Resist Week over at Tando Creative

Morning all,

I have a post over at Tando today, showing how I made these Artist Trading Coins.  I hope you can hop across to check out the process.

Kindest Wishes,

Nikki.
xxx

Crackle week over at Tando Creative Ltd.

Hi everyone,

It's crackle week over at Tando Creative this week, and it's my turn to share a make with you.  Hop across there to get the details on how I made this tag.  It didn't turn out quite as planned but that's how art goes sometimes.

Hope you all stay safe. xxx

Best Wishes,

Nikki
xxx

'Dark' - Featuring Andy Skinner's New Creative Expressions Products

Morning all,

I've been a bit busy of late, lots of projects going on at the same time, and painting and decorating at home too.  Hope you are all ok out there.

I have a blog post over on Andy's blog today, hope you can hop across and join us to find out more.  It's using his new products for Creative Expressions, some lovely new paints and a fab Structure Paste, along with his brilliant stamps.

Kind wishes,

Nikki
xxx

Day of the Dead at Creative Expressions

Hi everyone,

Just a quick post this morning to share a card I made to celebrate the Day of The Dead, which is today, Saturday 2nd November.  This is an ancient Aztec ritual, and celebrated in Mexico still, and is similar to Halloween. In Mexican culture, death is viewed as a natural part of the human cycle. Mexicans view it not as a day of sadness but as a day of celebration because their loved ones awake and celebrate with them.  Pictures and flowers and a drink for the journey are usually placed somewhere prominent to celebrate.

Over at Creative Expressions today they are celebrating and sharing a whole host of makes, so I thought I'd show you mine.

The card was made using different coloured inks for the layered backgrounds, and edging them in alternate ink colours.  They were matted up to give definition.  I used the Sugar Skull Stamp from Andy Skinner at Creative Expressions.  The top layer is Andy's 'Create' stamp, also new out, which I inked in 3 colours and stamped several times.

I stamped the Sugar Skull once more in Black, and coloured in with Andy's new paints, these are translucent enough not to blur the stamp lines, even neat!  This makes for great layering possibilities too.

The skull was mounted on a bit of acetate for fun, so it hangs over the front panel.

Hope you like it, don't forget to check out Creative Expressions Facebook page today for more inspiration.

Best Wishes,

Nikki
xxx

Products Used:
Creative Expressions:
Andy Skinner 'Create' Stamp
Andy Skinner 'Sugar Skull' Stamp
Andy Skinner Paints in Quinacridone Gold, Cobalt Teal & Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide.

Other: Coloured Inks.

Tando Creative - Same but Different Week

Hi all,

Join me over on the Tando Creative Blog today to find out more about their fab Layering Stencils. x

Best Wishes,

Nikki
xxx


www.nikkikart.blogspot.com
www.instagram.com/NikkiKArtist
www.facebook.com/NikkiKArtist

Anything Goes week at Tando Creative

Morning everyone,

Today I'm over on the Tando blog for Anything Goes week, and sharing how I made a monochrome Tag using Tando Creative products and DecoArt paints.

I hope you can join me over there to find out more, here is the tag!

Come and join me and the rest of the team this week for some more inspiration. xx

Happy Crafting,

Nikki
xx

Tagtastic over at Andy Skinner's Blog today.

Morning all,

I'm very lucky to be part of Andy Skinner's Creative Team, and have a tag to show you over on his blog today.  

If you hop across, all the details of how I made it and the products used are there. x

Best Wishes,

Nikki

xxx

Love & Hearts over on the Tando Blog today.

Morning all,

Just to say hope you can join me over on the Tando Blog today, for the 'Love & Hearts' theme week.

Hop over if you can and take a look at how I created my tag. xx

Best Wishes,

Nikki
xxx

Crackle Week at Tando

Morning all,

I have a tutorial for you over on the Tando blog today, hop across to find out all the details on how this was done.  I love these new stamps from Illusionary Artists too!

