create magic

Hello, I was just having a play yesterday.

I've decided to create some artwork using different techniques, so that I can hang the finished pieces on my 7gypsies photo carousel. Then I can have them on display in my craft room and also flick through them to inspire me, as needed!

I recently discovered my carousel, still in its original box, in a recent craft room clear out. I bought it four years ago and remember having to hunt it down at the time, so not sure if it is still available to buy.

So this is the first piece that I have made for the carousel, and appropriately entitled 'create magic' to begin my journey.

I started off by pulling a page from my Strathmore Mixed Media Journal. I have literally tons (well six!) of these journals in various sizes and different paper formats. This one is from the 5.5" x 8" journal. A perfect size for practicing techniques and also I thought a perfect size for sneaking away with me on my next holiday ;)

I first of all covered the page with gesso and let it dry.

I then covered the page with a Liquitex Matte Medium and smoothed down some book paper over the top of it, ensuring it was firmly pressed down.(Secret: I use old Mills & Boon books for my book papers!).

I waited for a few minutes, and then peeled the book paper off. The exact time is an art to master, as too short and the whole lot will come off and too long and your page will be firmly stuck down!

I was left with a mixture of some words going forwards and some going backwards and some gappy bits. Perfect!

I stamped a Stampers Anonymous stamp down the left hand side. I then drew a line all around the edge with a Faber-Castell Gelato - Metallic Blueberry. I then used a wet paint brush to drag the colour in towards the centre, but not completely. 

This completed the base upon which I would create my girl.

I've coloured the skin with PanPastels. I've added detail with various types of pencils and pens.

For the hair, I've mixed Liquitex ink! with modelling paste and applied it through the Tim Holtz ~ Burlap Layering Stencil. I've then reversed the stencil and applied it to the foot of the page, to bring in some co-ordinating colour to balance the page out.

And that is it! Fun!

Thank you for looking.

Keeley 

a hundred hearts would be too few

Good morning! Today I am coming at you from Crafts 4 Eternity where our challenge theme this week is Valentine.

I have made a mixed media canvas. 

I first coloured my canvas with three rows of pink gelatos, dividing my canvas into thirds and starting with the lightest shade at the top and the darkest at the bottom.

I then created some texture using different stencils and some texture paste which picked up some of the surrounding colour. Flowers are by Prima.

My heart is a Spellbinders ~ Love Heart die double layered. Then I have my cupid, diecut from the Tim Holtz ~ Love Struck Bigz die. I diecut all from Little Yellow Bicycle ~ Sweet Love collection papers. Everything is edged with silver patina wax.

My heart and arrow are My Mind's Eye Dimensional Stickers popped up on pop dots. The arrow wasn't the right colour, so I rubbed some silver wax patina over it.

My words are cut from the papers. I added some silver wax patina around the edges and then I added some rub ons to blend them in.

 

I am entering this in at the following challenges:

• use flowers ~ Cards & Scrap 
• love is in the air ~ Creative Inspirations; Inspiration Journal; Quirky Crafts
• something with a heart ~ Fairy Tale Challenge 
• it's all about love ~ Fussy & Fancy Challenge 
• hearts & flowers ~ Make My Monday
• all about love ~ Natalie & Amy
• h is for ... I have heart ~ Simon Says Monday Challenge
• anything goes ~ Sir Stampalot Challenge
• i {heart} you ~ The Shabby Tea Room
• think pink ~ The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge

Thank you for looking.

Keeley  

vocal beauties from the operas

Good morning! Our challenge this week at Crafts 4 Eternity is to add lace and/or ribbon.

I have made an album with Marion Smith Designs ~ Mad Tea Party papers as my base. I've added an acetate by Glitz, which I machine stitched along the sides.

Along the bottom I added a strip of wide lace.

I made a tag from the papers and added some washi tape and a metal brad. The clock was diecut from the Marion Smith Designs ~ Mad Tea Party papers using my Tim Holtz Sizzix Pocket Watch die. Any coincidence they match perfectly?

