Encaustic Canvas Time!

Hello & happy Thursday to you all! This means it is time for my Topflight Stamps blog post. Today I am playing with one of my favorite things encaustic on a canvas. I don't do this often but I need to because it is a lot of fun & the results are very cool. 

Playing with Wax!

Here is my finished canvas. There are quite a few layers on this as that is how encaustic works!  You heat prepared beeswax, brush it on a encaustic friendly surface, heat the wax to fuse it. Add your layer, add wax, heat the wax to fuse it & repeat. There is of course a lot more to it then that, but for today I will just show you how I created my layers.

Stamps from Topflight

First let's talk about the stamp set I used! I played with Carabelle Studio stamps using Birgit  Koopsen's creations. Scribbled Leaves & Textured Circles. So many possibilities with this set. 

Time for some images...

With encaustic, to get crisp stamp images they need to be on the bottom layer. There are ways around this but that is where I started. For this piece I had an idea of where I was going so I placed my ephemera as I worked to make the layering easier. The leaves on the left side were stamped directly on the encaustic board with Archival Ink. They were colored with Caran D'ache Watercolor crayons. 

Next I stamped the leaves in the upper right corner. At this point no wax has been used. I also cut a flower from a paper napkin to add. Note how stark the white is. This will change as the wax layers are added.

Let's Add Some Color

Here is where I started adding layers of wax and ephemera just building up the piece. The yellow was added using oil pastels.

While my paper doll was added last I kept placing him as I worked so I knew where he would end up.

 

Adding A Personal Touch with Words.

As a final step I added color to my stamped leaves in the right hand corner. These had been stamped directly on the board but I was able to color them on top of the beeswax on the top layer using Crayola Crayons! Also I added one of the textured circle layers. I stamped on tissue paper which allowed the tissue to melt away when added using a layer of wax.  As this layer was one of the last it sits on top of the piece showing very clearly. I was very excited to discover I could write with a ball point pen on tissue & add it. Now I have a memory of my family on this canvas. I decided to put the title in the paste tense to go with the vintage photo.

Can you see the wax?

This piece came together really well. I love using these Tim Holtz paper dolls in my work but I also like to give them context. I have started creating little stories that meld with members of my family. That gives this stranger in my picture a little familiarity. My son wore a hat every Friday one year while in high school. He also loves pie! Now the piece has more meaning in my life. 

Here is another close up getting some of the wax to show. This piece was created in a monthly group I am in. A group of women from different walks of creative life that come together to play & teach each other. This month my friend Deborah Mahnken led the project. It was fun to see how different each persons project turned out. 

That is it for today. I hope you enjoyed the tour of my canvas. Hop on over to Topflight Stamps & order some of their cool stamps, then add your creation onto our Facebook Group, Topflight Stamps Design Gallery! Until next time, get inky!

Eileen Hull's Book Club Collection Sneak Peak

Hello Eileen Hull fans, today I have a sneak peak using a die for the upcoming release Book Club. For an explanation of this new release who better then Eileen herself to explain it?

One word that sums up the new Sizzix Book Club collection is VERSATILE! 
Eileen is happy to introduce new Three-in One dies- dies that serve multiple purposes to fit into every area of your life. 
There are three new Score Boards dies for sturdy project bases and three die sets to embellish them. Each die may be used in many ways- on books, cards, gift boxes, home decor projects, and for storage and organization.
Imagine a die that can create a box, a book and a frame all on one die- we have that! Come explore the Book Club collection with the Inspiration Team and let us know which one is your favorite! Releasing this November 2017.

Book Club Collection by Eileen Hull

Art Card Box

This is actually more than just a sneak peak, I am showing you most of the project, it is just the tutorial you have to wait for! These dies will be out in November but we could hardly wait to show them off! I used the Card Box die which is good for planner, storage & organizer. I was feeling very Dylusional as you can see, combining 2 of my favorite designers felt like a good way to go! Dyan Reavley's products are so bright & cheery.

This box is very sturdy when made with Sizzix mat board & glued using Therm O Web Supertape. I plan on making a lot of these to hold some of my favorite things but I thought I would start with art cards. Stay tuned for the tutorials the team have been working on. To see lots more of this release follow the links!!

Sneak Peaks

Book Club Preview

Book Club Collection

 

Disclaimer

*I have received product as part of the Eileen Hull Inspiration Team. Lucky for me I love her products!! The ideas & projects are my own but may have been influence by all the awesome inspiration of my team mates, master artists & Thor. Also potentially from movies, nature, tv, & cool but funky quotes.  Fan Girl Out.

Time to Make the Coffee Card

Happy Thursday Topflight Stamps fans! I am here today with a card as the design team are participating in the Fall Coffee Lovers Blog hop. I am not traditionally a card maker so this should be interesting! You will want to play along but hurry the hop ends tomorrow. There are about a gamillion prizes!! Link to the hop is at the bottom of my post.

Here is the card I came up with using the Crafty Individuals stamp as my main focus & Dark Room Doors Stamp set for accents & the quote. For more info & links to the stamps you can go here.

I started playing with this very detailed, etched rubber stamp while on vacation in Florida this August.  We had the good fortune of a deck overlooking the ocean which I spent every morning with my coffee, soaking in the view. I so miss it!!  

 

Basically painted this in using Prima Watercolor Tropicals set while listening to the waves roll into the beach.

Fast forward to today Sept. 18th where I am adding some touches to make my card.  I need to change it from tea to coffee which was easy to do just by switching out the title with "you perk me up". I wanted the title bold so I heat embossed with Emerald Creeks Burnt Copper which kinds reminds me of... yup you guessed it- coffee!! 

Of course I also needed to add in the coffee rings, which let's face it you would not have with a tea saucer but come on this is art! I love me some coffee rings! Put it all together & voila my card. Here is the link to the Fall Coffee Blog Hop if you want to join in the fun!  Just scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to link up. Contest ends Friday Sept. 22 at 6am pacific.