Friday 1 April 2016

Spring is in the Air- A Vintage Journey- April 2016 Challenge

Hello Everyone and Welcome
Hope you have all had a great week and been fortunate enough to enjoy at least some sunshine wherever you may be in the world.
So today sees the start of the 4th month of the year ( where did the other 3 go ??) and that means as today is the first friday in April its the start of a brand new challenge over at A Vintage Journey .
Lovely Sandy is the host this month and she has chosen a challenge theme befitting of the season - 'Spring is in the Air'. Here's what she says:

'Leave those winter blues behind . Make anything that says SPRING using pastel colours . Its your choice, a card, a canvas, 3D or a tag etc but remember it should be in one of the vintage, shabby , mixed media, art journaling, industrial or steampunk styles that we favour '

   As usual there will be one lucky winner who wins our sponsor's prize  which this month is a £20 voucher to spend at  Country View Crafts 
The Creative Guides also select 3 pinworthy winners who will not only win a pinworthy badge to display on their blog but will also be invited to rejoin us as a Guest Designer for a future challenge.

So with 'Spring in the Air' I have embrace my 'inner calm' and created a mixed media canvas using a more serene colour palette with just subtle accents of darker hues to give it a fresh, crisp 'spring like' appearance  while still retaining a little bit of 'grunge'.
I even managed to refrain from using any black soot !!! Yes, not a single dot of black soot was used in the making of this canvas !!

I began by priming a 5"x7" canvas with a coat of gesso and let dry. Next came the paint and I chose to use Tim Holtz distress paints, watered down to create paler hues - cracked pistachio applied to the left of the canvas, mustard seed down the centre and broken china to the right .


I realised at this point I should have adhered some tissue tape to the canvas before painting so did it at this stage making sure to take it over the edges as well as on the face of the canvas . I then added more paint and gesso to the canvas, remembering to keep it subtle, fresh and 'spring like'.

Now for the detail - stamps and stencils provide this using various products- Watering can Archival ink , distress inks, texture paste, Tim Holtz layering stencils, script stamp and a speckle stamp.


 It still needed a little more, I felt, so I kept stenciling and stamping until I was happy. I then used my splatter brush and the paints to create some splatters before spritzing with perfect pearls and adding  gentle touches of silver gilding wax.
 Now for some close ups of the background 








 The butterfly and Time piece
 As Spring officially begins when the clocks go forward I wanted to acknowledge that somewhere on my canvas so I found a wooden pocket watch embellishment in my stash and altered it with a coat of gesso. Once dry using my finger I caught the gesso surface with hickory smoke distress paint.
 The butterfly is from Tim Holtz 'Perspective' stamp set and is stamped and coloured using the same  archival ink and distress inks as I used for the canvas.  I embellished the butterfly with an ideology game spinner and hitch fastener to represent the hands of a clock . 



I also applied some Tim Holtz crazing medium to the edges of the wings to create a subtle crackle


The letters on the wordband are highlighted using Tim Holtz distress crayons. They do the job so much quicker and easier than using paints. I attached it to the canvas using brads..... 


... and here it is my 'Spring is the Air' canvas !  


 I hope I have offered some inspiration with my mixed media canvas and if you haven't already, be sure to pop by A Vintage Journey to view some of my fellow Creative Guides inspiring projects.
With this challenge only just beginning there's still plenty of time to enter and don't forget if you do you could be chosen as the random prize winner or one of the 3 pinworthy winners . 

I would like to enter my Spring is in the Sir canvas into the following challenges 
Stamps and Stencil Challenge: Spring is in the Air! 
Country VIew Crafts , April Challenge: Spring!  

