2015 Topic 2: Shiny Stuff {Challenge}

Topic 2: Shiny Stuff

Over the next fortnight....it's time to get in touch with your inner magpie! We are exploring metals, mica, beads, wire, jewellery, paint effects, Treasure Gold, in other words, all things shiny, rusty or metallic.

Well you probably won't add gold leaf to your face...but I'm sure you can think of some other things that could get the gilding treatment!

Before we chat about shiny things.... let's find out from Darcy who won the challenge for the Fragile Papers theme. So many entries, we really wish we could give everyone a prize!

Hi everyone, Darcy here. 

We were over the moon with all the entries for the Fragile Papers theme. You really took the idea to heart and action! So many wonderful creations from both you and our guests. The inspiration from the blog is evident in your projects but we are thrilled to see so many of you throwing your own ideas into the melting pot too. Well done everyone, what a fantastic start to the New Year.  

And the winning name from Topic 1......goes to.....

#18. Patty's Magpie Nest

To claim your £50 voucher, please email me, Darcy with your details to darcydotneedles@hotmail.com and I'll explain how you claim your prize. 

So what might push your metal buttons? Perhaps its  applying mica powders to clay...

or making your own clay buttons...

Of course there are plenty of shiny beads out there...I'm sure we will see some jewellery makers emerge on the blog this week!

maybe you might use your treasure gold

or perhaps fresco paints and Treasure Gold...

You might even decorate a frame with a paint effect... and treasure gold??

Or what about stamping into some grunge paste and adding some shine

This projeect is from one of our ArtsyCrafts weekends that Lin and I offered twice a year for 5 years here in England. This was a mega-experimental project! It's made with moulds and resin-clay to create tiles. It was all painted with Fresco paints (I think this was 4 years ago when they first were released) and of course back then we used Viva Decor Inka Gold. But now that we know Inka Gold has no shelf life (it goes mouldy), so we switched to the far more shiny, and ever-lasting Treasure Gold.

Another of our projects with metal from ArtsyCrafts, this was a book cover with metal-patina border, and metal-stamped with Hot Picks flowers. 

This one is a niche-frame, lots of layers, some of the shiny metal...

A close up in a different colour way...ohh look...glimmer mists on the 'curtains' add sparkle and shine...

Another of my favourite ArtsyCrafts projects, this one took all day, lots of rusty layers, but again mica, clay, metal, wire, rust and of course, Treasure Gold.

A close up of rusting powder on the wooden surround frame, and a charm embedded in mica-enhanced clay

But of course do you remember Lin Brown making these metal flowers?...

And of course you can emboss metal, then distress or patina it with paint...

or like this... another ArtsyCrafts weekend metal close up...

.... from a variation of this Gothic Arch frame

And there are even some shiny UTEE Leandra-beads dangling from the bottom! Those are lots of fun to experiment with if you have a melt pot nearby! Fondue-UTEE!

And here's one of Linda Cain's box creations. Altered with paints and metal elements to effectively look like a rusty metal effect...

And who would have thought you can turn polysyrene balls into metal lookalikes with plumbers foil tape a few dotty markings and paint effects!

Here is a PaperArtsy stamp (designed to be used with metal) that you stamp, outline, and puff from the back with a paper stump. This sample is onto coloured metal.

So many ideas and only a fortnight to explore! Find you inner magpie and let's get cracking!

Here's a video to get you thinking on this theme, and a chance to see some of the above projects up close and personal!




Our designers have again come up trumps with some amazing things to inspire you over the next 2 weeks. You can be led by them, or perhaps along the way you'll think of something totally different you want to try, that's perfect. Whatever you decide, enjoy yourself exploring our Shiny theme over the next 2 weeks!

Enjoy!

Leandra

We would love you to join in with challenge #2: Shiny Stuff. If you are inspired by any of our guests who blog with us over the fortnight, then please join in and link up your creativity HERE.

NB This time you will get 3 weeks to join in this challenge, as we will interrupt the schedule for our New Product Announcement week starting February 1st.

All links go in the draw to win a voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. This link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, Feb 8th 2015, winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

An InLinkz Link-up

Challenge Guidelines:

1. The challenge is a chance for you to show how you have been inspired by a particular technique of the fortnight. Your entry should contain:

- a mention of which post inspired you and why, and 
- a link in your blog post to that original post on the PA blog.
The whole concept of this challenge is 'play along with us'. You are encouraged to put your own twist on ideas you see on our blog, don't feel obliged to copy an idea exactly, but if you prefer to replicate, of course that is fine too. We love to see how you are inspired!

2. The link you put on our linky page must lead directly to the specific post on your blog where you have explored the technique/ idea mentioned in point 1 above. Don't link to the home page of your blog, or we will be unable to find the post to leave you comments.

3. Spam links will be deleted.

4. We prefer your challenge post is created exclusive to our challenge. Multiple challenge links in one blog post often creates a conflict of interest between the different challenge hosts.

5. You are most welcome to use stamps/ products/ substrates you have to hand from a variety of companies, we do not expect you to exclusively use PA products - but of course it's lovely when you do!

6. You can enter as many times as you like in the fortnight. We don't want to restrict your creativity or participation! Link closes at 17:00 Sunday Feb 8th. (NB 3 week challenge due to New Product announcement week interruption Feb 1-8)

7. The winner of the random draw will receive a £50 credit to be redeemed on the PaperArtsy Website, the credit includes VAT and postage. We request that one of your purchases is an A5 rubber stamp. You can add any other items to your basket, but the final total should not exceed £50

8. Each Sunday fortnight the winner will be announced at 19:00, also, in the same post, the link for the next fortnight will be posted. It's your responsibility to claim your prize coupon from Darcy: email her darcydotneedles@hotmail.com

Good Luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!