Shabby Chic Life Frame

I picked up the frame for half price at the Donny Dome craft show way back in June with the intention of decorating it for my mum for Christmas.

Then I turned it round and got a photo in the sun.

Painted the word in DecoArt chalky paint and stamped the Andy Skinner scratch stamp in brown stazon on the top.

I built up various paper flowers and used mini buttons for the middles.

More flowers, paper and crochet.

Mdf heart with DecoArt crackle paste.

Die cut butterflies with mini gems and mini safety pin.

I've found a box for it, so in 4 months time, I just have to remember where I've put it - lol xx

Altered Box Frame

I gave the wooden box a coat of gesso.

Randomly spread modelling paste around the outside edges and over the cross in the middle.

I mixed some texture sand paste with matte medium and coated the curved edges.

Once dry, I painted everything in paynes grey media paint.

The whole box was the painted with patina antiquing cream and then was rubbed back. A coat of matte medium was applied and allowed to dry. The outside flat edges were painted with white antiquing cream, and rubbed back and again a coat of matte medium was applied. Once dried everything was painted with watered down quinacridone gold.

Close up of the outside of the box.

I painted the inside of each little box in cobalt teal hue media paint.

Added pieces of script tissue paper and adhered with matte medium.

Painted the inside boxes with quinacridone burnt orange and then transparent yellow iron oxide.

Love how it turned out, just need to find something to put in it now.

All products are from DecoArt Media range.

Playing with DecoArt Media Crackle Products

I wanted to have a play with the new to me range of crackle products made by DecoArt for the media range.  I started off with the clear crackle paste. The mdf shape was base coated in white gesso and then sprayed with the yellow shimmer media mister. Once dry a thickish coat of the clear crackle paste was applied and left to dry over night.

I did exactly the same with this one but used the orange mister spray this time.

This is a chipboard die cut shape, again gesso'd and painted in phthalo green yellow media paint.  This time I just dabbled the crackle paste in certain areas.

I then rubbed carbon black media paint over the pieces.

And then rubbed most of it off, so it just stayed in the cracks.

Did the same with this one except used titan buff media paint.

Close up, you can see the cream colour in the cracks.

Another chipboard die cut, gesso'd and painted with primary magenta media paint, then a thin coat of the crackle glaze applied.

Same again this one was painted with primary cyan and the crackle applied thinly over the top.

This one I gesso'd and crackled straight over the top.

I added carbon black antiquing cream over this one, rubbed it back and sealed with a coat of ultra matte varnish.

I added white antiquing cream to the magenta crackled heart shape and wipe back.

Then I added quinacridone gold to the white heart.

I stamped the script over the magenta heart with black versa fine ink and run it round the edges.

And I did the same with the blue coloured piece of chipboard.

Next I tried the white crackle paste, I coated the mdf tag with matte medium and applied a thick coat. Left over night to dry, then watered down green gold media paint and painted over half.

I did exactly the same with the white crackle paint and to be honest, don't really know what the difference is, so will keep playing with these 2 products.

Next I painted wooden hearts in carbon black and napthol red. I put a thin layer of the white crackle paint over the red one.

And a thin layer of the white crackle paste over the black one. Again I could see any difference in the products. 

Next I experimented with stencils.

This is the white crackle paint

And the white crackle paint again.

This is the white crackle paste. Again, I can't tell any really difference in the two products.

Hopefully you'll see these samples used in some projects in the near future.

#3Up Challenge - Happy 10th Birthday

August was PaperArtsy's 10th birthday and to celebrate Leandra invited us to play along with the #3Up Challenge, except this time, instead of getting 3 items we all got a huge package of all sorts.  This was my bag of goodies.

There were instructions and some rules which are all documented on the piece of paper top left in the photo.

This was the colour pallet I was given to work with.

The wooden frame was coloured with squid ink fresco paint and given a light rub over with stone.

I stamped tissue paper in black stazon with an image from the Ink & the Dog, Buttons #5 plate.

The tissue paper was ripped and randomly stuck to the frame using mod podge.  Once dry it was sanded.

Now I had a bit of dilemma with these embellishments, initially I was going to use one as a pin cushion, but I couldn't push anything into it.  So, I decided to take one apart and discovered it was a metal dome!! Hmmmm.........what to do with that then!!

I wanted to give the image, Ink and the Dog, Buttons #6 plate, some depth rather than just placing it in the hole, so I mounted it in a couple of polystyrene corners, the ones you get in packaging.  .

I used dusty concord distress marker with a water brush to colour the background, re-stamped the tailor tags onto white card, cut them out and stuck them over the top to keep them white.

Then after lots more stamping, cutting, colouring, painting, re-positioning and finally sticking, this is how it came out.

One of the rules was to use at least one stamp from each plate.  I managed parts of all of them on Buttons #5 and I used all but 1 image from Buttons #6.

Hop over to the blog and see what everyone else did with their bag of goodies.

Up for a Challenge

Emma challenged us to make anything but a tag using either all or a combination of the above colour pallet.  We were also allowed to use, black and/or white and had to incorporate a flower - yikes!!

So this is what I made.  I painted the background with sage fresco paint. I swiped chocolate pudding through a circles stencil and bumped it with elephant. I stamped the script in olive green stazon. Painted the mini frame with elephant and chocolate pudding and stamped a smaller script in black stazon.  

The Paper Bag Studio image was stamped onto white card in timber brown stazon as well as the words, and to incorporate the caramel colour, I used a flower.

Remember When .....

I came across this oval piece of wood whilst looking for something else!!  I gave it a coat of mushroom fresco paint, randomly spread on crackle paste, the added a mix of nougat and Irish cream for the top coat.

And somehow ended up with this!!!

Don't worry, you've not come to the wrong blog!!  I was inspired by Minxy aka Nicky with her new shabby chic projects when I was making!!!

I used watered down antique linen, spun sugar and seedless preserve distress stains to colour the strip of net curtain that I cut off for the frill around the edge!!

The hearts, leaves and butterfly are made from moulds using paper clay kindly given to me by Pink Sparkle Days aka Emma.  They have been coloured with distress ink markers.

I'd like to enter into the following challenges, 

Ali-Craft - butterflies

Hobby House - vintage

Our Creative Corner - captured memories

Altered Eclectics - anything goes