4×4 Friday – Handmade Backgrounds

It’s been ages since my last crafty post, but this week I was inspired by 4×4 Fridays to make something from handmade backgrounds.

The handmade background for this card was made with my favourite methods. I painted a piece of white card with blue paint, using a very dry brush, at various angles. Other times I would add a watered down wash afterwards, but here I was looking for some white space between the brush strokes. Once the paint was dry, I stamped images from Judikins “Treasure Cube” with Staz-on Blue and Autumn Leaves swirl with Brilliance Moonlight White.

4x4 Friday Adventure card

To make the card, a 4″ x 8″ piece of card was folded in half and a square of the background paper was cut and stuck on with double sided tape. Stamped images from StampMania’s Australian Explorers cube, using Staz-on Blue, onto white card, along with “Adventure” by Limited Edition.

Happy creating,

Michelle

4×4 Friday – Numbers

Being an Engineer, I LOVE numbers, so the 4×4 Friday theme is great. But where to start? I chose a rhyme that I’ve been reciting often with my boys, to distract them while walking home from the shops – it seems to work most times!

This has been created with limited resources. We went away for the weekend, to my parents cottage in the bush; card, pen and Derwent pencils. Didn’t have a lot of crafting time, but it was quite relaxing.

Michelle

4×4 Friday – Favourite Colour

My favourite colour is GREEN! So I had heaps of fun creating this piece for the 4×4 Friday challenge this week.

I had already created the green background, using Folk Art’s Hauser Light Green. “Green” was stamped with the Making Memories foam alphabet set, in Brilliance Pearlescent Ivy. As green is my favourite colour I had lots of green embellishments – it was just a matter of choosing the greens that went together. The buttons are from my Grandma’s collection. The green and gold star beads were from the local $2 Shop. I don’t remember where the other bits came from. Gold highlights added with Brilliance Galaxy Gold and a gold Marvey Marker. All bits were stuck on with Folk Art’s Papier Glass Finish.

Can’t wait to see everyone else’s favourite colours!

Michelle

Blue Background

I had two challenges ahead of me that needed a blue background – the Make A Moo or Two Beach theme and the 4×4 Friday Mask theme. So I decided it was time to get the paints out again.

I started with two A4 sheets of white card. I added some Jo Sonja’s Sapphire to a pallet. Using a dry brush, I started criss-crossing randomly around the page. Then I added a little water to the paint and continued criss-crossing all around.  The painted got watered down some more and the process repeated. When the page was nearly all blue, I used the remaining paint, not much more than coloured water by now, to fill what white was left. Go carefully here; adding too much water will start your nice criss-crosses to run and loose definition. Leave to dry.  If the sheet warps too much, let dry and then sit under the phone books for a day.

Once dry, I stamped with an array of stamps that suited my theme; Autumn Leaves Swirls, Stamp Oasis French text, All Night Media motif and Blockheads backgrounds for these sheets.  Brilliance ink was used with Graphite Black, Moonlight White and Platinum Planet (silver). Once the stamping is complete, this usually defines which way is “up” for the sheet. While the swirls are stamped randomly, the text is always stamped horizontally. Again, leave to dry.

There you have it – my method of how to create your own backgrounds. I have since cut mine up for the 4×4 Friday Challenge and into Moo size cards for the Make A Moo or Two challenge.

Have fun creating!

Michelle

4×4 Friday – Masks

Such a great theme for 4×4 Friday this week – Masks have always intrigued me and the glamour of an old-fashioned masquerade ball sends tingles down my spine!

The blue background was made by me – painted brush strokes with one colour and used the watering of the paint to give it different shades. Stamped with Autumn Leaves Swirls, Stamp Oasis French text, All Night Media motif, in Brilliance ink (Black, white and silver). Image from Art-e-zine. Printed text searched for painfully in pages removed from an altered book (I think I ended up doing more reading than word finding – very annoying when I’d already removed a work from the bit I wanted to read!) Black border stamp by Collections.

The image from Art-e-zine is one of my favourites – If you have great places you’ve found images, please let me know!

Michelle

4×4 Friday – Tickets

“Tickets” is the theme over at 4×4 Friday this week. If you haven’t been to visit yet, then get over there now (or at least, after you’ve left a comment!) Not only will you find an amazing group of talented artists showing off their work, you will also find the 4″ by 4″ format a great size to work with – slightly bigger than an ATC and nice and square.

My piece was inspired by the green Go Make Something ticket letters. Then I found the lovely ferris wheel picture from a  “Bordeaux” vintage image sheet (don’t know where it came from  – sorry!) Stamp from “Venezia” plate by Oxford Impressions. Also added some little gold stickers and gold ink for depth. No paint this week – I’m a little painted out after my last piece.

This is all stuck onto thin, ivory board. I think I may turn it into a card.

Happy Creating,

Michelle

4×4 Friday – Vintage Brides

Vintage Brides was the delightful theme for 4×4 Fridays this week. I often use vintage colours, so that wasn’t too much of a stretch. I used texture paste for the first time – I wanted the bride to blend into the background.

Image from Art-e-zine (A great place for images!) Texture paste with paint over the top to blend it in. Found objects stuck into the paste. Handwritten text. “NEW” letters from Collections. Edged with copper Krylon pen.

Happy Creating,

MIchelle

4×4 Friday – Florals

This weeks challenge for 4×4 Friday is Florals – not flowers, but florals. So my aim here was to do something “florally”, not just with flowers. I’ve just bought the “elegant butterfly” stamp, so I thought that was a good start; the right size too!

Background painted purple and stamped with Flower Sketch by Rhonda Farrer, in Brilliance Pearlescent Lavender. Music added to corners and sponged in purple chalk ink. “Elegant butterfly”, by Stampington & Co, stamped in black and lavender, then layered and the butterfly glued with its wings up. Kaiser gems added to corners. All edged in lavender ink.

All very purple, but I’m pleased with it! Especially since it’s so different from my first thoughts for “Florals”.

Happy Creating,

Michelle