Do You Collect ATCs? Naming Competition ...

This pretty collage style ACT, is what I would like you to name for me, the winning name will win the ATC shown. If the name I choose had been suggested by more than one person, then the name of those people, will have their names picked out of the proverbial hat.

My inspiration for the ATC came from a scrap of paper that was just too pretty to throw away! So, how did I make it? 

I started with an MDF base, I began by covering with the paper by Craftbox UK, because the paper was to small to cover the whole of the ATC, I decided to paint the top part & for this I used DecoArt Crafters Acrylic in Purple Passion.

When it was completely dry, I applied a 2 part crackle liquid by Cosmic Shimmer, while drying I heat embossed the little MDF heart using Persian Indigo embossing powder by WOW! this is lovely, with it's beautiful rich colour & gentle shimmer. When cool I stamped over it using a random word stamp & edged with black Archival Ink by Ranger. Sorry, but I don't know what brand the stamp is or what the words read, it is to small for my poor old eyes to make it out lol..!  After adhering the heart in place, I went back to work on the top part again.  I felt that even though the crackle paste had worked nicely, the piece still lacked something? So after a think over a cup of tea, I remembered that I had some sticky back gems, you know the cheap ones that come on a line of glue? I never use them normally, but they were the perfect finishing touch. So, I ran a line of glue following the curve of the paint, to make sure that they stayed out & then with a sponge I dabbed some of the same paint on them to blend them in ..... Voila, I now had an ACT that I was happy to share .....

So a few rules ...

Leave a comment below with what you think this ACT should be called.

Share on your own blog &\or Facebook page, linking back here.

Please follow my blog, but isn't essential, but I will follow yours in return.

I am happy to post international

You must be happy to email me your postal address
Naming Competition ends at midnight GMT on 15th September 2019

Thank you for visiting my blog today

Sandy Toes & Salty Kisses

Jane 🌴

A Summery Tag ....

Today, I am sharing a pretty tag I made yesterday after a walk with Dave & the dog!
We decided to walk around a lovely housing estate near us, that always have beautiful gardens that are chock a block full of flowers.
I took inspiration from the gardens to make this rather lovely tag
Remembering that a lovely fellow crafter had gifted me some hand printed & embossed paper flowers. First off, I dyed them using my new spray mist inks & when dry I brushed each flower with a water based  varnish. I then coloured some mini clay balls  using the yellow ink & placed them in the centre of the flowers I sealed them in place using glossy accents. When dry, I turned the flowers over & glued on some pretty braid with leaves attached for added effect.
Next, I selected the tag I wanted to use & covered it with paper, patterned for a summery feel & free some faux stitching around the edge & tied ribbon at the top of the tag. After deciding where my flowers would go, I stamped a little bee near the top before attaching the flowers. Below the flowers I attached a little pink tassle, just for added detail really & to coordinate with the pink in the ribbons!
Next, I stamped out the little butterfly twice, one of them I glued flat on the tag, the second butterfly I coloured before bending & carefully applying glue just to the centre of the butterfly, glued it on top of the other one, lifting the wings slightly.
Finally, I stamped the word Summer on a piece of card & attached at the bottom of the tag. I find creating something in a CAS style very difficult, because when I try to do it, to me it always looks unfinished, but I am quite pleased with how this tag turned out

I would like to enter this into the following challenges!

https://tagtuesday.blogspot.com
http://craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper.blogspot.com

Thank you for stopping by my blog, please leave a comment
Salty kisses
 Jane 🌴

This started life as a Cheese Triangle Box ....

Dreaming Of The Sea

Today, I am sharing an altered project with you. This was such fun to make, even though when I first day down at my desk, I didn't have a clue what I was going to do or how I was going to do it!
I began by trimming & tidying both the lid & base of the box, then I painted it inside & out with 2 coats of a pearlescent paint, I used Folkart Pearl Acrylic in Aquamarine. Next it secured a length of cotton twine around the base of the box, there was a handy joke already in the base, so I chose a pretty button with a raised back, tied the twine to the button & thread both strands of the twine through the hole, the button secured the twine without needing to glue.
Then I set about adding allsorts of sea themed embellishments to the lid, including natural shells, tiny pebbles, sea glass, charms, beads & more, all stuck down with pentarts gel medium, to make sure they won't fall off. I also used coloured sand, ink sprays & sequins.
 Next was to tackle the cotton twine, so out came the bead box. After choosing which beads & charms I wanted to use, I tied them to the twine securely & trimmed off the excess!

This was created as a swap item, I was a little sad to see it go, but it's new owner loves it & I received a pretty box in return.

I would like to enter this box into the following challenges please

https://bleedingartchallenge.blogspot.com

https://mixedmediaacademy.blogspot.com

http://alteredeclectics.blogspot.com

http://countryviewchallenges.blogspot.com

http://moremixedmediachallenge.blogspot.com

Thank you so much for visiting me today, I always return visits & comments
Sandy kisses
Jane 🌴🐚🌴

I'm back in the land of blog .....

