Sunday, June 21, 2015

DLP and 52 Friends Round Robin Encore

Everyone will start a piece of art and then mail to the next person in line. That person will add to it and mail to the next and so on until the originator gets their piece back. 
Please put DLP and 52 Friends on the back of your piece so people in other groups do not mail to the wrong individual. This takes awhile - so be patient. Once you receive a piece in the mail please try and forward it on within 5-7 days. You can start your piece now, so when partners are assigned it can be mail out. Partners will be assigned on Sunday, June 21st. Please post if you will mail overseas.
Im glad i made this when the initial post was written, as i broke my index finger last weekend, lol.  Would have been difficult to fold the pop-up frame.  =)  So, this is the start for it and i will release it to the other 3 of 4 players to play and pass it on.  I hope it will challenge them to dream a bit and enjoy the fun of it all.

Summer of Color Week 2

Pink + Pink + Orange

The photos are washed out, but you get a hint of what it looks like!  I used a baby pink, orange and neon pink.

I made this several times, trying to hand letter : live in the moment and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering.  Alas i failed and went to stamps.  The glitter on the nose looks funny here but its cute.




You can see how badly my hand lettering really is. =)  here.


Saturday, June 13, 2015

Summer of Color

Last year I joined a group called summer of color.  This is the first week's challenge:

Blue + Blue + Green.

Bellow is a paper i make, and i love it.  Im actually addicted to using it.





I made this small drawer set for sequins from the tiny matchbox's and covered it with this paper, not on the back or bottom.  I can easily push the tiny drawers out from the back.  Love it.  Will make more.


The first time I used it was to make a happy mail tag.  I turned the heart flowers into balloons.


So I decide to use those three colors to try to make this same design using the same techniques.


Sorry they are sideways!  The one on the top needs a mermaid on it!  The one on the bottom, im not sure how it will turn out..

I made this ATC and holder from the third section of the original full page.  Its called 'Yesterday's dreams are todays realities'.  



Obviously, it all needs more art.  I really enjoyed this first week.



Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Making Acrylic Gesso!

Acrylic gessos are used today to prime the surface of our journal pages, canvas, and boards.  We use acrylic gesso instead of the historical rabbit glue gesso because the acrylic is flexible. 
    
I've tried the same formula with different dry ingredients and find the easiest to make and the one that fits my needs the best uses white chalk for the dry ingredient. 

 There are many recipes on the net that use talc powders (baby etc), corn starch, baking soda, and plaster, or even a combination of them.

I fist tried cornstarch, I thought it was too sticky and added in some baking soda to provide a coarser grit.  Then, because i had several unused sheets of sheet rock, I opted to try that.

I peeled off the paper and using my Dremel  tool with the sand paper round, sanded the rock to powder.  I liked this dry medium very much.  But it was time consuming and dusty to make.  Finally I have settled with using white chalk as my dry ingredient.

The first time i mixed it, I broke the pieces of chalk into the container, and covered with water.  Every now and then I fiddled with it using the back of a spoon to press the pieces and break them up until it was all just mush.

It didn't take long, perhaps 30 minutes or so, yet being impatient and not caring for the chasing of the bigger pieces around in the container, this time I used a hammer first.

I used:            1/2 C   permanent when dry white glue                                    not school glues.
                       1/2 C acrylic white paint
                       box    of chalk 16 pieces

and water (just enough to mix the chalk to a thick slurry), a hammer, some parchment paper, a spoon and a container for storage.


Take a piece of parchment paper and fold in half, then fold in 3/4 inch or so on each of the sides making an envelope or packet.  Place a piece of chalk inside and hammer it.  


You can hold the hammer just behind the head, and just drop it down, let the hammer do the squishing, no pounding.  Tap, tap, tap.  

Now, using the edge of the spoon and tipped up, slide or push it across the paper.  You will both hear and feel the small pieces that need to be squished further.  I went one way, then turned the packet and went the other way.

Because its chalk it will cling to itself and look chunky, but its mostly powder now.

Pour into your container and continue.  I did 2  chalk in the paper at a time, it went fast.  

