Spring Flowers

Hi everyone,

    It is a new challenge over at Our Creative Corner and this month our wonderful Shari is leading the way....

April Showers bring May flowers

Spring comes late in my neck of the world, in the mountains of Northern Idaho. In the month of May (with Summer just weeks away), our Spring flowers are still, usually, under a thin blanket of snow, until those Spring rains wash it all away.

This month, the challenge is to create something, a mixed-media project, a journal page, a scrapbook page, a card or tag...Anything, that reflects the Spring rains and/or Spring flowers in your part of the world.

Now, I'm not going to nit-pic your choices of Spring flowers, as the growing season here where I live is short and our Spring flowers don't last very long before the blooms of Summer start budding. So, if you throw in flowers of Summer into your creation, that's OK, too.

I really wanted to focus on both rain and flowers for my creation and this is what I made...

 I chose buttercups and daisies because they are some of my favourite flowers - I suppose to many they are weeds, but I always thought they were lovely. I think the love of them began with making daisy chains at primary school - in the school field there were white and yellow blankets of these pretty little flowers and we would sit for ages making necklaces....

Just a quick note here about making flowers - if you want any info about how to make some flowers check out a tutorial here I did...

 

I began with a thick card tag base. I chose to work with a patterned paper - basically because I have so much and it is about time I used some of them! I chose a sheet from the Docrafts Papermania Persimmon collection. I stuck it to the tag and dabbed around the edges with Walnut Stain DI.

  I stuck a layer of burlap onto the tag and then added a layer of corrugated card that had been painted with gesso and Frayed Burlap DP.

A strip of crochet lace was  painted with Frayed Burlap DP. I then added a piece of hemp string that had been tied into a bow.

The quote was stamped onto ivory card with Potting Soil Archival ink and then all the words cut out separately. They were glued onto the tag after being dabbed with Frayed Burlap DI.

 I made the flowers using parts of the Tattered Florals Die cut.

The daisies were cut out of white card - I used two for each flower, edged with Frayed Burlap DI to give a vintage look. The center of the flowers were silver brads painted with gesso and then painted with yellow acrylic paint.

The leaves were die cut leaves dabbed with Peeled Paint DI 

I made the buttercups with the blossom shapes from the die cut set. I dabbed them with Scattered Straw and Wild Honey Distress Inks. I then cut a strip of paper and applied Wild Honey ink over it and then cut the strip into a fringe. I rolled up the fringe and then used that as the center to the flower.

 I applied Decoart liquid glass as raindrops all over the flowers and leaves.

At the top of the tag I attached a metal corner embellishment and added a metal button that had been brushed with White Fire Treasure Gold

And there is my finished April Showers/May Flowers tag....

It would be lovely to see you play along with us this month...

 .....as well as having our wonderful sponsor Designs by Ryn joining us this month to give a lucky winner a wonderful prize, there is also the chance you could be picked as the winner and find yourself here in the Spotlight as our Top Talent.....you could also be one of our Top 3's and be featured in the OCC Pinterest Gallery!

Hope to see you soon!

Happy Crafting!

Laura

xxx

The song remembers when...

Hi everyone!

Welcome to the new challenge at Our Creative Corner. 

Alison is hosting this challenge and she would like you to create something that is made.....

 With a song in your heart

Create something inspired by and including a song title and/or lyrics. 

We would like to see the words appearing on your creation, and please let 
us know in your post the song which has inspired you

    When I found out the title to this challenge so many songs came into my head. With so many to choose from this should have been really easy! I actually thought I had found the perfect one, but then I hesitated about opening up my life into a creation - All of the songs that came to mind are very much loved, but they are so because they remind me of a time or place in my life, bringing back happy or sad memories.

     I was listening to some favourite songs on my ipod and a song by Trisha Yearwood called 'The song remembers when' came on and I thought "That's the one!"...

     I chose it because it is all about why my favourite songs are so important to me - they take me back to a memory in an instant...as soon as the music starts I can see the memories so very clearly...and so this song always makes me smile...

    

     I decided to start with a clock die cut. I dabbed it with Antique Bronze DP, making sure the card wasn't covered entirely. Then when dry I blended Evergreen Bough DI over it to give a lovely rusty verdigris look.

Then I wanted to add some texture so sprinkled with Tea Dye and Walnut Stain Distress embossing powders and a little Verdigris embossing powder.

I did the same with some ivy die cuts as well.

     I prepared some corrugated card by tearing sections of the surface paper to reveal the texture underneath. I brushed with Gesso very roughly and then added some streaks of Distress paint in Evergreen Bough, Antique Bronze and Picket Fence.

 When this was dry I covered it with Walnut stain DS and wiped away the excess with a tissue - where the paints haven't covered it gives a lovely distressed effect.

   The center of the clock was covered with Antique Linen DS and stamped with a music stamp in Potting Soil Archival ink. So now I had the main parts of the creation and I needed some embellishments...

       One of the challenge requirements is to feature lyrics and/or the title from the song. I did both because the line I chose includes the title! I picked the line - " Even if the whole world has forgotten, the song remembers when" because, to me, this is a perfect description of the power of words and music....that even if the memory seems as if it is gone, a song will bring it back to you. I stamped these words in Potting Soil Archival ink onto ivory card and cut the words out. I then blended Walnut Stain Distress ink around the edges of the words and stuck them onto the collage.

   I chose two photographs from TH Salvage stickers collection and then found in the same collection some tickets and other bits and pieces....

I added some calendar tissue tape in places as it fits in with memories and time and I began to construct the collage. I added a few roses made with tattered florals die and a delicate die cut covered with Copper embossing powder.

