PINK SATURDAY - NORMAL SERVICEHAS BEEN RESUMED...

Packing tape transfer - copyright Susie Jefferson

As I've been offline a while, for one reason and another, I thought I'd just put up this quickie technique for you.

PACKING TAPE TRANSFERS

This won't work with inkjet transfers: it needs a permanent ink such as laser prints, newsprint, photocopies etc, as it's the toner that makes the magic.

• Choose your piece of artwork and lay transparent tape over it (the wide clear packing tape) and burnish it down well. Cut off any excess.

• Soak in a bowl of cool to warm water for a minute, then rub gently on the back of the image with pad of your finger (not the nail, or you'll scratch the image).

• All the paper 'nibs' will rub away, leaving the image on the back of the tape!

Troubleshooting:

• Let the tape dry - if there's a whitish 'bloom' showing, this means there's still more excess paper left on the back of the tape. Soak again and have another go. Unless you want that effect of course (it's more Shabby Chic...) as my example above.


• If the tape won't stick to your page, use gel medium or Diamond Glaze to adhere it.

Disposal:

• The excess paper could block your sink, so dispose down the loo or an outside drain.

Finally:

• Have fun with this - images look great in journals etc!


• If you want a matt finish, go over the tape with matte medium (a very thin coat).

Sorry for not posting for a while. For once, not my fault! Tree surgeons have been trimming down branches in the area - and managed to detatch some telephone wires. So no service for a little while.Well, it's better than moaning about my computer!

And just to let you know - I love love love my new one! (still getting used to Windows 7 though... good thing I bought a book. Although I did NOT buy 'Windows7 for the Over 50s' - what cheek!).




Don’t forget to visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see all the other Pink Saturday posts!

ALTERED BOOK ARTICLE IN CRAFT STAMPER JULY 2011 - BRAG TIME

Pix copyright Craft Stamper Magazine, artwork copyright Susie Jefferson

Just a quick note for you all - I'm in July's edition of Craft Stamper Magazine - I was too late with my Altered Book submission, but am in the Web Extra section - and they've published the article as a downloadable pdf if anyone is interested!

Here are some of my own pix, so you can see the details better:

With the extended page (on the left) closed

Closeup detail, showing the lace at the edge

And now with the extended page open:

With the extended page (on the left) open

Closeup of the extended page and pockets with tags inserted

Closeup of the slide mount detail on the right-hand page

I got a mention inside the front cover, and they've done a lovely job with the photography in the article. Nice, huh?

I'm quite excited about it - it's a new idea that Katy Fox (Editor) is trying out - more eye candy in the magazine, instructions on the web.So more room for photos, and photos are bigger too!

Here's the link again for the downloadable pdf tutorial.

MY NEW VIDEOS - FOR COLOURICIOUS

Just before Christmas, I was over at my friend Jamie's house, having a play day, and Jamie photographed my process using wooden print blocks. So here are the videos! 

If you want to see the how-to for the pink box, here's the tutorial I did earlier.

This one is a tutorial for a simple 3-hole pamphlet bound book. You'll see I also created all the pages, so the book is complete - all it needs is a bit of journalling. As I used acrylics (which dry waterproof) the pages are safe to collage, paint, glue, distress...




When doing the stitching, start at the centre hole (from the inside or outside of the book, your choice) then go up to the next hole. Bring the thread down to the last hole (missing out the centre hole) and then finish off by stitching through that centre hole again. Postion the thread so one end is one either side of the length of thread you just stitched, and tie off by trapping that central thread between the two ends. Use a square or Reef knot (right over left, left over right) and trim close to the knot. Press down on the knot with a bone folder to flatten. That's it!

Jamie is the brains behind Colouricious - if you haven't seen their excellent YouTube videos and craft DVDs, you are really missing something!

Here, I was using acrylics and gesso - just make sure you clean your blocks or stamps continuously, because once this stuff dries, it's permanent. (I plonk mine image-side down on a damp flannel, sponge, wad of kitchen paper, to keep the surface moist till I'm ready to clean up.)

TIM HOLTZ STYLE - MY DISTRESSED CANVAS CLASS

My finished piece

Now I've got my wonderful new camera (with face recognition, camera shake correction etc etc) I'm a lot braver about taking photographs - and thought you'd like to see the results of the Tim Holtz Style class I taught at Rainbow Silks last Saturday (12 March).

