That's Crafty!: July 2019

Hi Everyone

This week I have been playing with another of the That's Crafty! MDF substrates this time the ATC art shrine which come in a pack of 3.

Here's What I Did:

I started by decorating the ATC shrine before I put it together but I masked off all the tabs so it would go together after I had applied paint and the texture paste. I roughly painted a mixture of my chosen colours and then stencilled through the Life stencil with Light Texture Paste. Once the texture was dry I then went over with a little more paint and then watered some done slightly to flick it all over to create a splatterly effect. Once this was all totally dry and sanded back the texture paint removing the paint in places so you could read the word life. I then put the shrine together with glue, having removed the masking tape that was protecting the tabs it went together very easily.

I stamped the unicorns onto a piece of stamping card and cut them out, this job has now been made a lot easier for these characters and many more AALL & Create characters as there is a new range of dies available from AALL & Create that easily do this for you now. They were coloured with coloured pencils and added to their stage, I also had made a platform from mountboard and covered it with the same paint technique as the shrine as I wanted a platform for the unicorn drummer to be on.

I stamped the sentiment and cut it out and added it to the shrine and outlined each cut out word with a black fineliner pen.

Here's What I Used:

That's Crafty! Surfaces MDF ATC Shrine Pack of 3

PaperArtsy Fresco Paints - Lake Wanaka, Blah Mange, Cheesecake & Haystack

That's Crafty! Light Texture Paste

That's Crafty! Multi Purpose Craft Adhesive

AALL & Create A6 Stamp Set - #72 Rocking Corns

PaperArtsy by Alison Bomber - EAB03

Versafine Clair Ink Pad - Nocturne

Stamping Card

Coloured Pencils Similar to THESE

Coloured Pencil Blending Solution

Uni-Ball Fine liner Pen - size 2

Paper Stumps

Sand Paper

As I mentioned in my post above if you don't enjoy fussy cutting AALL & Create have just released their first collection of co-ordinating dies to make cutting out some of their stamped images so easy. You will find the full range available at That's Crafty! HERE

Have a fabulous week and see you all next Tuesday

Love

Amanda X

Hello

I have previously mentioned being inspired by Bound by Rachel Hazell, which contains many book binding techniques, some I was already aware of, such as the Japanese Stab Binding however the presentation of this book ignited something.

Mark making is displayed throughout the book and although the style is much cleaner than what I gravitate towards, I was inspired especially as I knew the perfect product to reach for,
That's Crafty's Pearl Ink

Bound inspired me to set off on my own course to make a Japanese Stab Binding book, although I followed the binding technique, I varied the use of papers.

I will share snippets from the inner pages but for a complete flip through, I will be sharing a video on my Instagram/Facebook pages.

Supplies

That's Crafty! Clear Stamp Set Lynne's Affirmations Set 12
That's Crafty! Clear Stamp Set Lynne's Mark Making Stamp Set 1
That's Crafty! Surfaces Tea Bag Paper
That's Crafty! Pearl Ink:Navy
That's Crafty! Liquid Acrylic Wax
That's Crafty! Walnut Ink Crystals
13Arts Clear Stamp Script
PaperArtsy Eclectica EEA02
Archival Ink Designer Series Watering Can
Memento Ink Nautical Blue
Handmade Rag Paper/Watercolour Paper (6 sheets A5)
Chinese Bamboo Brush (or brush/tool of choice)
Awl, Needle
Navy Waxed Linen Thread
Stained tags, snippets of papers/textiles

Instructions

This is a therapeutic project to work on, especially the mark making. I maybe shouldn't be saying this but it took me zero effort to make the marks! I allowed the brush to do the work. This is very meditative so beware, don't smudge the marks as you work!

I prepared six sheets of paper, both sides filled with marks.

(Photo below taken late evening, has distorted the colour of the Navy ink)

Laying those pages aside, attention turned to snippets I would be incorporating. I had some papers already prepared with Liquid Acrylic Wax and for others, simply a quick application.

I also had some papers which had previously been stamped onto: PaperArtsy EEA and scraps of papers which had previous marks on them. Tags which had been stained with black beans were also selected.

With Nautical Blue ink, I stamped the oval from Mark Making set 1

and the rectangle frames which would be layered onto the stained tags.

