Bluebirds

Hello!
I have another jewellery piece to share today, this one is called 'bluebirds'...

I've used lots of different products from the Vintaj range in this necklace. Vicki has a huge selection in the shop here, so why not have a browse and see what inspires you!
A few closeups so you can see things better.... This is the hanging pendant cluster..

I've stamped letters into the metal blank, to create the 'fly free' phrase. The letters were filled in with turquoise Patina before polishing, so the blue is still visible. Really like this effect! As you can see, I've also coloured my little bird charm too, I've sanded him back slightly so the metal shows through. I've done the exact same thing with the bird connectors throughout the piece....

The necklace is put together by joining lengths of chain to the bird connectors, interspersed with beaded stations too...

In this piece I've used Turquoise, along with dyed Jade. A little few Austrian crystals in there too! The piece is long, with three birds on each side..

The Vintaj range has so many cool things to play with, it's difficult to choose just a few to use at a time!
Well, that's my month of jewellery pieces all done! Back to the messy painty stuff in May, so see you soon!
Love Trish x

Tag-tastic by Gez

I am delighted to be sharing a project with you that I made using a large Tim Holtz tag, some scrummy stamps & inks..

here's a sneak peek!

For the base I used one of the large manilla No.8 {tags}

I squirted a generous blob of shaving foam onto my Ranger non stick {craft sheet}

and added a few blobs of Dr Ph. Martin's {Bombay Indian Inks} in Magenta & Teal

then set about swishing the tag through the foam..

To finish the background I added a few flicks of the Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze, fine glitter paint to add some sparkle in {Paradise Pink}

The gorgeous flower stamp brand NEW from Stampotique Originals is called Dandelion Duo, it was stamped using Aged Mahogany {Distress Ink} pad and coloured with a Derwent Graphitint pencil in {Autumn Brown}, once dry I added blobs of {Glossy Accents} to each flower. I then stamped Jo Capper-Sandon's {Big Bee} stamp onto the background, coloured the body of each bee with Bombay Inks and added acetate wings.

The sentiment (Wildflower verse) is another new design along with {Mothloved} from {Stampotique Originals} Please note.. Vicki can order any Stampotique stamps simply drop her a line, if you can't see just what you are looking for..

I finished the tag by hand stitching around the outside edge and running the chevron {roller doodle} from Glitz Design down the right hand side using {Jet Black} Archival Ink.

Many thanks for calling today. Have a great weekend. Gez

Playing with layers.

I'm back to playing in my art journal today and I thought I'd experiment a bit with layers.

I've been a fan of the work of artist Michelle Caplan who produces the most amazing canvases by layering photo's and ephemera together in translucent layers. Here I've tried to put my own interpretation on it and I'll show you how I did it.

You have to excuse the photo below for being out of focus but once done I couldn't go back to take another picture. 

My base layer is a few off cuts of Glitz papers along with a sheet of Glitz paper layers which I've been hanging onto for a special occasion, all glued down with some gel medium.

To make my transparent photo layer I went for an easy and less messy option of printing my photo onto a clear, sticky backed label sheet. It would be best to convert the photo to black and white which you can do easily using web sites such as picmonkey.com

I actually printed my photo out two more times - what a ham!

After sticking them down onto the background I gave it all a quick spray with a fixative because my printer is an inkjet and I didn't want the colour to run out if I used any gel medium on further layers.

For another layer I cut myself some squares of Tim Holtz tissue paper. 

I glued these down to the page and as I had some off cuts of the sticky label sheet, I took advantage of them and used my Glitz roller doodle to stamp the chevron,

and the word 'look' using an alpha stamp.

Lastly I painted blocks of colour with some Bombay ink. I love how the colour changed its intensity on the different surfaces.

Experimenting with layers and transparency is fun and I think I'm well and truly hooked. Try it for yourself.

See you next week

Jaine x

Inky Pinky

Hello!

Today I would like to show you my tag. It's a large size of #10 Manila tag by Ranger. It's a project with a few layers. It looks complicated but it isn't and the best – there are no rules! I used a lot of stuff and really don't remember what I used. Unfortunately my hubby didn't come to my studio (yet) and didn't 'steal' my project (as usual).

For the first layer I used: masking tape, white paint, Bazzill Basics Paper – Antique Newsprint and Glitz Design Yours Truly paper.

