2017 # 3 Clipper Sailing Days {by Jennie Atkinson}

2017 Topic Paint and Infusions

If Vintage is your thing, then this is a post to treasure. Delicate use of colour and fantastic composition skills are just a couple of elements that Jennie is sharing with us in this beautifully created blog post.Stockist info here for Infusions, and here for Scrapcosy.

 

Hi everyone Jennie of Live The Dream here with you tonight and thank you for joining me.

I was so very lucky to be part of Scrapcosy's Stamp Release last month and couldn't wait for another chance to share with you some of the fabulous botanical and nautical stamps and stencils in the set.  I am sharing a project using (mainly) my favourite set ESC03. These stamps remind me of the  Clipper Sailing Days when ships went out to the West Indies and West Africa to search for new botanical species and really appeal to my nautical interest. However, with the new colours of Infusions I did not want to stick to the usual nautical or vintage colours!

I decided to create a 6x6" board which I can then insert into a recently bought shadow box for our Study, the colours of which are mainly peach/rust and leather brown but where we have many of our sailing photographs and memorabilia too. 

As you can see I have packed in a lot to the 6 x 6 space using the stamps to create my layers as well as background stamping on the board. Using individual parts of the stencils I have created small areas of texture in the background of the board.

ESC03

ESC02

PS049

PS051

As this is a Paints and Infusions challenge I started off by painting the Heavy Grey/White Board with a couple of coats of Chalk Fresco. I find that this provides a wonderful base layer for the Infusions particularly as I like to use them with lots of water. Painting the back of the board also stops the board warping with the water. I created the texture with Grungepaste before spritzing with water and shaking Rusty Car Infusions here and there. 

I love the way the watery Infusions settle in and around the Grungepaste. I did tip the board up and down and sideways to create swirls and drips before carefully blotting and drying with a heat gun.

Now who would have thought the Radish stamp from ESC02 would provide such a lovely background text stamp! I love this old print style and find it very useful for adding in here and there.

And here it is again as part of the layers I created using the stamp sets. One of the reasons I love PaperArtsy stamps is the way so many different parts can be used to create little labels and words and these stamps are no exception. Although I used Potting Soil Archival ink, stamping off first or stamping on a different type of paper can provide a tonal difference whilst ensuring that everything is co-ordinated.

I am not very good at fussy cutting due to arthritic hands but I do adore this flower. (It looks better from a distance!) To create a good depth of colour I painted my Smoothy Stamping Card first with Chalk Fresco paint before stamping in Archival Ink and then painting with watery Infusions.

I have been using Infusions too for my flower making - again very watery, laying the flower petals in the watery gorgeousness before scrunching them up. I love how the different colours come through when you least expect it!

Not easy to photograph! but here is the board inside the frame. There really is a wonderful depth to the piece through the glass and the vintage/nautical/botanical feel works well despite the non nautical colour.

I think what I love most about this project is that from one little bottle of Infusions I created so many wonderfully co-ordinating colours. It IS random - but by adding more or less water,  providing a base using Fresco paint, texture through a stencil, painting or spritzing or just "slooshing" as in the flowers, the little pot of Rusty Car Infusions has been a great supporting act for Scapcosy's wonderful stamps.  I hope you have as much fun using them as have!

Thank you for joining me tonight and have a great crafting week!

Jennie x
Live The Dream

You have such a great way of layering Vintage elements together so effortlessly Jennie! Raquel's release is stunning and your attention to detail highlights all the layers that are possible with such fabulous stamps and stencils! The infusion work a treat on top too! ~Leandra

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