Monday, 24 August 2020

Dusty Attic Inspiration - Eternally

 Hi Dusty Attic FanAttic's! I have created this layout for August and when I stood back to compare... I had used the moodboard AGAIN!! I just love it when a powerful colour combination influences you without you even knowing.

 
 

Here I chose my chipboard, with a wedding photo though I chose to play up the gloss there and then decorate the chipboard with a more matt feel and some pen work for definition.

 
My idea was to use the Bali Motif as layers of the skirt on the wedding dress, where a myriad of surprises and mysteries hides within her skirts.


 
I found these treasures from 49th & Market. It's the first time I have used the laser cut sheets and I am so pleased with the quality. How awesome are these layered butterflies?  

I added some sisal, flowers and sequins to fluff out her skirts. I could have kept going and going with this one... but I stopped at adding art stones... Maybe before it gets pride of place I will go back in and play. Do you ever feel that way when you look back at a project?
 

 Now you know what a woman has under her skirts... (wink, wink). Thanks for looking and I'll see you all next month.

 

 

 Bali Motif #1

Word Disks 1

 Frangipani 3

 

Dusty Attic August Moodboard challenge

 WOW AUGUST!!

Hi Dusty FanAttic's.

 

How awesome is this palette? I love the way all the delicate pastels were included and I could play with them all!  

I chose my chipboard and coloured it knowing that the background and embellishments were all subtle so I added some embossing powder for some gloss and shimmer. I particularly like the leaves I coloured with a flat pastel orange. 

 
I layered flowers, fabric and metals over my leafy branch and under my chandelier. 
This gives the illusion of depth.

 
For the sentiment I used some chalk paint and edged the border.

 
 
I nestled my focal point into my collage and darkened the background. This shadowing has the effect of focusing the eye on the focal point. I also used some watercolour to enhance the embossed areas from modelling paste. I added feathers, microbeads, rhinestones and splatters to finish my project.
 

Thanks for looking!

Quoted sentiments #3

Vintage Chandelier #4

Branch #3

Mini Foliage  

Thursday, 30 July 2020

Dusty Attic July 2020 Mood Board Inspiration





Its July already! Another moodboard challenge is here. From this one I took those delicate colours and mixed them with another delicacy, Taashi. My baby grew her wings last month and this one is for her. 

I used the baroque flourish in another layout as wings and these ones are the larger pair. Clever huh? Just goes to show your imagination is the only limitation. 
I used some flat coloured embossing powder to make the title stand out 


and a shimmery colour of embossing powder for the bluebells.


To create the background I used some of the waashi tape from the same paper range.


I added some modelling paste, embossing powder (heat set it) and then some stamping.


I used the die cuts from the paper pack and layered them and the chipboard among the rungs on the ladder.


Here I used some crayon to highlight the background. 




Thanks for looking & check in on our Facebook & Instagram pages

Abela Artistry

Friday, 24 July 2020

July Dusty Attic Inspiration










Hi Everyone,
Hope your enjoying your annual weather extreme, be it hot or cold. Sydney is at its peak of cold and my feet are permanently numb this time of year. This project is for the spring which is just on the horizon. 


I cut the canvas off the frame and then trimmed some 12 x 12 chipboard  to create a base for my frame. I have this awesome paper from Simple Stories and a pack of ephemera to play with. The other thing I have is an oversupply of flowers from Prima from a kit club and thought I could use some up creating a bouquet of sorts to sit inside my frame.



For the background I used some Matt Gel Medium and a bubble stencil. I ultimately aimed for a transparent seal and for the watercolour to sit around it .... but cold weather doesnt aid drying. 
OOPS.
The gel wasnt dry enough when I applied the watercolour and absorbed the colour I was using in the background and created a bit of a mess when I touch tested it. It was destined for the bin. I hesitated, I really liked that paper. I was disapointed to see it wasted. So I left it for a few days and I tried not to think about it. 

When I did come back to it I used a little Gelato to cover the messy areas & add some shimmer, a distraction of sorts, and then stamping to flatten all the layers in the background. 


So... moving on! I painted my chipboard. Much less of a chance to stuff this one up. I used two different shades of blue in chalk paint and a pop of orange. I used some Glossy accents to shiny up an area of the leaves. 


I painted my chipboard white and sponged on some colour in lime and turquoise. Then using a script stamp stamped a sheet of scrap paper and then tapped the stamp on the frame in areas to leave a more ghosted image. 


I also found a sentiment I liked so I painted that as well. 



TIP: When the time came to add the layers and stick them down I cut the remnants of chipboard into small pieces and used them instead of foam tape. 




I added some beads and some cheesecloth to fill in some of the valleys and my framed photo gift is done. I'll I needed was a few pieces of chipboard from my stash, some paper, ephemera and an over supply of flowers... can anyone relate? 