At this stage, I played around with Affirmations Set 12, placing words into the stamped frames.

Pages 1 and 2 - show one of the tags, with a scribbled border around the tag using the Navy Pearl ink and a bamboo dip pen. With a hand-stitched paper border and more marks.

Page 2 has one of the circles (from trio of circles Mark Making stamp) with the word Art placed inside it, layered to a piece of tea bag paper stamped with 13Arts Script stamp with Liquid Acrylic Wax applied. A snippet of denim (re-cycled jeans) placed above.

Pages 3 and 4 - with the stamped trio of circles, a naive cross-stitch in central circle with another snippet of denim. The facing page, a smaller tag, again layered to various stamped papers, applying Liquid Acrylic Wax to bring translucency to them.

Pages 5 and 6

The lone word "create" rests on more snippets, you can see how the application of Liquid Acrylic Wax brings a beautiful, translucent quality which are perfectly displayed when layered with other papers, textiles.

The other four pages will be shown in the video I will share.

This is the rear of the book. I really enjoying adding details to the rear of a book. It might seem redundant to do so but for me, it is a way of bringing a cohesiveness to a book.

Fill your life with ART, layered to a piece of linen with simple straight stitches, layered to the centre of the stamped oval, with a snippet of denim for balance.

From the back of the book, to the front... Be the Artist who... are words which bring sense to this book as a whole, with all the words inside relating to the spark within an artist. A gathering of lightly stained tea bag paper, stitched linen fragment, a piece of walnut ink stained rag paper with marks on it and topped with a vintage linen covered button.

Thank You so much for taking the time to visit. I appreciate this is a lengthy post to wade through!
The full range of That's Crafty! Pearl Inks

Wishes
Lynne

Three things I love this week: working in miniature, transparent surfaces and 13Arts products.

I've used a double whammy of transparent surfaces, acrylic ATCs and some printed acetate. This gives me four sides to work on.

The acetate is cut to fit both ATCs and scored in the middle. I coloured the back of the acetate first with alcohol inks:

Then I added flipped it over and added a photo to the left hand side (cut that out from somewhere) and touches of paint doodling to both sides:

Then I cut out some images from the 13Arts paper...

...and started arranging them on the acetate:

Add some embossing to the ATCs as you would to card:

Here you can see both acetate and acrylic. I've added a strip of paper down the centre of the acetate - this will hide the joining tape. I've also started layering images on top of my ATCs:

I was a bit worried about fastening the acetate to the ATCs as I didn't want it to be visible - the red line tape worked brilliantly down the centre strip:

You can see the light shining through this side:

Add touches of colour to your cut-outs if you wish:

And here's the back:

Supplies:

13 Arts Clear Stamp Set - Time Flies

13 Arts 6ins x 6ins Paper Pack - His and Hers Remastered

13 Arts Transparent Foil (Acetate) - Industrial

That's Crafty! Surfaces Acrylic ATC's - Pack of 10

That's Crafty! Multi Surface Paints: Teal

Tim Holtz® Alcohol Inks: Butterscotch, Rust, Teakwood

VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad

Emerald Creek Baked Texture Embossing Powders: Patina Oxide

Embossing Powder: Copper

Hope you've enjoyed this project - I certainly had fun making it.

Helen

Hello!

I'm back from my hols where even in Norway the weather was hot and sunny but we now have a heatwave in the UK and my very quick card for this week is very colourful to celebrate all that sunshine we've been having.

What I Did:

This is really a very simple card with a background made using one of the gorgeous new masks designed by Melina and this is one of my favourites.

I cut a piece of smooth white cartridge paper to fit a 6 x 6 card blank then placed my chosen flowers galore stencil on top. I then misted on some flat matte sprays, starting with saffron, following up with orange and finally basil and as you can see you get a very colourful background very easily.

I next stamped on the beautiful grunge flower image with black ink on the right side. I stamped it again on ink spray overflow paper in much more subtle colours for contrast and cut out the flower head and leaf. I added a little extra colour with flat matte sprays and then glued them in place over the stamped image.

I stamped the birthday text from the same stamp set on more ink spray paper using black ink and cut this out leaving a small border. I added this to the background and glued the paper to my card to finish. How easy is that!

