Saturday 19 December 2015

Mixed Media Christmas Tree Canvas Workshop and Swap - November

Wow the last few weeks have vanished and I am late blogging
all about the great day we had last month creating a double sided 8" sq canvas. 
Here is my canvas provided as a guide, templates included in the kit for a single large tree
or 3 smaller trees plus everything needed for this project.  



I used lots of different embellishments.
Old broken jewellery, charms, metal flowers,
air dry clay images from molds, buttons and beads.
Once the glue dried, everything covered with black gesso.
Highlighted with gilding paste.
When complete I added red gems in some of the crevices.


Our lovely members hard at work completing the front of their canvases. 
Lots of different uses of the templates. 




A few canvases waiting for the glue to dry with the help of the radiator.

 

The end of a super day with lovely crafting friends.
 



and once again for the back view..
Where is your reindeer Jane????
My apologies to Pamela for cutting you off the photo xxx
 



We managed to find time for two people to do a swap,
unfortunately the rest of us forgot all about it.
 
Pamela decorated this suitcase with amazing faux leather
texture such attention to detail.
 
 
 
Liz has achieved a wonderful texture and
finished with a selection of flowers.
 

 
This was our last meeting for this 2015, we are now looking forward
to next February to meet up and start crafting.
 
Oh and I finally finished the canvas I started at the workshop it is on 
a 10"sq box canvas  this time with only one large tree. 
I have given it to my daughter to place
on her windowsill this Christmas, it can then be viewed from both sides.
 
 
and the back....
 
 
Merry Christmas to you all that might stumble upon this blog
Good wishes for the New Year
Until next time...

Monday 26 October 2015

October Harston Club Swap

Great swap this month, though only between Annie and I.
We also caught up with our crafty chat
I stamped and painted santa hats to use on my cards.
 
I have had no time to craft during September as my darling daughter
was admitted to critical care unit with pneumonia and blood
poisoning. Within hours into an induced coma, then dialysis. They treated
her for Legionnaires Disease.  For two weeks it was critical, but am happy to
say she is home now and slowly recovering.
 
This closely followed with my dear husband going into hospital a week
ago for a hip replacement, he too is doing well and needing a lot of TLC xx
 
Here is my door hanger (made a while back and lucky to have it to hand for this swap).
 I stamped the main image onto tissue
paper and glued it to the background.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annie decorated this tiny Paper Mache suitcase, with wonderful flowers
and framed image. Finished inside with decorative papers.  Smashing Annie!
 
 
 
 
 
 
We meet for the final time next month (this year) when I will run
a Christmas Canvas Workshop, so will take lots of photos
of the busy crafting ladies and their finished pieces.
Until next time....
 
 


Sunday 4 October 2015

September Harston Craft Swaps

Well our crafty members certainly rose to the challenge
this month, using just a small box frame
they have produced creative fabulous altered art pieces.
 
This is my swap, all the elementsI used are formed
from air dry clay, painted brown and
highlighted with acrylic silks.
 
 


Liz has mounted the box onto a board,
so much to look at. Each section papered with
decorative papers, absolutely smashing creative art work.
 
 
 
Pamela has decorated the background of each section
with lovely tiles using air dry clay.  Adding
her decorative embossed elements, gorgeous!
 
 
 
 
 
Annie has used the box as a base to add
all the wonderful coloured flowers, butterflies and die cuts as
embellishments to go beyond the base, fabulous!
 
 
 
 
Fabulous swaps, now looking forward to next month, these
are the items I provided to choose from I
took the pic looking into the bag they were in.
 
 
Until next time...
 
 
 
 

 


Monday 31 August 2015

August Harston Swaps and Mixed Media Heart Workshop

The swap this month was in fact a delayed
swap from the previous month between
Liz and Jane who were unable to attend in July. 
We did not have a general swap as we
had the Heart workshop plus I did not provide
items for the swap last month, very naughty of me to forget.
The first swap is a fabulous box that Liz decorated
using her own stamp (Elizabeth Borer) designs.


 
also decorated on the inside with gorgeous papers.
 