Some luscious Prima flowers to co-ordinate with the golden roses and green leaves on the acetate, finish it off.

To the other side I added some crocheted doilies. Not having the right shade of yellow, I sprayed a pale yellow doily with Dylusions ink. The green doily was the right colour and I just added some glitter to each, to match the flowers.

 

Thank you for looking.

Keeley

October 31 halloween mixed media canvas

Good morning! Today we have a HALLOWEEN themed challenge starting at Crafts 4 Eternity.

I have made a mixed media canvas.

The witch I cut out freestyle and her hat was made from a Tim Holtz Blueprint stamp. Her legs drape over the bottom edge of the canvas.

The fence on the right is a Memory Box~ Estate Fence die.

The 31 is a Sizzix die.

The spiders web was made with a Memory Box ~ Haunted Webs die. The spiders are stickers that I had in my stash.

The pumpkins up the left hand side were made with Rusty Pickle papers.

I've made a YouTube video, which goes into more details of the products that I used to build up the layers on this.

I am entering this in at the following challenges:

• Halloween ~ C.R.A.F.T. Challenge; Shopping Our Stash; Dream Valley Challenges; Make My Monday
• Happy Halloween ~ Creative Inspirations
• Anything goes ~ Simon Says Monday Challenge 
• Anything goes/Fall colours ~ Love to Create Challenge
• Spooky ~ That's Crafty
• Halloween to Die For ~ A Vintage Journey
• The Body Beautiful ~ The Mirror Crack'd
• Tricks & treats ~ Art with Heart Challenge

Thank you for looking.

Keeley  

keep out ... mixed media door hanger

Hello! This week at Crafts 4 Eternity the challenge is to use three elements beginning with the same letter. I have: white, wood and words!

I choose to decorate a wooden doorhanger.

I started off with by covering the hanger with a layer of patterned paper, covered part of it with a doily and then got to work with stencils, paint and ink.

Then I used a Tim Holtz Halloween blueprint, which I stamped out several times on the same patterned cardstock which I had used as my base. I cut a few layers and layered it up.

Finally I added some words with a few stickers, which I distressed up a bit.

I am entering this in at the following challenges:

• U for Unique ~ ABC Challenge 

Thank you for looking.

Keeley

Paris box

Good morning! Today we have a new challenge at Crafts 4 Eternity which is to use your favourite colour combination, using at least two colours.

I personally love black and white plus one other. Here I have added pink and made a trinket box.

I have used the Sizzix Matchbox die to make four drawers, two facing one way and two the other.

Papers: Carta Bella ~ Paris Girl

I have used the Sizzix Tim Holtz ~ Trellis die to decorate the sides.

On the other side of the box I have added a Prima Trinket Charm.

For the centre piece on the lid I have distressed a tag with distress inks and then stamped on my Stamp Happens ~ Paris Socialite stamp. This is one of my most used stamps. Love it!

I am entering this in at the following challenges:

• P for pretty petals ~ Alphabet Challenge 
• anything goes ~ Creative Inspirations 

Thank you for looking.

keeley

don't forget to be aWEsome

Good evening! I am a bit late sharing my project for the sketch challenge at  Crafts 4 Eternity this week. Sorry!

Here is the sketch:

 

I have used the sketch to complete a cover on a large Tim Holtz Collection Folio.

Not loving the black elastic wrapping these albums. A bit poor quality I think. They look like they would go baggy quickly. I think I will swap this out with something more pretty before the entire album is finished.

The paper collection I have used is My Mind's Eye ~ Find Your Wings and Fly: Up and Away. 

I just happened to have received this order and was unpacking it, when I thought those chipboard arrows would work perfect for this sketch. And so it fell into place.

In the spirit of the funfair circus theme that runs through these papers, the image I have added is: Magnolia ~ Little Trumpety Elephant with Bow, coloured with copics and I added some stickles.

