Recycled Bottle and Glass Mixed Media with Powertex

I simply love to recycle, upcycle and repurpose so this project using a recycled wine bottle and a set of cheap cocktail glasses from the charity shop was a perfect project for me. I also used some of my old T shirts and fabric scraps too.

This set is now perfect for any festive or celebratory occasion. The bottle could be used either as a decanter (by using with a bottle stopper or cork) or used with a slim candle to adorn the table. Using Powertex enables items to be easily washed too.

Materials used:

• Recycled wine bottle, set of old cocktail glasses
• Recycled T shirt and cotton sheet, knitted fabric, canvas mesh and hessian (burlap) scraps
• Kitchen paper
• Plaster figurine small face
• 3D Sand
• Stone Art
• Mixed silicone moulds from my stash – leaves and fruit (mainly from Katy Sue Designs)
• Synthetic Brushes
• Powertex Fabric Hardener: Blue, Bronze, Ivory and Transparent
• Ready Mixed Bister Liquids: Brown, Red
• Powercolor Pigments: Ultramarine, Burgundy, Titanium White
• Colotricx Pigment: Rich Gold
• The Secret Art Loft Pigments: Green Ginger, Violet Valentine, Blue Curacao, Limoncello Gold, Tequila Sunrise
• The Secret Art Loft Acrylic Paints: Lemon Meringue, Raspberry Sorbet, Plum Pudding, Blueberry Pie, Mint Jelly, Key Lime, Orange Marmalade
• Easy Varnish

How it was done:

The bottle was actually a project that I started on my level 1 Powertex Tutor training. I was fairly happy with it but I had always wanted to take it a few steps further. I am definitely a ‘more is more’ type of girl and I wanted to add extra embellishments to complete it – but what? Sadly it got confined to the corner for over a year before the idea finally came to me when I came home from the charity shop with my set of cocktail glasses.

The lemon coloured glasses inspired citrus, the blue coloured glasses inspired berries – yay – off we go!

Starting with my bottle: Blue Powertex medium was used to coat recycled T shirt fabrics and hessian which was draped around the bottle to give texture. Kitchen paper was separated into single ply and blue Powertex was used to glue it around the neck of the bottle to give added texture. Blue Powertex was also used to paint and glue the plaster face.

Eeeek – I was freaking out a bit this stage as it looked awful. I will say that this was part of the training. We were given a few challenges! The blue is a gorgeous colour but not necessarily the easiest for your first ventures. If you are a beginner I would recommend starting with Bronze Powertex and colouring as I did for the blue glasses as given below; achieving a similar final result with less palpitations – tee hee.

Spritzing with Brown and Red Bister gave a nice purple muted effect which was lovely, and also blended in the darker T shirt material nicely. Powercolor and Colortricx Pigments were mixed with Easy Varnish and dry brushed over the piece to highlight textures. The dry brushing really does make so much difference! Ooooh much happier now, but as I said – it needed more work in my mind.

Now for the embellishments: With fruit embellishments in mind I mixed up some Stone Art with Ivory Powertex to make a clay and used silicone moulds to make citrus slices, nuts, leaves and berries. Once dry I used Secret Art Loft Acrylics to paint them.

When painting the fruit slices the outer ring of pith was left unpainted. Dry brushing with Ivory Powertex was used to highlight the central pith texture and make the lemon slices look more realistic.

The same with the orange slices.

The berries and nuts were also painted with Secret Art Loft Acrylics. I mixed colours to give a more naturalistic look.

Varying colour mixes and depth.

Purples, pinks, oranges and green mixes were used to colour the berries. Once coated with varnish (last steps) they looked quite realistic.

Various fruits, nuts and leaves were used to embellish the bottle. Items were stuck down using Transparent Powertex. Where needed 3D sand was mixed with Bronze Powertex in order to make a 3D glue to stick down shaped embellishments on the textural surface.

Yay – fulfilling my ‘more is more’ – ha ha.

Secret Art Loft pigments were mixed with varnish and were dry brushed over textured areas and over the berries to give extra pearlescent sheen.

Coloured Powertex is weatherproof and therefore washable. Acrylic paint layers were further protected by painting with Easy varnish to ensure that the bottle was fully washable. The varnish also enhanced the painting and gave the fruits and berries a lovely sheen. Happy bunny.

