Mixed Media Plaque and Sola Rose Tutorial

Mixed Media Plaque

Hi friends sharing a Mixed Media Plaque I made by recycling a cake base and experimenting  with Stencils and lots of mixed media supplies.

Stencil Techniques

I used texture paste on The Crafters Workshop Mini Tuscan Wall Stencil and sprinkled it with Ranger's Gold embossing powder and when the texture paste was dry heat embossed it to create the beautiful brick wall

Mixed Media Plaque

Stencilled some vine leaves [from the same stencil]with texture paste and sprinkled Stampendous green embossing powder leaving some on the un-stencilled areas. Heat embossed the powder while the texture paste was still wet to create the  grungy diffuse look of background greenery

Mixed Media Plaque

The little nest was made using air drying clay and a silicon mold. Cut up some vegetable packaging netting and painted it brown with acrylic paint and added some real feathers to make a backdrop for the nest!

Clay Nest

Created textural elements on the background using crackle paint, glass beads gel, micro beads and a sprinkling of distress glitter

Mixed Media Textures

The glass beads gel is one of my favorite mixed media supplies and  here are more posts which feature it : Texture Media Experiments, Altered Bottle,Altered Heart, Mixed Media Mini Book

Mixed Media Supplies

The little owl was layered on a circular pendant  filled with glass beads gel and microbeads.

Mixed Media Supplies

Both the pendant and the owl were given a rubbing of Inka Gold to match with the golden hues of the rest of the plaque.

Altered Metal Charms

The green leaves you see sprinkled along this plaque were made freehand using Thai Clay [also featured here : Clay Bird House, Plumeria Bonsai Tree and Altered Box].

The wood grain texture was created using the Carabelle Studio Effet Bois stencil, texture paste and gold embossing powder. Used Inka Gold on the charms and on the edges of my plaque

Stencil Effect

Here is a closeup of a mushroom in my woodland with tiny beads and vines and a sprinkling of subtle shimmer[ got with Distress Glitter]

Mixed media textures

          I think our creations often reflect what we love...I love to be inspired by nature and music and in this project I added a faux chipboard musical note created by layering Spellbinders musical note diecuts and heat embossing with the same gold embossing powder I used to create the woodgrain and bricks!

Sola Wood Roses

On the lower corner of my project is a medley of media...there are handmade clay leaves, stamped and heat embossed leaves [ from Heartfelt creations Delightful Daisy sets], store bought fabric flowers and handmade Sola wood roses
          I first shared flowers made using sola wood in this post on Foam Roses and leaves made from Sola wood in this Window Card
There was a lot of interest in the medium and though I promised a Tutorial a long time ago only now I have finally got around to sharing a Tutorial on making gorgeous Sola Wood Roses

Sola Rose Tutorial 

         Sola wood is made from compressed tapioca peel and its available as rolls. I am not sure if this is available all over the world but I did see listings to handmade sola flowers on Etsy and Wedding Shopping sites and some were exorbitantly priced!

[For Indian crafters I have shared links about where to buy sola wood at the end of the post]

Sola Rose Tutorial 

Sola wood rolls are very delicate and if you handle it roughly your rolls can tear! In cutting out petals to make your sola wood flower follow the natural curvature  of the sola wood sheet as you can see in the picture above

Sola Rose Tutorial 

You can make quite a few flowers from a single roll of Sola Wood and to make a single rose I cut out  1 + 2 + 3 + 5= 11 petals in the order of petal layers.

Sola Rose Tutorial 

The first picture above shows the shape of the innermost bud. Gently curve this petal and hot glue it at the base to form a tight bud

Sola Rose Tutorial 

On the 2nd layer use 2 petals to snugly wrap around the inner bud- overlap the petals as shown above for a natural look.

Sola Rose Tutorial 

I added 3 petals in the next layer again overlapping the edges of the petals as shown.

Sola Rose Tutorial

Sola wood is very thin and delicate so you have to be very gentle while handling the petals and also while hot gluing so as not to burn yourself.The trick is to use just a dot of glue at the base of the petals while gluing.

