Along with the recent release of the new That's Crafty! Dried Botanical stamp sets there was only a paper pack to tie in with the theme.

The papers in this pack are original eco printed papers from 2020, with That's Crafty cleverly saturating some of the prints with colour. The result of this is a paper pack which still captures the essence of eco printing but also with a jolt of intense colour. 

For this collage I wanted the paper to be the focus and taking very little effort to heighten the naturalistic feel. 

The paper was adhered to the MDF panel but to bring texture to the paper, applying Acrylic Liquid Wax and while drying, spraying Walnut Ink to the upper area.

Tearing a piece from the same paper design, this time stamping text from Dried Botanicals Set 2

layering to the panel with scrap of muslin stained with walnut ink and scrap piece of teabag paper also stained with walnut ink and Acrylic Liquid Wax applied. A final touch, dried leaf, simply tying with a piece of twine to bring another layer of texture and visual interest. 

Wishes

Lynne

Hello!

My post this week shares another of the samples I created for the 5th Anniversary One Day Special celebrated by That's Crafty! this month and with a new range of fabulous stamp designs from the very talented Kelly O'Gorman.

I just love this quirky and very clever image as it's one of those that the more you look, the more you see and the animals are just so cute!

My substrate is one of the new MDF reverse canvasses and the rectangular one is the perfect size to fit the new stamp designs.

I assembled mine and painted the inside edges with Green Multi Surface Paint as I wanted a nature look to go with the animals. I chose to cover the inside and frame with the rest of an A3 sheet of paper that I decorated using Multi Surface Paints applied with bubble wrap. You can find all the details on how I created it on my Summer Dreams blog post.

I cut out the piece for the back by placing the frame on the paper and running a craft knife round the inside. After removing the centre, I cut round the outside of the frame to get the piece to cover it. I stamped on the back section with the Shakespeare text from the set using VersaFine Clair Summertime ink. I added stencilling to the sides of the frame section with one of the new background stencils using Teal Multi Surface Paint.

I glued the papers in place and brushed teal paint around the outer and inner edges with a sponge. I then prepared some tiles to decorate the frame using some of the new Craftyboard geometric shapes, choosing the smallest circles, squares and hexagons. I decorated these with another of the new background stencils and Green and Orange Multi Surface Paints. I brushed them with Acrylic Wax when dry and glued them in place.

I then prepared my central image which I stamped on card using black ink and my stamp press and heat embossed with clear powder. I coloured the image with Zig brush markers and then cut it out. I stamped a couple of the animals again and coloured these to add to the frame.

I assembled my canvas, giving the tree a 3D look by raising it up on leftover bits of MDF. I added the animals in opposite corner of the frame base and finished off with the text which was stamped on a scrap of toning overflow paper.

Bubble Wrap

Have a great Bank Holiday weekend and see you next week.

 Hi Everyone, 

This week I have created a mixed media panel that I used to make a handmade card. The panel could also be used in other ways such as a journal entry, a book cover, a piece of wall art, maybe set within a larger surround and framed- lots of options. 

I am sorry but this week I don't have any process/step by step photos - I got so caught up having fun with the creativity that I kept forgetting about the camera !!! 

So with a 'no show' for the process photos here's a 'talk through' of my creativity with a few close ups  of the finished card beneath.  

   

The background was cut from a larger piece that was created 'earlier' (so to speak) after a session using Seth Apters Aladine Izink dye sprays - in effect, a 'mop up' monoprint from the bottom of the corrugated box I use when spraying inks. 

I stamped the panel with AALL & Create's Scripted Circles stamp designed by Bipasha BK graduating the colour of stamping from blue on the upper part of the panel to green on the lower. I used Distress Archival ink for this (Faded Jeans, Peeled Paint). 

Then it was time to stencil the textured daisies and for this I used Tim Holtz Distress Matte Texture Paste with That's Crafty's Dinky 'Daisy' stencil. I started by stencilling the full daisy design in the centre of the panel and then moved the stencil around the panel to stencil parts of the daisy design around the sides. 

The paste needed to be dry so I used a heat gun on this occasion (I don't usually with texture pastes) to speed things up.   

Once dry, the daisies were ready to be coloured and I worked with paints from several different companies/designers: DecoArts Media Fluids (Raw Umber, Quin Gold), Tom Holtz Distress Paints (Mermaid Lagoon) and Dina Wakley Heavy Body Acrylics (Cheddar). 

I repositioned the stencil over the central daisy and using stencil brushes applied the paints one at at time to the texture paste, gradually building up layers of the various colours. When happy with the centre daisy I then repeated the process on all the surrounding part stencilled daisies. 

