CJS18 Journal Page 08

Day 8 with Nathalie Kalbach's Creative JumpStart and I've taken inspiration from our muse Diana Trout & her recipe for the Spice of Life. I've used the chemicals of happiness and of course caffeine! I love all the conical flasks, round bottomed flasks and different jar shapes found in the chemical laboratory and I was able to indulge in my love of organic molecule structures and formulae. I've watercoloured the page using Distress Crayons.

Warmer Inky Dylusions

Decided to change my colour palette to warmer tones and to try for a cosmic magical background. This background started life like the last two, but I remembered to use my blender tool with the paint and stencils this time!

Lots of splatters of Dylusions white linen ink and some Heidi Swap Gold Spray, doodling with a white paint pen and black ink pen and some distress inking and crayoning to finish the background. 

I topped this card off with a watercoloured little unicorn from The Greeting Farm stamps.

Hope your day has a bit of magic!

Challenges:

Craft Rocket Challenge #40: Animal Kingdom

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Splatter It

Unicorn Challenge #24: Mythical & Magical

Supplies:

Distress Ink
Distress Crayons
Distress Paint
Dylusions Sprays

Heidi Swapp Gold
Primary Elements Powder
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Year Two; The Greeting Farm Magical Friends
Stencils: THMS070; Dylusions Large Arrow Border; Finnabair Alpha, Dots&Stripes
Paint Pen, Black Ink Pen, Graphite Pencil

Inking Dylusions

Local Craft Clubs are a great way to give yourself the time, opportunity and encouragement to get crafty. One of the girls was in a Dylusions mood, so I tried to put into practice what I had learned from Dyan Reaveley. However as our time was nearly up and the raffle was ongoing I rushed it a bit. Making the best of it, I decided my arrows were meant to be in the foreground and the thicker than required application of distress paint through the stencil was the desired effect. 

I started this background in the same way as my last project, but then hand splattered some water and with a splatter brush straight from the bottle some Dylusions white linen ink. I stamped the Cat and Pigeons in jet black archival ink and watercoloured with distress crayons. In order to get truer colours, I removed some of the background ink with a waterbrush first. 

When I got home I finished by doodling with a white paint pen and a black ink pen and edged the card with distress crayon and distress ink. Never one to know when to stop, I felt the card needed something else so stencilled stars with hickory smoke distress ink.

Another fun inky time was had, but I did have some cleaning up to do. Thankfully the inks and paints were all water based so a quick wipe and the club didn't lose their damage deposit!

Happy Inking! 

Challenges: 

Craft Rocket Challenge #40: Animal Kingdom

Moving Along with the Times Challenge #51:Things That Fly

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Splatter It
The Artistic Stamper Creative Challenge: August Anything Goes

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #tttc009 (diagonal: one layer, distress inks, all things round- lots of dots & spots)

Supplies:
Archival Ink Jet Black

Distress Inks

Distress Crayons
Distress Paint
Dylusions Sprays
Primary Elements Powder
Stamps: Dylusions Cat Among the Pigeons, Lawn Fawn Year Two
Stencils: THMS070; Dylusions Large Arrow Border; Finnabair Stars, Dots&Stripes
Paint Pen, Ink Pen

Dimensional Background Inking

After a little sabbatical from the blog I'm hoping to jump back in. While I was absent I was immersing myself in all thing Tim Holtz and Dyan Reaveley. So I thought I would start off with some layered mixed media backgrounds. Once I started it was difficult to know when to stop layering- its such messy fun! I took Dyan's advice and had extra card available to soak up the extra ink. I now have a few backgrounds already started for another project. Time efficient and a great idea.

Here's how I went about it:

I chose some cool coloured spray inks and liberally covered the cardstock, mopped up the excess ink with kitchen roll and an extra piece of card. Some stencilling and ghosting with water then stencilling with distress paint. this is now at about 5 layers. The paint dried quickly enough and I could move on to the next step.

I embossed a piece of the background with my favourite Tim Holtz embossing folder (well one of my many favourites!) and then trimmed it to size.

Next I used distress crayons to highlight the lovely embossed texture, but I couldn't stop there and added crackle medium on top.  This also acted as a glue for the diecut happy birthday.After leaving it overnight to dry I used a white picket fence distress crayon to emphasise the cracked surface.

For the little robot I created an alcohol ink background and heat embossed the Lawn Fawn stamp with Ranger Liquid Platinum embossing powder. A white linen Dylusions spray splattered kraft card base adds the finishing detail.

Another look at the finished card:

This card came together quite quickly and I was happy to leave the crackle medium to dry over time as I love the result which is subtly different to other crackling products. Cleaning up the excess ink with extra cardstock also means you get more pieces to play with at a later date. I've used a simple diecut sentiment and the little robot for a masculine industrial feel.

Any queries let me know. Hope you can find some time to play too.

