Steampunk Jewellery Plier Stands using Powertex

I have been meaning to decorate my jewellery plier stands for ages and finally got them finished.

 

 

I had a bit of a problem with these in that they started off as a plain varnished wood surface. I initially coated them with white Gesso with a view to painting them with acrylics. However, the Gesso did not bind well to the varnish layer – eek! All ideas were halted. These need to be fairly robust and a tonne of flaky chips after a short use was not what I wanted!

I then discovered Powertex and yay, I would be able to rescue and decorate my plier stands after all. Coating the entire surface with rice papers and torn kitchen towels would create a tough protective skin over the surface and prevent the feared chipping off of the base layers.

 

HOW IT WAS DONE

I first collected together lots of embellishments; die cut cogs and pipework (Sizzix dies), MDF Keyplate (Powertex), metal clock hand and chains, old light bulbs and screws.

 

I tore out images from Creative Rice Paper (Powertex). This particular sheet seems to be out of stock but there is a similar Victorian Steampunk Paper available. I also separated layers of kitchen paper and tore them into pieces to coat the surface. This would add texture and a protective layer.

STAGE ONE

First I applied the torn decorative papers using Easy Coat Mat Medium. Ivory Powertex was then painted on to blend in the image edges.

STAGE TWO

Next layers of kitchen paper were bonded all over the surface. Some were glued down with Ivory and some with Terracotta Powertex. Die cut card embellishments were also coated with Powertex and glued down.

Texture was added by applying Easy Structure Paste through a texture stencil.

I also had a try at the rust technique. I mixed some Rusty Powder into Ivory Powertex along with a few drops of white wine vinegar. This was painted and dribbled over the surface (extra powder sprinkled on top) and spritzed with water and vinegar before leaving overnight to develop. I spritzed at intervals, several times. I avoided the areas that will be in contact with my pliers.

STAGE THREE

Next I brushed over and added colour using Acrylic Inks in Tangerine, Egg Yolk, Aqua and Metallic Gold.

STAGE FOUR

I also applied a little gold Pebeo Gilding Wax on some areas. When fully dry and cured (I left them for 3 weeks) I coated the surface with Easy Varnish to fully seal and protect.

I have included lots of images of how all the surfaces were built up.

Texture and die cut cogs have been added.

Rust and colour added.

Side finished with stronger thick greyboard embellishments. Any large embellishments protruding from edges need to be strong (thinner card would be prone to warp and bend).

I started with a larger clock image on the other side.

Die cuts and texture added plus a metal clock hand for dimension.

Finally finished with thicker embellishments and more dry brush work and gilding wax.

Love this character.

Texture and layers built up. Waiting for the rust to develop.

Building up the layers of transparent colour makes so much difference.

The second plier stand started off in the same way.

At this stage you might feel like giving up. What a mess!

Just keep going, adding layers of rust texture and colour.

Just loving the gorgeous layers of texture and colour.

I used several layers of the die cut pipework together to make them thicker and stronger on this side.

Wooohooo – this is soooooo yummy (or is it just me – tee hee).

Another end panel.

I used an MDF keyplate (Powertex) to embellish this end.

The final colouring makes such a difference.

The final side had a couple of little storage wells. I won’t really be using these so a perfect place to embellish with larger items.

I had fun adding recycled light bulbs, screws and bits of chain etc. I used structure paste and Powertex treated kitchen paper as a 3D glue to hold things in place.

Initially I had added a thinner die cut cog to the end but it wasn’t really strong enough. Here I added another thick greyboard cog over the first. Much more practical. I also added a small MDF Butterfly.

Here you can see more of the Steampunk treasures added. I also added some 3D Sand and Balls.

Love this Steampunk birdie peering out.

Well I hope that all these pictures have not overwhelmed you. I wanted to show how all the stages were built up. It also shows the stages that look awful, perhaps where a beginner might give up! Remember, if it all goes wrong just keep applying colour, inks or coloured varnishes. If this fails and you are really not happy – just paint over the whole thing with a base colour of Powertex and start again.

Hugs, Anne xxx.

Floral Trinket Box created with Powertex

I have had a wire box frame in my stash for ages. Originally it had a woven straw covering that fell apart so I removed it with the intention of recovering it. It ended up as another ‘UFO’ (unfinished object) for years. I have finally dug it out and created this Powertex treated fabric box embellished with hand made fabric flowers. Now it’s a fabulous trinket box for storing some of my crafty treasures.

