Sunday 3 August 2014

Gothic Butterfly AVJ Just stain it

Hi Everyone,

Firstly hello to my new followers, welcome aboard.   I am so excited I can hardly keep my feet on the ground following my July Tim's tag win with Bees Knees  and my pin worthy badge for Dies and Distress at A Vintage Journey, it has been a wonderful weekend.  
 
With new challenges come more new projects and today I am showcasing a piece of wall art that I have had great fun putting together for the new challenge at the fabulous Tim Holtz inspired challenge blog A Vintage Journey. This time the challenge has been set by Jenny who wants us to Just Stain it, basically use the distress stains in different ways on our entries.  The challenge is sponsored by, Country View Crafts who are offering a £10 gift voucher to one winner who will be chosen by the incredibly talented team of Vintage Journey Guides. 
 
I received Happy Mail this week from my adopted big sis Anne and it was the new Gothic stencil whoop! whoop! I just love this and you can see straight away that I have used it on the background of this project.

 
 At first glance my stains are not that obvious as there is lots of texture in my project.
 The background started with water being spritzed onto an 8" x 8" piece of thick card and then a mix of Stormy sky, shabby shutters and broken china and brushed pewter distress stains swooshed over it then dried.   I used texture paste through the stencil, right around the edges to make a border (this had to be done over a few drying sessions so I could match the pattern up without it spoiling).    When it was dry I put some stains into spritzers and spritzed the same colours as before over the texture and dried.  Finally I dabbed it over lightly with Blue Hydrangea and cactus green stayzon to give more colour over the silver near the edges.    
 
 

 
 The Butterfly was cut and embossed from cream card with the layered butterfly set and I used stormy sky distress stain all over it and dried it thoroughly.  I used Versafine to dab lightly over the raised areas and then sprinkled frosted crystal antiquities over it and embossed with a heat tool.  I dabbed broken china, shabby shutters and stormy sky over the butterfly, which gave it a lovely mix of colours and the ink caught over the raised embossed areas and made them darker.  This looked nice, but the detail was being a bit lost, so again I decided to use the brushed pewter stain to pick out the raised areas.  I spread some distress stain on a craft mat and rolled my brayer  through it a few times until it just started to get tacky, I then rolled it over the raised areas and this caught the detail.

 
 
The centre plate that the butterfly is mounted on is a piece of sticky backed natural canvas over mount board and I used the brayered stains technique (Tim shows the technique Here on his July 2013 tag).  The edges were darkened using Pumice Stone stain.  I used two smaller pieces of canvas to use for the sentiment which is stamped with Hydrangea archival Ink.  A piece of Tim's linen ribbon was stapled to the canvas using my tiny attacher and the sentiment hid the staples.  I frayed out the edges of the linen ribbon to soften the effect.  I originally wanted 'Butterfly' somewhere on the project but then decided to use just the first and last letter using the alpha chips edged with pumice stone stain and glued into place in such a way that it looks as though the rest of the word is under the butterfly.   The body is decorated with one of Tim's metal arrows.
 
 
I found this frame at a car boot sale ages ago and it has been hanging around (as things do) waiting for the right project to fit into it.  It was just bare wood and I ran over it with antique linen stain to bring it more in line with the colour of the canvas and then rubbed a little Picket Fence stain over some areas with my fingers and then did the same with  pumice stone stain over different areas and to blend in with the darker wood grain.
 

 
Distress stains are so versatile and can be used in many different ways on your projects. Check out my friend Anne's inspirational post Here to give you a few more ideas.
 
Thank you as always for your visit an lovely comments
Mo x

25 comments:

  1. This is gorgeous, so rich looking.

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  2. This is beautiful, love the textured background and the way you have highlighted the texture on the butterfly is gorgeous. A really beautiful piece x

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  3. Congratulations on your recent successes Mo, so,well deserved, you have been doing some stunning work. And here is another one, the brayering over the butterfly with brushed pewter is inspired, really highlighting the embossed areas. Love it! Nikki

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  4. AND you got pinned by Mr Holtz for your bees knees too! You thoroughly deserve all the accolades that are coming your way because your work is just gorgeous. This piece is quite stunning, I love your treatment of the butterfly and the background is amazing. You really have shown just how versatile Distress Stains can be!

