18 April 2014

Spring Flowers at A Vintage Journey

Hi everyone and welcome on this Friday morning. This is the first post of the day for me and it's for the next challenge at A Vintage Journey. Jennie (Live The Dream) is our host and as many of you will know she has a passion for paper flowers. With that in mind here's her challenge theme;

"As (hopefully) spring will be in the air by this time, let’s see your makes adorned with spring flowers - you might want to use stamps, handmade flowers from dies, ideology blooms or bought blooms as long as they have been stamped, made or altered using a Tim technique or product. They don’t have to be actual spring flowers, but just the colours of spring."


Apart from an all consuming love for anything Tim I'm also completely hooked on Artist Trading Blocks (ATB's) and they make the perfect vehicle on which to display handmade flowers.


Inspired by Tim's Junk Bonanza trip I went down the route of wild Spring flowers 're-greening' a discarded collection of bottle tops and rusted trellis.


This 2" square ATB was cut from mountboard and covered in paper from the latest Menagerie collection. This particular design proved to be the perfect size for covering both the insides and outsides completely for that distinctly vintage shabby feel.
The edges were smeared with Tarnished Brass Distress Paint.


Next for the rusted trellis. I love getting this texture created quickly and my 'go to' method these days is to cover plain card with a couple of layers of metallic embossing powder (in this case Ranger's gold) followed by a couple of layers of Distress Embossing Powder (I used Walnut Stain but Vintage Photo works equally well). You can't over heat Distress powder and a little more heat than usual allows the two powders to combine beautifully.


As the amount of trellis used on this smaller box was restricted I chose only to add a few inserted pieces. In this case they were cut from an alcohol ink altered metallic sheet to add a contrast in texture and a touch of shine.


Now to the foliage. Tim's Kraft Coredinations cardstock has become such a favourite of mine as it cuts so well through the Sizzix Alterations Spring Greenery Strip die and looks fantastic when sanded and inked. I chose to use three designs and colours to add to the untamed natural feel.


The flowers were cut from another Strip die, Tattered Flowers. The whiter ones were actually coloured with Old Paper Distress Stain, edged with Pumice Stone Distress Ink and centred with a combination of Wild Honey Distress Paint and Clear Rock Candy Distress Glitter.


The mini purple flowers were cut from the reverse side of the bottle top backing paper, inked on the edges to give them a little more depth of colour, and completed with Idea-ology mini fasteners in the centres.


And now for those Catkins... I cut four of the same twig shapes from that Spring Greenery Strip die I mentioned earlier, sandwiching them together to make a much thicker stem. After applying a coat of Gathered Twigs Distress Paint, I dipped the ends into my Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi white embossing paste and then into some Antique Linen Distress Embossing Powder.
By heating this mixture the powder was 'set' and the paste puffed up to form the perfect textured Catkins.


The box lid was a great place to add not just flowers and foliage, but some more 'discarded items'. As well as a nut and cog I created a flattened bottle top from a painted chipboard die cut and a painted piece of embossed metal foil.


I know this isn't your traditional Spring project but I love the way the bright bottle tops work with those shabby flowers and of course now I have another super little box to use as the most glamorous packaging for a gift (if I can bear to part with it that is!!)
I am going to enter this into Eileen Hull Designs current Art With Heart Challenge - April Showers. Make sure you hop over and take a look as there is a Sizzix Prize Pack up for grabs!


Please do make sure to hop over to A Vintage Journey to see the most beautiful DT projects inspired by Jennie's theme. There's a gift voucher up for grabs from Country View Crafts for one lucky winner so that's a great reason to enter too.

I've got another post coming up later so I hope you can join me then, but for now take care of yourselves, Jenny xxx

Links to Country View Crafts;

30 comments:

  1. Wonderful Jenny, this is such a beautifully decorated box and the flowers look amazing. I love the catkins, such a creative way to make them xx

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  2. This is positively, absolutely, definitely, totally Stunning!!!!!! Do you get the idea that I loooooveeee this????? I do!!!! It is awesome!! You've struck a cord for me with this piece Jenny. I have been thinking about doing one of these ATC blocks myself and after seeing this one I am definitely going to do it. Hope you won't mind if I lift some of your ideas and techniques. This is simply divine!!! ox

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  3. Jenny,
    This is so totally cool!! Oh my gosh, I was going through my blog list and saw it, not realizing it was yours. I went right to the blog to get a better look and saw it was your AMAZING art!! Beautiful!!
    Hugs,
    Nancy

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  4. Wow Jenny! You have captured the colours of Spring so well...and have ended up with a beautifully designed and crafted ATB! Some of the bottle caps make me laugh...grape soda? strawberry soda? so funny!
    Dot x

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  5. Jenny- another work of art from you- wow! I love how this block feels like a garden with flowers meandering around as they wish. So pretty! Great flowers from the soda can!

