Hochanda with the lovely LouLou...

Hi everyone

Two posts in one day, it's a miracle!

As promised earlier, here are the samples made for today's shows on Hochanda with Louise Withers and Indigo Blu. Lou's infectious enthusiasm will inspire you all so why not join her at 12 o'clock and again at 4pm today. She will be launching three fabulous new acrylic paint colours and demonstrating with a large variety of stamps of the floral variety plus a few cute little flutterbies for good measure.

Sorry, the photos aren't brilliant and I didn't manage to take a picture of another sample as I forgot... it's my age!

You can find Hochanda's TV Schedule here. Why not sit back and relax and let Lou motivate your creative mojo or record for a later viewing - don't forget if you're like me and have Virgin it's not available on TV but you can watch live on line or via the rewind option at a later date.

All the lovely design teams samples are available on Instagram and Facebook one the shows go live should you wish to take a closer look.

I hope you enjoy.

Creative hugs, Julie x

Feeling Proud...

Morning all

I hope you're enjoying the fab sunshine?

So today I'm proud because my entry into Frilly and Funkie's Blog Challenge - Neutral Point of View has been awarded a Top 3 Mention, yay! Here's the link if you wish to check out all the fab entries and their new blog challenge - Surf's Up.

I had entered it after having a play around with rusty mediums so I'm so honoured to have received a mention, thank you all at Frilly and Funkie for liking my efforts.

The lovely Suzanne is sending out a Top 3 Badge so I can wear it loud and proud here on my blog, excited!

Right, I'm away as I have loads of samples to do for Lou Lou's next show on Hochanda for Indigo Blu. Happy post or should I call it Luscious Post, has just arrived so that's me taken care of for the weekend!!

I will be posting pictures of the samples for today's show at 12 o'clock today to coincide with Lou's first show on Hochanda for Indigo Blu. She will be launching some lovely new paint colours and has lots of wonderful stamps to share so make sure you tune in or hit record. You can see sneak peaks on our design teams facebook page.

Ciao for now

Julie xx

Feeling rusty....

Hi lovelies

It's been a hectic week with family and despite starting this post a week ago I'm only just completing it! Best laid plans... by the time I've come to complete this piece let's say my creative energy wasn't at it's best. In fact, I was in two minds whether to post this but after lots of creative love from my team mates over at Indigo Blu here goes...

I chose to use Indigo Blu's 'Fly High' and 'Draughtsman' Stamps on this panel along with a multitude of the Indigo Blu acrylic paints. Should you wish to check out all the wonderful stamps, paints and luscious powders you can visit the website here.

I've recently purchased a number of the rusty products created by some fabulous mixed media artists. Anyone who has known me a while or attended my workshops will know I love anything vintage, grunge or rusty!The products were all brilliant but in hindsight I personally I miss mixing it up and using my imagination plus fine sand, heavy bodied acrylic paint and my good old - battered heat tool to create that rusty effect. The products are excellent especially if you are in a rush, not particularly confident or don't want to mess. However I enjoy messing - personally it is the best part! Here is what I've created...

I began with a piece of heavy weight greyboard - the sort of stuff you find at the back of kids drawing pads! I decided to start with a green first layer followed by a random application of Large Grain Texture Paste. I then added stencilled detail with phat foam and cream acrylic paint before applying glazing medium randomly with a palette knife. Glazing medium acts as an extender with acrylic paint, giving you more working time. In this instance I'm using it to resist additional paint layers. You can also use matt medium or Vaseline. To be truthful, Vaseline is more difficult to remove due to it's greasy consistence but it will do the trick. I've taught a workshop many moons ago using this same technique to create faux leather, why don't you give it a go and see what you come up with? Next I added lots of rusty colours using my palette knife and dry brush technique before removing the glazing medium to reveal the green base layer. A few more layers of paint - by this point I had lost track, with my favourite tunes on and I got totally lost in the creative moment.

Finally, I added Finnabair's Art Extravagance Rust Paste in a variety of colours for added dimension. As it was a play piece I then experimented with Emerald Green's Chunky Rust Embossing Powder and  Paper Artsy's Rusty Car Infusions Pigment Powder. Loved the infusions, the colour was instantaneous and very vivid. I tried the Chunky Rust and the Vintage Beeswax Embossing Powders and loved them but feel I need to play some more with them alone to see their full potential.

