Monochrome Bauble

   Welcome to my second card for Christmas At Sweet Stampin', our optional twist this month is monochrome but you can join us with any Christmas themed creation.

     This card started with some white card, a bauble stencil and Distress Ink. Using masking tape I secured the stencil to the card and my craft mat, then with an Inkylicious dusting brush I coloured the bauble shape with blue Distress Ink, trying to get it a little darker at the top than the bottom.
     I decided to stamp my image before removing the stencil, I've been a bit clumsy lately so thought this would protect the clean white card a bit longer and I'm happy to say it worked.
     This could just as easily be done in a stamp press, it's just that I was so keen to get it started I forgot until I got to the stamping stage!

     The image was stamped with Versafine Clair Medieval Blue, which is a very dark blue. I wanted to add some tiny stars to the night sky so I used a silver glitter gel pen. As the main star was stamped in blue I chose to add a tiny clear gem to the centre to make it stand out and shine.
     I wanted to keep it simple so I tried to find blue card to match my image, easier said than done, you would think with all the card and paper I have that I would have some the right shade?...no.  So I found an alcohol marker that did match almost perfectly, I cut a white mat layer and coloured the edge with the pen, let it dry and then matted my image panel.
     Once the panel was on a white card blank it needed a big greeting, a die cut would work well as it would sit across the layers happily. I cut one in white and coloured it with the same pen as the mat but it was too dull, so a quick rummage through the mirri card draw and a nice dark blue mirri greeting was ready. I saw somebody showing a tip for adding glue to a thin die cut, but sadly I don't remember who. Put some PVA on the back of your hand and dab the die cut over it to pick up a light coating before putting it on the card, it saves glue splodges oozing out when you press it down.
     A simple monochrome card suitable for a man and thin enough for posting. Making one card a month for is not going to get my stash built up very quickly, so starting next month I will try to make a batch of cards for each challenge to be blogged throughout the month.
     Please come and join us at Christmas At Sweet Stampin' with your seasonal creations, if you haven't seen all the DT inspiration then pop over and take a look.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

ABC Christmas - Hang It Up/Intricate

The 12 Month's Of Christmas - Anything Goes/optional Fairies

The Holly and Ivy - Anything Goes

Hot Glue Flower

     This canvas was inspired by a photograph I saw on line, texture paste had been used to create the petals of a flower. Hot glue can be used for creating texture, so I set about using it to make my flower for Altered Eclectics.

     As the canvas was going to be painted I was able to draw a rough flower shape to guide my glue application. Working one petal at a time I put down a string of glue around the outside edge of the petal, with a silicone finger protector firmly placed on my hand I used it to smudge the glue into the centre to create a veined petal, this could not be done without the protector!
      Working at diagonals around the flower I created all the petals and let them set, hot glue sets quite quickly so you need to work fast. Some petals look better than others but then real flowers are never completely perfect.

 
     To get a textured centre I used some seed beads, a large pool of hot glue completely smothered with beads and left to set. Once the glue had set I very gently rubbed a finger across the beads to disturb any loose ones to get ready for painting.
     The paint I planned to use needed a layer of gesso first, some better quality paints may not need this preparation, it's an idea to try a small patch first if it doesn't give any information on the label.

     I painted the canvas with gesso and then a layer of white acrylic too. The purple metallic paint I used was then put all over the entire canvas, including the edges.
     I wanted the flower paler than the background so I used the same paint and added a little white acrylic to it, it lost it's metallic quality but that didn't matter as I was going to add foil.
     Once dry and touched up where necessary, I added a little glue from a Stix2 glue stick (other glue sticks may work) on each petal with my finger. After a few minutes I placed transfer foil over the petals and gently rubbed to get the silver in place.

     The beaded centre of the flower was painted with white pearl but it didn't look right, so I went over it with a thin layer of gold pearl with gave it some warmth.
     Butterfly or bee?....It had to be a bee. I die cut a bee in black card, then die cut in cork, I had hoped the cork one would be complete but his legs fell off as I took him out of the die, just a little bit too delicate. All was not lost as I used the little bits of cork that the die cut out of his body to go where the yellow bits might bee.

     The card bee was stuck on to acetate so I could get the translucent wings and also to give him some support. The wings looked OK but not quite good enough so I added a little iridescent glitter to them to make them sparkle.
     The bee is stuck on to the flower with two layers of clear foam pad, so if you look at it sideways the bee is hovering.
     A little trip around the edge of the canvas with a two in one glue pen, this is put on and it's blue, you smudge it with your finger to make a random distressed type edge and once it has changed to clear it is super tacky and ready for some foil, this canvas has a mix of silver and purple.
     The whole canvas is only 6x6 so it's easy to find somewhere to hang it, in sunlight it shows just how shiny it is.
     Altered Eclectics is a challenge blog for mixed media and altered art so if you have made anything like that please come over and show us, we would love to see your artwork.

I would like to enter this canvas in the following challenges:

Cut It Up - Flowers - must use a die cut

Simon Says Wednesday - Anything Goes

Love To Create - Anything Creative Mixed Media Goes