Image Transfer ATC

Inspired by image transfers done by other people, I thought I have a go myself onto fabric and I'm really pleased with how this one turned out.

I used an image printed onto (non glossy) photo paper with my inkjet printer. I cut out the part of the image I wanted (the little Christmassy girl) and painted some gel medium over the top of the printed side. (I used Golden's Regular Gel Matte). I then placed the image face down onto the fabric and brayered over it several times to ensure the image was firmly stuck. I left it for several hours to dry, then wet the back of the image and rubbed away the paper. This took several goes at as the paper didn't all want to come away - and in fact there is still some left on the image - but this softens it a bit. The transfer worked really well and almost all of the image transferred. I wouldn't have minded if part of it had completely rubbed away though as it would have added to the distressed look.

I stitched the fabric (after fraying the edges a bit) onto a card base with some red shiny fibre. I printed out the same image only smaller and stuck it under a glass nugget which I think gives a lovely effect. Some tinsel, stickles and a little snowflake button finishes it off. I have entered this ATC in the MAMMA's Christmas swap but think I'll be making some more as CRAKS - that is IF I can get the image transfers to work out as well again!

Thank You Belinda!

Well, he finally arrived today all the way from Tasmania, Australia - this little elf from Belinda as a 'giveaway' from her blog (how could she, but I'm glad she did!) He is just exquisite standing approximately three and a half inches high. He has a wire and bead body clothed in beautifully soft felt (well, that's what I think it is), his arms are moveable and his face is gorgeous as are his hair and cap. His wings are a fantastic shade of metallic blue but I don't know what they are made from. I don't think the poor little chap has recovered from his jet lag yet as his eyes are firmly closed - lol. However, he can be sure that I will take very good care of him and make his feel right at home once he wakes up!

Thank you Belinda for this beautiful gift and also for the lovely ATC - I am one very lucky girl today.

I must add for anyone else reading this post that Belinda's blog 'Metallic Dreams' is well worth a visit to see some of her beautiful work and also pictures of her beautiful family.

.... now off to see if I can wake the Elf up!

June's Jigsaw Challenge

Over on her 'Arty Retreat' blog, June is offering a set of unique down-loadable vintage images of her own original work for the altered puzzle piece she chooses. The closing date is 17 December and you just need to link her blog to yours to enter.

If I may then, I'd like to enter my four altered puzzle pieces below. (I believe others have entered more than one piece so hopefully it will be ok!)

Thanks June!

Jigsaw Jam Swaps

I've recently been taking part in two separate Jigsaw Jam Swaps (on New Inspirations Yahoo group) - so had my work cut out since I needed to alter a total of 10 pieces for other people. (If you want to know more about the concept have a look at this page.

I've now finally finished all the pieces I've been sent and must say that I've thoroughly enjoyed altering them all - even though it is a bit of a worry since you're altering something for someone else and you want to make sure your own piece will fit in with all the others - but you don't know what all the others will be like - scary but challenging!

All the pieces I've done I've put onto my Flickr photostream which may be accessed via the link on this page (see box on first page). I've chosen to blog about my favourite 4 pieces - so starting here with the piece for Carol.

Carol's theme was a 'Vintage Christmas' using colours red and gold. The background to this one had quite a few different applications - white acrylic paint, gold perfect pearls, metallic rubs ons (in various shades of gold). To create a peeling paint look I then applied some vaseline randomly and painted over with some red acrylic. Once that was dry, I then rubbed some of the paint off (where the vaseline had been applied). I stuck the vintage imagine on and some open weave gold fabric. I used a cardboard heart (coloured with red ink and more metallic rub ons) to link in with the heart the little girl in the image is holding. I threaded some gold coloured beads onto some wire and looped it around the heart and down to the bottom of the piece ending with a little metal gold heart charm. At the top are some pieces of thin wood with tape image transferred words 'Spirit of Christmas'. These transfers weren't a complete success since they've buckled slightly, probably because I coated them with some glossy accents which may have been too heavy. However, the words are still legible and add a bit of dimension to the piece. I hope Carol likes it.

Jigsaw Piece for Sheila

Sheila's theme was 'Homespun/Country/Rustic/Shabby - in creams, faded blues and greens, sepia etc' As this theme was similiar to the one I chose (although mine was Christmassy), I think that's why I enjoyed doing this one so much.

I had some lovely faded blue coloured paper which rather than just sticking onto the piece, I applied like an image transfer using some gesso, and it worked well making it look a little more faded. The images of the little girls, the flowers and the round buttons were all cut from some fabric and applied to the piece using bondaweb -I wasn't sure whether this was going to work or not, but they seemed to be stuck fast and Sheila hasn't told me that they've fallen off (yet!!!). The star button near the girls' feet is another from 'Button-It' this time coloured with some watered down acrylic paint. The little hanging heart at the bottom I cut from some co-ordinating fabric but used the wrong side as the right side as it had a faded look. It was stuffed with some wadding and hand stitched (stitched very roughly on purpose of course to fit the theme!!!!!!!!!!)

