Friday, November 2, 2012

With a lot of inspiration from my friends

 I am always inspired by my blogging friends, and this project was no exception.  Although it is not yet finished, and I have suffered some miserable setbacks, I have been working on it for over a week. That is why I felt I needed to at least show what I've accomplished so far.




I took inspiration from Corrine at Sparkle Days Studio, Marilyn at Art Rocks, Mel at The Yorkshire Fox, and Annette (Voodoo Vixen) at Scrap Happens Here.

To begin with, I have to thank Corrine for her post on Wood Icing, a product I found at my local Household Hazardous Waste Swap and Shop.  She showed some lovely art she created using Wood Icing and stencils.  That got me thinking about the mask and stencil combination Annette sent me which she created on her die cutting machine and I backed with Wacky Tac, a repositionable adhesive designed for scrapbookers.

From left: Wood icing crackle (step 2), wood block I painted several months ago with spray paint, the dressmaker stencil, Wood Icing step 1 in chocolate, paint can opener, masking tape.  Not shown: foam brush.


 I have no idea what Corrine's Wood Icing looks like, but this was what Step 1 of what I picked up looked like.  It shook like it had never been opened.


This was step 2, an optional crackle medium.


I decided that even though I had the Wacky Tac on the back of the stencil  Annette (Voodoo Vixen) sent me, I still needed to protect the piece with masking tape.  I opened Step 1 and found it was very, very thin, not what Corrine described at all.  How could two items with the same name be so different?


What a mess.  Not only did Step 1 run, it was so thin it didn't even stay where it was supposed to.  I should have cleaned it off right then, but I kept hoping some miracle would turn it into something a bit thicker.


I left the piece to dry, put everything away, and cleaned my brush.  What a mess!!


Talk about messes, even though the paint inside the stencil had dried, the wood icing had crept underneath the stencil and was still wet, even after an entire day and night.  This was horrible.  I cleaned the mess as best I could, including the stencil.


Then I remembered Marilyn had used joint compound with her stencils, so I grabbed my container of joint compound and went to town.


This time I spread the joint compound using a 5 in 1, a tool that includes a spreader.



I removed the stencil, realizing I would need to do some rework on the paint because not all the wood icing came off when I tried to remove it.  This is where it sits now.  I can't continue with the next step, which Mel inspired with a scrapbook page she created, until I do even more rework.  But I have my blogging friends to thank for all the inspiration they have provided me so far.



This is day 3 of AEDM.  Who or what inspires you?

____________________

16 thoughtful remarks:

Rebeca Trevino said...

Dear E
thanks for your very sweet email today. i spent a really long day at the studio today and didn't get a chance to read emails til after dinner (now).
what inspires me? YOU. you inspire me! always trying new techniques, and taking us step by step. as you learn. i learn. thank you.

Tracey FK said...

like you I am inspired by the blogging world ... and tea of course... and now I am looking at the wood icing thinking I need to go find some of that...hmmmm

Rachél - Creativity Tribe said...

Oooo, I have been wanting to play with joint compound. I went to Paint Mojo Texas Retreat this weekend and my table mate uses that often. I was thinking I would like to give it a go. Now you have put an exclamation mark on that!

voodoo vixen said...

So lovely to read that something I did has inspired you to create and love you even more because you always show us the bits that didn't quite go as you expected!!

I need your addy, haven't found my notebook which has it, though I know its in a box somewhere. ;)

Unknown said...

I love that you show all the steps of each project you do, especially the parts that don't work for you! And this is coming along gorgeously, now that you used the joint compound!

Halle said...

I love the look of the joint compound with the stencil. Very cool. Bummer the first experiment didn't turn out as expected.

Maron said...

Oh my...something new to consider! Like I don't have enough art materials to experiment with! lol Very cute.

Fallingladies said...

Yikes, now a new project has been added to the back of my head hoping to be done someday, i have lots of joint compound around! Can't wait to see what else you do to it.

elle said...

This is great, Elizabeth!

SandeeNC said...

You have inspired me Elizabeth, every time I create something for my wall hangings, I am thinking of you and the wonderful lessons I learned from you! Thank you my friend for your artful ways and for always supporting me! waving hi from the hills of North Carolina :)

Craftymoose Crafts said...

Your whole blog inspires me, Elizabeth, and some day I will work my way through all your tutorials!

Almost done with my book! It was good to hear from you on my blog again :)

Dawn said...

Ooh Elizabeth, without your inspiration I would never have had a go at doing an AB, your tuition, encouragement and dedication is amazing and I cannot thank-you enough. Lol, of course you may use any of my AB work as you wish, I feel very honoured to think that you are possibly wanting to re-post any of it.
Thank-you also for your fab comments today, I was grinning like a cheshire cat again with pride.
Huge hugs x x x x

~*~Patty S said...

some creations take more effort than others...glad you're getting good results now...your dress form is looking great already!
oxo

Nigel said...

Thanks, it's good to see people blogging their "oops" moments, rather than page after page of "look how well this turned out".

I'll look forward to seeing where you go next with this.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the mention Elizabeth but your wood icing is not even close to what I got from Marybeth Shaw. It looks like light colored creamy peanut butter and spreads like smooth wood putty or spackle. But unlike spackle it holds a really crisp edge... good save with the wood putty though! xox

Patti Edmon Artist said...

Bless your heart, I admire your dedication! Funny how process ends up being more than what we bargain for, but looks like you're going to have a really cool project!
I haven't spent much time in the studio since I returned from Red Thread Retreat - not for lack of inspiration, just getting caught up - but hope to very soon!!
Thanks for admiring my necklace (on my blog:), Nina Bagley is such an amazing artist and person - I wear it nearly every day. Look forward to seeing how your piece turns out!