Monday 11 December 2017

2017 #19 Fave Things: Useful Backgrounds with EAB {by Chris Dark}

2017 Topic 19: My Favourite things



This topic is purely for you to kick back, relax and get a breathing space in among the lead up to Christmas. So no challenge for the next 2 weeks, just eye candy and our bloggers sharing what they like to do most. The entries are wide and varied, as you might expect, so prepare to be inspired!


Hi everyone, it's Chris here with you today, and I'd like to share three makes that include some of my favourite things. I was drawn to this topic because it's always a pleasure to make things with favourite things, be that products or techniques. When you use favourites you tend to become proficient with them and so the process is very enjoyable which is a great mood booster.


I always enjoy creating a mixed media background, a favourite technique which also incorporates some of my favourite products and I've used the gorgeous Alison Bomber EAB05 Christmas Sentiment set to make Christmas cards with a vintage feel to them and also a more contemporary bright styled card.


Kay Carley's lovely stamps and stencils worked beautifully for the background stamping and texture.




Grunge paste, well it just works so well and I've used it for the texture underneath the paint.


Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Paints are the perfect basis for a background and of course with the addition of glaze they don't have to have a chalk finish, I've used them as they are but also with matte glaze for the technique on this 'bleak mid winter' card. I've mixed my light coloured opaque paint with an equal quantity of glaze and allowed it to dry off a bit before removing some with a baby wipe to give me my snowy backgrounds, I did this on both of the vintage cards. I've found that this technique also works beautifully with the translucent paints in the range which are already glazes when I wanted a dark glaze over a light background for a more grungy finish.


My second card shows a little more of how the glazing looks when finished, this time I rubbed back a bit more of the glaze and love how it looks more patchy where it had dried completely in places. The sentiment looks great in brown and the beauty of stamping over paint is that you can wipe it off if you don't stamp straight first time which I had to do.


Something to give richness to vintage style projects is Treasure Gold gilding wax, it gives the perfect finish, catches texture better than any other I've tried and remains my favourite product for highlights together with a bit of Stickles glitter glue of course, Star Dust is my favourite in that line!


A firm favourite product this year is the range of Distress Oxide inks, I find I'm using them a lot for another favourite technique of creating distress backgrounds, they've also been good for crisp stamping and worked perfectly for the sentiments over the paint. I've created a more contemporary looking Christmas card using brighter colours and Alison's Stamps as a background rather than a focal point which is another favourite thing of mine, I like to get lots of value from sentiment stamps.


In conclusion I've scored on making some Christmas cards that I'm very happy with for some special people and I've worked with some of my most favourite products and techniques. Oddly for me there is no pen work, everything I used combined to give me a level of detail I was happy with but there is paint and ink splatter :-) .....yet another of my favourite things! I hope you'll give some of these products or techniques a go if you haven't already and that they'll become some of your favourites too!


Thanks for joining me, I wish you a very creative week and a very happy festive season.


Chris x


Blog: www.sketchingstamper.blogspot.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christine.dark.7:
Instgram: @chrisd999
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/cdark4163


I love your cards too Chris! Those distress inks are certainly a game changer when it comes to crafty backgrounds - yours is a stunner! merry Christmas, see you in the New year!


As this is the final topic of the year, there is not a challenge as we know you are all super busy, so sit back, enjoy and be inspired.

Season's Greetings and best wishes to you all from all of us here at PaperArtsy 

14 comments:

Helen said...

Fabulous work Chris! I have finished and posted my cards and looking forward to getting back to some non Christmas makes!

Corrie Herriman said...

Great work Chris ! Love them all !
Corrie x

Words and Pictures said...

Three fabulous cards, Chris! I love how you've used the word stamp to create all that wonderful detail in the rainbow colours of the third one, and the steampunk snowflakes in the first one are really cool, but I think it's the middle one which is my favourite - wonderful depth from the glazing and such subtle shimmer which works so well against the kraft.
Alison x

SewPaperPaint said...

These backgrounds and card designs are perfectly yummy! A true favorite thing! Thanks for the inspiration, Autumn

Miriam said...

simply stunning Chris - I can see you enjoyed using your 'favourite things'.

Tracey@Hotchpotchcreations said...

Such a joy to see some of your favourite things Chris, you are so right how enjoyable it becomes when we find a way to use and create with products and resources. I love your use of the verse stamps and your intricate touches of gold on top of the grunge paste. Magical makes. Thank you for sharing xx

Lucy Edmondson said...

What gorgeous cards, Chris. It's lovely to see your favourite things,

Lucy x

craftytrog said...

I love your background ideas Chris! Wonderful projects!

Redanne said...

Oh wow Chris, three totally gorgeous makes, the snowflakes on the first one are so beautiful and Alison's stamps are the perfect finishing touches! Hugs, Anne xx

Lucy Edmondson said...

Such gorgeous cards, Chris!

Lucy x

Etsuko said...

Stunning seasonal cards Chris!! I love them all. xx

Mac Mable said...

Love the mixed media backgrounds and all the creative elements on your fabulous projects. Thank you for the inspiration x

Hazel Agnew said...

I love how you have created your snowy backgrounds Christine and the idea of using Alison's stamps for your background in the modern card is a great idea. Lots to try out here. Xx

Art By Wanda said...

Fabulous cards, Chris!!!!