2021 Topic 9: Baubles & Bling with NEW JOFY {by Jo Firth-Young}

 2021 Topic 9: Baubles & Bling

If glittery restraint was an Olympic skill, Jo would definitely be up there in contention for medals. Her sparkly project is like a bling 'I spy' and she's ended up with a beautiful item anyone would love to display at Christmas.
~ Keren.

Hi everyone, it's Jo with you today to share with you a gorgeous Christmas box frame. 

As you know, the blog topic at the moment is 'Baubles and Bling' - I heard the word 'bling' and I was in!!  The chance to use sparkly things liberally on a project?! Yes please!

That said, I have been quite (very) restrained with my use of sparkly shiny elements, all used quite discreetly; all 7 types..lol! Well, this is a Christmas themed project and Christmas isn't Christmas without a bit or sparkle is it?!

I used an up-cycled wood box frame for the outer substrate of my project; the original print on the box was quite dark so to block this out I covered the entire surface in book pages, overlapping to the inside of the frame where the project will be fixed. 

This is a relatively simple project built up with several layers of stenciling & stamped images.. the overall effect is lovely especially when the light catches elements and the glazes and sparkles reflect the light.

I cut a square panel of chipboard/greyboard 1cm smaller than the internal measurement of the frame - this is the inner substrate of the project.

I planned a cool colour scheme for the project and instead of reaching for my preferred pale background colours I started with a darker blue. I applied Calypso and Snowflake paint onto the board with a sponge using a circular/clouding motion which created a subtle blended effect - darker at the top and lighter towards the bottom.

NB:  In the photo above you can see tabs of masking tape on either side of the board - I attached these so that the panel can be lifted in and out of the frame while working on it.

The background has several layers of stenciling.  I used PS275 and Metallic Glaze (bling #1) to add large snowflakes all over the panel.

For the next layer I used PS273 and Sea Glass paint to add a line of hanging stars - using a dabbing motion to achieve a full coverage of paint.

In the photo above I've tilted the board so you can see how the layers work together, the Metallic Glaze catches the light when tilted which is a lovely effect.

 

 

The final stenciled layer used the large bauble shapes on PS273 to create silhouette (ghost-like) baubles - I lightly swirled Snowflake paint through these shapes so the paint is slightly transparent and allows other images to show through. 

When I make a project that sits within a frame I will often place it in the frame to see how it looks (the reason for the masking tape tabs in an earlier photo). After seeing the board within the frame I decided the background needed 'something' so I added some splats of white (concentrating them across the top edge) to give the effect of snow.

I used a white pencil to draw hanging cords for the 'ghost' baubles and to add a highlight around the edges (a pencil gave a softer line, a white pen would've been too bright/opaque).

The main motifs for the box frame are the large hanging baubles on the newly released JOFY104. (available exclusively from PaperArtsy stockists - follow this link for a retailer list at the bottom of the post) They were going to look great hanging in the recess of the wood frame!

 

I stamped the baubles twice onto wood grain printed paper (using a stamping platform - such a useful tool !!)

Then onto painted card stock (Aqua Duck Egg & Pistachio), using a clouding motion so the finished effect was softer, not solid. (Happy accident:  I used the same sponge to apply the Aqua Duck Edge paint as I had for the Metallic Glaze stenciling, it resulted in a lovely shimmery finish to the Aqua Duck Egg painted surface! Happy accident!). You can see it in the photo below where I'm adding shading using a coloured pencil.

 

 

I cut out and assembled all the stamped images adding painted and paper-pieced details. Above is a photo of the finished baubles (on the panel). I shaded the bottom edges of the painted baubles using a coloured pencil to give them shape. I painted the snowflake details in a contrast colour: Aqua Duck Egg on the Pistachio baubles, White Fire (bling #2) on the wood grain and Aqua Duck Egg baubles, self-adhesive gems (bling #3) in snowflake centres and white pen highlights on all baubles.

Shading with coloured pencils makes a big difference in shaping the baubles.

This photo above shows how I suspended the baubles in the box frame.  I pierced through the hole on each stamped and threaded it with a metallic cord (I'm counting that as bling #4). Using a box frame means that baubles can be suspended/mounted at different depths from the back of the frame to give the effect they are dangling.

The board itself is raised off the inside of the frame on layers of 3d foam. You can see the varying levels in the photo above - some on 1 layer of 3d foam, some on 2.

For the ornaments that are mounted furthest away from the back panel I created a square tube of acetate and cut lengths to suit the bauble. You can see one in the photo above - its approximately 1cm square, the added bonus of using acetate is its transparency and lack of weight.

I attached all the ornaments to the base board and the threads were folded over the top the  board and secured behind (the acetate mounted baubles were attached to the underside of the top edge of the box frame).

With the base panel centered inside the frame and secured in place I added a few final details.

I stamped the words from JOFY104 along the edges of the frame leaving space for a bit more bling - a nice touch of white 'frosty' glitter on the corners (bling #5).

I die cut snowflakes from glitter paper (bling #6) and added some tiny spots of glitter glue  (bling #7) for a touch of twinkle dotted amongst the matte snow splatters.

One of the last details I added was to sketch around the painted panel with a white pen - this softened the edge and created a 'frosted' look - similar to the corner of frosted pane of glass.

This project could be reconfigured for many other substrates - art journal pages, greeting cards (see my July product release post for more examples of those), tags, canvasses - and in lots of other colour schemes; so many options.

I hope you're inspired to try it.... remember to have fun with it!  Use as many baubles as you can fit, use as many colours as you'd like - and don't skimp on the glitters!  As always I look for forward to seeing what you make!

Take care.

Jo

Website: www.jofy.co.uk

Pinterest: @jofyjo

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Teaching dates - ONLINE workshops
21.08.21  The Artistic Stamper, www.theartisticstamper.com ....Fabulously Festive

28.08.21  Loobi Crafts, www.loobicrafts.co.uk ...Wonderfully Wintery