Thursday 30 October 2014

Any Old Iron !

Hi everyone, Ruth here to say thanks for all the wonderful spooky entries for our last challenge 'Halloween', the winner will be announced Saturday 1st Nov.

For our next challenge I have a photo inspiration! When I was on holiday recently I just had to take a picture of the texture on this wonderfully rusty door on the harbour, so the theme this time is based on Rust....use the lovely rusty colours of orange, brown, even reds or maybe rusting techniques..rusting powder...embossing powders...or maybe that wonderful knobbly, bobbly texture is inspiring? Interpret how you like as long as we can see how you have been inspired. 

Please remember we are a mixed media challenge, you must include rubber stamping and no digi images. You can check out the challenge rules at the top of the blog. Unfortunately, some entries for the last challenge had to be disqualified as they weren't followed. 
 
We can't wait to see what you come up with but to start you off, here's some inspiration from the design team.






                                                                       Annie
                                                 



Thursday 23 October 2014

Exchange Day - Golden Glass Bead Gel

Hi everyone, Ruth here with this weeks ATP Exchange day. This week I've been having fun with Golden Glass Bead Gel....which some may have noticed I rather like using! I've created two journal pages, incorporating a couple of my 'explorations' that I'm going to share with you. Warning this is a photo heavy post...


Golden Glass Bead Gel is another way of creating texture in your projects. It's an acrylic medium that incorporates tiny glass beads in it. If you zoom in you can see how small the beads are. It dries clear and is surprisingly flexible once dry. It still has some 'spring' to it, probably because of the gel medium it's in. I even managed to stitch through it on the journal pages.....going very carefully mind you.



I started off by spreading it through stencils onto plain manilla tags. I used TCW stencil Garden Gate and the Prima doily stencil and you may notice on the first tag that I hadn't cleaned my stencil very well!




You can see how it's starting to dry clear in this next photo.


Once dry they can be coloured in a variety of ways.


On this tag I've used a wash of Fresco paint in Beach Hut. Inks or translucent paints will still show the base of whatever is underneath the bead gel.


Some of the paint will pool around the gel creating more definition.


On this I've used Distress Inks in tattered rose and salty ocean but decided I wanted more colour and used Prima colour blooms in Iris and Glistening waves on top.


A nice effect is created because the Distress Inks react with water based products.


Of course anything opaque will cover up whats underneath but can also give more definition to the beads. I've used treasure gold on half the tag and I have to admit this effect is a favourite.

Lastly on translucent's you can colour the surface below and then accentuate with a darker ink. I had some Cinnamon Brown Luminarte silk acrylic glaze on my mat and swiped 2 tags with it, one is slightly lighter as I had mixed some water with it to mop up.




Using walnut stain Distress Ink on the tag on the right.



Stamped images can also be seen clearly as the bead gel is so fine. So fun with translucents but something I hadn't tried before was mixing it with paints. So a small amount of various paint was mixed with bead gel.


Sorry bit of a blurred photo. The left hand tag has on the left French Roast (translucent) and bottom right Squid Ink (opaque). The top right of the tag has Golden acrylics Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold (!). The right hand tag, top left System 3 gold acrylic paint and bottom right is cinnamon brown Luminarte silk acrylic glaze.


This one textured but matt....going to change that.


Lovely shiny finish but going to improve that as well.


I've painted the black part of the tag with some gold acrylic and used a dark spray on the gold and a gold spray on the cinnamon brown. The sprays are a mix of dark - Dylusion chocolate and Nutmeg Luminarte primary elements and Lemon Zest Dylusions and Sunflower Luminarte primary elements.



I used some Chocolate Pudding Fresco paint on the centre of this tag. I've also highlighted the peaks with some black archival. Hope you can zoom in and see the lovely texture. These are only my first 'experiments' and I am no expert but hope you've enjoyed seeing the possibilities of this product.

Hope you've stayed with me as I'd just like to quickly share the journal pages I created.


