Get knotted!

Hello!
Nope, not being rude, just factually accurate! over at Calico Crafts today, I'm sharing a very simple necklace made from driftwood. I've done a comprehensive step by step on how to achieve the knotting technique.....so you can then apply the technique to all of your jewellery pieces!
Here's a little taster...

Have a great week!
Trish xxxx

Panic!!

Hello!
This week, my DT project for A Sprinkle Of Imagination is another painty panel! I've used my 'bruise' colour combo of yellow, green and purple...

A little stencilling and some scary Tenticurls! (that's the name of the stamp....not my bad spelling!)
I'd be pleased if you could pop on over to the ASOI blog and have a look at the whole thing!
Have a great day!
Trish xxxxx

Adore- a Silver Heart

Hello!
The Creative Expressions DT were given texture paste as part of our package this month....right up my street!
I have the silver paste....and boy is it silver!!!!

Not a grey like silver, really bright and shiny! Love it!
I have kept my project very simple, in order to showcase the texture paste to its full advantage. A heart shaped hanging, full of shine and texture!
Now, not everyone has chipboard hearts lying ready to be used, so I thought I would share a little tutorial on how to create your own hearts, perfectly shaped every time!
I saw this on a cake making web site..and thought it would perfectly well for card too!
Firstly, cut a circle from chipboard. Either die cut one, or draw around something suitable. The bigger the circle, the bigger the heart! Cut the circle in half...

Measure the diameter of the circle, then cut a square using the same measurement....

Place the three shapes together like this....

Ta-Da!! A heart! Use sticky tape or masking tape to join the pieces together, then cover with something to hide the joins. I used old book pages....

This gives a nice base on which to work, even though in my project it's barely noticeable!
To finish off my heart, I gave it a wash of white paint, followed by a light covering of blue. I then scraped the texture paste onto the heart. It isn't a must to use a stencil for this, I have used plain old sequin waste (punchinella) on my heart...

I decided to have a go at heating the texture paste, just to see if it would rise up like acrylic paint does when it's hot....oh yes! The really lumpy circles have been domed due to the heating, the more deflated ones are circles that have gone 'pop'!!! Fab result....
I added a large eyelet to the heart so I could thread some seam binding through...

A Chit Chat sticker finishes off my hanging.
If you like texture paste, then I would really recommend this......I have tried before to get a silver colour by adding silver paint to regular paste, but haven't managed to get this level of shine!
Trish xx

Stand Boldly...

Hello!
It's time for another challenge over at A Mixed Media Colour Challenge, and I have time this week to join in! yay!
I made this panel...

Not too much background stamping/printing on this, its alllllll about the texture!!
I crumpled up some text tissue, and stuck it to my chipboard sheet with multi medium, making sure all the wrinkles and crinkles were not smoothed out. Then I added the paint. The three colours this time are light blue, turquoise and a neutral....so I started with the neutral, then added a little blue, then turquoise on the top..

I also added some of the cream paint to some grunge paste and scraped it through a harlequin stencil. With  hindsight i should have made the grunge paste blue..the cream is almost invisible in the pictures!

As you can see, my Stampotique figure is coloured appropriately too... light blue and turquoise for her hair and clothes, then neutral for her face!!!
I placed her on a stamped strip, then added the remnant rub ons to finish..

Nice and simple, but lots of texture in the details!
Why not join in and play too?
Trish xxxxx

Doily Romance!

Hello!
I'm still using the fabulous Doily die for this weeks project for Creative Expressions.... this time showing off all the intricate detail rather than covering it in paint!

(OK...so paint WAS involved, just not lots for a change!!)
I cut the doily from Kraft card, then did a little gentle sponging with cream and blue Eco Green paint....

A tiny bit of black splatter stamping just for a little detail, then I adhered the doily to the centre of a Kraft panel that had been painted, distressed and splatted too! I only used the glue in the centre, as I wanted the edges of the doily to lift and be a little more 3D.
The finishing touch was my wooden heart embellishment....

Sponged with the same paint, stamped and then covered with clear rock candy crackle paint. A Chit Chat sticker completes the look!
I matted up the Kraft panel onto a blue card blank, just to echo the blue paint already used.
Yes I know...I made a card!!!! How very strange!
Next week I'm starting with the texture paste that was part of my DT package...LOVE the stuff!
Trish xxx

Mr Owl!

Hello!
Time for a little fabric creation....I've made an owl doorstop as my DT piece for Calico Crafts!
Hope you like him, there is a step by step with pictures over on the Calico Crafts blog, so you can see just how I made him!