This was as far as I got in class - I wasn't that happy: I felt it needed... something....  I regretted placing the cartouche over the original stamped image (Claudine Hellmuth's 2-piece set of foam stamps & outline stamps). The whole piece felt kind of straggly...

The finished piece - I removed the clock face & cartouche (bottom right) which I'd stuck over my original red torso stamp, and cut the image from the cartouch and re-attached them over a horizontal strip of lace.

Distress crackle in Rock Candy over the clock face and cog wheel. The snap fasteners were as I bought them, apart from a little light distressing with an ink pad to kill the orange slightly.

I used ruler tape just under the torn paper edging the top, then added a Tim Holtz ticket stamped with my own Beret Girl stamp design (from Blade Rubber Stamps if anyone is interested) and lightly tinted cheeks, eyes & lips with Distress inks.

I over-wrote the stamped lettering (Dawn Houser Shoe Fits stamp) with Lumiere ink and a very fine nozzle.

I thought you might like to see the 'before' and 'after' - it's not often I think to actually photograph any changes!

THE RAINBOW SILKS CANVASES

I had the pleasure of teaching a great bunch, who all did some wonderful work. Two ladies had to rush off so I didn't get photos of their canvases - so 7 out of 9 ain't bad - and if they read this, maybe they'd send me scans?

I lost my crib list of who was sitting where, so re the wonderful work you see here - please contact me so that I can credit you!

THE SPECTRE'S BRIDE - CONFIGURATION BOX

I have just finished another Configuration Box - this one is the smallest size available, so just shows it doesn't have to be big to be beautiful!

Closeup - the red torso is actually a mould and UTEE!

I had this brilliant vintage sheet music titled 'The Spectre's Bride' - so that was the inspiration for this piece.

Detail of the top - a large key acts as a handle

A little spooky, it isn't intended to be for Halloween or anything like that - more Phantom of the Opera, if anything.

I found the strange Gothic Queen Elizabeth I skull piece in a charity shop of all places: modern, resin, I treated it to several coats of Tim Holtz Crackle Paint in Rock Candy, which gave it a German glass glittter effect and aged it down, without needing to 'grunge' it up with paints or dyes.

 I hope you like it.

ART PIECE FROM THE LEANDRA/LIN CLASS

Finally! Here are the pix from the project at the Leadra/Lin class (see post below this one):

Grungeboard hinges painted iwht metallics

Rather a nice metal project - the tree was debossed into metal, then a paint effect applied. Much fun!

The design is meant to have a pitched roof - I hated it, so folded mine down instead

This post is a bit brief as the computer crashed yet again - it's getting very unstable due to age (aren't we all, lol) and the abuse I put it through (FAR too much 'stuff' on it). So, having battled with it all day (decluttering, defragmenting, doing a full virus check) I've basically had enough!

HAPPY PINK ME & TIM HOLTZ PIX

Happy Pink Saturday to everyone! 

Camera envy! O how I love this one!

My first pic is another shot of my wonderful new camera: metallic pink, and a rather nice muted raspberry at that. I already posted one pic of it, but I'm so pleased with my new toy that one is not enough! I can actually operate and was able to use the zoom lens (which is more than I can say for that last disaster).

1st shot of my Configuration Box - this is the one I started at the Tim Holtz gig last week, but didn't have time to completely finish

Closeup detail (yes, I actually managed to operate a zoom lens)

A 2nd zoom closeup shot, just to prove it wasn't a fluke

And a 3rd closeup (yes, now I'm just showing off)

And my box in all its glory again (different shot, just to prove I COULD, lol)

I finished my Configuration Box today, and these are the very first pictures I took with the new camera - lovely and sharp, no wobble. I amazed myself!

TOTALLY IN THE PINK: PIX WITH TIM HOLTZ

Tim with the Blade Rubber Design Team - Sue on the far left, then me, Tim, Chris and Liz. Did you notice Tim had his hand on my shoulder! My little claim to fame - be still my beating heart etc, lol lol lol

In fact I'm so overcome I have my head on his shoulder. And he's STILL smiling. That man has the patience of a saint, seriously.

Me with Mario - who also has unfailing patience (and remembered me from last week at Birmingham, and said he liked my hair). A thousand blessings upon him. I so admire a man with taste, lol.  (Shame I don't look nicer - I wasn't ready for the shot. And in case you were asking, it's a Mickey Mouse Tshirt.)

My friends have all sent their 'Tim' pix, so I'll be editing them over the weekend and posting them for everyone to drool over ASAP. So although technically these photos aren't pink, we're all feeling 'in the pink' so I say they qualify!

