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...

Thursday 1 August 2019

Marvellously Rusty







Hello all!  I'm very happy you enjoyed Going for a walk in the meadows.  Today we're heading in to a secret garden.

I'm delighted to be sharing a project as Guest Designer for the new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog (formerly Frilly and Funkie).

I was thrilled when my miniatures piece Around the Fireplace was selected as their winner last month, and so happy when I heard that the theme I'd be guesting on would be Marvellous Metallics, hosted by the brilliant Jenny of Pushing the Right Buttons.

My metallic preference generally leads me towards weathering and decay, so I've gone marvellously rusty with this tall tag.















I started with a tag from one of the Prima Tag Pads, 8 x 3.5inches, which comes printed with this lovely vintage script collage.

















Over that I layered a wash of gesso and applied some DecoArt Crackle Paint with a palette knife.
















From there, I simply did some dribbling and spritzing with Distress Sprays in Peeled Paint and Bundled Sage, allowing the ink to sink down into the cracks.














Later on, I did some dipping and splattering too, and stamped my favourite Rubber Dance weeds in Olive Archival.

I didn't really want to cover it up much after that...















... except to add some white splatter and some white paint around the edge, and some gesso'd tissue tape to anchor my embellishments into the tag.

It's a subtle softening of the look, but I rather like it so I wanted to show you the difference this stage made.








So, on to those embellishments...  I twisted some rusty wire into a rustic oval frame, just right for the Idea-ology girl to perch on.


She's from the Ancestors set, intended for Halloween, but I find her melancholy rather than creepy.









Anyway, she seemed about right as the girl hiding away in her secret garden...


















... a hidden place, a little decayed and run to seed.















To make sure I had plenty of "marvellous metallics" I picked out some metal cogs and gears and started to rust them up.













I smeared on some textured sand paste in places to provide the underlying texture...















... and then got busy with DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics in Quinacridone Gold and Payne's Grey to get the rusty colour tones I wanted.













I'm really happy with the results and it didn't take long at all.  It's a great way to lift some cheap metal embellishments onto a new mixed media level.














I couldn't resist adding some of my favourite dried flowers (Baby's Breath, I think somebody in the comments called them last time I used them?).
















The sprigs add a lovely delicate touch of dimension and echo the flowers the girl is clutching.














It's one of my own PaperArtsy quote stamps providing the words.  This one is a Charlotte Brontë quote from EAB07 Dreaming & Doing.













A scrap of lace and a twist of twine finish things off at the top of the tag and that's pretty much that.













Do check out the fabulous projects from the Design Team over at the Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog, and I hope you'll be inspired to play with some Marvellous Metallics too.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I'll see you again soon.

If precious metals had been abundant, they would not have been precious.
Henry Hazlitt

A sword, a spade, and a thought should never be allowed to rust.
James Stephens

I'd like to join in again with the Splatters and Splodges theme at Try It On Tuesday - I'm always splattering and splodging!
And at Tag Tuesday the new theme hosted by Joan is Summer Fun - what could be better than a peaceful afternoon in a summer's garden?

33 comments:

Valerie-Jael said...

Gorgeous tag and I love the rusty embellishments! Have a great day, hugs, Valerie

Tincan Crafter said...

So awesome, was nice to come by here again. I agree with you, I think she is melancholy too! Loved the rusty cogs and gears too!

Sue said...

This is so beautiful, wonderful crackle and rust all together, what's not to love! Have a very happy week, Sue xx

Candy C said...

Great tutorial and photos, Allison. Love this tag.

Patty O'Malley said...

I love this beautiful tag, Alison! This has to be one of my favorites of your's. The background is perfect as a setting for the girl in her garden.

Anne (cornucopia) said...

This is gorgeous. I love this tag.

Cath Wilson said...

Wonderful metals, Alison and always so much nicer when rusted and distressed. They turned out perfectly :-) Love the Baby's Breath - one of my personal faves - and the texture is scrummy! Gorgeous dribs, drabbles, splatters and splodges... gorgeous on that lovely texture.
Thank you so much for playing in our Splatters and Splodges challenge at Try it on Tuesday.
Cath x

suzyb said...

This is one of my favourite pieces! Love everything you did and didn't do. :D Have a great Thursday.

Redanne said...

A real beauty of a tag Alison, the rusty frame you created for the melancholy girl is wonderful and the crackle in the background looks beautifully textural. Anne xx

Amanda said...

A beautiful background no wonder you didn’t want to cover it up, a lovely choice of embellishments to add creating a super tag
Love
Amanda x

experiments in paper said...

Ooooh, love that rusty goodness! And perfect image for this tag - she does indeed convey melancholia! As always, love your colors, and textures.... lovely eye candy! xxx Lynn

pearshapedcrafting said...