I have completed most of the inside of the folio, but not quite all. So you will need to wait for another post to see that, in it's entirety, once I've finished.

Here is a sneak peek. It is getting very chunky.

These albums are my new love. I have completed one large one but not yet blogged. This will be the second one to finish. I've also started a few others! Hopefully I can complete them soon!

I am entering this in at the following challenges:

• feature an animal ~ City Crafter 
• summer colours ~ Deep Ocean Challenge 
• anything goes ~ Die Cuttin' Divas, Magnolia Down Under, Stamp & Create with Magnolia, The Pink Elephant Challenge
• use craft ~ Use kraft 
• use at least three items (I have lace, pearls, punched elements, die cut elements, doilies (on the paper)) ~ Shopping Our Stash
• die cuts & punches ~ The Crazy Challenge 

Thank you for looking.

Keeley

Girls' Night Out

Good morning! Today I am coming at you from Crafts 4 Eternity where we have a use some scraps challenge. I've not only used paper scraps for this, but also scraps of lace and ribbon, which I just can't throw out. Together they are perfect for creating a mixed media project.

So I started with a Windsor & Newton ~ Artists' Canvas Board as my base. I then covered it with scraps of black and white Bo Bunny ~ Enchanted papers. Plenty to choose from, as I have used them on projects many a time.

Then I dribbled some Tim Holtz ~ Distress Paint in mustard seed and broken china. Then I added some scraps of ribbon and lace.

Then I've added tickets, ink stampings, texture paste and painting on stamps to create dimension.

The alphabet texture was created with a Dylusions ~ Letter Jumble stencil.

The girls were created by tracing designs onto scrap papers. I used one of the girls from the Dylusions 9x12 Stencil~ Flossy. First I traced her two times, one way, then reversed her the other way.

The sentiment I printed onto scrap cardstock, coloured it with the distress paint and then highlighted the words with black ink.

The hats! I stamped them from Dylusions ~ Mini Couture stamp set. Just loving the yellow gal.

 

Thank you for looking.

Keeley 

love, love, love

Good morning! Today at Crafts 4 Eternity, we have an anything goes theme. 

I have made a box! Love making these.

I have used the Sizzix Matchbox die to create the three drawers.

The drawer pulls were created from a Marianne Design flower die, with a brad inserted. You will also see these dotted around the box.

I have added little lacey inserts inside the drawers.

For the top and base is used the Sizzix Notebook die to cut the back edge.

Then I cut the Tim Holtz Bird cage die. I've added some bling and a Prima vintage trinket.

Papers: Bo Bunny ~ Crush.

Back of the box.

Thank you for looking.

Keeley

how long will I love you?

Good evening! I am very late posting this week for the sketch challenge at Crafts 4 Eternity. I was a bit late starting this project, but really wanted to use this week's fabby sketch.

For my project I have created another mixed media collage. Expect to see LOTS of these in 2014, as I am loving doing them, although I am still experimenting, so it will be interesting to see what my work looks like in a year's time. Sorry, my photo is a bit blurry.

For my base, I started with a sticky backed canvas sheet. I will mount this onto chipboard, but haven't done so yet, hence why it looks so wonky.

I then covered it with cardboard scraps, but even I am struggling to see those now.

Mediums used: distress paint, distress stain, gold gelato.

I have used a Memory Box ~ Butterfly Vine stencil, combined with texture paste at the top.

The dimensional butterflies were stamped from the Tim Holtz ~ Papillon CMS106 stamp set and cut out.I have also used these stamps as part of my background.

The image was created from a Penny Black ~ Melle Papillon stamp. Creating that dress, very nearly drove me crazy!

She is set onto a Spellbinders die cut. 

The sentiment: How love will I love you?

When I showed it to my other half, he said: 'that's a bit pessimistic isn't it?' Well it comes from a love song of the same name, by Ellie Goulding. 

Go check out the song if you don't know it:

Ellie Goulding: How long will I love you?

Thank you for looking.

Keeley