I have to say this is inspired, influenced by a France Papillon recent Journal on Monday she did.


 2 pieces of Chatsworth paper cut to fit my Finnabair vanity Journal. The blue is kitchen roll that was used to mop up some Turquoise Dylusions and then stamped with Sarah Naumann stamps (sets ESN10 and ESN11) in walnut stain and vintage photo Distress ink. The man is from the Tim Holtz Mercantile set.


A wash of snowflake fresco first, some matte medium through TCW chicken wire stencil and Rock candy distress glitter on top, dried and then sanded back slightly. Beach Hut paint then over the glitter.


Another lace stencil from Finnabair (lace doilies and glitter on a mans page?...I think so!). I tore a piece of copy paper in half and then framed the area I wanted to stencil and placed the stencil on top. I've used the same cinnamon brown bead gel mix. various stamping in the Distress Inks mentioned. Some drippage with the sprays used earlier. Fresco paint splats in white, little black dress and beach hut. I've also used Prima Blooms glistening waves drips.


Chit chat stickers and unfortunately I picked up a thick posca pen before I'd realised so the outlines are quite bold...no mistakes in art though! Some dyed ribbon.


 The tag finished off with some string, TH vintage ephemera, and a blog friend kindly sent me some doilies and I've used a piece at the base of the tag (thanks Julie!). Hope you enjoyed a rather long post and are tempted to explore some of the more unusual texture pastes. Don't forget another week to enter our Halloween challenge.

Thanks for stopping by.
Ruth
x

Monday 20 October 2014

Welcome to Toni !

We're starting a new week off with a new DT member here at ATP Exchange. Sadly, Sharon has had to step down from the team, we wish her well for the future.

So, let me introduce you to our new member!

 Toni


 

By day, I’m a part-time peripatetic teacher. Although art was my main subject at teacher training college, my teaching career has been largely in the field of Special Education. I now work with visually impaired children and also teach pottery in a primary school.
 I have a hard working husband and two grown up sons. Luckily for me, my husband loves nothing more than tinkering about with his various old cars and motorbikes. This means that he doesn’t always notice just how much time I spend in my attic craft room!!
I would describe my style as vintage, grunge with a touch of quirkiness thrown in for good measure! I love altering objects and using recycled materials. My ultimate and never ending delight though, has to be exploring the numerous ways, that a single piece of paper, can be transformed into a thing of beauty, with the ‘simple’ addition of a bit of colour.

You can find Toni here at Artistic Craft Dabbler, we hope you will give Toni a warm welcome and we look forward to seeing Toni's fabulous art here at ATP Exchange ! 

Sue 
x





 

Saturday 18 October 2014

Challenge Winners - Anything Goes

We had a fabulous response to our first challenge which made the job of picking the winner and top 3 really tough for the DT ! But we have arrived at a decision and the winner of our first challenge is: 

Kezzy



Congratulations ! 

We loved the beautiful colours of Kezzy's journal pages and for all the details do make sure you hop over to Kezzy's blog Kezzy's Crafty Journey. 

Please email carringtons22@yahoo.co.uk to claim your prize and winners badge.

So now on to the top 3 :








Congratulations everyone ! 

Please email carringtons22@yahoo.co.uk for your top 3 badges. 

Thanks to everyone who entered the Anything Goes challenge, the standard was very high and it was great to see so many entries. 

The current challenge is Halloween at ATP Exchange and it's open until 20:00 on the 30 October so you've got plenty of time to join us ! 

Enjoy your weekend ! 
Sue 










Thursday 16 October 2014

Halloween at ATP Exchange !

Hi Everyone....Its Annie here with the second challenge here at Artist Trading Post Exchange, which is Halloween !!
The DT would like to say a 'huge'Thank You for all the fabulous entries made to our first challenge....we are absolutely thrilled. The winner will be announced on Saturday 18 October.
As always can I just prompt you to read our challenge rules. We are a Mixed Media Challenge, but we also ask that you include rubber stamping in your projects and please no digital images.

