I am having a lovely time experimenting with the new Embossing Pastes by Wendy Vecchi! I have yet to discover all of their secrets but I decided to see what would happen if I put a layer of the White Embossing Paste, a layer of Dry Glitter and a topping of UTEE. The effect is really hard to photograph but ut's pretty cool as the glitter is trapped beneath the UTEE - next time I'll make the Embossing Paste more textured as the effect worked better in those areas (that's what experimenting is all about isn't it?!) I chose to make a heart and used Wendy's mask to put the Embossing Paste through. I added the Dry Glitter and set it aside to dry.
The background was sprayed with Black Marble and stamped holly leaves in Snow Cap ink. I also stamped a holly leaf on the reverse of some black Core'dinations which I'd sanded the front and then I cut it out. The edges of the holly were edged in Pine Needles Distress Ink. I also cut out some berries from red card and attached them. I then die cut and stamped a banner for the front of the heart.
To finish the heart I cut it out and gave it three coats of UTEE and then cracked it to give it patina and rubbed brown ink into the surface. I assembled the whole piece and realised I couldn't get the photos to show the Embossing Paste - I really need to learn to take better photos! Any way this will become my Christmas Card for my lovely husband...Thank you as always for stopping by!
This fortnight's challenge at Dragons Dream Tag It On was chosen by the lovely Trace who chose the theme "In a heartbeat" which is to include a beating heart, a weathered timepiece, a bit of grunge (plus the obligatory use of at least one stamp and for it to be on a tag).
I wasn't really sure how to make a beating heart but into my head popped the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz who was given a clockwork heart and so I've made my version of that! The cogs, heart and frame of the Studio 490 pocket watch Art Part all had metal tape on them with Alcohol Ink over the top and two layers of clear UTEE. The base of the pocket watch was painted white, had Vintage Photo Distress Ink rubbed over the top with Black Soot Distress Ink on the edges. I stamped the watch face over the top and then added a layer of Rock Candy Crackle Paint. Once that was dry (as in the photo) I added the frame and then filled in the clock face with a layer of Glossy Accents.
They were all attached to some garden wire that I fashioned into a tag shape (with a little sari ribbon tied to the top too!). I added Alcohol Ink to the frame first giving it an aged patina but I'm not sure you can see this in the photos so you'll just have to trust me! I couldn't decide if the clock should have hands or not... I decided that if it's a weathered timepiece then they have probably fallen off...!!!
The words are from Tim Holtz' Chit Chat stickers but the word 'Mechanical' is part of a PaperArtsy stamp.
I really enjoyed this challenge and hope that you feel inspired to play along too!
Well it's a new week and a new theme at Crafty Boots! This time it's been chosen by Sara and it's 'Good Luck'. I know that the next few months are full of exams and nervous brides and a whole host of reasons why you'd need a good luck message so I have made a hanging that might be suitable for a whole range of people!
The frame was triple embossed with silver UTEE and then stamped on with Jet Black Archival Ink (with Stampin' Up stamp - not sure if it's still available!). The flower is die cut Black Soot Core-Dinations paper using the Tattered Pinecone die. I sanded it and then edged it with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The leaf was cut using Kraft card, covered in Black Soot Distress Ink, sanded and inked with Vintage Photo.
Luck was cut from kraft card, using the Word Play die by Tim Holtz, and inked with both Black Soot Distress Stain and Ink. The little good sticker is from Tim's Chit Chat Word Stickers, edged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The background in the frame is embossed black card. Well, that's my good luck piece - what will you make I wonder?! Have a great week.
The new theme at Crafty Boots was chosen by the lovely Dionne and is 'All that Glitters'. Now I must confess that when I read the brief I my heart sank a little as I really am not keen on glitter. I like it to look at but not really to use - it goes everywhere and makes such a mess (ick!) so I came up with a gazillion ideas, all a play on the whole phrase 'All that glitters is not gold' but I couldn't really avoid the inevitable! I found a jar of Stampin' Up Champagne Glass Stamping Glitter (p111 of the current catalogue!) and thought I might do a version of the amazingly talented Shelley Hickox's Glitter Tutorial.