Jigsaw Piece for Wendy

Wendy's theme was 'Angels' in blues, purples and silver.

I coloured the background with some alcohol inks and rubber stamped two separate angel images onto a paper tablecloth which was slightly textured (the angels' were coloured with some inks)then, cut out and adhered to the background with beeswax, as were the two sparkly gems and the music score. Some silver wire and a heart finished it off at the bottom.

I can't wait to see Wendy's complete jigsaw as I love the colour combination she's chosen and the pieces I've seen already are amazing.

Jigsaw Piece for Cindy

Cindy's theme was 'Things With Wings' and she gave a wide range of colours - green, turquoise, blue, lilac, purple and gold.

I coloured the background using some acrylic paint and tried to make a batik effect with gesso and some swirly stamps. That didn't quite work out, but nevertheless gave a bit of texture to the background. 'Things with Wings' hmmm, well, I decided on a fairy girl which I sketched onto canvas, painted, cut out and stuck onto the piece. Her dress was a large paper flower and her wings rubber stamped and embossed onto handmade paper. There is another paper flower, some more gold embossing and a few acrylic butterflies (coloured with mica powders) fluttering around. She could have looked a bit happier though!

More Christmas Baubles

Here's some more - I think they're out of my system now - lol! (still need to complete them though by adding the hangers which I forgot to do before photographing them)

What a load of ..... Christmas Baubles!

Christmas is coming, the turkey's getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat! Not long now, I've started buying some presents but haven't even thought about making any cards yet! I have been doing other things Christmassy though - like a six way jigsaw jam (and another six way jigsaw jam too) I've been putting all the photos in my Flickr photostream (link is below to the left)but I will post a picture of the complete jigsaw puzzles once they're finished.

The other thing I've been doing is making some Christmas baubles. This is all Margaret's fault as she has started a group called 'Christmas Bauble Decoration Swap' on Flickr whereby you make a bauble (based on the template she has posted) and she will randomly select someone for you to swap with at the end of the month.

The two I've made for that swap (one gold and one red) are both cut from acetate and decorated with gallery glass paint plus a whole lot of glitter and other sparkly stuff.

While I was making them I decided to make a couple to enter in this month's UK Art Raffle . This month's theme is 'Circles' so I made one bauble (based on Margaret's template, only a bit larger) with lots of circles within it, and another smaller bauble roughly in the shape of a circle with more cirles inside it. Again, these were both cut from acetate and decorated with gallery glass and more glitter and sparkle.

Last month's UK Art Raffle was won by my dear cyber friend Trudy who doesn't have a blog, but you can find her on Flickr or see some of her wonderful creations in her Photobucket. I was so pleased that Trudy won as she is a really lovely person and I couldn't think of a nicer person to win ..... well, apart from me of course - lol!!

African Themed ATC

This week's theme on Maggie's Mondays Musings(MAMMA) is 'Africa' and here is my offering - 'Afify The African'.
The base of the ATC is very thin balsa wood which I stained with some walnut ink. Afify's head is a wooden button which I bought from 'Button-It' at this year's Ally Pally show. The buttons are designed to be coloured with inks, paints or whatever, but I decided to leave this one as it was to fit in with the natural theme. Afify is wearing a hessian robe and some beads in his hair. The beads are from a rather large necklace I bought some time ago in a charity shop. There is another button also as I thought the colours on it were a good match.

There are some gorgeous entries in this week's challenge - I wonder whose I'll get back?

'Happy Ever After' Canvas

This is a 8"x10" canvas that I started a couple of months ago - well, I had gessoed it and stuck some pages of text onto it, then I didn't know what to do with it so it has been waiting on the side of my desk ever since!

Inspired by some of the lovely paper dolls I've seen around on Flickr and the like, I decided to have a go at one myself. I drew the face onto some canvas and coloured it with some soft pastels. I was pleased with how it turned out but think I made a mistake by outlining the eyes and lips with a black marker - still it's ok. The clothes are scraps of handmade paper and the arms and legs again are coloured with some pastels. The wings are rubber stamping onto some more handmade paper. The doll was then stuck onto the main canvas.

The background is a mixture of soft pastels, acrylic paint,a little bit of alcohol ink and some distress ink. The bottom is a paper lace doily coloured with distress inks. The 'tree' is moulded from some Golden Extra Heavy Gel, painted with acrylic (which isn't as gaudy a blue as it looks in the picture) and sprinkled with some glitter. There are some tiny pink heart shaped gems on the branches of the tree. I printed out 'Happy Ever After' and coloured with acrylic paint and distress ink. A few flower gems and butterflies dotted around completed it.

The doll looks a little bit distorted and uncomfortable in her stance not to mention out of proportion (much like how I feel most of the time - lol), Still, she is my creation and I like her so I'm going to keep this one myself - just need to decide now where to hang it!