Wax doesn't have to hurt by Sue West

Hi everyone.  I'm really excited to be guest designer this month at the Artistic Stamper Creative Team, and to be able to share some of the fun I've had using just a few of the great stamps that Jennie produces. For my first piece I have used the Airmail Bird Collage Elements stamps. I just love that raven. 
Guess what. I made a collage.
I love any excuse to get painty, inky, gluey and dig out my meltpot and beeswax.

Here's the supply list for my collage.
Airmail Bird Collage Elements stamps
6 x 6 deep edged canvas
Ranger Studio Multi-Medium (matte)
Vintage maps and sheet music and postage stamp
White and manilla cardstock
Ranger Archival Ink  - Jet Black, Cobalt, Vermillion
Ranger Distress Ink - Vintage Photo
Acrylic paint ( I used Golden Fluid Acrylics but Adirondack Paint Dabbers would work really well)
MeltPot
Clear UTEE
Natural Beeswax
Designer Metal (gold leaf)
Ranger Distress Embossing Powder - Fired Brick
Vintage pen nib
Crown

To get started collage the vintage papers onto your canvas using multi medium and when dry use your paints sparingly to highlight interesting bits of the background and the if it all seems a bit bright scrape some creamy coloured paint over the entire surface with an old credit card. This only needs a tiny amount of paint. ( Claudine Hellmuth Traditional Tan acrylic would be perfect for this. I have also painted the edges of the canvas dark brown. It's best to do this now as if you get wax runs over the edges the paint never really adheres properly. I have pulled the brown paint just over on to the front of the canvas as I like the vintage look this gives.
Using Archival Ink for all your stamping (so it doesn't run). Stamp the postmark onto tissue and the raven and the words onto thin white cardstock or paper.
I've used Vintage Photo Distress Ink to colour the edges of the bird words and also the air mail element.
Now it's time to get out your Meltpot. First I made the UTEE heart by dissolving Fired Brick embossing powder in some UTEE and the pouring into a tiny cookie cutter. I don't worry about little bubbles as I think it just makes it look more vintage.  Dab the pen nib with black acrylic paint to age it.

Next melt your beeswax and having decided where you want your various collage elements to go apply the wax with a natural bristle brush and use your heat gun to keep it liquid if you need to get rid of brush marks. ( Personally I quite like to leave little dribbles and runs of wax as it all adds to the texture, and I just love the smell of that hot beeswax). I decided not to completely cover the script with wax and left the edges curled up  and got a semi-translucent look where the wax was in contact with the paper, again just adding extra texture.
The pen nib, heart and crown (cut in half) all embed into the wax with no problems.

Finally (and completely optional) I applied a sparing coat of multi-medium one edge at a time  and dabbed on gold leaf, which only adheres in some places and looks really old, especially if you then seal it with some more multi -medium that you thin down slightly with  brown paint and some water to make a wash. This gives a lovely grungy look.

If you've never tried beeswax collage have a go. It's great fun. And when you've finished your art and the wax has really solidified just buff, buff, buff with a soft cloth and you will get the most amazing sheen on your work.

Thanks for looking and see you soon.
Sue x

Crowning Glory... By Hels Sheridan

Goodly Morning! When I was demo-ing at Ally Pally earlier this month I was faffing with the new Distress Stains, seeing how many different ways I could use them and I made this tag. I used Broken China and Wild Honey Distress Stains, smooshing them onto a craft sheet and then spritzing with water, dipping the tag into the inkyness and then drying and dipping again until I had the look I liked.





Next I used Wild Honey Stains, dabbing directly onto a script stamp, this gives a really fab "watercolour technique" look but as there's no water to dilute the ink, the stamping is really vivid. I used black Archival ink to stamp the crowns, from Crowning Glory, in a line down the side of the tag and then I dried the stamping and applied a thin layer of beeswax over the top of the tag, sealing all the ink in.




I made a little paper rose using Crowded Attic paper and the medium size Flower Power flower... dipping each layer of the rose into melted Beeswax - a nice twist on Faux Porcelain flowers. The messgae mat was created in the same way as the tag base and I used one of the new Travel sentiment stamps , again stamping with black Archival ink. Finally, I used the Broken China and Wild Honey Stains and coloured some trim for the ribbon at the top of the tag. Quick and simples and an effective background just using two of the new Stains. Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

a whole lotta love...out of the box!!

all encapsulated in a box! It's the boss here again, and this time I have created a box for Valentine's Day. I made this for a workshop yesterday, and now we have the workshop done and dusted ( photos are on my blog), I can show you some of the bits and pieces that went to make it up. I collected lots of hearts ( I always do this for all my mixed media workshops), and we used them in a variety of ways.



 I loved the idea that the idea-ology Configuration boxes can be made up anyway you like, and this one is completely out of the box! I used Ten Seconds studio metal run through Tim's Alteration Heart die, and then embossed with one of his folders, and then puffed up and filled with filler at the back ( just so it doesn't collapse!). Add grungepaper wings, letters from the Lost and Found paper stack, and lots of lace!



The heart here is a papier mache or polystyrene heart covered with toilet paper ( in hearts of course) and then waxed with Ranger Beeswax.

The utee heart was covered in Duo glue, and then gold Leaf from Crafty Notions applied to it (on the website next week!) I added it on top of a keyhole from Idea-ology, and hung the key below on the lace.

There are lots of elements, and I forgot to say the whole box was sprayed with Ranger Color Wash, and then stencilled using their Perfect Pearls mists giving a very light and subtle finish.
If you haven't made a Valentine's gift yet, then this may give you a few ideas!
Happy Valentine's Day

Jennie

The Sunday Stamperama's

...well, I was trying to be clever there but not sure if it worked LOL Anyways, goodly morning to you all! Today is Stamperama at Stevenage and Jennie will be demo-ing UTEE with her marvellous Melt Pot and I will be demo-ing Beeswax with my magical Melt Pot. If you are going to be at Stevenage, please do pop by and see us on the Stand :O)




Today I am linking the Sunday Stamper in with my post here... I have made an ATC which is a giveaway both here and on my blog... the deets are HERE. All you have to do is simply leave me a comment on this post and I will enter your name into the draw. There is another way you can be entered too... if you hop over to my Sunday Stamper post and join in with the challenge, your name will be entered a further two times... so you will have three chances of winning not only my ATC but also some FAB candy kindly donated by Jennie - which is this FAB Time & Keys plate as well as the Kling On to mount the stamps onto.



Thanks for looking.. hope to see you today! TTFN

Hels x