The bare wire frame is a strong construction – similar to the type of wire used to make coat hangers. It measures approx. 8 inches square across the top and 6 inches deep.

I used some recycled cotton bed sheets and treated them with Black Powertex to cover the box and lid. I lined the outer and inner panels to completely cover the wire frame. I gathered some cotton trims for the next stage; some crochet lace and a piece of gathered Broderie Anglaise.

I treated the crochet lace with Powertex and applied around the box base.

The gathered lace was applied around the lid. I also dug out some greyboard lazer cut foliage shapes to embellish the top. These were coated and stuck down with Powertex. When dry I started dry brushing over the surface using Easy Varnish and Silver Colotricx. Extra colour was applied to the foliage to make it stand out from the dry brushed background.

Here you can see the dry brushed lid next to the unpainted base. The dry brushing has emphasised the texture and added metallic highlights.

Next I made some fabric roses from 25mm and 15mm strips cut from recycled bedding. These were created using Ribbon Ruching Flower Combs from Gina B-Silkworks. Basically strips are marked out using the Flower Comb templates, a running stitch is sewn along the marked lines and the stitching is pulled up to gather and shape into a rose. I prepared my strips and treated with Powertex before pulling up the stitching. The Powertex holds and glues the gathering in place. I left the flowers to dry before adding to the box top.

To create the roses I followed instructions detailed in Gina’s new Ribbonwork Flowers Book: Twist Roses from 25mm cotton strips using comb 3a (Rococo Comb Set) and 1930’s Roses from 15mm strips using comb 13a (Venezia Comb Set).

I used one of my dies to cut a frame for the centre (Sizzix), applied to the top and finished in the same way as the greyboard foliage.

The flowers were dry brushed with Easy Varnish and Interference Lilac Pigment. Loving these new Pearl Pigment colours! Powertex was then used to glue down the roses to the centre. I added some ready made flower stamens around the group (purple), and some small ready made satin ribbon roses to the corners (Powertex treated and coloured).

Next I mixed some 3D Sand and Balls into Black Powertex and drizzled the mix around the flowers. A few untreated balls were also dropped into the wet Powertex. The untreated balls kept their original colour on the surface giving contrast with the black base. Once dry I coloured by brushing over the surface using Easy Varnish and Mojito Lime Pigment.

I also dry brushed a little of the Lilac pigment sparingly over the lace trims and used to colour some hand made air dry clay embellishments (created using a silicone mould from my stash) added to the box corners.

I used one of my large rubber stamps (lace design from Heartfelt Creations) to stamp some extra textural interest around the sides using Viola Metallic Acrylic Ink. Note: the fabric surface is already quite textured and not very flat so the stamping does not give a clear impression of the design but just adds a little more depth and interest to the surface.

I hope that you like my new treasure box.

Hugs, Anne xxx.

Alice in Wonderland Clock created with Powertex

I have had so much fun joining the Alice in Wonderland Tea Party with Powertex UK. I love fantasy themes and wanted to make a working clock full of bright fun colours and sparkle. Hope that you like my Alice Clock. It certainly fills me with cheer and makes me smile.

The theme on this weeks Simon Says Stamp Challenge (Mon) is ‘inspired by a song’ – so I have entered this one. I feel that I am always running late so the White Rabbit Song ‘I’m Late’ fits me perfectly and is appropriately the main sentiment on my clock.

I have also entered it into this months Mixed Up Mag Texture Challenge.

I had an old heart shaped MDF working clock that really needed a revamp. I combined it with the Pocket Watch Kit to create my crazy clock. The kit contains a stand, solid back and frame to make up a 3D pocket watch. Also included are lots of smaller embellishments for decoration – great kit.

The stand was put together using Black Powertex to coat and glue everything together.

The open watch frame was coated with Black Powertex.

The back and outer rim of the solid pocket watch shape were also coated with Black Powertex. The central area was painted with Ivory Powertex ready for adding images. When dry, pocket watch images from a decorative Rice Paper were applied using Easy Coat Mat decoupage medium. The sheet I used does not appear to be in stock at the moment but the Victorian Steampunk sheet is similar. The surface was spritzed with a little Green Bister to knock back the harshness of the Ivory colour.

