CC3C - Challenge 25

Hi All

Another week another challenge, this time its frameworks, page 64 of the Compendium of Curiosities.  The next couple of challenges are going to be just that - a challenge as we are so busy in April that I have to really focus, not my speciality!

Anywhoo - on with the show:

I tore several strips of  paper from the Wallflower paper stash and stuck them on an 8inch by 8inch hessian canvas, then gave them a wash of white gesso just to tone them down a bit.  I then mixed some metallic gold embossing paste with a little of the white gesso and sploged it round the edges of the canvas.  Once this was totally dry I added some wild honey distress ink to warm up the canvas.  A little stencilling with the Tim Holtz Honeycomb stencil using both sepia and coffee Ranger archival ink completed the background.

I used the Honeycomb frameworks die and cut one honeycomb from patterned paper and one from grey board (this was the packaging from an A3 card pack, very useful).  The patterned honeycomb was then triple embossed with clear embossing ink and powder to get a good shine.

The grey board honeycomb was coated in the gold embossing paste/gesso mixture to try to make it look like beeswax.  The was then dipped into molten clear embossing powder in the melt pot to try to look like honey dripping from the honeycomb.

I used some paper flowers to link the honeycombs together and found a large bee and two small bees to add to the canvas.

The letter B is from the Stampers Anonymous Classics 14 set and was stamped in black archival ink and highlighted with a few little white dots.

Thanks, as always to Linda Lebetter and the Curiosity Crew for their unending inspiration, check out Linda's blog here to see their amazing work.  Also thanks to Inspiration Emporium for sponsoring this challenge.

Have a lovely Easter and may the Easter Bunny be kind to you all!

Lyn

CC3C - Challenge 24

Hi All,

Wow, I've had a blast with this challenge.  I have had this mannequin for quite a while and kept looking at it wondering what to do with it, well I suddenly had a brainstorm the other night.  My beloved hubby has been away for a few days and I don't sleep very well when I am alone in the house, I know at my age its ridiculous!  So while lying there listening to the house creek I started to plan out what I was going to do, by morning all I had to do was get on with it!  I wish all projects went like this.

So to start: - As the mannequin is made of pressed fibreboard I coated it in two layers of white gesso and allowed it to completely dry overnight. I then consulted the Compendium of Curiosities page 51 and applied the technique to the mannequin.

The next thing to so was to make the fake leather for the coat.  I learnt this in a workshop with Sheena Douglass.  Spritz a sheet of kraft card with a solution of glycerine in water until it goes soft and pliable.  Then put the card into an embossing folder and put through an embossing machine, then allow to dry.  Once dry add some distress ink, I used a combination of vintage photo, spiced marmalade and a little pine needles.  Then dry thoroughly with a heat gun and then seal with Glue and Seal, gloss finish, to give a nice soft leathery look.  To give added strength to the 'leather' back the sheet with fabric stuck with a strong glue.

My sister is a fashion designer and made me a pattern for the coat.  I used this to cut the coat, a bit of a struggle out off a single sheet of A4 but just about managed it.  I then assembled the coat on the mannequin.

I added a key to one lapel and an assortment of cogs to the other .  I made a key chain using a key, a fob watch and a wing and attached it to the coat using some jump rings.

To finish off the bottom of the mannequin I added some beaded fringe from a local haberdashery and the head and arms are door knobs from the local DIY store.

At the back of the mannequin I added a half belt with two mini fasteners, one at either end, and finished with a selection of tiny cogs from some assorted watch parts I had bought online.

As the surface of the mannequin is not flat I stamped the Top Hat image from Stampers Anonymous Mini Blueprints set 6 onto tissue and applied it to the surface with Glue and Seal matt.

The base of the stand was covered in torn paper from an old dictionary, (Ive always had issues with dictionaries if you cannot spell a word how can you look it up?) then inked with the same inks as the coat.  I then raided my stash, yes I have actually used some of my precious things!, and added lots of treasures to the base including the plaque that says Treasure, which was swiped with picket fence distress paint.

If you have seen any of my previous blogs you will have already guessed that my daughter has claimed this for her room at University.  Hey Ho!

Thanks to Linda, as usual for organising this fabulous challenge and do check out the wonderful examples from the Curiosity Crew on her blog.  Some fantastic work there.  Also thanks to The FunkieJunkie for sponsoring this challenge.

Lyn

Tags of 2015 - March

Hi all

Spring has sprung, the daffodils are coming out and the birds are all twittering very loudly....don't you just love it!  Here in the UK we even had some sunshine the other day, just a little - lets not get carried away here.

So, the tag for March, I liked the colour scheme and stamp that Tim used so much I decided to do a very similar tag of my own.

After adding pieces of tissue tape to the tag I splodged peeled pain, salty ocean, seedless preserves and barn door distress paint onto my craft mat and added a spritz of water then dragged the tag through the paint to colour it and dried it with a heat gun.

The butterfly was then stamped and embossed as per the instructions on Tim's blog.  I used the Splatters stencil to add the texture paste and, after adding the gold embossing powder, left it to dry.  After heating the embossing powder I used the remaining paint on the craft sheet to colour some ribbon.

I added some tarnished brass distress paint to a word bar and attached it to the tag with some twine.  The metal butterfly is one I found in my stash, I used some silver Pebeo gilding wax on the edges and added some gems for a little more bling.

I made a messy bow from the dyed ribbon, then added an Idea-ology enamelled tag and a metal leaf to a rusty safety pin and attached it to the bow.  The sentiment on the enamelled tag is from the Botanical remnant rubs and I added a little alcohol ink to the tag too.

All I had to do then was add a little walnut stain distress ink round the edges to finish my tag.

Lyn

Compendium of Curiosity Challenge - Challenge 23

Hi all,

Challenge 23 - The collection folio.  This was a really well timed challenge as I started this folio at a workshop with Brenda Brown for Country View Crafts.  I didn't even finish the outer cover by the end of the workshop so most of this was done at home, with a lot more blood, sweat and tears!

The 'subject' of my folio was my daughter.  I have various photos that are too small to put in frames, or are off centre so there is a great deal of boring background.  This project was perfect for using these and displaying just the good bits.  I don't know about you, but I don't think we look at photos as much as we used to even if selfies have become run of the mill.

Well, on to the folio:

Most of the pages are covered using the Tim Holtz Wallflower paper stash and various tissue tapes.  A couple of the Picture Wheel die cuts were used, the one on the front cover was filled with some of the thumb nail size photos from contact sheets that my computer seems to like to print out unasked for!

Do you know I've tried to describe what I've done but in this case a picture paints a thousand words so.... here we go:

 

Phew!

Hope this makes sense,  I really had a blast with this challenge so I think I may have to do more of these folios. It has taken a while, but really worth it. I hope my daughter appreciates it as much as I do.

Take a look at Linda Ledbetter's blog to see the fab creations of the Curiosity Crew  - so much inspiration.  Also thanks to Inspiration Emporium for sponsoring this challenge.

Lyn