HOLIDAY WREATH

...style is a way to say who you are without having to speak...

- Rachel Zoe -

...hello my crafting buddies, just a quick & simple posting today to share a few piccy's from a batch of Christmas cards that I have made a start on for my Mum...

...I have used the Holiday Wreath die designed by Tim Holtz & the Sizzix Nesting Stars ...

...above, the star has been laid on embossed glassine paper...

...Basic Grey paper & sequins with candy cane bakers twine...

...this wreath was covered in pretty shabby chic Tilda fabric...

...and a splash of hot pink with natural twine...

...have a lovely weekend, hope the weather is being kind...

XXX

ICE MAIDEN

...hello everyone, hope this day finds you all in fine fettle...I'm sure you all know the wonderful King of texture & technique Mr Andy Skinner who also just happens to be Executive Creative Consultant for DecoArt...

...well, back in Spring DecoArt asked Andy to create a Design Team...WOW my heart skipped a beat when I opened the email that day :)))...my fellow teamies, all of whom you will know very well from their wealth of outstanding creations and designs here in our crafting world, the team has been up and running since May, but the platform to show our creations has only just been finalised and the Design Team formally announced...

...here is my creation for today...

...DecoArt have created a vast range of paints and mediums and the one I'm showing you today is called Texture Glass, an amazing product, which I'm now in love with!!...

...I started with a body form from Decopatch which I covered in 2 coats of Gesso...

...whilst that was drying I took a template from Tim Holtz Tattered Poinsettia Die and set to work...

...you can see below the thickness used...

...once the template is removed you can see what your left with...

...I used a run of baking parchment, but you can use a non-stick craft matt also...now this is not a quick process, the Texture glass at this thickness takes a good 24hrs to dry and you can't rush it (ie: use a heat tool or a radiator, the product will turn brittle and snap, I know this as I tried to hurry things up and ruined the whole batch of poinsettia's which put me back 24hrs!!)...

...so whilst the glass was drying I took some cut & dry foam and roughly coated the body form in Americana Spa Blue, then used the 2 Step Crackle Medium over the top half of the form and aged it with Transparent Red Iron Oxide...

...I used a florist crystal pins to attach the flowers to the form and created a glass/ice gown, as you can see in the photo the flowers remain slightly flexible and do not crack with the pin put through but still be careful as the tattered leaves are delicate at the narrow part...

...single and double flowers all round the front back & sides...

...a close up of the amazing texture this product gives!...

...every Ice Maiden needs a glass choker, I used the centre of the poinsettia & a crystal pin to secure all around the neck...

...the back...

...I also added tiny beads randomly...

...well there she is, I do hope you like her :)) and I do hope you have fun with this incredibly versatile product...

...below are the products used to create this project, along with time and a little magic...

...thank you for dropping by today...

XXX

31

...SET YOUR LIFE ON FIRE...

...seek those who fan your flames...

- Rumi -

...hello everyone...the cobwebs have formed it's been that long since I posted!! they must of known I was cooking up a little Halloween fun :)) ...

...today I'm sharing with you a little 6 by 4 chunky canvas with Halloween in mind...

...all the Paints, Mediums & Stencils used are by  DecoArt...

...I used modeling paste and a number stencil (sorry my photo very poor) and left this to dry naturally...then the whole canvas was painted white...

...then the fun began, out came spiced pumpkin!...

...which was dry brushed in feather light strokes around the number edges...

...the numbers then given a hefty coating of ebony black...

...also at this point I did a few small random circles on the canvas...

...then one step crackle was applied...

...and left overnight to dry...

...next, antique white was sponged over the whole canvas...

...and wiped back a little, the cracks were filled nicely...

...I then used my finger to gently rub black shimmer metallic lustre over the numbers and smudging over the edges of the canvas...

...the iron oxide was painted all round the numbers...

...then spritzed with water so the colour would seep and bleed...

...this was then dried with a heat tool...

...I put touches of this amazing colour on the number edges...

...then raw sienna was randomly splattered and dots placed in the random circles and heat dried...

...these two colours were mixed to create the colour of blood, this was then dripped and left to run, then heat dried close to the canvas to give the appearance of congealed blood!!...

...I didn't have a rubber/plastic bat or a template to make one so I improvised and used some oyster shells(as you do!) for the wings and a little heart for the body...

...these were coated with texture fierro in graphite, I used a stencil brush (which is hard and stubby) to push into the shells...I then wrapped some rusty wire around a small primitive heart and used this for the body of my bat...

...to finish the canvas off I added feet at the bottom and a knob on the top, these items were coated with brown texture fierro and a few chit chat stickers...

...well there you have it, a little spooky Halloween fun, I hope you like it and I hope you found the step by step easy to follow...

...thank you for stopping by today...

XXX