That's Life: Artist Trading Block

Showing posts with label Artist Trading Block. Show all posts

Monday, 28 November 2016

'O' Christmas Tree...'O' Christmas Tree...

Hello everyone...

Can you believe we're fast approaching December? Where has this year gone?!?! At the moment, I think I've suddenly gone into panic mode and realised that I need to start thinking about Christmas, there are presents to buy, cards to write, food to prepare and so much more...

But in between all that, we have a brand new challenge starting today over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and this week it's called ~ "O" Christmas Tree! We would love for you to join us and can't wait to see what you create...

For my project, I made a dimensional home decor piece but it can also be used as a really special gift box or if you don't want to use the box, then why not use the sleigh for a Christmas ornament ~ the choices really are endless!

So, it's time for a brand new challenge and here's how I created this piece...

We'll start with the box and for this you can use any old box that you have, it really doesn't matter. For my box, I created a cube from mat board, using a Sizzix die from my stash.

I then painted the box with a coat of gesso before using a blend of Ground Espresso Distress Paint, painted directly onto the surface and heat dried and then dry brushed Tarnished Brass over the top.

Once the paint was thoroughly dry, I then cut panels of paper from the Tidings Paper Stash, inked the edges with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and using Collage Medium to attach them into place, I covered each side in this beautiful mistletoe and berries design.

To create the embellishments, I took a Baroque Frame, painted it with a mix of Turquoise and Steampunk Copper Alchemy Paints to create a tarnished look and then, using a co-ordinating pattern, I attached a piece of paper from the Tidings Paper Stash to the frame. Attach the frame to front of the box.

For the deer, I used one of the Trophy Antler pieces from Tim Holtz. To begin colouring the piece, I removed the antlers and painted those with the Steampunk Copper Paint and then dry brushed the head with a small amount of Frayed Burlap Distress Paint. When the antlers are dry, pop them back into the slots and then attach the head to the centre of the frame.

On the remaining sides of the box, I added some Finnabair knobs.

For the top section which will be the base for the sleigh, I used some cheesecloth and attached this with Collage Medium and then sprinkled glass glitter, mica flakes and Distress Rock Candy Glitter over the top of the cloth to create a subtle sparkle.

I then used a Special Delivery Ephemera piece and attached this to a strip of woodgrain cardstock before securing it onto my box, together with some Bauble Findings. Add a smear of Collage Medium over the Baubles and then sprinkle with glitter.

Now for the sleigh...

To create this sleigh which is freestanding and 3D I used the Tim Holtz Sleighride die by Sizzix.

I began by die cutting two of the Sleigh Ride images from Little Sizzles Mat Board. Cut two pieces of chipboard measuring 1” square and a second piece to measure, 2” x 1”. Prime each of the die cut pieces with Gesso and set aside to dry.

Take one of the sides and the larger piece of cut mat board. Add a small amount of Glossy Accents along the longest edge of the rectangular piece of mat board and attach it to the sleigh. This forms the base and seat on the inside of the sleigh.

Take the square piece of mat board and attach this piece at a slight angle to form the back section of the sleigh. Attach with Glossy Accents applied along the edge of the chipboard.

Attach the final die cut sleigh piece, lining it up so that the die cut pieces are perfectly aligned and level and the sleigh stands freely on it's own. Leave the Glossy Accents to dry completely.

Paint the main body of the sleigh, inside and out using Candied Apple Distress Paint and then use Antiqued Bronze Distress Paint to paint the sleigh gliders. Leave to dry and then using your finger, run a small amount of Antiqued Bronze around the edge of the red section.

Once happy with the colour, use the Black Soot Distress Crayon to create a more worn, vintage look around the edges, blending the colour with a semi-dry wet wipe. To add a little more authenticity to the sleigh, I added some texture paste to the gliders and sprinkled with glitter.

Attach the number 25 Mini Plaquette to the side of the sleigh.

Now for the main part of this project...the tree! I used the largest Woodland tree and spritzed it with Forest Moss Distress Spray Stain and then painted the trunk with Ground Espresso.

Once dry, use your finger to smear small amounts of Glossy Accents over the tips of the branches and then dip into Rock Candy Distress Glitter. To complete my tree, I attached some red and white pearls and also covered these with some of the glitter.

To secure the tree to the sleigh, I wrapped a piece of Christmas jute around both pieces and secured it with a knot.

Attach the finished sleigh to the top of your box at a slight angle...

