I'm travelling into a new way of working, a new country, a new language, and a new hobby which I'm passionate about. Come with me for some of the journey...

Sunday 7 April 2013

Where the heart is...

Hello all!  Hope you're all having a good weekend, with plenty of crafting, or time for whatever else it is you enjoy doing...

Today, I'm delighted to be offering Guest Design project for the April Stamping Sensations challenge Special Occasions (other than birthdays).  I was lucky enough to win there recently, and - along with some fabulous sticky candy - this is my reward.

Because it's uppermost in my mind as a theme (what with ongoing house sales as well as dollshouse renovations), I ended up with Moving House/New Home as my special occasion, and this is the corrugated hanging which arrived on my craft mat...


Once again, I ripped up a cardboard box to get my substrate (I think this one was from my mother's new log basket!), and tore off some of one paper layer to get at the fabulous texture underneath.  This time, though, I did leave quite a solid "canvas" of smooth surface in the centre, so that I could paint and stamp on it.  It's about 12.5 x 8 inches in size.




I had great fun creating the background with Distress Paints - they do blend really deliciously with a spritz or two of water - over an initial coat of gesso.

Of course I made sure to leave lots of corrugated card still showing round the edges for a good shabby chic look.







I've got limited DP colours at the moment, but I've started out with my favourite blues and browns - as well, of course, as the vital Picket Fence - so they work well for sky and ground!

I added some stamping with Tim Holtz texture stamps from the Ultimate Grunge set - bubbly dots to the sky, gridwork to the ground.












I also had a lovely time playing with lots of inks, sprays and my embossing folders to create my little houses.

There's even some stamping on some of them...


Since we were on blues and browns I stuck with those colours, inking up cardstock with Distress Inks before running it through the BigShot with various embossing folders.

I inked again to highlight the emboss, and then I did lots of spritzing with Perfect Pearls Mists to get a metallic patina on the surface.


You can see the sheen in some of the photos, but the day was pretty overcast sadly - if we ever get any sunshine ever again, I might update with a nice sparkly, sunny photograph!


The houses are cut, of course, with Tim Holtz's Artful Dwellings die.  And I hand cut the doors with some of the leftovers.  The tiny door handles are, of course, Idea-ology fasteners - they turned out to be just the right size!


At this point, everything sat there for a few days while I tried to work out what else was needed.



I knew I wanted some shabby chic lettering: New Home seemed appropriate... so I cut some more
of the corrugated card with the WordPlay die, and then gave the letters a good layer of Picket Fence Crackle Paint.

Once they were good and dry, I added some inky definition to the cracks.










Then I started toying with embellishments and some Tattered Flower die-cuts and gradually all the extras took their places.

I used alcohol inks to re-colour some of the metal gears, so that they'd fit in with the palette of the piece.





And I added some of the lovely little wooden cogs I got a while back on ebay.














The flowers are layered wax paper and tissue wrap (you've seen similar ones here - those were the leftovers from this, but they ended up posted in a different order!) with some more fasteners at the centre.






I added some Creative Expressions skeleton leaves, moulding them slightly for extra dimension.









There was still something missing, and that's when I reached for possibly my favourite stamp set, the Silhouette Blossoms by Stampology.  I added some "trees" - thorny but beautiful - between each of the houses... love these stamps!






The final touch was to make sure that Home really is where the Heart is...

I used the alcohol inks again (Gold and Hazelnut mainly) to alter one of my silver heart charms.













I bought quite a few of these for a song on ebay, so they're ripe for altering to match anything else that's going on.






A bit of hole-punching, some Distress Stained twine to hang the whole thing up by, and we're done.

I had such fun creating this... I had a lot of notice of the challenge theme from the lovely Brenda, so I was able to let it all bubble along nice and slowly - returning to play about with it whenever I had a spare few minutes, and overall I'm very happy with how it has turned out.

I hope you'll pop over to have a look at the fabulous inspiration from Brenda and the rest of the Design Team at Stamping Sensations, and perhaps play along.  You'll find all the challenge details here.

For now, I'll wish you all a great week to come and, if we're lucky, Spring may finally arrive!




May your home always be too small to hold all of your friends.
Anonymous

Home is the nicest word there is.
Laura Ingalls Wilder

He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I'd like to enter this in the following:
At Try It On Tuesday they are playing a Recycling theme - I'm back on the cardboard boxes!
Tando Creative Challenges are looking for New Beginnings this month
At the Stampotique Designers Challenge they are looking for Flowers, stamped or 3D - how about a bit of both?!
At Unruly Paper Arts, Reader Art Quest 2 is for Gears
Ah, go on then... one more for the Very Strict Challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show

69 comments:

Kjersti said...

Wow! A beautiful piece of work Alison - love your choise of colours, this time too:) And the embossing on the houses looks great - gives them a beautiful pattern!
Have a nice Sunday!
Hugs Kjersti:)

Amanda said...

