GC91 Random Red Head Challenge

Gingersnap Creations has another challenge I was interested in ....The Random Red Head Challenge the theme being Crowns.

I had no trouble taking up this task. It came together quite quickly for me. I love Artchix Studio and have ordered supplies from them a few times now and my last order I got some crowns. So here is what I made and I hope you enjoy it.

The actual ArtChix Image is a playing card that I cut the top to a base ATC size arch. I cut another arch and made a window to place on top of the image. I picked colours from behind the woman and used those colours on the top piece. I then took some acrylic paint Timberline green then  I used marker caps I dipped them in White and Tomato Spice paint and made random circles.

I added a bit of German scrap also from ArtChix, the crown from Artchix and added the ruby gems to it. I alcohol inked my silver dragon flies because my bronze ones were too dark for the gold.  I sanded the background behind the image of the girl a bit to tone it down and add some interest and that is it.

Thanks for looking and now off to do laundry.

Spicy Supply Challenge GC90

Over at Gingersnap Creations the theme for the Spicy Supply Challenge is ....charms.

We are to add a charm or charms to a mixed media or paper craft, no other set rules only that you use a charm.

Well I have pondered this thought, dug out charms, looked at them with no real interest but then, I rec'd a lovely Christmas package from my friend Becky and lo and behold, Asian Charms. So I thought and thought and this is what I came up with.

Once you get to know me I love anything that remotely lookes Chinese or Japanese in art, trinkets etc.

I have been making a few ATC's of late for a FlickR group I am in, so then, it narrowed my choice of medium down for me.

Make a tradeable ATC using a charm.....so here is my entry for GC90, I hope the Ginger Gals like it.

I used some paper from K and Company for the background, a very light green and not much texture. I found a while ago online, a film strip png file, and placed Asian woman images down the strip, making sure I resized and fit them the best I could . I then added that with a touch of Glossy Accents to the left side of the card.  Next, I added this really pretty Asian paper my friend Jenxo sent me a while back and placed it on the right side, but before I did, I mapped out  holes so I could stitch with black embroidery thread to add my charm and a couple of beads.  I made sure those holes were poked through to my base card after the paper was glued. I added my stitching (click to enlarge pic to see) and I added my beads and the charm. The stitiching was fun and always adds a bit of interest to your art.

I then added a couple black Starform corners to my Asian paper to add a bit more interest. I then added a tiny bit of Glossy Accents so my charm wouldn't move up and down the lacing as I wanted it to be central to the finished card.

Thanks to Becky in the US for the Charm and to Jenxo in Australia for the paper.

And thank you for coming to look.

Remember you can always take part over at Gingersnap Creations for great challenges, inspiration and lots of information and tutorials from the DT.



Had to pick another winner

for the 2nd prize for OWOH.
Due to no response from the winner of the ATC book I had to chose another winner.
Random. Org chose number 54 ....this is Hoopie from Hoopies Art Dolls.
Hoopie I have emailed you for some information, please email me back and I can get your prize mailed out to you.

Faux Metal Embellishment Tutorial

I joined a new group on Ning after the New Year called Bella Creations and they have several smaller groups that branch off from the main group. The one group I really like is called Beaux Embellissements. This group shares all kinds of embellishments for paper crafting and to my surprise I have learned different ways to make flowers and butterflies. I really like the brainstorming on everyone's methods, we all share what we did, what worked what didn't or what we added to make it our own take on it.

So after discussing a few other embellishment ideas with Lacee I am setting up this tutorial for you and the group to tell you how to make some easy and really neat faux metal embellishments using just a few supplies I know you already have.

So enough chatter lets get busy.....

Supplies: hot glue gun and a couple sticks, regular household tin foil, alcohol inks(whatever colours you chose) and or sharpie markers the thicker type are best, something to catch glue drips, I used a metal lid, found objects, can be stamps, old keys, other embellishments that have good detail but not too fine, q-tip for burnishing and a tissue or two. Good work surface, I have a rather tatty cutting mat and a clear non stick mat, just in case you drip inks or melted glue stick.

WARNING: glue is hot so be careful. Safety FIRST

 Cut your foil to a bit larger than the size of your stamps or found objects. You can also use acrylic stamps but I grabbed this butterfly to see what I would come up with.

 Take your q-tip and start at the outer edge of your object, you are making a mold so to speak and be careful going around the edges so you don't tear the tin foil. I started using a q-tip as I have a lot of luck.

