June Coaster

Now I know there are a lot of people dying to hear all about my Journey to Sydney and Artful Flight and Meeting a certain Mr Holtz and I will be getting to those posts soon.

However I finished my Coaster for this Month and was so excited I wanted to share it with you all.
There is a technique I am in love with and it is so simple and cheap. You wont really see what it has done even looking at the coaster closely, it is one of those indefinable things that adds an extra layer of grittyness to your aged and worn looks. I used it in the 12 tags of Christmas and have been using it ever since. Soft willow charcoal. However instead of applying it to the edges of the paper this time I rubbed a little along some paper to get some dust up then smudged the charcoal dust over the Patterned Paper before using a blending tool, some foam and Tea Dye, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Inks (I also used a little of the last two on my flower and then Misted it)

The flower arrived in an Amazing Package of Vintage Girl Swap items from the Amazing Ladies at Jelly Bean Scrappers

I did ink over the top of it then Misted it. It was already that pretty dusky pink colour.

I added two Mulberry Rose Leaves, an I Kan Dee (from quite some time ago) Word Charm that I used a little Picket fence on Just like Tim Taught us on Sunday and a Jute String Bow. The paper is from Kaisers Vintage Timeless 6×6 pad (great value for money lots of PP and very well priced)  And Viola simple, and very pretty

Here it is:

What it has made me realise is that I want to re do my Febuary Coaster I never quite gelled with it completely. However now it does not really fit in to the look of the other coasters and for what I have in mind it just kind of stands out like a sore thumb so I will keep some elements like the flower and the heart and have a play and see what I come up with.

Exploring my inner artist

This year has for me about exploring new ideas and mixed media art journaling has definitely captured my imagination. The scope and range of products in the art and craft world astounds me and my wish list is rife full of all sorts of things that I would love to experiment with.

I have been playing with some cheap pastels (they are more like a chalk/watercolour than an oil pastel) and some very basic drawings. I have also acquired along the way both soft and hard charcoals, and a few art pads to play on.

Today for the first time I decided to try and draw and colour a face (other than art classes at school some eep let’s just say a very long time ago).

I have been seeing such wonderful fun and funky faces and people around and about and I always think I wish I could do that so today I decided to try it.

So I used the biggest art pad I had and pencil drew in a face, I then traced it with tissue paper (in case I made a completely horrible mess of things) I painted the original with pastel mixed with water and also a little extra pastels in places to add texture

This first pic is the Tissue Paper Pic

And This is the coloured version, I am quite happy with this as a first effort especially pleased with her eyes as this was done without thinking of anyone just off the cuff

Also (no wonder housework is not getting done, 12 tags, Christmas and a bout of mega creativity) I had a go at making a little hand bound book although I had seen this on a TV show and did look at some tutorials I ended up doing it in my own way (what is new with that lol) I still have to make a cover for it but here is a pic of it so far it is 6 pages from a sketch pad as well as tissue paper. I am looking forward to making the cover and seeing how it looks when I finish it. It is designed to be a pocket art journal not sure if I am keeping it or going to use it for a present for one of my arty friends who draw.

12 Tags Day 8 mark 2

Ok so I could not help myself I had to do it.

See here for the Original Tag 8 that Tim Holtz Did Yesterday
http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/12/12-tags-of-christmastag-8.html

Here is my Vintage Version

Materials Used:

Tim Holtz –

-Blending tool and 2 pieces of felt

– Paint Dabber Snow Cap

– Distress ink in Vintage Photograph, Walnut stain and Tea Dye

– Lots and found stamps (I used the people one) and regal flourishes (the corner flourish)

-Glossy Accents

-On the Edge Die Cogs, as well as clock and gears Die cut from both thin and thicker chipboard

Versa mark Watermark Ink pad

Kaiser clear stamps: December 25^th and After 5

A small piece of vintage lace (it is hidden beneath the cogs just barely showing)

White Tissue Paper

Staz on Jet Black

Monte Marte Willow Charcoal (any soft charcoal is good note hard charcoal will not give the right effect here)

Manilla Tag

Heat Gun

Utee Clear

Extra Manilla (I used the other side of a tag I ruined so as not to waste it)

Claudine Hellmoth Matt Multi Medium

Mini Mister Bottle

Vintage Looking Brad

1. See the background Technique from Tim Holtz for Day 8. I  used snow cap paint dabber as I do not own the stain yet, After you colour your tag you will need to re stamp your top corner again as the vintage photograph and tea dye ink will seep into the paint and you want it a crisper white image
2. Prep all your chipboard Pieces (I cut the cogs off the on the edge piece and discarded the edge piece) by dabbing with Snow cap (I roughly cut the clock to fit and left a little at each edge to trim off at the end)
3. Ink over the chipboard using either vintage photograph or tea dye. I used walnut stain on the clock hands to give them a different look. You want to do this so there are little areas of white showing. Dab off the excess ink.
4. Using your charcoal run it around all the edges of your chipboard pieces making sure to get a thin dark edge
5. Using a tissue or your fingers rub the charcoal into your chipboard by pulling it towards the centre of your chipboard. This gives a gritty sooty look to your vintage work and you will not get this look with ink or other means
6. Using your charcoal go around the edge of your tag and smudge it in.
7. Using the Claudine Hellmoth  multi medium in matt do a thin coat on each chipboard piece
8. Then either use glossy accents, triple thick or Utee (I used Utee I wanted to put it all together) to coat all chipboard pieces
9. Using walnut stain stamp the Lost and Found stamp with the People on it onto a small piece of Tissue Paper and heat with heat gun
10. Tear off the excess tissue paper from around your image
11. On the inked side paint with multi medium as quick as you can (or the image will start to smear)
12. Place on tag inked side down and gently smooth out
13. Paint matt multi medium over the top and allow to dry
14. Stamp your tickets on the Manilla
15. Ink them
16. Create a mist by mixing 4 drops of vintage photograph with water in your mini mister and spray over tags.
17. Dry with heat gun and fussy cut the tags out
18. Ink and spray till your happy with how aged and worn the tickets look
19. Go around the edges of the tickets with charcoal and smudge in
20. Glue into place hanging off the edge of the tag
21. Mist a piece of vintage lace with the vintage photograph mist. Blot with Paper towel and repeat this. Then Dry carefully with heat gun or wait for it to dry naturally
22. Glue in place at the bottom of your tag
23. Place your cogs and gears where you want them and glue down with glossy accents
24. Place your clock where you want it and glue into place (Note I made sure one of the gaps in the clock was over the tags hole)
25. Put a hole where you want your clock hands and insert your brad through them. Then through the tag and push the brad flat at the back of the tag.
26. Position your clock hands where you would like them to point

And that’s all there is there isn’t any more.