    Thank you for joining in our challenge at A Vintage Journey. Hugs, Anne xx

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  5. Firstly huge congratulations on your well deserved credits. Feel justly proud of the pieces you've created. Secondly, well you've done it again! This is incredible and as Anne has already said, you've shown just how versatile Distress Stains can be. I adore the colours and in particular the way the touches of Archival Ink brushed over the stencilling have contrasted with the silvery background. And then that brayered stains canvas mount has allowed the butterfly to become central yet complimentary to the whole picture. I LOVE it Mo. Thank you so much for joining us at A Vintage Journey. Jenny x

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  6. Absolutely glorious, Mo - I adore the colours, and the beautiful Pewter to add the metallic accents. The Gothic texture is gorgeous in the background, and your butterfly is simply stunning. A joy! Thanks so much for joining us on A Vintage Journey.
    Alison xx

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  7. Big congrats Mo on both of your well deserved recognitions!! This piece deserves to be another winner, it is so very beautiful and includes so many great techniques, so well explained.... what a fabulous project! (I was also glad you introduced your post by welcoming your new followers, for it made me realize I had never pressed that button, even though you are well and truly on my blog list. So that is now remedied and I am your latest follower lol....) Oh and thank you of course for adding this beauty to AVJ!

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  8. This is just gorgeous,love the fabulous details.xxx

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  9. congrats again Mo on your recent wins - you really are very talented and deserve the results you're currently reaping - and this piece is going to have to be another winner - its absolutely stunning - beautiful work and that new stencil looks amazing - I just ordered the holiday pattern stencil - couldn't keep back any longer!! Big Hugs to you and hope to see you soon for a crafty day xx

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  10. Just stunning! Wow, fabulous detailed butterfly and will have to try the brayered background technique, wonderful Mo x

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  11. When I saw this on FB I swooned! LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Gorgeous border and butterfly!!!

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  12. Congratulations to you Mo! Your work is stunning. This butterfly is absolutely gorgeous. I love it! Karen.x

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  13. Congratulations to you! Mo, this is beyond beautiful. I love that big bold butterfly and the background and framing all adds to this being so amazing! Love it!

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  14. Hi Mo, first a big congrats on your well deserved wins and I think your are most definitely on a role as this looks another winner. It is absolutely stunning, I adore every little detail of this so so beautiful. Ok you probably get the picture...I love it.
    Julie x

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  15. Congratulations Mo, so thoroughly deserved as your work is so inspirational. I love this butterfly, it is absolutely stunning x

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  16. Congratulations on all your wins and honors.. you deserve it... they are all wonderful... so is this stunning piece... love it... I am going to check out that technique... not familiar with some as I was on dial up for so long.. sad but true... now High speed.. Yes!!! Wonderful work and thanks for the link... Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie

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  17. Hi Mo, just followed the link from Anne's and big congratulations on all this good stuff you've been winning & being gifted. You've surely put it to good use on this stunning project. I was intrigued at reading how you did the stenciling over the 1st staining. That technique was so effective and I can imagine the patience it must have required to let the drying time go by. The background is marvelous, and that butterfly is magnificent. What a uniquely exquisite wall hanging you have created. You must be so proud of it indeed. TFS & Hugs

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  18. Huge CONGRATULATIONS Mo. This truly is a wonderful piece. Karen.x

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  19. Congratulations Mo! So well deserved, it was a stunning entry, Ruth x

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  20. Congratulations Mo on your wins mentioned in your posts and now on your win today with AVJ! I missed this when you posted so am only seeing now. This is exceptionally beautiful and such a well deserving winner. The various hues you have created are sublime and mirror the gorgeous shadings just llike in a real butterfly. The whole design is brilliant! Very well done Mo and have a terrific weekend. Nicola x

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  21. Beautiful! Love the effect, congratulations on winning A Vintage Journey Challenge

    Jools x

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  22. Congratulations on all the wins! I need to check further into your blog to see the past entries, but this butterfly is stunning! Well deserved honor at A Vintage Journey.

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  23. WOW....YOU R a winner, in so may ways....the b'fly's stunning!! TFS

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  24. Oh this is just lovely......

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  25. WOW again. I just found you from Pinterest. I would buy this one too.

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