Wow Alison! Crackle, rust, spatters and to top it all a peaceful garden to sit in! A wonderful entry for Try It On Tuesday! Thank you! Chrisx

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Great minds must be channeling each other, because I have rust on my mind, too. Yours is really different from mine, but I love how you accomplished all that rusting of the cogs. Your use of paint to turn these into rusty goodness is phenomenal. I was so impressed with the crackle paste and the little girl who was sitting in her garden. It's fabulous and you did the guest design entry proud.

My name is Erika. said...

Oh the crackle looks fabulous and I like the rusty gears. What a super tag Alison! HAppy August.

Helen said...

A fabulous tag! love the rust and the crackle.

Marjut said...

This is beautiful, great background with crackle effect.
Thank you for joining us at TioT.

Susie Bentz: My Time to Play said...

Great tutorial and step out pics! Love this!

Dorthe said...

So filled with soft beauty of meadow flowers, the crackle so amazing , --what a beautiful background for this lovely girl, and the rusted wire and wheels are of course there, in the secret garden,- rusted by weather and wear -
So love this Alison. Hugs, Dorthe

LauraVi said...

Love love love the contrast between the sweet soft colours of background and the rusty effect of metallic embellishments and wire: great emotional work!

Joan said...

What a fabulous tag you've created!! I love the colors and the wonderful texture in the items you added!
Thanks for joining my challenge at Tag Tuesday!

Mrs.B said...

A fabulous tag Alison, the background looks amazing, full of textures and splatters. Love the rusty metal with those colour tones.
Great to see you sharing this with us at Try it on Tuesday.
Avril xx

Craftyfield said...

I love it all, Alison, the crackle, the colours, the twigs, the rust!! Perfect. xx

Rike said...

A wonderful composition of mixed media, like this rusty metal as color spots!

sarascloset said...

I always love your work, Alison, but this one sits at the top of my favorites! That crackly background has such a softness to it that I love and paired with the crusty metal, makes for a serene mid summer scene. Great post, and many thanks for sharing this as Guest Designer at The Funkie Junkie Boutique blog! Hugs!

Julia said...

Those rusty cogs are just amazing. I love that quote, one of my favourites I think (until I read the next one!).
I so enjoy seeing your artwork it really is so inspiring. x

craftytrog said...

Gorgeous tag art Alison, I adore the background!
Happy new week,
Alison xxx

Let's Art Journal said...

Beautiful tag! I love the meadow flowers and the texture is wonderful, the words are perfect too 😁. Thank you for joining in the fun at Try it on Tuesday! Also thanks so much for your lovely comments on my blog just now, that's so kind of you! I'm glad nothing was broken too but the bruising takes 2-5 days to develop so I didn't avoid black eyes, never mind it could have been worse, next time I'll pay more attention to my surroundings...lol 😉. Have a lovely week! Hugs, Jo x

Rea' said...

WOW ... I could spend hours looking at your work... just so amazing !!

Tracey@Hotchpotchcreations said...

I hear you completely about not wanting to cover up our backgrounds but sometimes there is no avoiding it. It's colour is harmonious with those rich rusty cogs, reminds me of rusted farmyard equipment within the fields where you girls sits sweetly picking flowers. Fabulous Guest Design piece Alison, thanks for sharing it's transformation with us all.
Hugs Tracey xx

Neet said...

How on earth did I miss this one. Oh Alison, it is absolutely beautiful. I love rust too and the additions you have used add to this fantastic tag. I love how you created the background, it is in such delicate shades and the crackle is just right, not too much and not too little. The Gypsophila (or Baby's Breath) is just perfect for this tag.
I haven't seen that girl before, she is not in any of my packets so I guess I will have to buy some more in the hopes I find her.
Thanks for such an excellent tutorial and another beauty from the hands of Alison.
Hugs, Neet xx

Roosterhead Designs said...

Beautifully done Alison! (and I agree, she is not creepy : )just contemplative~
So much wonderful texture with the crackly layers, babys breath, and cool 'rusty' stuff~ The frame is brilliant! Love that she is perched; and dare I say swinging on it?! (well, I would be : ) It's a lovely piece. Thanks for sharing your processes and marvelous end results!
Hugs to you, karen o

Jenny Marples said...

What a treat to have you guesting for us over on The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog! And to see how this gorgeous tag came together is wonderful - that crackle texture is so delicately lifted by the gentle blues and greens and the way you've rusted the metal elements is so realistic. I love that twisted wire frame and of course your choice of words. TFS xx

A Pink said...

A real beauty ! Alison . A total gem of a creation . Congratulations on your Guest spot at FnF . Well worthy
Hugs x