Challenges:
CAS Mix Up August Challenge: Stamping + Alcohol Inks + Your Choice (embossing)
Muse Challenge #227: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Splatter It
Stamps & Stencils Challenge: Technique School

Supplies:
Alcohol Inks: Citrus, Mushroom, Patina, Pool, Purple Twilight, Silver Mixative
Distress Embossing Ink
Distress Crackle Medium
Distress Crayons
Distress Paint
Dylusions Sprays
Primary Elements Powder
Embossing Powder: Ranger Liquid Platinum
Embossing Folder: TH Riveted Metal
Stamps: Lawn Fawn Beep Boop Birthday
Dies: TH Handwritten Celebrate
Stencils: THMS070; Dylusions Large Arrow Border; Finnabair Harlequin, Stars, Dots&Stripes
Paint Pen

Love Begins

I've just started my mixed media journey and I've wanted to begin the year creating more mixed media pieces. To help with this goal I want to get my creativity moving by entering more challenges. I've enjoyed all the inspiration from the The Mixed Media Place Creative Gym and so I decided to jump in and take the challenge. At this time of year, new beginnings brought to mind new love and valentines. This is also perfect for Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Love is in the Air + Red.

Lots of diecuts, stencilling and a distressed strip form the background texture for the card. The heart is the result of months of work! Most of it trying to find the special type of clay I wanted- super light, air drying and a little flexible. It was very quick to make the actual embellishment (cutting and stamping) and it dried overnight. Now for even more fun with lots of spraying.

Next I added embossing powder, gold and rust mica powder, crackle accents, stamping, spray droplets and a heart cut from the packaging I saved from some flowers someone special gave me.

Finally I felt ready to add my special heart embellishment plus some microbeads, Stickles and distress glitter.

Challenges:

Mixed Media Place Creative Gym Exercise #16: New Beginnings...

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Love is in the Air + Use Red

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

 

Supplies

Stamps: Prima Finnabair Honey Comb, Vintage Vanity Harlequin, Clearly Besotted Brushed Poppies 
Dies & Stencils etc: Prima Finnabair Bubbles, Stars, Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow stencil, My Favorite Things Equalizer Stencil, Stitched Fancy Flourish, Lawn Fawn Stitched Hearts, Hearts Lawn Cuts

Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Ranger Archival Ink Potting Soil

Paper: White Linen Card from stash

Highlights: stickles, translucent embossing paste, glitter, micro beads, white gesso, gems, crackle accent, glossy accent, fibre wrapping sheet, Artista clay.  

Colouring: Dylusions Postbox Red, Lemon Zest, White Linen, LuminArte Ginger Peach, Heidi Swapp Gold, Finnabair mica powder gold, rust

Hope you're enjoying my creative paper learning curve.

Mermaid Mixed Media

My mixed media madness continues with a special mermaid underworld scene for a very special 21 year old who's Disney mad. This was a labour of love and I enjoyed every minute. Wonderful for me, but for you it means I've taken lots of pictures and this post will challenge your broadband!

I started with embossing paste and stencils, a coat of gesso and then by sticking all my bits and bobs in place, then covered it all with black gesso. This was very nerve racking for me, but after attending a fabulous Finnabair class last year I knew I want to try it.

Now to add back in some colour with mica powders in sprays and gels. This was a lot of fun and I may have got a little carried away as there was some seepage through all the layers of card. This wasn't a problem as I covered the back with patterned paper.

I then prepared the central panel. I wanted a sunken treasure feel, so I diecut a frame several times, coated it in black gesso and distressed it with gold mica powder, perfect pearls, mica flakes and glitter. Ariel [EK Success stamp] is coloured with promarkers, covered with stickles, crackle accents, wink of stella.

Add caption

Some close ups of all the details. Sorry in advance, I find it difficult to stop adding to a canvas and now it's the same with all the photographs I've taken!

Did you spot the 'ugly button' and my found shells? There's also lots of lace, canvas and strips of patterned paper.

Challenges:

Craft for the Craic: January Blues   [Blue- under the sea]

Passion for Promarkers Week 328: Fantasy  [mermaid]

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Best Friends   [a special creation for my best friend, my sister]

STAMPlorations {Stencil Sunday #27} + January Mixed Media Challenge

 

Supplies

Stamps: EK Success Disney Collection
Dies & Stencils etc: Prima Finnabair Bubbles, Simon Says Stamp Waves stencil

Ink: Memento Jet Black, Distress Ink black soot, chipped sapphire

Paper: White Card & patterned paper from stash

Highlights: stickles, white embossing paste, glitter, micro beads, beads, paper flowers, metal embellishments & numbers, sequins, white & black gesso, wink of stella, white gel pen, glimmer mist, sea shells, buttons, lace, eyelets, twine.

Colouring: Promarkers, LuminArte Bolivian Blue, Douglas Fir, Ginger Peach, Finnabair mica powder gold, rust, Ranger Perfect Pearls

Hope you enjoyed my mixed media journey and see you again soon.