I coated my recycled MDF clock with Ivory Powertex on the front, Black on the back. Again Easy Coat was used to add Rice Paper images. You can still see the original painted numbers on my old clock face.

A layer of Crackle Accents (Ranger) was added onto the clock face images to give an aged crackle effect. When dry, more Green Bister was added to emphasise the crackle (the wet colour seeps into the cracks). Texture was then applied using Easy Structure Paste through the Wonderland Stencil. I dabbed over with a little black Powertex to cover some of the bright white colour. Easy Structure Paste was also used as a strong 3D glue to attach the watch to the stand.

Rice paper images were also applied to my recycled heart clock. Layers of kitchen paper were applied around the decoupaged images using ivory Powertex to give added texture. I also added Easy Structure Paste through the stencil to add hearts.

Several of the new Acrylic Inks and Paints were used to add colour to my project (Acrylic Inks in Egg Yolk, Tangerine, Golden Metallic, Viola Metallic and Aqua Metallic; Acrylic Paints in Raspberry Sorbet, Orange Marmalade and Key Lime). The inks are gorgeous fluid transparent colours ideal for painting over other colours or patterned papers. The medium bodied acrylic colours are semi-translucent and are great for heavier colour and layering. I LOVE them.

A piece of tree bark was treated with Transparent Powertex. I have had this piece in my stash for years (so it was fully dried out) just waiting for a suitable project to use it on.

The pocket watch frame was glued in place with Transparent Powertex ensuring that it was well centred. Easy Structure paste was used to glue 3D elements onto the base stand. Bronze Powertex was used to cover and colour the Easy Structure Paste where needed. At this stage I checked that the clock hands would be able to move freely around the clock face (once it’s all glued and dry it’s well and truly glued!).

The small MDF heart (from my recycled clock) was treated with black Powertex. I added some 3D Sand and Balls into the wet Powertex for texture. When dry I coloured with Easy Varnish and Interference Lilac Pearl Pigment. Have you seen these new Pearl Pigment colours? WOWeeee! I rubbed over a little Pebeo Gilding Wax (gold) to cover the edges and highlight the texture more.

Gilding Wax was also rubbed over the Pocket Watch tops and tree bark. A thick greyboard frame and rectangle was coated in Black Powertex to create a table. A piece of lace and scrap of knitted cotton was also coated in Black Powertex to fill in the base of the ‘tree’ and to create the table cloth. I started placing other MDF elements from the Pocket Watch Kit (but not glued down yet).

More colour was added with the Acrylic Paints. The metal clock hands were coated with Jade Patina (Ranger).

….. and yes my craft stash is encroaching inwards – tee hee.

I continued to build the scene, coating elements with Black or Ivory Powertex then colouring with Acrylic Paints before gluing down with Powertex.

The MDF sentiments and Flamingoes were from the Alice Collection; the butterflies, dragonfly, numbers and spirals from the Pocket Watch Kit. The sentiment plaque was a greyboard piece from my stash. I added some 3D Sand and Balls to the Flamingo wings for extra texture.

A layer of Glossy Accents (Ranger) was applied over some of the painted elements and fine crystal glitter dropped into the wet surface for added bling and sparkle. The piece was then left overnight, propping it in a horizontal position.

I also added an MDF Heart Flower, Lion, cat and small bird from Mini Hieroglyphs, MDF flowers and leaves plus greyboard flowers (from my stash). The little signposts were made from recycled wooden canvas stretchers and black alcohol marker used to write.

Then I had fun with my dies. Each element was built up using 4 layers of either black or Kraft card and layers glued together with Powertex to make them thick and robust. Coffee Archival Ink (Ranger) was used to stamp the chairs (Sizzix). The cake stand, cupcakes, small cup & saucer, spoon & fork and teapot cut (Intricutz); the larger cup & saucer and top hat (Sheena Douglass); the chandelier (Crafters Companion) were built and glued in place with Easy Structure paste where needed to give added depth. More Glossy Accents and glitter were added over some of the elements.

Finally a little dry brushed colour was added over some of the textured surfaces using Easy Varnish and the Pigment colours (Iridescent Lilac, Violet Valentine, Rich Gold).

I will leave it for around three weeks for everything to fully cure, then finish with Easy Varnish to fully seal everything and give added protection to painted surfaces.