Next to decorate the glasses: I collected together varied textural fabrics. The blue background is my plastic shower curtain that I use to cover my bench – joyous messiness evident!

The glass stems and base of the bowls were painted with a coat of bronze Powertex. Any drips were removed with a damp cloth. T shirt fabric was cut into strips and stretched to make a ‘cord’ for wrapping the stems. More fabrics and T shirt strips were coated with Bronze Powertex and wrapped around the glass bowls. The T shirt cord held everything in place around the top of the glasses while drying. I applied the main 3D texture just to one face, leaving the backs flatter (otherwise they might get in the way when drinking from the glasses). The smoother stems made them easy and comfortable to hold.

The blue glasses were embellished with berries and textures enhanced with dry brushing using the blue/purple toned Secret Art Loft Pigments.

Oooh yummy.

The yellow glasses were embellished with citrus slices and textures enhanced with dry brushing using the citrus and gold toned Secret Art Loft Pigments.

More yummy.

I hope that you like my celebratory table set. I really enjoy making these – and using now them – special glasses seem to make the contents more special too.

Happy crafting, Anne x.

Flower Girl Figurine Garden Sculpture with Powertex

This is my first attempt at a figurine. She took me a long time to finally get finished, having started her over a year ago at my Level 1 Powertex Tutor Training! Now that she is finally done I love my Flower Girl – and I call her ‘Bestower of Beauty’.

She stands approx. 49cm high.

Materials used:

• Powertex Fabric Hardener: Bronze
• Wooden Base
• Grace Plaster Head – European Collection
• Recycled Textile Yarn (T shirt Yarn), mixed recycled crochet and cotton fabrics, Stockinette and lace strips
• Tin foil, masking tape, toilet roll inner card tube
• Powercotton
• Stone Art
• 3D Sand and Balls
• Silicone Moulds: Daisies and Leaves Mould Set, small daisy and fern (from my stash)
• Powercolor Pigments: Ultramarine, Green and Titanium White
• Colortricx Pigments: Bronze Gold
• The Secret Art Loft Pigments: Lipstick Fizz, Green Ginger, Blue Curacao, Interference Blue, Mojito Lime, Interference Lilac, Violet Valentine, Limoncello Gold
• Easy Varnish

How it was done:

The body was shaped over the wooden pole using the card inner tube stuffed and wrapped with foil and covered with masking tape. The plaster head was taped onto the top.

T shirt yarn was then wound tightly around the torso and down to the base of the pole. I made a bit of a decorative wrap over the torso to create the dress bodice. The whole thing was then given a coat of Bronze Powertex, working it well into the fabric.

 

Fabrics were then coated with Powertex and draped over the body to create the clothing. I used a knitted fabric (Stockinette) to create the illusion of arms by allowing the knit to curl around on itself to give dimension.

A small amount of Power Cotton was added to make small hair plaits draped over her shoulder, and fine lace added to make a headdress. Another piece of T shirt yarn was used to create a tie belt and helped to hold the skirt securely in place. The crochet skirt was draped down and over the base.

During the training course I started the dry brushing technique, mixing pigments into Easy Varnish, to add some colour and bring out the different textures. I used Bronze Colortricx to colour the face, shoulders and hair, plus to add colour around the base. Blue and green Powercolors were used (mixed with a little white) to dry brush and highlight clothing texture.

I was delighted with what I had achieved but came home with my figurine always intending to add more colour (you know how I LOVE colour) and floral embellishments to turn her into a gorgeous flower girl. Sadly she sat in the corner for around a year before I finally pulled her back onto my work bench!

I began by adding much more colour, intense in places, to colour her clothing using the new colours from The Secret Art Loft. I tried to keep most of this colour to the top layers of texture so as to keep depth in the fabric folds. I also added more colour to her face and lips, plus a little shading over the eye lids.

Flower and leaf embellishments were created using Art Stone mixed with Powertex to make a clay which was pressed into silicone moulds. When dry they were coloured with Secret Art Loft Pigments mixed with Easy Varnish and glued in place with Powertex. I also created a suggestion of arms and hands using Stone Art clay. The bad modelling was disguised by carefully placing the bouquet of flowers in her arms – ha ha.