Alison another super creation, I keep thinking about buying that die and I love the fact you have also embossed them they look super. Right off to spend some money now lol
Love
Amanda x

May said...

Alison I love this, The colours, texture, embossing it's all Wonderful, Beautiful assorted houses! you are so talented it is a pleasure to visit you! Fantastic work.. Hugs May x x x

Annie said...

Hi Alison.....this is a stunning project with marvellous colours and the little doors on AD dies are gorgeous.Love the stamp set too. Have a great Sunday

Annie x

Dagmar said...

this is a great and very deteilreiche work - absolutely fantastic - it will be a great focal point in any home

Julia said...

This project is just delightful. I love your work.

sara j said...

What would we do without white? It covers a multitude of sins for me! This is second piece of yours I've picked out of the line up...your work is very nice....hmmm, that doesn't quite seem the right word. I think its more that I like your sense of things - color choices, using slightly unusual materials, and the detail you achieve. Beautious!!

Chrissy said...

Wonderful Alison, love the details and colours and fabulous idea.I must start ripping up boxes, I love the corrugation.Fantastic...love it.

Luv CHRISSYxx

Kezzy said...

Wow what a stunning creation I really love the colours and all that texture is amazing. Happy Crafting :-) Kezzy xxx

Jenny Marples said...

Love that you've stamped as well as embossed the houses so there is even more to see when you take the time. Also you've used a favourite - your crackled letters. Superb work. Hugs, Jenny x

Helen said...

Alison, this looks stunning!! I think I have to get those Artful Dwellings dies.... lol! The colours are gorgeous, and I love all your 'Alison' touches!! Feeling the need to go and play now...

Redanne said...

Hi Alison, this project is so YOU and so fitting,l as you say, for your present position! Stunning background, fabulous AD's (mine remains unused..) and wonderful stamping all come together to make such a beautiful plaque. This is wonderful. Hugs, Anne x

Evil Edna said...

LUSH!Thank you sharing with us at TIOT.EE

Fliss said...

An absolute stunner Alison. Such fabulous colour and texture. The embellishing is beautiful too and this makes me want to break out my Tim Holtz die!
Congratulations on your guest spot too (guess who was lucky enough to win the last one too!).
Hugs, Fliss xx

Carol Q said...

fab Alison. love the way you've textued the buildings and your distressed letters.

House of Bears said...

This is wonderful. We love the way you take something unassuming such as a piece of card and turn it into a lovely kerpsake. You inspired us to use corrugated card on our recent project.

We do have a lovely vision in our heads though of your mum searching for a box to store something in and scratching her head wondering why they all have chunks torn from them! :)

Claudia N. said...

A lovely new home, Alison! This is so much YOU! LOVE IT!

Hugs,
Claudia x

Unknown said...

It's beautiful :)

Sally H said...

What a stunning creation, Alison! Thanks for joining us this month as guest DT x

Rosie said...

Wow, Alison, this is a gorgeous cration, love every detail.

Have a lovely Sunday

Anonymous said...

Fantastic Alison!!
Since 3 weeks i am waiting for the alphabet die. :(
Your artwork inspired me each time. Ich entdecke leider auch immer wieder Sachen, die ich auch unbedingt noch brauche;), und irgendwann hab ich bestimmt auch mal mehr Zeit für mein Hobby....
Have a nice sunday,
siljan

Anonymous said...

I forgot...thanks for your answer on my blog ;)

Anonymous said...

Fabulous hanging Alison ! Love the colours and the detail on the houses. Sue C x

Astrid Maclean said...

Great hanging Alison, love the background and the texture on the little houses. The hearts are a wonderful addition and I adore the crackle on the lettering!

Tracy said...

Drop...dead...gorgeous Alison..woohoo..love every little detail,textures....crackling..swoon!!
Hugs
Tracy
Xxx

Sophie said...

Ein fantastisches, wunderschönes Stück.


Sophie xx

sam21ski said...

Absolutely gorgeous

Sam xxx

ria gall said...

Oh WOW Alison what a wonderful wall hanging, there is so much work gone in to this the attention to detail is outstanding.
So much texture a really lovely piece of art
Ria

Sarah said...

Beautiful colors and textures! You have captured that warm feeling of home.

Rita said...

Beautiful work Alison. The colours are so fabulous too. Hugs Rita xx

Kim Dellow said...

Ooo! Wowsers! That is stunning. Lovely work and details. Kim

SandeeNC said...

AWESOME!! Thanks for playing along with us over at Try it on Tuesday Recycle Challenge, waving hi from the hills of North Carolina ♥

Debi said...

so beautiful!! love the colours and all that grungy texture, Debi x

Unknown said...

I'm sitting here wondering how it is your head doesn't burst with all these fab ideas, lol. Another stunning piece of art! Just beautiful. Chris xxx

Dorthe said...

Alison, they are the sweetest houses, -love you embossed them, and the cardboard behind- with the wonderful stamped silhuette blossoms-and crackled letters- love yoiur flowers, too- a fantastic piece, dear.
xo,Dorthe

pearshapedcrafting said...

Beautiful Alison! Love all the texture and special additions - most of all I love your colour choices! Chrisx

Anonymous said...

A beautiful piece and would be such a special gift for someone who might be moving to a New Home.
The heart charms are so wonderful.
Wishes
Lynne

Almo said...

Hi Alison, this is absolutly gorgeous, love everything about it. Hugs Mo x

Sue said...

What a stunning creation Alison with two of my favourite things, corrugated card and crackle. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Stampotique. Sue xx

Shelby said...

What a magnificent piece of art work! I love all of the amazing elements you've used and all of the intricate details are amazing.

Shelby

zandra said...

Love the embossing, such a great take on the challenge. Thanks for playing with us at TIOT.
Hugz, Z

Dana Tatar said...

Wow! Amazing piece! I'm loving all the texture! =)

Candy C said...

Alison...your piece is so wonderful! I love how you've used Tim's Artful Dwellings to create such a fun wall hanging. The corrugated background is a wonderful textural backround. I love your embossed "neighborhood". I love all of the embellishments you've added. The dimensional flowers and leaves add alot. I also love the gears and the heart! Beautiful design! Thanks for sharing your art with us at Simon Says Stamp and Show. <3 Candy

Nan G said...

Your moving boxes have yielded yet another lovely piece! Love the houses. And brown wax paper flowers, so light and ethereal!

Gez Butterworth said...

Absolutely stunning Alison. The colours.. everything! Love the crackle letters. Thank you for joining Stampotique's flower challenge, Gez

Deborah said...

Blue and brown has never been a favourite for me (something to do with school uniform?) - until now. Fantastic!

chrissie said...

Fantastic ideas Alison and terrific colours.

Love Chrissie xx

daisy said...

Beautiful piece! Thank you for such a detailed description of your creative process. It really helps to appreciate every aspect of the project.

Anna-Karin said...

Beautiful project Alison! Tha background is amazing and I of course love those textured houses made with one of my favourite dies. Thank you so much for sharing with us at Simon Says Stamp and Show!

annes paperfun said...

Oh..my!! This is just gorgeous ♥
So many lovely details ♥
Love it ♥
Hugs, Anne

Sam & Poppy said...

Super Gorgeous!!! Thanks so much for joining in with us at Stampotique this week.

Kelly said...

Well Alison, you have a gift with cardboard! I adore what you did here. Your houses do look like metal, I am trying to make some metal look like this for my project how funny. I really love how this came together and the colors are so complimentary.
Beautiful piece!!!!
Have a great week.
Kelly

Basement Stamper said...

Gorgeous, I love the colors of this and all the textures you've added to it.

Dianne said...

its perfect and gorgeous,
Love the houses and the doors and all the raised details, thanks for sharing..

Claudia N. said...

Me again.

Just saw that you entered TioT's recycle challenge with your lovely creation! Thanks for joining in, Alison!

Hugs,
Claudia x

Silvia(Barnie) said...

I'm missing words, that's an outstanding project, so many fantastic details.

Brenda Brown said...

So much texture and fabulous colours to feast the eyes on. A fabulous design Alison.
hugs {brenda} x0x

Chris said...

Fabulous Alison and such fantastic colours and design. You've made me want to go and give that die a dusting off :)! Chris x

Sandy said...

Gorgeous Alison! I love the blue and brown combo and all the texture on the houses - really neat. Your hearts are divine. How in the world do you find things like that on ebay? And as always I appreciate your tutelage.
Sandy

Terry said...

Congratulations on your GD spot and obviously they picked a really talent! Holy Cow, this project is incredible! Love the houses and all the crackle and goodness! Gorgeous! Hugs!

Kate Yetter said...

This is awesome. love all the texture on the doors.

Unknown said...

I've missed my visits but happy to be back in blogland. This creation makes me happy because there truly is no place like home. Love that you always share how you make your incredible art Alison. :) It's fabulous! Hugs

mark gould said...

A stunning use of colour and texture x congrats on the win and DT spot x

Kaz said...

This is just gorgeous, you've put so much work into this. Thanks for linking it to us at Stampotique this week x

Marjie Kemper said...

This is absolutely gorgeous! Holey Moley... love the little doors you added to each piece and the wonderfully rich color and texture.

Mrs.B said...

Fabulous hanging Alison, love the die cuts and all the embossed textures and details you've added.
Thanks for sharing with us at TioT

Princess Judy Palmer said...

Sometimes those projects that we have time to dabble and step back for awhile are the best because they develop more naturally. This project is very lovely! That is such an understatement. I love reading the process as you make things.

Hettie said...

Beautiful Alison. Love the houses and those skeleton leaves are adorable.
Hugs
x

Carol Plume said...

what a striking piece - all that texture - totally FAB - thank you for sharing with Tando Creative this month.