A very colourful workshop

I recently attended a workshop run by the very talented Lin Brown whose classes I enjoy enormously.This class was a bit different to the usual classes that she runs, because she decided to look at composotion with us, rather than presenting us with a specific finished project to make. We looked at how to use pieces of scrapbook paper that we might have lurking around in our stash to form the basis for our backgrounds, and then how to build up a series of layers on that paper to produce a backdrop for the stamped images. I was not very keen on the piece of paper that I had to start with, and almost asked to swap it for something different. However, I figured that I was going to be covering it up fairly well, so I would just run with it and see what happened. I really like the finished piece, so I am glad that I stuck with the original piece of paper, and it just goes to show that you can use up those pieces of paper left over from paper pads that you do not want to use for anything else.

Lin showed us how she creates her layered backgrounds step by step, using opaque and transluscent Fresco Finish paints from Paper Artsy. I have seen her demo many times, but it is always fascinating to watch her create a piece of artwork. Her background was much busier than I had realised, and it gave me the chance to experiment with trying this new look out. We had a lot of fun with her vibrant paint colours and the latest stamp images. She also showed us how to make some cute little padded birds to add to our project if we wanted to.

This is my finished project, which I actually completed at home. I had one or two things that needed to be put together after the class. I added some extra stamping to the background to ground the flowers and yet another layer over the white detail, with the little black dotty stamp.

 

I had such fun making this project, and it sits in my craft room where I can see the vibrant cheery colours to brighten up my day.

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Fabric Book

Hello everyone, it's not often that I write a post these days without my DT hat on, as life tends to be very hectic and I do not have much time for any extra crafting. However, this post is one of those times, and I have a project to show you that I made at a recent class taught by the lovely Lin Brown at It's Crafting Time run by the equally fabulous Nina.

We made a fabric covered book, with hand stitched binding, using Donna Downey stamps, Paper Artsy paints, and Luminarte Silk Acrylic glazes. It was a very full on day, with lots of concentration needed. I was not feeling very well on the day, and it was a real struggle to make the book, which I have actually finished at home. I am so glad that I went, because it is such a beautiful project, and I always learn so much from Lin. She is a very generous teacher with her tips and suggestions.

The book is lined with some lovely floral fabric which is painted, and the gold outlining shows through the paint:

Here is the back cover, showing the lovely Donna Downey birdcage, which was appliqued onto the cover:

Some of the lining fabric also forms the spine, and you will see that I have picked the colour out in my flowers on the front cover:

The dimensional flower has been stamped and gathered, and the lace and trim has also been painted. I would really love to make some more of these books as gifts now, because they are so pretty, and feel lovely to hold. I am a bit of a notebook collector, and love to buy pretty books. Now, I can make my own. I'm sure that it won't stop me buying more though!

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Fabric Journal and CSQ Project

Hi Folks, well it's my turn to post my project on the Craft Stamping Quartet blog. We are all making a little accordian style book as suggested by Elaine, and inspired by Kate Crane.

I decided very early on that I wanted to use fabric as the basis for my book inspired by the work of Lin Brown whose work I admire so much. I was very lucky to attend one of her fabric journal workshops recently covering this very subject, so it helped my project along enormously! Here is a sample of what I made at the workshop, and you will be able to see that I was very much inspired by this in my book:

I started by cutting out some watercolour pages to 5" x 5", as this was the size that I wanted to work on. I covered all of the pages with fabric, using Bondaweb, and gave them a wash of colour using Paper Artsy paints. I added stencilling, stamping, and in some cases, some texture paste through stencils as well. I coloured some of the texture paste before I used it with paint for my front and back covers, saving time colouring the paste afterwards.

I stamped several images onto sparkly acetate, and also onto spare watercolour paper, which I painted with the paints to co-ordinate with my backgrounds. I then stuck the acetate to the painted images before I added them to the backgrounds.

I have used a couple of Lin Brown stencils on this page, which is the front cover of my book, and a Paper Artsy butterfly.

On these two pages, I have added some lace painted with paint to tie into my colour scheme, and some stamps by Jo Capper-Sandon join the Paper Artsy stamps.

