13Arts have recently released some new paper pads, papers, stickers and ephemera so for this project I used one of the papers from the 'Young and Free' collection.

I covered  a That's Crafty! White /Greyboard panel with a piece cut from my chosen paper. I then cut two thin strips from the same paper and adhered them to the covered panel as can be seen in the photo below  

I then stamped the main Aviator image onto the print and coloured in using Candied Apple, Brushed Corduroy, Iced Spruce and Rustic Wilderness Oxide Ink.

For the background card I added the Chipped Sapphire, Squeezed Lemon and Peacock Feathers Distress Oxides to my glass mat and spritzed with water, picking up the colours on my card. 

I added a greeting and mounted both that and the main circle image on some leftover pieces of Craftyboard to raise them off the page and edged round the main background with Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide. 

Finally I mounted on some black card then a white card.

I really enjoyed making this project, especially the layered background. Sometimes by the time you have finished adding layers, you can only see part of the first couple of layers, but that's the whole point of the process - just keep on going!

I created this piece by mounting both my finished layers onto 2 MDF square panels the smaller being 6 inch square and the background being an 8" square. To make the 6 inch panel I started with a piece of white heavy cardstock and onto that I blended on a selection of Distress inks using a blending tool, the colours I used were Picked Raspberry, Squeezed Lemonade, Dried Marigold, Tumbled Glass, Cracked Pistachio and blending them over each other creates other colours. Once I was happy with the blending I covered the circle stencil with Black Soot Distress Oxide ink and lightly spritzed with water and then laid the stencil, ink side down, on top of my blended background to get a print of the stencil. 

To add some stamped details to the piece I stamp on the text using a stamp from Lynne's collection. I then glued the background to the MDF panel and trimmed off the excess using a very sharp knife. I had some of the background left over so decided to add some dimension to the piece by covering some Craftyboard inchies and twinchies. To all of the smaller pieces and the outside of the 6" square I added a rough edge using Black Multi Surface paint which I applied with my finger for a random edge and flicked splashes of white paint across the piece.

I stamped the Tulip and wanted to keep it black and white against the colourful background so I lightly toned it using grey coloured pencils and added it onto the raised inchies and twinchies. The sentiment comes from another That's Crafty! stamp set 'The Language of Trees' set 2 which I heat embossed in white on black card. I thought the piece was now finished but decided it needed a background to it so I worked on the 8" square MDF Panel. I first painted over the square with White Multi Surface Paint and when that was dry I stencilled through the circle stencil using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and again a blending tool. You don't need to cover it completely as you are going to cover most of it up. I added some flicks of black paint.

Final stage just glue the tulip MDF board onto the background frame board.

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

If you didn't catch the shows on the Craft Store (formally Hochanda) you will be able to watch both of the shows from last Friday 23rd April on the channels catch up section.

See you next Tuesday

Love

Amanda X

This week I've used one of the MDF Wreaths this could just as easily have been any of the other MDF Surfaces from That's Crafty! I've also used Air Dry Clay and a selection of moulds including The Sea Maven Mould, Stars and Moons Mould and Stamperia Shells Mould. I've also used a piece of Craftyboard Bubbles.

I adhere one piece of the Bubbles Craftyboard to the back of the ring and trim any excess, I'm not worried about covering the back completely as once the elements are in place it will look like its all covered.

With the elements from the Stamperia Mould I am able to pop the casts out gently pretty much immediately as long as I am careful and start adhering them in place.

The more detailed casts require a bit more patience and need to be left to dry out a little before even attempting to remove them from the moulds, my preference is to leave them over night.

Once I'm happy with positioning I add some Sand Texture Paste.

Once everything has dried I add a good coat of Black Gesso and start layering up some That's Crafty! Multi Surface Paints.

The next stage for me is to add some Daily Art Bitumen.

I then add a few different Waxes to finish off, and realised there was an important part missing so I used a Tim Holtz Tiny Vial adding some sand texture paste and paint not forgetting the all important message.

I had great fun putting this together I hope you enjoy it and have a go yourselves.

I've taken one of the spare Gel Press backgrounds I had left over.

I've used these two new masks...

with Multi Surface and Fresco paints. just play around and see what you get.

The flowers were stamped, painted and cut out.

Then I took one of the tiny cheeseboards and painted it pale yellow overstamped with a texture stamp in Warm Breeze Versafine Clair.

I then added some leaves using the same paint as before.

Put it all together and finish off with a quote, some ribbon and a bit of extra stamping..

I love using the Gel Press for backgrounds - this was actually pulled off the plate to use up the paint, but I liked it so much I kept it. You can just keep adding layer on layer and then cut it up when you want to use it.

Hope you enjoyed this project.

Helen