Olive + Blue colour combo challenge

Well. It has been interesting. After mixing up the various shades of Olive Green, I now looked at my paint stash for an ICY BLUE. Nothing fit the boll, so I grabbed some Dyna Blue, some white and some Iridescent medium. Not sure I really needed the medium, but I had it so I whacked some in.

I think that fits the bill. So then what? I had recently unearthed my wallpaper samples and the texture plates I made from them years ago. I had set myself a further challenge to only use these two colours with the addition of black and white to created various shades and then as a pop. I Allowed a final colour to add some drama. So I first did the icy blue over the olive with a swirly wallpaper like a stamp, then sponged on some lightened olive

Back to the wallpaper and a lighter blue, then more icy blue lines rolled on with that PlayDoh tool I use so often and darker olive with a PM Artists Studio stencil

It’s all looking not to bad, I think.

Time for a bit of drama, with black asemic writing stenciled on then white spatters.

I really kinda like that. But I wanted to do as in the video and add a really contrasting pop of colour. I thought of violet rather than red (I only have a few reds and two are transparent!) so I stamped that on. I am loving this foam stamp I made as the position of the circles lets me nestle them together fo a more overall design, if I am careful how I position the stamp.

So yeah, not bad really. I MIGHT have liked it better without the violet but I don’t hate the final outcome. I am scheduling this post but I’ll edit and update if I get any word of the transport of Son + Cat.

{sigh}

V is for VIOLET – another Gelli bird

As I have mentioned, my first Gelli bird got crushed in a house move. So sad.

One of my favourites – my GelliBird!

Well, the V: VIOLET challenge for the Gelli Arts ABC Printing Challenge struck a chord. I mean, I did make those fun alcohol ink pieces I shared yesterday, but they were just samples, not what I am really bad at, Print to Project. Looking over them, I realized I could quite easily use one of those pieces in a bird project I was considering for V: Violet. So I did!

I heavily edited my bird template in a few ways. I always created a box to add behind the base, to make it more stable, but I was able to add one to the base so it is part of the template itself, also altering the cut lines and crease line so it all worked. Result! I also made the outline curvy and got rid of virtually all the harsh angle. In the end the only bit I preserved was the two angled cuts that join the flat piece into a 3D shape.

I ended up using the same stencil from the alcohol ink play to create kinda feathery patterns on the wings and the body, in purples and gold.

and finally, I added the alcohol ink on contact paper from yesterday to the base. That gave it more weight at the bottom and offered more stability.

All it needed was a few finishing touches, including using up some of the gem swirls I pulled out for the repair of my doll banner!

all I had left in the end!

And the final bird:

Pretty darn happy with that.

WOYWW tomorrow. I think I missed a few people at the end of the list so will check that and visit, so I can start fresh in the morning with the new list. Hopefully, now my back is a bit better, I can scamper up the ladder and hang the doll banner and share that in place as well as a tidy desk.

H is for hexagon but…

…no hexagonal plate! I considered using a mask to block all but a hexagon shape, but then I remembered my high school Geometry class – it reminded me a hexagon is basically just a series of triangles. And I DO have a triangular plate! Woo hoo!

I grabbed it, some blues and greens, and a stencil, then set about creating my hexagon

For some reason my paint is beading up more than I would like – maybe it is that I am using too much, maybe it is because the brayer needs cleaning or it is the wrong one? I got there in the end but it could have been better.

Then I decided to try a different version. Bearing in mind there are workmen constantly wanting cups of coffee or tea or needing me to move something or have questions, I kept both getting interrupted and rushing to finish, it wasn’t awful, but not my tidiest work. Again, something I will play with again. I men, I know the mica works, but certain colours work better and certain paints work better to pull them off. I think I would love to try some sort of higher contrast version at some point, but not this week for sure!

Th tipped version is more about trying to capture the shimmer of the mica. The next one shows more the stencil patterns and colours.

WOYWW tomorrow. I did not manage a single desk last week and that might be the first time ever I joined but did not comment. I will probably join, if only to show how stark a contrast my room is now to usual but they will be working in there (I think) so time will tell if I get to my desk – or have internet if the server room is shut down. It will be quite a relief to have THAT done as it is one of the critical “business” room in the house, one of many LOL!

More ABC Challenge, if a bit late and out of order…

Not managing to do the challenge on the day, cause of the chaos. But I did have a go at something I was keen to try, image transfer on fabric. Now, to be fair, my transfer was on the smooth side of a scrap of leather, one that I got in the grab-bag when the local glove factory closed down. It worked pretty much as you would expect it to!

You can see how clear the transfer was.

So the issue might be how waterproof the image is. In this case I tried heat-setting it with my embossing gun, then tried wiping the paint away with a baby wipe. I mean, you aren’t going to toss a leather anything in the washing machine, now are you? The paint didn’t move.

I pulled the image off without adding more paint, so the image is not as dark as I maybe would like, but it works for me.

