Showing posts with label Artchix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Artchix. Show all posts

Thursday, March 22, 2012

A few sketches, blog candy winnings and a card

Well today was another lovely day and I was able to do some cleaning up of a few things that needed to be done outside.
We just had a very short sprinkle of rain and I say that loosely.

This afternoon I worked on a card I am making for my dear aunt in England. I used a metal stencil in the shape of a stained glass window. The stencil can be put through the Cuttlebug but it does not cut the paper. So after I ran it through the CB I then cut out all the little windows because I wanted a stained glass effect. I used some acetate with some of my own alcohol inks and a few of rangers to get the strong colours I was looking for. This isn't the usual nice church window with images done of course but more of an arty window and this is what I came up with. I really enjoyed making this and even tho the cutting was a bit tedious I had a good sharp craft knife and cutting mat and before I new it, it was done. The window is cut from black card stock then I inked it with some gold ink that is almost dried up but I wasn't going for really bold gold, I wanted an aged look and I think it turned out pretty good. I added some gold border to the card stock then placed the whole thing on a base card I had a supply of in my stash. I added a flower sticker and the top of the window has a corner filigree sticker. Most of the supplies came from a store just down the road from me called Ecstasy crafts, Dennis and the gang are exclusive distributors of card making items from the Netherlands and the prices are very good and the quality outstanding not to mention the customer service. I hope my Auntie likes this card, I know I do. LOL
Next up, I just received my blog candy from Helga over at her blog My Artistic Life, Helga also owns and operates Artchix Studio one of my favourite online art shops. Helga posted what inspires us to make art and I said I loved Victoria British Columbia, also where Helga resides, because of it's beauty and flowers etc. Bruno her cat picked my number and I won this little matchbox Helga altered with all these cute stickers. The little birds are so cute, they are very small and would look great on inchie art. I also received some washi papers as well and the envy was all decorated in Helga's Artchix sticker style. I  love winning stuff but rarely do, it's luck of the draw for me. Thanks Helga and Bruno for picking me.

 And 2 sketches, I had a few more to show you but they were very dark, I took the pics when it just finished raining and the light was on but was still a little dim so please excuse my lack of photography skills, I just aim and hope for the best. LOL.
This is a ballerina I did a few weeks back, I think so far she is my fav. I did another one with ballerina shoes beside her but I do like this one. Her features are so gentle and soft.
 And remember I told you I had some books out from the library and saw this exercise, running shoes??? well here they are. They were tricky but I always love a challenge. I found doing the laces really tricky, overlapping them and getting all the shading and details in. I actually like the bottom part of the one sneaker the best. Not sure why,  I got those little dimples in and they look you could touch them.
Just remember for better details, click on the pic and it will enlarge in a separate window.
Since starting to sketch late January I already see vast improvements but I still have a long way to go. I think I would like to start to do birds next. I love birds and living in the country we see all kinds and many varieties.
Well that is it for today, thanks for dropping by and I always love to read your comments. Don't be afraid to critique my work, I think we need to hear the pos and neg on things in order to improve.
Stay creative my friends,

Monday, January 23, 2012

Calendar pages complete and a Mixed bag of goods

As you all know I was doing calendar pages along with Roni over at her blog Ink stains with Roni. I have completed all of them now and want to show you the rest of them. I enjoyed making this project, I learned some new things, made myself something for a change and got a much needed calendar. Although this one I won't be able to write notes on it for myself but I can enjoy it just the same.

Although August isn't usually fall colours yet but being in Canada we actually see subtle changes coming in late July. 

August- Melted Crayons...I liked this technique
 September- Stamped Gesso
 October- Distressed Glue
 November-Molten Pigments: ie I didn't have pigment powders so I scraped chalks into my glue
 December-Sparkle Mosaic Stamping: I didn't have scrap rubber so I used fun foam
 So there you have it....I am really pleased for the most part. I have decided to start an Art technique Journal and put scraps of paper that have been clipped from each calendar page and write down the technique. That way when I want to do something again I have it handy. Another goal for this year.

And....more stuff, are you bored yet???
Over at Helga's blog My Artistic Life, Helga gives a tutorial on how she painted a background which I applied to my little hearts.  Here are a couple little Valentines to show you how I made mine. I used chip board off the back of a 12x12 paper pack. I cut out hearts, punched holes at the top, painted them using the following colours...Delta Apple Green to splatter, Americana Baby Pink, Americana Canyon Orange and Delta Cardinal. I pounced instead of brushed on my colours. First  I gave my chipboard hearts a coat of gesso. I punched an inchie punch out of scrap and used the window to draw it on the heart and cut it out before I painted, I Painted the heart back and front. Use heat gun to speed up drying. Then I print and cut images a bit larger to fit over the window on my heart. I then added grommets to my heart to put ribbon through. Covered the back of the heart with a smaller shaped heart from designer paper with pinking shears so I can add To and From. Aren't they the cutest? I am not usually into Valentines but for some reason this triggered it....thanks Helga for some inspiration.
 Click on the images to get a good close up of the colours, they blended so nicely with the pouncing I did.


