Poundland Frame Upcycle

Yes I visit Poundland on a regular basis mainly because they have cheap objects which I can use for my Mixed Media projects. I have been doing this for a while now and suddenly thought I should share the process so that you could do the same.

This picture shows the finished frame I made from a white plastic £1 frame. It is so easy to do and gives you endless possibilities.

You can watch my video below to see the process. I haven't speeded it up to much so it is easier to see what I am doing. If you like this and want to be notified when my next Poundland Upcycle video is released then please subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

Imagine

so as most of you know I have been on holiday soaking up the sun. Normally when this happens I miss out on a DT kit but this time Samantha Kingdon kindly sent me a kit anyway and so I thought I'd do a how to video to show how wonderful her products are and how to use them.

This time I chose the snowflake frame and the snowflakes to make this layout/canvas

Here is a bit of detail but if you scroll to the bottom you will find my how to video and links to Sam's shop and facebook page.

loving that crackle. If you have any questions please post them in the comments and if you watch this in Youtube please subscribe to my little channel. NO music added as I know sometimes it can be annoying but feel free to hum along while you watch. Enjoy xx

Sams Website  HERE

Facebook page  HERE

You can buy the papers in my new shop :  The Kit Cafe

In my defence...

Last of the four projects for SamanthaK Design Team and my favourite. It was nice to get a selection that I could use for a boy page.  

I loved the quote. So apt for this photo of my grandson.

I used a cut out photo and drew around it three times on black card and cut them out. The "boom" and "pow" and little explosions finished it off.

So to finish here is a picture of all three projects. 

A link to SamanthaK's shop is on yesterdays post. xx

Alchemy

I am back from my holidays hence the break in blogging so I had better get cracking. So much to do and so little time.
This was the third project I made for SamanthaK. I was so chuffed that this release came with bottles, labels and science pieces as I had this picture of my granddaughter that I was desperate to use.

The wonderful thing about good quality mdf is that it takes most mediums without using any base coat like gesso. For this layout I used Matt acrylic paints. The background paper is beautiful and only needed a few lines and detail added with a white pen.

It never ceases to amaze me how intricate the wording is. So pretty.

and the periodic table elements carved into the little tiles was genius as they are just fine enough to take a different colour to the tile itself.
I made one more layout with this kit which I will share tomorrow and don't forget, you can buy all of SamanthaK amazing products HERE

Secret Box

Oh this is so very clever. A lockable box for secrets and surprises. 

I have used the mdf bottles wording labels and the locking box for my project.

and added some of the Tim Holtz people inside however this could be easily used to hide a secret journal away from prying eyes lol.

I did use texture around the spine of the book just to show that it is possible and that the book still bends. All I would say is keep checking as the texture drys.

I used texture paste and a needle to scrape the edges of the book to make it look like book pages. I think decorating these book boxes is going to become a passion lol.

You can find Samantha's MDF and other items HERE and of course on the SamanthaK site. 
These boxes were a sell out on the show but they will be available again in Sams shop so I'll keep you posted. More to come xx

So excited

I am starting a new chapter and it is so exciting. I have been asked to join SamanthaK Design Team allowing me to get back to scrapbooking. I was sad to leave Pretty Gets Gritty as they are a great bunch of talented ladies but it was time for a change. So.....

SamanthaK's show is on Hochanda TV on Saturday at 3pm. There are loads of new goodies which I know will just fly off the shelves. I am going to share each of my projects in the lead up to the launch.

My first project is a herb box

Made from the small box but using the grill piece on top to hold the tags in place.

The little herbs and wording are all MDF and available in the show.

and I used large beads as feet for the box painted to match the colours used for the herbs.

I really enjoyed making this and it looks so pretty. I am going to have to make another one for myself. 

You can find Samantha's MDF and other items HERE and of course on the SamanthaK site. (To find the products on the show on Saturday go to the schedule and look for Sat at 3pm and the new items will appear there soon) More tomorrow xx

Through the porthole

I love paying with cardboard. It has so many uses and was ideal to show off Lynette Jasper's Sprays. Here is the first project I made for the Pretty Gets Gritty Shows on Hochanda TV Friday 27th July at 10am and 3pm.

This took quite a bit of work but I love the way it looks like the inside of a rusty shipwrecks porthole showing the blue sea and its underwater sea life outside.

The bolts around the porthole are chipboard discs and a flatback bead on top.

The rivets are also flat backed pearls

And the lovely fish, crab and Starfish are all on the show.

The process I followed was this:
I used the back of my canvas as a base. I cut pieces of old corrugated cardboard and fitted it around the canvas and the MDF wreath shape I used as my port hole.
When I was happy with the look I stuck all of the cardboard in place but not the wreath.
Once dry I peeled off some of the cardboard to show the corrugated texture.
Next I added pearl as rivets along the joins in the cardboard. Once dry I started to Build my colours by painting the whole thing (and the wreath) in black gesso.Once dry it started spraying the background with Lynette's sprays, starting with the chalk sprays and allowing it to dry between each colour.
I followed the same process with the wreath/porthole but before I sprayed I used some of the marble effect texture paste to make the rust marks around the edges. Next I sprayed to match the background.
For the sea I scrunched up some kids drawing paper and then flattened it out. I then used the new chalk sprays and powders to create the background. I allowed this to dry naturally so that I got maximum lines and puddle marks.
I placed the paper under the porthole and stuck both in place on the background making sure that i created a small dip in the sea piece for the sea creatures.
Lastly I painted and stuck the sea life in the post hole and allowed to dry thoroughly.
The canvas looks very different in different lights. You saw the finished piece at the top of the page. Here is another photo taken outside.

If you have any questions please comment below and make sure you watch Lynette Jasper. The design team have all been busy making wonderful inspiration for you.
#prettygetsgritty #lynettejasper #hochandatv #craftbuddy #mixedmedia #newnanny

It's just a bottle

As my love of mixed media has grown I have found myself squirrelling away all manner of bottles and jars. I just can't bear to throw them out and as if that wasn't enough I have actually been buying empty bottles from Poundland and adding those to me collection too.
Here is photo progress of one of these bottles and its transformation into a usable water bottle for the table.

So to start I painted the bottle with white gesso. I used Prima's Heavy Gesso as it covers really well. Next I added all manner of stones, sequins, beads, etc to the surface using 3D Matte Medium. I then left it overnight to dry thoroughly. 

Next I went over everything twice with the Heavy White Gesso and allowed to dry thoroughly. 

To finish I sprayed the bottle using three different sprays in blue, green and white. When dry I then dripped some more colour onto the top of the bottle and sprayed with water to allow it to run easily through the embellishments. 

Doing something like this is easy and cheap to do. You can use ANYTHING like small stones from the garden, buttons, shells from the beach, the possibilities are endless.x

Beginners Kit

I often hear people say that they would like to have a go at Mixed Media but that they don't have any of the things that they need. With this in mind I have made up a beginners kit with a few bits and bobs you can use to play with. Here is the video of the contents with me yapping on in the background lol

You can find this in my Etsy Store The Kit Cafe and if you click on the tutorials tab at the top of the page you can find the recipe for the Texture Paste. Have fun xx

Die-versity Number One

I tried this technique using die cuts for a class a few months ago and decided to have another go to make some of my own art for the walls in my house.

I discovered two things which you need to know if you are going to have a go at this. 
Firstly use a white water colour paper. It wasn't until this morning that I realised my paper has a grey/blue tinge to it so I going to have to do it again.

Secondly less is more. You definitely need to leave more white space. The framed card looks much better minus the greeting of course.

So here is the process video speed at x2. Hope you enjoy it and if you have a go please leave a link to your piece in the comments.

Sorry that the design is sometimes out of shot. Definitely didn't look like that when I was filming. Will improve next time xx

Christmas In July

Yes I know beautiful sunny weather outside but if you don't start now you won't be ready in time lol. This next project is one I made for Lynette Jasper's DT Pretty Gets Gritty airing in Hochanda TV today.

It is very difficult to show how beautiful the sprays are used on mdf but here are a few close ups which might help

and here is the process I followed.

Stick your baubles around the mdf wreath using Gel Medium and making sure that they are piled on top of each other. Leave to dry (this takes about two hours in this heat)

Now paint the whole wreath with white gesso and while this is drying pick out a word, some trees, stars and poinsettias and also cover with white gesso.

Use your sprays to colour the wreath and embellishments and allow to dry naturally (this will make the colours more intense.

Stick your trees to the back of the wreath as shown in the main picture.