By starting around the edge you also get the foil  snuggly fit and less stretching than if you started say in the middle. Next you run the tip over the surface getting into the nooks and crannies. Again be gentle but work evenly around and on top of the object or stamp.

 Once you have done all your items, carefully lift the tin foil and see if you are happy with your results. If not either flatten the tin foil out and start again or just rip another piece. If you work the tin foil too much you weaken it and has a tendency to tear...ask me how I know this........been there done that.

Now flip your foil molds over and fill them with hot glue, start in an area and move and push the glue around, and fill the area. Remember the glue is HOT so be careful. Safety first. 

 Do all your embellies then let them cool and set up. They won't take long and don't touch,

 Next you can do one of two things. I tried both together and I will say I was not happy with it so try them individually.

Take a black or any colour Sharpie marker and colour the surface of the object. Here is one of my keys.

Don't be worried about neatness, the grungier the better.

If you wish and don't want to use a marker then drop alcohol inks on and have fun.

I tried both together, the Sharpie is not a true black on the tin foil, it almost looks a bit blue. I wanted a rusty look with the combo of Alcohol ink but the blue and the brown turned into a rather greeny messy looking colour. I was not a happy camper and as a result I just wiped it off and started over again.

 Now you can let the marker sit a minute or so or immediately after colouring take a tissue and wipe the marker away. It will remain in the nooks and crannies and have an almost Steampunk look to it. The longer you leave it on the harder it is to take the marker off. If this happens you can take a bit of very fine sand paper and sand it a bit. That looks cool as well.

 Not really all that happy with the turnout here but I used alcohol inks here and made an interesting butterfly.

This looks like it belongs in the dud pile but just want to show you more ideas.

 And here the embellishment on the left is done with alcohol ink only and looks like a rusty key, just how I wanted it to look and the actual key on the right, which looks like I started to paint it for something else one time ago.

Last thing to do is trim your edges and remove the excess tin foil, then apply to an ATC, an altered canvas or any artwork you would like a different embellishment, just use Glossy Accents or double sided tape.

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on Faux Metal.

If you have tried this and did something different let me know I would love to see what you did.

Sharing art is what it is all about.

Stay tuned for my next tutorial on  Paper Casting the easy way.

And the winners of the OWOH giveaways

Drumroll.........

First prize the coffee filter book goes to.....picked by Random.org is #89 Gracie " Necky White"

Second prize the ATC book goes to ........#48 Monica of Giddy Greetings

Third prize the altered canvas goes to........#27 Dena

Congratulations Ladies and thank you EVERYONE for stopping by my blog.

This has been a wonderful journey. I have met some wonderful arty and crafty bloggers along the way and I hope to be able to visit you from time to time and I invite you to drop by here.

A very special thank you to Lisa Swiftka for the work she has put into this major blog hop and helping us all connect to people who are like minded in our creative processes.

It has been a pleasure and a very positive journey for me.

Again thank you everyone for stopping by.

Lesley =^..^=

One World One Heart 2011

It is finally here, One World One Heart, it’s 5th and final year.

This post will remain at the top til the end of the OWOH event.

Any recent posts can be found below this one..

Thank you for stopping by.

:)
I have added a 3rd prize, please scroll to the bottom to see.

If you click on the above image you will be directed to the blog for all the details and many blogs that participate in this worldly event to bring artisans together without borders.

The date for this event is running from Jan 30th- Feb. 17th 2011.

I am participating for my first time and only time but that is ok, last year I was new to blogging so I didn’t really feel I had a lot to share or contribute. A year later I have met some wonderful people who are like minded as me and willing to share their techniques and ideas or directed me to where I needed to go to find out the information. Thank you to all of you.

My name is Lesley, I am a decorative/ folkart painter and self taught mixed media artist.

I live in Canada where the climate is truly a mix of all types of weather.

I have been painting for several years now and have done the craft show circuit, taught small classes in my home and just had fun painting on anything and everything I could paint on...until.....I met paper.

I have fallen in love with paper and the versatility it has to offer in so many ways.

I learned quickly that you can use paint, ink, stamps, glues, recycled items from your home and on and on the list goes.

In short....I love to create. I find it therapeutic for  health issues I have, it takes me to a different place where I can just concentrate on what is at hand. I am always thinking ahead to the next project while I am creating in front of me. My hands are always busy.