I die cut a heart (from the Tim Holtz Love Struck die) on kraft paper, covered it in Glossy Accents and poured the glitter over the top. I let it dry and then gave it three coats of clear UTEE powder. I cut out the word 'heart' and then added a final coat. The heart had naturally curled slightly whilst it was being made and I quite liked the effect so I didn't straighten it!
I really like the black and muted gold colours together so I clear embossed dots on a small Art Part frame and then used a coat of Black Soot Distress Stain on top. The background is kraft paper stamped with a ticket stamp in Black Soot Distress Ink. I found that the larger glitter flakes were much more controllable and i didn't make the usual mess so I think I might have changed my mind about glitter! Thank you Dionne for taking me out of my comfort zone! I hope you like my little heart and I am really looking forward to seeing what you make - I'm certain it will be glittery!
Well, Day 11 of Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas is here and I can't believe there's only one day to go. I have missed two days so I'll make sure I do those as soon as I can but I have loved my first year of playing along!
Again I didn't have the right stamps so I improvised! I loved the shrink plastic technique - such fun! Though in hindsight I might have placed the berries differently but I wanted to fill the gap between the holly and the branch... mmm... always room for improvement! Hope you have had a terrific Sunday - Monday tomorrow - how quickly it seems to come round!
Ok. The truth is that when I go off to my tiny corner of the study to get inky I always disappear with the words "I'll only be about half an hour" - then, about three hours later David appears letting me know that my half an hour was yet again lost in the midst of time! So I knew that I needed a clock and seeing the wonderful Wendy Vecchi's gi-normous Pocket Watch I knew that was my starting point! My first attempt was fab fun as I sprayed it in many different
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| My first attempt! |
Creative Expressions Cosmic Shimmer misters - layering up the colours until it looked grungy and very cool! The Grungeboard clock face was cut using Tim's Weathered Clock die and my trusty Vagabond. It was covered in black Paint Dabber and, when dry, sanded down and Vintage Photo Distress Ink and gold Paint Dabber added . I used some of Tim's Sprockets and a real clock mechanism. The hands were a little too bright so I used Ginger and Red Pepper Alcohol Inks to de-bling them! I was really pleased with my
clock but the rest of the family said they couldn't read the time (and they might have been right...) So, in keeping with Hel's Sunday Stamper challenge to use white I used the same technique as I did here with Picket Fence Crackle Paint and clear UTEE but rubbed a bit of Vintage Photo into the cracks in between the two sessions of embossing. I made sure that the Crackle Paint wasn't too perfect as I wanted it to be a little more uneven and grungy than when I last
used the technique. In Jet Black Archival Ink I stamped swirls onto the 'winder', then I reassembled the clock as it was did before! I want to see how it looks for a while - but I might add wings to it (then time really might fly!) but it needs to settle into it's new home first!
Hopefully everyone can read the time clearly now and I hope time flies when you are being creative - because surely that's a sign that you're enjoying it?!!! Gabrielle x
ps - the photos make the clock look creamy - this might have a lot to do with the lack of natural light today due to the relentless rain experienced in Milton Keynes! It might be good for gardens but it plays havoc with photos!
I had lofty ambitions for my first Creative Expressions DT piece! I took my inspiration from those old french porcelain plaques that I see in small antique shops that are always just out of my price range! These plaques are very 'clean' so that the sentiment really stands out. I
had seen a blog post from Shelly Hickox and I knew that I could make my own plaque that was definitely in budget! I cut a plaque from grungeboard with my trusty Vagabond and covered it in Picket Fence Crackle Paint although any colour would work brilliantly!
It is really important that you try and get an even coat so that your cracks are of an even appearance - I'm not brilliant at this, but then I'm hopeless at icing a cake! Then, when it was all crazed, which took no time at all, I used Jet Black Archival Ink for the sentiment which was
from the 'Wrinkles Don't Hurt' stamp set and Black Soot Distress Ink on the edges. I then covered it clear embossing ink and a coat of clear UTEE (repeat for a super shiny finish!) I then added some embellishments, eyelets and a chain just like some of the plaques I had seen! I hope when visitors come and see this piece they'll have a chuckle that something so 'old' has such a funny message! I hope you have a go at this technique - it was such a lot of fun! Gabrielle x
