I stayed up wayyyy past my bedtime last night. I totally lost track of time making these toadstools. Cross my heart, I looked at the clock and it said 5am! Oops!
After a nice sleep in, today was spent doing chores (I now have clean dishes but the floors are still a wreck.) and making potted fairy gardens. Yesterday during our gallivanting, I picked up some miniature roses and this pot of clover. How could I resist?! Look at all those four leafed beauties!
Still in my jammas I went wandering on the lawn and harvested some mosses, pinecones and stones.
The results are pretty dang cute. Three little magical gardens have been completed and are ready for the market next Saturday :)
I'm not too proud to admit that this year has been a bit difficult for me creatively. I've been creating work. I've even made some things that were quite nifty... but I've kinda felt 'disconnected' with my work.
Anyway, I finally feel as though I'm getting back on track. I've got one or two projects I can't show off just yet, but I also made something just for the hell of it that I think you'll like. Some very important altered awards
Ever since seeing the Tim Holtz trophies shown at CHA I've had it in my head that I wanted to create some altered trophy cups. I found these babies in the party supply section of my local discount shop, four for $1.25! I've simply grunged them up with a bit of acrylic paint.
Each little darling has a sentiment taken from vintage book pages that reflects the gentle nature of these 'awards'. How nice would it be to receive an award for twinkling?
The base of each of the awards is just a simple wooden block that has been gussied up with fabric, ribbon, buttons and burlap.
Just a funny story that makes me look like a complete dip. I'm editing video today and my phone keeps ringing. I answer it and no one is there. It happened no less than a dozen times. It's really driving me flipping nuts because editing is one of my least favourite jobs and I have to stop, and retrack before starting again. I call Mr Pixie to see if he is trying to call me. Nope. I check all the phones to see if they are charged and not giving a low battery signal. They're all fine. I start to worry the call is coming from inside the house *Oh the horror!* ... then I realize the ring is from the video I am editing, not the phone. I need coffee and chocolate.
I created this little chipboard reliquary while playing with my stash of Gina's Designs Lasercuts.
Although I run like hell and scream like a ninny when one comes near me, I do have a soft spot for bees. Can we talk for a moment about THIS be in particular?
It's all sorts of spectacular. It's big and beautifully detailed. I've dulled up the brassiness of it with a wash or two of dark paint, which also enhances those little details.
There were a number of requests for an image transfer tutorial after posting my Petaloo project the other day. There are LOADS of videos and online tutorials available demonstrating this technique. I learned by watching others and you should absolutely view a number of tutorials, get as much information as you can, then experiment for yourself.
I've done a fair bit of my own experimenting over the past week and put together a quick video tutorial with a basic 'how-to', a couple of variations, and the results using different materials.
Here are a few points I didn't include (err... yes, I forgot) but are worth a mention...
Paint
In my demonstration I show an example where a wood block is primed with a wash of white paint before applying the transfer. I think this looks fab and provides a solid base, creating greater contrast in the finished image. Keep in mind that you will be saturating and rubbing your piece. Will your paint be able to hold up or rub off and take the transfer with it? Just some things to keep in mind.
Heat
Some people say that heat may help the transfer. You can create a weak transfer with heat alone after all. When I attempted to speed up the drying process with a heat gun the results were not pretty. I would even go so far as to recommend avoiding hot water when removing the paper.
Patience
It really does pay to wait. I know others have had success lifting the paper soon after application but in my trials I found that the longer I waited wait, the stronger the transfer was. Let that sucker dry!
More Patience
Let your piece dry before applying a top coat or sealant. Some of those paper fibers can be pretty sneaky! By allowing the piece to dry you can spot those smokey, foggy areas where some paper residue has been missed. Simply re-wet that area and rub the paper away. When satisfied with your piece after it has dried apply a fancy pants top coat or simply apply a layer of gel medium or Mod Podge.
Practice
In this case practice doesn't exactly make perfect, but you will learn a lot! Don't expect perfection. If you are okay with some distressing and having fun with your mess making, the entire experience and results will be much more satisfying.
