Watercolour Ribbon

I am making hand stamped, hand dyed ribbon for another wonderful Shabby Chateau swap! This is my first try at it and there will be more examples to follow shortly.

For this first try at making ribbon I purchased some inexpensive muslin and tore it into 1 yard strips. I then stamped it with various stamps using Staz-On ink pads, you can use any colour you like. Then using inks I dyed the ribbon in a Zip-loc baggie rising it in cold water after and drying it out to get an aged look.

I then used Distress Inks to make the tag along with my own mix of Perfect Pearls mist to give some sparkle to the tag, stamped it and then added some cabbage ribbon to complete the tag. I wrapped the ribbon around the tag securing it with a lovely pearl tipped hat pin. Hope this inspires you to make some of your own ribbon. Have fun and happy crafting!

Parisian Dreams

Once more I have turned my thoughts to canvas for my latest swap, titled "Shabby Time to Shine" where participants create their favorite craft as an introduction to their partner. Since I adore working on canvas so much it is the craft I chose to send.

This one is a bit different from others as it is more pastel in colours, and heavy on the vintage feel. I used a variety of acrylics, Distress paints, stamps, Perfect Pearl mists, vintage book pages and more to create a romantic canvas.

I hope my partner likes it, I can't wait to send it off a bit later this week! Until next time keep creating and keep swapping!

My "Poe"tic Crush...

My latest canvas offering is for one of my favourite Poe quotes from "Ligeia." I started out by layering black and brushed pewter acrylic and distress paints onto the canvas, then began mixing in other colours and inks, letting them dry and layering more colour to give the background depth. The edges are finished with Perfect Pearls powder from the metallic collection in pearl.

All artwork is my own with the exception of the stamp bordering along the top. I also used a vintage book page from one of Poe's narrative's to give a bit of an anchor to the piece, as to me a narrative is a stark contrast to a poem. But both are equal sides to Poe's diverse and creative nature.

Steampunk Dreams...

Another one of my favorite themes is steampunk! I wanted to do something more romantic for this set, these three ATC's are the result.

Once again, most of them were created simply with pre-cut images I found at my local scrapbook store. I then used various Distress Inks, Perfect Pearl Mists (or mists that I create myself), stamps, and embellishments. I then used a gold gel pen to highlight certain aspects of the ATC. The backgrounds are various 12x12in paper sheets I thought would coordinate with the images.

From top to bottom the titles are: "Memorabilia in Steam," "Steampunk Romance," and "Steam Goddess." I hope you enjoy! Until next time stay warm and happy crafting!

Faerie Fantasy ATC's...

I have been busy making ATC's and as you can see I have been on a faerie themed journey lately! There is also a cute Beatrix Potter one in there too.

These ATC's are fun, whimsical and just a joy to make. I hope you enjoy them too. Most of them were created simply with pre-cut images I found at my local scrapbook store. The images are from Graphic 45 a branch of Mind's Eye. After finding the images I just use various Distress Inks, Perfect Pearl Mists (or mists that I create myself), stamps, Stickles glitter glue and embellishments. I then used a gold gel pen to highlight certain aspects of the ATC. The backgrounds are various 12x12in paper sheets I thought would coordinate with the images.


From top to bottom the titles are: "Spring Rose Revisited," "Springtime," "Catching Up," "Woodland Faerie," and 'Daybreak." ATC's are fun and fun to trade. If you have not tried making any yet there is always time to experiment, play and learn! Don't be shy, create a little faerie magick of your own!

Until next time, Happy crafting and swapping!

Fairy Tales and Tiles

I really love experimenting with canvas now. It's relaxing and fun and no limit to what you can do, just let your imagination run free!

This first canvas I made for a WTA for the group "Once Upon a Time..." on swap-bot. The theme was "Hansel and Gretel" so I made a representation of the witch's cottage in the woods with a little bread crumb trail. Some fairy tales are true...is this one? Every folk tale or fairy tales has some roots in local legends or truth, so I wanted to bring that out and let the mind wonder which part of this tale may have been true.

The second one is something new for me. Using layers of acrylics and crackle paints, stamps and washes I created the back ground for this piece. Then I used vintage book pages and acrylic tiles with images from some of my favorite papers applied to them to create the finished look.

These were fun and I want to make more. We'll see what I can come up with in the next few weeks as I play and discover new ideas! Until then, happy holidays everyone!

Dusk in Paris...

This is my second canvas to date. I love this shade of purple, purple is one of my favorite colours and I love using varying shades of it in my art when I am able.

This time I used Distress Inks in "Broken China" and "Dusty Concord" for the background and edges, respectively. I then used the Perfect Pearls Mist in "Forever Violet" and Glimmer Mist in "Iridescent Gold" to set and also add some shimmer and glam to the piece. The stamps are by Tim Holtz and inked with StazOn in black. I then used pieces of handmade Lokta paper and added strips here and there that I then coated with Distress crackle paint in "Rock Candy for a slight sheen and to make them stand out just a little more. I then embellished with a small image of the Eiffel Tower and paper roses and ribbon.

I am enjoying creating little pieces of art like these, it's new for me and I am very excited at all the new possibilities! Happy crafting and have a lovely day!