Creative Expressions Couture Blog Hop

The Creative Expressions exciting Couture Creations Blog Hop is now live!

I have been working with the fabulous Couture Creations products over the past few weeks and I will be sharing all my creations each week. Today I have decided to showcase the fabulous ORNATE FRAME 3-in-1 set.

There are a fantastic selection of prizes to be won from each blog in the Hop, the winner drawn randomly from my blog will win:

1 x Doilies CO723401

Wedding Bells Pre Cut Stamp UMS057

Glitter

Cosmic Shimmer Clears Dry Glue

Cosmic Shimmer Silver Shine Detail Embossing Powder

To be in with a chance of winning a prize, simply leave a comment on each of the ten blogs over the course of the hop. The winners will be drawn at random from all the comments featured on each blog and will be announced on the Creative Expressions NEWS page on Monday 25th November 2013. The Blog Hop will end on Friday 22nd November at 5pm.

Creative Expressions have some fantastic prize bundles to giveaway! Each prize bundle is worth over £10 and contains a selection of Glitters, Glue, Embossing Powders and Singles Stamp. The star prize will be the same as the other prize bundles, but will also include one of the 3-in-1 Dreamboat Collection Sets. The star prize is worth £30!

If you arrived here from CATHI O'NEILL's blog then you are in the right place.

I decided to create a canvas using the ORNATE FRAME 3-in-1 set.

Stamp the Ornate Frame onto a piece of Foundations White card using Black Archival Ink.

Apply Salty Ocean and Mowed Lawn Distress Inks to a Non-Stick Craft Sheet and spritz with water.

Pick up the ink with the stamped piece of card, drying with a heat tool between each application to prevent any mudding of colours.

Spritz the canvas with a good coverage of water.

Apply Salty Ocean and Mowed Lawn Distress Paints randomly around the canvas and then blend with a brush.

The Distress Paints blend beautifully with water. Once you are happy with the coverage of colour dry the canvas with a heat tool.

Add Beeswax to a Melt Pot and set the thermostat to the UTEE setting. Please remember to add a Project Pan to the melt pot when using Beeswax, keep the pan with the Melt Pot for Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel. It is best to keep the Beeswax separate from the UTEE to prevent contaminating any of the Enamel.

Once the Beeswax has melted turn the thermostat down to approximately 120/140.

Apply Beeswax to the canvas using a good quality brush and then place the stamped piece on top of the Beeswax. Once the image is adhered then apply Beeswax to the top of the image working from the centre outwards until completely adhered. I did use a heat gun to brush over the area a few times to give a smooth finish to the image. I then dabbed Beeswax around the outside of the stamped image to give texture and raised areas for added interest and texture.

Whilst I was using the 3-in-1 set I thought it would be a good idea to create a mould of the butterfly die to use at a later date. Simply take equal parts of the Mold 'n' Pour and then mix together.

Both pieces mix together very easily.

Continue to mix together until you have one solid colour and no white showing.

Roll into a ball.

Then press the die into the putty and set aside until it hardens. You will know when the putty is ready when you can no longer leave a finger nail mark in the putty. Ensure the sides are built up slightly so that any UTEE does not flow over the edges of the mould.

Remove the die from the putty and you now have your own mould created from the die.

Apply Cosmic Shimmer Mica to the mould.

Then pour hot Cosmic Shimmer Black UTEE into the mould and set aside to cool. The enamel will harden, simply press the edge of a spatula or something simlar onto the enamel to check it has hardened and then remove the piece from the mould.

I also wanted to create an Ultra Thick heart. Simply place the stamp from the 3-in-1 set uppermost onto a flat surface, apply VersaMark ink to the stamp to act as a release agent, place the heart cookie cutter onto the stamp and then pour in the hot UTEE and set aside to cool.

Once cool remove the heart from the cookie cutter, the texture from the stamped image is fantastic in the UTEE. Apply Cosmic Shimmer Mica Powder to the UTEE to highlight the texture.

I also applied Enchanted Gold Metallic Gilding Wax to the raised areas to highlight evern further the wonderful detail.

I die cut a butterfly from white card using the butterfly die from the ORNATE FRAME 3-in-1 set, coloured with Distress Inks and then placed into the hot Beeswax.

Remove the butterfly from the Beeswax, allow to cool and then apply Mica Powder to the Beeswax. The Mica sticks to the Beeswax beautifully and adds wonderful shimmer.

Apply Mica Powders to the edges of the canvas along with Enchanted Gold Gilding Wax to highlight all the wonderful texture from the Beeswax around the edges of the canvas.

From this picture you can see the wonderful detail the Mica and Gilding Wax adds to the canvas. I really love how the Gilding Wax has adhered to the edges of my stamped piece highlighting all the detail. You can also see the shimmer on the butterfly. The Beeswax is so tactile.

I love adding Beeswax to the edges of the canvas by simply dabbing it onto the edges with the brush and then highlighting the lumps and bumps with Mica and Waxes, its adds so much to the canvas.

The UTEE heart has been added to the top of my canvas along with 'Celebrate' stamped onto white card and coloured with Distress Inks .

I added twine to the bottom of my canvas along with another UTEE heart for further interest.

I am the last person on the hop and I hope you have enjoyed all the inspirational projects along the way. Simply pop to the NEWS page and leave a comment to say you have completed the Hop.

I would like to thank you all for visiting my blog and joining in the Hop. I have included a full list of the DT members participating in the hop should you have missed anyone along the way.

Creative Expressions News Page

Kim Robertson

Pam Smith

Neil Burley

Donna Ratcliffe

Tracy Heaton

Kerry Hickton

Kim Dellow

Trace Metcalfe

Cathi O'Neill

Tracy Evans (You are Here)

Good Luck everyone!

Tracy x x x

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