...and that is my project complete! I hope you love what I created and that you might use some of the ideas for projects of your own...if you do, I'd love to see them so please tag me wherever you know me!

As always if you do need any further inspiration, 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....

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz Punches Dies: Sleigh Ride

Distress Paint: Tarnished Brass, Ground Espresso, Antiqued Bronze, Candied Apple, Frayed Burlap

Distress Crayons: Black Soot

Distress Ink: Frayed Burlap

Idea-ology: Baubles, Christmas Jute String, Christmas Time Ephemera, Mini Plaquettes, Trophy Antlers, Baroque Frames, Woodlands Tree and Wreath Set

Surfaces: Tidings paper Stash, Little Sizzles Mat Board

Mediums: Gesso, Collage Medium, Rock Candy Distress Glitter, Texture Paste

Pearl Art Ingredients Glass Glitter
Prima Métallique Art Alchemy Acrylic Paint: Steampunk Copper, Rich Turquoise
Finnabair Mechanicals Mini Knobs

Ranger Craft Sheet

Heat Gun
Cheesecloth, Sizzix Cube die and pearls from my own stash

Monday, 13 June 2016

All Around The World...

Hey everyone and welcome to a brand new challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and this week, the theme is ~ WORLD TRAVELER!

There are so many interpretations of this theme and so many wonderful products that you can use ~ the world is your oyster and we can't wait to see what you create!

For my project, I created a trip around the world using products from Tim Holtz to create a freestanding globe sitting on a cube decorated with stamped images.

To begin with I created the cube. I used the 3D cube die from Sizzix to make mine from mount board which would create a nice solid base for the globe to sit on. Once the basic cube was constructed, I gave it a coat of gesso to prime the surface before painting it with Black Soot Distress Paint. Where the paint was thoroughly dry, I dry brushed each of the edges with Tarnished Brass Paint to create a worn, vintage look.

I wanted my cube to stand on little feet, so for this I used small cotton spool painted with Gold Rush Alchemy Paint. I then added small metal embellishments to each cotton spool and attached them to the base of my cube.

Setting the cube aside, I moved onto the stamped panels. I cut five panels of manila card, each panel measuring approx 7.5cm square. I applied Antique Linen, Picket Fence, Vintage Photo and Pumice Stone Distress Stains to my craft sheet and spritzed the stain with water before swiping each piece of card through the colour, picking up all the stain.

Heat dry the card.

Take four panels of the stained card and using the CityScapes stamp set, stamp a different city onto each panel, placing the stamp across the bottom of the square. I coloured the images using Pumice Stone and Cracked Pistachio Distress Marker Pens and then spritzed over the top of the card using the Pumice Stone pen in the Distress Marker Spritzer Tool.

Next, I used stamps from the Correspondence stamp set and stamped different images onto each panel. I also added some Rub Ons to a couple of the panels. I inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and then added some gold foiling around the edge of each panel. Once I was happy with each panel, I attached them around the four sides of my cube.

For the top of the cube, I used the final panel but inked through the stencil using Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I inked the edges of the panel, added foil highlights and then added a few flicks of paint and some Gilded Rub Ons. Attach the panel to the top of the cube.

You now have your completed base section and can move onto creating the freestanding globe.

For this, I started by cutting Manila card stock using the Globe die. After removing the globe from the die, I then spritzed the shape with Crushed Olive and Peeled Paint Distress Spray Stains. (At this stage, there will be some residual spray on the craft sheet and I mopped all this up using Crinkle Ribbon which I will then use later). Heat dry the die cut. I then wanted a slight shimmer to the globe and for this I used the Antique Bronze Mica Spray before heat drying the card again.

I wanted to mount the globe onto a piece of card and decided the rough terrain of the land would look fabulous set against the shimmer of a blue sea. So for the background of the globe, I used Foil card stock and cut a circle the same size, (you can trace around the outside edge of the globe for this). I then used Pool and Aqua Alcohol inks and pounced the ink over the surface of the foil card.

Attach the globe over the top of the alcohol inked card using foam pads. Then using the Splatter Brush, flick Picket Fence Distress Paint across the surface of the globe.

For the base of the globe, I used another cotton spool, slightly larger in size than the ones I used for the feet. I painted the spool to create a wood effect using various shades of brown distress paints. I then added a wooden stirrer that I got from Starbucks and painted this in the same shade of brown as the spool and attached the stirrer to the hole down the centre of the spool. Ensure that the stirrer is stable and will not move!!!

