I Challenge Thee... 2013 Version...

...cor blimey and thrice, it has been a yonk and a half since Ellen and I last had a chance to have a proper Skypey sesh and do an I Challenge Thee crafty... erm... challenge!   Yesterday afternoon saw that rare opportunity, when I wasn't working and Ellen was free too... so we put the time to goodly uses and set ourselves a challenge to use the following ingredients:
Rectangle Canvas
Stencils
Studio 490 Embossing Paste
Scraped Paint Technique
Stabilo ALL Pencil (aka, the magic pencil)
A Word but NOT stamped
Tissue Paper Stamping Collage
Ink Sprays
Two Tone Drawn Border
Embellies of Choice

Now, if you read my blog last week you might have seen me waxing lyrical about the word WISH and how it is going to be my word of 2013.  So, being as I am having that as my buzz word, I thought I would use it on this canvas.  I die cut letters using mountboard and the Word Play Alterations die and then used the 490 Embossing Paste mixed with a smidge of Ferro and applied it to the letters in a pouncy fashion so the paste was pointy in places.  I was ever so careful and even though I used my utmost concentration, I kept dropping the letters... and yep, they landed face down each time... just like toast, butter side down!  After much cursing and several minutes of faffing, I finally got the letters how I wanted them.  In order to allow them to dry without me putting my paws all over them, I set them aside on the other desk.  And then promptly leant over to show something to Ellen and put my hand right on top of them.  So, I had to start all over again!   Finally, after several more minutes had passed, I could start on the canvas.  I do love the Scraped Paint Technique and it is one I haven't done for a while so it was nice to revisit this.  If you haven't done it before it is a complete doddle.  Use a spatula/palette knife/Ranger scraper/old credit card (one that hasn't melted... hahahaaa) and scrape the paint onto the surface.  Really, that simple!  I then decided that being as my fave colours are browns and creams and blacks and being as I was making this to make me happy, those are the colours I would use (just getting that in there before Mrs Anonymous decides to say "oh Hels, can't you think of any other colour than brown?"  Yes, that has happened a couple of times!  If you don't like it, don't look at it! Simples!)  Sorry, I went off on a tangent there.  Anyways... the colours: Traditional Tan first to cover more or less the whole of the canvas.  Then scraping Sable Brown. Dry in between scrapings btw.  Then Stone colour. Another zap with heat tool.  Then a smidge more Trad Tan mixed with Sable Brown, scraped and then dried.  Then a very light scrape of Sand colour, dried again and then finally, a smidge of Black Gesso to break up the design slightly.

Once this was dry, I used my very fave Studio 490 Stencils For Art - the one I used in the Florals... I have actually been a bad girl and have cut out each flower individually because then I can layer them next to each other and not have to wait for the first flower to be dry (if that makes sense) I used a palette knife to mix a dollop of Ferro into the Black Embossing Paste, this gives it a lovely sparkle to the texture.  I then used the palette knife to spread the paste thru the stencil, making ridges in the paste so it is more textured.  I repeated this another two times so I had three nice flowers on the canvas.  While that was drying, I then used the Stencils For Art Stripes and applied more of the black Embossing Paste along the top of the canvas. 

Next came the tissue stamping collage bit. Except I have just had a mammoth tidy up in the Room of Stash haven't I?  Where I found a big wodge of tissue paper... which I thought "uh, I never use that... bye bye" and put it in the bin!   Isn't that always the case huh?  Anyways.. .not one to be thwarted, I got a cosmetic tissue (ie, Kleenex) and separated the ply's so I had a single ply.  Then I stamped the Studio 490 polka dot border in Jet Black Archival and gave it a zap to dry it.  I then tore bits of the tissue and applied them to the canvas using Matte Glue & Seal.  This stuff is brrrrilliant... you can't see where it is and nor can you see the edges of the tissue... cool.  Next came the hand drawn border.  I used a pencil to mark off the sections and then used Trad Tan and Black Gesso to paint around the edge and once that was dry, I used a Stabilo All pencil to add some black smudges.  The Stabilo All pencil then went around the flowers to make them shaded a bit.  Once that was all done and dried, I then decided to try something a little different.

In years of old, I used to use Terra and add Rock Candy Cracklepaint over the top... so I thought I would try it with the Embossing Paste... ohhhlalaaa, it looks good... the pics aren't showing up the crackles like they do look but you get an idea.  Once that had dried, I used Espresso Colorwash and the old Dylusions Worn Leather to add some ink sprays into the crackles and then dabbed off the excess with a paper towel.  The finishing touches were smudges of Treasure Gold wax, the addition of some Embellish Your Art buttons, a brass charm, the Idea-ology Clock Key, a corner and three little printed butterflies that I coloured with Vintage Photo DI and added mini bead chains for the bodies.  And that was it. Challenge completed!

Please do pop on over to see Ellen's masterpiece... it never ceases to amaze me that even though we are using the exact same list of ingredients, our creations are always so different. I love what Ellen made... it is totally her and totally unique... CLICK HERE to go and see her.  I shall away now, I am scheduling this post to publish at the same time as Ellen's... next week I won't have to do that cos...erm... I will be with her!!!  Oh yesh, 4 days to go!  Am I excited?  Ah.... a smidge (lol)  Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x