I used an MDF arch blank from Tando for this piece, it lent itself to the stamps perfectly.

There's a lot of texture going on, and plenty of layers!

Hope you can join me to find out more, and catch up with my teamies makes, over at Tando Creative.

Happy Crafting,

Nikki
xxx

Faux Metal week on the Tando Blog.

Hi all,

My first post in the New Year today!  I've been a bit poorly with a kidney infection and then a bad back (twice), but finally hoping I'm getting somewhere.

I have a post for you today over on the Tando Blog, hope you can join me and my colleagues this week for 'Faux Metal' week.  This guy would like to know what you think about him :)

Happy Crafting,

Nikki
xxx

Modelling Paste Week over at Tando Creative

Morning all,

It's Modelling Paste week over at Tando Creative's blog, and I have made a little Mixed Media Board.

You can find the full post over on the blog HERE.

Hope you can join me,

Have a good week,

Nikki. xxx

Route 66 - Mixed Media Canvas with DecoArt Media Acrylics

Morning everyone,

I'm sharing a piece today that I made for Mixed Up Magazine, for February 2017.  You can still get this issue of the magazine from Pocketmags, and I'd really encourage you to take a look at Mixed Up Mag and subscribe to future issues, it has tons and tons of pages of mixed media inspiration and projects. 

This piece was loosely valentines based, well, it had a heart in it!

This piece even made it to page 66!

Hope you like it, you can check out the full details on how I made it in the magazine.

Have a fab weekend,

Nikki
xx

Anything goes week over at the Tando Creative blog. - Backwards Crackle!

Hi everyone,
.
It's my turn on the Tando Creative Blog today, and I'm sharing a full tutorial of my own technique for you, backwards crackle on acrylic.

Hope you can hop over to find out more.

Warm wishes,

Nikki

xxx

Mixed Up Magazine Blog post.

Morning all,

Today you can join me over on the Mixed Up Magazine blog, sharing 'I'm only Human' with you.  Hope you can pop across and check out how I made it.

Best Wishes,

Nikki
xx

A new technique - Mixed Media Acrylic with DecoArt Chalk Crackle.

Morning all,

I had a brilliant weekend at Dare 2 Create this weekend gone, with Andy Skinner and Tracy Weinzapfel Stratton, and the fab Tando Creative Ltd.  It has taken a couple of days to recover!  I was demonstrating on the Saturday evening, and I had some ideas floating in the grey matter, to try a crackle on the back of an acrylic piece. Bearing in mind painting on acrylic works backwards, it took some working out, and hope that it wouldn't crackle all the layers.

Here is a full tutorial, and pictures of some of the pieces I have made since.

The Acrylic has a protective layer both sides.  I remove just one side to work on, and leave the other for protection on my work surface.  Stamp an image on to the acrylic using Carbon Black Fluid Media Acrylic. You do have to be careful not to let the stamp slip, but the bonus with acrylic is that you can wipe off any mistakes while still wet. Spread the paint thinly on your craft mat to stamp with.

Choose a paint colour, and colour in behind the heart, (always on the same side as your stamping), going over the black stamping as well (this will still show through in places).

When dry, colour in the missing parts of the heart, I used Venetian gold here.  You could colour the whole heart in, some of the gold would still show through the first layer of magenta.

Cover the whole heart in a layer of black, this seals the front colours, and stops light getting through further.  It also makes the black stamping clearer from the front.

Next, splatter some slightly watered down colour all over the acrylic.  You can use one or more colours.  Dry between applications so they don't make mud!

Apply the Crackle Medium to the acrylic.  I went around the edge of the heart, but you can go right over, it won't crackle normal acrylic, or what's underneath it, just what you put on top.  This crackle only works with the chalk paints.

Once completely dry, paint over with your chosen colour of chalk paint and let dry.

The final step is to paint behind the cracks in a contrasting colour.  