For the next layer I used: Dylusions Ink Sprays, paints and a black gesso from Claudine Hellmuth. For the third layer I used: Tim Holts Tissue Paper and Stampotique stamps. I also used Glitz Roller Doodles.

The fourth layer: white paint+glue, thread, tissue paper and Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze. Almost there!

The last layer: Ranger Liquid Pearls, Claudine Hellmuth Sticky -Back Canvas and Prima Paper Clips.

Magda x

Bezels!

Hello!
Jewellery part three from me today!
This week, I'm looking at bezels..... What's a bezel? These....

Basically, a bezel is an empty frame, ready made with a hole or two. A blank canvas, waiting for you to fill it with whatever you fancy! There are loads of different shapes and sizes in the shop (here) so its simply a case of choosing your favourite, and getting artistic.... I did this with mine....

(I found a circle bezel after I'd taken the group shot above!)
Bezels are small, so you have to think tiny when you decide what to put in them. If you are an 'inchie' fan, than you're way ahead of the game, those inchie skills can be transferred directly to an inch square bezel!
There are lots of different ways of filling these little spaces, starting with the very simple. For my connector bezel, I simply added a few drops of Glossy Accents to the bezel space, and poured in some red accent beads.....

The Glossy Accents dries hard and shiny, and is a very good sealer for all your bezels. As these are designed to be used as jewellery pieces, they need to be sealed to give them durability.
Stamping designs and images is a perfect way to fill a bezel. My rectangular bezel is very thin, so a whole image wasn't going to work very well. A random part of a tree image stamped onto whitewashed text paper gives a faintly Oriental look...

Again, this was sealed with Glossy Accents. Collaging onto the bezel is another option. Layers of stamping or background papers can be cut and positioned in the space available. I did this with my square bezel....

I would add that you need to check that whatever you are using as a colouring medium is compatible with whatever varnish/sealer you are going to use. Some react badly and bleed, so you need to make sure everything will be OK!
My final bezel was used in a more 3D way. Don't think that a bezel needs to just contain flat objects, they can also be used as a base upon which to create a more dimensional piece. I used a clay heart that I had crackled, and placed it onto an old book page...

I think this one is my favourite, a bit more substantial!
Once you've created your filled bezel, its a simple matter to turn it into wearable art by adding a chain. Don't be put off by the colour palette of the bezels either, remember you can colour the metal with Patinas, or you can even use paint to change the hue to something more suited to your design!
Next week is the last (for now!) in my jewellery series, I'm going to combine all the techniques I've shown you so far into one necklace set.. so check back!
Before I go..... the winner of the bracelet from my draw hasn't been in touch yet to claim her prize.. Elizabeth are you reading this?! I need your address!!!!
See you soon,
love Trish xxx

Flying high

This time I've had some fun messing around with paint, stencils and mist:-) I also made my page using a Prima Build-A-Page Sketch and a beautiful colorpalette from the Color Room:-) I love challenges and they often give me the kick in the back to get started:-)

To make this page I started out by almost covering my background paper with gesso and paint to match the colors in the palette. I used some masks and stencils aswell. Then I glued down some regular tissue paper and some strips of Bazzil Antique book paper (LOVE!), and layered a few different Ranger tags on top. I continued by painting over the paper here and there and then I used a lot of mist to make it all come together:-)

To embellish the page I based it on my Prima products, both old and new. The flowers and the butterfly is from my own stash but in the shop you can get the Lady Bird paper clip, the Finnabair Vintage Machanicals
and the zipper metal trinket that are all from Prima. I also used a Prima stamp on the side of the photos.

Some closeups:

The sketch:

The colorpalette:

Large Tag #2

Paula here, I said in my last post that I would blog another #10 Manila Tag by Ranger in a similar style.....hopefully, I'm not boring you too much!
I've used Dylusions Ink Sprays in Squeezed Orange, Vibrant Turquoise and Pure Sunshine for my base. The Tim Holtz stamps I've used are: Spring Sprung, School Desk, Psychedelic Grunge and Steampunk. The Distress ink colours used are Gathered Twigs, Peacock Feathers, Brushed Corduroy and Barn Door, as well as Archival ink in Jet Black.

 

Mixed media mini

Last weekend I was lucky enough to teach a class to a group of enthusiastic women, and a young lady on making a mixed media mini. 

