Tim Holtz Dragonfly Wall Art - By Gabrielle

Gabrielle is back with another inspiring project, this time using some of Tim Holtz'  fantastic range of stamps, which you can find on the Country View Crafts web site Here.

Over to Gabrielle:

Tim Holtz’ newly released stamps are really exciting. They offer a whole new style, much more sketchy hand drawn feel which is refreshing! However today I wanted to show you a way to use the Dragonfly stamp which I think might just become one of those ‘go to’ stamps as I can see it used in 100 different ways! I wanted to use it twice, in two different ways and so I made a little wall art.

I took one of Wendy Vecchi’s Art Part Arched Frame and covered it in small sections of metal tape, allowing them to overlap. I used a pencil to make marks where the overlapping metal met creating dimples. You can use metal tools but to be honest a pencil works well! I then used Gold and Sunset Orange Alcohol Inks over the top and then rubbed black paint over the top of that (I use my fingers!) and wiped it away with a piece of kitchen roll. I never worry if a little of the colour underneath is removed too – it adds to the grungy look! 

It occurred to me that I could make a ‘door’ by using the centre of the Art Part so I then repeated what I’d done on BOTH sides of the centre piece. The only thing I did differently this time was I stamped the dragonfly onto a piece of card and cut it out and added metal tape over the top. This would form the basis of the dragonfly on the cover. Notice I said both sides – this might be because I had forgotten that you’d see the back of the door when it was opened!

I stamped the dragonfly’s wings onto Clearly For Art and added Alcohol Inks to create the colours (Stream, Pool, Lettuce and Gold). I cut the wings out and heated them so they would curl. I covered a small piece of Grunge Paper with metal and use the techniques as before. On the reverse I stamped the Dragonfly’s body and cut it out. I then placed the wings and the body on top of the dragonfly on the door and added hinges and a ‘lock’.

For the inside I covered a piece of white card with Antique Linen Distress Stain and stamped the dragonfly and the words ‘Artistic Journey’. For the dragonfly I cut another pair of wings as before and a body (from white card edged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink) and adhered to the stamped image. This time I did not curl the wings as the door will squish them!

I hope you like my wall art! Alternative ideas include: cutting out more dragonflies and arrange them around the frame before adding the metal tape... painting the Art Part and stamping the image several times around the edge... If you are someone who uses pens you could stamp the image and colour it in... gosh, there are so many possibilities! Thank you for joining us at Country View Crafts Blog... there’s something a little different next time!

Scrap Album By Gabrielle

When I saw this amazing Want2Scrap Album Chipboard Album I knew I wanted to use PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints and stamps! I primed each piece with Snowflake Fresco Finish paint by squeezing a little paint on my craft sheet and ‘painting’ each piece with Cut and Dry foam. For the covers I painted Beach Hut Fresco Finish paint over the top with Cut and Dry foam, dried them with my heat tool and sanded them all over. Where the areas of paint had been removed I added a little Vintage Photo Distress Stain. I added a little handle to the front cover by dabbing the Ideaology flower with the blue painty piece of Cut and Dry foam and adding a Hitch Fastener in the centre.

For the next page I used a circles mask and Gold Fresco Finish paint. I laid the mask on a corner and lightly sponged the paint over the top. I did this over all four corners and then moved the mask to the centre of the page and dabbed the gold paint through the mask, allowing it to blend over the edges of the areas you have already masked. The Gold paint is a little more liquid than some of the others and so it may bleed under the mask. I like this look and so never mind when it happens! As with all of the pages I sanded it and then added Vintage Photo Distress Ink. To position the stamped images, pop the cover page on the top and then position the stamps where you would like them.

The book lends itself to be a scrap book and so with these pages I thought I might show you how you can create a background just ready for your pictures and memorabilia! Having prepped the pages with Snowflake Fresco Finish paint I added Hey Pesto Fresco Finish over the top. I used the sensational A4 alphabet mask and sponged Toad Hall Fresco Finish paint over the top covering the whole page. I then nudged the mask a small way and repeated the whole technique with Hyde Park Fresco Finish paint.  After sanding and adding Vintage Photo Distress Ink I stamped more images but at the edges so I could add photos another time. 

To complete the back page I used the Metal Effect mask and Gold paint. The ribbons are metal tape, beaten with my Texture Hammer and dabbed with painty Cut and Dry foam. The giant hand is actually from the packaging from the mask! I stamped the images on to more of the packaging and cut them out.