Trish xxxxx

Puffy Heart Love!

Hello!
For this weeks DT piece for A Sprinkle Of Imagination, I've been playing with sticky backed canvas. I made a puffy heart...

(well obviously you can't see it properly....you need to pop on over here to see the whole thing!!!)
Have a great day everyone!
Trish xxxx

Craft Stamper Blog Challenge!

Hello!
The latest Take It, Make It challenge over at the Craft Stamper magazine blog still has another couple of weeks to run, so you still have plenty of time to join in!
The technique this time is a really fab embossing powder technique.....creating backgrounds using just coloured powder!
I have created another sample to show you....

I sprinkled the powders over the circular card base, and just kept melting, sprinkling and melting until I got the look I was after....

(That rub on phrase is very meaningful for me this week..... I have never sat on my hands, held my tongue and simply stepped away from the computer as much as I have the past few days....It's flipping frustrating when you know people are spreading falsehoods, but to correct them is stepping waaaaay over the professional line, and I have to simply wait for time to reveal the real situation. Ugh.)
Enough of me being all cryptic.....
I added the white embossing powder detail by sponging Perfect Medium through a stencil for the powder to stick to!
Butterflies stamped onto acetate were my focal images....

I finished off my hanging by adding a large eyelet, and then threading some suede thong through the hole.

It would be totally fabulous if you popped on over to the Craft Stamper blog and had a look at all the details of the challenge, then joined in! There are some gorgeous stamps to be won, and the entry the DT thinks fits the bill the best will get published! Not something every challenge blog out there offers eh?!!!
Love Trish xxxxx

Collector Of Dreams

Hello!
Have you seen the monthly challenges over at A Little Bit Crafty? Paula is really hoping all kinds of crafts will take part, including the messy painty type!!!
This months theme is all about using die cuts, and I've made a painty panel (as usual!) with some die cuts on there for a bit more texture!

Quite pastel for me really, this colour scheme, but nice and summery too!
I smeared the paint over the base card, and stamped details too...

I used Memory Box dies, and used them in a very simple manner! Cut from white card, then stuck down! The butterfly die cut is the detailed 'filigree' part. Once I had cut it out, I used the waste as a template to draw the solid butterfly shape, then painted it to match the background...

To finish off, I did a little stitching around the panel..

The black of the stitching is echoed in the black of the rub on words, so it all ties together nicely!
Have a great week everyone, and why not get the die cuts out and enter the challenge? loads of prizes!
Trish xxxx

Hidden Discovery

Hello!
Is it warm today then?! Are you melting yet?! I'm planning on staying indoors in the cool, I really don't do heat!
My project today for A Sprinkle Of Imagination is an inky panel....

That is just a little peek.... you'll need to go over to the ASOI blog here to see the whole thing!
See you soon!
Trish xx
P.S....there is another Flash Sale going on over at the ASOI shop, lots of gorgeous Glitz Design at discounted prices! You only have until 9am on Monday to grab the bargains... so don't hang about!

Wish

Hello!
Sooooo busy this week its been silly, but finally I have a chance to post this weeks DT creation for Creative Expressions!
This month, we have a fabulous Doily Die to work with, as well as a pot of texture paste...seriously fab stuff!
This week though, I managed to resist the call of the texture paste and work with the doily....

Don't be fooled into thinking dies like this just have to be used for matting purposes, they can also be used in a messy painty way as background texture!
I cut two of the doiles, then glued them down to a rectangle of card. Once dry, I gave them a good sponging with waterfall Eco Green paint. This basically blends in all the texture to your background, so you have a seamless base to work on. I added a little Lake paint, and some pink Peony here and there....

Once the paint was dry, I rubbed some silver gilding wax over the doily parts to highlight and give definition to the texture...

My flowers are from the fabulous Funky Floral sheet. I think this is my most used and favourite Umount sheet of all!
Black and white stamped images to contrast with the background, mounted onto dotty 'stalks'! The stalks are washi tape wrapped skewers....

I tied the whole thing together with some black paint splats to echo the black images, and a little rub on word to finish off!

Have a great weekend everyone!
Love Trish xxxx

Neon!

Hello!
I've been playing with the new Neon Ink Daubers from Hero Arts! My DT piece for A Sprinkle Of Imagination this week showcases most of the colours...here is a little look..

Why not hop on over there to have a look at the whole thing!
Whilst you're at it, why not check out the FLASH SALE the ASOI shop is having! 30% off Darkroom Door unmounted stamps this weekend only!!
love Trish xx

Glitter Grunge!