Losing Dad knocked me off my feet, delayed shock I think, because the pain of his passing came back some weeks after we all said goodbye. I was crafting quietly in the background, but wasn't really feeling like the social side of things such as Instagram & blogging!
So, I will start off today by showing some of the pieces I have made, mainly ATCs & Coins I found these great to make because they have me the creativity that I needed, fairly quick to make & very satisfying too! I have also started joining in with a few swap groups too, something I hadn't done for many years & I had forgotten just how much fun it is receiving someone else's art through the post.

Love this set, created on MSG bases, I was trying out some new WOW Embossing Powders that I purchased from Artful Days online store. I'm afraid I can't tell you the name or make of the stamps, because I bought them as part of a job kit she was selling.

Another handsome set, again created on an MSG base, then adhered some paper offcuts I had, left over from another project where I made my own background using Distress Oxides inks. Then using another lovely unnamed stamp with that cute coffee pot image, added some sentiments, inked the edges & I was done. Really quick, easy & effective AT Coins!

Thanks for dropping by & please leave comments, I always reply & return visits
Jane x

Happy accidents happen, take heart .....

Today I am sharing a project with you that took a completely different direction from where I initially expected it too! It started out as 3 different sized MDF hearts, which I set about creating a different texture background for each one. The biggest heart, which you can hardly see anymore, I made a fabulous crackled base, I covered the 2nd heart with lace & for the 3rd heart, I stuck on some little wooden swirls. Next, I went looking for other bits & pieces to use, low & behold, I found lots more hearts, which I set about colouring in various ways.
Now this is where everything got lost & the direction I had planned for this project went by the wayside.

I had a phone from my sister, telling me that my Dad was in intensive care & I needed to get there quickly.  As you can imagine, my mind was all over the place. Thankfully, I got to the hospital just in time to say goodbye to my Dad for the last time ... My world had just fallen apart. That was a week ago!

After a few days, I felt strong enough to do a bit of crafting again & this is when I realised that one of the hearts I had glued down  at the wrong angle. I use gel medium as my glue, so no way would it come apart now without damaging it, so I had to work around it.  I just could not bring this heart project to anywhere near to liking it, I even tried adding even more hearts to try to alter the shape, but nope I still didn't like it.

So in the end, I threw caution to the wind & decided to blacken it all out with Gesso & start again. Finally, I managed to produce something that I quite liked, with the help of the fantastic Inka-Gold wax paints by Viva.

EDITED to say that this piece was chosen as Runner Up over on the Bleeding Art Challenge blog

I am entering this in to the following challenges
Bleeding Art Challenge   Altered Eclectics

A simple, but pretty box

Today I am sharing a simple box, which is quick, inexpensive & fun to make, even someone with no experience could make it.
I plan on making lots of these, so that I always have one ready to gift as adhoc gifts, unexpected guests, birthdays etc. However, the main reason for making them is to donate them to fundraisers, charity shops & so forth.

I painted a simple wooden box with a pretty pearly paint, while drying I prepared my scallop shell. The inner part of the shell was a little dark for the finish I wanted, so I painted the inside with a white pearl paint & while still wet, I sprinkled the inside with some original dazzle dust & touched the outer edge of the shell with some mica powder in a baby blue colour. I then sprayed it with a cheap hair spray too seal it. Next I stuck a couple of paper leaves & rose in place, added a faux pearl inside the shell, then glued in place. These boxes are cheap, easy & fun to make, perfect on those days when your time is limited or your mojo has done a runner!

A simple project .....

A quick project I created last year on a day that I couldn't get out of the flat for my stroke on the beach. I can't remember why I couldn't to put now, it is too far back, I was either in a lot of pain that day or the weather was bad?!
So on those days, my philosophy is is if you can't get to the beach then, bring the beach to you lol.
Whenever, I do go along the beach or seafront I have always got a bag of some kind, to collect shells, pretty pebbles, sea glass & the occasional piece of driftwood.

This little box contained some MDF shapes, I felt it was too good to throw away, so this is what I did with it :)
 Thanks for dropping by today
Jane A.S 🌴⚓ x

Learning how to rust ...

For my second project I was taught how to create the look of rust, there are a few ways of creating the look, but I was taught using 2 or more colours of paint & sand.
I used an MDF precut frame kit, after fitting it together, I glued it in place.
I didn't bother priming the frame this time, instead I painted it in a thick layer of acrylic paint, while still tacky I added some of the artist sand using the paintbrush, dabbing it in places where you think that rust would occur, while still tacky, using my second colour paint, I began dabbing randomly allowing the 2 paint colours to merge or blend where they wanted too. When happy & completely covered, it was left to dry. I used a third colour, to create verdigris.
Like I said earlier there are other ways of creating the rust effect, you can also buy very good kits & specialist paints too, but I enjoy making my own lol

I really enjoyed the process of creating this vintage style frame!

