Using Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul Mixers on a Gourd!

 

I’ve been working on another gourd using Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul mixers. To begin with I picked out a small Martin Gourd and a pattern of flowers that I thought would look good on it.

                

These flowers were on pyrography paper, so once I decided where I wanted to place them I peeled the back off and stuck it to the gourd. Once I got it situated I wood burned the flowers onto the gourd.

                                        Here’s a close up of the front of the gourd and also the back of the gourd (yep I decided it needed flowers on the back too) once I had finished the wood burning.

          

 

Aren’t they pretty? Both of the flower pictures were on pyrography paper. I enjoy pyrography even though it takes awhile to do. Next I got my Crystal Lacquer out and Red Shimmer Terri Sproul mixers. After mixing the two together to my satisfaction, I took a small paint brush and painted my flowers. For the leaves and stems I mixed Pearl Tanzanite Blue with Pearl Citrine to come up with a green that I liked. I used the small brush and my mixed up green to paint the leaves and stems and this is what it looked like when I finished:

                              

                          

The back of the gourd wasn’t lighter, it’s just the way the light was acting. Don’t you think these colors are amazing? I love this stuff! I’m going to a Gourd Festival in Missouri in two weeks and plan on demonstrating the Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul Mixers while I’m there. I think this gourd will be traveling with me as just one example of how these wonderful products can be used. One thing that is just really soooo cooool is that once this product dries you don’t have to seal it and you don’t have to worry about it running if you seal the rest of the gourd and the sealer touches it. You really need to purchase some of the Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul Mixers and give them a try! They can be used on so many different things! If you clean up your brush while it’s still wet, you can do it with water, if you let the Crystal Lacquer dry on your brush (shame on you, lol) you can use fingernail polish remover with acetone to clean it up. Get you some and let the fun begin!!

Barbara

An Easter Rabbit Trinket Box with Creative Paperclay®

 

One of the things you do when applying for a design team is to make something using the product you want to be on the design team for and post it on your blog to be judged. This is my audition piece. I’ve been on the Creative Paperclay ® design team for awhile now but I can tell you that I still love this air dry clay.  With Easter coming round, I wanted to make a rabbit head.  For this project I used:

Creative Paperclay®

aluminum foil

a styrofoam ball

E6000

paper ribbon

Sakura Crystal Lacquer w/Terri Sproul Mixers

Metallic acrylic paint

Brad eyes

Paper Mache’ Box

I started out by gluing  my aluminum foil rabbit ears onto the styrofoam ball and then covering the ball with Creative Paperclay®.

      

I had to put the clay on the front of the rabbit and let it dry first so that I could hang onto something while I put the clay on the rest of the styrofoam ball.  I inserted the eyes too.

                         

I had to prop it up to keep it from rolling off while the rest of the head dried. Those ears kept making it want to fall over. LOL

While the head was drying this time, I painted the bottom of my paper mache’ box with Crystal Lacquer mixed with the Terri Sproul mixer “Tanzinite Blue” This color turns a green color when painted on a brown box. I painted the lid with Metallic Acrylic Pink. Once the head was completely dry I painted it and glued it onto the box with E6000 and tied my ribbon around that when the glue dried.

 

 

                          

 

I think it turned out terrific don’t you? Creative Paperclay ® is just so much fun to work with. This rabbit could have been made to look like the rabbit in Alice In Wonderland or maybe a Steampunk rabbit, there are many possibilities.

I love to read your comments, and they’re all important to me.

 

Barbara

 

 

Baby Duckies and Creative Paperclay Delight®

I have been having fun making little duckies today! I also created a small gift/memory box for a baby boy. I happen to have a great-grandson on the way and thought now would be a good time to start making things for him. Smile…… I started out with an ice cube mold that had lots of duckies and filled each one with Delight Clay.

Pretty neat little duckies aren’t they? I covered several of the ducks with yellow paint and they really looked cute. I then took a paper mache’ box and decoupaged some tissue on it. Hmm, didn’t like the way it was looking so I pulled out the trusty Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul Mixers and painted the bottom with Aquamarine. The top of the box was painted around the outside with Extreme Glitter Paint and the top had a piece of scrapbooking paper decoupaged on it. I then used some letters to spell out “baby boy” and glued some of my ducks onto the top of the box. I love how it turned out! I think I’m going to use some of the other duckies in my Easter decorating!
   