Attach the die cut globe to the wooden stirrer, creating the effect that it is suspended on the cotton spool. I also painted the back of the globe to create a wooden effect and to make sure it looks great from all angles! I also added a small metal star to mark the USA on the map!

Take the crinkle ribbon that you dyed earlier with the stains and tie this around the spool.

I attached the spool to one of the gorgeous new metal gears, which I painted with some more of the a mix of Tarnished Brass and Antiqued Bronze and I then attached the globe to the top of my cube.

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: Globe

Tim Holtz Stamps: Correspondence, Cityscapes

Distress Paint: Black Soot, Tarnished Brass, Antiqued Bronze, Picket Fence, Ground Espresso
Distress Stains: Antique Linen, Picket Fence, Vintage Photo and Pumice Stone
Distress Spray Stains: Crushed Olive, Peeled Paint

Distress Ink: Walnut Stain, Frayed Burlap

Distress Marker Pens: Cracked Pistachio, Pumice Stone

Idea-ology: Special Delivery Remnant Rubs, Crinkle Ribbon, Gadget Gears

Collage Medium
Alcohol Inks: Pool and Aqua
Wendy Vecchi Carnation Archival Ink
Jet Black Archival Ink

Surfaces: Ranger Manila Card, Ranger Vintage Foil Transfer Sheets, Ranger Foil Card

Gesso

Gold Rush Alchemy Paint

Finnabair Mechanicals Metal Stars

Ranger Black Adhesive Foam

Blending Tool
Alcohol Ink Applicator
Cotton spools, mount board and 3D cube die from my own stash

Monday, 9 February 2015

Red + Pink = Love Is In The Air ~ Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new challenge week over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog! This week is all about Red + Pink and even though it is Valentine week and love is in the air, you don't necessarily have to be inspired by the spirit of the holiday but rather the traditional colours associated with it! Are you a red or pink person? Will you use the colours separately or combine them together in your project? Whatever you decide, we hope you will join us!

For my project, I decided to create a quirky and fun ATB (Artist Trading Block) combining the red and pink colour palette and because it's Valentine's week, it had to have a LOVE theme!

To begin with, I used a sheet of Speciality Stamping card and spritzed the card with a combination of Antique Bronze, Picked Raspberry and Festive Berries Distress Spray Stains. I misted the stains with water to create this gorgeous marbling effect and then used a heat tool to dry the card, spritzing more water if needed. Once dry, I cut the card stock into five squares to fit the sides of the block.

I applied some Antique Bronze Distress Paint directly onto the scratchy heart stamp from the Love Struck stamp set and stamped onto four of the five pieces of coloured card before attaching them around the sides and to the top of the block.

For the front section of the block, I inked up the "Love" wording from the Locking Hearts stamp set with Jet Black Archival Ink and stamped directly onto the card.

I attached this remaining square of card to the front of the block and then added Remnant Rubs to each side of the block.

Finally, to complete the box, I added Box Corners.

Now to create all the embellishments and for this, I started by die cutting a heart from Grungeboard, painting it with Festive Berries Distress Paint and once the paint was dry, I applied a layer of Glossy Accents before adding Festive Berries Distress Glitter over the top. I dried the heart thoroughly and then inked the edges with Walnut Stain and added a Sprocket Gear and Game Spinner to the centre before attaching it to the front of your block.

For the top of my block I used a large and small woodland tree and spritzed them with Spun Sugar Distress Spray Stain. When the trees are dry, I then added some Rock Candy Distress Glitter for a bit of sparkle and covered them with red and white gems.

I attached the trees to the top, placing them over a layer of cheesecloth and some small leftover off-cuts of Eclectic Elements fabric, which I frayed around the edges.

For the final embellishments on my block, I added a photograph from the Ephemera collection (to be honest, I'm not sure which set this came from as mine have got a bit mixed up but you will NEED both packs, lol, they are that gorgeous and so useful)...

I also attached a small glass corked vial (crackled with the technique of using a layer of Multi Medium, followed by a layer of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint), added a Heart Charm and completed the decorating with a beautiful fabric flower.

I really hope you love the finished project, as much as I loved creating it and that it will inspire you when making your red and pink projects!

Don't forget that if you're looking for some more great ideas and inspiration for this challenge, then you need to look no further than the 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. Good luck....