The flowers were also applied onto her dress and down around the base. More texture was added to the base by sprinkling 3D Sand & Balls into wet Powertex.

I spiralled the flowers down and around the hem of her skirt.

Here you can see lots of textures in her outfit, and pretty coloured flowers in her hair.

Another view showing her back.

She looks beautiful standing in the garden. Although she is weather proof I would definitely have to add extra weight (e.g. a concrete base) or add a small garden spike to the base, as she is very vulnerable to toppling over in the wind. I am going to be keeping her indoors so she will be ok as she is.

 

However, she does look gorgeous alongside my unicorn! I might change my mind and adapt the base for outdoors – sure that I have a bit of broken paving slab somewhere – that would do the trick.

I hope that you like my ‘Bestower of Beauty’.

Bye for now, Anne x.

Powertex Mixed Media Shows on Hochanda TV Tomorrow

Tracey is back on Hochanda tomorrow (1 Feb) with more mixed media fun using Powertex.

 

I have had great fun helping out with samples and have to say that the kits are fabulous. Here is a little sneaky peek of one of my samples.

 

Live show times are 12 and 4pm – Freeview Channel 85 (or watch online via their website).

 

Bye for now, Anne x.

Mixed Media Floral Canvas

Hi all. Today I am sharing a floral mixed media canvas. I started it just over a year ago and it had been sitting as a ‘UFO’ ever since. I usually continue with a project until it is finished, but must admit that if it gets put away before finishing I find it very difficult to get it back on track. So pleased that I dug it back out and got inspired to complete it.

I started working on this at Powertex Headquarters as part of my Level 1 training. I have to say that it was a fabulous couple of days where Tracey took us through a whole host of fabulous techniques.

Black Powertex was used to coat a 12 X 12 primed and stretched canvas. Various fabrics, pieces of lace, kitchen paper and Paper Decoration (White) were coated with Powertex and laid onto the canvas. Small polycarbonate test tubes were covered in cling film (to protect) and incorporated into the canvas. The layers were left to dry before working on the next stages. I also coated the little wooden canvas stretchers to make am area for maybe adding text.

Various pigment colours were mixed and applied with Easy Varnish (Powercolor: Burgundy, Ultramarine, White; Colortricx: Rich Gold and Powerpearl). Initially I was unhappy with the results as everything appeared too dark. I am definitely a colour girl. After some thought I drizzled on some Green Powercolor in Varnish diluted with a little water to make more of a wash. Oooh – much happier.

This was the stage at which it was almost finished but I still wasn’t happy with it – hence it sat in the cupboard for a year. I really thought that it needed more decoration and building up with embellishments. I collected together some MDF cogs (already treated with Black Powertex and rubbed over with gold gilding wax), die cut birds, silk flowers and air dry clay flowers created with silicone moulds from my stash. I also had a stash of moulded flowers created with pearlescent acrylic modelling paste (I put some turquoise glitter in the moulds while making these – yay bling).

I added more colour to the canvas using the new Metallic Inks from the Secret Art Loft (Aqua and Golden).

The paper clay and card embellishments were coated with Black Powertex before sticking down. Where needed I used Easy Structure Paste tinted with Powertex to make a 3D glue for sticking down.

The sentiment (from Chocolate Baroque) was stamped onto card with Versamark (Onyx Black) and applied with Easycoat Matt Medium to glue and seal. The pine cones were treated with Bronze Powertex and rubbed over with gold gilding wax. Beginning to love it now.

I continued building layers of embellishments and also added some created with yellow tinted clay and treated with Transparent Powertex. I liked the pop of complimentary colour. More colour was also added to Varnish and dry brushed over the textural surfaces. I really love the new Secret Art Loft Pigments (Interference Lilac, Limoncello Gold, Violet Valentine), they are so vibrant over dark backgrounds.

The silk flowers were treated with Black Powertex and dry brushed with Violet Valentine and Interference Lilac Pigments. Clear varnish was applied over the yellow flowers and the acrylic embellishments to seal. A little Glossy Accents was applied over the sentiment to emphasise.

I was really chuffed with the final piece. I hope that you like it too.