 
















A spinner seemed the perfect addition as the clock looked strange without hands - I found that it added a connection to the word 'when' which I had chosen to put on the rusty heart - but had seemed a bit disconnected as a result. So that worked out well!!!

  At this point I thought it was done but I wasn't very happy with it ....and I couldn't figure out why. It all looked 'nice', but wasn't 'right'...I left it and thought for a while and suddenly decided it needed another background. I got some plain cardboard and dry brushed with gesso, applying more in some areas. I stamped a music stamp and a script stamp in Potting Soil Archival ink. I added some strips of calendar tissue tape and then I covered everything with Walnut Stain DI and wiped the surface clean. It looked a little too clean after that, so I softened the effect with some Vintage Photo DI blended around the edges.

Then I stuck the collage on to this, added some ivory eyelets and attached some twine to hang it up.

    So there it is - my song from the heart...and it is a song that is definitely worth listening to! If you have a few minutes to spare, here it is...........

Got the blues

      Got the blues? - I haven't!

    I am a guest designer for Country View Crafts again this month after my Creative Collage got picked as one of their Top 3 last month! I was so happy to be asked to design for them again and really pleased when I heard the challenge was 'Die cuts' - Almost an 'Anything Goes'! - I could make anything I wanted as long as it featured die cuts - well, within reason! ;o)...

      I wanted to make a frame. While I was cutting a frame from balsa wood I thought "I have never made a triptych before" - I had seen them many times in blogland and really loved them. Perhaps it was time to make one myself? I cut out the three frames and chose two gorgeous printed photos. I decided to have a quote for the centre frame.

      I wanted the die cuts to look like they were part of the frame, not that they had been just stuck on. So I decided to do the technique of layering coloured paint with black and white dry brushed acrylic to make them meld in with the background but also POP!

     This creation is inspired by Wedgwood pottery which I have always loved. So I started by selecting various die cut flowers and attaching them to the frames along with some crochet lace. I also selected some buttons, metal charms and a wooden die cut key and safety pin.

  
















I applied some French Roast Fresco paint to the top of the frames followed by some crackle glaze. Then I applied some pale blue acrylic paint and watched as the crackles appeared.

     I then covered the frames with a layer of pale blue paint. I carefully made sure that none of the petals had become stuck to the frame as obviously the card will tend to do when wet. When the paint was dry the petals became tougher and less likely to be stuck down with each paint application. I followed this with dry brushing French Roast Fresco paint and then applying white acrylic paint. I then sprayed some Weathered Wood glimmer mist spray (homemade) and repeated this process twice more, finishing off with a final light brushing of white paint.

    I chose some ivory script print paper for the backgrounds in the frames - this was edged with a my favourite vintage colour Frayed Burlap DI. The quote was from a Tim Holtz stamp set and is one of my favourites to use.

    The frames were tied together with ivory hemp string.

       To really bring in a Wedgwood style and make further use of die cuts, I cut a die cut segment and attached it to the top of each frame before painting on a heavy layer of Antique Linen DP. I find that just dabbing it on doesn't give a heavy enough cover sometimes, so when I need a very heavy coverage I use a heavily loaded fine brush and just run the very thin paint over the area. The chalky finish of the paint gave an almost porcelain effect to the die cuts and really looked gorgeous.

       So there is my 'Vintage Wedgwood inspired porcelain effect triptych' - I hope you like it! - I would love to hear what you think! Why not hop over to Country View Crafts   and have a peek at the other inspiring creations over there - and join in the challenge as well. There is still plenty of time to get your creation entered in the challenge - What will you create with the always versatile die cuts?

         See you soon!

I would like to enter this in the following challenge -

Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Show us a new style/ Show us something new - This isn't a new style for me but I had never made a triptych before.



   

Birdhouse In Your Soul

       I have wanted to decorate a birdhouse for a while now....and I found some in The Range - what would I do without that shop!! I have gone for my usual shabby vintage style....with some favourite patchwork.



My Melissa Frances papers were a wonderful purchase! I have used them for so many things - and I save every little scrap cut or torn, because I can't bear to throw even the tiniest scrap away! I think I will be buying more on my next crafty shopping spree! Here I used my 5th Avenue set which are so gorgeous. They fit perfectly with my usual vintage style - the only problem I usually have is choosing which one to use. Here I had a fun time! I used bits of all my scraps that I have been collecting!

     I painted the house with Stone Fresco paint over some crackle glaze that had been thinly applied over some Taupe Fresco paint. I dabbed the paint on with a sponge so that it gave a very delicate cracked porcelain effect.

I cut out random sized squares of papers and edged each one with Frayed Burlap DI and stuck them onto the roof and sides of the house. I then added some faux stitches with a dark grey/brown pen.

I tore some sections of paper and blended Frayed Burlap DI over the edges and stuck them to corners of the house.

      I painted some diecut flowers with Bora Bora Fresco paint and some Victorian Velvet DP - both diluted a little with Snowflake Fresco paint. I created some flowers, glued sets together or left them single and centred them with buttons or painted brads. The diecut leaves were painted with Toad Hall Fresco paint.

The roof was edged with beige crochet lace and a twine bow was added to the front.

   And there you have a very simple, but cute creation - My little patchwork birdhouse.....I did make a little patchwork bird, but it flew away for now.....perhaps it might come back and sit on another creation in the future! LOL.....;o)

                   Thanks for peeking at what I have made! Hope you like it!

                             See you soon!

                        

     I would like to enter this in the following challenges -


Simon Says - The Button Challenge
As you like it - Favourite papers
Craftroom Challenge - Here comes the summer
Everybody Art Challenge - Scrap Paper
Love to Create Challenge  - Vintage or Shabby