Steampunk Hop ...Yay!

Today's the day & it's a great day for a Steampunk hop!

A hop chocka block full of amazing mixed media creations by talented artists & amazingly generous sponsors who are donating fantastic prizes & we all love prizes right!!
All you have to do to be in with a chance at grabbing some of them, is to follow the hop & comment on what you see. The hop is not just on Blogger, the links will also take you to Instagram & YouTube too. 

Hopefully, this hop will 'wet your appetites' for this style of craft, seeing what the artist's have created to showcase & inspire you to give Steampunk a try for yourself, assuming you aren't already enjoying this genre art of coarse!?

We have gang of very talented Mixed Media Artists taking part in the hop showing you a variety of styles & designs, if you think that Steampunk is limited in its design, then you will be very surprised at what you see during this exciting line up. If you want to do the hop from in order from beginning to end, then you simply click on the 1st link below & follow the links through, leaving comments on each blog as you work your way through. You have 3 days to get your comments on all of the artists blogs to entered into the draw for a prize from one of the fantastic sponsors, listed further down this post!

Any comments on my blog, will go into a separate drawing for a prize (Prize TBC) 

Please remember, you need to leave somewhere in your comments, where or how we can contact you to inform you if your a prize winner. If we can't contact you, no prize!

Please join us & invite your friends, most of all have as much fun as we will & good luck in the prize draws

It's Oddly Appealing - https://www.itsoddlyappealing.com/2020/06/steampunk-man.html

Ink Stained Roni - https://inkstainswithroni.blogspot.com/2020/06/creatively-curious-steampunk-blog-hop.html

Electric Pandemonium- https://electricpandemonium13.blogspot.com/2020/06/steampunk-blog-hop.html

Crafts From The Fairy Den - https://craftsfromthefairyden.blogspot.com/2020/05/steampunk-blog-hop.html

Chaitali Dekhtawala - https://mycreativecolorpalette.blogspot.com/2020/06/its-time-to-fly-canvas-steampunk-layout.html

Nellys Artistic Creations - https://youtu.be/-O-0TGJi9U8 *Arrived from here*

Jane Austin - https://islandcreativity.blogspot.com/2020/06/steampunk-hop-yay.html *You are Here*

Priya Mishra - http://quillingbypriya.blogspot.com/2020/06/dragon-steampunk-blog-hop.html *Next link*

Archana Sehgal - https://youtu.be/4hn9zesZRK4

Bhavani Balaji - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBzf2GOfCe10TZqgzGpcIQg

Cassandra - Scrap Savvy Creations - https://scrapsavvycreations.blogspot.com/2020/06/steampunk-blog-hop.html (if posting on IG can tag me at @scrapsavvy )

Shraddha - https://youtu.be/JJJrIYNsIL4uA

Amy Love's Designs - https://amylovesdesigns.blogspot.com

Kanika Jain- http://youtube.com/c/HandmadeByKanika

Empire of the Cat - https://empireofthecat.com/blog/2020/06/19/the-curious-case-of-the-time-travelling-cat-steampunk-blog-hop

Shwetha's Art - https://www.youtube.com/c/ShwethasArt / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGMiHfy6V4o

Sonika Agarwal - https://youtu.be/5iUVNmnF6Q8

In Search of my Creative Side - https://insearchofmycreativeside.blogspot.com/2020/06/steampunk-blog-hop.html

The Journey is the Start - https://thejourneyisthestarthere.blogspot.com/2020/06/steampunk-blog-hop.html

Crea-Red- https://youtu.be/aRVAjouXzQI

Orquide'art - http://orquideart.canalblog.com/

Juli Loves Paper - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j00nRK-X33E

Kim Slade-Fuller https://angeldreamcrafts.blogspot.com/2020/06/steampunk-blog-hop.html

Leslie Lineberry: http://www.artfordinner.gallery/blog/2020/6/focus-on-time-travel

Linda Simpson: https://lindasimpsoncraftypieceofheaven.blogspot.com/2020/06/steampunk-blog-hop.html

Jessica Larios - https://youtu.be/LN8ikGhbCc8

Riddhi Jani - https://youtu.be/Zx8nDVUloTA

Lynne Joncas https://scrappysquirrelsnest.blogspot.com/2020/06/steampunk-blog-hopgypsy-time-machine.html

Zoe Bateman http://zazzcreative.blogspot.com/2020/06/steampunk-blog-hop.html

Pooja sharma https://youtu.be/CFDE7c6rtnI

Nicole Palos - http://fiveluckyclovers.blogspot.com/

A Vintage Girl https://candyscraps.typepad.com/scraps/2020/05/steampunk-blog-hop.html

WOW! What a line up, did you visit them all?

