Mad as a Hatter

Hi everyone!

         It is a 'first' here at Laurart - decorating a hat! I had so much fun with this - though I had one of those weird things happen where it turned out completely different to the image I had in mind in the first place - still those crafty journeys can be fun...

     My wonderful OCC DT member Laurie invited me to join  her craft DT on her FB challenge site. It involved decorating a hat - and two other projects that will be revealed for April and May. This is what I came up with....

 First lets take a peek at all sides of this hat .....

The front

Left

Back

Right

      I wanted to get texture onto this hat so I embossed some card with damask style embossing folders. I cut the card into sections to cover the entire hat. Then I dabbed tiny amounts of texture paste around the joins to fill any gaps. As neat as you try to be, it is difficult when gluing embossed card to a surface to avoid having tiny little gaps. Dabbing a tiny amount of texture paste is a really effective way at hiding any gaps.

     I painted it with a mix of Sage and Vanilla Fresco paint. Then I covered it with Raw Umber Antiquing cream and when this was dry I wiped it away with a damp cloth. I then covered the hat with Matt varnish to seal the Raw Umber Antiquing Cream.

I then wanted to add a delicate dusty effect by covering it with White antiquing cream and then cleaning it away until really only minute bits are left in crevices.

Music serviettes were glued to card and then a bow shape was cut out and stuck onto the hat.

A button was painted with Raw Umber Decoart fluid acrylic paint and then a stamped clock image placed into the button and covered with Glossy Accents glue

Crystal beads were added to pearl topped pins and used as Hat Pins

Buttons, flowers, roses and hemp string were added to decorate the hat.....

Crochet lace was added...

Diecut ivy was painted with Antique Linen, Peeled Paint and Forest Moss DS. The crackle glaze was applied followed by white Antiquing cream before being wiped away to leave white crackles.

 Why not join in the hat decorating challenge! Follow this link to find out all about Laurie's challenge and future ones - make sure you don't miss out on all the fun!

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...........

Build it up

Hi everyone!

Over at Fashionable Stamping Challenges there is a challenge I LOVE!!!

'Build it up' 

Use at least three stamps on your project

    I was thrilled when I saw this challenge - I adore using lots of stamps and I love seeing how many I can fit onto a project!

      With all the neutral brown tones on my blog since Christmas I have decided to finally add some colour. Looking at my Distress inks I chose Bundled Sage DI and covered a tag with it.

    I used one of my newest stamps, a LaBlanche stamp - 'Timeless writing' I stamped it in Fern Green Archival ink and also used this ink to stamp some flower details.

    I used another new stamp which was a border stamp from the Prima Hello Pastel Collection. I stamped this with Black Archival ink at the top and bottom of the tag.

I used a script stamp in Black archival ink along the side of the tag

So that is four stamps - I could have probably squeezed in some more! ;o)

   I blended some Black Soot DI around the edge of the tag.

An ivory rose was dabbed with some Black Soot DI and the wire stem was curled

Ivory die cut leaves were painted with Bundled Sage and Peeled Paint DS to look like ivy leaves

   A silver Tim Holtz clock face and spinner were used to decorate the tag

The word 'TIME' was made with Tim Holtz label letters

A white satin ribbon was dabbed with Black Soot DI and tied in a bow

Why not come over and join us this time at Fashionable Stamping Challenges Remember we are a stamping challenge so please feature a stamped focal image on your creation  -  You could be the winner of $20 to spend at Flonzcraft Stamps! And of course you could be picked at one of our Catwalk Spotlights! 

Thanks so much for being here! Hope to see you again soon!

 

Playtime Tag

Hi everyone!

      I am back with a tag....I know I make a lot of them but I really want to share this one. I was really pleased with it even though it has some mistakes. I won't say where they are though ;o) Just like the quote I used "Life doesn't have to be perfect!"....well, neither do tags!

     This was a playtime tag - not intended for anything, just some messing around time. I started with some Antique Linen DP through a harlequin stencil and then dabbing some Peeled Paint and Frayed Burlap DI over the tag.

  Then I stamped some butterflies with Frayed Burlap DP and a script stamp with Antique Linen DP.

     Then of course I had to use my favourite script stamp in Potting Soil Archival ink.

     The tag got thoroughly soaked with water and then dabbed dry with paper towel which really bought the Antique Linen DP back to life and toned down the colours from the Distress inks.

    The quote was stamped with Potting Soil Archival ink and the torn edges were inked with Gathered Twigs DI

   Two white roses were dabbed with Gathered Twigs DI and then spritzed with water.

 




















The ivy die cut was dabbed with Gathered Twigs DI and the speckled effect was done with a spritzer and distress marker (not the new TH one!)

   ........a ribbon dyed with Peeled Paint DS completes the tag....

 Hope you like it - Thanks so much for being here!