Creative Artiste #41 August 2018

Happy Friday everyone. I'm on my travels again and keeping my fingers crossed for a good outcome today. Hopefully, one way or another, we will know what the future holds. But first there is something else going on today, so ...

... Welcome to my August 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 #40 in July. Your projects were all fabulous and our winner has been announced on the blog. 

Our theme is always
"Anything Mixed Media Goes"

This month we are sponsored by the fabulous

Samantha K Gifts

who are offering this lovely prize to our lucky winner.


This month I have decorated an 8" (20cm) embroidery hoop to make a wall hanging.

The hoop is an old wooden one I've had for years that deserved a new lease of life. I started by painting the hoop and my MDF pieces with black gesso. Once dry I used white gesso and DecoArt crackle paste to create texture.

 I cut a circle of heat resistant acetate and attached it to the back of the hoop. I built up a support layer with a strip of silky fabric, some thick netting and cheesecloth and stretched them tightly over the hoop frame. I then added the 'bubbles' to the background and foreground which  are Circle Cluster B and Circle Cluster C from Samantha K Gifts.

I fixed shells, glass beads, pearls and a seahorse to the structure with my glue gun. I added clusters of Prima Artstones and gave it all a coat of white gesso.

Next was the fun part of painting everything. I used gorgeous Prima Art Alchemy Metallique acrylic paints in Emerald Green, Crocus Fields, Mermaid Teal, Light Patina and Vintage Rose.

For the finishing touch I added little highlights of Prima's Art Alchemy Metallique waxes.

Now it's your turn to create your mixed media projects and 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 the challenge.
Enjoy your weekend everyone.

Find Prima products in the UK at Artist Trading Post.

I've entered this project into the following challenges:

https://rheddscreativespirit.blogspot.com/2018/08/august-challenge.html x
http://alteredeclectics.blogspot.com/2018/08/august-challenge.html x
http://countryviewchallenges.blogspot.com/2018/08/august-2018-sun-sea-and-sand.html
https://aperfecttimetocraft.blogspot.com/2018/08/a-perfect-time-to-craft-open-challenge.html Spotlight
https://lovetocraftchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2018/08/ltccb-25-august-anything-goes.html Top Pick
https://mixitupchallenge.blogspot.com/2018/08/miucb-16-anything-goes-acrylic-block.html x

Craft Box Clipboard

Well, our weather over here in South Wales still can't make up it's mind about summer. We typically have a mixture of sun, rain, wind and fog. And that's just in a morning.
I cheered myself up this week by making this project. There were some lovely elements in the August Craft Box which I received at the beginning of the week. They included a board and a clip which I put together to make a clipboard. 

The board is 7.5" x 5.5" (19 x 14 cm). I started by adding some torn pieces of a craft newspaper and bits from the SnipArt trellis before a light coat of gesso.

Next I built up a platform using some stencilled card layers. I then cut up one of the metal filigrees and began adding some elements from the most recent Craft Boxes I'd received.

Those elements included a Steampunk charm, wooden pegs, mermaid cabochons and purple half pearls.

There were also paper roses, resin roses, Druzy sparkles and opal tiles. 

To colour the clipboard and elements I used four of my 13 @rts Ayeeda sprays - available in the UK from Artist Trading Post. The colours I used are Pastel Dirty Pink, Pastel Green, Pastel Turquoise and Chalk White.

I made the sentiment plaque by heat embossing white Frantage on a die-cut oval and using a Kaisercraft stamp with Stazon.  

My finishing touch was to add a seam binding bow I'd coloured with Distress Oxides.

 In parts of the UK this weekend it is a Bank Holiday, which means that Monday is a day off. There is no extra craft time for me though as we have house guests. Trust me they're not here for the weather.
I hope you all have a crafty weekend and lovely weather though wherever you are.

Oxide Dragonflies

Sorry I haven't been around much over the past couple of weeks. I've been busy with demos, classes, commissions and DT work. I did however find time to finally have a play with the Distress Oxides I purchased from Artist Trading Post. These are the results of my first playtime.

Both of these projects are mixed media card fixed to an 8"x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm) canvas board. The Distress Oxide backgrounds were created by dipping and lifting the mixed media card in puddles of Oxide ink and water on my craft mat. I dipped each colour separately and dried in between.

I used Worn Lipstick, Broken China, Vintage Photo and Cracked Pistachio to colour this background, die-cut doily and cheesecloth.

The dragonfly was die-cut using the Tim Holtz Sizzix die in pearlescent card. It was dipped in Cracked Pistachio, Worn Lipstick and Vintage Photo Oxide inks.  There is a beautiful sheen to it in real life. 

Once the ink layers were dry I stamped some text, added texture paste through a Prima stencil and some bamboo sticks. The added textures were coloured using Oxides mixed with water and painted on like a watercolour. I then added some white micro beads.

For this background and dragonfly I used Vintage Photo, Spiced Marmalade and Cracked Pistachio DOs.

This dragonfly was die cut from plain white card and dipped in watered Oxides. Prima Artstones and cheese cloth were coloured with the Oxides as a watercolour.

The panels were finished with glass pebbles from my stash.

Both canvas boards were painted with dark brown acrylic and then a layer of DecoArt's Weathered Wood. Once dry I added the top coat of acrylic paint and watched them crackle. The card panels were then glued onto the canvases with soft matt gel.

I love the way the Oxides react with each other and on different surfaces. The soft, chalky look on plain card is my favourite. It's so tactile. Have you got any Oxides? What do you think of them? I still have a couple of colours I haven't tried yet, I'll have to make time for another play....

Applied Creativity in 3 Acts

Hello everyone, I'm back to tell you about the amazing time I had at the Applied Creativity in 3 Acts retreat last weekend. The event was smoothly run by Art Workshops - thanks to Sue and her fabulous team. - It was a very busy weekend with a total of 18 hours of tutored crafting over the two days by the three best mixed media teachers. Anna Dabrowska (aka Finnabair), France Papillon and Marta Lapkowska. I learnt so much from them and had a wonderful time. So many new techniques and friends.

These are the projects that I had so much fun making. Obviously I can't give you details of how they were made but I can recommend you take the classes if you get the chance. The sessions were all three hours long and all three tutors taught two different projects. 

First up on Saturday morning was Marta's class.

A dimensional vintage plaque that I painted in soft colours. 

After lunch was France Papillon's class. 

This was supposed to be half an eggshell but mine ended up as more of a shallow dish. (I blame the air conditioning) but I still love the result.

On Saturday evening I had Finnabair's first class.

A stencilled and embellished mixed media notebook. 

After a much needed rest we started on Sunday with the second of Anna's classes.

This project is on MDF and we got to work with Anna's brand new Art Alchemy Impasto paints from Prima.

In the afternoon was Marta's second class.

A hexagonal block of wood decorated with layers, stencilling and flowers.

The last class of the weekend was with France on Sunday evening.

This project is on a 9" (23 cm) piece of wood and we got to use France's first stencil. I added the metal embellishments from my stash.

I couldn't pick a favourite project as all were so fantastic. The tutors were amazing and I'm very grateful to my lovely husband for the most wonderful birthday present he's bought me in 35 years. Certainly better than the tumble dryer and the ironing board! No joke!

Do look out for Art Workshops retreats and classes. They are available through Artist Trading Post as well as many of the fabulous products we used over the weekend.

Now it's back to reality for me. I'm demoing at The Range in Cwmdu for Docrafts on Saturday. Have a lovely weekend everyone.