Supplies:

That's Crafty! Clear Stamp Set - Grunge Flowers Set 4 by Melina Dahl
That's Crafty! 6 x 6 Mask - Flowers Galore by Melina Dahl
That's Crafty! Flat Matte Sprays - Basil, Orange, Saffron
VersaFine Onyx Black Ink
Smooth White Cartridge Paper
White 6 x 6 Card Blank

Have a great weekend whatever you're doing and see you next week.

Fliss x

Hi Everyone

Welcome to my weekly post of creativity.

Today I am sharing 3 cards using a couple of PaperArtsy mini stamps designed by Seth Apter. The two mini stamps I've used are from Seth's first mini release and the cards I've designed and created feature the stamps both in the background and as the focal feature to demonstrate the versatility of the fabulous stamp designs.

( the photo below features card 1 and 2, Card 3 features further down the post)

The backgrounds for both Card 1 and Card 2 are created in the same way - using the Wrinkle Free Distress Technique working with Tim Holtz Distress Oxides.

Starting lightly I gradually built up the colours layer by layer. Once thoroughly dry I splattered some white paint around to add a touch more detail and interest.

I then stamped Mini EM40 repeatedly over the background panels. The stamping platform was indispensable for this as it allowed me to stamp in the space I wanted to with ease and precision.

The stamped images are highlighted with white pen.

Both cards are mat n layered on to white then black card mounts and similarly both cards have a matt n layered focal feature (cut from the background excess). This feature is raised on foam pads for a touch of dimension and the focal stamped images are embellished with beaded hex nuts.

Card 1 is mounted onto a small square handmade card

whilst Card 2 is mounted on a a long slim handmade card.

For Card 3, the principles of the design are the same as for Card 1 and 2 but for the background colour I used watercolour paints rather than Distress Oxides to create a simple watercolour wash.

The colours used are from the same colour family as those used on Card 1 and 2 but as they are watercolours not Distress Oxides there is a variation in colour tone and intensity.

I also worked with a different mini stamp design- EM36

Card 3 is mounted onto a square handmade card but as you can see its much larger in size than card 1 and 2

Products I used:

Card Stock: White, Black
Watercolour Paper
Tim Holtz/ Ranger Distress Oxides: Spun Sugar, Tumbled Glass, Dusty Concord, Picked Raspberry
Watercolour Paints
Archival Ink: Jet Black
That's Crafty All purpose Adhesive
PaperArtsy Stamps: Eclectica EM36, EM40 - designed by Seth Apter.
White Fineliner Pen
Heat Resistant Craft Mat
Heat Gun
Stamping Platform

Paper Trimmer/ Guillotine

Hex Nuts
Gem beads

I hope you have enjoyed your time here with me today and that maybe I have offer some creative card inspiration.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by. I really do appreciate.

Hope you have a lovely week

Take Care

Amanda

(ink-a-pink)

Hi Everyone

I'm back with you this Tuesday playing in my small That's Crafty! greyboard journal, each page is 3" x 5" in size and a great size and surface to work on especially if a large page daunts you. If you want to know how I prepped the little journal to start with you'll find it on a previous post HERE.

Here's What I Did:

These pages had been originally covered with gelli printed pieces from my scrap box so over the top of those I brayered on PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint in Mustard Pickle, then some light touches of That's Crafty! Multi Surface Paint in Christmas Red and Black, I continued layering up these 3 colours of paint until I had the result I was happy with.

Onto that I then stencilled though a Seth Apter stencil using white paint, when it was dry to tone down the white I just added some diluted down Hickory Smoke Distress Oxide. I then added further stencilling, this time using the Christmas Red paint, through That's Crafty! Alphabet stencil (it has numbers as well as letters). On top of that I added the black stencilled numbers using another That's Crafty! stencil Numbers Background, this time with the ink from Archival ink pad and a piece of Cut and Dry Foam.

Next step was to add the face and I was itching to try the new black texture paste by That's Crafty! so I used that through the Stencil Girl stencil to add dimension to this stencilled face. I have to say, and I'm not just saying this, the black paste is fantastic!!! Once the paste was dry I toned some of the background down that was on the background where the face was by adding some more mustard pickle paint with a paint brush.

Whilst I had been adding the paint to my journal pages I had also been adding some to a separate piece of card which I was to use for stamping my images on. Onto this I stamped the bottles and the number strips and cut them out and then added them to my pages.

