Summertime And The Living Is Easy...

Hello everyone and if you hadn't already noticed then...yay, I'm back!!

Firstly I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Lorraine and all my teamies for their support...you are the best and to each and everyone of you who have taken the time to leave me such lovely get well messages. It really was a horrendous experience and one I NEVER want to repeat but on a good note, even though I don't recommend this diet, lol...I did lose the few extra pounds that I had gained over the winter!

Anyway, back to the day job and to this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Blog Challenge where we have a brand new challenge starting today which is all about a Summer Garden. The team are also showcasing PaperArtsy products this week and I hope you love how I used Fresco Finish paints to create a shabby background for my vintage summer garden canvas!

and here's how I created this piece...

To begin with I took an 8" square pre-gessoed canvas. I wanted to create the look of worn wood on my background so started by applying a layer of French Roast Fresco Finish Paint over the entire surface of the panel.

Once the paint was dry, I then applied the Crackle Glaze using a palette knife and adding it over the top of the darker layer, applying it to random areas of my canvas ~ I didn't want an all over crackle, just subtle hints! Once this is dry, (and it can be gently dried with a heat gun to speed up the process if you're a bit impatient like me), I added a coat of Snowflake Fresco Finish, which I mixed with a small amount of Taupe Fresco Finish. Apply the paint all over the canvas and then sit back and watch the crackle appear!

I thoroughly dried the paint before moving onto the next stage of building up those background layers. For this, I began by adding some torn Tissue Wrap to random areas of the painted panel, attaching them with Collage Medium. I then dry brushed a small amount of paint over the top, using my fingers to blend the paint seamlessly into the background.  Once I was happy, I then went in with my Distress Crayons from Set 3 and also a touch of Peeled Paint, building up layers of colour to create the shabby feel I wanted. I added some Black Soot Crayon around the edge, again blending them out with my fingers before using an old credit card to create paint scratches with gesso.

After a few flicks of Distress Paint and wrapping some twine around the centre, my background was complete!

Now to create the centrepiece...

...and for this I began by die cutting two panels of chipboard using the Crosshatch die, which I LOVE!! I gessoed the chipboard before applying a coat of Antiqued Bronze Distress Paint over the top. Once the paint layer was dry, I added some highlights of colour using the Distress Crayons and also added flecks of shimmer using the gold foil sheets from the Vintage Foil Transfer set.

For the panel that is set in the middle, I used the largest of the Stitched Rectangle dies to cut a panel of manila card, inked around the edges with Distress Ink and then mounted it onto a panel of kraft card. I then used the slightly smaller Stitched Rectangle die to die cut a piece of canvas paper. I painted the paper using the same Fresco Finish colours as I did for the background, Snowflake White and Taupe and allowed the paper to dry before adding more depth using Distress Crayons. Once I was happy, I flicked Black Soot and Tarnished Brass Distress Paint over the paper and then mounted it onto my larger panel, adding some Dapper Design Tape to create a frame around the small inset.

I then attached my Crosshatch panels to the back of the matted rectangles and used foam pads to mount the panel onto the centre of my canvas.

For the roses, I used both stamps from the Lady Rose stamp set which I stamped onto watercolour card, watercoloured with Distress Marker Pens and then fussy cut. I also stamped the roses a second time, coloured each of them before cutting them out to layer over the top to create dimension.

I attached each of the rose pieces onto my central panel, attaching them to cascade down the lefthand side.

To complete the panel, I punched three butterflies from the Wallflower Vellum stash ~ you can see that I punched three separate pieces for each butterfly and then layered them to create a soft, floaty feel.

As a finishing touch, I added an Occasions Small Talk sticker ~ I just thought this quote was perfect for this piece and a few sparkly 28 Lilac Lane sequins from the Neutral set!!

I love how this project turned out and hope you enjoyed the creative process...

As always, if you need any further inspiration for this challenge, then you need look no further than our blog to see all the wonderful creations from all the very talented Design Team members and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Thank you so much for all your visits today and hope you all have a great week ahead

See you again soon...love Emma xx

Products used:

Tim Holtz Sizzix Dies: Crosshatch Frame, Stitched Rectangles

Tim Holtz Stamps: Lady Rose

Tim Holtz Sizzix Punches: Large Butterfly

Distress Paint: Black Soot, Tarnished Brass, Antiqued Bronze

Distress Ink: Walnut Stain, Frayed Burlap

Distress Crayons: Set 3 and Peeled Paint

Distress Marker Pens

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paints: Snowflake White, French Roast, Taupe, Crackle Glaze

Idea-ology: Dapper Design Tape, Occasions Small Talk Stickers, Tissue Wrap

28 Lilac Lane: Neutral Sequins Tin

Collage Medium

Surfaces: Wallflower Vellum Paper Stash, Ranger Manila Card, Ranger Kraft Card, Ranger Vintage Foil Transfer Sheets

Twine

Gesso

Ranger Black Adhesive Foam

Ranger Craft Sheet

Water Brush

Scissors

Heat Gun

Blending Tool