 
Here is a Extra Large Peg that Jane decorated
with a wonderful image. Both sides have the same lovely image.


Now onto our heart workshop, using the same methods as in the June workshop
we covered the canvas with white gesso, adding strips of lace and
random areas of embossing paste through stencils. 
 
A template was provided for the heart shape, Liz decided to use an oval shape
for hers. I provided all the supplies such as metal flowers, beads, charms,
wooden and clay embellishments and die cuts plus a host of extras if required
though I would guess that everyone had enough supplies to make another canvas.
 
Annie and Linda have finished their canvases,
more work to do on the others.
 
 

 
Annie
 

 
Liz
 
Linda




 
 
Below are the items I provided for the September swap.
They are just a few of the trays that I have accumulated when
purchasing the small wooden embellishments for workshops mostly.


Looking forward to seeing how everyone fills these mini trays.



Sunday 30 August 2015

June Meet Up with Cardmaking Paradise Forum Friends

A rather belated post to share our Mixed Media Heart Canvas Workshop that
I ran in June for a group of ladies on the
Sara led our second day with several craft techniques.
We enjoyed two days of crafting helped by wedges
of scrummy home made cakes (thanks ladies)
lashings of lunchtime food along with my home made Soda Bread
that seemed to go down well. 
Not forgetting relaxing in the evening over lovely meals
to enable us to recover.
We had great fun with a canvas, junk and lots of embellishments.
Looking forward to doing it all again next year!!!!
 
 
This is my completed work to use as a guide for everyone.
 
now residing in my grand daughter Amber's bedroom
 
 
Everyone working hard and concentrating
 
 
 
Here are other canvases I finished using the Heart theme.
 
Given to my grandson Jay


Hanging in our dining room
 
For my daughter Allison
 
 
 
More coming up on Harston Club August swap and our own
Heart Canvas Workshop.
 
 


Monday 20 July 2015

July Harston Club Swap

Enjoy the few swaps from this month, several members were
on holiday and obviously did not take part.
 
I painted the 5" square box with black gesso, glued all the buttons
on top of the lid, painted again with black gesso. 
 
 
The edges and sides are decorated I then added
a Tim Holtz layered butterfly.
 
 
 
For the butterfly body I used tyvek (painted) to form a paper
bead around a spoon, then heated
it to make it curl with a touch of Treasure Gold.
 
 
There are a few embossed butterflies inside.
 
 
 
Pamela created this mini canvas and easel.
 
 
 
Here you can see the detail of the flowers, fabulous!
 
 
 
Pamela used a memory box die to cut this butterfly
from a tin can and filled with tissue and glossy accents.
 



Annie covered this heart box with stamped
tissue. Painted with crackle paint. Smashing.
 


Take a look at the plain Kraft carrier that Annie
decorated with her favourite flower stamp, painted
and covered with gel medium.
 

 
Nothing to show for next months swap as I forgot to provide them but will
be taking a few items along at our August meeting.
 
Will be back to share photos of a great workshop with fellow
Cardmaking Paradise forum members last month. Until next time...
 
 
 

Tuesday 16 June 2015

June Harston Club Swap

More fabulous swaps this month,
from an array of goodies supplied by Annie
 
I decorated this door hanger with
wooden cogs, painted with black gesso
and highlighted with Treasure Gold gilding paste
 
 
.
Liz has covered this bird box
with a lovely collection of
flowers, birds, lace and butterflies
 
 
 
 
 
Jane covered this small book with a
sheet of her fantastic felting skills with
machine stitched design.
 
 
 
Tanya decorated her little birdhouse with
papers, adding a lovely butterfly.
 
 
 
 
Annie covered a small box with papers
finished with flowers on the top.
Inside she had decorated a domino
adding pearl beading around the edge.
 
 
 
Last but not least here is Pamela's bird house
covered in tiny flowers
and little blue birds.
 
 
 
 
 

We have had such fun so far this year with a wide range of  goodies to decorate
some of us trying out new ideas and techniques. 
Looking forward to the rest of our year.
 
Below are the lovely goodies that Pamela
has kindly supplied, I have a box to decorate.
 
 
Until next time...