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We have 16 prize sponsors for our Steampunk Hop - we're proud to say these are small businesses run by artists. Let's show them some love!

1) A Vintage Girl (https://www.avintagegirlshop.com/) - $20 prize package

2) Angel Dream Crafts (https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/AngeldreamCraftsKim) - $20 gift certificate (shipping not included)

3) Linda Israel Art (https://lindaisrael.com/art/) - $50 gift certificate (shipping not included)

4) A Matter of Crafts (www.justamatterofcrafts.com) - $20 gift certificate (shipping not included)

5) Expressions Craft (https://www.expressionscraft.com/) - $25 gift certificate (shipping not included)

6) Nellys Artistic Creations (https://www.instagram.com/nellys_artistic_creations/?hl=en) - original artwork (see link for examples of her work)

7) Gecko Galz (https://www.etsy.com/shop/geckogalz) - $25 in digital products

8) Creative Embellishments (https://creativeembellishments.com/) - $50 (shipping not included)

9) Emerald Creek (https://emeraldcreek.co/) - $25 gift certificate

10) Electric Pandemonium (Etsy.com/shop/electricpandemonium) - choose a $45 original artwork piece (shipping not included)

11) Thompson's Craft Supplies (https://thompsonscraftsupplies.com/) £20 (approx $25) (shipping not included)

12) It's Oddly Appealing (https://www.pinterest.com/itsoddlyappealing/its-oddly-appealing/) - original artwork (see link for examples of her work)

13) The Funkie Junkie Boutique (https://www.thefunkiejunkie.com/) - $25 gift certificate

14) Hobbilicious (https://www.hobbilicious.com/) - £15 (approx $19) (UK shipping free)

15) ITD (https://itdcollection.com/) - prize package worth £25

16) Stamperia (https://stamperia.com/) - a pizza box prize pack

To have a chance of winning one of the 16 coveted prizes, leave a comment on this post, along with your email address or social media contact (IG, FB, etc) and what country you're from, from now through Monday, 22 June. Sixteen winners will be picked randomly from all comments left from all of the artist's participating! The winners will be contacted via email/social media so it's important you leave your address/social media contact! Good luck and enjoy the hop!

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Good luck & most of all have fun, you are all very welcome & remember, comments equal prizes 😉

Let's get this Hop started by showing you the piece that I have made ....

I have had this Madhatters kit in my store cupboard forever, taking part in this blog hop made me feel it was the right time to give it an airing! Now I am not one for following instructions on how to put kits together, I like to use them as a starting base & do my own thing with them & that's exactly what I did with this one. 

After priming my pieces & sticking them firmly into place, I gave it a good coating of bronze paint using a brush, when dry I added some more of the paint, using the dabber to give some texture.

For the nail heads & studs I used some good old flatback pearls, I am so pleased that I didn't give them away when I stopped paper crafting. They look odd like this, but once painted over they look fine.

Next, I secured everything where I wanted it to go, then set about adding colour! I know that with steampunk, often the first thing you think of is early industrial steam powered machinery & cogs etc, but Steampunk is actually retro futuristic, think science fantasy & fantasy is colourful right!?

See how those flat back pearls turned out, not bad huh? Just shows in Mixed Media art there is a use for everything & how cute is that opticians glass!?

I love the clock hands by MitForm & that opticians lens found in a junk sale, I love finding unusual bits &bobs

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today & I really hope that you find the time to join in & visit my fellow hoppers, don't forget to comment so that you will be eligible to be entered into the global prize draw.

