Indigoblu Challenge 17 - Reminder post is up!

Over at the Indigoublu challenge blog, the reminder post is up, with some more inspiration from the talented Design team.

My offering on the 'Tag You're It' challenge is a simple tag, which I sprayed with Townhouse Teal, banana custard, and vodka martini paints, and when dry, edged in salty ocean and mowed lawn distress inks.  The vodka martini shimmer's through the tag, it was hard to get a photo of though!

I flitterglu'd and megaflaked the stylised flowers stamp, and second gen stamped the birds in versafine sepia.  The sentiment is stamped in onyx black.

  I painted the altered ego's with wimberry pie, grandma's teacup, and Goldfinger, and layered the fence and bunny at the bottom for interest.  A simple organza green ribbon was added to the tag.

Don't forget to join us in this month's challenge, and check out the rest of the Design Team's work.

Rules are here if you need them :)

Best Wishes,

Nikki K.

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Happy Accidents!

Hi all,

I just wanted to share this little birdhouse with you, and the process I went through to get it looking like it does now.  I love the saying 'There are no mistakes in Art', as it is so true!

I'm not the neatest of crafters, have been known to drop my inkpad face down on my work, or get ink up my arms then lean on something, but it just goes to show that you can make something of your mistakes, or 'Happy Accidents' as they are known in crafting.

After painting with gesso, (Gee So Good) I mixed my own green acrylic paint colour, which actually started off more like a luminous yellow.  So that was the first layer.  I then added some white to the green, and painted again.

I used the fabulous Kroma Crackle on the roof, which goes on clear and dries white.  This toned down the green beautifully, so I realised I needed to do the rest of the house again, so mixed some gesso with water, and painted over it for a fourth time.

I used IndigoBlu's Crackle stamp, in Memento London Fog ink, to add extra distress to the sides and front.  I then stamped the sentiment in Stayzon on the front RIGHT (yes, the right), of the birdhouse).  I didn't press hard enough....

Have you seen my handmade flowers? .  . . I did buy some paper flowers, which are then stamped with text script, and distressed, but the red circular large flower's are handmade, just by taking three circles of card, making each slightly smaller, and torn round the edges.  If you crumple the card up, and put a brad through the centre, it makes a lovely flower.  And hardly costs a penny.  I distressed the edges of each petal on one flower, and left the other with just the text.  The brads are just some I had in my collection, but I had to get a little steampunk in there somewhere. . .

There is another 'accident' under the flower's on the roof, I stamped a postage stamp upside down. . .

The lovely lace border is one of my favourite stamps from Indigoblu and is in their latest collection.  I stamped it in brown ink, and distressed it with Forest moss distress ink.  The house is edged with Inka Gold, which is rubbed on, to give a gilded aged look.  I also used the forest moss distress ink to just rub over the Kroma Crackle again, and the sides of the house, to age it even more.

The swallow's stamp IS my favourite, it's on the 'Mr Darcy' set, and I use it quite a lot for a small stamp!

So you see, if you think you have made a mistake, or aren't happy with your project so far, just keep going, paint over it again, or make it into something different.  Just let your creativity take over.  You will learn from your mistakes, what mixes with what (and what doesn't!), and you will know what looks good.

Tomorrow's blog...... The wonky clock! 

Bye for now - Happy Crafting! 

Nikki
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