Quick off the mark this week for the lots to do challenge Mail art.

A brayerd background and used the new stamp from Craft Stamper it came this morning lol just love shells so had to use it stamped with archival ink and sprinkled a little verdigri embossing powder on it with the flourish and main image stamped with brilliance inks and the stamp embossed with gold .

Not so much wish you were here but but more of a Wish I was there .

Got two cardies on today :(

A Book and a Box

This is a black box I have used the distressed dabber technique on. The tulip is a twidderly bit from Crafty Notions coloured with promarkers and coated with glossy accents with stickles used for the dew drops

I've mask the note book and painted with gesso then painted with pva glue and dripped alcohol inks on to the wet glue . Ive then used a brass stencil and terra paste for the focal point. Blimey you have to be quick

A flourish for the lots to do challenge

Jenny Mayes Card workshop

A few weeks ago I did a workshop with Jenny at the Worthing show, we made 2 but I've lost one
So here are three toppers ready to be put onto cards

All are water coloured with Marvey le plume but I have used chalk for the sand

This is the card we did at the workshop and I mounted and add the liquid applique at home

Crackle Paint Effect

When at Ally Pally I watch Sheena Douglas do this technique and she used the new acrylic paints from Julia Andrus which are eco friendly, but for the life of could couldn't remember how, so I have been playing and this is what I have come up with .You don't need much just card wood glue ( haven't tried it with PVA ) Ranger Dabbers and a heat gun. Apply the glue and while still wet brush over the paint


With no water you get more dramatic cracks and the more water you add the finer the cracks .The bottom has regular gold acrylic as a base ( I did try with that but it didn't work ) also the heat gun was put closer so got the blistered effect
Here are some backgrounds I have done some good and some not so good all waiting for just the right images

The top 2 from the left are sandal I used victorian velvet over the top and buffed off the excess humm not much of a contrast the next one was forrest moss good contrast :) next was cranberry over gold .
Bottom left I really like this was a peice all ready coloured and stamps that I didn't like, with the effect on the top and then aged mahogany I love the way that the paints are not fully opaque, the middle was with regular acrylic didn't work, the last one show the effects you can get by aplying the paint in different directions.
So you add a base if you want, the effect and then more colour or start with a bare base and add colour .
Oh and I forgot to say once dry you can buff it to a really nice sheen ... wonder why ?
Hope you will have fun with this