Add the poinsettias, stars to the wreath and add some glitter to the stars.

Add the red dotty paper to the back of the wreath and stick in place.

To finish heat emboss your word using gold embossing powder (I did this twice) and stick the word in place.

Here are a list of the products I have used. You can find them all HERE

Craft Buddy Mixed Media Double Sided Papers.
MDF Wreath Blank
Lynette Jasper set of 96 MDF Baubles
Lynette Jasper set of 18 MDF Words
Lynette Jasper set of 48 MDF Trees
Lynette Jasper set of 78 MDF Christmas Shapes
Pearl Spray Winter Cherry (FDPS 10)
Spray Chameleon Gentle Shabby (FDSH 03)
Spray Metallic Greens With Gold (FDML 17)

I have another project to share tomorrow xx

Playing with butterflies

I love butterflies and of course I have many, many butterfly stamps so I thought it was time I used them.

You can make this really easily and I think that the white space really makes the butterflies stand out.

Colouring has been done using Pro Markers but you could easily use Distress Oxides or paints x

All together

and finally some candid shots of the projects on air and in a group.

ooh I forgot the wings. These were made using some of the large chipboard pieces. I used texture paste through one of the stencils in the beginners kit.

and then I sprayed them with the beautiful sprays launched this time.

Don't forget you can still order the products to make these projects on Hochanda. (links below)

I am working on some new projects so I promise I will share as soon as I can. xx

Pretty Basic Mixed Media Set

Pretty Garden MDF

Pretty Pearl Sprays

Craft Buddy 8" Shadow Boxes

Craft Buddy 6" Shadow Boxes

Shadow Box

All three shows on Hochanda TV were a great success today with loads of sell outs. This is another one of my projects made for the show. I used one of the 8" Shadow Boxes (you can find them HERE)

The secret to making a shadow box is to add layers inside to build up a 3d scene. I used some of the gorgeous sprays for this project, the texture paste and one of Lynette Jasper's stencils.
Don't forget you can watch all three shows on REWIND. I will definitely be making more of these.x

Circle Canvas for my mum

I really enjoyed making this one.All the items I have used can be found on Hochanda TV on Thursday starting at 8am.

The background is one of Lynette Jasper's new stencils and newly released Texture Paste.

The frame, birds, flowers and fence are all available to buy and they are super cute with so many uses.

The whole canvas was covered in the black gesso and when dry I used a wax over the top to bring out the detail. Hope you like it xx

Ready for Fathers Day

I was so excited to receive my Pretty Gets Gritty DT kit and to find the fantastic box frames inside was a bonus. As you know I lost my dad three years ago but it doesn't stop me from thinking of him so this year I have made a Fathers Day frame.

 I made it using some of the many beautiful products designed by Lynette Jasper for Hochanda TV this coming Thursday. The frame was painted in white gesso and then stamped with the word stamps available on the show. The flowers , trellis and wording are also available and were painted with acrylic paint.

The shows start at 8am on Thursday and for those of you who can't watch Hochanda on the television here is a link so that you can watch the shows on the computer https://www.hochanda.com/

Loads more to share so don't miss out. Join Lynette on Thursday. You won't regret it xx

Mixed Media doesn't have to be messy

Not all mixed media has to be paste and paint. Sometimes just mixing up papers and fussy cutting is all you need to do. So here are some cards and a canvas I made for Lynette Jasper.

Card One - no stamping here just beautiful papers and a bit of fussy cutting.

This is all stamped and I have taken this picture three times and still don't know why the sentiment is showing black. Weird lol

Card three - Now on this one i have used papers and stickers however if you look closely you will see that the pattern at the top and the bottom of the card is one of the new stencils. I used Faded Jeans Distress Oxide and when dry added little white dots in the centre of each one.

Card four - made using a cream and black paper and coloured in using Pro-Markers

Card five - this time using the new stamps and a bit of colour

Lastly was the canvas. For those of you who hate getting your hands dirty but want to make your own canvas, this is the one for you. All I did was cover one of Lynette's shaped canvas with paper and add cut outs and stickers to the top. I did add a bit of glued tissue but you could miss that step.

I was so excited to use my embossing powder again to enhance some of the papers design. Enjoyed doing this.

And here is the whole collection.

Well that's it for now. Time for a few days rest but I'll be back xx