Then it's time for the final reveal, just peel back the acrylic from the other side and admire your artwork.

As you can see, I'm slightly hooked.  The best part is peeling away the protective cover and seeing what's beneath.

Hope it inspires you to have a go.

Best Wishes,

Nikki
xxx

Products Used:

Tando Creative Acrylic Cubbie Pieces/Media boards.
Andy Skinner/Stampendous/Laurel Burch Stamps.
DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics.
DecoArt Chalk Crackle.
DecoArt Chalk paints.
DecoArt Dazzling Metallics.

Proud Guest at A Vintage Journey - Going Round in Circles

Hi all,

So proud to have been asked to contribute over at A Vintage Journey, it's my first time as a Guest there, and I couldn't be happier!  The theme this month is 'Going Round in Circles', and I went 'small' for this one!

The matchbox was treated inside, and on the top, with DecoArt Media Crackle paste.  Once dry I painted in Media fluid acrylics in Prussian blue hue, and Quinacridone gold, using a wash of each colour, and letting one dry in area's before adding the other.  This gave a distressed old look.

I stamped the postmark and stain stamps in raw umber paint.  And dripped more quinacridone gold down the sides of the box.

The crackle and antiquing process was repeated onto a simple piece of card, to use in the circular necklace.

I cut the card to fit my circle bezel, glued and sealed with matte medium.  I stamped the Toxic word in raw umber onto a piece of card, and aged with quin gold.  Some cogs were added and glued in place, and then resin was added to dome in the bezel.

Inside of the matchbox and underneath were also aged, and the necklace fits perfectly to give as a gift.

I so enjoyed making this and following the theme, don't forget to check out the rest of the projects over on A Vintage Journey's blog.

Best Wishes,

Nikki

xxx

Products used:

DecoArt Media:

Media Crackle Paint

Media Fluid Acrylics - prussian blue hue, quinacridone gold, raw umber.

Stampendous/Andy Skinner Stamps - Toxic, Shabby

IndigoBlu - Diamond Resin

Matchbox, bezel, chain & cogs from stash.

Craft Stamper Magazine - TIMI Challenge January Reminder

Morning all,

A little post from me this morning with a reminder piece for the Craft Stamper Challenge DT.  I made a very simple card using the triple stamping technique, and using the free daisy stamp from a previous cover of Craft Stamper Magazine.  I stamped in green versafine over three layers of card, then separated the card and mounted with foam mounts.

My centre consists of a piece of sequin waste, cut randomly, and covered with a domino, which I've painted with DecoArt paints, and used Andy Skinner's 'Toxic' stamp set on, for the texture on the domino and the heart.

I added a sentiment from a PaperArtsy stamp set, and edged the card in peeled paint distress ink.

Hope you like it, don't forget to join us on the main Challenge page, where you can find all the details on how to enter, and see the rest of the team's fantastic inspiration.

Best Wishes,

Nikki
xx

Craft Stamper January Challenge - Take A Stamp

Morning everyone,

Today is Craft Stamper Magazine's new challenge day, and for January it's simply 'Take a Stamp'.

Our sponsor this month is Rubber Dance Stamps:

The stamp set on offer is also featured on the cover of the February edition of the magazine, so you can see it in action! Our random winner will win this lovely set.

We also choose a Design winner, who gets publication in Craft Stamper Magazine, a GDT slot for an upcoming challenge, and a winners profile.The winners profile is a stand alone blog post, showcasing the style and work of the winner.

You can read the guidelines over on the main blog along with the challenge HERE.
My inspiration for you today is a tag, with a lovely swirled background and gold stamping.

I first put modelling paste through the Fleur medallion stencil onto a Tando tag, then painted with DecoArt's Americana chalky paint in Legacy.  Decor Crackle was painted over the top, and after that the top layer was Lace chalky paint, which crackles beautifully.  Over this I laid a wash of prussion blue hue, raw umber and quinacridone gold media paints.  Down the left hand side I stamped the text from Andy Skinner's 'Curiosity' stamp set, in Venetian Gold. 

