and Crusty challenge this month.

I would like to join the following lovely challenges:

SanDee and Amelie's SteamPunk Challenge - April

Mixed Media Monthly - April - Compimentary Colours - Green and Red - Rust and Patina

Nikki

Tag Friday time!

Hello - it is Friday and a long weekend!

Today we have a Tag Friday over at A Vintage Journey - they only come round every 3 months and we do love them.

My tag started as a manila tag but in the end I added it to an MDF base so I could hang it if required. 

The background is Distress Oxides with splodges of watery white gesso, some credit card gesso lines, tissue tape and stamping.

 I die cut the keyhole from greyboard using Tim Holtz Hardware Findings die. I added texture paste and painted with black gesso. Once dry I dry brushed white gesso to catch the texture before adding Deco Art Quinacridone Gold. 

The die cut in the background is also Sizzix - a Pete Hughes one I think? I sponged with brown paint and then gesso for contrast.

Lots more inspiration at AVJ today - and your chance to join in our Tag Fridays...

Nikki

xxx

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

A little Zinski....

I have been doing a little cute with the new Zinski mini stamps from PaperArtsy. More details today over at That's Crafty with my usual Thursday post.

Nikki

xxx

Grungy Wall Hanging

All Things Grunge is the new challenge today at That's Crafty!

Do play along for your chance to win £20 to spend in the shop.

I decided to share a design I did for Mixed Media Magazine a few months back.  I used the That's Crafty MDF Rectangle Hanger Kit.

Here are steps I took, many of which are based on Andy Skinner techniques:

Base

1. Painted with burnt umber

2. Stippled Paynes Grey, Cobalt orange, cadmium red and quincridone gold

Blue Panels

1. I added texture paste through That's Crafty bubble stencil

2. Covered in silver paint

3. Added black antiquing cream, wiped and sealed

4. Added a wash of Cobalt Teal Hue and sprinkled salt. Wiped salt away once dry.

5. Added Quin Gold to the edges 

Hearts

1. Coated in gesso

2. Crackle texture paste through stencil

3. Added washes of quin gold and raw umber

4. A little antiquing cream and treasure gold to finish

Top

1. I started as the Base (above)

2. Added Vaseline to the edges to protect

3. Brushed white gesso over the surface

4. Once dry added washes of raw umber / quin gold and added salt. 

5. Finally I stamped the words and wiped away the Vaseline revealing the darker edges.

Nikki

xx

Under the Sea - with Brenda Brown!

Hi everyone. Just stopping by to briefly share this altered picture frame I made at a Brenda Brown workshop last week at Let's Be Creative. 

Brenda originally shared her design last year - you can see all the details here. She is great teacher - if you ever get the chance to attend one of her workshops, I highly recommend them!

Nikki

x

Bright and Crazy

Welcome to my regular Thursday post. Today I am sharing these bright, Crazy Cat cards over at That's Crafty. Do pop over if you would like more details. 

Nikki 

xxx

An old rusty shrine....

It's Thursday morning which means I have a step by step over at That's Crafty today. Do hop over for more details of this project featuring Deco Art Media Fluid Acrylics, Andy Skinner techniques, Tim Holtz Chipboard quote chips and That's Crafty Surfaces.

Nikki 

xxx

Kate Crane inspired Mini Art

I am over at That's Crafty today sharing these and other designs of little wall hangings - completely Kate Crane inspired! Do pop over for a visit for more details.

Nikki

'Be the Change'

 Hello everyone - my posts have been short and sweet of late - but I have a few more details today!

We commence a new challenge at A Vintage Journey hosted by the fabulous Jenny Marples. The theme is to 'Use a Quote'. We are very lucky to have That's Crafty! sponsoring this month's challenge and each of the creative guides has worked on one the That's Crafty! surfaces this month. Do come and play for your chance to win a £20 voucher to spend.

That’s Crafty! are an online retailer and bricks and mortar shop based in the UK. They sell an extensive range of papercraft and mixed media supplies along with a large range of branded stamps & stencils. In addition they produce and sell their own stamps, stencils and surfaces. Surfaces include shrines, tags, hearts, panels, journals, uprights and stacks and come in varying materials - MDF, white/grey board and acrylic.

----------------------

For my surface I selected the MDF upright with the rounded top. I wanted to use the new Seth Apter / Spellbinders Steering Wheel die - so based my design around this.

MDF Surface:

Lots of layers went onto the surface and I think some are now completely covered - but here they are!

1. Cover with grey chalk paint 

2. Add some random texture crackle stamping (That's Crafty Texture stamps).

3. Took mermaid lagoon Distress paint on my craft mat - spritzed with water and added randomly to the surface.

4. Added Deco Art crackle medium through 2 That's Crafty! dinky stencils - Cogs and Decorative Background)

5. Once dry added some Deco Art Antiquing medium in black to highlight cracks. Then sealed with matt medium.

6. Took distress paints- rusty hinge, fired brick, ground expresso and aged mahogany and slowly built up colour by dipping my surface onto paint off the craft mat - drying between layers.

7. Created a little patina effect by mixing cracked pistachio, mermaid lagoon and twisted citron and repeated. Added a little black soot too.

8. At the end I also added Deco Art Quinacridone gold around the edges of the upright.

9. Seal it all with matt medium.

Steering Wheel and Nuts and Bolts

1. I die cut the steering wheel six times and glued them together - offsetting the X . I thought this made it look a little like a clock?

2. Painted it all with black gesso.

3. Stippled / dry brushed white gesso.

4. Added a combination of Deco Art yellow iron oxide and Quin Gold.
(Nuts and bolts and central cog are Tando Creative)

Cog and quote plate

1. Painted black.

2. Added Deco Art crackle paint - not quite to the edge.

3. Once dry added yellow iron oxide and Quin gold.

My quote is from Gandhi - love this quote! (The stamp is from Clarity stamp). I stamped in black archival and heat embossed with clear powder to make it a little bolder.

Do hop over to A Vintage Journey to see what everyone else has created for this months challenge!

I am entering the following challenges:
Take it Make It
Frilly and Funkie - Put your Inking Cap on
Sandee and Amelie's Steampunk Challenge
We love to Create
The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge

Nikki

xxx