Friday, 3 December 2010

New challenge - Take ANY 3 colours - Christmas theme






I'm a little late posting my card for our new challenge, I adore this stamp set and was happy that I could use it with T!m's on the edge snowflake die along with a  number of extra snowflakes that I punched.  I added self-adhesive gems to the centres and painted on icicle glitter glue which finishes them off.  I used the following items:




Here's a few close ups.





I hope you will join us with this challenge!!  The details are given on the challenge blog

Keep safe and warm

Jill

Thursday, 2 December 2010

'tis the season ATC swap


It's a Christmas theme over on our ATC swap blog this month, so do pop over and join us.  Our design team have great ATCs over there to inspire you.

For my ATC I used,
and a spray of gold Starburst Stains
It's quite list of products for such a small ATC!

The small nestie heart was cut from thick card then embossed a few times with the Moonglow Embossing Powder.  I then stamped into it to create a pattern.


This close up shows the AGT (ahh great tape), that has been ruched up before adding the Mica Flakes.  It gives lacy strands of shimmer.



Our new fortnightly challenge theme starts tomorrow at noon, perhaps you can join us with that too!

Take care and keep warm!!!!

Jill

Starburst stains and Moonglow EP's


A couple of cards today, one for Christmas and one 'normal' one (I thought a non-Christmas card would be a break at the moment). 

I made these cards a while ago along with another that you have already seen that were all made using the same background paper I made with the Starburst Stain scrunch technique that was sprayed with black webbing spray.

I have used Magenta tiles with Moonglow embossing powders and Hero Arts Fabulous Flourish to create the tiles on the card above.

The embossed embellishment on the card below was again made with Moonglow Embossing Powders and stamped with the Hero Arts Big Flower stamp, it has a very useful star in the centre along with the rays, have a look at the stamp and you will see what I mean.

Apologies for the photo's looking wonky, I took the photos standing on a step ladder in the shop as they are now on display boards.


I'm looking at all the snowflakes on the card above in a different light, I don't want to see any more snowflakes now until Christmas Day!!!

Keep safe and warm

Jill

Wednesday, 1 December 2010

A few more pieces of Susan's artwork


I thought I'd show you more artwork that Susan from USArtQuest had on display at the recent workshop.  The first picture is a fantastic collage that incorporates a lot of products, can you spot them all?  There's faux lace, Dicrofibers, Gilden Glitz, Mica Tiles, Mica Flakes, Mica D'Lights and Mica Watercolours.  You'll find them all HERE.

The next photo isn't so good but I had to show it as I'm sure you can see how lush this scrapbook page must be in real life!  It is the faux lace technique I mentioned a few posts ago with Gilden Glitz, Mica Flakes and Mica D'lights.  This technique in gold is stunning!!


The final example is the faux lace technique, after applying the tape, ruching it and then adding the Mica Flakes and D'lights, Susan then added mica watercolour paints from the new Vintage Watercolour Palettes


Welcome December!!!  Anyone got any snow? 

Keep safe everyone!

Jill

Sunday, 28 November 2010

Product Review: A little peek into the USArtQuest Napkin Kit!



I will be showing projects with this kit, but for now I thought you might like a little peek inside the tin and a little review of it all!

After playing with the contents of this kit at Susan's workshop, (that's Mrs USArtQuest, Susan Pickering Rothamel, yes, name dropping here, again, lol!!) I was so excited to get my tin... and, oh, Christmas came early, I couldn't get the lid off quickly enough!!!!

But, before I begin on the napkin kit contents, I have a little confession to make, when I ordered this kit (and others) for the shop, I also ordered a number of individual items too, one of them was at the top of the list, I had a yearning for it that I cannot explain, I think you well know how that fluttery feeling of gathering crafting stash excitement goes...

Anyway, the kit I yearned for containing pots of uber fine, ultra weeny, tiny itsy bitsy particles of crystal shimmer was, boo hoo, out of stock!!! If any of you that order from us think we don't understand your disappointment when you want something that we are out of, do understand that we truly KNOW how gutting it is.  But...Imagine my excitement to find a little pot of that shimmery loveliness in the napkin kit, yay, those miniscule sprinkly bits from heaven had decended to surprise me!!

