Bright and Breezy Box

Hello! Today I'm sharing a box I altered to store some of my inkpads. The style is a little different for me but I think it's rather jolly and is certainly an improvement from a boring brown box! I used mainly DecoArt products to transform it - list of materials at the end of the steps.

I need to thank Erica Evans and Debs Wainwright for inspiring me to get this little project done - thanks girls! Thanks also to Sue Roddis for the box!

Here's how I made it:

I forgot to take a picture of the blank box - doh! But it was ugly brown wood. I started with a coat of Everlasting Chalky Finish by DecoArt - look at that coverage onto varnished wood!

I then added tissue paper all over with DecoArt Decou-page Matte. When dry I covered the whole thing with DecoArt Translucent White to tone down the tissue design.

Using a dabbing motion, apply patches of Green Gold and Cobalt Teal Hue Media paints (I do have other colours - honest!!!). 

Add stencilling with a couple of Andy Skinner stencils (Halftone and Creativity) using the same colours of paint (I mixed the Teal with Tinting Base to make a tint). Add tone-on-tone stamping using various stamps (Stampers Anon and Carabelle) and toning ink colours. Make sure you use permanent ink.

Add circle stamps (Seth Apter) in darker blue ink. Stamp some numbers (Rubber Dance) in white gesso.

Use black gesso and a stencil brush to cover the box with circles (this is a Donna Downey Studios stencil).

When dry hand draw hearts with permanent marker. Stamp some inspirational words here and there. Colour the hearts with pink paint created by mixing Pyrrole Red with Tinting Base. I also sponged more blue paint to the edges to define them. Finish the box with a coat of varnish (I went for Soft Touch which has a satin finish).

Thanks for popping by!
Katy x

Products used:
DecoArt Media: Gesso - White, Gesso - Black, Tinting Base, Soft Touch Varnish
DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics: Cobalt Teal Hue, Green Gold, Pyrrole Red
DecoArt Chalky Finish: Everlasting
DecoArt Decou-page: Matte
DecoArt Andy Skinner Stencils: Halftone, Creativity
Donna Downey Stencil: Dandelion Pods
Tissue paper
Various stamps
Permanent inkpads in blue and green

Dreamer

Today I'm sharing a project I created a while ago for That's Crafty (it was on the TV don't you know!!!). I don't have a full step out but I do have some 'in progress' shots which help to show how a project like this develops from ugly to lovely, by using plenty of layering. It's also a good demo of how easy mixed media can really be. The paints I used are of course from DecoArt Media.

1) After applying a layer of white gesso to prime, I used a piece of kitchen sponge cut into a rectangle shape to pounce two colours of paint onto all the pieces. I didn't try to be precise but I made sure that the paint only mixed in some places, so I got three colour tones distributed randomly. This requires a skill level of about age 3! But it's totally fun to do!

2) I built over the painty background with lots of mark making. I used white and black gesso through the That's Crafty stencils. I loaded my brush really lightly on purpose to get that faded out effect. I mixed the green paint with white Tinting Base to make a tint and also added that through a stencil. The rings are made with the lid off a deodorant bottle.

3) The piece is simply finished with stamping. Some of the images (like the hearts on this side panel) are stamped directly onto the background - use Archival or StazOn as these will dry on paint.

4) The other images are fussy cut out and layered up. I stuck to two colours of ink and used red as my accent colour to directly contrast with the green. 

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon.
Katy x

MATERIALS:
That's Crafty MDF Triptych - House

That's Crafty Stencils: 006, 029, 076

Dina Wakley Media Cling Mount Stamp Sets - All The Gals, Silhouetted Women, Collaged Hearts

Carabelle Studio Stamp Sets - Le Coeur et L'oiseau by Zorrotte SA60182, Reach For The Stars by Birgit Koopsen SA60119

DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics – Green Gold, Cobalt Teal Hue

DecoArt Media - Tinting Base, Black Gesso

Archival Ink – Red Geranium, Jet Black

Book rings

Two Minute Journal Page Background

Today I'm sharing the results of a challenge set by my dear friend Lou Withers on her Facebook group Junk Journal Junkies (check it out - it's a very friendly, happy place!). The challenge was to create a background for a journal spread in two minutes. Of course I turned to my favourite DecoArt Fluid Acrylics and bashed this page out!

In fact it only took 15 minutes to complete the whole thing and I'm actually really happy with it. Sometimes just going with the flow can really work (and sometimes I make something unspeakable!).

Hope you enjoy the video. See you soon.

Katy x

Products used:
DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics: Green Gold, Cobalt Teal Hue, Payne's Grey, Cobolt Turquoise Hue
Dina Wakley stamps
Washi tape

ATC Triptych for DecoArt Media

I've got a video to share today using DecoArt product which shows you a couple of different ways you can make use of your stencils. This is a variation on a make-&-take project I originally created for the Ministry of Mixology retreat last year. It uses chipboard ATCs from Tando as they are nice and sturdy and don't mind the layers of wet media.