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Also, every comment left on my blog within 24 hours of this post going live, will go into a prize draw that I am giving away to my personal viewers. that gives you at least 2 chances at winning a prize!

To have a chance of winning one of the 16 coveted prizes, leave a comment on this post, along with your email address or social media contact (IG, FB, etc) and what country you're from, from now through Monday, 22 June. Sixteen winners will be picked randomly from all comments left from all of the artist's participating! The winners will be contacted via email/social media so it's important you leave your address/social media contact! Good luck and enjoy the hop!

Enjoy 

Jane x

I would like to enter this into the following challenges

       https://sandee-and-amelie.blogspot.com/?m=1

The Island Where I Live .....

As much as I hate this lockdown & the strange times that we are living in right now, this beautiful island in Hampshire UK looks so utterly gorgeous right now! Hayling Island is a favoured holiday destination for many families, Especially people wanting to escape the busy towns & cities in the surrounding area, it is also in easy reach of London. Hayling is a small island nestled between Portsmouth & Chichester, looking out at sea you can see the equally beautiful but bigger, Isle of Wight.
You can only access the island by road bridge or boat, meaning that in the warmer months traffic can be very busy & island residents said on realise that extra time is needed when moving on & off the island. Tourism is a major part of Island life & is what keeps the local businesses going, so putting up with traffic is something you have to accommodate & accept! Lucky for me I don’t drive. The first photo is the road bridge to enter the island, at Langstone Harbour.

 The next 2 photographs are of Haylings longest unbroken beach, which I am very happy to say has been granted Blue Flag status!  Most of the beaches on Hauling Island are shall & pebble, but there are a few pockets of sanded beach.

The next photo shows a photo from the other side of the island , with the inlets leading into beautiful Chichester Harbour, this is a one of the protected areas & attended by various association's which include the RSPB.org, Heritage Trust, Langstone & Chichester Harbours Trust & many more conservation organisations. It really is a wonderful place to live & no 2 walks are ever the same.
We also have a lot of water sports on the island, in fact the sport of windsurfing began in Hayling Island, here is an expert from the Hayling Windsurfing & Water sports site. Hayling Island has an annual Windsurfing weekend & is a spectacular event, wonderful to watch!

"Hayling Island’s connection with windsurfing is a long and fruitful one. When young Peter Chilvers attached a freely rotating mast and sail to a makeshift board in 1958 he set in motion a chain of events that still resonates today. Back then Pete’s chosen windsurfing area was close to Fishery Creek – these days you can find windsurfers out having a blast anywhere there’s watery access."

I hope you have enjoyed reading this little insight into where I live & why my blog is called Island Creativity 🌴

Breaking News .. Coming Soon ...

Do you love Steampunk & Grunge? Yes!! Then do I have some great news for you!

A brand new Steampunk challenge blog ... The first challenge will upload on the 1st September 2020 & it's going to be awesome, there is a great line up of DTs & we are all working behind the scenes to bring you loads of inspiration. There will be something for everyone, so wether you are new to this genre or a geared up,  hard hatted Steampunk crafter, you are all welcome to join in!
Why not follow the blog, it is still under construction, but open to followers, that way you won't miss a thing!

BLOG

INSTAGRAM

Oh, just one more thing, did I mention prizes? Oh yes we have some wonderful prizes up for grabs too, by some very generous & fabulous sponsors!

Please share the news with your friends, it really is too good to keep to yourself 😆

Bathing Beauty

Today's an exciting day today, because I get to share a piece that I created for my Bleeding Art Challenge DT show piece! I love being a part of this super talented team, please check it out & if you love mixed media it is a fantastic place to enter & show off your own creations & possibly win a prize too.

For my Bathing Beauty shrine I began by painting the plywood shrine with 2 coats of white gesso

When dry, using liquid acrylic paint by DecoArt I painted the frame with 2 coats, allowing to dry between coats. Next, I created the background by adding a little water to the paint & began dry brushing with light strokes, building up areas of colour.

