Sunday 3 November 2013

Welcome Back Alison Bomber Project #1 The Peace In Crafting ....

Hello everyone, Alison here. It is so good to be back sharing my next round of projects. The craft-time for this week's makes was carved out of the sharp end of a chaotic house-moving schedule, so I wanted to allow myself some pure crafting joy. There's nothing necessarily ground-breaking here technically, just me having fun with lovely paints, stamps and inks.

I started with two tags, a stencil, some medieval music on the CD player, and one of my favourite ways to create a background.



I love working with paints and inks next to each other for the contrast. Fresco paints with their chalky finish are particularly good against translucent Distress Inks - even the translucent Frescos, though for the full effect you probably want some opaques involved.



I sponged three of my favourite colours through the stencil onto one tag, and then flipped the stencil straight over onto tag 2 and pressed down to transfer the paint onto the the tag surface.



I love doing this, as it gives me a pair of tags straight off - which always sets my brain off working on partner pieces.



Next I grabbed some Distress Inks...


again, some of my favourite colours...


... and used blending tools...


... to build up areas of colour...


... around and over the paint.


Next step is some spritzing and flicking... 


I usually let the water sit on the surface for a few moments before applying some paper towel to soak up the droplets, and then drying with a heat tool.


I never tire of this look, or of the glowing ink against the chalky paint.


As you'll have worked out by now, I like building up layers in my backgrounds, so it's time to add some stamping.




I used the Ink and the Dog Words 2 plate and some more Mermaid paint for the first layer, applying the paint to the stamp with a bit of Cut N Dry foam.



The opaque paint really holds its own against the busy background.


I used the same stamp, but this time with some Aquamarine Archival Ink to add another layer.


So, now, what to do with my two beautiful backgrounds?!


Leandra included some Tando arches in my goody box, and the Gothic shape suited the mood created by the music and the crafting so far.



So, some more favourite colours, blended directly onto the arches...



... and then some Crackle Glaze over the top.


Back to lovely Mermaid, combined with some Snowflake, to go over the top of the Crackle Glaze.



I applied it with a sponge instead of a brush to get a random porcelain crackle rather than directional "woody" crackle.



And then I inked it with some Mowed Lawn Distress Inks, so that it would tie in with the background even more.

Some more stamping now, and time to introduce my main stamp sets for this month's posts: the Urban Snapshots Nature plates.

US Nature 1                                         US Nature 2                                          US Nature 4

   
 

I stamped two of the leafy images direct onto the solid arch shapes...



... using Potting Soil Archival Ink - how's that for a "natural, earthy" colour?!



And I stamped two of the sentiments onto some plain paper in the same colour.



Out with my favourite Vintage Photo Distress Ink to do some edging around the sentiments.



And of course, I ended up blending some Vintage Photo onto the edges of the tags too.



I love how the ink takes differently according to whether it's over ink or paint, creating different textural layers.



I arranged all the elements using padded tape in either single, double or even triple layers to give various levels of dimension.



The final ingredient came direct from nature: some dried Grape Hyacinth seed heads from my mother's garden in the Czech Republic.



They're so beautiful and very delicate... I bound a couple of stems together with raffia to get the shape I wanted within (and without) the frames.



So there's my pair of tags... it took a while playing with the composition of the elements to get them to complement each other.



I started with positioning the hollow arches to "frame" some of my favourite bits of the background, but then once the seed heads arrived, I realised it was better to position the frame to avoid my favourite bits, otherwise they got to covered up by the flowers!



I kept the topping for the tags very simple and natural too: some lengths of raffia tied together with twine.


I'm really happy with the dimensional layering of the elements.



And overall, these tags gave me some real peace and solace in the midst of a very trying time... crafting comes to the rescue again!  I hope they inspire you to indulge in some joyful creating too.

Leandra Says: The balance of composition is just brilliant Alison, you have a real natural ability for this. The colours and use of natural materials were just perfect for this stamp collection. Excited to see what else is coming up this week.

