A JOFY Inspired MDF Ink Rack - Funky Flowers in Bloom!

Good morning all!

I am finally getting around to decorating some of the MDF storage dotted around my room, and with my latest ink rack I decided to go 'JOFY'. 

The basic rack is from Clevercut (Stamps Away) and came flat-packed. I assembled the rack and then base coated the edges with some pale blue paint. I then took a large sheet of watercolour card and measured 4 panels to size (sides, back and top). Using some Distress Oxides, I started to layer the colour and added some detail with Distress Inks and Tim Holtz Stencils. I also added some subtle painted flowers with a beige colour and a JOFY stencil. Once the background was started, I used a stronger colour (Forest Moss Distress Ink) to stencil some PaperArtsy leafy stems. 

Now to add the focal points - the JOFY flowers. I stamped each flower into the position I wanted on my panels. I then stamped parts of them again onto book paper and painted card. After cutting all my pieces out I assembled them and adhered to the backgrounds. Where there were some 'odd' spaces, I stamped some more flowers, leaves or drew in some leaves etc.

On the back panel I painted some card, stamped some more flowers onto this and arranged in one corner. I then used the word 'Bloom' from a JOFY stencil, stencilled in black to create a shadow and then stencilled over it with Fushia Sparkle Medium. To make the paint work 'less perfect' I applied some Silver Alchemy Wax randomly all over the project with my finger.

The only problem is...I need another rack now for all the new colours coming out!

Martina

xxx

An Imagination Craft's Rice Paper Decoupage Card

Hello all! I have the project below over on the Lisa B. Designs Blog today, please pop by to see a step-by-step guide! I have used Rice Papers, Crafter's Companion Foil, PaperArtsy Infusions, Art Stamps, Starlights, and a PaperArtsy JOFY stencil. 

See you soon,

Love,

Martina

xxx

A Vintage and Pretty Card: Rice Paper, Florals and PaperArtsy

Good morning all! I have a vintage card over on the Lisa B. Designs Blog today (one of my favourite themes!). I have used Imagination Crafts Rice Paper together with Starlights Paint, Sparkle Medium, a PaperArtsy stencil and some Heartfelt Creations Sunkissed Fleur flowers/stamps. Please pop over to the blog to see how the card below came together!

Love

Martina

xxx

Crafty Storage - An Altered MDF Ink Rack in a Worn/Vintage Style

Hello all! I have recently decided to organise, de-clutter and re-design my craftroom of late, so I thought I would do a few experiments along the way! Now I warn you perfection-mad, symmetrical, pansies all in a row, matching-type people out there, that by experiments I mean 'decorating things all differently' and totally to MY TASTE! Oh dear I hear my friends sigh...

So, my first project - an MDF Distress Ink Storage Rack by Stamps Away/Clevercut (they have made some amazing storage solutions of late, so you may see a few popping up here and there!!) For this project I was inspired by Andy Skinner's techniques (what a legend!) and one of the gorgeous stencils by PaperArtsy. I wanted to create a vintage rack, which may have been used in a gardening capacity at one time, but is now a bit worse for wear. See what you think...(all comments/feedback/criticism and suggestions are very welcome!).

Step one: follow the instructions to turn your pile of MDF into the rack itself, making sure you don't groan at all the fiddly painting that you know is coming!

Next, I painted the entire rack with a coat of Relic Americana Décor Chalk Paint and let this completely dry. I then used patches of DecoArt Weathered Wood Medium all over the unit, including some on the ink storage sections. I did not want it all to be weathered, just parts that I thought would have been, if it had been stored and a bit battered! (please excuse the lighting in my photo below, I tend to craft very late at night, but you can see the patches of Weathered Wood at least!)

Once the medium was dry (I left it to dry naturally) I was ready for my top paint layer. I used Americana Décor Chalky Finish Paint in Lace, covering each section quickly and with one stroke of my brush. If I missed a bit, I tried to leave it alone, as messing with the paint once the Weathered Wood Medium has started to do its work creates a horrid lumpy disaster! In the pictures below you can see the cracks appearing...love it!

Now that all the preparation work was done, it was time for the fun bit: decoration! Whilst having a look around one of favourite craft shops, (That's Crafty!, in Essex) I found two beautiful PaperArtsy stencils that were perfect for this piece (named 049 and 050). Both stencils have some fantastic decoration elements on them, which are usable for any projects and not just upcyling or gardening themes! Using some more Relic paint, I lightly stippled through the stencils, trying not to be too perfect. For the large Dahlias, I added a pale wash of some pink paint from my stash, just to give a touch of faded colour.

My next stage was to add a wash of DecoArt Fluid Acrylics in Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide over the areas to be the 'most worn' . To darken this still, I added some Quinacridone Gold. 

There we have it, my finished rack! Not perfect, I need some practise I know, but it will do for my purpose! I suppose most of it will be hidden anyway, but I know what's on it at least...

One problem...now I am collecting the Oxides, I am going to need another one! Damn!

That's it for now, thank you for reading!

Love

Martina

xxx

That's Crafty! MDF meets PaperArtsy - 2 Favourites Together!

Hello all! Today I have a blog post on the Lisa B. Designs page featuring the MDF upright project below. Please pop over and let me know what you think (good or bad!). Thank you!

Love

Martina

xxx

A Rebellious Hare: MDF Altered Art with PaperArtsy Products

Good morning all!

I have a post over on the Lisa B. Designs Blog today, taking you through how I created the MDF upright tag below. Pop over to take a peek and find a full product list!

Thank you,

Martina

xxx

Colourful Daisy Days!

Good morning all!

I have a post using some of the fabulous Polkadoodles stamps over on the Lisa B. Designs Blog today, so please pop over to see how I made the card below!

Lots of love,

Martina

xxx