Products used:
DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics: Cobalt Teal Hue, Cobalt Turquoise Hue, Pyrrole Red, Metallic Silver
DecoArt Media Gesso - White
DecoArt Media Tinting Base
DecoArt Americana Decou-page - Matte
DecoArt Andy Skinner Stencils: Halftone, Timewarp
Stampendous Andy Skinner stamps: Curiosity, Handle with Care
Stampendous Frantage: Pearlised Mica Flake
Tando Creative: ATCs
Chipboard heart, metal embellishment and washi tape

Thanks for stopping by!
Katy x

Chipboard Pendant for DecoArt

I used to do a lot of jewellery making but I kind of got out of the habit (and frankly I don't get enough time to do one hobby let alone two!). But there is something really nice about wearing pieces that you've made yourself so today I've combined mixed media with jewellery to create a chipboard pendant. Chipboard is cheap, lightweight and easy to work with. A couple of coats of gloss varnish make the piece relatively sturdy to wear - but avoid going out in a monsoon as it's still basically made of paper!

DecoArt products used:
Media Fluid Acrylics - Pyrrole Red, Pyrrole Orange
Media Gesso - White
Metallic Lustre - Gold Rush
Media Varnish - Gloss

Other:
Tando Creative Chipboard (from their offcuts pack)
Crafter's Companion Stamps by Deborah Wainwright
Permanent black inkpad
White paint pen
Printed word

Here's how I made it:

1) Cover the chipboard piece with white gesso front and back to prime it.
2) Apply red and orange paints randomly with your fingers to get a two-tone background. Repeat on the back.
3) Allow to dry then stamp over with an image in black ink and apply a printed word. Also stamp a partial image to the back to finish it off neatly.
4) Apply two coats of gloss varnish, allowing drying time between coats.
5) Finish with dots of white paint pen and gold lustre all around the edge.
6) Add a glue bail and some faux suede cord if you want to wear it - or use an embellishment if you don't!

Katy x

DecoArt Andy Skinner Blog Hop

Prepare for dark and maybe even scary this week as DecoArt and Stampendous join forces and we get to play with Andy Skinner's fantastic new stamps!

I've had a lifelong fear of clowns... not totally sure why... Could be that I had a Jack-in-the-Box when I was very small that terrified the life out of me. Could be that I got addicted to serial killer books (still am) at an inappropriately young age - John Wayne Gacy - shudder......... Whatever the reason, I hate clowns! So there was only one way to go with Andy's skull with clown nose stamp and that was cathartic! As I started to express my fears my journal page got a little bit macabre; sorry about that! But if I haven't scared you away yet, here's a step-by-step tutorial of how I created my journal page.

DecoArt products used:
Media Crackle Paste
Media Crackle Glaze
Media Antiquing Cream - Black, White
Fluid Acrylics - Payne's Grey, Dark Grey Value 3, Carbon Black, Pyrrole Red
DecoArt Stencil:

Other products:
Stampendous Andy Skinner Stamps
Permanent black inkpad

1) Apply crackle paste through a stencil and allow to dry. Once dry, use a dry brush to roughly apply Payne's Grey and Dark Grey paints.

2) Add some drips of Payne's Grey paint.

3 Stamp the skull with permanent ink. Add some shadowing with a wash of grey paint and paint the nose red. Cover with Crackle Glaze.

4) Allow the glaze to dry fully and cut out the skull. Mix black and white Antiquing Creams to make dark grey and apply all over. Allow to dry.

5) Wipe back the cream with a baby wipe or damp cloth - I wiped most of it away so it was just in the crackles.

6) Place the skull onto your page and draw around it with a pencil. Use the pencil marks as a guide to create a Payne's Grey frame around the area where the skull will go. Mine dripped a bit so I went with it, as it echoed the drips above.

7) Add more stamped detail using the barbed wire image and permanent black ink.

8) Add some splatters of black paint (I used a wooden skewer for this) and stamp the word 'Fear'. At this point I wanted some more contrast so added some red paint drips.

9) To finish glue the skull in place and add some computer-generated wording.

Normal prettiness will be resumed shortly but in the meantime thanks for your visit today! I hope you're not too scared to come back!!!

Katy x

Take My Hand for DecoArt

Today I've created a very layered journal page using my Media supplies for the DecoArt Media DT. I love working with lots of layers, with just a hint of what went before peeking through each time. I think it gives a piece lovely depth and interest and it's a fun way to work too. I also like how the translucency of the Fluid Acrylics means that the dark grey background doesn't entirely cover my other layers, and elements peek through. I created a step-by-step to show you my process.

DecoArt products used:

Media Fluid Acrylics: Green Gold, Cobalt Teal Hue, Payne's Grey

Media Matte Medium
Media Gesso - White
Decou-page Paper: Moroccan

Find all these products at decoart.com

Other:

Permanent black inkpad

Oil pastel in turquoise
Stabilo All Pencil

Masks (Donna Downey)

Scrape Green Gold paint over a journal page. Add Cobalt Teal Hue stamped with a piece of bubble wrap.