Creative Paperclay and the Delight Clay are just so easy to use and they are so versatile. What do you think? Do ya think you need to get you some? Hmmm? I think so and give it a try.

barbara

All of the Artsy Bloggers Links for the Week!

 

Each week we share the newest posts for the Artsy Bloggers and here are all of the links for this week. Please check out each blog and leave some love:

 

Beading Arts
Cyndi has gotten inspired by Spring Fever! Has that ever happened to you? Do you have some work you'd like to share?
http://www.beading-arts.com/2012/03/join-me-for-spring-fever-month-on.html/

 

Creative Dreamer
Spring is definitely in the air... and June has gone a little "green" to celebrate... come see!
http://acreativedreamer.blogspot.com/2012/03/going-green.html

 

Easter Bunny Cupcake Craft
With Nutter Butter "bunny" ears. This would be a fun Easter treat to make with the kids!
http://kidsfunreviewed.com/nutter-butter-easter-bunny-cupcake-craft-idea/

 

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Sew a cute pin cushion bracelet to keep your pins (literally) on hand.
http://the-artful-crafter.blogspot.com/2011/10/sew-pin-cushion-bracelet-to-keep-your.html

 

Green Glass Garden Sculptures
It's Spring! Which means Cherie is gluing glass together again! This time she's got green glass (in honor of St. Patty's Day).
http://cherieblogs.com/2012/03/19/green-garden-sculptures/

 

Mo(o)re Whimsies
Trying New Techniques with Sakura Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul Mixers
http://www.barbara-moorewhimsies.blogspot.com/2012/03/trying-new-techniques-with-sakura.html

 

The Uncommon Artist-Laura Thykeson
Laura describes two new workshops and gives you a look at one of her other blogs!
http://theuncommonartist.blogspot.com/2012/03/art-journals-collage-and-sping.html

 

You’re going to love some of the projects and inspirations that these bloggers bring to you this week. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of them.

 

Barbara

Trying New Techniques with Sakura Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul Mixers!

 

My post today is going to revolve around one Art medium that I love to work with. Oh now, you know what it is, why it’s gourds of course! I’ve had several classes recently that I’ve been using the Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul mixers on. Today I tried the Bronze mixer, Crystal Lacquer and the Extra fine glitter on a gourd with a student. We took an extra long dipper gourd and cut off most of the handle to make it look like a bud vase.

Can you see all of the mottling in the gourd? That is where the mold was, but once it was cleaned it left some beautiful mottling behind. I then mixed up the Bronze powder with the Crystal Lacquer and added a little of the fine glitter(pixie dust). We really didn’t want to lose the mottling on the gourd so we put two coats of the lacquer/powder/glitter on the outside of the gourd, allowing for the first layer to dry before adding the second. We also used a part of a gourd as the base and coated it the same way.

Do you see the handle of the gourd next to it there? Can you tell the difference between the before (the handle) and the after (the bud vase)?

                                         I’m telling you that this bud vase really looked gorgeous when that lacquer dried! You can still see all of the mottling and yet the gourd itself has a shimmer and sheen to it that you just don’t normally see. Of course the inside of the gourd is not waterproof so the only flowers you can place inside of the gourd would have to be artificial. Both the student and myself said at the same time, “That would look good with an artificial orchid in it”. Wise minds think alike I think. wink Another wonderful bonus of using the Sakura Crystal Lacquer is that you don’t have to use a sealer on your gourd because the Lacquer itself is the sealer. Isn’t that neat? What do you think of the project today? I would love to hear from you, please leave me a comment.

Barbara

Mold Putty and Resin Embellishments for My Gourds!

 

Most of the projects that I’ve posted on my blog using the Amazing Mold Putty and the Amazing Casting Resin have been for something other than Gourd Art. Today is going to be different. You know once I became a member of the Amazing Mold Putty design team it was like the world was open to endless possibilities to create molds from. I started picking up things everywhere that could be molded. In this project I had picked up this drawer pull to create embellishments from for putting on gourds, so I mixed up Part A and Part B of the putty and pushed my drawer pull into it to create the mold:

 In about five minutes or less the mold set up and I removed the drawer pull. This is what the mold looked like;

 That’s a better picture of the drawer pull and this is a better picture of the mold:

 I hope you can see how the mold putty picks up all of the little details that are on the drawer pull. Once I had created the mold, I mixed up some of the Amazing Casting Resin (equal parts of A and B) and poured it into the mold. This stuff is amazing also in that it sets up very quickly.:

 And once it set up it turns white like the picture above and all you have to do is pop it out cause the mold you just made stays flexible. I then mixed up some Crystal Lacquer with Terri Sproul mixers and painted two of the embellishments I had created;

 I used silver mixers on the two on the bottom of the picture and may add a little black to highlight the creases. I’m going to use these as embellishments on my gourds. I think it’s going to look outstanding plus I now have a mold that I can make embellishments from anytime I want. Endless uses for this embellishment!! Gourds, papercrafts, scrapbooking, mixed media, the applications are endless I tell you, endless!!

