The Shrine of Knowledge

Hi everyone,

      Recently Claudia (die amelie from Von Pappe II) was doing a workshop in Eastbourne.... 

"Can we meet up?" I asked....before adding "Hey, why don't you come and stay with us"?

     Claudia and I have been close friends online for ages....It is a really brave person who goes to stay with someone for five days in a foreign country not knowing if the online friendship can match meeting in person!!! But neither of us had any need to worry - it was like we had been friends our whole lives!

     She and I excitedly began planning for her trip over here...mainly plans for doing a workshop just for the two of us (lucky me!) as I couldn't travel to Eastbourne (and I was sad to miss out) and we both wanted to go to London for some antique bric-a-brac hunting....and the rest of the time was spent talking and laughing....Let me tell you, Claudia has the most wonderful sense of humour...I have never laughed so much in my life!

 We had a lovely day doing the workshop creation that I had missed out on......

Our choice of food for the day was, I think you will find, absolutely perfect.....

And this is what I made....

    Claudia had bought over some gorgeous gifts for me -  there was a parcel loaded with fantastic embellishments along with the most beautiful photos, text and script papers - including a handwritten letter dated 1946....that gave a really sad but very beautiful glimpse of history that she had found in a antiques market.

   With all those treasures I couldn't wait to get started on the shrine that she was going to help me make - Claudia is not only an amazing artist but she is the most brilliant and inspiring teacher! I on the other hand am a very nervous student!!! What if I got it all wrong? ;o) I need not have worried at all!

   The shrine is made from two mini canvas frames, covered in French dictionary paper. This was stuck to the frames with Mod Podge glue and the coated with Mod Podge.

When dry it was covered with a liberal wash of  Decoart Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide. It was important to not paint this neatly - as is my usual practice - neat, neat and neat - but instead just sweep it on, allowing it to pool in places. This was all very much against my instincts and I did struggle to just smoosh and dab in a random manner....

I kept looking at it thinking "This isn't neat and tidy...I really don't like it"....of course it isn't neat and tidy!!! - I had wanted to learn how to paint in a grungy style, and here we are - Grunge city!.....but my mind was still very firmly on neat and tidy....

     Then when this was dry I had to water down some red iron oxide paint and drip it down the canvas....Whoa!!!...not liking that either! But eventually I began to see it as fun...a smoosh here, a splash here....getting it wrong? Nope! there is no wrong!

    Then I had to get some Raw Umber paint and dab around the edges....

I looked at it thinking it was all ruined, I resigned myself to be eternally hopeless at grunge and I would return to my neat and tidy constructions. When the frames were dry I picked them up and my jaw dropped as I looked at them - for the first time I was seeing grunge art as I had wanted it to look and hoped it would look...I was finally doing it! 

It does work!

 Turquoise paint was applied to the center of the frames. Crackle glaze was dabbed over the frames - Claudia said a pupil at the workshop had dabbed it on with a finger instead of a brush (This is a really good method of randomly applying Crackle Glaze!) and then Antiquing cream was applied - I chose to use just the Patina Green Antiquing cream as I wanted the frame to be quite light. Carbon Black could be used to make it even grungier, but I decided not to go that far.

 I chose one of the antique dolls that Claudia had given me for the frame - I applied a wash of Raw Umber acrylic paint to make it look grungy and stuck it onto a circle sticker that had had a rusty effect added with Red Iron oxide paint with Turquoise dabbed onto it as a patina effect.

   

  A rusty heart was added to the other frame with a brass skull.

I stamped some labels and added them to the frames

I then joined them together with a brass hinge and added a brass label holder to the front...

And there it is....my shrine of grungy paint knowledge!

Thank you Claudia for sharing with me some amazing grunge techniques and more importantly for being such a caring and wonderful friend....

Happy crafting!

Laura xxxx

Queen Charlotte

Hi everyone, 

     I am here today with a creation I made a while ago - when I was experimenting with the Andy Skinner rust technique that I featured here at SanDee and amelies steampunk Challenges, I did several experiments with this wonderful technique and here is one of them...

 You can see the video for the Andy Skinner rust technique that I used here

This one (the background in the frame) was a bit of an experimental practice run. I wanted to see how the technique worked with just plain embossed card...

The answer is - not very well (at first) The card buckles as the sand texture paste is drying and the embossing began to lose a lot of detail. I glanced at it and dismissed it as a mistake....but I decided not to waste it anyway and do the paint effects as well....at the very least it was a chance to have a practice run with that as well...

    This one turned out very different to the rust effects on the creation featured here....I applied the paint much thinner....the Paynes Grey was only applied in patches and I did a watered down coat of Quinacridone Gold...I was really impressed by the results!

     So I decided to use it in a creation - and I loved the final piece

   I had a set of trio paper mache frames and decided to cut one down to a single frame and covered the cut end with card. After doing that I covered it with German text paper stuck down with Mod Podge glue. I then covered it with a layer of Mod Podge glue before painting it with Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide.

I then covered it with Crackle glaze

  I dabbed all over the edges with Raw Umber paint

I stuck the rusted embossed card into the frame

A dolls head was lightly painted with raw Umber paint before being stuck onto a brass flower and having a brass crown attached. A brass key was also attached...

Wings were cut out of rivet embossed card and painted with gold acrylic paint before being dry brushed with Raw Umber paint

A chit chat sticker was used that had been dabbed with Vintage Photo DI and attached to a brass frame

A brass screw brad was used to attach brown hemp string to the frame

So there is my Queen Charlotte creation....I hope you like it!

