Fun with Candy Box Crafts

Hi everyone and welcome. Back in February I got the chance to catch up with the boys from Candy Box Crafts and drooled over the MDF designs they are creating. Knowing the quality of these products (I've got their ink storage units decorated and in use at home!) I was thrilled when asked to alter a couple of their new items for the latest Hochanda shows tomorrow (18th May).

First up a brand new Wishing Well money box, and I went all out on the faux woodgrain and distressing for this;

I used IndigoBlu Acrylic Paints (Frosty Sky, Hot Cocoa and Grandma's Teacup) over the Tim Holtz Woodgrain Layering Stencil and dribbled a little Mushroom Alcohol Ink over the top to get the aged look. The flowers were coloured with Wimberry Pie Acrylic Paint and the leaves cut from patterned paper in my stash. Here are some close ups so you can see all the details;

Now for the Victorian Caddy with matching jars (you'll need to see the Candy Box Crafts website link for an idea of what the basic kit looks like as I've gone to town again on the faux finishes for this one!!!)

Once again I turned to my IndigoBlu Acrylic Paints for the faux distressed mahogany caddy and faux stone jars. Let's start with the jars; by dabbing White Gesso all over each one a base was created onto which I could dab a mix of Pantry White Paint and a tiny hint of Hot Cocoa Paint over the top. More Mushroom Alcohol Ink dribbled down the sides, a twine tie and kraft tag finished the look. Then for the caddy; I began by adding some Prima IOD Home Decor moulds to the sides using their Paper Clay, then gave it a coat of white gesso before dry brushing on layers of paint (Banana Custard, Raven Black, Pheasant Bronze, Hot Cocoa). Finally to tone it down I dry brushed the whole caddy with more gesso.

Make sure you tune in to Hochanda to see Roy sharing these and many more fabulous samples from the Guest Designers who've been given the chance to 'play' too - the shows are on at 11am and 5pm tomorrow (18th May). And looking at the schedules for the next couple of days it's wonderful to see my own IndigoBlu shows are being repeated for anyone who missed out when they were originally aired.

I'll be back very soon with something new. Until then take care of yourselves, Jenny xxx

Wild Wood

Hi everyone and welcome. Short and sweet from me today as the deadlines are piling up! I'm back to creating another 8x8 canvas - this has become my go to base, larger than a card and capable of taking everything I throw at it without being too overwhelming!!!

This came about as a result of the latest Creative Carte Blanche challenge - 'Wood, a Word and Something Wild'. I loved the background made for my March Tim Holtz Tag project HERE and it seemed such a shame to cover it, so this is a 'developed' version...

The background was stencilled with Wildflowers using Texture Paste and the whole background covered in blended Distress Crayons in blues, greens and pinks/purples. In a change from the original I covered the whole canvas with a hick layer of Crazing Distress Collage Medium to add age (this also helps to blend the crayons even further) then used a little Antique Linen Distress Stain to enhance the cracks and a layer of Glue n Seal to stabilise the surface. The words (sorry, plural not singular as the challenge specified!) were stencilled using the Traveler stencil and Picket Fence Distress Paint. The die cut Wildflowers were cut from Coredinations card and covered in Glossy Accents.

The wood element was easy - the 'picket fence' was created using some of the wooden spacers that come with the canvases. I covered them in more Picket Fence Distress Paint and sanded them back a little for a worn look. They looked a little boring just layered over the background on their own so I added various tickets and tags from the Ephemera collections underneath and on top. With a parcel of goodies having just arrived I was excited to test out the stamps from the Sideshow set and used the numbers with Watering Can Archival Ink. You'll also spot dots of Pewter Liquid Pearls, a strip of Linen Ribbon and a Quote Band highlighted with the Picket Fence Distress Crayon. It all looked a little 'bottom heavy' so, if in doubt add a butterfly!. Mine were made from one of the Textile Surfaces (love that these are already adhesive on the back) stamped with the Sideshow numbers and Watering Can Archival Ink again and layered onto Clearly for Art Modeling Film before being cut with a Movers and Shapers die. I used the Pewter Liquid Pearls again to add dimension to the butterfly body.

I had so much fun just going with the flow and creating this canvas with some of my new goodies.