During this event I would like you to visit me and look around my blog.

I have 3 little projects I am offering up for a prize, all you have to do is leave me a comment and you will be eligible to win. I will be picking the winners on Feb. 17th and announcing it right here.

Please only comment once and in this One World One Heart event post.

Comments to other blog posts will not be eligible.

FIRST PRIZE is this Coffee Filter book featuring angels.

The book comprises of, painting, stamping, emossing, rub ons, even the flowers are made by me using coffee filters and little gems.



SECOND PRIZE is this fold out ATC book. (ATC's in the photo are not included).

You never know what I may tuck inside tho :)

Remember to click on a photo if you would like to get a better view.



Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the One World One Heart event.

I look forward to hearing from you, and, visiting some of my favs and new blogs as well.
THIRD PRIZE
I am feeling generous from all the lovely comments so I am adding a 3rd prize to my giveaway.
This 5x7 altered canvas featuring a new paper paint technique I will be sharing soon for you to try , a guilded birdcage I learned to make recently.

No need to post again if you already have but if you haven't then please feel free, you have til Friday the 17th when I will be picking the winners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another canvas and some butterflies

Well as you know from yesterday I did a 5x7 canvas and immediately had to start another one....and guess what,  today's canvas is going to be added as a 3rd prize to my OWOH giveaway. So if you haven't already commented over there, be sure to before Friday.

I covered the canvas with a K and Company scrap paper both front and back. I took a piece of brown light weight cardstock and ran it through the CB with a Music note folder from Crafts too. Before I covered it I did something to it then I painted the brown paper with some Delta Ceramcoat Timberline green. Sanded the paper to reveal the brown and it made it really weathered looking. Grungy and brown and green, love those colours. I then made another guilded bird cage and painted my bird with wings in black paint. Hubs thought I should do this so not to do too many colours, I sometimes have to ask him advice as I get carried away sometimes. Then I added a Tim Holtz flourish die cut but not sure I like the brown chalking around it, the photo here does not do it justice so I may have to touch it up with a darker brown.

I inked the edges with Java ink and popped some brown German Scrap yes from Artchix and added some metal letters to make sing.

This was a lot of fun.

 and.....these are some transparency butterflies I learned how to make from a woman over at the group I just joined in the new year called Bella Creations. Gloria dazzled us with these butterflies of hers and gave us a YouTube link to watch. Well that is another story in itself, for a 6 and a half minute tut it took me over 2 hours to download on dial up speed. Needless to say it was worth it but I won't be watching many vids any time soon. Good grief.

Well here they are, transparency butterflies, you can either stamp them with Stazon or print them off from the web, I did both as some butterfly stamps are too detailed to see colours. Then you apply alcohol inks to the opposite side of the print or stamping so you don't mess up the ink. Add Stickles some pretty gems, cut out and you have butterflies in an array of colours. Mix your colours or just one, add some glitter before you ink them and create a different look like I did. They are a lot of fun, nice to have in your stash for when you need something to embellish a card with.

If you don't have inkjet transparencies you can use plastic packaging and stamp on it. Find ways to recycle and create with what you have.



Thanks for looking and I have so enjoyed all the lovely comments during OWOH. I am still travelling but I sure am struggling trying to get to all of them. There are not enough hours in the day.

OOOO my first altered canvas

I finished something today and I said Oooo La La....my friend Kathy for her OWOH giveaway is an altered canvas. Well I put my name in for her draw and of course Kathy and I have known each other for a few years now and have even met in person a couple of times through a painting group we belong to on Yahoo and we keep in touch regularly.....ok that being said I have seen some of these canvases altered but never tried one so......since I am a painter as well I had some in my stash and thought why not try it.....oh my goodness, I think I am now addicted to another type of artsy thing. I have a few other ideas lined up and I might even make one for a third prize for my OWOH giveaway. I hope I can complete it tomorrow and add it to my post.