Sola Rose Tutorial 

You can vary the number of petals in each layer depending on the look you want and the size of your petals.

In the flower below I used 1 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 5 petals to make a large and full Sola Wood Rose

Sola Rose Tutorial 

Another tip while working with Sola wood is to keep the flower petals under a lid like I have done here or in a covered box as they are so lightweight they will fly all around especially if you are working with the fan on or with a breeze blowing!

Sola Rose Tutorial 

I hope you liked my  delicate Sola Wood Roses !

Sola Rose Tutorial

Here is a pinnable image for my friends and blog readers who are pinterest fans

Sola wood rolls : Raja Market or Itsy Bitsy . See here Craft Supply Stores India

All other supplies from Crafters Corner

Stencils :The Crafters Workshop Mini Tuscan Wall Stencil, Carabelle Studio Effet Bois 

Media : Ranger Texture Paste,Ranger Clear Rock Candy Distress Glitter,Distress Crackle Paint Clear Rock Candy,Liquitex Glass Beads Texture Gel,Inka Gold

Plaid Craft Molds

Dies : Spellbinders Sing It Loud 1,Heartfelt creations Delightful Daisy Stamp and Die

Mixed Media Altered Box

Mixed Media Altered Box

Hi friends, sharing a  box altered in mixed media style with some decoupaging and stencilling.
Sharing some of the steps:

Box 

Applied gesso on the box and gave it a coating of creamy white Folk Art paint

Gessoed Box

Then decoupaged a tissue paper on to it.

Decoupaged Box

Masked parts of a leaf stencil and used gold embossing paste to stencil a leafy flourish.

Gold Embossing Paste

Tip : Do not scrape off the excess embossing paste while the stencil is on your project but lift it off and then scrape off the excess paste  .

Stencil Technique

I just love the effect you get when the gold embossing paste dries...so rich and glamorous! In fact the white dots are acrylic paint splatters I added later to tone down the bright colors!

Mixed Media Altered Box

Stencilled another part of the leaf stencil on the lower part of the box and added a Cheery Lynn  glitter foam die cut  "Love"

Mixed Media Altered Box

The butterfly and time flies metal charms both got a rubbing with Inka Gold to glamorize them in golden hues.

Mixed Media Altered Box

 I painted over parts of the decoupaged napkin using watercolor brush pens and added a sprinkling of distress glitter too.

Mixed Media Altered Box

I hope you liked my altered box!
Here is a pinnable image for those of you who love pinterest

Mixed Media Tutorial 

Supplies
Stencils :Scrapberry's Petals Stencil

Texture Media : Dreamweaver's Metallic Gold Embossing Paste
Paints : Folk Art Multi Surface Paints, Inka Gold
Decoupage Glue : Mod Podge
Metal Charms
Dies : Cheery Lynn  Love 

Linking to  

Simon Says Work It Wednesday - Using color Peridot
Altered Eclectics
Simon Says Monday
Simon Says Wednesday

Clay meets Paper !!!

Clay Bird House

Hi friends sharing an altered Tea light holder in the shape of a bird house.This is the terracotta "diya holder" I picked up from a fancy store

Terracotta Diya Holder

The little house was given a generous coat of gesso and white paint and made into a bird house with a little bird perched atop!

Thai Clay flowers

All the white flowers and the pink roses were made with thai clay, a type of air drying clay.The bright magenta roses are store-bought roses altered with gesso.

Tea light Holder

Thai clay is a wonderful medium to make clay flowers and though I dont have a photo tutorial [ one has to work pretty fast as otherwise the clay will dry out and lose its suppleness], the steps of making the rose are nearly the same as in this Playdough rose Tutorial 

Thai Clay rose

If you are interested in Thai Clay crafts
Here are some of the tools I used :
Pasta Machine- not a necessity per se but if you have one you can quickly roll out nice uniform thin sheets of clay.
Cutters - you can use metal or plastic cutters to punch out uniform petalsand there are special cutters available to make different flowers but for this project I made most of the roses freehand!
Embossing tools- though my first clay tools were made of cheap plastic ...they broke after some time and later I got some metal tools which are rather heavy but perfect for clay crafting.
The 5 multicolored tools you see were gifted to me some time back by my friend Sudha . These are a cross between a plastic and a metal embossing tool...these are lighter as the body is not made of metal but strong and less likely to break as the tips are made of metal. The set  also has 3 very fine tips which are fabulous for making fine lines .
Thank you so much Sudha they are awesome not just for clay but also for embossing on paper
Thai Clay: I have tried thai clay by a couple of different brands and not found much of a difference. The only catch with thai clay is once you open a packet you have to finish it off fast otherwise you risk the whole thing hardening!