Hello!
As part of this months DT kit for Creative Expressions, we were given some glitter. Fabulous fine glitter in gunmetal, blue and emerald green. Now, you know me, not really a glitter person!
Which made things all the more interesting as I challenged myself to use the glitter, but still stay true to my messy grungy style of working! This is one project I came up with...

Mess and texture all mixed in with the glitter!
I used a Kraft panel as the base for this, and started off by scraping cream paint over it, concentrating on the areas where I knew I would be building up more layers on top. I then got the sewing machine out, and did a little freestyle stitching in a circle shape, to give a rough (very!) impression of a flower head. More stitching to create a 'stem'. Remember the resin hearts I made for THIS project?, whilst I was at it I made some domes too, and this is what I used as the centre of the flower....

It ended up looking a little too much like a fried egg for my liking though.... Still, you get what I was aiming for!
I did a little stamping and printing with ink and blue paint...

You can just about make out the Bubble Wrap, Chicken Wire and Plaid background stamps there!
I then got out a stencil, and very gently sponged Glue N Seal through it. Not loads as it will get very messy! Remove the stencil, and dust with the glitter....

I sponged a little glue randomly around the edges too....

If you're quick, you can brush off a little in places so the finished look is much less uniform. More (you guessed it!) grungy!
So, still not sue I can pull off the glittery look, but I like the randomness of the stencil with the border of glitter pulling things together! What do you think?
Love Trish xx

Stars And Stripes!

So..... it's red, white and blue. It has stars and stripes on it too.... it must be the 4th of July!!!!
I made a patriotic plaque over at Calico Crafts today...heres a sneaky look...

I would love it if you popped on over to the Calico blog here to see the whole thing!
Happy 4th of July to all my American friends out there!
Love Trish xx

Look Within....

Look Within? I think I've come over all deep and meaningful.....!!
Another fabulous phrase from the Remnant Rub ons set....and for once it was the rub ons that started the project, rather than me looking for words to match up afterwards. 'Look Within' seemed to suggest something deep, so I thought a niche would be perfect! I used an Artemio 10 x 10 frame for this project, something I would usually use the other way around as the flat surface is just perfect for painting and stamping on. This time I needed the niche!

I started off by covering both the frame and my small wooden heart with old book pages, very messy but I love doing this as the subtle text look under the paint is fab! Once dry, i gave it a wash of gesso. This tones down the yellow shades of the pages to a nice even white base upon which to add the colour. Now, colour! It won't have escaped your notice that this isn't a usual 'Trish' colour scheme! It's the old comfort zone thing.....I'm playing along with this weeks Mixed Media Colour Challenge to push me in a different direction!
I gave the frame a light sponging with pale pink and peach paint, then dried it off. I used some texture paste through a harlequin stencil along on side and one edge, and once dried sponged that too!

I added stamped black splats, dots and swirls...

And then made sure it was grunged up slightly by edging the whole thing in black...

The wooden heart was given a wash of yellow paint, then covered in Rock Candy crackle paint. The dried crackles were scribbled over with black distress marker, which I then removed with a soft cloth. This leaves a nice grungy black highlight in the crackles!

Once the Rub On words were applied, I glued the heart in place.
I took the very delicate and feminine colour scheme and went grungy with it.....!
Can't wait to see what others make of this palette, why don't you join in too!

Trish xxx

Pastel 'Wish'

Hello!
Its the first of the month...so that means its time for a new challenge over at A Little Bit Crafty!
This months challenge is all about using die cuts in your work... so its my mission to show you can still be all painty and grungy whilst using pre cut shapes!
I made this wooden hanging....

My wooden panel was given a good thick coat of gesso, then dried with a heat tool to give a lumpy bumpy texture. I smeared on some pink paint, then a little green paint...

I scraped some puff paint through a harlequin stencil, then heated it to give the texture. Again, smeared paint went over the top! The harlequins can be seen  here, along with my Alphapart letters that also got the paint treatment!

The die cut aspects to this piece come in the form of three rolled roses ( MFT dies). I added clear rock candy glitter to them for a little sparkle..

The flourishes underneath are also MFT dies, and the little dotty leaf fronds are from the Crealies die number 24.

I twisted some wire into loop shapes, then glued them to the back of my panel. I added chain so the panel can hang up!

So, a little more girly and pastel-ly from me today, I hope you like it!
Please pop on over and join in with the challenge, mixed media pieces are most welcome!!!!!
Trish xxx