I think this could work as a patch on a jacket, for example, but I do have a few ideas to also try:

• will it work on materials other than leather?
• would it be more permanent if the image was transferred using something like clear gesso?
• what about gel medium instead? what about sealing it with Fabric Mod Podge?
• …

So yeah, I am thinking this challenge is doing what it says on the tin – challenge participants to push the edges of the envelope and try crazy new things. Love that!

Seems I did I: Image Transfer here but I am not really claiming double days, so I still need to have another go at that with a different sort of technique…

Still up to my eyeballs in it.

It is slow going. Every time it seems I find a home for something, I think of a reason why that is not the right place. Not enough progress has been made to share. But I will share a very quick print Imade for the Gelli Arts #abcprintingchallenge . This is for E: Exotic. And if you read here often I am sure you know where my mind went. Yep:

The Tiger King himself. I just thought the little strip of numbers at the top reminded me of the mug shot placard, and it all just came together in my head. Just a simple image transfer, but not one pulled off with additional paint, just transferred to the plate then stamped off as another layer to the very layered pull. Kinda funky combo, fluorescent green, Naples yellow hue, Permannt Rose and hummmm – something maroon-y. I think it’s packed away for now.

Anyway, it was a very quick thing mostly homemade things. My glue gun stencil, a stencil cut in a sort of empty globe shape, a stamp made from one of the fat Ranger dies, an alphabet one, and one made from fun foam. I love it and am a bit sad I am sure I can never recreate it. Kinda wished I had scanned it before I added the image transfer. Oh well, live ans learn…

Hoping I can squeeze in another quick one tomorrow for F: FABRIC. I think I am a day or two behind, but it cannot be helped. I just saw a brilliant sample video for G: GEOMETRIC too that was just lovely, so really hoping the weekend offers me at least a tiny bit of crafty time. Fingers crossed!!

Gelli ABC PrintingChallenge – day 2

The challenge for the day in Black/Brown. Pretty wide open, that. Considering my supplies, I remembered that I have a lot of Alcohol Inks in shades of brown. I think I used a lot of the old Ranger ones in the brighter colours so what is left is 100 shades of … well, I won’t say. You know.

I collected them all up, and a stencil that worked (ie a nice mix of open areas and lines)

Because the stencil is one I cut myself, I also have the surround, so I used that to contain the colours, although it is probably really hard to see since it is clear!

Loved the print I pulled.

All I had to do was trim it to size, dust the edges with some black ink to set it off, and I was done.

Only Day 2, but so far it is feeling do-able even during the window chaos. Here’s hoping….

WOYWW tomorrow and my windows will look just the same as they are one of the easier ones to sort and I am saving that for the weekend!

Let the chaos begin! But still creating….maybe

Well. This week we will be all about the prep for the window replacement. NOT looking forward to it on the one hand, cannot wait on the other. Clearly, with the sharp increase in heating costs, new double-glazed windows should offer great savings but time will tell. BUT I need to clear my desk in front of the window and in fact all of the window areas need to be cleared. Ugh. The Hubster’s office and the server room will be the biggest challenge, but no room is completely challenge free. I mean, you have seen my desks, right? And this tight shot doesn’t reveal the whole picture either.

I am hoping I will have my main desk in some reasonable shape, and if so I can do a small thing every day. The plan is the #ABCPrintingChallenge #GelliArts (and yeah, I don’t do hashtags and Insta, really, so not sure how that will work, adding it in here) because it looks fun and I am enjoying gel printing again.

I did the A: Alphabet one on the first so will add that here:

Yep. Vaseline Resist thru a stencil + Distress Oxides on the small round plate. The resulting print, which was on vellum (got a lot, need to use it up!) was mounted to a book page then cardboard to create a cover for a book that will house all the samples. More on that at some point.

I kinda had the idea I might detail the technique I use on the back of each sample, so it becomes a reference book, but I’ll have to see if that makes sense. Just reviewing the list reveals not a lot if surprises, to be fair. I could use my first sample for C: Circles, R: Rainbow, and L: Layers. I already have an idea for B: Black/Brown that would also do for S: Stencils (Handmade) so the challenge will be to shoot for innovation or something NEW. Again, I have a few ideas, looking ahead, but we will see if they bear fruit.

Just as an aside, my track record with WOYWW visits has been awful lately. I get busy, and the limited time I have gets spent crafting. I can’t give it up, ‘tho, and still do my best to get round the desks, even if it takes me a week to manage it. What I really need is a time-management method LOL! Although, stopping in my tracks every day for the Mom&Maddie Movie Meet-up every afternoon all summer has seriously eaten in to my desk time. Excuses, excuses. I know. Must do better….

A Black & White book

Many moons ago I made a book that was kind see-thru, with a bit of solid card added behind, to block the light and add another dimension to the project. It was one of my favourite books ever and I decided te revisit the idea for a B&W challenge on the Mixed Media Emporium. I began with an A2 sheet of tracing paper (like vellum, sort of( and made a masterboard with black and white paint, using mostly my own handmade stamps.