 

Barbara

The Artsy Bloggers Link-Ups for the Week!

 Hi folks!! Here's your wonderful Artsy Bloggers Line Up for the week:

Beading Arts

Every March, Cyndi celebrates "Seed Bead Month". Do you have some seed bead work you'd like to share?
http://www.beading-arts.com/2012/03/march-is-celebrate-seed-bead-month.html


Eileen - The Artful Crafter

Come join the Card Party at The Artful Crafter and create cards for people with cancer.
http://the-artful-crafter.blogspot.com/2012/03/lets-have-card-party-link-and-display.html


Mixed Media: Superhero Glasses

Cherie paints a girl that looks like a secret superhero.
http://cherieblogs.com/2012/03/05/mixed-media-superhero-glasses/


Mo(o)re Whimsies

My First Post with Sakura Hobby Craft and Terri Sproul Mixers!
http://www.barbara-moorewhimsies.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-first-crystal-lacquer-and-terri.html


Check them all out!!!

My first Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul Mixers Post!

 

Hello all of my blog lovin’ friends! I truly hope that you all enjoy this project today. I was recently chosen as a member of the Sakura Hobby Craft design team and this is my first post as a member of that team. As I’m sure the majority of my followers know, I love to create Gourd Art. So it’s really no surprise that I’ve incorporated a gourd into this first project.  To start with though I made a mold using my Amazing Mold Putty. I used a clay lizard that I had and created a mold using equal parts of A and B putty which was well mixed together:

               

Once I got the lizard molded, I filled the mold with Creative Paperclay®. While the clay was still semi wet, I popped it out of the mold and applied it to the gourd because the clay could still be bent at this point. See?

 The lizard shows up pretty bright in this picture! But now the really fun part starts! I poured some Crystal Lacquer in a small plastic cup and added just a little Terri Sproul Mixers in it (Bronze) and stirred it up with a small wooden popsicle stick. Using a paint brush I applied the bronze mixer/crystal lacquer to the gourd itself. I did apply more than one coat but did it in very light coats, letting each layer dry before the next one was added. You don’t have to do that though. I think it dried faster in the long run doing it this way plus I put it in front of a fan to dry. I next painted my lizard with green mixer/crystal lacquer mixed up.  The color was more turquoise than green I thought but just the right color for this lizard. What do you think of this beautiful gourd? This was a fairly small gourd but it didn’t take a lot of the crystal lacquer/mixer combination to cover it.

                

That little lizard is going to climb right inside that gourd isn’t he?  Didn’t you just Ooooo and Ahhhhh over the colors? They are even more beautiful in person. There are just so many uses for the Sakura Crystal Lacquer and the Terri Sproul Mixers !!  You’ve just got to get you some of both! They can be purchased from www.sakurahobbycraft.com  and also at www.stampo.com .  I can’t wait to try even more projects with this stuff!

Barbara

Artsy Bloggers Link-Ups for this week:

 

Here’s what’s going on with the Artsy Bloggers this week. Please check them all out and leave them some love.

 

Beading Arts
Antique keys and lampwork beads are a natural combination...come see how!

http://www.beading-arts.com/2012/02/antique-key-and-lampwork-necklace-part_27.html

 

Creative Dreamer

A first attempt at a folk art style face...

http://acreativedreamer.blogspot.com/2012/02/something-new.html

 

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
You can make any size envelope with the Crafter's Companion Ultimate crafting tool. Look at how easy it is to "push the envelope".

http://the-artful-crafter.blogspot.com/2011/11/you-can-create-any-size-envelope-with.html

 

Mixed Media: Beautifully Unique
Cherie layers and layers until she gets a result she likes.

http://cherieblogs.com/2012/02/29/mixed-media-beautifully-unique/

 

Mo(o)re Whimsies
A wonderful Art Book made with Creative Paperclay and Mixed Media Paper!

http://www.barbara-moorewhimsies.blogspot.com/2012/02/wonderful-art-book-made-with-creative.html

 

Taz's Corner
A Look at the Past - Poems and Pictures - Laura takes a look back and shares two original poems

http://tazscorner1.blogspot.com/2012/02/look-at-pastpoems-and-pictures.html

I hope you’ve enjoyed all of the Artsy Bloggers this week. So much inspiration isn’t it?

