Springtime Homedecor

 

 Welcome in a new creative year 

with Calico Craft Parts!

 

🎇

🎇

Wishing you a peaceful year 

full of enthusiasm

 joy and fun in creative action

🎇

🎇

 

??? Please, can somebody wake up Spring ???

 

😀😀😀 

 

 

After Christmas and New Year's Eve it could be spring for me, 

the older you get the less you like winter and 

our temperatures really have something of early spring at the moment. 

 

Snowdrops are starting to bloom, which gives hope.

 

 

 

I was inspired to create a canvas with a birdhouse, 

Therefore I used a  MDF Block House Kit,

I added also a tree trunk, made with paper straws and mossy birchbark.

 

 

 

 

some details

 

 

 

 

 

used MDF shapes

 

Block Style MDF House Kit - Wide with Wonky Roof

 Leaping Hare

Wildflowers, Grass & Bird

Robin 

Sheet of Mini MDF Window Wood Shapes

 

 I hope you find inspiration!

Kerstin 

 

In the Witch's Kitchen by Kerstin

 Welcome !

BEWARE -  the witch's cauldron is bubbling!!

 

I was inspired to create a shadow frame in a mixed media grunge style 

with a lot of awesome Calico Craft Halloween MDF wood shapes.

 

 

How was it done ? - some tips:

 

I used a piece of cardboard that fits the size of the canvas and cut out the centre with a precision knife.

Afterwards in some places I removed the top layer of paper with a little water only, so that some structures became visible, which made the whole thing look worn and old.

With  a little bit of Texture Paste the worn effect was intensified -

now the frame was coloured with grey and black

 

Background design with stamps and diluted distress ink

 

First ideas to arrange the MDF shapes in combination with 'The Cauldron' (die cut with Sizzix die, designed by Tim Holtz)

Later I added the 3D shelf and the alien head

 

There are so many variations to alter the shapes; 

for example with embossing powders, or with Antiquing creams!

 

Some close up's

 

 

Calico Craft Parts used :

 

Apothecary Jar with Brain 

Apothecary Jar with Heart 

Long Stemmed Field Mushroom 

Flying Bat Colony 

The Cats Behind 

Alien Skull 

Witch on Broomstick MDF Wood Shape - Style 3 

Zombie Arms and Boots - MDF Add On Sheet 

Beware - Halloween MDF Wood Word

Fleur De Lis Fence Panel MDF Wood Shape - Style 4 

Pile of Eyeballs

 

I will gladly answer questions about individual details.

 

Many thanks for your visit!

 

Happy crafting!

Kerstin

 

 

Beach houses by Kerstin

Hello, creative friends!

I was inspired to create a canvas in altered art style, which means I used the canvas from the other side as a shadow frame.

Have you yet seen the beautiful beach houses at the Beach and Seasides section??

If not - check them out! You'll love them!

I especially  love the old photographs from our grandparents' times, where you can find these awesome mobile bathing carts. The beach huts so remind me of these nostalgic times.

I wanted to create my project in a grungy weathered wood based style, to have it look very naturally aged and shaped by blowing winds and the salting sea.

Tips & Tricks

I used the

Block Style MDF House Kit - Cube in medium size as a base.

First I glued it together completely and found 
it was too deep for my canvas. So I decided to take the saw and split it into two houses!

You can see on the left picture that the beach houses' front sides are a little bit bigger, but that wasn't a problem for me. 

Beach Hut with Life Buoy size small

fits perfectly on

Block Style MDF House Kit - Short

layout plan

Originally I wanted to use a brown monochrome colour scheme, but that was too gloomy for a summer project, so I decided to use muted chalky paints

some close up's

side view with 3D effect

grunge beach house look with crackle medium, distress paints and jute

a cosy beach chair with white crackle paste and 'Walnut Stain' distress ink

 a cord from an old  paper gift bag,  simply knotted and glued on

I love to work with natural materials, like in this project with driftwood, shells and lichen

Calico Craft Parts used:

Block Style MDF House Kit - Cube Medium

Block Style MDF House Kit - Short

Beach Hut with Life Buoy in two sizes small and medium

Striped Beach Hut with Flag Large

Deck Chair

Wild Grass MDF Wood Shape - Style 4

Word Elements - Summer & Seaside

Sheet of Mini MDF Wood Birds - Seagulls

Thanks for your visit!

Happy summer time!

Kerstin

Decoupage with 3D by Kerstin

Welcome, creative friends!

I was inspired to create a canvas in Decoupage technique and with 3D effect. 

I used a beautiful still life on a tissue from my stuff as a base. 

Tips & Tricks

How I started:

I love special effects with depth! 
Here I used some 

Rectangle Shapes and a Plain ATC Wood Blank

as drawers, some in closed position - sawed and glued in suitable size - or

in opened state with two additional small side panels.

Afterwards they were covered with napkins and painted in matching colour.

Finally I added some drawer handles:

 (Fancy Plaques and a metallic lion head)

Some close up's

 The ATC frame was used as picture frame for a word which is sadly used very often in these difficult times

 Calico Craft Parts used: 

Ivy Leaf Garland

Plain ATC Wood Blank with Fancy Cut Out Frame

 Sheet of Mini MDF Hinges 

 Fancy Plaques - Mini MDF Wood Shapes

 Rectangle Shape - MDF Mixed Media Board or

Plain ATC Wood Blank

Happy crafting!