The book is made using a variety of materials such as cardboard, a paper bag, fabric and tags and the papers I chose for the decoration were all from Glitz Design and they are the Yours Truly collection which I'm a little bit in love with.  I absolutely adore these papers and can't get enough of them.

I thought I'd show you some of the pages from my book. I'll try not to bore the pants off you with too many but here's a selection of my favourites.

This page is made from a piece of calico which has been painted with acrylic paints. The more paint layers you put on, the stiffer it becomes until it's almost like using a piece of card. The background stamps are Dylusions How does your garden grow and around the edge and the alphabet titles are all Jenni Bowlin.

This is the paper bag page which was painted over with white acrylic first before being stamped over and colour was added with the Glitz papers.

Here's a second fabric page painted and layered.

The tag on the last page has been collaged with left over bits of paper, painted over with white and some fabric and papers layered over the top finished off with a bit of stitching.

See you next week.

Jaine x

She loves food! A glitz design layout.

My youngest girl really LOVES food! And spaghetti is especially fun to eat;-) 

On this layout I mainly used Glitz design papers from the Color me happy collection. I first cut up the paper; "Color me happy bits & pieces, and layered them on a "floor" paper I had saved for a while. The "hello" strip at the top is also from this sheet. I then used my Glitz roller doodle stamp and a few Studio Calico stamps for my background.

These papers are so colorful and fun that they don't need much embellishments. But I had some Jenni Bowlin vintage decks cards I thought would fit in and also some cabochons flowers.

Hope you like my page:-)

Daisy Pendant

Hello!
I promised you more jewellery this week, so here it is......

My daisy pendant really has more 'arty' techniques than jewellery making techniques going on, so very achievable even for those of you out there that don't usually make jewellery! I've used a Vintaj metal blank as my base, Vicki has loads of different blanks in the shop for you to have a play with!
As well as the Vintaj blank, I've also used the range of colours produced by Vintaj (in collaboration with Ranger). These are called Patinas, and were produced especially for colouring metal. 'Patina' is a bit of a misleading name really, as there are lots of very vibrant colours in the range, not just the greens and browns that the word 'patina' conjures up! Patinas themselves are kind of a cross between alcohol ink and paint. They have the 'stickability' and permanence that alcohol inks have on metal, but with an opacity more like paint.
Anyway, enough waffling! Here's how I made the pendant.
Patinas have a mixing ball in them (like Snow Cap alcohol ink mixative), so shake like mad before you use them! Put drops on a craft sheet...

 Then apply to your metal. This can be done however you like, for this piece I've cut up little bits of Cut N Dry....

Patinas can be blended together when wet, much like alcohol inks can. They can also be layered up, and this is what I have done here. I started with a base of blue, then added accents of green and turquoise...

As with paint, layers need to be dried in between colours. Remember that you're working with metal though, it gets VERY hot when you heat it! The blanks are a fabulous base for stamping on, so thats what I did! Remember you need to use a suitable ink, I used VersaMagic as its multi surface, and permanent when heat set.

I wanted to highlight the petals, so I added more blue with a paintbrush...

I also added gold accent beads....

As this is a piece designed to be used, I needed to seal it to protect against chipping etc. Vintaj make a special glaze just for this, and I would really recommend it. It also acts as an extender for the Patina colours, much the same as the blending solution works for alcohol inks. Very very fast drying, and a couple of coats gives a really good protective finish. I use mine on all sorts of things that need sealing!

The pendant is now done, all that remains is to add a chain! I've created a chaos wrapped loop to join the chain to the pendant...

(I much prefer 'chaos' wrapped to neat wrapped loops, much more organic to my eye!)
Thread through your chain, and you're done!

 

  Don't forget that any kind of metal (Vintaj or not!) can be coloured with the Patinas. Here are a couple of examples from a project I did for Craft Stamper a while ago....

The wings are Vintaj leaves!
As the base is metal, any textures or raised areas can be sanded back to give a different look. These are Vintaj star charms that I've sanded back....

So....that was Vintaj and patinas! Next week I'll be showing you some ideas on how to create filled bezel pendants, so please check back!
oh and before I forget........ The winner of last weeks bracelet!! I put the comments number into the random number thing (minus duplicate comments and comments from DT members!) and this is what it told me....

So.... that means the winner is :

ElizabethR said...

This is fab I love it and you have made me want to play lol. Elizabeth x

  Please send me your address Elizabeth, and I'll get the bracelet in the post!

Thank you to all who commented!

love Trish xxxxx