Creative Artiste #51 July 2019

I'm still busy with weekly demos and teaching and looking forward to the summer break in a few weeks - just in time for the school summer holidays! I hope we all get to enjoy some lovely sunny weather. 
First, some crafty business ...

...Welcome to my July challenge post for 

Creative Artiste

Creative Artiste is a challenge blog for everyone who likes to mix their media. So, as long as you like to use various mediums on your creations, we'd love to see you enter the challenge.

A big Thank You to everyone who entered Challenge #50 in June. Your projects were all fabulous and our winners have been announced on the blog.

Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"

I have a project I made for the class I teach to show today.

This is a journal made with an Eileen Hull die from Sizzix. I cut the panels out of greyboard and gave the front one a coat of black gesso.

I built up the arrangement using paper straws to give dimension to the random elements. Most of the embellishments are made with paper clay and moulds. Once the embellishments were in place I added Prima Art Stones to the gaps and gave everything a coat of black gesso.

I dabbed Prima's Art Alchemy Acrylic paints Metallic Crocus Fields and Metallic Emerald Green on the cover and used plenty of water to move the paint around. Once dried I did the same with Prima's Art Alchemy Metallic Rustic Brown.

For the back cover I used DecoArt Crackle Paste through a stencil. Once dry I repeated the same paint techniques as on the front. I finished both panels with touches of Prima's Art Alchemy waxes for extra shine.

Once both pieces were painted, dried and waxed I joined them together and threaded them with black elastic for the signatures. I finished the ends off with some beads.

Now it's your turn to have fun and create your mixed media projects. You can enter our challenge up to three times. A full list of the rules is on the challenge blog. For more inspiration please visit the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog to see the wonderful mixed media projects created by our talented team. Remember to have fun crafting and enter your "Anything Mixed Media Goes" creations in our July challenge.

I'm demoing some gorgeous Docrafts products at The Range in Carmarthen tomorrow (Saturday 6th) from 10am til 4pm. Join me if you're in the area, and have a great weekend if you're not!

I've entered this project in the following challenges:

Crafts Galore Encore July 2019

This year is spinning past so quickly. I can't believe we are over halfway already. It will soon be the school summer holidays and a year since we've had our gorgeous little girl living with us. What a difference to all our lives!
But, before the holidays, there's a bit of business ....

.... There's new challenge at

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge Blog. 

Thank you to everyone who joined in with June's challenge. The winners have been announced on the challenge blog. This is a month long challenge and you can enter up to three times. There is a full list of rules on the challenge blog.

Our theme every month is the popular

"Anything Goes"
and our sponsor this month is:

Polkadoodles

I have made a birthday card for a boy to show today.

The card is 8"x 8" (20 cms x 20 cms). I coloured the background with Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink. The two papers came with the image and I changed the colours in a graphics program and cut them into angular shapes. They are edged with Chipped Sapphire DI.

The Polkadoodles image is called Gamer Little Dude. I coloured him with Copics and cut the image out in an angular shape.

The image comes with three papers and some sentiments. I chose this one and coloured it with Chipped Sapphire DI. The musical notes are from an old Crealies die set.

Now please visit the  Crafts Galore Encore challenge blog where you can see the wonderful projects and cards created by our talented team using Polkadoodles images. Grab some inspiration while you're there and enter your "Anything Goes" creations in the July challenge.

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

Creative Artiste #50 June 2019

How has your week been? I'm being kept very busy here. My prep is all done for my Trimcraft demos but I still have some birthday cards to make and some mixed media classes to organise. I'm hoping to find some extra crafty time for me in between commitments and family life. But duty first ...

...Welcome to my June challenge post for 

Creative Artiste

Creative Artiste is a challenge blog for everyone who likes to mix their media. So, as long as you like to use various mediums on your creations, we'd love to see you enter the challenge.

A big Thank You to everyone who entered Challenge #49 in May. Your projects were all fabulous and our winners have been announced on the blog.

Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"

I have a 12"x 9" (30 x 23 cms)  canvas to show today. I wanted to create a vintage looking canvas and decided to only use Distress Oxides for colour. The colours I chose are Vintage Photo, Antique Linen, Worn Lipstick and Broken China.

I mixed texture paste with Vintage Photo and passed it through a stencil over the background. I mixed the pink and blue DOX colours with white gesso and applied thinly to the canvas with a palette knife then used a wet wipe to add Antique Linen to the uncoloured areas.

I started to assemble the arrangement with three wooden sticks and an old CD. The CD was coloured with gesso mixed with the pink and blue DOX. I coloured die-cuts and circles with gesso mixed with DOX and some by just dipping in watered DOX.