Here is what I came up with.....I  can't remember where I got this image but I  just love it, I enlarged her to fit my 5x7 canvas. This canvas is not on a frame it is one of those flat canvas boards purchased at your dollar store. Yes I am thrifty.  I did a paint/Cuttlebug technique on the paper (yes a tut coming soon to a blog nearest you, tee hee) I put some rusty metal wings through my CB then sanded them to distress them a bit. Added some tickets from an ArtChix collage sheet. I made these transparency butterflies I just learned how to make, I added a transparency clock again from ArtChix, added Tim Holtz watch hands, added some German scrap in a chocolate colour, ooo so pretty, then I added some pearls to my woman, gave her some make up and just added a bit more colour to her dress with chalk.  I also did some inking of the edges on the tickets. The metal "Fly" letters are from the dollar store  and the back of the canvas has been covered with the same paper only it is the original colour not muted like I did with my technique.

These are so much fun and I just went for it. I don't even know if I will keep this or maybe stash it for a gifty.

OOO thanks to Kath who put the idea in my head....I have a bird one coming soon and some Geisha girls serving tea. Stay tuned and thanks for dropping by.

Happy ValentART's Day

Yes you read that right, today is Valentine's Day with a little arty goodness to add.

First of all I would like to say how much I appreciate all those that drop by and leave lovely comments and my followers for their continual support of me while you read through my dribble,

post after post. Without some of you I would not be fortunate enough to create some of the things I do, afterall you all inspire me.

Ok I am not a sappy person or a mushy one, sometimes I tend to sit back and not always express how I feel but if you really knew me you would know by my smile or the way I look you would know I do LOVE you and appreciate how much you mean to me.

That being said, now onto art.....

Through OWOH I met this lovely mixed media artist Sharon House who is also a Canuck. Sharon's blog is amazing with stories of her art and she is a wonderfully talented lady. I was snooping around her site and came across these cute little houses made from old Reader's Digest mini book covers. The only thing Sharon asks before she sends you the download to the template is found on her site, so click here and just read, nothing to buy, nothing to do except follow or post a comment etc.

So here I have made a couple houses to show you and I am so addicted to them. I have more ideas in my head and some will have to wait for Christmas but I also did some renovating to Sharon's original. I hope you and she like it.

There are 3 templates in the file, the house below is the tallest measuring 4 inches. I cut the window out which is not included in the template, I did some alchol inking on some acetate and added them to the 4 windows. I did not photograph it here but one of those small battery operated tea lites just fit, turn it on and the windows light up with a soft glow. So very charming. I can see a Christmas village in my head.....ooo must write that one down for later. Oh and I did not use a book board for the houses, I bought some chipboard from my local scrapbook store, they sell it in 12x12 and smaller sheets. Make sure you  have a good cutting mat and a sharp blade and be very patient and careful while cutting.

 This next house is the smaller template. This was actually my first house and got a bit beat up in the making but I was just playing and having fun. I didn't have any paper to match for my roof so I painted my own and that will be a tutorial coming soon. Both houses I used ARTchix Studio images. The little magnolia flowers were made using a heart punch, then I used a q-tip to colour the centers with green chalk and the outside tips with blue chalk and added my centers with tiny pearls.

 And this is my February matchbox for our FlickR group Monthly Matchbox swap with the theme of Romance. Well for the first time I did not use an actual image on the surface. I thought it would be nice just to have something a little more girly and traditional. I used a Cuttlebug and paint technique I will do a tut as mentioned earlier. Made my roses, punched the rose leaves out, added some ribbon, crocheted a little flower (no I am really not a crocheter, I had to finally get a book out to know what stitches were what, I just made this one up in my head as I went along) and I painted some grungepaper hearts, added a heart pin and some Stickles. I hope my partner Tammy likes it. I filled it with all kinds of arty things.

  So have a lovely day spending with a Sweetheart, a family member and or friends.

Love one another and be kind.

=^..^=

A new coffee filter book

I have been blog hopping almost every night and have been learning so much about other artists, their interests and just generally loving all the ideas out there. It truly inspires me to create more and better.

Since doing my last coffee filter book from the idea I got from Gingersnap creations blog I got thinking I would like to do another one about birds. I am too late to enter the challenge, missed it by a day. DARN it.

I had the book complete but didn't find out the deadline til yesterday and that was the due date. Oh well, it will sit or be a gifty for someone in the near future.

So, I looked for some verses about birds, got my images together then I started making another book.

Instead of using Twinkling H20's this time I used Vintage Photo DI as my base colour for the book since I wanted a au natural look and feel to it. After all birds aren't really into flashy things unless you are a hummingbird and attracted to red. So I stuck with earthy tones in this next book and after looking at another blog I got inspiration to do a Tim Holtz die cut bird cage and later I will tell you where I got the info how to do the cage with some of my own adaptations to it.