The great thing about this canvas is that the faux flowers can be removed and replaced with real ones (the tubes are removable and can be filled with a little water). I was initially planning to hang the canvas at an angle but I rather like this orientation with the flowers going at 45 degrees.

Well that’s all for today. Back with more creations soon, Anne x.

Mixed Media Floral Candle Bowl

Hi All. Today I am sharing a couple of upcycling projects. I have revamped an old chipped crackle glass bowl into a gorgeous faux candle holder and my old egg timer, over 20 years old and really looking very shabby. I love to revamp and upcycle items that otherwise may have been fit only for the bin.

Here is my finished bowl – I just love it now. I didn’t want to completely cover the pretty crackle glass and I thought a faux electric candle would be a perfect shimmering through.

I gathered together some recycled old cotton bedding, tore it into strips and treated with Black Powertex to make the textured side panels. 3D Sand and Balls were applied into the wet Powertex for more texture.

A recycled T shirt was cut into strips and stretched to create cords (it forms a cord when pulled). These were then Powertex treated and coiled around the rim to add strength and to cover up the chipped edge. Any drips on the glass panels were removed with a damp cloth to keep them clear.

I had several large flowers and leaves in my stash that had been created with air dry clay and silicone moulds. These were coated with Black Powertex and applied around the rim of the bowl. I used some Easy Structure paste tinted with Powertex as a 3D glue to apply them onto the uneven shaped surface.

Then came the colouring fun. I used Silver Colortricx and several of the new colours from the Secret Art Loft (Interference Blue, Interference Lilac and Mojito Lime). I mixed them with Easy Varnish and applied by dry brushing to pick up and emphasise the textures. I just love these new colours and they work fabulously on dark backgrounds.

This is my poor old egg timer. Definitely seen better days and it was coming to pieces a little too.

I took it completely apart for revamping so that I could get everything well stuck down and access all the parts for painting.

I painted all the components with a couple of layers of Black Powertex, along with a couple of air dry clay flowers. I chose a flower shape with a fairly flat top so that they could be placed on each end and not fall over.

Ta da. I love my new egg timer. Should be good for another 20 years now. I added a little dry brushing with Colortricx Silver and Interference Violet Pigments to add shimmer and bring out the texture.

Bye for now. Hope to have more to share soon, Anne x.

Unicorn Blessings

Hi all, today I am sharing one of my projects created during the Powertex Garden Party in July. It was an amazing weekend and I went along with my ex’s lovely daughter Marie. Living far apart we rarely get the chance to be together – so it was extra special to have a whole weekend creating together.

Others also came along with friends or family but many came along on their own. Some were familiar with Powertex and some, like Marie, were completely new to the medium. Whether experienced or not, travelling with friends or alone, the Team at Powertex were wonderfully inviting and everyone soon felt relaxed and eager to get started. Tracey gave us all fabulous instructions to help us along the way. It was a wonderfully relaxed weekend and we made many new friends.

One of the projects was to create a Unicorn (or pony if preferred). We were taken through the process and instructed on the appropriate media to create a fully weatherproof piece that could be used as a garden ornament.

We were all give a Metal Base with attached MDF Unicorn Template which had already been wrapped with masking tape ready for working.

The first step was to paint the whole with a base layer of Bronze Powertex. Then layers of Powertex clay (created with Powertex and Stone Art) were built onto the surface and texturised using wooden print blocks and various tools. The Team had kindly mixed up the clay ready for us to use.

We then had a choice of floral silicone moulds to use to make pretty clay embellishments. I chose the lovely Daisy Moulds.

Next we treated Powercotton fibres with Powertex to create the mane and tail. Pigment colours were used to add colour. I chose to blend a mix of Ultramarine and Titanium White, plus Burgundy and Titanium White Powercolors, mixed with Easy Varnish and a little water to create a blended colour wash.

Next we dry brushed more colour over the surface to pick up and emphasise the texture. I used Colortricx in Silver.

When I got home I added a bit more colouring by dry brushing with Rich Gold Colortricx and Interference Violet (Secret Art Loft Pigment).

If you know me you will know that I cannot resist a bit of bling. I just had to try adding glitter to the varnish and painted this onto the tail and mane. I used a holographic silvery glitter designed to be added to household paint. In theory it should be weatherproof when embedded in the Easy Varnish (will see how it holds up after she is installed in the garden). Oooooh I love her.