Once the background was complete - meaning I'd experimented until I felt enough was enough, I started planning the focal point. I knew I wanted to use the draughtsman as the main image and my growing stash of gears. I die cut a frame using Seth Apter's Shield Die and set to creating more texture using the previously mentioned products. I felt the whole piece was too dark so began lifting the colour of the frame with a little gold paint. The Draughtsman was stamped using Black Archival Ink followed by the Numbers - Collectors Edition No.4 Stamp by Indigo Blu in Watering Can Archival Ink. The edges were distressed before adding beeswax to the surface to give the image an older feel. 

I set out the design with an old cigarette card giving a hint towards aeroplanes and torn corrugated card for wings before layering all my ephemera and gears. The words 'Fly High' are from the Stamps of the same name by Indigo Blu. Stamped in archival and finished off with a little more beeswax.

I would like to submit this rusty experiment into the following challenge blogs:

- Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #48 - Rust

- Frilly & Funky Challenge Blog - 'Neutral Point of View'

- More Mixed Media Challenge - 'Anything Goes'

OK. We now have the next dates for Hochanda (link here) so it's back to TV samples. Kay will be live on Monday at 11am and again at 3pm with some fabulous new products. If, like me, you have Virgin where Hochanda isn't available or are unable to watch you can always catch up online by selecting the rewind option and selecting the show.

Have a fabulous Bank Holiday Weekend. I hope the sun shines and you have a great time with family and friends.

Creative hugs, Julie xx

TV Samples for Indigo Blu

Hi

I hope you've all enjoyed the early summer we've been experiencing? The hottest two days of the year to date and I needed to get some samples started as Hochanda have asked Kay to do an additional show and as usual that requires samples. It's going to be a full and fun show so if you've nothing spoiling make yourself a cuppa and watch.  There's flowers galore, exceptional quotes and beautiful flutterbies, all delivered just in time for the Summer sunshine. If you're busy you can always watch using rewind online.

I've made a variety of cards, some quick and some more involved. I had planned a number of more detailed projects but due to illness I was unable to complete them in time to get them to Hochanda. I'll probably post them on here instead with details of how they were made.

Anyhow, here's what I've made. For pictures of the design teams samples check out Indigo Blu or Junk Journals and Mindful Mixed Media Art on facebook.

So kick start your Summer of crafting and tune into Indigo Blu on Hochanda at 10am and 2pm.

Thanks for taking the time to read and if you'd like to leave a comment, I will appreciate it.

Creative huggles, Julie xx

Indigo Blu Samples

Good morning all

Just a quick post and a sneak preview of some samples done for Indigo Blu. The lovely Kay will be live on Hochanda today at 11am and again at 3pm. As well as new scrummie colours of luscious powders, she has beautiful new collectors stamps which include 2 lovely background stamps, a must have flutterby and a quirky looking hen. The highlight has to be the new ‘think evil thoughts’ quote stamps. Not so much evil as cheeky - tune in for a giggle and watch the presenter blush! The design team have had a ball thinking of innovative ways to use the stamps.

Click here for more details of what’s to come from Indigo Blu on Hochanda 

So here is my small contribution to the show. Unfortunately, the camera hasn’t picked up the wonderful shimmer of the luscious powders, or the beeswax in the first sample. Hopefully you’ll see more detail on TV.

Please be a gem and leave a comment, good or bad. All feedback is very much appreciated.

Caio for now, xx

Long time...

Hello lovelies

It's been a month since I last posted. Lots has happened since then, snow days and Easter... for me illness and being admitted to hospital.

I planned to do so much, creatively speaking, leading up to Easter but to say it didn't go to plan is an understatement! I managed to make a special snuggle blanket and felt bunny for each of my grandchildren and a felt bunny for a special friend and another for my daughter. I knitted Ava and Archie a super soft snuggle blanket when they were new born and they still take them to bed now. Needless to say they were ready for replacements. 

The bunnies each take a couple of hours to make. Although they are made exactly the same each one seems to have it's own personality! As more people have seen them, the more people want them so I think I may be busy sewing bunnies for a while yet!

