Mini Union Jacks

I've got a nice(Great Britain) patriotic piece for you today. It is the summer of Great Britain; The Queen's Jubilee, Wimbledon on at the moment,  (the Tour de France kicks off this weekend with my high hopes on team Sky) and finally the London Summer Olympics. 

I made a distressed piece in the spirit of Simon Says Stamp and Show Depth of Distress. I took the word depth and added some serious dimension to my little project. I cut out and painted layers of cardboard with my Tim Holtz Vintage Cabinet Die and coordinating movers and shapers die. For the top layer, I used the rusted Grunge technique from the First Volume of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities book. I used Tea Die embossing powder because I don't have and Vintage Photo powder. For the background I used Distress Stains on Kraft Resist paper. I stamped some images from one of the London Artistic Outpost sets. I added some gears and game spinners, but they are hard to see. I took a stamped and scanned Union Jack and printed it on White Shrink Plastic. Shrunk them with my heat gun, added some thin gun metal coloured wire and stuck them in a  (uncorked) vial.  I added white acrylic paint to a word band and used handmade distressed brads to attach it to the altered grunge. I added some additional distressed brads and washers to add some detail to the top. 

Thanks for visiting!

I love reading your comments.

Hugs

Heidi

Art Journal Cafe

In my new journaling adventures I have stumbled across a journaling challenge blog by three wonderfully creative French Ladies called The Art Journal Cafe. I like it because I get to practise my French. I read and try to comprehend the French before I read the posted translated English.

They posted a colour challenge

I used a title that I found in a magazine for the theme

"Getting Back In the Game".

It's helping me focus on my cycling and how I need to work on my form and power. I know, not related to art at all, but isn't art journaling about life and art!

I finally got brave enough to dip into the modeling paste and I LOVE IT! I used it on a Dylusion's Dotted Flowers Stencil. Though it isn't too noticable, there is some brown so I am entering it into the Simon Says Stamp and Show a Bit of Brown

The specific journal is 5.25x 8.25 and opens in a landscape format.  

I had so much fun doing these two pages, but I can tell there is still some self hesitation. I know that will go away as I do more playing!

Thanks for visiting! I love reading your comments.

Heidi

Happy Fathers Day

It's Father's Day, at least in the U.S. and the U.K. So Happy Father's Day Dad!
Studio L3 Compendium of Curiosities Challenge #10 Tissue Wrap Flower. You can find the technique on page 37 of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities Vol #2.

I am sneaking my pocket watch from Challenge #9 into this challenge just so Linda knows I am on track for particiapting in all 35 challenges :-) I had it finished, but got sidetracked thursday evening and did not have a chance to compose my blog post.

It's the third Friday of the month, and that means the challenge is sponsored by the awesome Funkie Junkie Boutique, who is graciously offering a $25 gift certificate to the winner of this week's challenge

I am also adding this to the Simon Say Stamp Anything Goes Challenge.

 

Thanks for visiting! I love reading your comments!

Heidi

Time...Friend or Foe

I've been trying to do more journaling. This entry is about time. Is it a friend or foe. I am a very impatient person. Something that I have been tying to work on for a long time. But at the same time, I want loads more time to do things I need to do.....so is it my friend or is it my foe........ It is so had being patient...sigh.....

Studio L3 Compendium of Curiosities Challenge #8 Re-purposed Packaging. You can find the technique on page 62 of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities Vol #2.

I had some clock face rub ons and decided to add some plastic clock faces and game spinners to add some interest. I left plenty of room to do some additional hand written journaling.

Thanks for visiting!

Heidi

Dad's Birthday Mural

Happy June 1! Today is my Dad's 70th Birthday. 

I've got something very special to show you today, and I am entering is into two challenges;  

Sarah's My Monthly Mojo: Man Up! and Simon Says Stamp and Show One for the Boys. 

I am excited to finally show you the masterpiece I have made for one of his gifts!  To give you some background, we are originally from England and my dad is a massive WWII buff! So those in the United Kingdom will surely appreciate this.  My Dad is from Coventry England and was three when WWII ended. His mother, my Grannie Winkie told stories of how she had to run for cover while German Bombers were attacking Coventry.  In making this piece I was trying to capture some history to help preserve the past. 

There are two 16"x20" pieces. The one on the left focuses on British WWII planes. The one on the right focuses on Prevailing through the War with a positive attitude. Scroll down to see detailed shots and some added commentary for personal meaning. 

The eight rusted bolts came from our back garden deck, I got the wire mesh from my local hardware store and spent some time rusting it with chemicals from my local craft shop. I added Tim Holtz Metal embellishments and flowers to "frill" it up.   The images were printed on Artist transfer Paper and then ironed onto Mulberry Paper and then added to layers of cardboard using matte medium. This piece is for personal use only, so there are (hopefully) no copy write violations.

Going Anti-clockwise starting in the top left corner:

Hurricane

Wellington

Mosquito

Lancaster

Spitfire

Winston Churchill Quote

There are tiny pewter models of each plane on each picture (Close ups below)

I am always so amazed how my dad and brother can quickly identify these planes (don't they all look the same).....yet I can quickly identify Tim Holtz and Stampin Up colours!

Going Anti-clockwise starting in the top left corner:

Coventry Cathedral after bombing

New Coventry Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral

Union Jack

My favourite poster from the Keep Calm and Carry On morale boosting posters created during WWII.

I think the sentiment is perfect for ANY difficult situation, and it is with those words I face every day!

Hurricane

Wellington. The Time Holtz pieces signify the secret code breaking....secrets and knowledge.

"Wooden Wonder" aka Mosquito

Lancaster

Spitfire

Coventry Catherdral after being bombed. Coventry was a target because of all of the significant engine building/industrial manufacturing so I added some Tim Holtz gears

I love this image of St. Paul's Catherdral withstanding the War. The Union Jack was made using Artistic Outpost London Underground Plate. 

Finally, do you remember my Attitude Hanging I made for last Monthly My Monthly Mojo? It earned me top honours by the master metal maker herself! I love Sarah's work and love how she can alter metal to look so cool! I love her latest Sardine tin creation.  (I also love the fact that I have been rescuing, washing, and squirreling away some sardine tins so I might have a go at making something fun)

Thanks for visiting! Happy Queen's Jubilee Weekend!

Heidi