Sunday 25 January 2015

Shiny New Book

Hi eveyone,

Yesterday I attended a workshop taught by Annette Lee.

We were given all the main components but had to make the projects our own, it was really good as everyone had a totally unique project at the end of the day. I went with my really good friend who I hadn't seen for a little while so it was lovely to have a good catch up.

I didn't manage to finish my project in the class so spent this afternoon adding the finishing touches, so here it is:

This is the front of the book, the canvas was sprayed with mica sprays by do crafts and I also did some (very faint) script stamping in white in the background along with some more stamping (ESN11) using potting soil archival. I stencilled using some green glitter texture paste before adding the hessian and the main Lynne Perrella (LPC030) focal image. I coloured the other bits and bobs on the front with Renaissance treasue gold before adding to the cover.

Here is the back cover, it was created in much the same way except I left it embellishment free so the book can lie flat:

For the internal pages I've used a mix of various different designer papers, some folded into pockets to slot tags into later and others will be used for journalling. Here are a few photos of the internal pages:

Seeing as my brand new book is all shimmery from the mica, has treasure gold and glitter paste I'm going to enter it into the current shiny challenge over on the Paperartsy blog HERE

Thanks for stopping by today,

Claire x

 

Thursday 22 January 2015

The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge - January

Hi everyone,

Today I'm sharing a calendar tag I created to join in with this year's new challenge over on The Craft Barn blog HERE

For January the theme is Aqua and Snowflakes so here is my tag:

The base of my tag is a blend of tumbled glass, evergreen bough and chipped sapphire distress ink. I then used a babywipe through a snowflake stencil to remove some of the ink for a nice wintery background.

For the stamping I used a set by Lindsay Mason, coloured with spectrum noir pencils and added glamour dust for a frosty feeling.

Finally I printed out a full years worth of mini monthly calendars onto vellum, I added the January tab and attached some gems to hide the glue.

 

I intend to create a tag every month with a little vellum calendar tab and then attach them all onto a bookring - well that's the plan anyway!

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire x

 

 

 

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Documented Life Project - Week 3

Hello,

Here is my take on week 3 of the Documented Life Project, here is this weeks prompt - more info HERE:

January Theme

The Blank Page and How to Face It!

January 17

Art Challenge: The Color Wheel

Journal Prompt: "I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way . . . " - Georgia O’Keeffe

I started by covering my page with two Fresco paint colours - Vintage Lace and Moonlight. I then used the script stamp from Paperartsy's Sara Naumann plate all over the background in Snowflake paint.

I drew my umbrella on card and coloured the colour wheel onto it using distress markers. Then stamped the Dylusions woman onto both the page and some card. I used distress markers to colour her coat and cut it out and added her to the page before also adding the umbrella using a small brad.

I inked around the page edged with black soot distress ink and around the main images using a smudged charcoal pencil.

I stamped and cut out my quote for this week and added it to the page along with some more scribbly black fineliner pen.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Claire x

 

 

Monday 19 January 2015

Documented Life Project 2015 - Week 2

Hi Everyone,

I created my second page for the Documented Life Project (find out more about this challenge HERE) last weekend but have only got around to blogging it now...here is the prompt:

January 10
Art Challenge: Gesso
Journal Prompt: "The beginning is always today." -Mary Shelley

I started by adding some leftover die cuts to my blank page before covering with white gesso. I used various Fresco Finish paints to colour my page (I've forgotten which colours now) then stamped all over the background using a wood hand carved stamp I got for Christmas using black gesso.

I knocked this stamping back a bit using watery white gesso before going back over my page using some of the more translucent Fresco paints - I think these were Zesty Zing, Limelight and Pea Coat.

I painted some dictionary page with Red Cherry Fresco paint and cut three circle-ish shapes out. I doodled some stalks using a charcoal pencil and smudged it with my finger. I also used the pencil to define the diecut shapes on the background. I added the red flower heads to the page and added charcoal pencil and smudged it around a bit.

 

I used some of the leftover white gesso through a Crafter's Workshop stencil to lift the background a little bit.

Finally I stamped and cut out the quote from Buddha and added to the page with some scribbled black pen outlines.

Thanks for looking,

Claire x

 

 

Sunday 18 January 2015

Fragile Papers Journal Page

Hi Everyone,

I'm sharing a journal page I created last weekend to join in with the current challenge over on the Paperartsy blog which is 'fragile papers'

They've had a bit of a blog revamp this year and the challenges now run for a fortnight at a time and there isn't a post every night like there was last year.