Whilst recovering at home this week, the postie delivered me a lovely parcel of yummy stamps and colours from Kay and Alfie at Indigo Blu. I'm hoping I will be feeling a little better in the days to come so I can get back to my craft room and create the ideas buzzing around in my head. The samples are for Hochanda on the 12th April and believe me when I say the stamps are something else and certainly worth watching.

I'll be back soon with my latest creations.

Creative hugs for now -x-

Winter Garden

Morning all

How are you bearing up with the Winter weather, or to be more specific - Spring weather?

We’ve had several days of not being able to move due to the amount of snow on the rather steep hill on which we live. That’s fine by me, more time to spend in my work room. Today, I've finally got my youngest son back to school, they were closed the majority of last week due to heavy snowfall, he's less than impressed and hoped the snow would stick around for a little longer!

The garden has looked so peaceful and clean under it's thick blanket of pure white snow. I do hope my poor little snowdrops and narcissus have survived all that weight! The birds have been busy, flitting in and out to my feeding station, they need all the help they can get at this time of year and I love to sit and watch them.

This week I’ve played along with ‘Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge  - My Garden' and originally planned to do a colourful piece, resembling the colourful Spring which is hopefully just around the corner but then chose to celebrate my monochrome Winter garden in all its frozen splendour. Here is my submission...

I chose to work on a large MDF tag which I covered in coordination’s  dark grey cardstock. I then cut a piece of Bo-Bunny paper slightly smaller than the tag. I inked the edges using iced spruce and hickory smoke distress inks to darken the edges before adding texture gel through a flower stencil. In my mind this represents the flowers hid just below the surface, not taking centre stage but waiting patiently. I opted for texture gel rather than paste for its transparent finish, giving the appearing of frozen flowers in the background. Splashes of white and silver acrylic paints were added to the background along with a few random pearls.

While that dried I dug through my stash of fabrics and pulled out some synthetic crushed velvet in ivory. Using an old favourite Paperbag studios stamp, I heated my craft iron and applied the velvet over the versamarked stamp, placing the fabric textured side face down and covering it with kitchen paper before applying direct heat. Don’t move the iron around as this will potentially blur the image and make sure the hot iron doesn’t come into direct contact as it will melt the synthetic fabric.

Once your content that enough energy has been spent, a couple of intense minutes should get the job done, carefully remove the layers and peel the fabric off the stamp. The image should be etched into the fabric, the iron almost melts the texture on the raised bits of fabric leaving a lovely embossed image.

Stamp the flower image onto water soluble fabric using an archival ink pad and cut out. Don’t leave a huge border as it’s wasting the fabric and also you’ll have more to wash away later! Insert a layer of tutu netting in between the embossed velvet and the water soluble paper. Try to match the stamped image to the embossed image on the fabric and tack in place (I used straight pins to match up the corners of the frame and hoped for the best).

Try to avoid the areas where you’ll machine stitch. Load your machine with thread, I opted for grey to reflect my monochromatic palette. Begin to randomly stitch the lines of the image using a combination of straight and zigzag stitch. Sew the outside frame before switching thread to a contrasting colour. I opted for a metallic silver thread to lift the colour and to give the shimmering impression of snow and ice.

Once you’re content with the stitching you can wash the paper away using warm water and a gentle rub. I found the paper didn’t dissolve as well in the middle of the straight stitched frame but I liked the look it left me so didn't worry too much. Allow to dry naturally as the fabric will shrivel under direct heat.

Once the panel is dry take glass and clear beads and add a little detail to the flower head . I also took three beads and added them to a thin silver wire for added effect.

A length of broad white cotton lace and a scrap of pale green crash were added along side the flower panel. The tag was finished off with a leaf of subtle grey/ green floral lace and a pearl flower button. All the flowers are there but subtle in their frozen majesty. A crystal droplet, snowflake and muse token were added and a few words reflecting the serenity which the garden represents to me.

I hope you’ve enjoyed and understood the thought processes behind the making of this tag? What does your Winter garden look like? Are you enjoying this late winter weather or looking forward the warming sunshine of spring?

Creative hugs, Julie xx