Alcohol Inks - No 12

Introducing the nattily named 'Alcohol Ink No - 12', another piece inspired by my love of all things 'gardeningny'.

As with all of my alcohol ink pieces, this was made during the fairer weather months, when I could have windows and doors open and a fan on full-blast to blow away the fumes.

As always, I'd be interested to know what you see in this painting, hence my reason for numbering rather than naming them.

I used a tonne of earthy colours and a generous dose of gold for rich highlights.

Now you're probably gonna ask... 'Hey Janey, you weird, crazy woman! What colours did you use?' Well I'm darned if I can remember and do yer think I can find my notes? Er....no.

But don't let that put you off giving the ol' inks a go. 

Just go with the flow, let the inks do their 'thang', play, experiment and enjoy!

Mixed Media Letters

These are a couple more of the personalised gifts that I made last Christmas.

For both projects I started by Gesso-ing the letters before applying a thick coat of white, crackle paste. I then added Light Paste through a flowery stencil for more texture.

Decorations to follow... flowers, art stones, wooden embellishments, clear glass stones and ooooodles of glitter.

The extra personal touch on these projects were the wooden trowels, flower pots and watering cans .... both recipients were keen gardeners.

A VERY cold week ahead for us 'ere in ol' Blighty, so wrap up and stay warm n' safe.

Majestix Clear Peg Stamps

Thought I'd inject some floral cheer in to your lives today.

It's flamin' freezing where I am and apparently the temperature is set to plummet even further over the coming days.....Brrrrrrr. 

C'mon spring!!!!

For this card I used a selection of Majestix Clear Peg stamps. 

I love these stamps....all sorts of teeny, tiny images that are brilliant for creating backgrounds, wreaths, etc.... 

I stamped with a selection of Versacolor inks, nothing fancy-schmancy in my technique, just clean, honest stamping....lol.

Now if you've never seen Majestix stamps before, they come in tiny packs with maybe 5 - 7 mini stamps per set. Instead of having loads of tiny packs, I stick all of the stamps to a piece of A5 acetate, draw with a Sharpie pen around each set (so I know which set is which) and then I cut up the packaging and stick that to a piece of A5 card. I then keep it all in an A5 plastic wallet like my other stamps.

(I hope that makes sense!)

I can squeeze about 12 sets on 1 piece of A5 acetate....much better than storing 12 individual packs of stamps.

So there you go.... Mother Nature has been on the phone and promised me that spring and some warmer weather will be here soon.

For now...stay warm n' cosy.

One of a Kind - Mixed Media Tag

Ahoy!

Today I have a mixed media tag, that I made for a friend, to share with you.

I started with a small, blank, Prima chipboard tag that I primed with white gesso before adding a thick layer of Decoart white, crackle paste.

I added a photo frame and left two sides un-glued so that the photo can be changed in the future if desired. The fun part, as always, was adding the decorative elements....art-stones, glitter, flowers, glassware, wooden and pearly embellishments.

I used an Art Alchemy Sparks paint called Fairy Wings for additional colour.

The photo is of my friend's beloved pooch so I also added a little, metal hound trinket and a rather apt chipboard sentiment from Tim Holt to finish.

Pink Alcohol Inks

Hello again, I hope you're having a groovy week and managing to stay warm.

Today I'm gonna share an alcohol inked card that I made last summer... when the skies were blue, the sun warming and the days long.

I for one have had enough of grey skies and the biting, cold wind that eats right through you during the winter months.

I hope these pink colours warm your frosty cockles.

A lot of people are now trying out alcohol inks and getting hooked on their fascinating properties and the unique results but if you are using them (plus the Blending Solution or Isopropyl) PLEASE be careful. Make sure you are working in a VERY well ventilated room as the fumes can be dangerous. This is the reason why I only work with them in the spring / summer months when windows and doors are open and my fan is on full blast.

Have fun but be careful.

ENJOY!

Precious Memories

I made this mixed media heart for my mother-in-law for Christmas.

She's a very special person and amazing at 93...yes...93!

One of her fav' colours is blue and I found these really pretty flowers from 49 & Market (Blue Hawaiian Mixology).

I started with a small, white, wooden heart, prepped it with white gesso and then applied white, crackle paste.

As with my previous projects I used a selection of wedding embellishments, table confetti, jewellery pieces and gems.

Oh....and sisal...don't forget the sisal.

I added a little frame that I'd also covered in white crackle paint.

I love crackle paste... 

The photo is of my father-in-law who sadly I never met as he passed away when my husband was only 10.

Like most photos, it was tucked away in a box, so it was nice to be able to include it.

Thanks for stopping by x

Hero Arts - Tropical Leaves

Hello!

I've noticed a theme in my stamp collection.... florals n' foliage.

In fact my whole life revolves around plants.

My house and garden are full of them...I'm a plant addict.

This Tropical Leaves wooden stamp set is from Hero Arts and is a one of my favs.

I stamped a simple wallpaper-like design on my card using Brilliance pigment inks in a selection of greens & browns.

I die cut the HELLO word a few times and stuck them on top of each other for a raised sentiment. 

Of course the hardest part was getting those clear sequins in just the right place...lol