It will be entered into the following challenges;

Creative Carte Blanche - 'Wood, a Word and Something Wild'

Simon Says Stamp Monday - 'Emboss It' (stencilled texture paste)

Country View Challenges - 'Use A Stencil' (two used)

I was thrilled to have been picked as a Top 3 Winner for last month's challenge!

Rhedd's Creative Spirit - 'Anything Goes - Mixed Media'

Emerald Creek Dares - 'The B's' (I've added the butterflies)

Creative Artiste Challenges - 'Anything Goes'

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #24 - 'Butterflies and Blooms'

Phew! There are a few more projects in the pipeline to share but for now have a creative time and take care of yourselves. Jenny xxx

Fabric Fantasy for IndigoBlu

Hi everyone and welcome back! Earlier today in my post for Frilly and Funkie HERE I promised to be back with a new project for IndigoBlu. Before getting started, a big thank you to everyone who tuned in to see my first Hochanda shows and to everyone who took the time to catch up with Kay, Elizabeth, Cheremane and myself at the Port Sunlight show last weekend. It's always special to share our passion for all things IndigoBlu. If you missed out remember that the IndigoBlu 5th Birthday Open Day will take place at Retford on Monday 30th May!!!

Now for that new project - I'm building on the stamping on fabric ideas I shared on tv, translating them to card making. Here's the finished card...

I've used the A5 Floral Fantasy stamp set as the basis for this card and share a step by step tutorial for creating it over on the IndigoBlu blog HERE. Here are some close up photos to show the various elements in more detail;

I hope you'll get chance to pop over and find out more about how this card came together.

Thanks for joining me today. As ever there's plenty more to come but for now take care of yourselves and enjoy creating! Jenny xxx

Opposites Attract at Frilly and Funkie

Hi everyone and welcome! This is my first post of the day - the next is up in a couple of hours. Meantime, over at Frilly and Funkie, our host Kathy Clement has set us all a challenge; to play along, she's asking us all to dig deep and create any kind of project you choose, as long as it is not done in your usual style and colour palette. Definitely a chance to step outside your comfort zone!

The winner will earn the chance of a Guest DT spot here at Frilly and Funkie, and everyone who enters and follows the rules will go into the draw for the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique. And there are Top 3 Badges for three further outstanding entries, chosen by the Design Team, because choosing just one winner is so hard!

This all means us Funkie ladies are going Frilly this week! I admit this was a bigger challenge than I expected but having dug deep (and drooled over many of my team mates previous projects) I set to and produced this canvas...

So where to start with a Frilly piece? First up the base had to be another 8x8 canvas - these are definitely becoming my go to. I noticed my teamies love using texture in their backgrounds and having seen/admired lots of altered Tyvek (including from the fabulous Lynn Price at Experiments in Paper) and generously been gifted some by my bestie Anne Redfern I had to play. 

There are some great videos showing how to heat this stuff with an iron to get the bubbling - me, I'm not patient enough and wanted to use my heat tool. Just as well I spread clear gel over one side and layered on some plain muslin! It meant that the Tyvek could take plenty of heat and as it wrinkled and split, the holes that were created exposed the muslin like lace. Here's what the background looked like when I'd added a little colour to the reverse (to peep through those holes) and stuck it to the canvas base.

Can't even begin to describe how hard it was to resist the urge to add a tonne of colour to this! Instead I remained true to the style and just splattered the smallest amounts of teal and lime. So what else do Frilly projects seem to have in common... layers and flowers most definitely. Adding embossing powder shimmer on top of white gesso to the chippie cages and flourish kept the look going as they were piled on top of each other. Love the way a little gesso also adds a sprinkle of extra light to the gorgeous Petaloo flowers. Finally some die cut leaf stems, an altered doily, lace and a scattering of bling added to the glamour brought by those flowers.

