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

Craft Stamper TIMI Challenge May Reminder- Take A stamp

Morning everyone,

It's time for a quick reminder about the Craft Stamper TIMI Challenge, our May theme is just 'Take a Stamp', so it's nice and easy.

The rules are simple, one entry per person, with a link in your post back to the Craft Stamper Blog, and your blog post must only contain the one piece you are entering.  No cased entries please - your own work.

For full details see the Craft Stamper Blog HERE.

In return, we have two amazing prizes on offer as always, firstly our Design Winner , who is chosen by our DT, who all vote for their favourite designs from all of the entries.  This winner will have their winning project published in Craft Stamper Magazine, (with a 2 page spread of their very own!), they will have a GDT slot for an upcoming challenge, and will also feature in their very own Winners Profile blog post!

And then we have this totally amazing prize on offer, to our completely random winner.
Our sponsor this month is: Designs By Georgina 
Prize: As pictured. 3 stamp sets and 3 new release stencils.

Over on the Craft Stamper blog our team have some fab inspiration for you, here is my offering:

I made a tryptiche with Tando Creatives mini Arches, and painted them with DecoArt Media Acrylics, in Andy Skinner's Rust style, and using Andy's stamps, the steampunk set.

I painted a piece of card in the same colours, and stamped the butterfly and clock in black versafine, and clear embossed them, then cut them out.  The clock was shaped to arch and cut around, to make it fit.

The skull is a Tando mini, I LOVE these!  I'd put them on everything if you let me.. It's painted again, then embossed with Frantage embossing powder, in aged copper.  It has some amazing texture to it.

The three little arches are held together with some mini hinges and glossy accents, but you could use ribbon or washi tape as hinges too.

I stamped on top with the steampunk words in black, to add a little more interest.  And the whole thing was coated in a layer of ultra matte varnish, to make the rust more realistic and take down the shine from the embossing.

So I hope you can join in the challenge at Craft Stamper this month, and you enjoy our team's inspiration.

See you soon,

Nikki

xx 

Caution!

Morning all,

Well it was going to be just a quick post today, just wanted to share a fun card I made recently.  I had an idea when I saw Andy Skinner's Toxic stamp set.

But before that... I have some news....

I'm so proud and happy to say I am now a Decoart Helping Artist, I had confirmation last night from Decoart and I'm absolutely made up to be part of the scheme.  You'll notice a shiny new badge on the side of my blog.  So I will be bringing you a lot more projects and ways to use Decoart products, in my usual style of course, and will be getting out there with workshops and demo's too.

I'm currently doing a 'happy dance', so it's probably just as well this isn't live or on video....

Now back on to my 'quick' make..

The background was created using Andy's rust technique (No 3), but to create the cogs, I used a stencil, and Decoart modelling paste, to make the cog background.  I then coated the background and some of the cogs with Decoart Texture sand paste, to give a rough feel, and made some of the edges higher with my fingers.  The rust was then applied.

The layer behind the rust, is plumber's aluminium foil tape, applied to a square of card slightly larger than the rust piece.  I then passed it through an industrial style embossing folder, to make the metal effect.  It was too shiny, so a few layers of carbon black were applied and wiped back with a baby wipe, to age the metal.

I painted another piece of card with a mix of primary yellow, and pyrrole red, to get the vibrant orange colour used for the Caution sign.  That was stamped in black Versafine.  I also stamped the scratches stamp from the same set over it, to age it slightly.  It's cut out and layered onto the rust background.  The rest of the sentiment was computer printed, I just thought it worked well.  I aged it with raw umber before glueing to the card.

The outside frame is just a lovely washi tape I had, and fitted with the industrial feel of the card.

Have a good day,

Best Wishes,

Nikki
xx

Rusty old spoon..

Morning,

Just wanted to share with you a necklace I've made this weekend.  Hope you all had a good weekend by the way, it went too quick for me as I worked sunday so it seems like it's just a continuation of the week now.

I like making necklaces from spoons.  But I like making the spoons look rusty even more!  I used Andy Skinner's Decoart rust technique again for this, I love this technique sooooo much!  (Probably a bit too much...)  I've included a link so you can find the tutorial.

I then used the masterboard that I previously created in blue's and yellow's and shimmer misters from the Decoart Media range, for my last piece - Hope, the art doll.  I had some card left over that was painted, and was perfect to doodle some tiny flowers on and cut them out.

The flowers were then sealed front, back and sides, with some Slap it On matte, and glued to the spoon.  I put a first layer of Diamond Resin on, and left to dry overnight.  I repeated this process with more flowers and cogs, so it gave the piece dimension.

I will at some stage make a kumihimo necklace to go through it, but just hung it on a simple black rubber cord for now.

I hope you like it.  This is my entry for the Tracy side of the 'Skinzapfel' challenge, between Andy Skinner & Tracy Weinzapfel Stratton.  You can find details on their respective facebook groups.

I'm off now to try and make something less 'rusty'...  for my upcoming demonstrations at Ministry of Mixology this weekend, it's going to be a blast!

See you soon,

Best Wishes,

Nikki
xx

Happy Easter

Morning all,

Just popping in to wish everyone a Happy Easter, or Happy weekend, whatever you are up to.  Hoping the weather isn't going to be too rubbish!

We've just celebrated Luna our staffie's 4th birthday, she had a cake, which of course she couldn't eat much of as it was a normal cake, hubby bought it so we could 'share it for her'...    Here she is closing her eyes and making a wish...

I want to get to take her out over the weekend, she loves her walks.  Apart from that it's a busy time at the moment.

I have some news too that I have joined Lindsay Mason's Design Team, mega excited to be using her fab digital stamps, and will show more of that later too.  I have a shiny new badge for the blog sidebar too :)

I'm working on a project to enter into a competition, it's the 'Skinzapfel' collaboration between Andy Skinner and Tracy Weinzapfel Stratton, using Decoart products.  I've been having fun with Andy's rusting techniques which you can find on you tube, they are brilliant.

I can't show you very much, as it's work in progress, and with other things going on it won't be ready for a couple of weeks probably, but this is a snippet of the rust.  It was a photo frame out of a cracker, in silver colour when it started.  This will be a slightly odd creation, as is sometimes normal with me....

I used Decoart paints, and texture sand paste for this, and Andy's new Toxic stamp set.  I'm pleased with the effect!  Can't wait to put it all together and show you, but it's secret for now.

I do have more news, but another time :)  

For now, have a good weekend,

Best Wishes,

Nikki

xx