Now you've finished drooling over my pix, do go and take a look at How Sweet the Sound to see how the rest of Beverly's gang are doing. Happy Pinks, folks!

TIM HOLTZ TIME & BACKSTAGE AT THE SHOW

Me and Tim

I had a great time at the 'Ranger On The Road' gig for retailers, teachers etc, at the Birmingham NEC on Saturday.

Tim's & Dyan's samples for the workshop - copyright Tim Holtz

My three, done in the workshop - copyright Susie Jefferson

In 3 hours, we all decorated (and finished) three canvases each, and I had a whale of a time playing with all the new products: sticky-back canvas, Distress inks, new Paint Dabbers, Claudine Hellmuth's paints, Perfect Pearls in 4 new colours...

Me with Tim

Me, Tim, and Chris McMillan

Tim in Real Life is a total sweetie, warm, very funny and has the patience of a saint! He also posed with me (and with Chris McMillan, one of the teachers at Blade Rubber Stamps, also on Blade's Design Team along with me) as did Mario - another total sweetie, and Dyan Reaveley from Art From The Heart, who is also a very fun person to get to know.

Closup of Tim's first project - using the new Distress Stains, sticky-back canvas and Tissue Tape

The wings are grungeboard, with Crackle Paint in Clear Rock Candy painted first, then the cracks emphasised with the new Distress Stains - I used Antique Linen.

Extra shadowing and antiquing added using Distress ink in Black Soot (very lightly) on the edges of the canvas torso, wheels, phrase and frame.

The background paper is treated so the print resists the Distress Stains - I used Antique Linen on the canvas torso of the dress model, and also on the quotation. I used Broken China all over the background paper (which is Grunge paper, so it's that natural brown - covered up really well, too). If you want more depth of colour, add more Stain.

Dyan Reaveley from Art From The Heart, who designed this project (and the stamps!)

This is my version!

Showing my doodling along the sides and top of the frame (using Perfect Pearls)

This project, designed and taught by Dyan, features a background using one of her own journal pages printed onto Sticky-back Canvas (using an inkjet printer) with Tim's Birdcage die, and Dyan's stamp designs (chicken and flowers - all painted with Perfect Pearls).

Me and Dyan

Dyan, Chris McMillan and me

She had the most amazing diamante skull pendant, which I lusted after...

I seem to be the only one who painted in their windows! My house has someone living upstairs...

I also stamped all over the sides, top, bottom, background....

As you can see: very dimensional, with the lolly sticks used to stir the paint repurposed (don't you love that word?) to form little trees, then buttons stuck on top for foliage - and a LOT of stamped and cut-out flowers.

The final project was the messiest (hence kept till last) where Tim featured Claudine Hellmuth's new stamp designs - a solid one, applied with her acrylic paints; and a line image which is stamped over the solid image. The line images are very loose, very sketchy, and not intended to index perfectly - so just let loose and allow the stamp to hit wherever it wants to!

Me and Mario - he's a little shy, very sweet - and has the most lovely smile

This is where someone nearly dropped my camera - Mario's laughing - I'm slightly panicky...

I then collared Mario for a photo opportunity - another great guy with the patience of a saint! How many middle-aged women run up to him and Tim begging for more photos and more photos... and Tim was stood there signing autographs (including some of the projects - so if you see any of these canvases on eBay, I can tell you they aren't Tim Originals!)

I have this awful feeling I've finally officially descended into Groupie-dom.  Nevertheless, off with a happy heart... Chris and I were sitting with another Chris (part of the Design Team for Your Touch of Craft) along with Kay (Your Touch of Craft) and Kay's daughter had a stand at the show selling WOW Embossing Powders - so Kay was able to sneak us in for a quick look around. There wasn't much to see as everything was being set up, so I didn't take more than a couple of pix...

Chris, me and Sara

You'll all recognise Sara Davies, owner of Crafter's Companion (and the inventor of those amazing embossing boards et al - National Business Person of the Year 2010, etc). Sara's now got her boards into the US (the US rep was there) and also Canada (Carmi represents her in Canada).

Me with Sheena

Sheena with Chris

Sheena has just gone solo, and this was her very first wholesale show as Sheena by Sheena Douglass. All the stamps you see are her design, she has a new DVD just out - and I rather think she'll have done very well somehow!

Work in progress...

I thought I'd finish this post with pix of works in progress at the workshop - these are Chris's and Kay's. You can see they are all the same - yet all a little different, too