Autumn at Last

Hi everyone!

Welcome to another Autumn inspired creation!

 This one was actually made last Autumn...but I didn't like it very much and I really had no enthusiasm for writing about it. The photos stayed in a folder on my computer and when Winter arived it seemed wrong to put up an Autumn creation...

I had basically dismissed it as not 'good enough' anyway..but that is something I don't like doing - I really try to not judge my own creations and I have learned to put things on here that I like and don't like - this blog is my creation diary and shows a creative journey and it would be wrong if I left out pieces...so I am sneaking it in now...a year late, but never mind - better late than never. 

It began with a brass hob ring that I found in a cheap store in the Czech Republic. I got out to the Czech Republic each summer to visit my mother in law who lives out there for half the year. There are many cheap shops out there (similar to Poundland in England) where there is a lot of junk but you can find some treasures occasionally....I loved the brass rings and at a cost of basically pennies it seemed a good idea to grab a few.

I basically covered it in layers of paint - Leaving it to dry slightly then rubbing away patches of still damp paint. I repeated this process several times. I used Distress Paint here in Vintage Photo, Antiqued Bronze and Evergreen Bough.

 I applied some Crackle glaze and rubbed some Raw Umber paint into the cracks.

  I made a background for the center of the frame by using Antique Linen DI and Frayed Burlap DI. Dabbed onto a mat, spritzed with water and then swirl the card in the inky pools. 

The card was than stamped with script and flourish stamps using Potting Soil Archival ink and a splatter stencil was used with Vintage Photo DI

I decorated the frame with many things...

First I used several Memory box dies...covered them with Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo DI 

I added real twigs to the decoration too...

I used buttons

I used die cut leaves stained with Ripe Persimmon, Antique Linen, Vintage Photo and Spiced Marmalade DI. The larger leaves were stamped with a script stamp using Potting Soil Archival ink. Curled rusty wire was added too....

I used an ivory rose that was dabbed with Frayed Burlap DI and an ivory Hemp string bow

I used letter stickers from Tim Holtz salvage stickers set. I attached them to a piece of card after having creased the letters up

A hessian flower was used with a embossed piece of card that was sanded to reveal the colour underneath.

Hope you like it!

Happy Crafting 

Love from Laura 

xxx 

Autumn Forever

Hi everyone!

     We have a new challenge over at Our Creative Corner. This month it is our amazing Julia who will be bringing you a seasonal challenge...

  Shades of Autumn
 

I love the colours of autumn! Those beautiful and dramatic reds, golds, yellows, browns, greens and all shades in between. Your challenge this month is to take some inspiration from the colours in the image provided and make an autumnal inspired project.

I didn't know what to make at first because I had so many ideas buzzing - so I decided to make the leaves first...

I got some die cut leaves and painted them with Decoart paint in  Green gold, Pyrrole Red, Primary Yellow and Pyrrole Orange. Some of them I painted one colour and others I blended a contrasting colour together. All of them were dry brushed with Burnt Umber Decoart acrylic paint.

I then covered them with cackle glaze before covering them with Raw Umber Antiquing Cream - wiping this away when it was dry with a damp cloth.

I covered an ornate die cut frame with some Decoart sand texture paste. When dry I covered this with a mix of Paynes Grey and white acrylic paint. When this was dry I covered it with Quinacridone Gold acrylic paint. A final dry brushing with Cobalt Turquoise Hue gave a patina effect.

I chose to put a picture in the frame - a printed image of a little girl that was dabbed with Vintage Photo DI.

I arranged the leaves around the bottom of the frame with some stained cheesecloth, raffia strands and rusty wire curls

The word 'nature' was stamped with Coffee archival ink and edged with Vintage Photo DI

A grapevine heart was used to frame the word

A twisted strand of rusty wire was used to hang the picture frame up.

And there is my Shades of Autumn frame....

Why not come over to Our Creative Corner and see what everyone else has made?!

Join in the challenge this month and you could be the randomly selected winner of the $25 prize voucher that is being donated by our wonderful sponsor this month

 

Creative Embellishments

You could be our winner and be invited to appear as our Top Talent. 

You could be one of our Top 3 and be pinned onto the OCC Pinterest board!

  
Remember you gotta be in it to win it!

So come on over to Our Creative Corner and have some fun!

 Happy Crafting!

Laura

xxx

New bits and pieces

Hi everyone!

 Over at Try it on Tuesday the challenge for the New Year is very appropriate!

