My Mixed Media Mannequin....

Morning! :)
I absolutely loved making this mannequin, and was really pleased with it! So much so, I had real troubles forcing myself to pack it up and send it off to IndigoBlu HQ! Lol

I have used some newly released IndigoBlu stamps on here, as well as some trusty old favourite products too.

The back of her wings - 

Various IndigoBlu English Cottage Metallic Acrylic paints,
Mega (Gilding) Flakes

...and Kroma Crackle

The front of her wings - 

GeeSso Good Gesso 

Texture Paste
Laurel Leaf - IndigoBlu Stencil
Snow White - IndigoBlu Metallic paint

Goldfinger - IndigoBlu Metallic paint

The mannequin -
coated with
Black Gee Sso Good Gesso

I have stamped with Flitterglu onto tissue, using the 

IndigoBlu Laurel Leaf Stamp...then gilded, 

and added it to the mannequin using Slap It On. Left it to dry and then 

splattered the mannequin with coordinating paint colours. 

I have stamped and gilded onto some Organza, 

and then attached it to the mannequin, draped to make a dress.
Made a fabric 'waist cape' - stamped it with Laurel leaf stamps 

using English Cottage Paint and Mega Flake.

I gilded the stick part of the stand, using 

a brand new background stamp - 

Added a few metal embellishments (which were gilded first)

and there it is! 

There are lots of new things being released soon, so keep your eyes peeled for more

news on the website, DT blogs and Facebook pages! 

I'm entering this into:

Craft Stamper - Anything Goes - Use a stamp somewhere

Simon Says Stamp - Stencil It 

Fussy & Fancy - Fashion

Happy Little Stampers - Stencil 

Have a great weekend!
Happy Crafting

Lydia xx

Where There's Light, There's Hope...

Hello! :)

Thought I'd share with you today, 

the lantern that I altered as a gift to a special friend of ours. 

---

 I forgot to take a 'just bought' picture...but it was plain...soooooo....

I gesso'd it...

added lots of DecoArt products:

Texture paste...

Crackle paste...

Media Fluid Paint...

Wethered Wood and 

more paint...

Sanded a bit here...

painted a bit there...

Added a laminated sentiment...

Or two...

and...

Ta daa......

There we have it!

I so enjoyed altering this, mainly because of the sentiment behind the project... but I just loved watching the transformation as I went along.

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 Look! I also have a matching drainpipe!! lol I'm not taking any credit for that though...that one's down to Mother Nature ;) x

I'm entering this into:

Pile it On - Your First Initial (L - Light/Lantern)

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

Anything but Cute - Ring out the Old, Bring in the New (New lantern

That's Crafty - Winter but not Christmas

Take care all...

Happy Crafting

Lydia xx

Christmas Door Hanger

Hello...and welcome to 2016!!

I'm really not sure where 2015 went to...but it's gone! 

I didn't get very far, with Christmas cards this year...I kept distracting myself with decor projects! So I thought I'd share this one with you before it's time to pack away everything Christmas. 

Using 

IndigoBlu Black GeeSoo Good Gesso

IndigoBlu's stamp - Connor's Crown Jewels

IndigoBlu Cottage Garden Artist Quality Paint

IndigoBlu Smooth Texture Paste

IndigoBlu Textured Background Stencil

...and

IndigoBlu  Mega Flake 

I'm entering this into...

Fussy & Fancy - Happy Holidays

Emerald Creek - Celebrations Around the World 

That's Crafty - Anything Goes 

Anything but Cute - You've got Happy Mail

SanDee & Amelie - Anything Goes Steampunk/Industrial

Altered Eclectics - 

Happy New Year...

And

Happy Crafting

Lydia xx

"If You Don't Change It, It'll Stay The Same......."

Wow! It's a breezy day out there thanks to 'Barney's' visit! Who names these storms...and why do I automatically think of a purple dinosaur?? Haha

Anyway, here in the warm, I thought I'd share with you a Christmas lantern that I had a great time altering. It's inspiration came from a fantabulous weekend retreat in Coventry, with Andy Skinner/Michelle Webb and Tando Creations.

This started off life as a nice, cream coloured lantern from B&M. But...Pah...I don't want nice and clean...I wanted wicked and rusty!! :) 

Before I got my hands on it ....

...And after!!!

Along the way I gesso'd it...

...added some texture paste...

...some DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylic paint...

... and ...

DecoArt Dazzling Metallics 

----

 I also used 'Merry Christmas' wording and a 'Christmas stocking' from
Tando Creative x

Well...hope you like it. I thoroughly enjoyed making it :)

I'm entering this into:

Our Creative Corner - Topsy Turvy  - I made something new into something old, instead of the norm... something old into something new!!

SanDee & Amelie - Steampunk Winter Special 

Mixed Media World - Anything Goes 

Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes

Anything But Cute - It's Ornamental

Thanks for visiting

Happy Crafting

Lydia xx

They're Coming Out To....Play!!!