To add the final bits of detail I punched some circles from book paper and added them to the pages scribbling around them with a fine liner pen. Using my finger I roughly added black paint around the edges. The final touch was to add the words which come from Tim Holtz Snarky sticker book.

Here's What I Used:

That's Crafty! Surfaces Greyboard Mini Journal

Brayer

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paint - Mustard Pickle

That's Crafty! Multi Surface Paints - Christmas Red, Black & White

That's Crafty! Stencils 7" x 7" - Alphabet

That's Crafty! Stencils 7" x 7" - Numbers Background

Ranger Cut 'n' Dry Foam

Archival Ink Pad - Black

Stencil Girl Stencil by Seth Apter - Text & Texture Discovery

Stencil Girl Stencil - A Modern Woman Small

That's Crafty! Black Texture Paste

That's Crafty! Multi Purpose Craft Adhesive

Paint Brush

Distress Oxide - Hickory Smoke

PaperArtsy Stamp Set - ECF01

PaperArtsy Stamp Set - ESA09

Tim Holtz Snarky Stickers

Old Book pages

Circle Punch

Have a great week and I will see you all next Tuesday

Love

Amanda X

Hello

This project started life with the simple idea of a collage on a That's Crafty! Surfaces White/Greyboard 4x4 inches panel, as happens with so many of us, the idea grew into something else.

As I always prepare multiple pieces of anything at any one time, the notion of a triptych entered my thoughts, then as I began working on it, over time, dipping in and out of this project, as I began to assemble the panels together with twine, the possibilities for displaying this project suddenly un-folded.

As a triptych (below)

or formed into a triangle (below)

or zigzag (below)

Supplies

That's Crafty! Clear Stamp Set Lynne's Carved Leaves Set 1
That's Crafty! Clear Stamp Set Lynne's Carved Leaves Set 2
That's Crafty! Clear Stamp Set Lynne's Affirmations Set 10
That's Crafty! Walnut Ink Crystals
That's Crafty! Surfaces White/Greyboard Panels 4"x4"
That's Crafty! Surfaces Tea Bag Paper
That's Crafty! Flat Matte Sprays: Saffraon, Raspberry, Ochre, Sage
That's Crafty White Gesso
That's Crafty! Texture Paste
That's Crafty! Sand Paste
That's Crafty! Multi-Surface Paints: Interference Gold, Antique Bronze
We R Memory Keepers Crop-a-Dile
Gel Medium
Extras: twigs, twine, stained fabrics

Instructions

To get this project underway, I tore re-cycled paper, brown packing paper, slightly larger than the white/greyboard panels. Each panel (I only required three but at this stage didn't know what I had planned, nothing unusual for me, so I always prepare more) was scrunched before applying Gesso, allowing some areas to be free of Gesso before spraying with Flat Matte Sprays Saffron, Raspberry, Sage, Basil, Walnut.

Once dry, I played around with configuration of what stamps I would use as focals. It was at this stage I decided on three panels.

The Carved Leaves were stamped onto Rice Paper (which had been used as under paper when drying eco dyed elements). At this stage, I only adhered each prepared brown packing paper panel to white/greyboard panel, not the stamped leaves.

Once the stamped panels were adhered, I then rooted around my box of stained/dyed papers and textiles, slowly beginning to create texture around the stamped leaves.

To some papers, white Gesso was added, to others, Antique Bronze or Interference Gold paint applied. Texture Paste and Sand Paste were also applied, either with my fingers palette knife to almost scrape the pastes onto the panels and off again, including the edges.

You can see in this photo that holes were created, allowing me to thread through nettle yarn, binding the panels together, with a twig forming the support to allow the project to stand up-right.

The sentiment "the beauty of life" formed from words taken from various Affirmations stamps from Set 10.

For the rear of each panel, tea bag paper, stained with walnut ink, adhered with Liquid Acrylic Wax, also applying the wax as a top coat.

Final touches, Sand and Texture Paste applied to the twigs, not completely covering them, only to make them more co-hesive to the project overall.

Thank You for taking the time to visit this post, it is always greatly appreciated.
Wishes
Lynne

Today I've gone all shimmery, using two different types of shimmer paints on a whiteboard tag: