Creative Expressions - Fun at the Beach

Good morning :-).  It's Monday which means it's time for my last beach creation for Creative Expressions Blog and I have to admit I think I shall miss the nautical/beach stamps.  I never thought that I could get so creative with some stamps and sand lol.  Today I have done a well worn chipboard frame that I found in my stash, to hold a photo of my kids having fun on the beach 7 years ago.  Next month I am playing with the awesome Dina Wakely masks and Cosmic Shimmer Sparkle Texture Paste, no more sand but lots more sparkle lol.  As always I shall highlight the products from Creative Expressions in red as I go through the step by step :-)
I would like to enter my creation into the following challenges -
Crafty Catz Challenge Blog - Anything Goes
Crazy 4 Challenges - Summer/Winter (UK so summer)
Pile It On Challenge Blog - Summer Fun
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Ruby's Rainbow Challenge Blog - Stamping

I really love this picture of the kids with their nets fully clothes in a 

sea pool on the beach, my kids are now 15 and 17 and

when I put this on the fireplace downstairs all I go was a Oh No Mummmmmmm!!!

To give the frame as a gift you can put decorated patterned paper inside

instead, this chipboard frame which I initially took apart ages ago, 

and then put back together for this, has a space at the top that you can slide

your picture in.

I really do love the slight sparkle on the clothes, sand castle, kites and buckets

from mixing Distress Markers with Cosmic Shimmer Watercolours.

And now for the step by step ...............................

To start with I measured some Creative Expressions Teresa Collins Patterned

Paper for the centre (yep I forgot to take it out before the first lot of paint went on lol).

From then on I covered the centre with some paper, I painted some Cosmic Shimmer

Matt Chalk Paint Warm White over the frame.

Now I wanted a slight shimmer so I mixed some of the white with Cosmic

Shimmer Paint Sky and added it to the top of the frame.

There wasn't much shimmer as I added alot of the matt white so I used a sponge

and dapped on the sky on top of the already painted frame, this really

gave it a gorgeous sparkle and a nice sky look.

I used some Eco Green Paint Sand for the bottom half, if I ever

have paint left over I grab a piece of scrap cardstock and paint the remainder on

their just in case I need some spare card for wording etc later on.  On this occasion I

didn't use it :-).

I did the same effect with the sky using Cosmic Shimmer Paint Pearl.

I then added some Cosmic Shimmer glue randomly over the bottom half

and patted some sand all over and left it for an hour to dry then empty off,

(it only takes around 5 minutes, but I like to leave it so it's really stuck on).

I stamped with Archival jet black on watercolour paper the images from

Creative Expressions Single Stamp Set Sandcastle in The Sun and Kite Dreams,

I also stamped some of the Beach Bucket Bliss and Treasure Seeker for the

bucket and spade.

To start with I always lay down a base colour so I can see roughly how

everything will look, this way I can change now rather then after doing the whole

thing, hence why I always stamp more then I need like above lol.

To get the sparkle I always lay down my matt colour from the Distress Marker

and the Cosmic Shimmer Watercolour on a stamp block that I now only use

for water colouring.  I used the following colours, so not to keep using each

long name I have abbreviated them down to DI Distress Marker, 

CSA Cosmic Shimmer Acrylic Ink and CSW Cosmic Shimmer Watercolour -

Skin - CSA warm delight, cosmic tone, DI victorian velvet, spun sugar

Hair/bag/teddy - CSA umber, dark spice, DI gathered twigs, walnut stain

Girl top - CSW pastel pink, DI picked raspberry, spun sugar

Girl shorts - CSA meadow lime,  CSW golden mint, pastel lime, DI mowed lawn

Boy top - CSA meadow lime, CSW holly lime, DI mowed lawn

Boy shorts - CSW golden scarlet, DI rusty hinge, tea dye

Sand - CSW autumn twist, DI antique linen, wild honey

Bucket/spade/park of kite - CSW frosted scarlet, DI festive berries

Other part of kite - CSW golden scarlet, DI ripe persimmon.

Here they are all done, sorry it's an awful picture.

Another bad picture, I added sand to areas of the image (apart from the kite lol).

Next I used Stampers Anonymous Worn Text with Archival jet black

and stamped along the top of the frame.

I then decided on placement and stamped the birds from Creative Expressions

Single Stamp Set Marina Bay and the grasses from Beach Flora.  I then

glued down my stamped images and added some string to my kite with a black promarker, I 

did first stamp the kites to see the placement of where to add the strings.

When I stamped the beach flora I didn't stamp hard enough because

of the gap underneath it didn't stamp right, I didn't have another frame to start again

so I added some stems and bushed up the tops with a promarker, and it doesn't look too bad lol.

Right I shall be back tomorrow with some more crafty playing and I hope your Monday is a good one.
Happy Crafting :-)
Hugs Kezzy xxxxx

Time for Tea

Hi ya, I couldn't help myself today, while playing finishing off some other bits I'm playing with I just had to have a go at the challenge over at Paperartsy Inspiration Blog, the designer this week has been Kate Yetter and wow she does shabby chic with mega style :-).  I have been playing with a few new bits one of them being the new Caran d'Ache Fibralos that Darcy Wilkinson got hold of them for Paperartsy's shop. Now I have been practising lately with watercolours and when I saw these I just had to treat myself to them. And WOW they are amazing, for my main image below I used 4 pens, seriously the pigment in them is awesome, so for the lighter shades I used more water.  The reason the face is a bit darker is because I managed to put purple lipstick on her face rather then her lips lol, but they did well for a repair job, I just added more water, dabbed and did it again, I do want to try a different watercolour card stock though I think.