And here's that precious pot, unfortunately the photo does not do it justice at all, believe me it is the finest stuff you will ever find to sprinkle!  It's not even the usual fine glitter, that will seem lumpy in comparison.  I'll tell you more about it and the best way to sprinkle it another time:)


Ok, with a deep breath I'll move on to the rest of the kit.


As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the USArtQuest products are top quality, I'll be explaining more about the adhesive another time as it is MUCH more than just a glue and if you buy the kit you will be very impressed with the brushes too.

Susan has gone down the top quality route by including the excellent detail painting and flat brushes, and I have found them fantastic to use.  It's such a refreshing change to have good quality brushes in a starter kit, it makes a big difference to the quality of the work you can produce. 

Moving on now to the napkins themselves, every one of them in my tin has been WELL stroked, and you know the dilemia, which to use first, or can you bring yourself to use ANY of them?  Phew, my hands were flapping about stroking and chosing before I made my first and final selection.

I can honestly say that there isn't one that I don't like, there were no horrid ones sneaked into the bottom of the tin which may have cut the price of the kit in other's hands, and many of them have a lot of images on so I can see the kit really earning its keep for many more projects than I first thought.  Plus they are 2 and 3 ply so you can colour and use the underlaying tissue layers too.  Some had a faint print of the original pattern too, ah, an added bonus! 


Some of the napkins have 4 main images with pieces left over that you can use for other collage work, others have multiple smaller images all over that you can use individually and again the leftovers of these can be used very effectively.

The next pic shows a napkin that says it all, inspire, with a little peek at a part of the mica paint palette that is also included.  How fab are the colours of those napkins!!


A few more napkins, the smoothing sponge and one of the studio cups for using with glue or sprinkles oh, and a little peek at the instruction sheet.


Now to the Mica Watercolour Paints!  You get this palette of  6 luscious colours to paint on the napkins when you have fixed them in place on your project.  Pick out some of the detail in the napkin, then add the shimmery mica paints.  Believe me, it'll make then pop!  


If you are reading and feeling a bit scared about the 'artiness' of this kit, well, Susan has provided you with 24 ATC size blank canvas' in the kit, well not canvas in the texture, but thick board that is not over facing to work with for your first projects.  When you have made them they will be like toppers or the main focal part to add to a card.  She's taken the scariness out in the kit and I'm sure that by the time you've used up those 24 cards you will be ready to move onto bigger projects.  We will be getting extra packs of those ATC blanks in stock if you wish to continue using them though.


You get 12 white and 12 black ATC/topper boards.  Plus there is the tin itself that can also be decorated!

A final peek at the kit contents...


At the start of our day at Sue's workshop we were drawn to her examples while we had our first welcome coffee.  They were truly and utterly amazing!!!  Just as I remembered they always were.  

All my classmates were in awe of her artwork too, there was LOADS of awesome stuff she has made with the products but there were some extra special pieces that looked like they were painted by hand, honestly we really thought she had hand painted them, but they were napkins with the extra detail added with her mica products and her acrylic paints.  I am amazed how nice napkins can look on artwork.

I hope you've had a good weekend and are keeping safe and warm!

Jill

Saturday, 27 November 2010

Great tape and Mica - it's my kind of treasure!!!


Here's another sample piece I made at the USArtQuest workshop a couple of weeks ago, I had forgotten how satisfying this technique is.  You apply the Great Tape to the card first, ruch it up then add sprinkly bits, ie Mica Flakes, Mica D'Lights and Gliden Glitz, it looks like treasure!  Well, it does to me as I'm a sucker for this kind of bling!!!

It may appear to be expensive but you need to know that these are the original artist's quality products that are designed not to yellow or fade, they are safe, and you know that your work whether it be in a scrapbook or a piece of art, will stand the test of time and remain perfect.  There is plenty of product so it will last a long time but if, for instance, you fancy trying a small amount but in more colours, then perhaps try the kits, the Faux Lace Collection Kit contains all you need for this technique and the  Mica Flakes Expression kit will give you great combinations of extra colours of Mica Flakes to play with.  I've taken 20% off the kits as an introductory offer!


This is one of the techniques I will be playing with the ladies that attend my technique workshop next Saturday.  So I'll be looking forward to having another play.   We have some spaces left if you are interested, you can book a place HERE



I hope you are all keeping safe and warm.  It's looking like a good weekend to stay indoors and finish off those Christmas cards!!!

Enjoy your weekend

Jill