Will I be swapping over to the Frilly side in future? The level of restraint required to withhold colour from my projects is just too much to bear so it'll be a return to the norm in future, but it was fun to push those boundaries and play with Tyvek for this challenge too. I wonder how my Funkie team mates got on? Only one way to find out; head on over to Frilly and Funkie to see more from the whole team. Then it's your turn to flip your usual style to be in with a chance to win. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

I'll be back later with a new IndigoBlu project (which is a bit Frilly in style too!) - hope you can join me for that.
In the meantime whatever you're up to take care of yourselves. Jenny xxx

Lindy′s Stamp Gang Starburst - Starburst Industrial Chic Set	Lindy′s Stamp Gang - Industrial Chic Embossing Powders	Lindy′s Stamp Gang Magicals - Industrial Chic Set	KAISERCRAFT Wooden Flourishes - Vines	KAISERCRAFT Wooden Flourishes - Bird Cages	KAISERCRAFT Flourishes - Small Birdcages	KAISERCRAFT Flourishes - Hanging Birdcages	Petaloo Textured Elements Jeweled Flowers Teal x 5	Petaloo Botanica Collection Textured Elements Blossoms x 4 Ivory	Petaloo Botanica Collection Vintage Velvet Dogwood -Teal
Venise Lace Trim - 1 Inch	*Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations Garden Greens Bigz Die	Sizzix Thinlits Die Set - Crocheted Doily 2 by Tim Holtz 661498 (February Pre-Order)	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Big Chat

Sew Special at A Vintage Journey

Hi everyone and welcome! It's the start of a new challenge over at A Vintage Journey and I'm proud to be hosting this one. This month we are all about fabric; Add fabric to your entry in some way be it felt, burlap, ribbon or cloth and if you're really feeling brave maybe include a touch of real or faux stitching! We are looking forward to seeing what ideas you have to incorporate this Sew Special theme in your vintage, shabby, mixed-media, art journalling, industrial or steampunk projects.

This month we are proud to be sponsored by the wonderful people over at Calico Craft Parts. With a randomly drawn lucky winner and three hand picked Pinworthies offered a Guest appearance for later challenge it's really worth entering HERE.

Being the host Creative Guide I felt it was important to pull out all the stops for this one. Plus it gave me chance to play with my Eileen Hull Sizzix Stitchlits Thin Dies. If like me you hate having to punch separate holes to stitch through in order to add sewing detail to your projects these are the best! I grabbed some Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements fabric and set to it with this canvas...

If you're wondering how it came together here goes...

Start by getting a piece of paper/card with a mid brown hue (I used one from the Tim Holtz Lost and Found collection). Spread Texture Paste through the Burlap layering stencil and when dry add a coat of Crazing Distress Collage Medium over the whole lot.

Now your surface 'slick' scribble the two brown Distress Crayons over and blend vertically with a baby wipe. This will help to reveal the crazing and let you choose how much/little colour you want on your final piece.

Cut strips of Eclectic Elements fabric and glue them in place over the stencilling.

Here's where those Stitchlits dies come in really useful - stick more strips of the same fabric to card then die cut with the various stitch patterns to cut your holes. You can then easily sew embroidery cottons (or similar) through the holes. Layer them on top of the first set of strips.

With the background complete I added Ruler Ribbon and a buckle, various handmade flowers, buttons and brads and the Remnant Rub words (because stamping on this uneven surface may have spoiled the lot but this was easy!) Here are some close ups so you can catch the details...

So that's my interpretation of this theme. I urge you to hop on over to A Vintage Journey to see what my fellow Creative Guides have come up with - it's Sew Special! Then it's over to you - the challenge will remain open for a month so there's plenty of time to get those creative juices flowing and link up your entries to be in with a chance to win!

Before I close I want to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to each and every one of you who took the time and trouble to wish me luck, cheer me on and watch my first shows on Hochanda. Knowing you were all backing me to succeed was a huge boost and I'm pleased to say there will be more to come! For now take care of yourselves, Jenny xxx

Tuesday Tutorials - Art Chemistry Canvas

Hi everyone and welcome! Some very exciting news for me today -  I am thrilled to bits that Marjie Kemper has chosen to showcase my Art Chemistry canvas today as part of her Tuesday's Tutorials Series.

It's always a real honour to be spotlighted by your peers in the industry so a huge thank you to Marjie for picking me out from the crowd!
You can see the complete canvas in my blog post HERE.

Anyone interested in seeing in person how this and many other canvas projects come together will get the chance soon...
For now take care everyone, Jenny xxx