July layout.

Here's my layout for July using the same Echo Park kit called Capture Life.

I took one of the papers (the reverse of the hearts sheet) which had a very plain neutral finish and as I'd already decided I was going to place the two photo's on either side of the layout, I spread some texture paste through this Prima stencil called Flower mostly down the centre. I had intended that the paste would act as a resist to my ink spraying but I picked up some yellow off the stencil by accident (dirty crafting) and thought I'd go with it as it didn't look too bad.

When the paste was dry I took a paintbrush and painted on my spray inks in random patches for a watercolour effect.

There are also some random spots of Stickles as I'm adding them to everything I do at the moment.

Have a good week

Jaine x

More Project Life.

I thought today I'd show you a couple of my Project Life pages using the Echo Park Capture Life collection.  I'm loving this collection at the moment and the sheet of cards and stickers makes everything so simple and quick to do.

 The only extra's I've added in are a few words with a Dymo labeler and a couple of my own arrows cut from foam the rest is purely the kit.

Jaine x

Sticker background!

Hello!
You are all probably aware that I love backgrounds...using anything and everything to create weird and wonderful textures and designs. I want to share a quick and easy way to use up left over alphabet stickers to create something a little bit different! The end result looks like this...

I'll take you through the stages.....
First, firmly stick down the left over stickers to your surface. I've used a Tando panel for this. If your stickers are old and have lost their stick somewhat, glue them down! You will be adding inks, gesso and water over them, and if they are not stuck down firmly, the stickers will left up from the surface.

Put them on randomly, just keep checking to make sure you haven't spelled a rude word by mistake! Trim around the panel...

Sponge over with gesso to give an even, white base. Sponge because it gives a thinner layer, and you still want to see the shapes of the letters!

At this point, it's up to you as to how you colour the background. Thin layers of paint will work, as will acrylic inks. I've used Dylusions ink sprays. I used  pink and orange, then flicked a few splats of red at it! A little spritz of water to get them all running together, then a blast with a heat gun to dry everything....

This is your basic background, now you can add detail. I have kept it simple, and used black paint splats, a tiny bit of black stamping, and then edged the whole panel....

 Despite all the inks covering the stickers, their shapes still appear, giving a nice interesting look..

My little girl is a Stampotique image. Once stamped, I masked off her head and legs, then stamped with a text stamp to give her dress a little interest.

She is standing on a bit of stripy text paper, left over from my last circles project!

A couple of stars, and a text phrase finish off the whole thing!
I hope you like her...it's a nice way to use up old stickers and create something new!

Trish xxxx

a sprinkle of colour challenge

we're running, well I'm running, a little behind schedule at the moment, so my apologies for the lateness of announcing the June Colour Challenge winner. 

drumroll please... 

....is Carol!

I loved this card and the fact that it even tied in with the image that we used for the colour palette. Do pop and pay her a visit on her blog! 

challenge news now...

We've decided that with summer now upon us we'd take a short break from the colour challenge until we all have our children firmly back in school and out of our hair. 

We'll return with a new colour palette for you on the 15th September. 

Many thanks to all of you that join us each month! 

Vicki 

In the pink.

This journal page was so easily put together that I can almost be accused of cheating on my blog post, but I was so excited by parts of it I really wanted to share it with you.

To start off,  the background is what was left on my work table after spraying some die cut shapes. I always keep these clean up sheets and have a large sketch book especially for the purpose. I spray over it and clean my stencils off on it and it really makes for quick and interesting backgrounds.

After cutting it to fit my journal and sticking it in, I added a torn piece of text page which I gave a thin wash of gesso. I've been playing with transparencies and layers recently and thought I'd print a photo onto a clear sticky label sheet for ink jet printers. I love this as it's a brilliant way to get a wonderful translucent finish. I just love how you can see the text page underneath as well as some of the original background.

The letters I found in a magazine and fitted my page perfectly.  Quick, easy and hardly any effort.

Thanks for looking.

Jaine x

Circles!

Hello!
I love circles, use them loads whether its scribbly circles, printed circles or stamped circles! I decided to have a little circle play on a panel today, this time cutting some circles out and sticking them down.....

I took two different approaches to the circles. I gave some book pages a wash of paint, and dried it thoroughly. I then punched a few circles our (make sure the paper is COMPLETELY dry before punching, paper that is even a little damp just gets mangled up in the punch.....ask me how I know that lol!!) I glued the punched out circles to the background, overhanging the edge...

Once trimmed, you have a nice scalloped edge that you can then print or doodle over!
I cut out two larger circles from book pages, and very simply smeared paint over them! These were then stuck down to the background, and printed and doodled over....

These circles were my focal point, and I placed them upon stripey stems....

The background itself is another messy painty affair, as you might expect! Lots of smears, all done with fingers and dried in between colours so no muddy mixing occurred...

I stencilled a little, and then stamped a little too...

I added stitching for my other worldly flower heads to stand on...

And then added a cut up book page as a title..

Black UTEE splatters also found their way onto the panel!
So, a nice messy painty creation, colourful as usual with an emphasis on circles!
Hope you like it!
Trish xxxxxxx

Pimp my shoes!

This project is a little bit different from the sort of thing I usually bring you but I thought I'd show you a way to take your art off the page and wear it too.

This is the pair of shoes which started it all off, a simple pair of pumps which I painted on a while ago for a project in Craft Stamper. I wore them out recently and had lots of comments, one of them from a little girl who absolutely loved them and really wanted a pair of her own. As it was her birthday I thought it would be the perfect present.

I used a product called Inkssentials Fabric Medium by Ranger.  It turns all your acrylic paints, alcohol inks and ranger inks into fabric paints. Even glitter.

I started off by protecting the rubber sole with masking tape.

I stamped the birds and flowers from Rangers Dylusions How Does Your Garden Grow with a Stazon ink. I found it easier to stamp on the shoe with a piece of foam and my hand in the shoe so I could feel the stamp through the fabric. If you miss a few bits or some of the stamping doesn't come out perfectly just use a black permanent marker to go back around the image.

Mix up the medium one to one. You don't need much, a little goes a long way.

Paint in the design. Again don't worry about going over the stamping, you can go back over it later.

Here are the finished shoes. I mixed up some of the medium with some glitter added to add glittery bits on the shoes. The medium can also be used over the top as a sealer if you want as it's totally clear.

I made a second pair and love how they came out.

Why not consider wearing your art, it makes a great statement.

Jaine x

Freedom!

Hello!
Yesterday was the Fourth of July (obviously!), so today I'm carrying over the theme with a red, white and blue creation!

The background is a very quick and easy monoprint. I liked the blobby look in this instance, so stopped pulling the print at this point! I would usually carry on placing the print on the acrylic block and lifting off until the paint was blended a little more, however, this seemed just right for my theme!
Pulling off a painty print leaves a fabulous texture to your background....

I did my usual stamping over the paint...

And added a little stitching, mainly for my figure to stand on!

My Stampotique lady is holding punched out stars, glued onto twirly wire...

I love using wire in otherwise flat projects, as it gives great dimension!
A word sticker to finish...

Hope you like her!
 Have a fabulous weekend...I'm going to be glued to the sofa, tennis AND a Grand Prix to watch- marvellous!!!
Trish xx