Thank you so much for popping by today! Your visits, comments and follows are always very much welcomed and appreciated. 
Hope you have a lovely weekend and the sun shines downs on you all
Take care 
Amanda 
xxx

25 comments:

  1. The textures, colors, and layers on this is so amazing. This takes mixed media to the max. Just love it. Sandy xx

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  2. I love the paler hues you chose for the background and the added touch of stamping. The texture makes this look so tactile. I love the butterfly nesting upon the pocket watch too and who cannot but love a touch of crackle. Lovely Spring piece. Have a lovely weekend .Tracy x

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  3. what a beautiful little canvas you created Amanda! Wonderful layers of color and stenciling on your background and the crackle on the butterfly's wings is lovely! Julia xx

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  4. This is a gorgeous Spring delight Amanda! I love the soft, ice cream colour tones you used to created the soft background and the butterfly is stunning. How clever to add the clock/watch to represent the arrival of Spring too! This is a stunning make! Hugs, Anne xx

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  5. Fabulous project Amanda! Love that beautiful pastel coloured background and amazing work with the butterfly! Stunning Spring project!

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  6. Oo so pretty Amanda. Thank you for the step by step photos, I really struggle to think in layers!!
    Wishing you a lovely weekend xxx

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  7. Gorgeous canvas ... i love the colours and all the details. Beautiful xx hugs rachel x

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  8. This is brilliant Amanda, what beautiful colors and fabulous focal point! Gorgeous design. Hugs, Autumn

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  9. An absolutely stunning canvas Amanda - gorgeous colours and fabulous textures. And then to top it off with that fabulously crackled butterfly. A stunning piece. Have a lovely weekend. Jennie x

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  10. Loved seeing the layers build up on this wonderful canvas, Amanda!!

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  11. Love watching those layers build up, and the crackled edges to the butterfly wings are really cool! Lovely springtime canvas, Amanda.
    Alison x

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  12. Fabulous canvas Amanda, love all of your wonderful layers and colours on that gorgeous background and the butterfly and clock centerpiece are inspired, loving the crazing on the edges of the wings! Thanks so much for sharing it (and congrats on not using any Black Soot :OD ) Deb xo

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  13. Wow Amanda, this is just gorgeous, I love all the wonderful, dreamy layers of paint, stamping and stencilling you have laid down to create this beautiful background and then the fabulous butterfly and timepiece sits perfectly on it. How clever to use the crazing on the wings to create that subtle crackle and add the spinner and hitch fastener. Love it.
    Enjoy your weekend.
    Hugs Brenda xxx

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  14. Fantastic canvas Amanda -- I never think of all these layers but I want to try. Your canvas is really spectacular and I am going to read this post several times!! Your butterfly sure does have that wow factor!!
    sandy xx

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  15. How absolutely beautiful Amanda! I love the touches of crackle on the butterfly and the layers of texture/interest on that canvas background xx

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  16. Where to start... can I just say I love it all! I adore seeing how people do their backgrounds and yours is fabulous. TFS. The crackles on the butterfly are great - must get that pot off the shelf. Have a wonderful week Amanda. xxx

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  17. Gorgeous canvas in beautiful spring colours. Love all the texture you created. Thanks for joining us at Stamps and Stencils.
    Hugs!
    Cec

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  18. Wow, Amanda, your canvas is so beautiful! I lovve all your layers of paint, ink and texture and the crackled wings of the butterfly are gorgeous!
    Thank you for joining us at Country View Challenges this month!
    Evelyn DT

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  19. This is really lovely Amanda, beautiful colours and textures. Thanks so much for joining in with our challenge at Country View Crafts. Sue xx

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  20. Wonderful elegant project and loving the crackle on the edges of your wings.
    Julie x

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  21. A beautiful canvas to celebrate the return of Spring, fabulous colours and textures. Thankyou for sharing this with us over at Stamps and Stencils. Toni X

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  22. Congratulations on your win at F & F with this beautiful canvas Amanda! xxx

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  23. I love butterflies, this canvas is so delicate! I adore this work Amanda, sooooo beautiful! barbara

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  24. Bravo, amada! Great piece of spring time artwork without a smidge of black soot! This is simply lovely, and you had me at the background, but then you added that drop dead gorgeous butterfly! And then the cracks! Squeal! Love the cracks, and these are the best I've seen using the Crazing medium! Fabulous piece of artwork, Amanda! Sorry to be so late but computer has been giving me a fit, so barely have time to do what I NEED to do, let alone what I want to do!:):)

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