Friday 1 January 2016

Challenge 35 - "Say it with Flowers"

Happy New Year everyone! 


Hope you had a wonderful Christmas with family & friends....and now on with 2016 which I hope brings lots of great things your way!!


For my inspirational piece this month, I wanted to use a canvas board, so chose a square 8x8 board and got out all my flowery Clarity stencils.  I also wanted to use the fab clear texture paste & glass beads that Barbara introduced us to last year.  I used these on a card and I can highly recommend them if you're looking for something to enhance your artwork, they're beautiful when they glisten.


So here's my step-by-step:
Ingredients (most can be found on the Claritystamp website and I've added some links to make life a little easier for you at the end of this blog):
8x8 canvas board
Flowers Stencil & low tack masking tape
Clarity Brushes & make-up sponges
Distress Inks: Tumbled Glass, Evergreen Bough, Squeezed Lemonade, Shaded Lilac, Spun Sugar & Weathered Wood
Adirondack Inks: Peach Bellini, Salmon
Pebeo Patinating Wax (Gold)
Cosmic Shimmer Clear Texture Paste & Spreader
Clear Glass Micro Beads
Cosmic Shimmer Vintage Ink Spray Mist - Arctic Blue & Evergreen
Perfect Pearls Shimmer - Pearl White


Attach the stencil so that the corners are mid way along each edge (it measure approximately 7.5 cms from board corner to mid-point where the stencil edge is).
Next brush & sponge the pastel colours onto the flowers
Then fill in the gaps with the Weathered Wood Distress Ink - gently dab to keep the pastel feel to the artwork.  Then sponge a very small amount of the Pebeo Patinating Wax around the frame within the Flower Stencil - I find it easier to squeeze a small amount of the wax onto the craft mat and gently dab the sponge into it to get the required amount.
Now drag the clear texture paste through the stencil. 
Remove the stencil straight away, and carefully place the canvas with the wet paste into something with a rim to catch all the wayward teeny glass beads as you sprinkle them on.....WARNING - they roll everywhere!  Then patiently wait for your work to dry...............
Once dry, tap the back of the canvas over the lid with the beads in as there will be some lose ones once the paste has dried.
Here's a close-up.....

(If I'm honest, I think the flowers would have looked better outlined or Zentangled before the clear paste was applied.  I really wanted it to look like a stained glass window, but have run out of time to re-do it as I need to pack to go on holiday!  I will re-do another canvas with a bit of outline & tangle when I'm back,and add photo's to my blog later in the month  - Watch this space for a revised version!).

Finally, cover the window in the middle, and spritz the white canvas corners with Perfect Pearls and Vintage Ink Spray Mists.  Once dry, turn over and attach some string to hang the artwork.
That's it for now - Please do pop back towards the end of January and I'll have another version of this piece of artwork posted for your perusal. 
 
I look forward to seeing all your interpretations of this month's theme using any of the Clarity products. (Please check the Claritystamp website for the competition rules).

Why not tell your friends too - they may want to have a go at bagging themselves a £50 Clarity Voucher!  Everyone's in with a chance as it's a random selection process and everyone's welcome to enter, beginners & experts alike!

Do pop along to the other Design Team Members Blogs as well for more inspirational ideas and Good Luck in the first Challenge of 2016!


Again, Happy New Year one and all - Have a fun year ahead with lots of laughter & happiness...and of course crafting!
 
Thank you for visiting today and I'll see you back here soon,
Love & hugs, Carole xxx




And here's Version 2 - with the line-art



Useful links:
http://www.claritystamp.co.uk/Stencils/14657-/Flowers-Stencil-7-x-7-Inch
http://www.claritystamp.co.uk/Stencils/13450-/Clarity-Stencil-Brushes-Set-Of-4
http://www.claritystamp.co.uk/Accessories/Miscellaneous-Goodies/19078-/Cosmic-Shimmer-Texture-Paste-Clear 
http://www.claritystamp.co.uk/Information/Search/15984-/Spreading-Tool
http://www.claritystamp.co.uk/Accessories/Miscellaneous-Goodies/19079-/Clear-Glass-Micro-Beads