A case in question

Hello

I'm sharing something a bit different today and done just for fun and a little experimentation. In the summer my mother-in-law and I visited The Craft House, home of DaliART, and had a lovely time being looked after by Dali and Paul while we browsed the shelves. We were treated to a preview of the amazing journals which aired on Create and Craft this week.

Dali recommended some Stamperia moulds and Pentart light modelling paste and I'm always up for something I haven't tried before. The big selling point for the paste is how light and flexible it is when it dries so I wanted to test it out.

It's important to make sure that the paste is pressed right down into the mould and that there is a thick layer over the back. As it dries it gets thinner and the sections will break apart if it's not thick enough. I left mine for two days to really make sure it was dry before peeling it away. The detail achieved is very impressive.

To test its strength and flexibility I decided to revamp an old phone case. I gessoed it first before gluing the moulded pieces on and then gessoed over them again. It was easy to cut holes with a sharp craft knife.

I painted it with Viva Decor Maya Gold paint in lilac and magenta, which is flexible and quite plasticky when it dries. The depth of relief and detail in the moulds meant that it didn't really need much more embellishment other than a little highlighting with gilding wax.

 

One pot of modelling paste is enough for about four sheets so I still have some left to play with. The result is strong and flexible and I'm unlikely to lose it in my handbag! 

 

Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely day xx

Joseph's Coat

Hello
I'm a bit late posting this one. I had a busy day yesterday and spent a great evening at Chertsey Museum doing a bit of crafting with nine lovely ladies making mixed media notebook covers. They must have enjoyed it as they want to do the same technique again on something else. Didn't get to photograph them all but they made an excellent job of it.

This week The Craft Barn has been showcasing the Joseph's Coat technique using different ways of masking to reveal a layer below. I went for a canvas board.

There are quite a few steps for this one so do take a look at the blog for all of the details. The weekend awaits and I am very hopeful for at least one day of crafting! 

Thank you for stopping by. xx

Red and Gold

Here's a sneaky peek of my latest project for The Craft Barn. This week's theme is red and gold.

Why not hop over to the blog and have a look at the sumptuous projects the design team have created?

Tealight Holder

With Christmas approaching it’s time for a bit of altering. I picked up a tealight holder in a charity shop some time ago that was crying out for a makeover. First texture past was added, left to dry and then painted white.

Next the background was painted, gradually blending the colours together. When it was dry speckled stars were added in white paint and the textured areas were highlighted with gilding wax.

  Die cut snowflakes were embossed and painted silver. When the silver was dry the raised areas were highlighted with white paint and the snowflakes were adhered with gel medium.

 Finally gems were added and the holder was sealed with gel medium which also gives a silk finish. To finish a circle of felt was added to the base.

 

Now that it's dark so early I really enjoy sitting in candle light when I get in from work. It's a great way to block out distractions and relax.

 

Materials used:

PaperArtsy grunge paste

Tando masks: distorted harlequin, Giovanna eighties

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint: snowflake, blue oyster, china, southern skies, blueberry

Viva Decor Maya Gold: silver

Creative Expressions metallic gilding wax: patina

Sizzix Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die: winter elements

Sizzix Texture Fades Embossing Folder: gridlock

Ranger Multi Medium: matte

  

Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to American friends celebrating today.

The card template was cut with a Silhouette Studio design. The leaves were coloured with ProMarkers and stamped with gold paint. The the middle layer was sprayed with Color Bloom in golden walnut and fire needles. The sentiment was computer generated and cut out and the background coloured and stamped in Distress Ink. All that was left was to assemble the pieces.

It's always good to take the time to reflect and be thankful for what we have. xxx

Materials used:

Silhouette Studio digital die cut

white card

patterned paper

small texture stamp free with magazine

Color Bloom sprays

Distress Ink

Viva Decor Maya Gold

Adorned and adored

Last year I treated myself to the extra large bottle of Dior's J'adore just so that I could have the marvellous gift box with the magnetic clip!  Finally I have had time to work on it just in time for a friend's birthday.  Inspired by the work of Giovanna Zara and her blog, Scrap in Progress, I set to.  The first stage was sticking on die cuts and embellishments, giving it all a coat of gesso and then using Dylusions ink sprays to create a coloured base.

I added a little yellow and orange paint to the base layer and the box was dry brushed with white paint to knock the colours back a bit and create some highlights.  I used Viva Decor Maya Gold paints to bring out the letters and using a sponge, added a slight shimmer over the whole box.  Further highlights were added with gilding waxes. Et voilà!

 

Materials used: 

various die cuts and embellishments

Ranger Multi Medium: matte

Dylusions Ink Sprays: funky fuchsia, post box red, squeezed orange

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint: yellow submarine, autumn fire, snowflake

Viva Decor Maya Gold; magenta, lilac

Treasure Gold: white fire

Creative Expressions Metallic Gilding Wax: patina

Claire's Stuff

Blogging two weekends in a row!  Must mean I'm winding down at work and gearing up for some holiday crafting.  I'm off on a course next week and it occurred to me I might need a notebook.  The perfect opportunity to try out a technique that Lindsay Mason introduced me to.

First I masked off the spine on a cheap supermarket notebook.  I stuck on embossed paper, die cuts, metal embellishments and metal studs, then painted everything with a coat of Little Black Dress (sorry I forgot to photograph that step).

I then covered the background with Viva Decor Maya Gold, working the paint in to all of the nooks and crannies.  When the base was dry I used two more colours to paint the letters.

To finish off a little Treasure Gold was used to highlight the edges and bring out some of the texture.
 

No chance my notebook will get mixed up with anyone else's!

Have a lovely day x

Materials used:

notebook

assorted die cuts and embellishments

Cosmic Shimmer glue

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint: little black dress

Viva Decor Maya Gold paint: gold, cacao, turquoise, emerald

Treasure Gold: white fire