Falling Leaf Journal Page- by Lesley

Hey everyone. Hope you're all keeping cool after the crazy heatwave we had here in the UK!
I have to say, I certainly didn't get a lot of crafting done...…..far too hot!

So, this week......I have a journal page to share with you...….

This was done in a small 6"x6" journal.
The background was originally a mop up page of paint on my craft mat from a previous page.

I added more detail with a stencil and stamps, And then using the large maple leaf, I painted that and used that as a stamp as well. Quite liking this effect!
I added a touch of crackle glaze to the leaf before gluing that to the page.
Yet another way to use craft parts!

Thanks for reading,

L.x

Ingredients used

Wood maple leaf and twig

Wild Geese - Charcoal Storage by Julie Ann

I hope you've been enjoying some beautiful summer days and managing to keep cool! I recently discovered the pleasures of sketching in charcoal, so I decided to create storage for my charcoal sticks and evoke a memory of geese flying on a glorious summer evening at the same time - courtesy of Calico Craft Parts.

I used an ATC/Tag display box. These are so easy and quick to assemble - and - like so many Calico Craft Parts - really adaptable to other uses. To begin with, I painted the sides and inside of the box with heavy black Gesso.

Only one coat is necessary for a great, smooth finish.

I used a grey water-colour pencil to sketch a stylised portrait from a photo of my daughter. This was to form the back of the 'case'.

For the sides I used the same method of creating stylised faces, going on to block them in with diluted, Acrylic inks. I toyed with the idea of adding a crown, but I opted for a simpler, bare-headed approach eventually.

It was fun to create swirls with a white gel pen.

I really wanted to get those crowns on there, so I added them as side details. The simple effect of the gold, metallic paint with the black Gesso, worked really well, I thought.

The Art Deco/Nouveau style ornaments added a vintage touch.

The image on the back of the box was inspired by a summer memory. One evening just before sunset, my daughter and I were sitting on our patio chatting, when the beating of wings overhead drew our eyes upward. A flock of geese were soaring into the blue evening sky and as they flew the sun touched the oil on their feathers and turned it to a kind of rippling, molten gold.

It was one of those moments that are beautiful to share not least because they are almost impossible to describe exactly to anyone who wasn't there.

I used 3 of the flying sea-gulls painted gold as my wild geese. May your summer be filled with memorable moments. Happy Creating until we meet again.
Calico Craft Parts used in this Project
ATC/Tag Display Box (MDF)
Art Deco & Nouveau Style Ornament
Crowns sheet of mini wood MDF crowns
Garden Birds sheet of mini wood MDF Garden Birds
Acorns and Oak Leaves mini wood MDF shapes
Sheet of Mini MDF Seagulls Wood Bird Shapes

Sea Album by Kerstin

Hello everyone!

Today a new inspiration on what you can do with wooden shapes from Calico Craft Parts. Maybe some of you have already seen the first page in my new Happy Home at SASPC ?!

As promised today I am sharing another sea inspired page. 

You will find I have used a lot of mini shapes and small maritime shapes, 

as their size is perfect when you plan to create a photo album with some of your latest summer 

vacation family memories.

some close up's

Here I will later add some memory photos

and here can you see my first page.

I was inspired to use the awesome anchor  collage.

I fixed it with a brad at the upper end, so it can be moved easily!

 

Calico Craft Parts used:

 Anchor Collage - MDF Wood Shape

Anchor & Rope Silhouette 

MDF Wood Corner Style 18 - Ship's Wheel

Dolphin Duo MDF Wood Shape - Style 03

Sheet of Mini MDF Wood Cogs - Style 3

Sheet of Mini MDF Wood Cogs - Style 8

Sheet of Mini MDF Wood Cogs - Style 1

Sheet of Mini MDF Hardware Wood Shapes

 Happy summertime!

Kerstin

Sadly time to say goodbye ..... Jennie

Hello to you all and welcome to this my final post for Calico Craft Parts. I have been on the team here since January 2017 and have had a wonderful time creating alongside my lovely team mates and friends Louise, Lesley, Julie, Claudia and Kerstin.

Sadly I have had to make a decision to leave but because my life is moving into a new area - my handspun textiles - and I need time to explore and experiment what I can achieve in this medium (before I get too old!).

I have, and always will be, a lover of Calico Craft Parts. I love being able to create something totally unique from the lovely kits and embellishments which suit everyone's style. Today I thought I would share a few of my most favourite of the Calico Craft Parts products.

Gibson Girl

February 2017

My Gibson Girl has to be one of my absolute all time favourites. She sits on my desk! I have made other art dolls but she has not been supplanted yet!

Objet D'Art

November 2017

The Beer Mats have been one of my favourite go to pieces. I love that you can throw so much at these wonderful mixed media boards and being able to use some of the smaller steampunk and mini pieces.

Make A Wish

July 2018

The fabulous range of ATCs has also been one of my go to pieces for a project. I have a huge collection made over the last two years. This is a favourite - made when I really had lost my mojo after a long holiday and which got me back on track!

Dolls House Play

May 2019

And then there are the wonderful kits - always a joy to create with and open to so many wonderful ideas and techniques. This is one of my favourites. It really was like playing dolls houses!

I shall really miss the team and all your wonderful comments but I am also very excited about starting something new. I will still be around creating in mixed media so do hop on over to my blog now and again to see what I am creating and of course I will still be in touch with many of you on social media.