Clay Tools

On the side of the bird house you can see a fusion of clay and paper.

Heat Embossed Leaves

I used Winnie and Walter In Bloom Elsa's Flora Stamp Set to make all the paper leaves.

Altered Tea Light Holder

Added a golden pearl chain to loop all around the bird house and added butterflies all along. The gorgeous golden paper butterfly was sent to me by Mrs A all the way from England!

Clay Craft

Thai clay comes in a white color and is colored with oil colors before its moulded. Sometimes its difficult to predict the color...this little rose is a much darker shade than all the other clay roses but turned out cute all the same!

Thai Clay rose

On the back side of the bird house is a huge metal butterfly!

Thai Clay Roses

I also added some of my favorite pollen and berries

Heat Embossed Leaves

And here is my altered tea light holder on our terrace garden.

Tea Light Holder

I know I have not visited my blogger friends for some time now...life gets busy every once in a while...so please pardon me...will be catching up soon!And please do take a moment to tell me how you like this Thai Clay Project
Supplies : Dies :  Cheery Lynn  Grass, Cheery Lynn  Butterfly ,Marianne Anja Leaf 3
Stamps : Winnie and Walter In Bloom Elsa's Flora Stamp Set 
Pollen : From Crafters Corner and Raja Market
Linking to  :
Edited : This Project was featured as Top 5 at All sorts Anything But a Card Challenge  and was showcased by Di at the Pixie's Playground

Stencil Techniques Tutorial

Mixed Media Altered Book

         Hi friends for my DT posts for Crafters Corner I was assigned to make projects using  "Stencils".  I went shopping and got some gorgeous stencils and mixed media products which I will be showcasing in the next couple of posts.

         This diary I altered  in mixed media style is a rather special one as it's where I jot down ideas for my blog posts and crafty experiments .Though I do use Pinterest and Evernote for my crafty ideas and organization ...there is nothing quite like old school pen and paper !!

Diary I altered

After a coating of Gesso,I used Ranger Multi medium Matt Gel to glue down a layer of tissue paper , purposely making it bumpy in certain areas.

Gesso + Tissue Paper

 Used a gorgeous product called White crackle Texture paste on Scrapberry's Petals Pattern Stencil .

Crackle Paste

Since my base was all bumpy...I didnt get a nice crisp stencilling but then it didnt matter for this particular project

Crackle Paste

After a few hours you get a lovely crackle effect...nice and easy!

Crackle Paste

Since my background was white, to highlight the stencilled area I sprayed  Art Anthology Sprays  and also rubbed in some  Inka Gold into the cracks!

Art Anthology Sprays

And that is how the stencilled area looks on my altered book cover.

Crackle Paste

  Stuck down myriad  gessoed embellishments[ pearls, buttons, clay embellishments, broken jewelry] 

Mixed Media Book Cover

Gave a light brushing with Art Anthology's Sorbet Peach paint...this new paint is like a gel  and is shimmery and beautiful

Mixed Media Book Cover

The humble tissue paper is such an easy way to add texture to a project  and its texture can be highlighted so beautifully by rubbing on a little Inka Gold using your fingers.

Mixed Media Book Cover

I added the sentiment " Enjoy" on my diary cover as after all crafting is to be enjoyed and life too!!

Mixed Media Book Cover

        The design on the center of my book was made using the gorgeous Prima's Jamie Dougherty Stencil Anemone.

Prima Anemone Stencil

This stencil is simply fascinating to use as it has 2 parts...a broad outline and a detailing element.