Thank you so much for visiting, I would be so happy if you could leave me a comment & if my art interests you feel free to follow me :)
Jane A.S 🌴⚓

Hey, it's Monday & the sun is shining ...

Today, I will share my first ever attempt at the art of Mixed Media, I made this canvas last year & I had so much fun creating it.

Although, I am in no way new to crafting, I am new to the art of Mixed Media & have only been doing it for just under a year.
Previously, I was a paper crafter for many years, my first love being Scrapbooking, but I also enjoyed making & swapping ATCs, plus dabbling in collage. I still make & trade ATCs, when I have enough made,  I will add a swapping page to my blog!

After a break of 6 years & having sold almost every piece of my craft supplies, (I held on to my collection of Basic Grey 12x12" papers, they are way to beautiful to let them go lol) Why did I quit crafting completely? Well, that is another story, one I might share one day.!

So, my circumstances changed & I my fingers started to niggle for something to do & I knew I wanted to get back into crafting again. So, I had a chat with Dave, warning him that I could end up with lots of craft materials & very regular visits from the postman lol. So being, the supportive chap that he is, he said go ahead.
I decided that this time around I wanted to try my hand at mixed/multi media, plus some ATCs as well, I knew that I wanted to make a canvas as my first project, but I didn't know where to start. Then an online friend suggested I contacted her tutor & I never looked back from there, best advice I could have hoped for & now I am hooked & love what I do.

 I learned how to make this lovely canvas through a video tutorial by the very talented Joanne Roe, she is such a clever, patient & friendly lady who is always happy to give advice when she can. Joanne also supplied the kit to enable me to make this fab canvas.

After having it displayed in my lounge for a couple of weeks & looking at it everyday, I decided that I wanted to add some red to the roses &  it needed a bit more colour! This is the result.   My canvas is now displayed in my sister's home in Australia, she fell in love with it when she came to visit last year.

Thank you for visiting my blog today, if you like my canvas I would love you to leave a comment & will happily return the visit.
Bye for now
Jane A.S

My first time using Powertex

Powertex, I have been interested in there products for some time now, because of the the amazing things that can be created from it.

Now, if your are anything like me, you either can't find the right embellishments that you need for a project or you do find it, but it costs the earth?

Well it was just this problem that encouraged me to buy my first Powertex product. I chose to buy a bottle of fabric harding fluid, when it arrived, well packaged I might add, I read the instructions & out it away in my trolley alongside the rest of my medium products, not out of mind but rather waiting to use one day lol.

Well, that day came a few days ago, when I started the project that I am sharing with you today.

Edited to say that this little bird won me 1st place winner on the Altered Eclectics Challenge Blog

I am entering this project into the
  Bleeding Art Challenge   Altered Eclectics Challenge
  More Mixed Media Challenge

The large flower is supposed to be a hibiscus & it is the embellishment that I created using the Powertex hardening fluid.

The pink floppy fabric flowers shown in the bottom photo, are how they looked before I treated them.

I used jewellery wire with a blog of liquid pearls on the end, to make the stamens, plus paint & inks in various colours, plus heated some embossing powder on the edges.

I used paint & sand mix in the birdcage to create an old rusty look, adding dabs of various colour paint randomly until I had an effect that I liked.

I prepared the MDF humming bird with acrylic primer, before applying Inka-Gold wax paint, blending different blues & green to create the effect, then edged parts of it with Prima icing paste in Fire Ruby & rubbed a touch of Cosmic Shimmer gold shimmer guilding wax to highlight a few areas.

Please leave me a comment if you like my art, I do appreciate it

Jane xx

Today, I was a runner up .....

In the monthly challenge on one of my favourite online craft community, on Facebook it is known as All Things Crafty - Hints, Tips and Inspiration
It is run by Emma Goddard & her team, there is so much creativity within the group by so many talented crafters, as well as support, encouragement, tips & of course the monthly challenge.

Here is what I entered for January. It is quite a simple piece, but lovely. It is fairly straightforward to make, first off I primed the wooden heart, alphas & resin wings with acrylic primer & set aside to dry. Next, using a stencil & heavy gel medium I created a textured background in the heart, when dry I painted both the heart & wings with a matt acrylic paint in blue & the alpha in gold. I edged both sets of wings with brown ink before glueing to 2 sets together & sticking to the heart, along with the alpha & leave to dry. When dry I started to add layers of colour to the wings, using inks, paint, wax & mica powder, sprinting with water to help allow the colours to merge. I added some texture stones, which I had precoloured & a few tiny gems, the I sprayed the MDF word with the same colour ink as the gold texture stones & glued in place. I edged the heart with gold wax & added the metal rose, I loved the colour of the metal so chose not to colour it. Finally, I added a fine sprinkle of clear glitter to the wings & decided it was complete.  Thank you for visiting today, if you like what I have shared today please leave a comment
Jane 💞