I’ve popped in some close ups for you. Ooooh sparkly flamingos.

I am always running late so this sentiment is perfect for my clock – tee hee.

You can see that crackle texture on the watch faces here.

Lots of layering and sparkle.

I absolutely love my new clock. I hope that you love it too, Anne xxx.

Make Time to Make Art cards created with stamps from Chocolate Baroque

Good morning. Today I am sharing a few cards created with Wisteria Lane and Artistic Affirmations stamp sets from Chocolate Baroque.

Full of Colour Card

The theme for this weeks Simon Says Stamp Challenge (Wed) is ‘Anything Goes’ so I have entered this one.

Materials:

• Wisteria Lane and Artistic Affirmations stamp sets
• 9 X 21cm card blank, white stamping card, black card
• Ink sprays (pink, purple, black – Lindy’s Stamp Gang)
• Embossing Powders (pink, yellow, white – Lindy’s Stamp Gang)
• Versamark Inkpad
• Border die (waste piece from a Sizzix strip die cut)
• Alcohol marker (black)
• Faux gems and sequins, PVA pearls (pink)
• Straw to blow inks

How it was done:

1. Inks were spritzed onto a craft mat and picked up onto the stamping card. The wet ink was spread by blowing through a straw.
2. Images were stamped with Versamark and embossed with a mix of coloured powders. The sentiment was stamped onto a coloured strip. Black marker was used to edge the card and frame.
3. The black die cut strip was glued to the top of the card. The sentiment strip attached with 3D foam for added dimension.
4. Finished with faux gems and sequins plus a few PVA pearls along the die cut border.

 

Make Time Shabby Chic Card

This card uses the same stamp sets but looks totally different.

Materials:

• Wisteria Lane and Artistic Affirmations stamp sets
• 10.5 X 15cm card blank (turquoise), white stamping card
• Versamark Inkpad and archival dye ink (purple)
• Embossing powder (silver and gold sparkle)
• Ink spritzers (purple, turquoise, gold and opaque white)
• Fine tipped marker (black)
• Faux gems and organza ribbon

How it was done:

1. The card blank was lightly spritzed with opaque white ink. The stamping card was coloured with purple, turquoise and gold ink spritzers. The sentiment was stamped with Versamark and embossed with silver powder.
2. The background images were stamped with purple dye ink. Further images were stamped on top with Versamark, heat embossed with gold powder and outlined with fine tipped pen.
3. The edges of the topper were roughed up with the edge of my scissors. A little turquoise ink was also sponged around the edges.
4. Finished with a ribbon and faux gems.

Make Time to Make Art

My third sample was different again using a bright sunshine yellow backdrop.

Materials:

• Wisteria Lane and Artistic Affirmations stamp sets
• 6 X 6 inch square card blank, white stamping card, yellow card
• Versamark Inkpad
• Embossing Powders (pink, yellow, purple – Lindy’s Stamp Gang)
• Mylar stencil with polka dots
• Alcohol marker (purple) and fine tipped pen
• Glitter glue (yellow)

How it was done:

1. I had some cheap glitter glues that were past their best. To use them up I embossed some of my stencils (through my die cut machine) then applied the glitter through the stencil using a palette knife. I used up my glitter glues and created a batch of textured backgrounds ready for my cards.
2. The sentiment was stamped onto the textured card using dye ink (embossing with stencils only gives a shallow texture so it is fairly easy to overstamp – add just a little extra pressure on the stamp). Note the ‘I’ was left uninked.
3. The mat was edged with marker and faux stitching drawn around the border of the card blank with fine tipped pen.
4. The floral stems were stamped onto white card with Versamark, embossed with a mix of coloured powders and cut out.
5. Cut outs were glued to the card front and finished with a ribbon.

Floral Card created with stamps from Chocolate Baroque

Good afternoon. Today I am sharing two variations of a card created with Chocolate Baroque stamps and a pretty background paper from Crafty Individuals.

The theme for this week’s Simon Says Stamp Challenge (Mon) is ‘Flower Power’ – so I have entered this one.

I have entered the other into the Simon Says Stamp (Wed) Challenge as ‘Anything Goes’.