 'Use a new item or a new technique' 

    This Christmas I didn't get much craft stuff...I told my husband that he really didn't have to buy me any craft stuff this Christmas - cue him falling off the chair! I think for a moment he thought I had lost my mind!!!
I hadn't! - I requested some spending money for the next 'Stamperama' instead ;o)

     But not to worry about no goodies wrapped up at Christmas - My Christmas wasn't totally craft-free! My sister-in-law Alison (butterfly) treated me to some Cosmic Shimmer sprays and some colour sprays that she mixed for me from pigment powders. Also I was thrilled to get a voucher for Artistic Outpost Stamps from Alison and also a shopping spree at Crafty Obsessions from my Mother-in-law! I am eagerly awaiting delivery of the goodies! YAY!!!!

     So onto making a tag with new items - I decided to use one of my new Cosmic Shimmer sprays in 'Patina'. I also opened up a packet of Waxed Kraft paper - a new item which I had never used before and I was desperate to try it out.

     I started with a tag and used the Harlequin stencil and dabbed some Bundled Sage DP over it. Once dry I blended Broken China and Peeled Paint DI over the tag.

Spritz and flick with water - Love that effect!

Around the edge of the tag I used some hedgerow stamps using Evergreen Bough DP, Picket Fence DP and Potting Soil Archival ink. I was so sure after the first stamp with the Evergreen Bough that I had ruined this - "Too Bright"!!!! but I decided to continue making the tag and in the end I actually liked it....

I stamped some of my favourite script stamp with Potting Soil Archival ink

I used a damask stencil and dabbed some Peeled Paint DI through it.

Vintage Photo DI was dabbed around the edge of the tag

 

The Cosmic Shimmer spray was used all over the tag

   Flowers were cut out of the waxed Kraft paper which was then spritzed with the shimmer spray and attached to the tag with brads.

I used a Tim Holtz quote in Potting Soil ink and lightly covered with copper embossing powder. Broken China DI was blended over the quote and Vintage Photo was dabbed around the edges.

 

A twine bow finished off the tag 

 Please take some time to visit Try it on Tuesday and see what the rest of the team have made to inspire you - Join in and have some fun!

Frosty Autumn

Hello everyone!

     
 Last month I was thrilled to be chosen as the winner of the Left of Center challenge 'Use something metal'. The creation I entered in the challenge was the 'Wings of Love' altered matchbox. As the winner I was asked to make something as Guest Designer for Left of Center challenges for their new challenge which is -

No Designer Papers

I am still caught up in the Autumn mood here and I can't wait for those beautiful frosty days! So I would like to share with you a very Autumnal tag with a subtle frosty tinge that I made this challenge.......

      I wanted to use the Tim Holtz Clockwork stencil and decided just to have a mess around with some Autumn colours.

    I applied Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs and Antique Linen to the mat and spritzed with water. Then after doing a bit of wrinkle free distress I had a gorgeous pale brown speckled card. I decided to keep it quite pale because I was going to add more detail as I went along.

      Then I used the Clockwork stencil dabbing Vintage Photo around it.

   I dabbed a text stamp with Potting Soil archival ink and applied it randomly around the tag.

     Then I stamped some leaf shapes onto a piece of card using Gathered Twigs, Fired Brick and Rusty Hinge DI and then cut them out. Then I stamped on these leaf shapes with my favourite script stamp in Potting Soil Archival Ink

      On the tag I stamped some of the same leaf shapes in Gathered Twigs DI. I then used a hedgerow stamp and but did this with the Potting Soil Archival ink for a more vibrant effect.. After this I dabbed some Walnut Stain around the edge of the tag to give it a very grungy look. I thought it then looked a bit 'flat' and too dark....so to give it a further grungy look I spritzed the tag very lightly with White Dylusions spray - which is my new crafting best friend - the effects it gives are amazing!

      I curled some rusty wire and draped it along the tag, attaching the leaves which had been given a coating of Rock Candy Glitter glue.

      The label was cut from mount board and covered with Vintage Photo DI. The word Autumn was a Chit-Chat sticker, again inked with Vintage Photo.......

     .......and two copper screw style brads attached it to the tag.

           The tag was finished off with raffia and twine

            I hope you will pop over to the 'Left of Center' challenge to have a look at the wonderful DT work over there and perhaps you can enter too - you might be the winner and be Guest Designer for them too!

        Thanks so much to all of you for all your lovely comments and thanks so much for popping in to see what I have made...



              See you all soon!