Now for the fun part, I gathered a pile of natural shells, glass beads in various sizes & opacity, resin pieces, charms & coloured sand. I applied some soft gel medium to the floor & added some coloured sand. While that was setting, I applied some shells to the sides, back & then the floor using heavy gel medium. I recommend using the bigger shells first, then start filling in with the smaller shells & beads, allow this to dry & set firm.

I used a paper straw to make the sea washed post, after cutting it in half & coating it in gesso, to which I added a little gel medium & allowing to dry, I coated it again with gel medium & sprinkled some embossing powder directly on to the still wet gel, I made the mix myself, by combining different coloured powders together! When coated, use your heat gun to create the magic, add more powder & repeat to get the desired effect as required.

Tip: I found it helpful to put the straw on to a pencil, it makes it easy to hold while working on it.

I stamped, fussy cut, tinted & varnished the sea gull & glued him to the top of his post. The Mermaid is a cut out on paper, so I coated her with UTEE to make her more rigid & stable. I used 2 mini cotton reels behind her, to allow her to stand proud. Finally, using heavy gel medium, I placed the shrine on to the plinth, added some more shells & coloured sand to the front of the piece & filled in any gaps that I wasn't happy with, using tiny beads & added the anchor charm. Using a black paint pen I drew a few seagulls around the mermaid & I was done!

Products used

Ideology Vignette - Tim Holtz  

White Gesso - Pentart

Gel Mediums- Pentart

Liquid Acrylic Paint - DecoArt

Various Beads Charms & Sand - Artful Days 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today, please leave me a comment, I really do read them all & return the favour by visiting your social media art space!

Jane x

Great news, there is a Steampunk Blog Hop, just around the corner

I am taking part in a Steampunk Blog Hop. This is a first for me & I am super excited to see it unfold.

We have 14 prize sponsors for our Steampunk Hop - we're proud to say these are small businesses run by artists. Let's show them some love! 

1) A Vintage Girl (https://www.avintagegirlshop.com/) - $20 prize package

2) Angel Dream Crafts (https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/AngeldreamCraftsKim) - $20 gift certificate (shipping not included)

3) Linda Israel Art (https://lindaisrael.com/art/) - $50 gift certificate (shipping not included)

4) A Matter of Crafts (www.justamatterofcrafts.com) - $20 gift certificate (shipping not included)

5) Expressions Craft (https://www.expressionscraft.com/) - $25 gift certificate (shipping not included)

6) Nellys Artistic Creations (https://www.instagram.com/nellys_artistic_creations/?hl=en) - original artwork (see link for examples of her work)

7) Gecko Galz (https://www.etsy.com/shop/geckogalz) - $25 in digital products

8) Creative Embellishments (https://creativeembellishments.com/) - $50 (shipping not included) 

9) Emerald Creek (https://emeraldcreek.co/) - $25 gift certificate 

10) Electric Pandemonium (Etsy.com/shop/electricpandemonium) - choose a $45 original artwork piece (shipping not included) 

11) Thompson's Craft Supplies (https://thompsonscraftsupplies.com/) £20 (approx $25)  (shipping not included) 

12) It's Oddly Appealing (https://www.pinterest.com/itsoddlyappealing/its-oddly-appealing/) - original artwork (see link for examples of her work) 

13) The Funkie Junkie Boutique (https://www.thefunkiejunkie.com/) - $25 gift certificate 

14) Hobbilicious (https://www.hobbilicious.com/) - £15 (approx $19) (UK shipping free) 

To have a chance of winning one of the 14 coveted prizes, leave a comment on this post, along with your email address or social media contact (IG, FB, etc) and what country you're from, from now through Monday, 22 June. Fourteen winners will be picked randomly from all comments left from all of the artist's participating! The winners will be contacted via email so it's important you leave your address! Good luck and enjoy the hop!

Everyone is welcome, so tell your friends to come & join in with the fun too!

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I will also have a give away, 2 in fact. All commenters on this post will be chosen at random, if your friends also comment & mention your name, you will get 2 entries (Prizes TBC) I will also be having my own give away on the day of the hop on Friday 19th June 9am Eastern U.S time - 2.00pm GMT (UK)

I'm looking forward to seeing you all joining in with the fun!

Jane x