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  6. Oh! My! Word! Jenny this is beyond amazing, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this wonderful box.
    The colours, textures, flowers and all the other embellishments are fantastic, a genius at work again.
    I really like those boxes but don't have a machine that would cut the Die. Got some board could just made a box and do something with it.
    If I find some "time" lurking about I might just do that.
    Hope you and your family have a Happy Easter
    Hugs

    Patricia xxx

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  7. Thsi is a very beautiful box with wonderful colours and amazing flowers

    Love Chrissie x

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  8. Fabulous box Jenny, love all the different Spring flowers you've created. Sue C x

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  9. Jenny, this is fantastic! I love the thinking behind it, the meticulous details you have added, the papers and... those amazing catkins - they look so realistic. You really have 'rocked' the block this time!! Anne xx

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  10. Beautiful! Love the catkins technique and I'm fascinated by how your mind works, I would never have thought to put the bottle tops background as a base for flowers - brilliant! Chris xxx

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  11. I love this fabulous box Jenny! The colours, textures and embellishments work so beautifully together. Your flowers are fabulous and yes those catkins are amazing!! Have a lovely weekend Jennie x

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  12. Brilliant Jenny, such a fab box! Amazing how much you managed to fit onto that tiny space (I was sure it was the bigger one at first). Love the idea of the catkins!!

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  13. Just brilliant, Jenny - you and Anne are cornering the UK ATB market fabulously!! Love the grungy floral look with those wonderful bottle tops in the background, and the flowers and vines are fab - especially the catkins!!
    Alison xx

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  14. Love your ATB Jenny. The mix of grunge and flowers is gorgeous. Thanks for the inspiration. Jean.x

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  15. Completely fabulous, Jenny. LOVE the use of the bottle cap paper and your flowers are totally yummy. And thanks for the tip on combining the gold EP with the distress EP - what an awesome result. I'll definitely be giving that a try!

    Hugs,
    Linda

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  16. Jenny, I adore your flower box! What a great use of that paper and how lovely to finish it off with those flowers. Hugs!

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  17. This is so fab! loving the Tim Holtz theme and all the flowers are so pretty around your block!

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  18. Wow, Jenny, your cube is amazing, love every detail

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  19. Oooh loving your decorated block Jenny - gorgeous xxxx

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  20. Lovely piece Jenny! Karen,x

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  21. Beautiful project! Love the fancy blossoms and the vintage vibe!

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  22. Spring has well and truly sprung with this magical box! It's truly lovely and so inventive. Julie Ann xxx

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  23. LOVE your box Jenny! I'm new to these wonderful box dies and I have been smitten! I keep scrolling back up to read all your details! The bottle cap paper is perfect behind you lovely flowers and stems - I do't have the box die -yet, but it's ordered! So until it comes, I think I'll try some of these techniques on a tag or something!

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  24. I begin with thanks for the kind words you always leave on my blog! Thank you so much! Turning to comment on your works I'm in trouble: they let me always amazed! You have a unique style, recognizable and totally fabulous! This Atb really struck me! It 'a show from any side you look at it!!!! Thanks for sharing with us your art! BArbarayaya

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  25. This is totally fabulous Jenny :-) I love the colours and the rusted trellis looks fabulous. Great florals too.

    TFS and crafty hugs
    Annie x

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  26. Fabulous Jenny! Love the bottle top background with the flowers and trellis on top. Great work .... As always ! Xx

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  27. Forgot to say how much I love the catkins as well, a lovely touch x

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  28. Hi Jenny, I cant believe you have packed so much lovelyness on to a 2" box, really like your hand made daisys. Mo x

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  29. how utterly amazing and brilliant ... such awesomeness .. love love love every single little piece of this xoxoxo

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  30. Popped back down here to see your winning box. Congrats! It is wonderful...full of texture and lovliness!

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Thank you for stopping by and leaving your comments - they are really appreciated and will be published when moderated. Jenny xxx

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