Happy Crafting!

Laura xxx

Made just for you....

Hi everyone!

      Today at Try it on Tuesday we are asking to make a -

I am already firmly in the Christmas mood so I decided to make a gift...and as usual at Christmas I decorate Candles....I was introduced to Servietten Technique years ago by my mother-in-law and I LOVE it. I won't explain about it all here - but if you do want to know more detail about how it is done then you can see my post about it here.

      I decided to decorate two candles. One a very vintage style candle and one that is really cute!

         For the 'Cute' candle I chose a red serviette with white snowflakes - I have hundreds of serviettes and a lot are Christmas themed ones - I particularly like the simple red and white Christmas images.

       I stuck the serviette to the candle with Modpodge (you can use PVA glue and water mixed 3:1)  When dry I began decorating it.

 I wrapped twine around the base of the candle and then chose a very festive red gingham ribbon with green embroidery detail on it.

     I chose a plain wooden button and pushed a red velvet brad through the two button holes. Securing it at the back it made Rudolph's nose....I added some eyes with black marker pen and the antlers were made from twig die cuts covered in Walnut Stain DI. I stuck the button onto a delicate wooden die cut and stuck it to the candle.

For the vintage style candle I chose a more traditional style serviette of flourishes, holly and music.

    I stuck this to the candle and when dry I dabbed Walnut Stain DI on it to shabby it up a little. Sage green ribbon was tied around the candle and secured in the centre of the bow with a brad.

 I also used the serviette on a piece of card (Servietten technique can be used on so many things) I dabbed the edges with Walnut Stain DI and then stamped 'Merry Christmas' onto card and embossed it with Gold embossing powder before cutting it out with a craft knife.

                                 I tied this label onto the candle with brown hemp string.

        And there are my two gifts....

          Candles decorated with serviettes can still be lit....they look amazing when the candle is beginning to burn down as the image gets lit up. Be careful though - some candles don't burn very straight. If the wick is slightly crooked or isn't trimmed, then the flame can get too close to the serviette coating and catch light...

Don't they look wonderful?!

           Thanks for being here to take a look....hop on over to Try it on Tuesday to see what the rest of the team have made to inspire you - Have a go at making a gift for someone this Christmas and join us in some festive fun! Hope to see you all soon!

                      

 

String Flowers

  Hello there!

      Hope you are sitting comfortably - Get a cuppa because here is a very picture heavy post! Today I am showing you a step-by-step. I don't usually do this as I find crafting so absorbing of my attention that I forget to pick up the camera and several stages get missed out - which makes a step-by-step pointless.....Today I can however share one where I did manage to stay focused on the camera....(well for the majority of it at least!)

     
      So here we go!......I loved adding the string swirls to the 'Hearts are for Loving' creation so wanted to re-visit that technique in more detail. I began with ...........

.........A pencil, piece of wood, hemp string and Mod Podge or PVA glue

 Draw any design you like! I chose flowers and tried to keep the images as simple as possible here. The more intricate the design the harder it is to attach the string......

                          

Apply the glue to the area you are working on. Try to keep it to small areas to give yourself time to work before the glue dries.

It is much easier to work in small sections rather than coping with long lengths of string.....

          All done and waiting to be completely dry........

..........One good thing is that the design isn't set in stone here...No one will know what is underneath when it is finished. As you can see here I have made several changes to the original design......Notice one flower (the most difficult part) - got changed into an easy swirl!!!

     The most important thing about this is to take your time - I actually really love spending time on intricate things like this and where attention to detail is required I usually have the patience of a saint! BUT...here I will admit to using some very naughty words and walking away counting to ten! I swear sometimes it was almost as if the string was having a tantrum "Nope! I am not sticking to this glue and there is NOTHING you can do to make me!"

Tip - Tweezers and toothpick are handy tools for getting the string to behave itself stay in place

Painting time!

 I covered the board with a layer of Snowflake Fresco paint which gives a lovely chalky finish...

         All done....now what next?

  Melange Tissue wrap.....covered with watered down Snowflake Fresco paint.....whoops!......nearly forgot to pick up the camera!

I chose my newest Fresco Paints....

    .........and I dabbed the paints all over the right side of the hanging, blending with a sponge....

I dry brushed some Chocolate Pudding Fresco Paint to add some definition

Then I dry brushed some Snowflake Fresco Paint to add highlights and a bit of a vintage shabby effect

      I rubbed on some Treasure Gold in White Fire to highlight the flowers and the edges.....Hmmm....seems I am gradually losing the gorgeous tissue wrap on here - This often happens, you get an idea and then it evolves and sometimes things get cast aside. I was sorry that I got to carried away with painting :o(

      I am always like this with dry brushing - I can't stop! I add layer after layer and usually go around in circles adding dark and then light before repeating it again...and again!

     

After a bit more paint I felt that the two sides needed balancing - so I selected a flourish stamp and stamped in Coffee Archival ink down the left side......

       When it came to finally decorating this I totally forgot about the camera!!!......

    Never mind - Here is the finished creation....

            I painted some card with Stone Fresco Paint and stamped the quote with an alphabet stamp using coffee Archival ink. A few strands of twine were tied into bows and added. the green bow is remnants from bridesmaid cress alterations from my wedding last year. I used some more twine wrapped around rusty wire to be able to hang this up.

        Thanks for wading through this post! Hope you liked it!

             See you soon!