Apply some pieces of tissue and Decou-page paper using Matte Medium.

Add areas of white gesso all over. Add some stamping randomly using both Teal paint and black ink.

Add more Green Gold paint over the white areas.

Add some scribbles using an oil pastel or similar.

Add some further 'stamping' with bottle lids and bubble wrap using white gesso.

Scrape some white gesso onto the background using a credit card. This was the finished background before applying the grey all over.

Place the masks and sponge all around them with Payne's Grey. Blot the paint back in some areas so it's patchy (also the pastel resists the paint a little too). Outline the figures in Stabilo All pencil and add water to give the shapes more definition. Finish with scribbly journaling (it's personal - you're not supposed to be able to read it, hence the scribbly hand!).

I hope I've shown you today how lots of layers can create read interest in your designs, even when you limit yourself to a small number of supplies.

See you soon!

Katy x

Take Risks for DecoArt Media DT

My post for DecoArt Media today is a fairly quick one as I've been suffering with a bit of creative block this month. I've called my tag 'take risks' as I've had a go with colours I wouldn't normally touch! Pink and purple are sooooooooooooo not me. I've also been mastering my drippage technique (video soon) and this tag was a lot of fun to create.

DecoArt products used:

Media Fluid Acrylics: Cobalt Teal Hue, Primary Magenta, Dioxidine Purple
Media Modeling Paste - White
Andy Skinner Stencil - Alphabet Spaghetti

Other:

Butterfly stamps and dot stamp
Printed words (these were a freebie with Mixed Up magazine)

Doily

Brad

Black pen

Twine

Here's how I made it:

1) Randomly cover a tag with the three paint colours using a brayer. Don't over-mix the colours.

2) Stencil over the top using the Andy Skinner stencil and white modelling paste.

3) When completely dry, apply drips of Magenta and Teal paints down the tag.

4) Paint some card with Cobalt Teal Hue paint and stamp with two butterfly images (Prima). Over-stamp with Magenta paint and a dot stamp to add detail. Apply to the tag with a doily underneath.

5) Add printed words, some twine and some doodles created with a fine black pen.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Katy x

Abstract Valentine's Cards for DecoArt Media

Welcome all to my latest post for the DecoArt Media DT. For this project I've created some non-traditional Valentine's cards using Fluid Acrylics and I have a video tutorial to share with you.

One of my resolutions for 2017 was to try to free up my creative process and this video is part of that exploration. I've been free and easy with the paint to create layered backgrounds using bold brush strokes and mark making tools - I've used junk from around the house (like bubble wrap and bottle lids) but you could use stamps if you prefer something more precise. This may be the first time ever that a resolution has lasted into February!!!

One tip when creating this way is to stick to a relatively limited colour palette as too many colours will make mud. I've essentially used primary colours here - but chosen muted versions of the blue and yellow tones for a more sophisticated vibe.

I hope you like my video tutorial and have a go a cards like these for yourself.

See you soon!

Katy x

Delightful Dog Tag for DecoArt

Hello again friends! Another DecoArt Media DT make from me today, a layered collaged tag featured my sweet little pup Jet. I used to do a lot of scrapbooking and although I gave it up years ago (something not apparent from my patterned paper hoard!), I still like to include photos sometimes on mixed media projects and journal pages.

DECOART PRODUCTS USED:

Media Fluid Acrylics - Burnt Umber, Transparent White, Yellow Oxide, Pyrrole Red, Payne's Grey

Americana Stencil - Pixelated

OTHER ITEMS:

Large and small tags

Cardboard and paper scraps
Metal shape

Washi tape

Wide lace

Brayer

Photo

Fine black pen

Below I'll show you how I created the grungy background. Once done, I simply layered lots of bits and bobs on top. A smaller tag has Yellow Oxide paint applied through the Pixelated stencil and is edged with the same paint using a sponge, as is the main tag. The corrugated card panel is dry brushed with Burnt Umber paint and the hearts are painted with a mix of Pyrrole Red and Payne's Grey (to make a deeper red hue) to add a splash of colour. Doodled lines finish the whole thing off.

I don't have a step-out of the whole project but wanted you to see how I created that rather nice shabby background on the large tag.

Mix Burnt Umber and Transparent White paint to make a yummy chocolate colour. Spread with a brayer onto a surface such as a tear off palette.

Tape a piece of wide lace to a tag.

Brayer over the lace with the paint - this was the result. Grungy!

Quickly take the lace and place it painty side down it onto a second tag. Go over firmly with a clean brayer - the paint on the lace will transfer as long as you work fast before it dries.

This is the result of the lace 'print' - this is the tag I used in this project. Saving the other one for another time!

Wishing you tons of painty fun! 

See you soon,

Katy x