Stop Asking For Permission

Hi and happy June, let's hope that Summer is on it's way. This month the challenge over at Country View Crafts is crackle. This was one of those projects that changed so many times (and nearly ended up in the bin) before it was completed.

I started by gessoing a Tando triple arch. All the paints and mediums are by Deco Art.

 The front was then painted with Media Fluid Acrylic in Primary Cyan, Primary Yellow, and Primary Magenta.

This is where I stopped taking the photographs - I think I was having too much fun. The outside of the frame was coated in Crackle Glaze.
The insides were sprayed with DecoArt Media Misters from various heights to give different splatters.

This gave me lots of lovely crackle, which I went over again with the Media Misters. It was at this point that I decided that it was too dark and grungy, so I painted over with Crackle Paint and then applied a Prussian Blue wash.

I was much happier now - still grungy but a bit brighter.

All of the insides were stamped with Bee Crafty stamps.

I really like this one, the dribbles are Fluid Acrylics.

I think they work well with the sentiment.

I hope you join in with our challenge this month, there are so many different ways to crackle, there's glazes or stamps or whatever you choose.

Have a fun week, and thanks very much for looking x

Flower Power

Good morning and happy Bank Holiday. In traditional style it's very cloudy here, but at least it's not raining.
In between watching the F1 race, and the Barnsley match (well done lads) I made this.

Rubber Dance stamps have a colour challenge for May.

 I don't have any of their fabulous stamps (yet) but I do have the colours. All the paints and mediums are from Deco Art.

The blue and pink are the Americana Decor chalk paints that have been used neat and also mixed with tinting base. 

My three ladies are all on Tando arches.

There's also a Tando stencil in the background that's a mixture of the Americana Decor in Promise and Tinting base. The crackle is Crackle Glaze that's been rubbed over with Patina Antiquing Cream.

Here the stencilling is neat Escape A D and the crackling has been rubbed over with English Red Oxide.

So another day off today - hopefully without too much sport!
Have a fun day, and thanks very much for looking.

The Best Is Yet To Come

Hi and happy Bank Holiday Weekend. It's been a day of sport here so no-one noticed that I was MIA. This is what I've been doing.

I've been practising the techniques I learned at a recent Karen Hayselden class. I had a lot of fun and still need a lot more practise but I think it's sport again tomorrow....
This is for the Tando Creative challenge, Things With Wings. I've also used one of their mini stencils in the corner. These are fab, lots to room around the edge to keep my dirty fingers on.
I'm also entering it into the SSS Wednesday challenge which is Anything Goes.
I hope you have a fab weekend, and thanks very much for looking x

Curiouser and Curiouser

Good morning, it's a bit of a special day today over at the Stampotique blog. I'm not actually a fan of the films, but I do like the stamps, so here's mine.

Everyone's favourite rabbit.

I wouldn't dare!

Gotta love that smile.

If you would like to play along link your Alice creations to our Facebook group.
Have a fun weekend, and thanks very much for looking x

Wot No Black!

Good morning and yep Wednesday has come around again. This week the challenge at Stampotique has been chosen by the lovely Sam and it's a real toughie, 'cos there's no black allowed. Here's what she has to say.

"The first thing I usually do after choosing which stamp I'm going to use is to reach for my black inkpad. So I'm challenging myself and you to make anything you fancy so long as there is no black ink or paint etc. Have fun!"

Seriously Sam, have fun without my black ink pad, how's that gonna happen! Here is what I made

My tags started life as a gelli plate print.

Much stamping and embossing later (in blue and brown) I love Kassa's Herbert Hare. There's also Mash Up and Happy Camper Text.

Here we have Dora Doodle Dolly, Oodles of Doodles, Beauty Verse, and Cracks.

And for the final tag I've used Fishbone, Circled Circle, and Barcode Text 2.

Now it was just time to sew them to my base tag. I had black thread in my machine, so I took it out and changed it to pink, then sewed the tags down. Only then did my daughter tell me that I'd sewn them to a BLACK tag!!

 I wouldn't  have twigged to this day if she hadn't pointed it out! But,  by the magic of cropping I just have my 3 tags :-).

So put away all the black - yes even the tags, and join us in our challenge. It will be harder than you think, but fun.

Have a great week, and thanks very much for looking x

What Lies Beneath...

Last month I was lucky enough to win the Tando Creative challenge, and part of my prize was some skulls. I've been dying to use these ever since, so when That's Crafty had a Friday 13th challenge I knew that they would be coming out.
All of the paints and mediums used are by DecoArt.
Lots of pictures coming up so I'll keep the words down :-)

The 'coffin' is an old wooden domino box, that's been painted with black gesso. This side has the Andy Skinner skull stencil that's had crackle glaze put through it then painted with a mix of Quin gold and transparent yellow oxide.

The lid has been been stencilled with the same colour mix, and the stamps are by Sheena Douglass. 
Do you like Basil - he's a fox skull that my dad found about 15 years ago, and my son's had him ever since. He still has most of his teeth though they have had to be superglued in over the years lol.

This is the reverse of the lid, again it's a Sheena die and stamp.

This is the other side. The 'blood' is DecoArt red chalk paint.

The hand prints have been stencilled with texture sand and painted with a Quin Gold and Transparent Yellow Oxide wash.

This is an Andy Skinner stamp that's been stamped into texture paste and rubbed over with Metallic Lustre.

And this is what started it all off. This is my Tando skull that's been painted with crackle paint. The background is another Andy Skinner texture stamp.
This was such fun to make, and who knows what may end up inside - certainly not the dominoes.
I'm also entering this into the Lost Coast Designs Half O'Ween challenge.
Have a fab week, and thanks very much for looking x

Happy Birthday To You

Lost Coast Designs are having a Blogiversary, and a giveaway to celebrate. Go check it out (I'm such an enabler) xx

A Long Time Ago...

Good morning and happy Wednesday. It's time for a brand new challenge at Stampotique, and today Kristen has chosen circles. Here is what she has to say.
I love to use circles in my projects, so this week, I am challenging you to get creative and show us what you can create with circles in your project!
Here's mine

All the paints and mediums are by DecoArt. I cut some circles and used a stencil to make a geli plate background.

So circles - check.

Now for some stamping, I've used Spiraling Out of Control in the background.

And Design Cube on the 'moon'

All good movies need a star, so here we have Screaming Bunny as The Narator. I think he looks rather dapper in his silver space suit :-).
I had such fun making this (can you tell lol) and hope you join in too.
Have a fun week, and thanks very much for looking x