Note: There is a Unicorn Dreams Project Pack available which contains everything needed to create your own magical Unicorn – includes metal base, MDF Unicorn, Powertex, Art Stone, Flower Mould, Pigments, Varnish and instructions.

I also decided to add a little more texture to the base. I added a rough layer of clay and pressed in a crackle textured rubber stamp. I also added 3D Sand and Balls. Finally I treated a few stiff hessian threads with Powertex and pushed them into the clay to create grassy fronds. Various colours were dry brushed over the surface to blend in the base colours with the rest of the project.

Here is Marie’s amazing Unicorn. Truly fantastic.

We all had so much fun and between us created an amazing array of very different takes on this theme. All wonderful.

Sending Unicorn Blessings, Anne x.

Nothing to Fear Mixed Media Canvas

Hi all, today I am sharing one of my projects created during the Powertex Garden Party in July. It was an amazing weekend and I went along with my ex’s lovely daughter Marie. Living far apart we rarely get the chance to be together – so it was extra special to have a whole weekend crafting together.

Others also came along with friends or family but many came along on their own. Some were familiar with Powertex and some, like Marie, were completely new to the medium. Whether experienced or not, travelling with friends or alone, the Team at Powertex were wonderfully inviting and everyone soon felt relaxed and eager to get started. Tracey gave us all fabulous instructions to help us along the way. It was a wonderfully relaxed weekend and we made many new friends.

The huge display of different projects from the Powertex Team on display around the gardens was simply amazing.

The theme for this weeks Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is ‘anything but a card’ – so I have entered this one.

I completed most of this canvas project during the weekend but you know me – I just had to add a more embellishments and bling when I got home. We had great fun creating layers of texture and colour.

We first painted our 12 X 12 inch canvas with Black Powertex onto which we then built additional layers. We applied background texture layers with Powertex treated recycled corrugate card and mesh canvas. We then created a ‘dirty mix’ using Black Powertex, Stone Art, 3D Sand and Balls and applied to the canvas, adding more texture by pushing in and stamping with mark making tools etc. (sticks, bottle tops etc.).

The Team then provided us with a ready made mix of Easy 3D Flex and Ivory Powertex. This medium provides a gorgeous crackle texture on drying.

We were also provided with a small MDF frame and choice of small plaster embellishment. I chose to use a skull. We were helped and advised along the way on the easiest layout of different textures and elements for a successful arrangement.

I added more texture to my frame with Easy 3D Flex and small Sand and Balls. You can see the marvellous cracks that develop – yummy. We then chose from a range of Secret Art Loft Acrylic Ink and Paints for colouring. I chose a mix of turquoise, pinks and yellows (Acrylic Paints – Raspberry Sorbet, Lemon Meringue, Blueberry Pie; Acrylic Inks – Raspberry, Metallic Aqua and Aqua). These paints and inks are gorgeous and allow you to build up lots of layers of transparent colour. I used Colortricx Silver in Easy Varnish for some of the dry brushing to enhance textures.

On getting home I added more embellishments to my canvas – die cut birds, clock, circles and rings (cut from recycled thick card). I also used the Daisies Silicone Mould to make flowers and leaves from Powertex Clay (made with Ivory Powertex and Stone Art). The embellishments were painted with Black Powertex before sticking down. I also used some Easy Structure Paste tinted with a bit of Black Powertex as a 3D ‘glue’ to stick down elements on uneven highly textured areas.

I used some stamps from my stash to create the sentiments (using Versamark Onyx Black Ink) and used Easycoat Matt to stick them down and seal.

I finished with more layers of pigment and varnish, applying with a dry brush to highlight textures. I adore the new range of pigments from the Secret Art Loft (colours used – Interference Blue, Blue Curacao, Interference Violet and Green Ginger). I finally added some gold and silver gilding waxes applied with a finger (I just cannot help myself from adding more bling).

Here is Marie’s amazing canvas. I love the colours, textures and hidden surprise elements.

We all had so much fun and between us created an amazing array of individual and very different takes on this theme.

Bye for now, Anne x.

Indian Delights created with stamps from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning, today I am sharing a couple of projects created with the lovely Indian themed stamps from Chocolate Baroque.

