Gilded CASE

 

Gill's final November challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown, and our last "regular" challenge for 2020, is a stash challenge.

Gilding flakes or foiling is what we're looking for.

I CASEd one of my own cards from 2017 for this. I'd forgotten this technique until I looked back!

The base is champagne modelling cream, brayered over the card. I then stamped in brown over the background. I used adirondack ink initially, as below. In my previous post I said this dried fine - I must have left it for a while as this did not dry, even with a heat tool! So I started again and used archival ink. Presumably the first one will dry eventually and can be used.

Next I applied bronze modelling paste through a stencil, and added gilding flakes over it while wet. I had to be careful not to squish it.

And the same again with a stag head stencil.

 

When the paste dried, I wiped off the excess gilding flakes to reveal the stencil design, with random metallic flecks over the bronze.

For the sentiment I used an offcut of the card and embossed with copper powder. I wiped a little bronze paste around the edge. The mount has dark brown stazon ink added.

 

I cut the base to size, and sponged the archival brown around the edge. I then edged with the stazon dark brown for a stronger frame.

Quite a vintage look to this one, with a shabby chic vibe too. But the shine gives a bit of a festive, celebratory feel too.

I do like these layerd cards, built up from plain white piece of card!

 

 

 

To join in with our technique challenge and top up your card stash ahead of the main event, visit us at the 52CCT blog.

You have until Friday 4th December to play along.

Grungy sketch

Tracy is our May host at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.

She kicks us off with this sketch:

I went vintage mixed media for this one. I took a lot of inspiration for this card from this art journal spread by Preeti D for the Lindys Gang blog.

The first layer is texture paste mixed with walnut stain distress reinker. I put it through two stencils onto card cut to size (for a 5x7 card base).

It really doesn't look like much does it? But I think the dark lines and stag give structure to the finished card.

While that dried, I die cut my wrap around pieces. I used a tag die for the kraft card, but didn't cut the bottom so I could extend. For the white card I used the tag top as a template and cut to size by hand but narrower than the kraft. These I ran through a knitted pattern embossing folder, then stained with distress inks. I used antique linen, then regretted it as it was too yellow. So I added browns and some weathered wood to tone them down.

Once my texture paste was dry, I added weathered wood distress ink to a band across the centre, and spritzed to diffuse it.

I ended up widening the band with a sponge before I completed the card.

I then added walnut stain distress ink around the edge.

At this point I stopped taking photos!

I used a variety of stamps in the background to add texture and layers (with archival potting soil ink). I also stencilled the trees and rings. I cut the piece down a bit and re-inked the edges, and created a mat which I inked with the weathered wood.

I die cut holly, ivy and a pine cone from kraft and white card inked in weathered wood and walnut stain. I stamped the two postmark stamps in archival, die cut out, then aged then with the same two inks. I added crackle glaze to give a contrasting finish to them.

The sentiments are from the Clarity occasions sticker pack, mounted on scraps of card inked in weathered wood. I aged them with walnut stain - I overdid the "Joy", which annoyed me.

I raided my embellishments box for a piece of hessian, which I pulled most of the threads out of to make it more see through, to go behind the wrap around and die cuts, and for the string to close the wrap around (although I stuck it down too).

I used a mixture of super sticky tape and wet glue to put this together, with foam squares to lift the lower post mark.

It feels like ages since I've done something mixed media and grungy like this. It's such fun building up the layers and working out what to add when and where. I love these colours together, such a classic combination.




To join in with this sketch challenge, visit the 52CCT blog. You have until Friday 8th May to enter your take on Tracy's sketch.

A scrapbook inspired sketch

Goga is hosting the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown this month, and as always we kick off with a sketch.

Poorly me, poorly daughter and a trip to the New Forest mean I'm running a bit late on this one! It didn't help that I decided to copy an approach that I saw someone do in a scrap book, that is quite involved and took a while! Here's the link to the original.

I started with designer papers, I went through my stash and pulled out ones I didn't particularly like. I don't really use DP, but I'm still a bit precious about the ones I like.

I cut plain card to size, then cut up the DP to make the sketch design and attached. I also did some squares for spares, making a random pattern.

I then brayered and brushed white gesso over the top - this is why I wouldn't use the good papers, they won't really show.

The papers take the gesso to differing degrees, which I like.

The next step is to add texture paste through a stencil. I used a snowflake spray on two and a damask pattern on the others.

Once the paste dried, I added spray inks, with water spritzed on to encourage it to run. I used pigments and mica sprays, so lots of shine.

This is the sketch ones once dry. I left the others at this point to play with another time.

I stamped my sentiments and my images onto rice paper, with a black archival ink - I started using versafine but it bled too much.

I used a water pen to tear out the images, and added them to the bases with mod podge. The rice paper disappears into the background, so it looks as if I've stamped onto the background, except of course I'd never be able to get a good image over an uneven base like this. Plus if the stamping goes awry I can have another go without having mucked up the background.

Once dry, I went round the papers with a black pencil, to redefine the sketch. I went round the edge too.

The one on the right was too pale, so I added more colour by painting on distress oxide with a water brush.

To add detail and interest I stamped over with black archival and detail stamps - music and script. Mostly second generation.

The images looked a little washed out so I coloured them lightly with distress oxides.

I also splattered gold paint over both, especially the poinsettia. I was happy with the reindeer at this point, but the other is still not working for me, so I decided on the nuclear approach. I covered a background stamp with peacock feather distress oxide and went over the lot!

Much better - I did lift a lot of colour from the oval and the sentiment strip. Possibly would have been better to mask these.