Check the depth of the powder, using it as a gauge to add the water.


I added way to much!  I poured some off but started loosing the powder too, so stopped. Ugh.  Next time i will drizzle it and stir, making a fairly thick slurry, instead of thin soup.

Then I added in 4 oz of paint and 4 oz of glue, and stirred.  It is still too thin, and I will add another box of chalk when i pick more up.

I poured some into the empty paint bottles, and squirted it on this free magazine to try it out.

I used my fingers to spread it around and then dried it with my new heat gun.

I love the result, its thin, but i love the feel and texture of it.  Nice matte finish.

Look at the picture below closely, see the bumps on the right side?  Just like purchased gesso, you dont want to use a heat tool to dry it!  Bubbles, lol.  I love it, and they flatten when i press on them.  The magazine's pages and covers are glossy paper.

If you prefer more coverage you can add another 4 oz of white paint, but I like it like this.

You can see a bit of the texture of the chalk too.  You can sand it if you prefer it smoother.


After 3 fast coats.


Here im testing the flexibility of the gesso, I folded and creased it tightly with no resulting cracking.

Purchased gesso is wonderful, so many different kinds are available, but sometimes when the stores are closed or the only way you can purchase gesso is by mail, making your own is a fantastic way to go!




Monday, January 26, 2015

THE MAKING OF A FOAM STAMP

I have wanted to try making some flower stencils to be used as backgrounds for mixed media papers.  Soooo, today i sat down and drew out a few shapes on tracing paper.



Then I turned the paper over on a thin sheet of craft foam and rubbed the paper over the pencil drawing with a stylus.  You could use a spoon, or your finger nail to do the same.   Then i started cutting the shapes out with a craft knife, and realized, i was making a stamp instead of a stencil, lol.  


Well... ok, so i grabbed my little fussy cutting scissors and just cut the shapes out.  Much easier to cut with them then the knife.

 

 As i cut each shape i placed it on my lamp base.  Then i played with them till I found a design i liked.  Why the lamp base?  It was there. lol.



While placing the shapes, i noticed that one flower could be removed and replaced with a heart, or any shape for that matter.



Next i found a piece of plastic to glue the shapes to.  I used a piece of a folder i had left over from cutting the shapes out of it to make a stencil.  



Then i used a pencil to add some details to the foam shapes.  Dots, dashes, circles and leaf veins.  Just playing around you know? 


 See the blank unpainted shape above in the left top quadrant?  Thats the replaceable spot.  When i stamped, i left it blank there.  Thinking i would add it after i stamped the images.


I put on some inexpensive plastic gloves purchased at the $ store, watered down a teal acrylic and smeared it on the stamp, leaving blank space.  Then i used some sparkle yellow acrylic straight from the bottle, and smeared it across the shapes, and stamped twice.  And then i added more paint and stamped again. 


 Quickly, I grabbed the heart shape and plopped it in the teal on my pallet and on the paper in 3 places.  I love the results!  Because my paper has 3 coats of home made very gritty gesso on it, the stamped image isnt completely filled in.  Love it!



Now, off to actually make the background layering stencil i thought i was making.  

Saturday, December 20, 2014

What do you do with the wood from your stamps?

I peel the rubber stamps off the wood blocks they came on.  I find it much easier to store them, and use them without the wood attached and getting in the way.  =)
I was looking at the last one i took off, and wondering what to do with it:



Then i realized it would make a great drawer knob for the new desk i built.  Well its not a new desk, the top is old and salvaged, and the supports are new.  One side holds 4 drawers and the other 3 shelves.

What do you do with your stamp wood?

I made some wire hooks for my new outdoor tree ornaments.

I haven't blogged in ages.  Just thought you may enjoy seeing how I spent some time last night making hooks for my outdoor tree decorations.  I made a few while relaxing watching a movie.  I will try to make a few each evening, thus not getting bored and keeping my creativity fresh.


Before I added the curls, I closed each end with a small loop for safety.  No scratches from bare wire.

I just curled the wire into big curls.  Sometimes turning them around and curling again.

All done and ready to hang.





You can also view the video here.