 

I have watercoloured some stamped flowers directly onto the fabric on these pages, and added more stencilling. This time I have added script to the stencilling as well. The words are stamped onto painted fabric.

I have added a flower stamped onto black card to this page and another little Jo Capper-Sandon butterfly on sparkly acetate. The foliage was stamped in white, and given a colourwash of yellow and orange.

I have added fabric tags to these two pages, stapling the fibres to the tags instead of tying them in the traditional way.

Finally on my back cover, I have added scraps of tinted lace along with the Jo Capper-Sandon stamps. More textured stencilling completes the background.  I have dry brushed the edges of all of my pages with paint, using a variety of colours to tone in with each page. I also added some fabric tabs between the pages for interest.

My construction is not the same as Kate's, I have hidden the ends of my pages within the concertina folds, preferring an edge to edge look inside the book. I went for black card, like Elaine, as I felt that it complimented my bright colours and black stamping.

I have enjoyed the process of making my little book, and hope that you like the end result. If you have any questions, please ask, and I am happy to answer them. Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx

Fluttering By

I needed to make a Birthday card for a very dear friend recently, and my project here is the end result. I had a vague idea as I started out, and knew which main components I was going to use. They were purchases from my recent trip to Ally Pally, but I wasn't sure of the exact outcome, that's part of the fun of crafting sometimes!
I used some fairly plain background paper from my stash which was a soft golden colour, and stencilled a flower from one of Lin Brown's new stencil plates onto the background fairly randomly, using a soft pinkish acrylic paint. I then added a coral colour to the edges of the petals. I added some ferns from another one of the stencil plates, using an olive green. I added some stamping to the background, using a deep brown, but used second generation stamping, as I did not want the stamping to be too dark. I added a touch of Distress Ink around the edges of the background, using an olive green to blend with the colour palette that I was already using.

I stamped a large butterfly from IndigBlu onto watercolour paper, and coloured the image with Distress Markers and a waterbrush. I stamped the body and antennae part of the butterfly directly onto the background, which allowed me to cut the watercoloured butterfly out, omitting the fiddly antennae parts. I then attached the butterfly to the card.

 

My camera battery was flat when I needed to take a photo of this card, so I used my phone. The picture has come out fine, in fact, I think that it has probably turned out better! 

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Practising with my PA Goodies

Hi Folks, I've had a day playing with my craft supplies today. It's a rare thing for me to craft without a deadline or an agenda in mind, and today was a day where I just dabbled for sheer enjoyment, it was so relaxing. I've been using my Paper Artsy supplies, some of which I purchased over the weekend at Alexandra Palace. I watched lots of demos by Lin and Leandra, and wanted to experiment before I forgot what I had picked up from their examples. I have a memory like a sieve these days!

I made a project using a piece of greyboard similar to one that Leandra made at the weekend. I loved the colours that she had chosen, sort of 'shabby French' using shades of turquoise with a white wash effect and crackle down one side. I've added some of Lin's Eclectica stamps and some metal elements to finish my project off. I've stamped the flowers onto black card, as Lin does, the effect is fabulous. She has some great samples on her blog, which you can reach on my sidebar.

I've mixed puff paint with the Grunge Paste as Leandra showed us at the weekend, the result is really great:

This would look lovely on a mirror frame or other home decor projects. The texture is really brilliant. I've then brushed lots of different colours of Treasure Gold over the raised areas.

I had some spare Grunge Paste/Puff Paint mixture left over, and just like Leandra at the show, I decided not to waste it, so I made a tag. I looked for something textural to drag through it, and found a pie slice in my utensil drawer. I'd better wash it thoroughly before I use it next time! I also stamped into a couple of areas, and then painted the whole tag. I brushed lots of Treasure Gold over the whole thing before giving it a good buff.

I added some lace, a flower and a word, not forgetting a little dragonfly coloured with TG as well.

These samples aren't rocket science, as they are along the lines of what Lin and Leandra make many times at the shows they attend. However, it's given me a chance to flex my muscles with the materials, and hopefully, I can go on to create some more bits and pieces now.

Thanks for stopping by, xx