As always thank you for joining me today and thank you for all your love, friendship and supportive comments during my time here on the team.

Jennie x

Live The Dream

Rise and Sparkle ATC - by Claudia

Hi, servus and thanks so much for stopping by!

Today I would like to share a quick ATC that was inspired by one of my favourite summer places in and around Vienna to go to - a small swimming spot in the southern Danube Wetlands. There are always loads of beautiful demoiselles (a European damselfly) and I love to watch them "dance" across the water and sparkle in the sun.

Calico Craft Parts used:

- Plain ATC Wood Blank
- Sheet of Mini Insects MDF Wood Shapes - Style 1
- Wild Grass MDF Wood Shape - Style 5
- Daffodil Flower MDF Wood Shape


The ATC was quickly and loosely painted wet on wet with "treasure" DecoArt Chalky Finish paint, "Navy Blue" and "Light Buttermilk" Americana paints. The other wood shapes were - as always - dry brushed with Light Buttermilk to create a base layer and prime the MDF.

Using a detail brush and DecoArt Metallic Lustre "Cosmic Blue" and "Elegant Emerald" and "Teal" Dazzling Metallics alongside media fluid acrylic paints Dioxazine Purple, Carbon Black and Titanium White I painted the damselflies.
The left overs from the Titanium White were diluted and sprinkled onto the ATC background.

I "murdered" a lovely Daffodil Flower wood shape from my stash to create the grass for my largest dragonfly to sit on...

...because I wanted to put an additional grass layer behind the beautiful wild grass shape to create more depth. In the picture below I have put it on top, but it actually was to go behind it.

The grass was also painted quite loosely using DecoArt media fluid acrylics Sap Green, Green Gold and Americana "Golden Straw" acrylic paints wet on wet.

Back to my demoiselles....

These still needed some detail on the wings, so I painted that using a size zero detail brush and slightly diluted Titanium White and Carbon Black media fluid acrylic paint.

Once the paints had dried, it was time to glue all the pieces in place (using matte DecoArt Decou-Page). To layer smaller wood shapes I like to use little MDF pieces that I cut off the left overs from used up Mini Craft Sheets.

The printed out quote was cut to size, inked around the edges and blended with Distress ink before I glued it in place to finish off my ATC.

Voilá!

The metallic sheen and sparkle on the wings (from the Metallic Lustres and Dazzling Metallic paints) was - as always - hard to capture in a picture....I think this one was the closest I could get ;)

Looking at the ATC from the other side the painted in white highlights become more prominent. Adding these on top of the Metallic paints was no problem at all (I was a bit worried because I wasn't sure if other paints would adhere well on top of the Metallic Lustres...but no problems at all !)

I hope I managed to capture at least a bit of the sparkling of the wings (and of the sunlight on the waves), of the volume of traffic in the air and of the extreme summer heat amidst the reed. It's such a magical place at that time of the year (especially when you manage to get there at a time when it isn't too crowded...well, I am not the only one who thinks this place is magical...sigh).

Have a magical summer! 

Claudia

xxx

Gratitude Book - by Lesley

Hey everyone. Only a few more days until my kids break up for the summer holidays....which means it teacher present time! Whilst making thank you presents for them, I created this little book as well......

I used two of the mixed media boards as the covers. I covered them with patterned tissue paper and a watered down coat of white paint.

The rose bud stem was given 5 layers of embossing enamel. 5 layers...…...and the wood didn't buckle what so ever...you really can do anything to these craft parts!

 

I did the same with the butterfly on the back. A few rub-ons and more embossing were added.

I added some handmade paper for the middle and finished it off with some ribbon.

Thanks for reading
L.x

Ingredients used
Rectangle mixed media boards
Rosebud flower stem
Butterfly and vine

A Happy Summer Birthday - Hinged ATC by Julie Ann.

Hello, Everyone. I hope you're enjoying some carefree summer days taking time to smell the flowers. This week I have a miniature birthday card with a difference to share with you.

I decided to combine this beautifully detailed Calico ATC frame with an MDF ATC blank; but to drill tiny holes at the edges of the frame and the blank and to create a hinge, using copper crafting wire. I was really pleased with the sense of depth this creates when you stand it on a shelf.

To begin with, I took an MDF ATC blank and gave it a couple of coats of white Gesso.

For the reverse side, I used a heavy black Gesso. You can then write your greeting on this side with a white Gel pen.

Calico frames are so beautifully detailed, it doesn't take more than a little paint to create a magical, fairy-tale effect. Gold metallic paint adds the finishing touch.

As this is a summer birthday card, I painted a miniature Flora in a leafy bower. She is taking a moment in the long, summer day to enjoy the fragrance of a wild rose.

The wooden beads cover any sharp ends on the copper wire.

I used a combination of gesso, acrylic inks and acrylic paint with white gel pen and water-colour pencils for the final touches. The golden owl in flight and the running hare provide a sense of movement and suggest that perhaps that long summer afternoon is gently fading into twilight.

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and look at my summer birthday ATC. Wishing you a wonderfully creative time until we meet again.
Calico Craft Parts Used in this Project
Plain ATC Wood Blank with Woodland Fungi Frame
Sheet of Mini Owls Wood Shapes
Sheet of Mini Hares