Everything I used is at the bottom of the page, I did the

crackle, the spraying and the gesso like Kate did, my gesso didn't

go as well lol as all the spray seeped into the gesso, but I like the effect.

I added some grunge paste, some stickles to the background and the

frame was embossed using an embossing folder.

Didn't the pens do well, I love them, I would love to know why I have

a black dot at the side of her nose, it's not there now lol, typical

just when I was taking a picture :-)

Right I shall be off, like the tag says, I reckon it's time for a cup of tea!!!
Happy Crafting :-)
Hugs Kezzy xxxxx

Recipe
Paperartsy Fresco paints and mediums - inky pool, mermaid, snowflake, crackle, metallic glaze
Paperartsy stamps - LPC014
Paperartsy grunge paste
Paperartsy smooth card stock
That Special Touch mask - doodled damask
Sizzix Alterations die - ornate frame
Treasure Gold - royal amethyst, sapphire
Archival jet black
Stickles Diamond
Dylusion sprays - crushed grape, teal
Glimmer Mist sprays - jazz blue, timeless lilac
Distress Marker - seedless preserve
Couture Creations - Intrinsic
Caran D'Ache Fibralo - 185 - (042, 081, 120, 180)

Oh So Random

Hi  ya, just popping on to show you some random bits that haven't been blogged yet, they either never made the cut at the time, or I didn't have time to blog them.  I want to keep my blog as like a diary so I wanted to post them on here.  Plus the thing I wanted to pop on isn't dry yet lol so better now then never :-)

These two made me laugh, I had a file on my desktop that says

need to blog and I found these two pictures in it which I believe was for

Wipso's Smile Friday so I would like to enter them there this week.

This was when I was doing end of year accounts for work last year in

May 2013 and I must of had a minute of day dreaming as when

I looked down I had been trying to do origami with the receipts lol

Obviously lack of crafting at the time :-)

Took last year as well, during winter I completely fell in love with these slippers,

shame I struggled to walk in them lol but they do keep my feet warm while

on the computer blogging lol.

Now in our family of four I have a shoe size 5.5, my partner is a 12,

my son who is 15 is a 9 and my daughter who is 17 is a size 10 (oh yes she is tall,

I tell her off while standing on the stairs!!!!).  So you would believe that my shoes/

slippers were safe, NOT likely, you can guarantee that if I leave a pair out one of

them have popped them on to nip out the back or to the bin etc, seriously

I have one pair I now leave out for them to use as they are way to stretched now 

because of them lol lol lol.

BUT nobody has pinched these yet!!!! I wonder why :-)

This was done as part of the DT process for Creative Expressions in Sept 2013,

we were sent some stamps and had to make something with them.

As you all know I started to teach myself crochet last

April 2013 and at Christmas I was asked to make a mini owl cushion

so here he is, I used a pattern from ATERGcrochet her patterns are

from Etsy and you can download the patterns.

I was rather impresses with my first try.  He didn't get a proper picture as

I finished him as she came to pick him up lol.

Of course I now have a mega YARN addiction, yarn, paint, stamps, ribbon

(oh dear the poor bank manager!!!), I have loads of colourful yarn everywhere and

cotton is my favourite :-).

Done this at Christmas 2013 but never got around to blogging it,

bet you have guessed that it was for a gift lol.

Now these were one of my first inky type play plus doodling and 

my first Stampotique stamps, It was from the Craft Stamper Magazine

(oh yes this months came today and I sat with a cuppa, wow it's got loads of wonderful

articles in it) and the article I took it from was one that Kathryn Crane did, I 

now have all her DVD's which I really must start watching and having a go.

Well I have actual watched most of them, but I was ironing at the time so couldn't 

quite join in lol.

These were for my daughters 16th birthday, in October this year she is going to be 18!!!

(and I am going to be 40 in September sssshhhhhhhh)

2 ATC's done last summer 2013.

This ATC was done for a swap March 2014, I had sent it without

taking a picture so the recipient took one for me :-)

Done with my brayer and fresco paints.

A card I did early 2013, I still like to colour but have to admit I don't

do many cute one's anymore, I like to get messy and painty :-)

I did this bracelet for my friend for Christmas 2012.  I really want to try doing

more jewellery and bringing my mixed media into the process.

The finished bracelet :-)

My best mate (the bracelet was for her as well) we have been friends

for years and our kids are the same age.  4 years ago she had Lacie-Lou who

calls me Aunty Kewwie and I love her to bits.  I did this piece with the

help of her kids finding a picture etc and saying what they would like,

it is a candle with their pictures on it which was done I think in 2012 :-)

A necklace done in November 2012 :-)

A watch done at the same time :-)

 Christmas card I did in December 2012 or 2013 not sure!!!!!

It has no paint on it so I reckon it was 2012 :-)

So that's it, all blogged and can be filed away, hope you enjoyed looking at some older projects with a few new ones as well.  Hope you are having a fantastic weekend and that you are having better weather then us lol.
Happy Crafting :-)
Hugs Kezzy xxxxx