My first is a shabby chic style card. Think vintage block printed sari silk and old documents.

Materials:

• Paisley Elephant and Nature’s Paisley stamp sets
• A5 shaped card blank (14.5 X 20.5cm cream), cartridge paper (off white)
• Inkpads: Rainbow dye ink (Kaleidacolor Country), Versafine (Vintage Sepia)
• Ink sprays: Mr Huey’s (Classic Tan), Lindy’s Stamp Gang Starburst (Opal Sea Oats)
• Alcohol marker (brown), Sakura Glaze pens (black and dark blue)
• Soft Form Relief Paste (Copper)
• Gilding Wax (Pebeo Empire Gold) and PVA pearls (Cosmic Shimmer Dark Bronze)
• Textured velvet ribbon (brown),

How it was done:

1. Soft Form Relief Paste was spread over the stamp and left to dry overnight before peeling away. Extra colour was added with glaze pens and gilding wax.
2. The card blank was repeat stamped with the paisley background and rainbow ink. Alcohol marker was used to emphasise the edges. Textured ribbon was glued down to create a border.
3. The cartridge paper was stamped using Versafine and trimmed to fit the card front. The edges were distressed and curled using scissors then coloured with alcohol marker. The paper was then spritzed with inks before gluing to the card front.
4. The embellishment was glued to the card front with 3D glue gel for added depth. Finished with PVA pearls.

 

 

My second project is a bright and cheery elephant scene. You know how I love colour and bling. I had a lot of fun with this one.

Materials:

• Paisley Elephant, Nature’s Paisley, Indian Elephant stamp sets
• 8inch square card blank, watercolour card
• Inkpads: Versafine (Onyx Black), Versamark
• WOW Embossing Powder (Halloween)
• Opaque metallic ink pen (orange with metallic yellow)
• Metallic paints (Starlights pink and gold), acrylic paint (black)
• Brusho Powders (Lime Green, Turquoise), Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magical Powders (Poppin Pink, Luminous Lemon, Urban Amethyst)
• 3D Puff Paint (yellow)
• Holographic glitter glue and PVA pearls (Cosmic Shimmer Dark Bronze)
• Soft Form Relief Paste (Copper)

How it was done:

1. Soft Form Relief Paste was spread over the stamps and left to dry overnight before peeling away. Extra colour was added using pink and gold metallic plus black paints. Glitter glue and PVA pearls were added for extra bling (you know me!).
2. Watercolour card was spritzed with water and coloured by dropping on pigment powders. Images were stamped with Versafine (third generation stamping was used to faintly stamp the buildings in the background). The flowers were coloured with metallic pen (taking care not to obliterate the stamp detail – the ink was very opaque).
3. The card was edged with Versamark and embossed with sparkly powder (Yay, more bling).
4. The embellishments were glued to the card front with 3D glue gel for added depth. Yellow puff paint was applied to the foreground and heated to puff up and add texture.

Sad News

I hope that you like my latest projects. This will be my last regular post for Chocolate Baroque for a while. I have been working with this wonderful Design Team for over 3 years now and I am very sad to be leaving. Nothing to worry about, I just have to give extra priority to other things at the moment. However, you will still see the odd post from me in the guest blogger spot and in the Facebook Group. I simply cannot tear myself away completely.

Thank you all for your support and lovely feedback over the years. Big huggles, Anne xxxx.

Dream, Wish, Create a Beautiful World

This lovely image of a young girl (Victorian Photographs Rice Paper) really called to me and inspired me to make this piece. To me she portrayed a young girl that had experienced in her life far more than any child should. Alone she would dream and wish for a better world. Her creativity would enable her to escape from the trauma and open the door to a world full of beauty.

I know that many can testify that using imagination and creativity really does take them to a happy place and can increase wellbeing. Sorry, maybe a bit heavy? I hope that you like the ‘beautiful world’ that I have created.

I first collected together lots of elements from my stash; a small wooden pallet (15cm square from Art-C), a thick greyboard panel with frame (13.5cm X 5cm, 6cm X 2cm centre, from Tando Creative) plus smaller panel, silicone moulds to create flowers and fern, MDF Heart Keyplate, Penny Washer and Heart Flower (Powertex), scraps cotton fabric and lace.

