Play in the rain with me

I have revisited an old technique today which I have not used in a long time, the BOKEH technique.

I have created a duo of cards today showcasing the fabulous Springtime stamp set from Artistic Outpost. I looked on-line to check exactly what is meant by the Bokeh Effect and this is the explantion that was given:

Bokeh is the official name for a specific photography effect. The name actually comes from the Japanese word for blur or haze: boke. It also comes from the Japanese word for blur quality: boke-aji. All you need to know is that bokeh is the aesthetic quality of out-of-focus blur in a photograph.

I began both cards by applying Distress Inks to the background. The one on the left had two colours applied to a non-stick craft sheet, Spiced Marmalade and Worn Lipstick Distress Inks, which I then spritzed with water and I then mopped up the beads of ink. The second card was blended with Broken China Distress Ink.

Once I had achieved the desired depth of colour I then created my own template, die cutting several different sized circles from white card. I then placed the template onto the card and applied Glacier White pigment ink over the stencil, one circle at a time., moving the template around the card, applying ink through three different sized circles and overlapping the circes in some areas. I then heat dried the ink with a heat tool.

I also applied more Glacier White ink to some of the circles to achieve different depths of the same ink. To add further interest I also added some random machine stitching and the perfect sentiment from the Springtime stamp set.

I repeated the same technique on my second card  and stamped two of the sentiments into the inked circles.

Once again I added random machine stitching for added interest.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x 

 

Dare To Spread Your Wings

Morning, hope you are all enjoying your weekend. We have another fabulous challenge for you over at the Love to Create Challenge Blog where the theme is Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes.

I brayered my background with Ripe Persimmon Distress Paint, using only a gently touch to leave some white areas visible.

I used a stencil to add two circles to my desing, applying Magenta, Magenta Shade and Magenta Extra Dark PanPastels to each of the circles, blending the colours as I move around each circle. I then added some background stamping to each of the circles using a Carabelle stamp.

To add definition, I applied Black Coarse Pearl Medium around the edges of each circle so that they pop from the background. I also added a Finnabair sentiment, coloured with PanPastels and again shaded at the edges with Black Coarse Medium.

I added some random machine stitching to act as stems to my circular flowers and also included some scratchy paint lines using an old credit card and some delicate black paint splatters.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x x x

Black COARSE Pearl Medium for PanPastels	Pan Pastel - Magenta	Magenta shade	Magenta Extra Dark	PanPastel - Sofft Tools Kit
Stampbord Assorted sizes

Artistic Outpost Blog Hop

Welcome to our monthly blog hop with Artistic Outpost.

This month the Design Team are showcasing imagery from the COUNTRY LIFE category and I have opted to highlight the fabulous Huck Finn stamp set. I have given the focal image centre stage in a 3D pocket watch created using Tim Holtz die and Eileen Hull's Make it 3D Die.

I die cut the parts needed using the Pocket Watch Frame Die and then added the 3D element using Eileen Hull's Die.

I then applied DecoArt Crackle Paste to the outside and the back of my pocket watch along with the front of the pocket watch face and set aside to dry. I stamped the Huck Finn image onto a circular piece and added some clouds to the background using Hickory Smoke Distress Ink. I also coloured the image with Hickory Smoke Distress Marker to give a tone on tone effect.

I wanted to paint the pocket watch with grey paint but did not want it too dark so I mixed DecoArt Dark Grey Value 3 with a touch of Titanium White and painted the pocket watch with two coats of paint.

The paint highlights the cracks beautifully and is the perfect colour to combine with the Huck Finn imagery.

I used a natural sponge to apply/dab a light coat of Titanium White over the grey.

I added the Huck Finn stamped circle to the centre of the pocket watch and stamped the 'Discover' text from the same stamp set, stamped with Black Archival Ink and Hickory Smoke Distress Ink added to the edges. For further texture I also added natural jute twine around the edge of the pocket watch.

'Explore' is also from the Huck Finn stamp set and I also included some mini shells for added interest.

I added more twine tied into a bow to the top of the watch along with a small piece of drift wood, adding a discover Remnant Rub to the top.

I added pieces of torn book pages to the side and added a coat of Mod Podge to protect.