🎃 Hello!!🎃

It's that time of year where all things spooky come out....and this crypt is no exception!! 😱

I'm not a great fan of the Trick or Treat side of Halloween...but it's always a fun time to create. So as we approach the bewitching hour, I'm posting my entry into the

DecoArt Haunts Challenge.

Being totally honest...I'm fairly new to the DecoArt range of products, and only have a few paint colours, and gesso, so I was a bit limited! I will just have to do some shopping in Coventry next weekend!! ;)

 So... armed (bones...armed....see what I did there?!! haha) with a deep framed canvas...I began!

The canvas was painted to within an inch of it's life (on the 'other' side) with black gesso...then randomly 'splodged' with texture paste. I then added some chipped plastic type pieces (tech term!)  to the paste and left it to dry. Once dried I added some cobweb in places for some texture, and painted over everything once again with black gesso.
I painted the skeletons with Titan Buff & Raw Umber... mixed both together for a paler brown...to dirty them up a bit, and drew on some cracks.

The base has had Raw Umber, Prussian Blue & Pyrrole Red paint added for soil and muck...some greenery for bushes and grass...and some plastic pumpkins for effect. The pumpkins had a coat of Pyrrole Red and Raw Umber mix ...and the spiders too! 

The fencing is...sorry...WAS... a Tattered Lace dainty fence...now it's a broken, rusty old bit of fencing, (thanks to Raw Umber and Patina Antiquing Cream...oh and a pair of trusty scissors!!) which I don't think is going to do the best job in the world of holding these crazy bits of bone in their holding!!! Eeeeek!!! 

And there we are!! :)
Not as detailed as I'd have liked, but think I need to invest in some more DecoArt Media yummyness!!  x

Happy Halloween!!

I'm also entering this into ...

That's Crafty! - Haunted Halloween

Mixed Media World - Anything Goes - On Wood ...I have used a deep wood framed canvas x

That Craft Place - Anything goes - Mixed Media

Eclectic Ellapu - Halloween/Dark/Horror

Altered Eclectics - Altered Art - Anything Goes

Happy Crafting

Lydia xx

  

Frame It - IndigoBlu Demonstrator Inspiration...

Hi all
Well, Summer seems to have turned it's back on us, and September snuck in whilst no one was watching!! The nights are drawing in and Autumn is just around the corner....but I do love this time of year...it's so colourful and has that healthy kind of start to your day!
It also means more 'stay in and craft' time :)

This month, the IndigoBlu Challenge Blog theme is 'Frame It' .....
Frame an image...frame a sentiment...decorate a frame...or frame a frame...how ever you want to frame it, is ok with us! :)

I have used the totally gorgeous Giant Poppy as my focal image, using our IndigoBlu English Cottage Artist Quality Paints to hand paint both the Poppy and the background.
Rob has been back in his shed, and made me a frame from MDF (bless his cottons :) ) ...that has a covering of Texture Paste...dried... a coat of Black GeeSso Good - Gesso...and Vodka Martini! ;)

If you get a chance, nip across to the blog and see what the Challenge team have created...there is so much fabulous work over there as always x

--------------------
We would love for you to join in...and don't forget.....

The fabulous winner’s prize this month is your choice of IndigoBlu stamps.  As always, you have 3 options to choose from:

1:   2 Large stamp plates

or
2:   4 Small stamp plates

or

3:   1 Large and 2 small plates

There’s also the Winner’s Badge, and one for the Top 3, to display proudly on your blog, and the WINNER of the challenge will also be invited to do a GUEST SPOT on a future Challenge Launch post. That’s right, your work will be on the Challenge Blog alongside the Design Team!

Also the Top Three each month (chosen by our lovely DT) will all be invited to do an inspiration piece to be included on the new reminder post that now goes live mid challenge. So, if you’d like a chance to be featured on the IndigoBlu Challenge Blog get those stamps out and get creating!

To all those with children returning to school this week... I wish them all a great new term x

Happy Crafting...

Lydia xx

Golfing...off to a Tee...

Hi all :)
Well...here we are in summer!!! I thought I'd tell you, just in case you're in one of the many areas in the UK that has had copious amounts of rain today!!  Down here in the South we were quite lucky, only having rain this morning, but sunshine to dry washing outdoors this afternoon!! Whoop!! :)
But hey...a good day for crafting, if you're stuck inside!!! ;)

Today I'm sharing with you a project that I made for Father's Day. 

An mdf frame ...
IndigoBlu English Cottage Paints
Texture Paste
IndigoBlu Fairway to Heaven stamp
IndigoBlu Tree from Nature 1
Ice Resin
Dad Lettering
And erm... two of Rob's Tees...and a golf ball!!! ;)

I'm entering this into this month's Craft Stamper Challenge ...
The theme is TEXTURE

Anything but Cute - Make it Masculine

Happy Crafting
Lydia xx