I then used gold gilding wax on the left side. I'm much happier with this, it's got more oomph somehow. It was a bit wishy washy before.

Final touches with pens - black on the poinsettia and white on the sentiment.

This is much better now, although not sure about the poinsettia still - might have a further play!

This one came together much more easily - the papers didn't take the gesso so well so there was more colour and texture in the base to work with. It's funny how that usually happens when I make two cards alongside each other, they diverge along the way!!



So, how will you use this sketch? To join in, head over to the 52CCT blog, the challenge is open until Friday 8th March. Have fun!!

Happy Birthday BAC

This weekend our wonderful local arts and craft shop, Berkhamsted Arts and Crafts, celebrates its 40th birthday! 

They asked for birthday cards to share, so I couldn't not make one, could I?!?

It also gave me a chance to play with a birthday present. I got some powertex, and related mixed media goodies following a workshop in June with Angela Simpson and Leonie Pujol. We had such fun playing there, so I wanted another go.

(That's my journal middle right - it's really not that dark!)

Angela on the far left, and Leonie next to me in the front. And the other lovely ladies!


I started my card by collecting all kinds of bits and bobs to go onto it.

I added grunge paste to the card base for texture, as well as to the wooden letters and numbers, and some stars I die cut from an old tissue box.

These also came from the tissue box - the plaque has three layers, glued together for depth.

I also had papyrus (which stretches out wonderfully with the powertex), cheese cloth, lace, string, wooden embellishments and some clay balls to play with.

I added them all to the base with the powertex. (It's a fabric hardener, so gives the gorgeous texture to the cloth, but also works as a glue.) I had the transparent one, I decided it was the most versatile, as you can use it with patterned cloth etc and retain the pattern.

This was the result! It looks a bit of a mess - it is! This is not tidy crafting. Powertex sticks to fingers best of all, I was covered by the end, but peeling it off is hugely satisfying!

Once this had dried (keeping the lovely folds and dimension in the fabric), the next step was to paint it all with black gesso.

This took a while to get into all the nooks and crannies! Despite examining it from all angles, I missed loads the first time, so had to go back in for a second pass (and there were still some tiny gaps!). This is where spray gesso would come into its own!

Once dry, time to add the colour and highlights!

I dry brushed with acrylic paints - metallic blue, purple, which I mixed with a pearlescent medium, and gold. I then added metallic wax in gold, with a bit of blue, purple and silver, to highlight areas. Finally, I watered down the paint left over from dry brushing, and splattered on a layer of each colour. I wiped it off some of the words I wanted to highlight.

The final step was to mount onto an 8x8 card blank (using super sticky tape as it wasn't very flat so needed to be held firm!). I added a squiggle round the edge with a black drawing pen, as the plain white didn't look right when the main piece is so full on!

It's maybe a bit over the top for a card, but I had so much fun playing with this! I have plenty of journals and things I can do something similar with. It's really very forgiving too, it's not hard to create something that looks great (in my humble opinion!).


Maybe next time I'll go for something not quite so dark!

A chance to play with my new modelling cream

We have a lot going on at the moment, get ready for building work to start in a couple of weeks. So my card for the Christmas Card Throwdown sketch challenge missed the first post - fortunately I've just got in for the "still time to play" post.

Here is the sketch we have to work with:

My card borrows heavily from a canvas I watched Maria Simms making at the Clarity Open Day last month (such a great day down in Crowborough). I think she did something similar on the TV too.

Using Clarity stencil card cut to size for a 6x6 card base, I brayered on the champagne Viva Decor modelling cream. I was lucky enough to win a raffle at the Open Day, and got three pots of this cream (amongst other things). The other colours are bronze and gold.

I then started random stamping over the top with a script stamp and expresso adirondack ink, second generation. Confession time, I meant to use archival but pulled out the wrong ink pad and didn't notice! But this one seems to have dried okay, and is a better colour, darker and less orangey.

I added my favourite old holly stamp for a more Christmassy touch.

For more texture and interest, I ran one side through a Tattered Lace embossing folder.

I positioned a snowflake stencil (from Stamps Away) over the background, and masked off around a row of three snowflakes. 

This allowed me to spread the bronze modelling cream through to give my three focal points.

While the cream was still wet, I sprinkled Autumn Leaves gliding flakes over the top, then left to dry.

Unfortunately, the lightness of the cream lulled me into a false sense of security, and I also left my blending mat, stencil and tools to dry - they took some scrubbing later! Lesson learnt - this is a texture paste and needs to be washed off immediately!

Once dry, I gently rubbed away the excess flake, to leave a touch of sparkle on my snowflakes.

I decided to do something similar for the sentiment area, so used the Clarity stripes stencil and a bit more of the bronze modelling cream. Again, the gilding flakes went on when wet.

While that dried I die cut my sentiment from black card - I can't remember where these dies came from.

I thought about using bronze or glitter card, but actually like the plainness of the black, I think it looks better.

I also cut a matt to go behind, from a patterned bronze paper I've had a pack of for ages and rarely use.

Once dry, I rubbed away the gilding flakes again. I'd been a bit heavy handed and smudged the modelling cream, so the sentiment has been strategically placed to conceal that bit.

I added a bit more stamping, and blended the espresso ink around the edge to give a vignette. 

Then it was just a case of putting it together on the card blank, using a tape pen, and a zig glue pen for the sentiment.

This has been my first chance to play with the modelling creams, they're a lovely consistency and give a great shine. I've only used the cream from the lid so far, so hopefully they'll last well too.


To join in with the sketch challenge, go to the Christmas Card Throwdown, you have until Friday 14th July at midnight BST to enter.