Sponge on 1 or even several ombre shades of Distress Inks  on the flower outline

Prima Anemone Stencil

You can add a nice script  or musical note stamp on it as it has enough space

Stencil techniques

Or try some texture media techniques!

Prima Anemone Stencil

Place the detailing design part of the stencil and apply a nice coat of Black Embossing paste.

Embossing Paste

A Tip : Dont scrape off the black embossing paste while the stencil is on your project as you can easily mess up things...let it be...after you lift your stencil off your surface...scrape the stencil clean using your palette knife and return excess paste to your jar and dont forget to quickly wash your stencil and knife.

Isn't the gorgeous black creamy texture fabulous on the flat Distress Ink background !

Stencilled Flower

Layered Stencil + Art Anthology Sorbet Paint

Stencil Technique

Now using the same stencil with a very very special luxury paint called Sorbet[ from Art Anthology]. Sorbet paints are light and fluffy and almost like a smooth gel...quite unlike any paint I have ever seen and it shimmers brilliantly in the light !

Stencil Technique

 Scoop up a generous amount of Sorbet with your palette knife and smoothen it onto your outline stencil.

Stencil Technique

On drying you get an amazing shimmery design!

Stencil Technique

Looks good enough to eat doesnt it!!

Stencil Technique with Sorbet Paint

Layered Stencil + Art Anthology Sorbet Paint + Embossing Paste 

Stencil Technique

You can leave the sorbet painted design as it is or add more by layering on the detailing part of the stencil [ only after the sorbet layer is absolutely dry] and adding a texture paste. I went with Dreamweaver's black embossing paste again.

Stencil Technique

 Isnt this simply gorgeous !!

Stencil Technique

 Love how the matt black contrasts soo beautifully against the shimmering peach sorbet.

Stencil Technique

And here is one more view to show the shimmer and texture

Stencil Technique

And here is one more technique

Layered Stencil + Art Anthology Sorbet Paint+ Pouncing with Stencil Brush/Finger

Stencil Technique

For this technique it's wonderful to have a stencil brush but if not you can just use your fingers too.

Stencil Technique

After you have applied a nice coating of sorbet paint on your  stencil pounce on it with a stencil brush or your fingers.

Stencil Technique

Sorbet paints are dimensional paints and maintain their peaks brilliantly so what you get is a nice mottled lacy effect.

Stencil Technique

 Here is how it looks on my book cover

Stencil Technique

 Layered Stencil + Art Anthology Sorbet Paint + Texture Paste + Distress Glitter

Stencil Technique

And if you want to have more fun...stencil on the detailing with white texture paste and while the texture paste is still wet sprinkle on some distress glitter.

Stencil Technique

 The combination of the shimmering Sorbet Paint , the texture paste and the glistening distress glitter is amazing!

Stencil Technique

I added a variety of handmade clay embellishments , buttons and sequins on both the upper and lower parts of my book cover

Mixed Media Project

I used air drying clay and molds  to make lightweight clay embellishments.

Clay Embellishments

And the embellishments were an assortment of colors before I gessoed them and gave a brushing of Inka Gold and Sorbet paint.

Clay Embellishments

 I was amazed myself at the transformation of the rose with just gesso and a rubbing of Inka Gold!

Clay Flower with Inka Gold

The beautiful resin flower was just the right color for my project and I am so glad I had hoarded it for years!

Mixed Media Style Book Cover

 And so that is how my Craft Diary got a mixed media alteration!

Mixed Media Style Book Cover

Hope you enjoyed this looong post!!

Supplies : all from Crafters Corner

Stencils :Scrapberry's Petals Stencil and Prima's Jamie Dougherty Stencil Anemone
Paints : Art Anthology Sorbet Dimensional Paint Peachy
Sprays : Art Anthology Sprays Juicy  and Concord
Texture Media : Dreamweaver's Matt Black Embossing Paste
Art Extravagance Crackle Paste
Ranger Texture Paste
Misc Media : Ranger Clear Rock Candy Distress Glitter,Inka Gold

Embellishment Creation : Plaid Craft Molds

Adhesive : Ranger Multimedium Matt