Barbara

A Wonderful Art Book made with Creative Paperclay® !

 

I absolutely love the way this project turned out! I’ve seen much larger books made for art journaling and for art in general and wanted to try something on my own. As just about everyone knows who reads my blog (maybe not the new followers) I love Creative Paperclay®! This is such a versatile clay and works for many different projects.

To begin with I rolled out my clay with a fondant roller and pressed in a design stamp:

         

I used  a clay cutter to cut the back and front out for the clay book and let the clay dry:

         

I made the holes in the book cover while the clay was still wet. Once the clay was dry, I painted the front and back with Sakura Hobby Craft-Crystal Lacquer mixed with the Terri Sproul Mixer, Tanzanite. While that color was still damp I added the Crystal Lacquer with the Terri Sproul Mixer, Bronze, just highlighting but not completely covering the Tanzanite.

When this was dry I painted the inside of the book cover with the Tanzanite. I then cut some Mixed Media paper to fit the book (3”X31/2”) and used an awl to make the holes. I took the papers and held them pressed together with small clamps while I brushed some Crystal Lacquer on the edge to act as binding.

Once everything was all dry I used some ribbon to hold everything together and attached a little butterfly to the front. Tell me what you think:

 

              

                      

Isn’t this just so neat? By using the Mixed Media Paper (400#) you can write, paint, decoupage, etc. and just about anything that you want to use and it won’t bleed through. I think this will be most fun to work in.

 

Barbara

And The Winner Is…………..

 

Debra Buckland!!!!! I hate to keep everyone waiting. LOL Congratulations, you are really going to love playing with those mixers! Also Lyneen Jesse had the most votes of anyone on the design team, Congratulations to you too Lyneen! I’m so very happy for both of the winners. I thought all of the projects were wonderful and I know there were many who weren’t able to choose and cast a vote, cause they were all so good. wasn’t this a fun hop? I thought so and I know we’ll be having another one sometime within the next few months. Hope you all continue to follow what’s happening on this blog. Lots of fun stuff will be going on!

 

Barbara

Mixing Creativity with Crystal Lacquer~~ A Sakura Hobby Craft & Terri Sproul Mixers Blog Hop!

 

I am so excited about the post today! We’re having a fantastic blog hop. But first let me show you the project that I’ve created for the Hop:

I watched a similar project a few days ago and then adapted it for my project. What we’re making today is a decorative container. I personally think this would be a great gift for a man or for anyone that likes the steampunk style. I started out with a tin can that I’ve had for years and some steampunk ephenera that I created with some resin and a mold from the Articus studio.

A little bit here and a little bob there. These I glued onto the can using some Krazy Glue cause I wanted the instant stick.               I then took some aluminum foil, crumpled it up and flattened it back out again. Note, try not to tear the aluminum and using a heavy weight aluminum foil would be best. I then used mod podge to apply it over the tin can.  You can use a stylus to help press it around the objects on the can. Once all that was done and dry I got to have fun playing with my Terri Sproul mixers!!!! I had fun doing some mixing. I used the bronze powders and mixed them with the crystal lacquer and also used the color enhancer. Wow was this ever some sweet stuff! I painted it on the covered tin twice and this is the end result:

              

       

Isn’t this just amazing?? I love how this tin turned out, don’t you?  Now here is how this blog hop works:

1. Leave me a comment

2. You must be a follower of my blog.

3. After you’ve gone to each blog and left a comment, go to the Sakura Blog and vote for whichever project you liked the best. I HOPE IT’S MINE!! :0)

The winner of the blog hop is going to win three of the Terri Sproul Mixers and some Crystal Lacquer and the design team member who gets the most votes for their project will win the same prize! How cool is that? I love it and wish you all the best of luck! Now hop on over to Gloria’s blog and leave her some love too. (Just click on her name over on the right hand side of this post under the blog hop announcement.

 

Barbara