• 

• 

A couple of close-ups for you:

• 

• 

I folded and cut the pages, zine-like, but added a canvas-tape spine and a 3-hole pamphlet stitch binding because the tracing paper was a bit more fragile then actual vellum would have been. I wanted the size, so the pages would turn out about 4 x 6 inches. I printed some quotes, white text on a black swirl and black text on white circles, then put it all together. Here is a selection of the pages:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

And the cover:

The pages really come to life when you look at them in front of a bright window, where the solid elements block the light and create interesting shadows, mixed with the different levels of opaqueness of the paint:

• 

• 

The whole thing was a bit of fun – I really enjoyed making the masterboard and working just in B&W was interesting.

Still dithering over the junk journal. I was trying to make it work out in some way to cover the 1/2 year remaining (so like 26 weeks or 6 months maybe) but the page count just was not working out. So I am a bit stumped. Might just have to take the plunge and see where it takes me. But not yet – the weekend is for cards!

SDC 111 – Color Challenge

This week the SDC challenge is a colour one, yellow, orange and purple.  Funnily enough I used those colours for an OLD challenge, using iris folding (just about the only iris folding I have ever done!)

That was SDC 8 (!) and PURPLE.  This challenge is 111.  I’ve not done EVERY one but I have done a LOT of them yet never once have  I won the draw.  To be honest I’m not even sure if I am eligible – or in fact if it would be worth winning – as I live out of the USA.  It would be lovely if the winner was outside of the USA and were able to collect the “prize” from an in-country shop that sells the stamps.  I so need some new ones but haven’t been able to do mu usual $100 order delivered to wherever we are in the USA.  But my in-laws are due for a visit in November so there is hope.

Anyway, here is THIS challenge project.

It’s another note card holder, but resolving one problem with the usual one .

It always irritated me that if you pick up the original one, and by chance turn it upside down, all the cards and envelopes fall out, due to the opening being at the top. This way, with the opening in the middle, that doesn’t happen.  BUT, the stuff does tend to shift towards the middle/spine when you open it, although I guess I find that preferable to them all tumbling out on to the floor!

Really the only change you need to make is to make the bottom flap equal to the middle section.

You still cut away the sides, it’s just a bigger area!  This also solves the other niggle I had, which is the pocket, when attached in the common way, by the little side flaps, tends to let the cards catch on the flap.  Or at least it does for me.  Making the pocket a solid piece, attached at the back, makes putting in and taking out the cards just a little smoother.

Then I made a set of note cards.  I was looking for some “clean and simple” way to make cute notecards and that left out my USUAL method of dealing with the Stampotique images (Copic colouring) and making the Word Search printables gave me this idea.  It may need some refining, but I like them well enough the way they are to post them.

A close-up may help you see better what is going on!

The process is actually easier than you may think, and I will try to work thru it and capture the steps for you then add them tomorrow for WOYWW, as I have some other ideas for the technique and that is def. what will be on my W on W!

SDC75 – paint

Managed to finish the SDC for the week – paint!

I chose the theme for this week’s challenge in honor of my amazing grandmother. She can paint with any medium, and so can you – acrylics, watercolors, daubers, whatever your little heart desires. Just use same sort of PAINT on your project this week!

So the interpretation of PAINT is quite broad, thank goodness, and I was able to try our a few things that I think work well and a couple that work less well.

Here is the card front:

The “paint” I used was the Distress Stain daubers, and a little black acrylic paint.  The background is dauber splats (you know, just thumping the sponge tip down on the paper with FORCE to make a splat!), the black circles are an old lid dipped in black paint, and the number strip and the girl are both made by using the dauber directly onto the stamp.

The girl had most of the surface daubed with Vintage Photo (except her lips, which was, unsurprisingly, Worn Lipstick) then stamped.  I let is dry, a bit, then used a water brush to spread the colour into the white areas.  I added a smidge of Antique linen to the brush to do her face.

I thought it turned out great, so then tried to do a second head, to complete my card idea, using a mix of Mustard Seed and Vintage photo on the stamp.  Not so good a result, but just about acceptable:

I think the yellow dauber was maybe too wet, because I tried doing the brown first than LIGHTLY touching over it with the yellow, aiming to get the brown lines, but the yellow just ran, a bit.  I think a better method might have been to do the brown, let it mostly dry, then paint ever so lightly with the yellow.  But as I always say, I make the mistakes so you don’t have to, and not showing the first attempt is disingenuous.

As you can see it is an easel card.  The send figure is inside, but appears to be on the front once you engage the easel effect.  I also think, had I had my wits about me and slightly smaller stamps (or maybe a bigger circle) I would have made it SO THANKFUL so it became a THANKSGIVING card instead.  Hindsight is always 20/20 isn’t it?

Man, I so need some new Stampotique stamps…. Is Santa reading?