The back of the pocket watch showcases the crackle and layers of paint perfectly.

I love all the different textures added to this piece, makes it so tactile!

My fellow Design Team Members have created fabulous artwork to inspire you along the blog hop.

Terry

Tracy (me)
Shari
Lisa

I would also like to enter this piece into the Anything But Cute Challenge which this month is Summer Romance and I think the Huck Finn imagery fits perfectly. We also have a mood board to inspire us this month which is shown below. I was inspired by the subtle colour palette and the shells, of which I have added a few from one of our trips to the beach.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x

Live the life you've imagined!

Morning, hope you are all enjoying your weekend. We have another fabulous challenge for you over at the Love to Create Challenge Blog where the theme is Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes.

I brayered the background of the card with Ripe Persimmon Distress Paint, dried with a heat tool and then placed a Donna Downey Bubbles stencil over the top and applied Magenta, Magenta Shade and Magenta Extra Dark PanPastels over the stencil. I also added some random stamping to the circles using Carabelle stamps.

I then placed the Donna Downey Silhouette onto the backdrop and applied Black Coarse Pearl Medium PanPastel around the edges and then removed the Silhouette. I added some random machine stitching for added interest.

I added a circlar piece of card to one side of the card (a piece from a previous project), coloured and stamped as in the previous step. I also added some scratchy paint lines, applying the paint with an old credit card.

I stamped the Visible Image sentiment onto white card, coloured with PanPastels, adding Black Coarse Pearl to the edges of each of the words and then added to the card.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Looking forward to seeing your entries into our challenge. Tracy x x

Black COARSE Pearl Medium for PanPastels	Pan Pastel - Magenta	Magenta shade	Magenta Extra Dark	PanPastel - Sofft Tools Kit
Stampbord Assorted sizes

Spring's greatest Joy!

I cannot believe another week has flown by, where is the year going!! Today is my weekly post for Artistic Outpost and today I am showcasing the fabulous Springtime stamp set.

I created an aperture in the centre of my card to showcase the fabulous imagery. I applied some scribbles of drawing gum to the centre and allowed to dry. I then coloured the central area with Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink and also added a touch of Brilliant Red Brusho, spritzed lightly with water and dried with my heat tool. I then rubbed away the drawing gum to reveal the white scribbles, love this technique!

I stamped the two children with Black Archival Ink, masked off the image and then stamped the ornate fence.

I added a few delicate splatters of Fired Brick Distress Paint for a further layer of interest and also included the fabulous sentiment from the Springtime stamp set. Scratchy paint lines have also been added for a touch of texture.

 I have also decorated the inside of my card with the focal image and a few paint splatters and scratches.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Tracy x x

Imagination means nothing without doing!

Morning, hope you are all enjoying your weekend. We have another fabulous challenge for you over at the Love to Create Challenge Blog where the theme is Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes.

I began my card by brayering the background with Ripe Persimmon Distress Paint using only a light touch and leaving some white areas visible. I then placed a stencil onto the backdrop and applied Magenta PanPastel over the stencil, then I applied a second layer of colour using PanPastel Magenta Shade and then onto Magenta Extra Dark. I love the layers of colour you can apply with PanPastels.

My focal image from Carabelle Studio has been stamped onto Stampbord which has first been coloured with Distress Paint, dried with a heat gun and then stamped with Black Archival Ink. I added  Black Coarse Pearl Medium around the edges for definition. Once I was happy I then used the scraper tool to add a few white highlights before applying a coat of Matt Medium and then a random coat of DecoArt Crackle Glaze.

I coloured a scrap piece of card with Magenta PanPastel and then stamped my sentiment and cut out, adding Black Coarse Pearl PanPastel around the edges of the sentiment for definition.

I applied some Carbon Black Antiquing Cream to the Crackle Glaze and wiped away the excess with a baby wipe. I love how the Antiquing Cream highlights the cracks.

I also added random stamping to the stencilled areas for a further layer of interest.

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. Tracy x x

Black COARSE Pearl Medium for PanPastels	Pan Pastel - Magenta	Magenta shade	Magenta Extra Dark	PanPastel - Sofft Tools Kit
Stampbord Assorted sizes