Hello
For the collage I am sharing this week, I wanted to use the That's Crafty! Pearl Inks in a different way to how I have previously been using them, direct from the tub for mark making.

The dragonfly collage stamp symbolises the fleeting nature of time, the quick passing of time and how quickly the days decrease.

Supplies

That's Crafty! Surfaces MDF 8" x 8" Pack of 3
That's Crafty! Pearl Ink Black, Antique Gold, Bronze
That's Crafty! Liquid Acrylic Wax
That's Crafty! Multi-Purpose Craft Adhesive
That's Crafty! Medium - Gesso White
PaperArtsy Eclectica ESN21 Designed by Sara Naumann
PaperArtsy Eclectica EAB04 Designed by Alison Bomber
PaperArtsy Infusions: Sleight Blue, Black Knight
Extras: watercolour/rag paper, old book page, vintage button, sewing thread/sewing machine, stained teabag

Instructions

It was playtime with the Pearl Inks as it was the first time I had worked with them in this way.
Onto the watercolour/rag paper, I randomly applied Gesso.

Once dry, with a large watercolour brush/soft brush, I applied water in a horizontal band. Working quickly, I then applied the Black Pearl Ink, pulling the colour downwards and upwards to create vertical bands.

It was difficult to take photos of this step as I was working quickly, to ensure I was working with the Pearl Inks before they dried.

More water was applied over the inks and at this stage, I introduced a touch of the Bronze Pearl Ink.
I then applied more water, again with a brush, before "dabbing" the surface with paper towel.

At this point, the paper was laid aside to dry, no forced drying with a heat tool.

Keeping the Antique Gold Pearl ink beside me, I flicked this ink onto a piece of book text which had previously been prepared with white Gesso before applying Infusions.

Once the inks on the background panel had dried, Antique Gold Pearl Ink was splattered onto the panel.

The dragonfly collage stamp, from the ESN stamp set, with Jet Black ink, was stamped onto a stained teabag.

Tucked beneath the stamped teabag, you can ever so slightly see two pieces of eco dyed paper, both had Liquid Acrylic Wax applied. The upper piece has marks made with the Tree Bark Pearl Ink.
The stamped words are from the PaperArtsy EAB stamp.

Pieces of the gesso/Infusion stained book text and other scraps of paper, were taken to the sewing machine to stitch directly onto the background panel. The panel was then adhered to the MDF panel.





Thank you so much for stopping by today to read this post.

Kind Wishes
Lynne

That's Crafty! Clear Stamp Sets by Melina Dahl: ATCoins Stamp Set 7, Bunny
That's Crafty! Multi Surface Paints: Teal, Bright Magenta, White
That's Crafty! Acrylic Liquid Wax - 120ml
Ranger Archival Ink Pads: Jet Black
Dina Wakley Media Collage Tissue Paper - Plain
4x6 Box Canvas

Hi everyone, this is my first blog post for That's Crafty!, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it.

For this project I wanted to make an album with these beautiful papers and stamps.

I used some 8"x 8" cream card blanks which I cut in half to make 3 pages of 8" x 8" size which gives you six sides to work on. I also cut additional card in half to make 2 pages with 4 sides to work on.  I then cut another smaller page which is approximately 3" x 8".

I then had a fabulous time decorating each page with the beautiful pages from the His and Hers Remastered 12" x 12" papers and the elements from the element pages.

To some of the elements and pages I added a touch of colour using the Distress Ink Tumbled Glass which I brushed on with a small paint brush and a touch of water.  I added the bulldog clips for extra interest.

I inked around the pages with Distress Ink Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo. I also added some interest to some of the pages using the gorgeous stencils and some smooth texture paste.








Items I used

13 Arts 12" x 12" His and Hers Remastered Papers
13 Arts Element Sheets, Butterflies and Tickets
13 Arts Foil Transparent Acetate Butterfly Garden
13 Arts Serenade Stamps
13 Arts Avril Stamps
13 Arts Time Flies Stamps
13 Arts Stencils, Butterfly Round and Mechanical
Distress Inks Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo and tumbled Glass
Creative Muse Smooth Texture Paste

I also used  Black Card and Kraft Card
Versafine Clair Nocturn
Some Elastic Gold Thread
Bulldog Clips x 2
2 Album Rings

I hope you enjoyed this post and I will see you next Wednesday

Hello
This week I return to the book format, a Slit Book.

The springboard for returning to the Slit Book format, actually two springboards, That's Crafty! Pearl Inks and an Affirmations Set

I recently shared a post where I made a Japanese Stab Binding book which featured mark making with the Navy Pearl Ink. Since then I received a few other Pearl Ink colours and wanted to play around some more with mark making.

The Slit Book is perfect for displaying, whether it be words or images, or both, that feature within the book.  I saw this as an opportunity to display Affirmations from Set 10


This is a photo heavy blog post, you have been warned!  I will also share a flick through of the book on my Instagram and Facebook pages.

Supplies
That's Crafty! Clear Stamp Set Lynne's Affirmations Set 10
That's Crafty! Liquid Acrylic Wax
That's Crafty! Pearl Inks: Antique Gold, Bronze, Tree Bark
That's Crafty! Multi-Purpose Craft Adhesive
Memento Ink Tuxedo Black
Brush (for application of Liquid Acrylic Wax)
Extras: cotton rag/watercolour paper, small shipping tag, scraps of papers, buttons.

Instructions

The instructions for forming the Slit Book I have taken from the book Bound by Rachel Hazell. I used A4 cotton rag/watercolour paper.

This book started with rice paper which had been under-paper for when I had been drying eco dyed papers and textiles. The colour of the paper was pale but I knew any marks on the papers would intensify once the Liquid Acrylic Wax was applied.


The Liquid Acrylic Wax was applied to the cotton rag paper before laying down the stained rice paper panel,

applying a coat of the Liquid Acrylic Wax over the rice paper as well, taking care to smooth out any air bubbles.

Ideally, allow each page spread to dry before moving on.... I did say, ideally, that is not to say I did so!!!

Attention is turned away from the book to focus on stamping.

Onto handmade paper I stamped the Affirmations from Set 10 with Tuxedo Black ink.

Then the fun of mark making with the Pearl Inks.

We all have our particular ways and habits for creating. For me, it is definitely, that I always make more than I need for one project. I like having a selection of prepared elements whether they be stained with sprays, tea/coffee/eco dyed or in this instance mark making. It brings a sense of freedom when working on a project, to pull out different prepared elements.

So here, I laid out the Pearl Inks: Antique Gold Bronze and Tree Bark, making marks with them onto various pieces of papers, such as handmade papers and some which had Liquid Acrylic Wax applied to them.

At this stage the basic book had been completed, the Affirmations stamped and marks made. The extras required were a stained shipping tag, buttons and linen scraps.

The Book

The notion of this little book, which can be displayed, is the idea of giving someone permission to be themselves, to believe in themselves and not be held back.

With the neutral colour palette, a combination of marks is not overly demanding on the left side page especially with a sense of lightness on the facing page.

Teeny piece torn from one of the marked papers brings a small mark making detail to the page and balance to the composition.


The focus for each page is the Affirmation but other than the marks, there was a need for something else, the teeny buttons were the answer and they also bring a lovely light which suits the positive nature of this wee book.


On the lower corner of this page, I tore a piece from a larger piece of paper which I had made marks onto it, layering to a scrappy piece of linen, fraying the edges for interest.

The book sitting open.

Each time I make a Slit Book, I am filled with awe, that a sheet of A4 paper, so simply made into a book structure, can provide space for so much content.

Thank you for visiting, especially as it is quite a lengthy blog post!
Wishes
Lynne