Kerstin

Steampunk & Sea by Kerstin

Welcome, creative friends!

I'm an enthusiastic Mixed Media designer and Steampunk & Sea is always a very fascinating theme for me.

Some days ago I got a wonderful gift from my friend Claudia 😍

thanks sooo much!!!

I'm totaly in love with this awesome Maxi Mould 'Seaworld' from Stamperia. I have already used various casts for some mixed media projects and was very thrilled to experiment and find out if you can combine this big seahorse (made with modeling clay) with some filigree MDF wood shapes from Calico Craft Parts.

 I created a mixed media frame in Altered Art style. Before that it was just a simple plastic frame from a Euro shop.

Have you already seen these awesome letters in steampunk style in the Calico Craft Parts store???

 MDF Letters & Numbers - Steampipe Font

You can choose various sizes for the letters and you can build your very own words as you can order each letter separately. 

I used two different sizes of the

Dotted Peacock Weed - MDF Seaweed Wood Shape Style 3

together with some natural elements and a sea star (made with a mould as well).

The magnificent hair of my steampunk sea horse was made using the
Crab MDF Wood Shape - Style 3

 Probably the hairdresser had just closed here too

but luckily some strong hair gel was still there ;-)

The dorsal fin was created from the

Spider Web Flourish MDF Wood Shape

I used some embossing powders and Metallic Wax for some shiny metallic effects

.... one of my favs from our latest ATC frames collection - the

Plain ATC Wood Blank with Cogs & Steampipe Frame

with a very special embossing powder 'Burnt Copper Leaves'

Two wood shapes used in layering technique:

an MDF Wood Cog - Style 1 in between a clocks cut out and
Steampunk Mechanical Clockworks Motif Style 24

 

 Do you also love to combine different ideas and materials? Then maybe you would like to give this a try.

 Thanks for your visit!

 

Stay safe everyone and take care of yourselves and your loved ones…

 Kerstin

Halloween Canvas - by Lesley

Well, Halloween is nearly here, so just time for one more creation using the fab spooky bits from the shop! Even though, these goodies can be used all year round!
This week I have done a small canvas.

I love this sheet, with the brain and eyeballs. I had every intention of giving my little skull eyes, but one rolled off my desk.....and I am still yet to find it!

I hope you all have a fab Halloween, what ever you decide to do!

Thanks for reading,
L. X

Ingredients used
Skulls, brains and eyeballs add on sheet
MDF mini rectangle plaques

Summer Green Canvas by Julie Ann

Hello Everyone! It's lovely to be back at Calico Craft Parts Blog after an Easter break. And today I have a project inspired by 2 friends and my love of fairy tales!

The miniature world of this 5" x 5" chunky box canvas came into being thanks to a gift of the most beautiful napkins from my American friend, Melissa; the inspiration of my 'teamie' Jennie Atkinson who creates exquisite 'shabby chic' pieces with napkin tissue and my own rather quirky imagination.

Here's how it all started!

I loved this napkin design from the moment I saw it so I carefully tore the top layer into largish pieces. To fix it to the canvas, I used some fluid matt medium with the merest touch of a leafy green acrylic paint, adding touches of diluted paint in 2 shades of green. Now it was time to search my stash of Calico Craft Parts for some foliage to add a 3D effect.

Oak leaves, maple, the branch broken from a skeleton tree: now my imagination was taking flight. The colours on the napkin were an inspiration for my palette too - complementary greens, orange and browns. . .

and where there are leaves and branches there must be birds..

but what about a little enchantment in the mix?

Everything moved like the wind in the leaves: tiny MDF circles became the faces of a shape-shifting prince and princess who could take to the skies and learn wisdom in the tree-tops. Their magical powers teach them that a fresh pear straight from the tree is more delicious than any grand banquet; that a bird's song after spring rain is as enthralling as the music of the finest orchestra and that yesterday's fine palaces crumble and return to nature.

I used acrylic crafting paint; acrylic ink with a very fine brush and some water-colour pencils to create the faces on the little discs.

Melted gold, extra thick embossing powder and some clumps of moss help make the centre from this frame resemble the ruins of an ancient chapel in a lonely country house. I usually fix the craft parts with extra pieces of MDF left behind after carefully pushing them out with tweezers. This gives a project dimension and ensures that you don't waste anything.

What I love about chunky box canvases is that you can add interest around the sides too!

Using paint with a script stamp when the project is completely dry provides a nice finishing touch to any canvas.

Thank you so much for taking flight and perching in the trees with me for a moment today. May your creativity soar until we meet again!
Calico Craft Parts used in this Project
Robin MDF Wood Bird Shape
Robin MDF Wood Bird Shape 2
English Oak Leaves
Mini Sugar Maple leaf and twig
Chestnut Leaf
Branch from Skeleton Tree Wood Shape 8
MDF Round Mini Plaques
Sheet of Mini Crown Wood Shapes 1
Sheet of Mini Bees and Beehives
Halloween Multi Frame - Gothic