There has been some wonderful inspiration on display over the past two weeks, including a couple of fab videos by Leandra, but for my fragile papers project I chose to create a journal page.

I used Dylusions spray inks for the background along with a Prima Finnabair stencil. I also used some Tim Holtz tissue tape along the centre - my first fragile paper, I love this calendar tissue tape. I created drips and splatters across the page using watered down Little Black Dress Fresco paint. I also used this paint to colourise my paper doiley - my second fragile paper. I scrunched it up and then added white fire tresure gold to highlight all those lovely creases.

Next I tore a piece of dictionary paper (third fragile paper) and used Antique Linen and Tea Dye Distress inks to age it a bit before stamping the hearts from Sara Naumann (ESN11). I stamped them again onto a scrap of dictionary paper, cut out the smaller heart and painted with Cherry Red Fresco paint and covered it with glossy accents.

Finally I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp plate onto a piece of torn vellum (fourth fragile paper) and aded it to my page using two brads.

Enjoyed making this page and am entering it over at the Paperartsy blog HERE

Thanks for stopping by today,

Claire x

 

Saturday 3 January 2015

Documented Life Project - Week 1

Hi Everyone,

So after seeing many, many other beautiful journals out there in blog land as part of this wonderful group I decided to take the plunge and join in this year.

So I got myself the recommended large Dylusions journal (bit dauting as it was much bigger than I expected!) and made a start. So each month there is a theme and within that month there are weekly journalling prompts which you can interupt as you wish - for more info see HERE

January Theme

The Blank Page and How to Face It!
January 1
Art Challenge: Book Paper
Journal Prompt: Be Your Own Goal Keeper

 

So here is my completed first page:

To start I covered one page with Bo Bunny newsprint paper:

I added a very light base coat of gesso before adding some Paperartsy Fresco paints in Cherry Red, Limelight, Zesty Zing and Beach Hut with touches of white gesso here and there over the top.

I smudged some Little Black Dress Fresco paint around the edges of the page and did some stamping with it using some Inkylicious stamps. I used the Little Black Dress paint to colour a tag, stamped the Paperartsy Ellen Vargo (EEV10) flower in Versamark before embossing with white powder and colouring using Very Berry, Sky and Hyde Park Fresco paints.

I added some doodling down one side of the tag with a white Sharpie pen and smudged Snowflake Fresco paint around the edges before adding the black sparkly letters.

 

I added the tag to the page using Tim Holtz washi tape so it acted as a flap. I have added my goals for the year underneath using a white Sharpie pen. I added more of the washi tape to the page then stamped out the quote by Roald Dahl, inked the edges with Black Soot DI and added to the page.

So that's my very first DLP journal page completed.

 

I'm really hoping I can keep up as much as possible with this challenge for 2015 but only time will tell!

Thanks for looking, Claire xx

 

 

Friday 2 January 2015

Altered Calendar - January

Hi Everyone,

Today I want to share an altered calendar page with you. This is a challenge organised by Darcy Wilkinson - each month a calendar is altered using two prompts from Darcy, one a technique and one an addition but part of the original calendar design must still be visible. You can find out more about the challenge over on Darcy's blog HERE.

So here is my calendar it's all about Buddah, here is how the January page looked originally:

I started by adding gesso to the whole picture except for circle behind the Buddah head, once dry I added a layer of Paperartsy Fresco paint in Mushroom and Toffee:

 

Then despite my good intentions I didn't take any more photos during the process at all until I was finished! Oops!

So here is the finished page:

 

Over the Mushroom/Toffee layer I added a layer of Crackle Glaze then once dry went over the whole page with Smoked Paprika. I thought this would look good as it matches the bottom half of the calendar - wrong! It was just far too overbearing! So then I went in with the other colours: Haystack, Orchid, Turquoise and Chalk but still left a bit of the Smoked Paprika showing.

I painted a scrap of card with Vintage Lace and stamped the main image from Paperartsy Lynne Perella LPC028 and I also stamped the houses a few times onto old book pages from the same stamp set.

I coloured the face with Neocolor crayons, cut her out and used a bit of Walnut stain DI onto her.

I added some splatters to my spread using watered down Little Black Dress and Chalk before adding the face image and the houses along the bottom.

I added some doodling around the circle image that exists from the original calendar page and then decided to add a few bits of book page that I had left as well and rubbed most of the paper back off again to just leave some text showing here and there.

And here's just a few close ups so you can see the crackle:

 

 

Darcy has already posted the criteria for the February page in case anyone wants to get ahead.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Claire x