Hold on Tight to your Dreams : Guest Designer : Jennie Atkinson

Hello everyone and I am thrilled to bits to be here Guest Designing this month at Calico Craft Parts. Those of you familiar with my style will know that I love creating vintage style layered pieces and for my first project I decided to use some of the fabulous vintage steampunk shapes on an altered plaque.

I chose this fancy edged birch plywood plaque as my base as it has such a wonderful vintage 

feel to it.

Everything got a coat of gesso and (with a bit of an idea as to where I was going to place the steampunk clock face) I used a stencil and crackle paste to create a larger clock face as a background.

I brayered DecoArt Fluid Acrylics randomly over the plaque but as the colours were quite harsh (particularly the blue and brown) I had to use a lot of white and  yellow ochre to knock it back. The beauty of the birch plywood is that it will take as much as you want to throw at it without going out of shape.

I love this steampunk clock face and flourish - such wonderful detail. I generally give these pieces two or three coats of white paint (just dabbing it on with a round stencil style brush).  I find the paint reacts with the burnt residue on the wood to give a bit of an aged feel to the pieces. The small letters are a wonderful accessory for any project and I decided to leave these in their natural colour.

I gathered a few pieces of patterned papers and distressed them with inks and the edge of my scissors. They were still a little bright so I gave them a coat of watered down gesso.

A few more bits and pieces from my vintage stash box! I like to gather various bits and pieces even though I might not use them in the final design.

And then it was time to layer everything onto the plaque. As some of the pattered papers have been raised with foam pads I did the same to the flourish and covered up the area with ribbon and a flower! You will also see another little Craft Parts Flourish tucked in under the tag. This was just a piece of leftover leaf flourish but I felt something darker was needed in the corner.

I layered the clock face over the crackle clock with foam pads as well. (Spot the mistake - I stuck my "O" down on its side ..... blame my new glasses!).

I love the way the plaque has taken the paints and that as it was wood I could play around with as many coats as I liked until I got the effect I was looking for.

I would like to say a huge "thank you" to Helen, Louise and the team for my spot here this month and thank you too for visiting. I will be back later in the month with another project.

Jennie

Live The Dream

Calico Craft Parts Used Today:

Fancy Birch Plywood Plaque Style 1

Steampunk Mechanical Clock MDF Wood Shape

Steampunk Cogs and Flourishes MDF Wood Corner

Mini MDF Alphabet Letters - Copperplate Gothic

Vine & Leaf Wood Corner Embellishment