 And....there's more....wake up.....
These are some bamboo tiles I got from a kit I ordered a while back from Artchix Studio. The kit contained a sheet of images, a few bamboo tiles. I won a challenge on Facebook back late summer so I finally ordered a few things and used my coupon. I am addicted to these suckers. I posted on FB I was looking for place mats and lo and behold my Mum found me some and I was able to locate some locally but I will wait till Mum's arrive before I set out for more. There are 130 in one place mat. They come in black, natural and a walnut colour. wooohooo, I love these. My dictionary pages are getting cut up as I am cutting words out of it and adding to some. I used ball chain to hang them and I experimented and coloured one ball chain with alcohol ink and I was amazed at how wonderful it turned out.
I must thank Jenxo who sent me one of these
 along with a swap we had over Christmas, it sparked  ideas. I have received many comments on it and I plan to sell these in the fall. They are so addicting and you could put many things on these besides images. Stay tuned as I have so many ideas for these I can't stop....


And last but not least some wooden puzzle piece magnets. I loved that heart colour I did a couple puzzle pieces. Added some images I had on the computer, found a few quotes online and added some either bling or Stickles for interest.

Thank you for bearing with me during this long post.
It is raining here when it should be snowing so we are on high flood alert in the basement.
Til next time, stay crafty my friends.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

I won something, matchbox swap and car news

A few posts ago I showed you an Eco Shape shrine that I received in an order from Artchix. The shrine shape and door were to be used in a challenge on the Artchix Facebook page and today I found out I won a 10.00 gift certificate. Woot woot. I hardly ever win anything, I have no luck at lotteries, scratch tickets, or even random drawings. I never get too excited but today I did. I don't have to hurry to use it up so I will wait til I need a few things and use it.
It was nice to get some good news after a week without a car and money spent fixing it. I got my car back yesterday and nice to have my own wheels back. A brand new gas tank and new lines from the transmission to the rad were replaced. I can actually put more than a half a tank of gas in the car. Woot woot. I hate spending the money on a car but hey it has been a good car and I need to keep it for a while so I guess money well spent for safety reasons as well.

And the other day I received my Music themed matchbox from my friend Jan. If you recall the FlickR monthly matchbox theme for last month was music and we had to use black somewhere on the matchbox. Well Jan is always a very creative and generous trade partner. She really did it this time. Take a peek at all the goodies she included inside and outside the box.
Thanks so much Smiff. I think Jan did an image transfer somehow with the woman images and the music paper on the outside. It is really lovely.

 And below is a humming bee. Isn't it the neatest little creature? We have seen a few of them or the same one hanging around our hanging baskets on our deck and this one decided to have a rest on the petunias. JB caught it on digital. I had been trying but the thing kept buzzing around. I put the camera down and then he comes into the house looking for the camera and caught it taking a rest. That never happens so me, I am no photographer, I haven't the patience or the eye. You would think being a painter and creative person that I am that I would be able to capture such beauty but nope I just want to click and get it over with.
Anyways thanks for dropping by and tomorrow I will be showing you what I got in the mail today.
Another matchbox and 2 lovely ATC's from South Africa.

Remember to stop and smell the flowers. Life is too short to be hung up on stress and
 don't let people rent space in your head.
~♥~


Friday, May 20, 2011

An ARTCHIX Eco Shape Challenge

Happy Friday everyone and today is the start of our long weekend, Monday is Victoria Day.
JB and I will also be celebrating 20 years in this house. Seems almost yesterday we stepped into our house. What a mess, we wondered what we got ourselves into. Anyways a long story and not going to elaborate on it now.
I wanted so show you this cool Eco Shape, an arch with a door that is also a separate Eco shape from Artchix Studio. Recently I had placed an order and I received the arch and the door with instructions if I wanted to alter it or decorate it then place it on the Facebook page for all to see and a chance to win something.
Well here is my piece.
I covered the arch with some pink with blue flower scrap paper that has been hanging around for ages. Then I just lightly dry brushed the paper to tone the pink down with white acrylic paint. I added some gold German scrap after inking all the edges with some Turquoise ink. I then covered the door front and back part with the same paper but did not dry brush it as I wanted the door to stand out, I then painted the frame with Indian Turquoise acrylic paint and the eco shape cat that I had ordered. The I Love my Cat is also an Artchix image which is placed behind the door then attached to the Arch, and where the hole for the window is I placed an acrylic half bubble(which I also ordered)  so the cat's head can be seen through it. LOL
After the turquoise cat was painted I covered with a paint brush 2 layers of Turquoise Stickles then when that  was dry I applied a coat of Glossy Accents. I then found a pink bingo card that someone gave me but sure looks like an Artchix bingo card but not sure and cut out 4 numbers then placed it on the house then the cat in the center of it. I also added German Scrap at the bottom edge of either side of the door and at the top corners of the door frame. This was fun.
I have 2 pics here to show the door closed then the door open so you can see the full image.
Thanks for looking, now off to post on Facebook then I am going to make another post to show you a few other items I have been working on.

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