 

 

Materials:

• The Rose Tree, Essence of Nature and Mackintosh Sentiments stamp sets (Chocolate Baroque)
• 8 X 8 inch card blank, Kraft card, pink card (pearl or satin mirror), pearl card (brown), Crafty Individuals Background Paper (Shades of Summer) and white stamping card
• Inkpads: Memento (London Fog), Versafine (Onyx Black), Distress Ink (Broken China)
• Alcohol ink pens (pink, yellow, green, pale blue plus clear blender)
• Watercolour pens (pale blue, yellow) and Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen (Clear Overlay)
• Fine tipped pen (opaque white, pink)
• Stickles glitter glue (Crystal)
• Flowersoft sprinkles (green, yellow)
• Dies: Venetian Lace Layering set (Tonic), flower pot (Trimcraft Pots & Vases), Butterfly (Sizzix)

How it was done:

1. Kraft card was trimmed and mounted onto the card front and faux stitching added with fine tipped pen.
2. The lace mats were cut from pink card and decorative background paper glued in place. The butterfly was also cut from pink card. Sentiments were stamped with Distress Ink.
3. The flower pot was cut from pearl brown card and lightly shaped before gluing with 3D glue gel.
4. The flowers were stamped with Memento Ink and coloured with alcohol pens. The floral spray and individual flowers were cut out for decoupage, lightly shaped before gluing down using 3D glue gel. A little clar sparkle pen was brushed over the flowers for sparkle.
5. The bumble bees were stamped with Versafine, coloured with watercolour pens and cut out.
6. Yellow Flowersoft was glued into the flower centres, green onto some of the leaves and onto the foreground (to ‘ground’ the pots).
7. Finished with touches of glitter glue for added sparkle.

90th Birthday Card for a Friend

 

I had to make this card in a big rush for a friend when I realised that I needed it by the next day to deliver for her 90^th birthday! Eeek. It can take me hours to make a special card.

Searching through my UFO pile (‘unfinished objects’) I discovered that I had a background card base and panel already stamped. These had been sitting in my stash for over a year waiting to be finished into a project. Now was the time to complete it.

It’s ‘Send a Card to a Friend’ over on the Simon Says Stamp Blog this week – so I entered this one.

How it was done:

The card blank had been stamped directly using Distress Inks.

A little Distress Ink was blended around the edges of the card blank and patterned paper.

The birds had been stamped and heat embossed in gold powder. I coloured them with glitter and gel pens, mounted the paper onto green card and glued to the card front with foam pads for dimension.

The die cuts had also been sitting in my stash. I shaped them lightly with a ball tool and glued to the card front.

I finished the card with peel off stickers (great when you are in a super hurry) and added glitter glue for extra sparkle. Et voila card done. Phew!

Materials:

Floral Notes and A Little Bird Told Me stamp sets (Chocolate Baroque)

8 X 8 inch card blank, 6 X 6 decorative paper (Crafty Individuals Shades of Summer) and green card for mounting

Inkpads: Versamark, Distress Inks (Victorian Velvet, Tea Dye)

Glitter and gel pens (Sakura and Pentel)

WOW Embossing Powder (Gold Rich)

Glitter glue (Stickles Diamond and gold)

Die cut foliage (Sizzix Tim Holtz), electronic cut fern (Tattered Lace ScanNCut), punched flowers (Tonic Petal Pairs)

Peel off stickers (gold)

Mini Landscape ATC

I thought that I would give a mini artwork a try and make an ATC (Artist Trading Card). Generally I work much bigger than this so it was actually a challenge for me. I tried to be less planned and to free myself up a bit too and just ‘go for it’. I was quite pleased with my bright and cheery landscape.

The Simon Says Stamp Challenge (Wed) for this week is ‘anything goes’ – so I have entered this one.

How it was done:

1. I cut the ATC from a scrap of mount board and covered with white gesso to prime.
2. I cut the flowers from recycled packaging and a punch and edged them with black pen to enhance. I layered up the flowers and then dunked them into molten UTEE to create the glossy flower embellishments. Finished with a sparkly sequin.
3. I stamped the sun with StazOn and drew the abstract landscape with a marker. I coloured using watercolour pens and a damp brush.
4. I added some texture using paste through the stencil and plus a bit of acrylic paint. When dry I rubbed over some of the areas with Gilding Wax.
5. I edged the ATC with black marker to frame and added some sparkle over the sun and clouds.
6. I finished with some Glossy Accents over the sun and rays.