I gave the Tando heart the same treatment, but in coastal waters multi surface paint, again with the decor crackle, then lace chalk paint on the top.  Over this I stamped from the Steampunk set in Venetian gold, and then the numbers from a stamp in the shabby set, in prussian blue hue. 

The tiny heart was painted in coastal waters, and stamped with the crackle stamp from the toxic set, again in the gold.

The wings were painted gold and all elements glued together, and a pretty ribbon added, stamped with Totally Tracy Texture stamp, to add the little dots. 

Hope you like it, hop across to the main Challenge to see lots more inspiration!  

Kindest Regards,

Nikki.

xx

Products used:

Andy Skinner Stamps: Curiosity, Toxic, Shabby, Steampunk.

DecoArt Products:

DecoArt Media fluid acrylics: Prussian Blue Hue, Raw Umber, Quinacridone Gold. Media Modelling Paste.

DecoArt Dazzling Metallics: Venetian Gold.

DecoArt Multi-surface Acrylics - Coastal Waters.

DecoArt 2oz Chalk paints - Legacy, Lace.

Fleur Medallion Stencil.

DecoArt & Hochanda shows and Happy New Year..

Morning all,

I hope your New Year has started well, there has been a bit of sadness over the last month and even into this year for a few people I know, so thoughts are with those less fortunate as well.

I just wanted to share some of my makes from the Hochanda show's on Monday.  I had a brilliant time with the fab new 2oz chalk paints from DecoArt, and the multi-surface, Dazzling Metallics and GlamourDust paints!  Like a kid in a sweet shop.  Not forgetting the lovely new Tando pack made up for me!

So this little media board gave me a new technique, as I'd already stencilled it with DecoArt's Scribbles stencil, and left it to one side a while ago.  I painted it with the 'restore' chalk paint, (they all come in new 2oz bottles for crafting now!) and then added the chalk crackle.  When I came to put the top coat on, I noticed that the crackle followed some of the stencilling, and gave a really cool effect.
 

I then crackled the Tando heart, using Lace and Romance chalk paints, and painted and stamped the smaller heart in opposite colours.  The wings are painted in Dazzling Metallics Venetian Gold, and the edges of the board dabbed with it on my fingers.  

This little daisy tag was similar, the crackle followed the stencil, and cracked more between the daisy's than on top!   I repainted the daisy's in separate colours, multi-surface coastal waters and chalk cherish. 

And then I did a sparkling canvas, although it's not so clear from the picture!  I crackle painted a canvas a while ago, and didn't have a purpose for it at that stage.  When I got the tv samples through, I knew immediately that it needed the Dandelion!  I painted roughly, leaving patches, with Serene chalk paint, over the crackle.  I then added the daisy stencil in legacy chalk paint, and put Neon Blue Glamour dust paint in the centres of the dandelion heads.  I stamped with Andy's scratches stamp (Toxic Set) in places,distressed the panel slightly with paynes grey, made it look chipped all around the edges with paint on my fingers, and then coated the whole canvas in Ice Crystal Glamour dust, for a very subtle, gorgeous glitter effect.

I hope you like these, I had fun making them!  I will try and share some more soon.

Best Wishes,

Nikki

xx

Products Used:

DecoArt - 

Stencils - Scribble, Daisy Chain, Dandelion

20z Chalk paints - restore, legacy, serene, lace, romance, cherish, Americana Decor Crackle medium.

Multi-surface - Coastal Waters

Dazzling Metallics - Venetian Gold

DecoArt Media - Paynes Grey, Crackle paint.

GlamourDust Paint - Neon Blue, Ice Crystal

(A lot of these available in the UK from Tando Creative)

Stamps - Andy Skinner Toxic Set

Tando Creative - media boards, hearts, wings, tags.