I was really pleased with the 'rusty colour tones' of the textured daises - love how they turned out! 

 

With the addition of some black outlining and white highlights the daisies came to life and some black fineliner circles drawn on the background using Creative Muse Designs Circle of Circles stencil helped bring all the elements of the design together. 

Here's the few close ups: 

After mat n layering the panel and adhering to a handmade card I thought little more was needed other than a few words so added a simple sentiment 'Just Because...' 

The lovely Laura who of course owns That's Crafty! was kind enough to ask if I would do a Stamperia live and so this project was born. The lives last some where between one and two hours and having filled each of the pockets inside this album was I realised never going to be completed in that time frame although I have to say we did get an awful lot of it made during the live. For this post I am going to show you the contents of the pockets as the live can be watched back at leisure at https://www.facebook.com/231949420212531/videos/1204011476730991. 

The live shows how the album was created using 8 x 8, 12 x 12, Collectables, die cuts, train greyboard and air balloon greyboard from the Voyages Fantastique collection and a small piece of rice paper from the Sir Vagabond collection but any text based rice paper in brown tones would work just as well. The mechanics of the ablum are made with greyboard, 6" square kraft card envelopes and gold stone paper although plain stone paper would work just as well. 

To paint the grey board pieces I used Stamperia Allegro colours in Earth Brown, Cappuccino and Nougat and then added black pearl and gold waxes and some antiquing paste in a copper tone - Finnabair metallic waxes which are on the website would work just as well or even some of her matte waxes.

I used Glossy Accents to add durability to the clock pieces used as pulls for tags and also on lots of the watch and glass elements on the papers. All paper edges were inked with Versafine Clair Pine Cone.

 

As you can see the album is then filled with lots of additional pieces. Having used envelopes for the pockets I decided that I would use the cards to make different elements for putting photographs, ephemera and journalling on to. Of course many of the inserts could be used as cards or the whole piece gifted as a writing set. Some of these were made during the live but not all so here are the infill pieces with additional items needed to complete each set. 

 

There are two tall tags in the album made by creating tags from kraft card and then layering papers which are 0.5cm smaller in dimension that the bases. At the top of the tags I placed back to back cogs/clocks and Glossy Accents. 

 

This insert uses a card base orientated tent fold layered with paper and a topper piece fussy cut from the papers. The greyboard corner comes from Gears and Numbers Ggreyboard from Sir Vagabond collection painted and waxed in the same way as my other greyboard pieces. The metal cogs come from my stash. The inside is layered with paper from the collection and then a smaller piece of smooth stamping card which has been stamped with a flourish stamp in Ground Espresso Distress Archival ink, a small star stamp in Hickory Smoke Distress Archival ink both of which come from set 3 and the Stamperia Tapestry stamp in Peeled Paint.

The next card is orientated with the fold to the right and is simply matted and layered with papers from the collection. Two fussy cut locks were adhered flat to the card then a scrap piece of lace before the topper card was added using greyboard so it sits securely over the lace. Two cogs from the greyboard collections sit on top. 

 

The inside is made in a similar way to the card above. 

The next pocket holds a card with pockets to hold tags. The pocket was created using a 5" square kraft card envelope glued shut and then cut in half. Paper elements and a die cut adorn the front of the pocket and tags with neutral twine sit within it.

The reverse of this piece is created in the same way except that I added stencilling to the front of the pocket using Vintage Photo through The Traveller Stencil from Sir Vagabond collection before adding fussy cut paper elements. 

The next page is formed from a card that has been glued closed leaving the top open to act as another pocket.On the front of the piece there is a pocket made from craft card that is the width of the base card. 

The tag inside is simply made from a piece of the patterned paper topped with clocks in the same way as the previous tags.

 

This card is constructed by simply gluing the card base together before layering paper on the front and back. On top is an A6 Kraft card cut down to sit as shown and then decorated with papers and elements from the paper pad and a cog from my stash.

The next card is made from two card bases glued on top of each other giving a trifold panel. The top flap has then been cut removing the right hand half and decorated as shown. The balloons and sentiment were fussy cut from the papers and the word imagine comes from the die cut pack.

Here I have used a tent fold card mat and layered with papers from the collection and then layered waterfall style tags to the left side - these came from the Collectables paper pad. 

My final element is made from an A6 card glued shut to create a pocket. I then cut a semi circle from the top before layering papers. Finally I created a tag to sit inside the pocket.

I do hope you have enjoyed reading this blog. Please remember there is a video referenced at the top of the post on how to construct the base of the album and I look forward to seeing your makes based on this post.