Thanks for looking and I hope you find a reason to upcycle out of your stash..,
If you do pop up an image on our Facebook page Dusty FanAttics or on instagram with the hashtag...




Tuesday, 23 June 2020

You are Loved - Dusty Attic inspiration for June 2020

Hi FANAttic's...

Here is my second Antonis Tzanidakis inspired Dusty Attic inspiration.
I love doing canvas and seeing as this is my birthday month... I took this opportunity to remind myself that self love, fidelity to a worthy cause and sweet memories are all I need. Have a look and see how I get this one done.   


I love these mini Polaroid Chip boards.
There are so many useful pieces in one.
I keep the squares to use instead of foam tape...


These page tabs are super cool to break up layers in the matt. 


I covered a canvas approximately 5" x 7" with book pages and vintage papers. I used some clear crackle paste around the edges because I knew I wanted to add something to the background to age it. While the crackle was still wet I added my jigsaw pieces to it as this will double as an adhesive. I pushed the pieces into the paste to remove a little bit of height and add an extra edge for the adhesive.


I lay my chipboard and basic elements onto my dried background using the puzzle pieces as a platform. I had to use an off cut to fill the area behind the photo. 


I then painted the individual pieces in a variety of vintage shades with paint by Stamperia. I wasn't really concerned with the paint coming onto the background as I was hoping for a happy accident and a little more variation in colour once I had oiled the canvas.


I completely covered the canvas with an oil paint in Burnt Umber. It looks pretty scary when you see all the work you have put into it covered in what looks like mud! With a moist wipe I removed the paint leaving behind what is essentially a stain. How good does the crackle look!! When you use an oil paint it is fully water resistant and won't bleed if you add water to newer layers. 


I used a few left overs from the background to create a matt and inked the edges with Distress Oxide in Vintage Linen.


Before laying down my elements I added some sisal and some linen and lace textural elements to emphasize the aging. I then did some dry brushing with white gesso. I then went over the canvas with some wax in Aged Brass to break up what looked like too much vintage... After all what says vintage more than a bit of dulled metal. 



Thanks for looking & make sure you go on over to our group Dusty FANattics and see how other people have been inspired to use their chippy.

Wednesday, 17 June 2020

June Moodboard inspiration - UNDERWATER TREASURE

Well well, winter is here... I wanted to create something for this months moodboard that reminded me of what its like to live on the coast, when swimming is NOT an option. My kids were born in a little seaside town on the Mid North Coast of NSW. We would rug up and take walks on the beach. I remember the sand would be so cold that our feet went numb but if you have under 10's, just try and keep them out of the water. Well they're not little anymore and this is as close as they get. 


I am in love with the papers that Stamperia produce, designed by Antonis Tzanidakis. I have had the pleasure of getting to know the guy and do about 10 of his classes and play around with his techniques. With this month's inspirations, I merge some of the best I learned from him... and my own favourites. I used crackle paste on the background and then used some oil paint to age it and a bit of Lindy's sprays in teal and copper to enhance the colours used in the original paper because I didn't want to lose the tones that matched the mood board perfectly.


I used lots of texture and layers on my pages. Keeping with the theme of Underwater Treasure, knowing that there is more going on under the ocean than on top these days. I fussy cut my favourite elements from the paper range and matted them with black card stock. I used a solid colour to make the title pop this time. 



I painted the Shells and Corals in white Gesso and dabbed it thickly with my brush to create peaks in the paint. This allowed me to create ridges for the Lindys and waxes to sit on. I also used white for the compass. I sprayed some colour on my craft mat and put the chipboard into it - face down. The ridges collect the shimmer and give it something to grab onto. This is also true for the waxes. I apply them with my finger tip and gently rub across the raised surfaces

Tip: The colours vary so much when you use chipboard in natural, white or black. If I am unsure I paint the back of the chipboard piece in sections of each option and test it. Then when I know what I prefer I flip it over and use my preferred choice. 



I painted the Stars, Anchor and chains in black gesso. I used the dabbing on the anchor and chains... It gives off a fantastic textured effect, when teamed up with waxes looks like aged metal. #lovinit! I left the stars with a flat coat. I find that the variation in textures makes them stand apart from each other better even though they have the same base coat. 


To break up my layers I added some sisal in between. Anything white is a good 'page break'. I am not a brave creator and really struggle with adding colours that stand out in among my page elements so I like to use neutrals. I really loved the page as it was, however I felt I needed something to unify all the elements... Art stones! cant get more aquatic than that. 




This is our Mood board for the month, if I have inspired you to join in post your entry on the Dusty Attic Blog and pop it into our Facebook group Dusty FANattics and see what other people are creating with Dusty Attic Chipboard.




Thanks for looking and links to products are below!