In The Woods by Guest Designer Lynne

Hello

I am thrilled to be making an appearance on the Calico Craft Parts Blog for the month of February, as a Guest Designer.

To receive the invitation to be a Guest Designer was so exciting as I know Calico Craft Parts are excellent products.  When it came to selecting the products I would be working with, I have to say there is such a fabulous array of designs, there really is something for everyone but it also makes it a difficult choice because something new would continually catch my eye!

As a Guest Designer, I will be sharing two projects.  My first project found me playing with an idea, almost a vignette, which has been reverberating in my head of late.

The scene is of a woodland garden on the grounds of a stately home, where, with residents having long moved on, this once grand home, has become derelict.  Take a wander, the paths leading to overgrown areas where the air is dank and nature competes with each other. Intertwined, the flora no longer individually identifiable, as it merges into one mass, winding its way around anything which stands in its path,  The place abounds with signs of faded grandeur, most evident in the statues where now, the wildflowers entwine, clinging to the once alabaster skin which has since become mottled by time and elements. Yet, despite the air of neglect, a new beauty is evident in the textures created by weathering and Father Time,

An Arch MDF shrine becomes the setting for this vignette, possibly a place, in the midst of time, where the residents of the stately home seeked solitude, a place to retreat with only nature as their companion.

The mdf so easily transforms.  Applications of Gesso, a texture paste and stains, allowing me to aim for what I can only describe as a mottled, mouldy, almost fungi appearance,

which I also brought to the various mdf woodland style flower shapes.

Working with those shapes was a first for me and I was astonished at the detailing on them.  They really are a sight to behold!  What is also an appealing factor, it is so easy to snip into the flowers, allowing the freedom to tailor them to your needs.

This detail photograph shows where I snipped pieces from the Maidenhair Fern, allowing me to place them on the "statue", giving the sense of the plant entwining the statue.

Even with the application of Gesso and stains, the detail on the mdf elements is still so clearly defined and

the way the mdf actually gives the sense that the wildflowers are climbing, clamouring and winding their, almost sinuous way around the statue and shrine, it is quite lovely and heightens the atmosphere.

The floor of the woodland area is a mass of smaller wildflowers, having only begun their journey of ascent towards the statue.

Thank you to Helen, Louise and the Calico Craft Parts DT for inviting me to share this Guest Designer project with you today.

Let me now share the Calico Craft Parts I worked with on this project.

Calico Craft Parts Used Today:

Arch MDF Shrine Kit - Style 2
Thistle Flower Branch MDF Wood Shape Style 1 - Medium
MaidenHair Fern MDF Wood Shape Style 2 - Medium
Wildrose Vine - Flora and Fauna Flourish Style 1 - Small and Medium

I look forward to returning later in the month with my second project, in the meantime, many thanks for taking the time to visit this post, it is greatly appreciated.
Wishes
Lynne