A masculine card: 'Between Poetry and Painting'

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well, maybe ready for a fun creative week-end!?.. If you need suggestions, I have a card to show you, inspired by the Artist Ellen Vargo. I enjoy watching at the videos Leandra shares on Paper Artsy's blog using the Fresco paints, and also discovering from time to time the fantastic works her talented guest DTs create. They often give also very interesting tips and techniques, and that's a great way to progress! This time I was able to give a try on the great brayering technique showed by Ellen Vargo... you can find her tutorial here. I spent a very enjoyable few hours on this, making a card and additional bookmarks I will show you later. Here's my card.

I started with a large A4 Manila sheet that I cut out (at the end) into four parts to create three bookmarks and my card. This is one of my good resolutions for 2014: To optimize my creative process!!!! :o)

I painted it using almost the same colours of Fresco paints that Ellen used (mainly a mix of blue and green shades) except the initial Cheesecake colour I do not have. I easily replaced it by a coat of Stone and Nougat. Next, to add a bit of texture on my background, I played with my Andy Skinner stencil 'Code Breaker' just at the bottom left on the card. I painted the inside of my numbers in reds/browns and highlighted the edges with the help of two white markers, shading off the lines gradually with my finger. I put a small candle remaining from a previous project (coming from a pack of 'Mini's Candles' by Tando) just below the first Zero, I had the idea to create a kind of halo around the wick, as if the flame was spreading out it... Love the result!

To embellish my card, I glued some mesh and two punched circles, also stamped some images and flowers, leaves and sentiments either directly or on black card. The stamps are all from Paper Artsy as I wanted to play along with them and Ellen Vargo. I used Jet Black and Libray Green Archival inks to stamp over the background, and for the daisy and leaves cut out from pieces of black card I used several PA paints. The daisy and its two leaves were first stamped using white paint (Snowflake)... Then I repeated the process with translucent paints (Autumn Fire and London bus mainly for the daisy, and  Toad Hall and Limelight with drops of Hey Pesto for the leaves). I affixed the flower on the background using foam pads for extra dimension. 

Some of my words and quotes were also heat embossed, a bit sanded at some places and then re-inked using Distress inks. I added a few metal and brads embellishments from my stash for the finishing touch!

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Thanks for stopping by, I wish you a very happy and creative week-end!! Hugs Coco xxx 

A small Christmas Scenelit

Helloooo ladies and gentlemen! Christmas is fast approaching, now you must be all very busy to prepare some gifts (crafty ones I hope) and your Christmas scenes... I have a small icy winter scene for you today for inspiration. I have decorated the {mini Christmas Scenelit} using some DecoArt and Fresco Finish paints, embossing powders (iridescent sparkle, gold and clear silver), fake snow, and a lot of glitter... :-) and stamping of course, as I love my stamps combined to Tando's chipboards. And I couldn't resist adding a mini candle at the bottom, also by Tando. 
This Christmas scenelit is really a fab product, I had a lot of fun and even a true joy to work with it! It comes in four panels you have to glue together, and having done this you get a wonderful plain dimensional scene... really easy to bring it to live, and so lovely!!  
For this time I chose rather realistic colours, but I think the next time I will change my mind and try something totally different!!! Anyway even if I'm not totally satisfied with the result  - my fir trees are maybe a bit too dark, don't know... -, it's not too bad... hope you like!

The window and door of my little house are from a village stamp by Hero Arts, I used masking techniques and my stamp positioner to stamp them in place. For the remaining, mainly added tiny cute stamps from Crafty Individuals, some directly stamped with black Stazon and coloured (the small birds e.g. are coloured with my recently bought Derwent Inktense watercoloured pencils, with a drip of golden perfect pearls), or stamped on a separate card, next coloured and/or embossed, and cut out and glued at last. 

I also added a sheet of clear film cut to the same size as the four panels and rounded, to be inserted between the third and the last one. On this sheet, I stamped a Christmas scene in the sky (using my Brilliance Galaxy Gold dew drop) and heat embossed it gold. I used Glossy accents to adhere it on the remaining at it dries clear and transparent, and is a perfect glue for clear film!

Here are a few close-ups... But if you want to see all the photos and know the details, please pop over at my blog here.

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I wish you a super week-end! Hugs Coco xxx