Decorating a tray

Due to the lack of clear surfaces in our sitting room (mainly due to my various craft stashes which seem to be taking over!), I often use the ironing board as a makeshift table. This is fine until someone wants to use it for its intended purpose.  I decided to try and make things a bit easier to move off the ironing board and so bought a plain tray to keep my stuff in.  Well, it wasn't going to be plain for long.  I had recently seen a video by Shemi Dixon on Youtube here where she painted a tray.  I was going to do that, but then as my art journal course had featured mark making using acrylic paint pens on tissue paper, I decided to do that instead.  

I had a happy time making all the marks then painted the tray with a couple of coats of acrylic paint, tore up the tissue paper and stuck it down.  I finished with a couple of coats of varnish and some gold gilding paste on the top and corners.  I am really pleased with the finished tray and it is very much my own design.

Making my own paper

I recently treated myself to a paper making kit (from Stamps Away/CleverCut here in the UK here.)  I used scraps of copy paper from various printing projects and cut them down to make very small squares.  I added warm water to the scraps and mixed them up to create a pulp. The kit has a hand-held paddle to which you attach a piece of netting with clips. You then pour the watery paper pulp over it (making sure it is over a bowl or the sink) and then flip it onto some woollen material and remove the clips. You press the water out using a sponge, then carefully remove the paper from the netting and let it dry.  It is certainly easier than having a netting in a frame which you dip into a vat of paper pulp.  The paper has come out quite thick in places, but I like the rustic effect!  Above was one of my first attempts.   

I have tried again, incorporating dried hydrangea flowers and gilding flakes.  I was pleased with this one.

Then I added gilding flakes and words which I had cut out of a book page.  This one is my favourite so far.  

I have used some of the paper which I inked up and added some gilding polish to make an anniversary card for my sister and brother-in-law.  The texture comes through beautifully.  I am looking forward to more experiments using junk envelopes etc.  Watch this space... 

More autumn leaves - made from paper and cardboard

I recently bought a new Sizzix Bigz dies called Tattered Leaves.  I noticed that my seasonal tree was looking a bit sparse, so  decided some extra mixed media leaves would be just the thing.  I cut them out of greyboard which was recycled from a posting envelope.  I decorated them with book pages, kraft card, inking around the edges with red or orange pigment ink and a bit of gold gilding polish for a touch of richness.  On one, (top right in the photo), I covered kraft card with gilding flakes. 

I used a leaf vein embossing folder to give the backs some interest and the inking and gilding wax too.  I am really pleased with how they turned out and they have livened up the seasonal tree.

They go well with the felt leaves I made, using my own felt, a few years ago.  You can also see the November ATC in the middle of the tree. 

I am joining in with the CountryView Crafts Challenge - 'Anything but a card' again!