I created the flowers and ferns using silicone moulds and Stone Art Clay. Stone Art was mixed approx. 50:50 with Ivory Powertex plus a little Transparent Powertex. Ivory Poweretex was also used to coat the inner greyboard pieces.

The wooden pallet and remaining greyboard and MDF pieces were coated with a leftovers mix of Powertex (mainly Lead and Ivory). I keep any leftover Powertex in recycled little takeaway sauce pots (plastic with fully airtight lids). My mix gave a lovely warm grey colour.

I spread Easy Structure Paste across the centre of the pallet and then spritzed with Green Bister.

The rice paper images were applied to the Ivory Powertex coated panels using Easy Coat Mat Medium. Note: the sentiment is actually snipped from the ‘Creative Paper’ branding down the side of the paper. I also used some small leftover snips from a floral paper.

Cotton fabric was treated with Ivory Powertex and draped diagonally across the middle. More texture was added using 3D Sand & Balls.

The flowers, ferns, Heart Flower and Penny Washer were coloured with Acrylic Inks; Palm Leaf, Viola, Viola Metallic and Golden Metallic. A little gold colour was also applied to the edges of the keyplate and image panels, plus drizzled onto the texture paste. The fabric was spritzed with a little Green Bister.

A strip of thin fabric braid was treated with Powertex, coiled tightly into a spiral, and added to the MDF flower centre (coloured with gold ink when dry). A sheet of Angelina fibre was created by ironing heat fusible sparkly fibres between sheets of baking parchment. I collected together a few snips of lace plus some Powercotton.

Next I put it all together. I hung a small metal ‘wish’ charm from the base.

I used Easy Structure Paste through the Duo Arty Quotes Mini Stencil to add the ‘Dream’ sentiment.

More Acrylic Ink colour was dry brushed over textured areas.

I love the new Acrylic Inks. The fluid formula enables you to drizzle areas with intense colour too.

I was really pleased with my ‘Dream, Create, Wish’ mini artwork. I think that I might just have to keep this one for me.

Off to get busy as I have so many ideas. I will share more soon. Hugs all xxx.

Essence of Nature created with Chocolate Baroque Stamps

Good morning. I have three makes to share with you today using Essence of Nature and The Rose Tree stamp sets from Chocolate Baroque.

I used one of my inky background papers from my stash. This was created by wetting a large sheet of cartridge paper and then painting over the surface with dissolved Brusho powders to make a blended watery background. Dishwasher salt crystals were then dropped onto the surface and the paper left to fully dry before brushing away the salt to reveal the lovely texture effect.

The theme on this weeks Simon Says Stamp Challenge (Mon) is ‘Ombre’  – so I have entered this one.

My first is using the lovely tree panel from the Essence of Nature stamp set (and bee from the The Rose Tree set).

The background panel was trimmed to fit the card front (21 X 14.5cm) and images stamped with Versamark Ink and heat embossed with detail white embossing powder. Faux stitching was drawn around the edge with an opaque white pen.

A white card backing panel was trimmed to approx. 9.5 X 15cm. The tree scene and sentiment were stamped onto recycled acetate packaging using black StazOn Ink. Double sided sticky sheet was then applied to the back of the acetate and the image ‘coloured’ using a variety of extra fine and chunky glitters in blue, green and crystal.

I have used the tree panel again on this one but this time to create a textured paper clay embellishment. The clay was rolled out and pressed with the stamp. After drying it was coloured by spritzing water based ink sprays with mica. Pebeo Gilding waxes were then rubbed across the textured surface.

The background was stamped and heat embossed with sparkly gold embossing powder, trimmed and mounted onto a 15cm card blank.

On my third project I went a bit off the wall – tee hee. Again I made some textured paper clay embellishments and thought that they resembled coral – hence a sea themed card was born.

I combined tree and leaf stamps together to make a jelly fish. The images were heat embossed with white powder and extra detail drawn on using pens, plus an embossing pen and white powder. A little white charcoal was used to add some shading to the jellyfish.

I further embellished with lots of sea themed die cuts and added some texture to the foreground with a mix of embossing powders and frontage fragments. Finished with lots of sparkly glitter glue – had to be done.

I hope that you enjoy my makes today. Happy stamping, Anne x.