Leave a Little Sparkle...

Hello!  I have been playing with my favorite markers. My Micador Mega Marker and the Ecoline Brush Pens.  So much fun, I really love the randomness of the mega marker and the vibrancy of the ecolines is awesome.  There is a little process video for this page, link will be at the bottom of the post.

 

Thanks for dropping by :)

 

Mixed Media Christmas Tags

Hello!  I finally got into the Christmas spirit and made a few tags.  There is a process video over on my youtube channel, the link will be below :)

 

Thanks for dropping in :)

More Than Words August Challenge - Friends and Circles

Hello!  I had said earlier in the year that I was going to try to participate in some challenges this year and so far, although I haven't played along as much as I would like, I have really enjoyed the ones I have participated in and this one was no different!  So much inspiration by all the other participants as well as the DT of course.  As soon as I saw the inspiration graphic for this challenge, I knew I just had to have a go.  So here it is...

The challenge over at More than Words is as follows:

Word Inspiration - FRIENDS

Creative Challenge - CIRCLES

Here is my take on the challenge:

The image is my beautiful sister, Renee.  She really is my best friend and I would not be where I am today without her! She never really gets to hear me say it, but, I really do love you Bean. (yeah, I know I know... puke). Ok, moving on!

I started with a piece of 12 x 12 watercolour paper and some random lids which I have used like stamps to give me the circles. I used lots of water and gelato's, neocolor II and a black water soluable marker until I was happy with the background.  I love the challenge of trying to make something look 3D, when its actually totally flat!

I used some Seth Apter stamps inside my circles and a Kaisercraft harlequin stamp and a mini text stamp in the background.

I used my Prima distressing tool to scratch around the edges of the photo and layered a Whichcraft white chipboard Grid Mesh Circle Frame that I had painted black with distress paint over the top (the title is also a Whichcraft piece).

  

I embellished the frame with my favorite bubbly beads which I thought were perfect for this challenge :) (and almost every project I do ;) )

These beads are soooo reflective, if you look closely you can see my reflection in them :)

Thanks for stopping by xx

Treasures From Atlantis

Hello.  I have something a little different to share with you today.

Some 'Treasures from Atlantis'

The idea to make these faux bottles came from conversation I had with my Mum a few weeks ago and when I saw the mood board for the Lindy's Stamp Gang August Colour  Challenge I decided to have a go.

 The colour challenge set is Caribbean Cruise Flat Fabio, which unfortunately I don't own.

So, inspired by the blue and green colours I selected Bells of Ireland Green and Bachelor Button Blue from my stash for this project.

I started with some wooden off cuts.

I gave them a good coat of white heavy gesso to start with, once dry, I used both the Bells of Ireland Green and Bachelor Button Blue sprays but I applied them straight from the bottle with a paint brush and used my heat tool to dry.

Using the Whichcraft Itty Bitty Brick stencil and Finnabair's Rust Paste, I started giving my faux bottle some texture. I embellished the top with an old perfume bottle cap and various beads and some junk jewellery chain

For the second Faux bottle I used some modelling past to attach some flat back glass beads and once dry, I coloured with the same  Bells of Ireland Green and Bachelor Button Blue sprays and again dried throughly before adding the Rust paste.

 

I embellished the top in the same way as the first bottle.  I added the little tube charm from my stash and filled it with 'butterfly eggs' to tie in with the butterfly on the front.

 

The final bottle began in the same way as the first 2, but this time I applied the Rust Paste through the Whichcraft Riveted Metal stencil.  For the top of this bottle I stacked a bunch of large rusty metal bits from my stash and inverted an acrylic crystal into the top as a stopper.

Thanks for stopping by xx

Bye Bye Butterfly - for ColourBlast

Hello.  It's me, Kerry here for my final post before the new team steps in.  I cant believe how fast this year is flying by.  I would like to thank Tenisha from Colour Blast for having me and allowing me to play with the awesome Colour Blast products.  I am sure the team will have plenty of inspiration coming up, including the awesome new sprays and pigment powders, so make sure you stop by when you can.

Today I have a card, it was super simple, but I love the finished result.

 I used the paste in 'Royalty' and mixed it with quite a bit of water.

I used the inside bit of a roll of sticktape like a stamp and picked up the watery colour and stamped it onto a piece of 300gsm watercolour paper.

I spritzed it with water to let the circles bleed a little and then added some smaller circles and some splashes. 

Then I repeated the same steps using 'Deepwater' paste

I added some stamping with black archival ink

 Then I used a little of the royalty paste to attach this tiny lightglobe and whilst it was still wet I added some microbeads.

 Thanks for stopping by x

Tips and techniques for Colour Blast

Hello again.  It's me, Kerry.

Today I have something a little different.  I thought I would share with you some of the ways I have been playing with my Colour Blast products.

Lets start with embossing powders.  For the following techniques I have used the Colour Blast embossing powders, you will also need some embossing ink, I have used Versamark and a heat tool.

Lets start with a piece of metal, I have used a bronze flower trinket, Lets say you wanted to use this on a project, but the colour was not suitable, you can easily change the colour with embossing powder.

Firstly, turn the flower upside down and press it into the versamark,   

Then just sprinkle the desired colour of embossing powder over the top, shake off any excess (and return it to the jar) and heat set, but be careful as the metal will be hot once you finish

If you want a thicker coat, you can just repeat the process

TIP: if your metal is still hot enough, you can skip the re-application of the versamark as the powder will stick to the hot metal.  You can also use more than one colour for added interest.

                     

Next pearls and beads.  

The same technique can be used to colour beads and pearls, I find it is easier to use a skewer to hold the bead but you may need to remove it to add the versamark.

                    

 Next, again using the same technique, I have used embossing powder to change the texture and colour of this wooden gear.

             

 If I apply a single coat I get this lovely texture on the smooth wood, 

 

and if I want a smoother more enameled looking finish, I just add a second coat.

You can also use the same technique to colour a piece of lace.  

It will stiffen the lace slightly but it is still easily bent and quite pliable.  

In the pictures below I have sprinkled the embossing powder in 2 colours on my lace, and then used my heat tool.  TIP - Be careful if your lace is synthetic as the the heat may melt the lace.

And of course, chipboard, and yes, the application technique is the same.

I like to use the shimmer sprays after I have embossed my chipboard piece as it gives some awesome texture.   

Just emboss the chipboard using the normal technique.  Then, add a few sprays of the shimmer spray on top of the embossed piece. 

Then use the heat tool to 'melt' the embossing powder again.  The droplets of shimmer spray will sink into the embossing powder leaving little crater like texture on the chipboard.

 And finally, while we are talking about the shimmer sprays, I love to use them to 'activate' my distress inks for some awesome shimmery backgrounds.

Apply a little distress ink to your non stick craft mat,

then instead of spritzing with water, use a couple of spritzes of shimmer spray. 

You can keep pressing your paper into the ink/spray until you get the desired result

and you end up with a lovely shimmery background

I hope you have found this helpful and I would love to see what you make using these techniques. Click on the link to see the full Colour Blast range.