2017 #10 Dark to Light: Memories of Summer {by Carol Fox}

2017 Topic 10: Dark to Light: Contrasts & Layers

How many times do we make stuff 'just because' ?? I would probably do a lot more 'just because' activities if time and lifestyle allowed, as I'm sure would you too!! But don't you sometimes find non-crafters very puzzled by what we do and make and particularly why we do these things!? Well tonight we have an article made by Carol with clear purpose! Hurrah! And she magically uses Vintage style items with bright and zingy colours! Ohhhhh!

Hi everyone, it's Carol with you today, and I'd like to share with you a box that I have altered using pink on pink tones and then a bright pop of contrast for the more decorative elements. I love roses especially the old fashioned kind, when my Mum was alive she planted both sides of the long path to the front door with heavily scented roses so when you walked along it they brushed against you and smelt amazing, these were the lovely roses that open yellow and turn with a tinge of orange and pink as they start to fade, I have used these as the inspiration for the roses on my box, hoping to conjour up the feeling of long ago summer days spent lazing in the garden with heavenly scents around you.

Although I started off with a very dark base this did not turn out at all like I envisaged it would. I had a much darker with a vintage twist picture in my head, but that is the wonder of paint, sometimes it just knows what it best and ignores you. The pop of shades of orange on top blend more than clash as I had hoped, but for me this box is a keeper as I really love the combination of the stamps, how well they all worked together and how it turned out. I will at some point add feet to the bottom, but I need to find some old re-claimed things to use for these, so the search is on for just the right thing.

When altering a box I always start off with a good paint base, here I used Plum Fresco Chalk Paint and layered up tones of pink in Sugar Plum Fresco Chalk Paint and  Bubble Gum Fresco Chalk Paint. PS064 can be found here.

I used the wall element off the PS064 stencil and Sherbet Fresco Chalk paint to add a bit of structure to my background and to stop it looking so "splodgey". 

I loved the butterflies on the Scrapcosy set ESC04 and I decided to layer them onto the side of the box using the text on the set as a collage background.

I now added a bright pop of contrast to my box using text from PS064 and Fresco Chalk paints in Coral, Tangerine Twist and Butternut, I stippled these on with a brush mixing and layering as I went to get a shaded finish.

I had a good root through my colouring pencils and found shades of orang, yellow and red that matched my choice of Fresco Chalk paints and coloured in my roses. I had a little faff around and got them laid how I wanted on the lid, trimming odd leaves off and putting them in a different spot so they gave me a nice layout and filling gaps with butterflies. I then took a photo before I took them off to stick down, how  many times have I not remembered where I want things to go, so I now always take a quick snap.

I used  Smoked Paprika Fresco Finish Chalk Paint and Stencil PS036 a favourite filler stencil for me to add a bit more colour to the box, going round all the sides and lid to tie the whole design together.

 

The detail on all the stamps is amazing, but the butterflies are my favorite, after trying several inks I found the best detail was kept by using Versafine ink, and here although I have coloured them over very heavily with Prisma Colouring pencils the detail on the wings is if anything better, as my pencils seem to have made the black spots pop off the wings. The images along with the text background would make a lovely quick card, all you would need are these and a squiggly hand drawn border and bam a five minute card.

I hope you enjoyed my make,

Carol Xx

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I think your shading is amazing Carol! It does seem with detailed images such as these, they do really 'pop' once colour is added. Colouring them always brings them to life, the cool thing with butterflies is you can make them look different each time with varying colour options, despite being the same stamp. Great post! Thankyou! ~ Leandra

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