 Products are available online or by visiting the store, Artist Trading Post, ( ATP), Wirksworth, Derbyshire.

The winner of the challenge is chosen by the DT and will receive a £10 gift voucher, which they can spend online at ATP. There will also be a top 3.

I am so looking forward to viewing your Halloween projects and of course they can take shape in any form of mixed media, i.e a card, canvas, altered art. Just have fun !!!

Here is my project and just look at the amazing creations by the uber talented DT

Annie





Yvonne




Sue


I hope these fabulous projects have inspired you !

You have until 20:00 on the 29 October to share your spooky projects with us !





Saturday 11 October 2014

All about me - Art Journal Class - 2nd November 2014

Join us on the 2nd of November for this interesting, unique mixed media class with Kasia.

During this class Kasia will show you how to create a stunning, layered and colourful art-journal page with a lot of mixed-media techniques. 

You will learn acrylic image transfers and other alternative ways to transfer images onto your art journal page. I’ll show you how to think outside the box, how to create without any fears and how to enjoy the process

http://creativewirks.co.uk/?page_id=68




Thursday 9 October 2014

Welcome to today's Exchange Day !

Hello, it's Sue here and today is the first of the ATP Exchange Days. On these days one of the team will share their explorations with a product, a technique or a step by step. I'm kicking these days off with a mixture of everything ! I have been fascinated by all the different kinds of books that you can make and was deteremined to have a go ! The book I'm sharing with you today is created from a 12 x 12 piece of card.


I started with a piece of cream card 12 x 12 card, folded it in half and then folded in half again. I then cut along the creases up to the last square alternating which end I started from.


I then spritzed the card using Colour Bloom sprays, I've listed all the materials used at the end of this post. These sprays are gorgeous !


I then did some stamping using some of the new Ellen Vargo stamps with Watering Can and Fern Green Archival inks.


I then turned my attention to the covers, which are made from mount board, I painted them with Toffee Fresco Finish paint and when it was dry I used the Amercana Decor Crackle Medium.


I used cut 'n' dry with Vanilla Fresco Finish paint over the top. Love the crackle ! I found that using the cut'n; dry foam gave a more randon crackle effect.



I spritzed the covers with Worn Leather Colour Bloom spray and rubbed Onyxite Treasure Gold around the edge. 



I then cut some flowers using the Jumbo Tattered Floral die and sprayed them with Sunshine Colour Bloom spray and scrunched the flowers. I also spritzed them with some Worn leather too. 


To shape the flowers I draped them over different size bottles and the ones that I wanted really tight I tied them with some twine. 



I've used twine to fasten the book and before glueing the flower in place I sprayed it with Gilded Colour Bloom.


This is what the book looks like opened out.


I stamped lots of quotes inside the book and used the Dylusions Fancy Florals stamps and I've painted them with Luminarte paints. These paints blend beautifully and as they are designed to stay 'open' for longer you have plenty of time to work with them and can go back over the colours with just a damp brush to blend even further.


I also added some script stamping using a stamp from the PaperArtsy HotPicks HP1303EZ.


It was a little difficult to get a shot of the whole thing as it's so wide !

This was great fun to make and I hope you've enjoyed it too !

Sue
x

Materials used
Colour Bloom Sprays 
Worn Leather
Sunshine
Lime Wedge
Pressed Petal
Gilded

Luminarte Paints
Ginger Peach
Spicy Tomato
Spiced Pumpkin
Love Struck

Dylusions - Fancy Florals
Archival inks - Watering Can, Fern Green, black

Tim Holtz stamps
Going Somewhere
Good Thoughts
Stuff to Say
Merchantile

Tim Holtz - Jumbo Tattered Foral die

Ellen Vargo - EEV09
Fresco Finish paint - Vanilla; Toffee
PaperArtsy HotPicks HP1303EZ.

Treasure Gold - Onyxite

Americana Decor Crackle Medium