PaperArtsy Blog Summary of Topics 1-3 {Curated by Leandra Franich)

Blog Summary: Transparent Art, Hearts, Wax Crayons

The week ahead is a time to reminisce as we look back on the topics this blog has explored during 2016. 

Tonight's curator is me, Leandra! In fact, I am curating a few of these posts over the next few nights they are so much fun. Often I am crazy busy for extended periods, and this is the perfect time for me to go back and properly remember, study and appreciate how talented our bloggers are.

I know my year has been the more challenging than I expected. 2015 was pretty stressy for us so I figured 2016 would be a doddle. Wrong! Breaking ties with NZ (we sold our house) was a wrench as we didn't really want to endure. All the the kids seemed to be going left right and centre over the country and inter-country as they settle into adulthood, be it a new school, new university, or a Gap year. The house was either loud or quiet, depending on who was home! I could not keep track of who was supposed to be where and when! Business-juggling seemed harder than usual. Lots going on, I guess we were growing but knowing when to add staff isn't easy. Then all the political turmoil with Brexit (and then Trump). I guess the unpredictable nature of 2016 has been quite an unsettling thing for us all in many ways. It there is one thing 2016 has been its unpredictable. I quite like the unexpected, so I think we just need to continue to be flexible as 2017 unfolds with all it has to offer!

Tonight I'm sharing my blog post picks from Topics 1-3: Transparent Art, Hearts and Wax Crayons. Grab a Christmas day treat, and enjoy!

Leandra 

Topic 1: Transparent Art

It does take a bit more planning when you work on a clear surface, be it the ink or colouring option you select, or just figuring out how to disguise the attachment method you will use! None of that seemed to phase our bloggers, and here are just a few highlights from that wonderful Topic in January.

My first pick is this amazing beauty by Keren Baker. A very poignant piece that brought to Keren's mind the tragedy in Paris of late 2015. Representing (in Keren's words) 'the beauty evidenced in the way people stood together amidst tragedy'. 

The simplicity of the piece, and the heartfelt sentiment hit straight to my heart. The horrific events in Paris were a night of fear for Mark and I. We watched the news in horror. We have a deep love for Paris and her people, we are fortunate to visit every year for a wonderful scrapbook show 'Version Scrap', and frequently have visited too on family trips.

However, our horror on that night went somewhat deeper. The week before Ella was sitting in the outdoor seats of the exact restaurant that was first hit. And the night of the attack Courtney was in Paris just along the road from that same area. Her group managed to get to their nearby hotel. It was an anxious night for us all as the horrific events unfolded. We all seem to see things more clearly after an event such as that. I think there are so many parallels in this gorgeous piece Keren made. I love it.

I hope you didn't miss Anneke's icy cards. There are lots of clear mediums out there, but glass bead gel is something super-special and I particularly loved this piece! Anneke has such a gift for layers of elegant simplicity!

I adored how Liesbeth made these 'jewels' with shrink plastic, check it out here .  

Not only was colouring from the reverse of a shiny surface a popular past-time in the transparent art fortnight, but the whole act of shrinking them just accented the depth to create amazing jewels. A gem of an idea...see what I did there!!

Topic 2 : Hearts

With such a broad topic, perhaps some of these ideas might help you along with valentines crafting? If not go back and take a look at the rest of the topic, I really wanted to show you everything! Space does not allow!!

I loved this canvas by Wanda. She kicked off the new topic with simple elegance. The flowers by Darcy sit perfectly on top of the textured background, and I love the pale heart in the centre, and that the flowers are red, not the heart. What a fantastic 'New Home' gift this would make! You can see the process here.

I adored The amazing details in this project by Chris Cresswell. Not only were the colours striking, but the textures, floating elements on wire, and sheer number of techniques she managed to fit into one project was mind boggling! What a masterclass!

Lucy Edmondson reminded us how Fresco Chalk paints stick to anything, even glass! I love how she  managed to emboss with gold INSIDE, yes INSIDE the bottle, and then she put paint on top for a fabulous contrast! It is great how painting the interior allows the exterior layer of glass to act as the perfect gloss top coat. And, shrink tags to embellish the bottle too!

Next up for something completely different! Karen Daniell treated us to a textile treat. Stamped and coloured fabric was sewn together patchwork style. After the pic below she added lace along the joins to separate the borders. It turned out fantastic! All with JoFY stamps.

Topic 3 : Wax Crayons

I knew this topic was going to be a pleaser, and lot of people were stuck on a wax kick for months after this!! It really is an enjoyable way to collage!. Get yourself a meltpot (yes they are still available), dip, scrape, layer, zap, job done! When you start to play with inclusions, colours, then the excitement just builds until you go wax crazy - and that's the best kind of crazy!

My first pick is this wood block by my buddie Lin Brown. She seems to master every craft she turns her hand to, and encaustic is yet another that she has all the gear for! I love the trapped layers, stencilling and copper embellishment above the door. Lin always seems to nail placement and composition so perfectly!.

Tracy Scott dripped, flicked and splattered wax like a posessed woman! 

Sue Carrington was stamping onto tissue and creating amazing layers along the way too. 

It is fun to look back on what our genius bloggers have shared with us over the course of a year. This year seems to have zapped by in a blink, but at least the blog remains as the perfect reference tool Don't forget to save the posts that float your boat on pinterest. No excuse now, you'll hit the New Year with a dozen ideas to crack on with!

Leandra