Gillian Says:Beauuuuutiful composition Alison, the depth to the layered background and the crackle effect looks fab.

61 comments:

Darcy Marshall said...

Just stunning!

Unknown said...

They are really really beautiful!

Emma x

Helen said...

Wonderful tags, love all the layers of colour and the seed heads are just amazing. Welcome back!

Unknown said...

Love them both. Thanks for sharing

sam21ski said...

Gorgeous xxx

Kathi said...

Absolutely beautiful. The depth of color and pattern is wonderful.

I also love those stamp sets, so they're now on my (rather long) wish list!

Thank you so much for a fabulous post!

Unknown said...

Beautiful tags Alison. Love the colours! :)

Julie Lee said...

These are gorgeous! The colours and composition are wonderful. I know just what you mean about the solace of crafting! I am determined to find the still point of the turning world this week and craft along with you, Alison. I am just going to enjoy the peace with my favourite music and my solitude! Julie Ann xxx

Deborah Wainwright said...

I've been crafting all day and feel tired but after seeing these exciting tags I'm so inspired to go back in and start something myself. I too love these colours and I really like the ties at the top great project.

Craftyfield said...

Just beautiful!

Hazel Agnew said...

Delicate and refreshing. Fabulous. X

Clare Lloyd said...

Love the background you created Alison.

Chris said...

Fabulous pair of tags Alison and such a beautiful background and colours! Chris x

ionabunny said...

Love your tags. Great technique with the stencils and gosh for a change I have some of the stamps and paints used!! Love those nature stamps.

froebelsternchen said...

simply amazing tags Alison!
wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Karin said...

Gorgeous pair of tags

Carol Q said...

absolutely wonderful Alison.

Netty said...

Beautiful tags Alison, Annette x

Fliss said...

Absolutely amazing Alison. Such gorgeous use of colour and texture and the overall effect is so serene.
Hugs, Fliss xx

...the yorkshire fox... said...

...utterely gorgeous Alison, layer upon layer of yumminess, inspiring...Mel:)xx

Lin said...

Wow what gorgeous tags..I love the mix of the frescos and the distress inks!! my fav colours too. Love all the different layers and the quote from Nature one is one of my favorites too..

Unknown said...

Fab colours, great tags x

massofhair said...

Stunning:-)

Carol Plume said...

What gorgeous tags definitely inspired me to gave a go this week.

Ms. Lahtidah said...

Lovely. These have such a serene air about them. Love the colors and the seed heads are awesome. Appreciate the tip on applying the paint in a different manner for the different crackle effect.

toni said...

Beautiful!!, superb layering and gorgeous colouring, I wish I could get my spritz and flick action as good as you ! I always end up with puddles ! Lovely x

Astrid Maclean said...

Great tags Alison, wonderful layers and I love those crackled arches!

Alie Hoogenboezem-de Vries said...

Great creations and wonderful quotes Alison...love the stunning details!

Almo said...

Beautiful Tags Alison. Hugs Mo x

Chrissy said...

Fantastic Alison...just gorgeous.Love the colours and the step by step how to get there...beautiful.

luv CHRISSYxx

Debi said...

they look so fab, just love the vibrant background :) Debi x

Dianne said...

There is NOTHING better then seeing you have fun and create, seeing the background come together, oh boy this is EXCITING, soooo beautiful, love the colors,the gothic shapes are superb, loooove the crackling. These two tags are THE BOMB******.. You will be blowing up blog land this week at Papery Artsy, Thanks for sharing this fabulous make...

Etsuko said...

Beautiful tag! Lovely blue colours combination. Thank you for share of us.
Etsuko xx

Jo said...

Beautiful, love the mixture of mediums and textures, so much to look at. Jo xx

joanne wardle said...

really lovely tags. gorgeous backgrounds.

chrissie said...

This is tunning

Love Chrissie x

Unknown said...

Totally gorgeous! Love the colours x

Deborah said...

Divine!

craftimamma said...

Beautiful tags Alison! Love how you started with the positive and negative of the stencil.