Materials:

• Country Views stamp set from Chocolate Baroque
• Texturised Stencil (Crafters Workshop)
• Scrap mount board, recycled multi-coloured card packaging
• StazOn Inkpad (Jet Black)
• Acrylic paint (turquoise)
• Gesso (White)
• Acrylic texture paste (Pebeo)
• Fine tipped marker (black)
• Spectrum Aqua Watercolour Pens
• Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen (Clear Overlay)
• Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE)
• Melt pot (or small foil food dish and heat gun to melt UTEE)
• Pebeo Gilding Wax (Silver)
• Glossy Accents
• Tonic Petal Pairs Punch
• Sequins
• Sizzix BigZ die to cut ATC (Artist Trading Card 2.5 X 3.5 inch)

Steampunk Travellers Mixed Media Canvas with Powertex

Oh my goodness – I really enjoyed myself with this Steampunk canvas – I just love to get myself lost a bit of fantasy. I used lots of Chocolate Baroque stamps from my stash (Punky Expressions, Words of Inspiration, Steampunkery, Steampunk Travel, Punky Flowers, Steampunk SeaWorld) and two of the new stamps from Mark Gould (Sailor Jim and The Aviator).

As the theme on the Simon Says Stamp Blog Challenge (Wed) this week is ‘Layer It Up’ – I have entered this one.

I first cut 2 pieces of left over mount board and trimmed them to approx. 25 X 31cm and 31 X 41 cm. The back board was coated front and back with Bronze Powertex. The second board was coated with Ivory Powertex.

I used a page from an old atlas and glued it to the board using Easy Coat Mat decoupage medium. Note: There are some lovely map themed Rice Papers on the Powertex website.

I then applied some Easy Structure paste through stencils from my stash to create some wave and cloud textures.

Next I applied elements from decorative rice papers (sea themed and pocket watches) using Easy Coat medium. It looks like the pocket watches sheet I used is out of stock but there is a similar Victorian Steampunk sheet available. Tip: draw around the parts of the image that you desire using a water brush or pen, then gently pull away the image from the sheet. This avoids harsh cut edges and the images will blend better into the background.

I also applied a little of the new Golden Metallic Acrylic Ink through my stencils, and onto areas of the pocket watches.

I next stamped my images using Versafine Ink (Onyx Black) onto recycled tissue paper (packaging). I also stamped some onto white card using Versafine (Vintage Sepia), cut them into little sentiment strips and edged them with a dark brown alcohol marker. The images and text sentiments were applied to the canvas using Easy Coat decoupage medium.

I added a little colour over the decoupaged stamp images using Golden Metallic and Aqua Acrylic Inks. These inks have a lovely translucency so do not obliterate the image beneath. You don’t need to be super careful with colouring either.

My characters were stamped onto smooth stamping card using Versafine (Vintage Sepia), cut out and coloured with pencils. I applied Ivory Powertex to the backs to seal them, curving and doming them slightly. I coated the fronts with a layer of Powerwax to protect them. I chose this option as I was concerned that a slow drying wet medium might smudge some of the pencil colouring.

I used one of the MDF Heart Flowers (approx. 12.5cm across) to make an embellishment for the top. The moulded flower was from my stash. It had been made with Stone Art and Ivory Powertex mixed into a clay and used with one of my moulds. When dry it was painted with Easy Varnish tinted with Burgundy Powercolor, then dry brushed with more varnish tinted with Silver, Rich Gold and Copper Colortricx. The MDF flower was coated with Bronze Powertex and the moulded flower glued to the centre with a little Easy Structure paste. Easy Structure paste and Powertex were used to glue the embellishment to the top of the canvas.

Black cotton netting was treated with Bronze Powertex and applied to the canvas base and diagonally across the middle. The characters were then positioned and glued down with Easy Structure Paste (i.e. using it as a 3D glue). Care was taken not to smudge the images with paste or Powertex. Any slight mishaps were wiped away quickly with a damp sponge.

I gathered together lots of Steampunk and nautical embellishments from my stash including die cut ship wheels, anchors, gears, swirls etc. I also had a stash of shells created using paper clay and moulds (already coloured with ink sprays). The embellishments were all coated with Powertex (Transparent or Bronze) and glued in place, using Easy Structure paste where needed. I also dropped some 3D Sand and Balls into wet Powertex for added texture.