So here is the book front to back.....

 Not sure if you can see the flower below but I learned how to make these from a really nice lady on Bella Creations named Gloria. She showed us some acrylic flowers and told us how to make them. I did my own thing and didn't make them as fancy as hers but I am really digging these alcohol inks. I find any excuse to use them. I know I need more colours but must wait for another Michael's 50% coupon before I break the bank again.

The word Sing on the pic below are fun foam painted with acrylic paint then once dried I added some distress Stickles to them. So nice and chunky. 

 and below are more acrylic flowers with just a touch of colour.

Don't know what happened to my blue bird either, seems he doesn't look very clear or bright.

Click to enlarge photos a  for better views if you like.

 And check out this awesome birdcage. I was taking a break the other night from Blog Hopping on OWOH and went to Gingersnap creations which led me to another OWOH participant over in England who shared her technique to make a gilded birdcage. Since I had the Tim Holtz die and most of the supplies I soon went to work on this and fell right in love. I since have done an antique white cage too, ooooo very pretty and grungy just the way I like it.

To find out how to do the gilded cage go here to Shelly Hickox over at StampTramp to find out the details.

I did not have any UTEE for this but I still used a clear embossing powder and it seemed to work just as well.

Another thing I did was while the EP is still cooling and do this quick I used a fine grit sand paper to take some of the EP off in spots. It really works great. I never follow things exactly. I generally get the main idea and use and experiment that way it is not copying exactly. Plus I don't have the funds to run out and buy all the gadgets, supplies and gizmos.

At the end of the book there is a close up of the birdcage so you can see it a little better.

 This last page I used a piece of bird tissue that my friend Jenxo sent me last year. I love all the nice tissues they get over in Australia. Not sure around here where to find the pretty stuff, I only see plain around here or really ugly stuff. Anyways it has come in handy more than a few times.

And lastly because I had to enlarge this photo it is a bit off  posting on my page so it is not me. LOL

This really looks like metal, I can't believe it. Looks so worn and rusty and been around for ages.

Thanks Shelly for sharing your tut. I love this.

And thanks for dropping by.

Stay tuned for chipboard houses and a matchbox for a swap.

Til next time, be creative and happy.



Love Pocket

Hi there Bloggers and Friends,

well I have been just captivated and so thrilled to meet some great artsy friends through the OWOH blog hop.  I am amazed at the talent and creativity out there and can't believe how like minded some of us truly are. If you get a chance try the going through some of the list of blogs posted over at OWOH and see what I  mean if you haven't already. My OWOH post will remain at the top of my blog til the even it over so just click on the links and they will take you where you need to go.

Well I haven't stopped creating totally, I have been making ATC's for a swap, making another coffee filter book which I hope to complete for a Gingersnap challenge. I will be posting that in another day or so. And the list goes on. Stay tuned for some fun arty goodness from me and some new additions through a very nice artist I have been exchanging emails with from BC.

Here is a challenge I entered from a new group I joined in the New Year called Bella Creations. Bella was just formed and the numbers are growing. They have several groups you can sign up for and the talent and information sharing is wonderful. I really like it.

So one of the challenges is to use a Miss Cutie Pie love ticket in your creation and the group this challenge is for is the Voila Ink group. You must also use stamping or inking in your creation along with one of the tags posted ,so I made this cute little pocket. I used paper, canvas, a romantic image, some gold border, a stamped and inked Shrinky Dink heart, I inked the edges of the paper with some Rhubarb ink before applying the border and the pipe cleaner is fed through the holes at the top so you can hang it on a door  or wherever you like. I added a die cut Tim Holtz flourish and a rose I made from another flower die. Of course it needs some chocolate treats stuffed inside before giving as a gift. If you remember I made a few of these at Christmas and my frined Jenxo was the one who showed everyone on her blog how to make them.



So thanks for dropping by and hope you enjoy a peek.

I have had some requests for a tut on the ATC book so I may do a tut on that but.....if you have a Cloth Paper Scissors magazine from Christmas you will find it in there. I did not have the mag, Jenxo sent me the ATC book for Christmas and I examined it well then went from there. If you would like me to do a tut just let me know and I will be more than happy to do one. They are fun and easy and a nice gifty for an artsy friend.

Til next time, play and have fun.