Hugs
Lesley Xx

cathylynn said...

Two beauties! Wonderful colors and textures. Great tutorial too! Love those dried flowers. Perfect with raffia.
Hugs, Cathy-Lynn

May said...

WOW...Stunning work Alison...Love the background & stamping... Loved the tutorial as always...In a word!!! Brilliant...Hugs May x x x

Cocofolies said...

FABULOUS couple of tags, WOW WOW Alison !! How do you do for creating all the time masterpieces of Art, even when starting with simple tags ! Love your work, great my dear !! :) Coco xxx

Alison said...

Two beauties Alison...great backgrounds & composition! xx

Hettie said...

Fab-u-lous Alison! The grape hyacinth looks so right at home on these tags.
Great tutorial too. Want to get my few chalky paints out now.
Great inspirational pieces.
Well done.
Hugs
xx

Mona Pendleton said...

Beautiful Alison! Thanks for sharing your creative process!

Lucy Edmondson said...

How beautiful, Alison! Love the combo of ink and paint. Looking forward to getting stuck in. Lovely to have you back,

Lucy x

Mary Elizabeth said...

Sweet!! Love this. I just wish I could have listened to the medieval music as I read your blog :) I think that was such a great moment in your description of your process. We are inspired by so much around us. Of course you ended up with cracked (or rather crackled) and worn arches on your tag :) Love the effect you achieved with your backgrounds. All the lovely "island" colors (Bora Bora and South Pacific and Mermaid) made me wish for a warmer day to look at these beautiful backgrounds. Loved the chalky paint finish with the Distress inks. Thanks for photos of the different layers as you added paint and ink. I felt myself caught up in your evolving vision of what you wanted your background to be. Fun! Thanks for your time and considerable effort in sharing this with all of us Alison :) -- Mary Elizabeth

Unknown said...

Absolutely worth the click to view these masterpieces. Holy Moly Alison! These are stunning and I don't have a particular favorite part because I love each step. :) Beautiful way to display color, texture, light and your sentiment is a personal favorite of mine. Love, love, love these!!!

Dorthe said...

Thankyou for showing your magnificent art work, in so many steps,-it is a delight to see all the photoes, and learn what you do.
The result is stunning Alison.
xo, Dorthe

Jennie Atkinson said...

Absolutely fabulous tags Alison - the colours are just stunning and the step by step really shows how many layers you have on there! Fabulous!!

Anonymous said...

So very beautiful. Gorgeous colours, fab layers & textures, I love them.

Linda Hart said...

Just gorgeous work. Love every element, and your description of building up the background. Thnanks so much for taking so many pics and sharing with us!

Nan G said...

So beautiful! Thanks so much for your step by's they've been a big help in my attempting/learning of this stamping and layering technique. Hugs

Paper Profusion said...

Perfect artistry at work here Alison. These are very beautiful indeed. Nicola x

Sandy said...

Big sigh - I like you too much to be jealous!!!!!

mamablitger said...

Just crazy about your tags. You are truly very talented. Grateful that you shared this tutorial. Thanks a lot !!!
Hugs from SPAIN

Anonymous said...

It's amazing how your tags turn out. All of those layers really do create such wonderful debth! Plus I'm a fan of anything blue and green. LOL These are just beautiful, and I love the crackle finish too!

Anonymous said...

Really wonderful post! Thank you so much for this!

Ananasa.com- Home For Handmade

Julia S-W said...

Simply stunning Alison!
Juliax

Kezzy said...

Wow wow wow absolutely gorgeous. I made a right mess with mine. I couldn't get a transfer on my second tag, so then I painted the mask instead but I must be not putting enough paint on as it didn't really transfer either. I had used vintage lace, claret and chocolate pudding together which looked fab, but for some reason I used aged mahogany and gathered twigs distress and that went awfully wring as they didn't match, so in the end I gave up this was last night:-(. Kezzy xxx

mark gould said...

I love those backgrounds Alison and the tando arches are always good accent pieces. great to see you here. x