The ephemera is from an old Kaiserkraft collection and the flowers are my handmade paper ones coloured with the DOX. I tucked scraps of cheesecloth in random areas.

The die-cuts are using dies from Fantasy and Marianne and added to the arrangement with either gel medium or foam pads to create the levels of dimension.

I finished the project by adding Prima Artstones around the base and in the flower centres. Also a few glass beads.

I was really pleased to be able to use the Distress Oxides in different ways to colour this project. I love the soft colours they produce.

Now it's your turn to have fun and create your mixed media projects. You can enter the challenge up to three times. A full list of the rules is on the challenge blog. For more inspiration please visit the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog to see the wonderful mixed media projects created by our talented team.
Remember to have fun crafting and enter your "Anything Mixed Media Goes" creations in our June challenge.
I'm demoing at The Range in Llanelli tomorrow (Saturday 8th) from 10am til 4pm. Please join me if you're in the area, and have a great weekend if you're not!

I've entered this project in the following challenges:

http://alteredeclectics.blogspot.com/2019/05/june-challenge.html

http://welove2create.blogspot.com/2019/05/challenge-6-anything-goes-mixed-media.html

https://moremixedmediachallenge.blogspot.com/2019/06/more-mixed-media-challenge-anything.html

https://lovetocraftchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2019/06/ltccb-35-june-anything-goes.html

https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/06/miucb-26-anything-goes-inlaid-die-cut.html

Crafts Galore Encore June 2019

May was a lovely month with  two long weekends, a half term holiday and some really nice weather. I used the month to relax, spend precious time with the family and have fun crafting. I hope you managed to do the same. June is going to be very busy with demos every weekend and lots of birthdays to celebrate. But first I'm starting with ...

.... A new challenge at

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge Blog. 

Thank you to everyone who joined in with May's challenge. The winners have been announced on the challenge blog. This is a month long challenge and you can enter up to three times. There is a full list of rules on the challenge blog.

Our theme every month is the popular

"Anything Goes"
and our sponsor this month is:

Vera Lane Studio
who are offering a prize of  two digi sets.

I have made a fun fold out card to show you today.

I started by sticking two 6"x 6" (15 x 15 cm) card blanks together. I used Distress Oxides Broken China and Lucky Clover to cover the first three panels of the card and Vintage Photo on the final one.

The die-cuts are from an old X-cut set and the sentiments are computer generated.

The cute animal images are all from Vera Lane's Farm Animals Set 2. The set comes complete with animal noise words too. I used a graphics programme to group the individual animals and my Copics to colour them in before fixing them with foam pads to the card base.

Now please visit the  Crafts Galore Encore challenge blog where you can see the wonderful projects and cards created by our talented team using Vera Lane Studio images. Grab some inspiration while you're there and enter your "Anything Goes" creations in the June challenge.

I have entered this card in the following challenges:
https://classicdesignteamchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/06/classic-dt-open-challenge-june-6.html
https://lovetocraftchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2019/06/ltccb-35-june-anything-goes.html
https://creataliciouschallenges.blogspot.com/2019/05/challenge-164-anything-goes-with.html
https://2craftycrittercrazies.blogspot.com/2019/06/challenge-27-sponsored-by-rick-st-dennis.html
http://craftyanimals.blogspot.com/2019/06/challenge-27.html

Creative Artiste #49 May 2019

...Welcome to my May challenge post for 

Creative Artiste

Creative Artiste is a challenge blog for everyone who likes to mix their media. So, as long as you like to use various mediums on your creations, we'd love to see you enter the challenge.

A big Thank You to everyone who entered Challenge #48 in April. Your projects were all fabulous and our winners have been announced on the blog.

Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"

I have a small canvas to show today.

This is a 5"x 7" (13cm x 17cm) canvas board. I started by using Distress Oxides (Lucky Clover and Broken China) with water to colour the canvas for the background to my scene.

I used Woodland Nature stamp set from Samantha K and stamped the large toadstools onto the canvas with black Versafine. I then painted the stamped image with black acrylic to create a solid shadow. The toadstools were also stamped onto watercolour paper and painted with watercolours. I fixed these toadstools to the canvas, slightly offset, with a thick layer of matt medium.

All the other images were stamped onto the canvas with Versafine and coloured with watercolours and Posca pens. To finish, I added Anita's 3D Clear Gloss to the bee wings and dew drops.

Now it's your turn to have fun and create your mixed media projects. You can enter the challenge up to three times. A full list of the rules is on the challenge blog. For more inspiration please visit the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog to see the wonderful mixed media projects created by our talented team.
Remember to have fun crafting and enter your "Anything Mixed Media Goes" creations in our May challenge.

I've entered this project in the following challenges: