A sense of belonging

Hello all!  It's lovely to have your company for a while, and I'd like to say an especially big welcome to the new followers - thank you for jumping on board!

I'm going to try to be shorter in my post today - have to be at work, but I had such crafty fun at the weekend that I still haven't had a chance to share with you.

Regulars will remember me saying that I saw the amazing Leandra of PaperArtsy demo-ing at the Hobbycrafts show recently. I already knew when I went that I wanted to get some of the amazing PaperArtsy Fresco paints, and watching her playing with them (and some Ferro texture paste) really inspired me to have a play at the first opportunity.

That wasn't until the Sunday, so when it came I put on some "Sunday music", and this is one of the projects which "arrived" on the table in front of me...

Leandra was using this same mask with the Ferro to create the dimensional leaves, and then showing how to build layers of paint around the texture.

I hadn't planned on getting the Ferro, but you'll see - I think - why I couldn't resist it.

I started with a PaperArtsy hanging board - 8x4 and about half an inch deep.

I applied the Ferro through the mask, and dried it with a heat tool, which gives you that raised blistering on some of the leaves - lovely extra dimension.









The background is built up with various Fresco paints, layering and deepening the colours.

Then I used my tiny Versamagic chalk inkpad to highlight the leaves.

I also had a play with my new WOW music stamp - since I use music on at least half of what I make, it seemed like a good investment.


It's been stamped randomly for texture, just rolled on and off the surface, rather than stamped in full using an acrylic block.  












So that it wouldn't get altered by anything else I might decide to do, I stamped in Archival Ink using Library Green and Aquamarine.

I blended Peeled Paint DI through a Tando mask for the circle textures, as well as using it to distress the edges of the block.

Given I'm back doing a freelance stint with the company I left earlier this year in order to have more time for a life for myself, I'll leave you to determine where the words arose from...  But I'd guess they speak to anyone struggling to find the time and space to explore their own creativity in a world which makes so many demands on us all the time.

But this really felt like a Sunday well spent (and there's more to share with you soon), so perhaps there's something to be said for not being able to get to the craft table for a few days... it was clearly all building up inside!!

But once I'd had a chance to play, my mood started to lift, and the world looked brighter again.

The board has a simple piece of twine to hang it up by, so I think I'll make sure that it hangs somewhere in my eyeline - a useful thought to glance up and see just at the moment.

Thank you so much for taking the time to drop in today... It would be lovely to hear what you make of my playing with paint; to me it feels like having found a new voice to speak with - I loved putting brush to board and seeing what the paint created there.  

Another revelation provided by this crafting journey.  I suspect you'll be seeing quite a lot more of it in the near future!

Be aware of wonder.  Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Robert Fulghum

I'm entering this for the following:
The Artistic Stamper are having an Anything Goes challenge this month
Sketchy Colours - by a happy coincidence - are looking for White, Green and Turquoise
The Happy Daze challenge for November is to Brighten up the Month - you can buy the lovely Versamagic Dewdrop ink pads at the Happy Daze shop, as well as Peeled Paint DI and Ferro paste
Out of a Hat Creations have a Music challenge this week