Monday, September 25, 2017

Patina and Stone Birdhouse Upgrade

Time again for a blog post from the 
Finnabair Ambassadors.

This time we're showcasing the Stone Effects Pastes.

A couple of years ago Anna moved into a Irish countryside home.
She took a walk around the neighborhood to photograph the
old buildings and farmland.

This is my rendition of the old buildings she photographed along the way.
They were covered with vines, moss and wonderful patinas.

 I love using the Stone Effects and Patina Pastes on a small wooden
 birdhouse that was totally transformed into a little ancient
 church-like building. 


 First I painted the birdhouse from a craft store with a light 
acrylic paint to seal it.

Then I added Concrete Stone Effect Paste with a stencil on the sides. 
 I used the palette knife to add it all around the base and chimney.

I spread Limestone paste on the roof in a splotchy pattern. 

Layers of Patina and Rust Pastes as well as some Metallique Paints
are used on all areas of the house until it looks old and patinaed. 

The Mechanicals are painted and sprayed with Mica Powder+Water sprays 
until you get the color you want.  The stars were painted a different blue
after this photo was taken to blend in better. :)


I used 3D Matte Gel to add the stars and other embellishments. 


The wonderful thing about the Metallique Paints is the way they shimmer and 
shine when you turn them in the light. 

This is a picture of  my little house while sitting on the sun porch
with the sunset coming in the windows all around us waiting for 
the paints to dry.

I hope you enjoy this. Remember....this is small....it is so much fun
and easier when you work on something that isn't so large that
it intimidates you....

And it's just a fun way to play with a simple little wooden house.

Check out the other Ambassador's projects on the blog 

You can do it...just play!

Your Friend in ART,
Linda

Monday, September 11, 2017

Timeless Beauty Vintage Photo Tag

This tag is everything I love.....
Vintage Photos
Metallic Paints
Embossing Folders
Large Tags
Script
Scroll Die Cuts
Gorgeous Paper

I made it just for me, using whatever I liked, and it was great to be
 using things that had been chucked away .

No deadlines....no product restrictions....nothing but
 whatever
 came
 into my head.

It was great.

Not that I'm not grateful for all of the above, but sometimes 
it's just wonderful to make whatever you want without any restraints.


This starts with a large manila tag that has been run through
 an embossing machine using the Nouveau folder from Vintaj.
 (sadly it has been discontinued)


Then I added Metallique Paints and Archival Inks in many layers.

This is one of the first layers. I found I needed a lighter background, 
so lighter colors were added with more inks,
but I loved the colors in this layer.


Flowers, Beads, Mechanicals, Mica Sprays, Vintage Trim, Die Cuts,
Canvas, and Vintage Images all took their places on the tag.

This is a shot in between layers. More flowers and beads were added.


And just a note. I was thrilled and honored to be invited to the 
"Friends Helping Friends" auction to raise money for the Hurricane Harvey 
Victims. Ten Artists donated pieces and Cat Kerr posted them for bid.

I was extremely pleased to have mine sell for $150. 
 Everyone else's sold for an amazing total of almost $2600.
 One of the buyer's husband agreed to match that total! 
What a great auction it turned out to be.

Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen. 
 Cat is now under the gun of  Hurricane Irma herself. 
Be safe, my friend.


Your Friend in ART,

Linda

Friday, September 1, 2017

Two Tombstones Done and on the Blog !!!

 The last of the Tombstones is complete. 
I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get 4 done this year, but 
they came together.


These are the highlights of the last 2 and all the links.

The Angel Wings have Antique Silver Art Sugar on them and they do
sparkle nicely. 

The small bat wings are painted, as are the rest of the pieces, with
Metallique Paints. 

The Bat Wands were a last resort to give the piece a bit 
more height. 


As much as I love the Graphic45 papers, I added Tombow markers
here for brighter colors and some shadows.

This is the base before everything was added.


Products Used:
Metallique Paints-Green Olive, Coral Reefs, Crocus Fields
Liquid Gold Opaque Paint Marker
Black Glaze Pen
Heavy Body Gel
Glossy Accents
Tombow Markers

I always have to do a Tombstone with a Vintage Skeleton Cut-Out.
They creeped me out at first, but I've grown to love them.
It is what it is.


I used a variety of paints on the masonite cut-outs to achieve the 
contrasting colors I wanted.



More Products Used Here:
Clear Rhinestones
Metalliques
Alcohol Inks
Black Pens

I hope you've enjoyed these 2 little ATC size creations. They always are 
fun to play with to get the creative juices flowing.

There's still time to join in the Tombstone Swap going on.
So order yours and get creating!

Linda