In addition I used some recycled gear cogs from the inside my finished double sided tape rollers. These are plastic so I used copper gilding wax (Pebeo) to colour the top surface (Powertex doesn’t stick to plastic) and embedded them well with Easy Structure paste and Powertex coated card pieces etc.

Finally I dry brushed Easy Varnish tinted with Bronze Gold Colortricx lightly over the embellishments to enhance them.

The canvas could be mounted into a 3D box frame to fully protect it from dust etc. It could also be hung directly – perhaps holes cut in the top edge and a string would look quite nautical? If hanging without framing I would advise that everything be fully sealed with Easy Varnish (the characters with more layers of Powerwax); particularly the areas coated with transparent Powertex (coloured Powertex is already weather resistant). It could then be cleaned with a damp cloth (or even rinsed under the tap).

I hope that you like my fantasy creation. I have included a few more pics for more close up views, Anne x.

Seahorse Tag Card created with stamps from Chocolate Baroque

Good afternoon. Another sea themed tag card created with Mermaid Queen, Underwater and Seaside Dreams stamps from Chocolate Baroque.

The Simon Says Stamp Challenge (Monday) this week is tags – so I have entered this one into the challenge too.

Materials:

• Mermaid Queen, Underwater and Seaside Dreams stamps
• 13cm square card blank, white stamping card, black card and scrap cream mount board
• Inkpads: StazOn (Jet Black, Green), Versamark
• Acrylic paints (metallic blue, peach and gold)
• Water based inks (blue, green)
• WOW Embossing Powders (Fuchsia and Daytona Sands yellow/gold mix)
• Pebeo Texture Paste (Concrete)
• Stickles Glitter Glue (Icicle)
• Swirly stencil (Claritystamp)
• Shaving foam and shallow tray
• Organza ribbon (pink)
• Die to cut tag (Sizzix BigZ), square decorative die (Tonic) and corner rounder punch
• Tonic crystal drops (orange)

How it was done:

1. Black card was cut with the decorative die and glue to the card front. The tag (approx. 5 X 11cm) was cut from mount board. The background panel was cut from white card with a paper trimmer and the corners rounded with a punch.
2. The tag and background panel were coloured using the shaving foam technique. Basically a layer of foam is spread onto a tray. Inks are dropped on the surface and swirled with a cocktail stick or similar. The ink is then picked up onto the card (by lowering onto the foam).
3. The background was stamped with black StazOn and glued to the card front. I have found that the shaving foam can leave quite a slick surface which can be a bit tricky to stamp and colour over. Note the ‘Dream’ sentiment was created by partially inking the longer sentiment.
4. The seaweed was stamped onto the tag with green StazOn. Concrete paste was applied onto the tag through the stencil with a palette knife. Coloured by rubbing over with acrylic paints when dry. The tag was applied to the card with foam pads for added dimension.
5. The seahorse was stamped onto white card with Versamark and heat embossed with a mix of powders, then cut out and glued to the card with 3D glue gel.
6. Finished with a bow, sparkly glitter glue and PVA pearls.

Quick and Easy Birthday Cards for the Little Ones

 

Good afternoon. These were another quick and easy make. I had to rush make these for a couple of little friends ready for their birthday party yesterday and got them finished half an hour before leaving – just enough time for the glue to dry – tee hee.

Materials:

5 X 5 inch white card blanks, white card for layering, patterned papers and plain coloured card to match (black, blue, pink, orange, green and glitter pink), waste mount board

Ready made decorative chipboard numbers

Alcohol ink pens (pink and blue)

Glitter glue (silver)

Happy Birthday dies (Tattered Lace), Lettering dies (Create & Craft Couture set), Birdy dies (Sizzix BigZ Bird #3)

How it was done:

The background mats were trimmed slightly smaller than the card blank and edged with alcohol marker to frame.

The bird body was cut from mount board and floral paper. The large circles from white card and smaller circle from black, to make the eyes. The beak and legs were cut from orange and pink card, and wings from coordinating plain card.

Lettering was cut from plain card. You can see what a rush I was in as they aren’t exactly glued down straight! I decided to add a bit of glitter glue to the foreground which helped to ‘ground’ the birdy but also helped to disguise the slightly off lettering and odd glue splodges.

I hate having to come up with a design in a super rush but it was well worth it. So much nicer and more special than a shop bought card.