Thursday 8 January 2015

'Fresh Beginnings'

May I wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year and welcome you to the first 2015 challenge over at ATP Exchange! Sue is our host and has chosen 'Fresh Beginnings' for this challenge...... Now that the festive season is over and thoughts turn to what lies ahead in the New Year, take a look through your craft supplies and share with us a new product/technique/ or even a new item to alter !



I bought a tub of Silk Clay just before Christmas from the Artist Trading Post and thought this challenge was the perfect opportunity to experiment with something new (who me...experiment?). I also used my new iridescent silk glazes (yummy) and some lutradur (or it maybe Tyvek?) that I purchased a while ago.


Silk Clay comes in a range of colours but I opted for white for versatility. It's a very lightweight modelling clay and I think there are similar products available. I have some homemade silicone moulds, made from buttons that I have used with plaster before.
Some were very pretty buttons but anyone who has been to one of Finnabairs classes will know that 'ugly' buttons have their place so you can make lots of lightweight ugly buttons for projects this way.


It's a lovely squidgy, marshmallowy compound with a not unpleasant smell. Pinch some off and press into the mould and remove. It takes 2-24 hrs to dry properly depending on it's thickness and size. The above dried properly within a couple of hours. The result feels like a paper cast and the beauty of it is there's an immediate result, UTEE, Mod Podge and hot glue need to set before unmoulding. I found myself making lots very quickly....it's quite addictive.


I decided I wanted to make a Birthday card for a friend who sews and used the buttons as a starting point. I applied some nylon lace strips to a piece of lutradur using a little pva glue. I had bought a mixed bag of lutradur and tyvek, both are used in creative textiles and react when heated.


The piece on the left is in it's 'raw' state, the piece on the right I had painted for my first attempt but it didn't quite work as I used some cotton lace in the mix and it didn't melt evenly. Next I carefully blasted the back and front with a heat gun trying not to set fire to the piece....joking!


The lutradur starts to form holes, the light brown horizontal strips being the glue I used. This picture of the back I think shows a rather lovely texture, which is really the aim of using the lutradur. I haven't coloured it at this stage, it's purely the effect of the heat gun. I was aiming for a very distressed effect.


 The front- the result is a very lightweight but 'set' piece, suitable for a card. I was really pleased with the colours the lace had taken on and just emphasized this around the edges with some distress inks in antique linen and teadye.


Next I used the copper irridescent silk glaze on the buttons (love the effect) and being so lightweight they just sat perfectly on top of the lace. I also added a couple of bead findings before mounting onto kraft card.


The card base was stamped with the text stamp from the ESN11 set using teadye DI. To finish a Krylon leafing pen was then used around the edges.


A fairly simple but hopefully effective card...and very light for posting! I have a longing to make some more lace panels mounted on a canvas....but we'll see, my workdesk and mind is littered with ideas but there is never enough time to craft!

Please visit my lovely teamies blogs to see what they have been up to....hopefully they will inspire you to have a go and dust off something you haven't used yet, remember there's a £10 gift voucher from our lovely sponsors at The Artist Trading Post up for grabs! Looking forward to seeing your creations and as always thanks so much for stopping by.

23 comments:

  1. So beautifully constructed - most interested with that heat-reactive base and the moulded buttons. Happy New Year Ruth. Jenny x

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  2. This is gorgeous,love the texture and fab design.xxx

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  3. Gorgeous Ruth! I love your moulded clay but most of all the melting technique which is something I haven't done for a while but so love it! Yours looks great! Chrisx

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  4. Wow Ruth, this is breathtaking! I just love the singed laces and those clay buttons are gorgeous!! Love the gold trim, so elegant! I would really love to know what the blue product it is that you used to make the molds and perhaps where you got it from?? I would like to try this out! Thanks, hugs and smiles to you :)

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    1. Hi Pamellia, thankyou for such lovely comments..I used Gedeo Siligum which is made by pebeo, I bought it from Hobbycraft when it was in a sale but it's the same as Ranger Mold and Pour which maybe easier to get.....can't wait to see your results! Ruth xx

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  5. What a great mixed media result Ruth....lovely make!!!
    greetings, Alie :-)

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  6. So beautifully soft and feminine Ruth, what a lovely piece of art xx

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  7. Beautiful card for a sewer, your post has some wonderful tips and fantastic images. Not seen the clay product before it sounds a good thing to play with, it's on my list for 2015. Your button molds are fab, lots f textures and they look amazing when coloured.

    Hope to see your canvas panels, they will look amazing :-) xxx

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  8. Hello Ruth,
    What a beautiful card you have created for your friend.
    The results after heating the lutrador is wonderful- and I also love the tones ,which the nylon lace recieved from the burn.
    I have only tried this with Tywek-envelopes !!
    Love the gorgeous buttons you also created from your homemade molds, they are truly wonderful, and the shine from the glace, makes them look like the real old glass ones !!
    So beautiful !!!
    Dorthe, xoxo

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  9. Gorgeous...soft, serene...and fantatsic use of your new clay!
    Best wishes from Slovenia

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  10. I love that fabulous technique you used on the background Ruth and the finished result is elegant, feminine and oh so beautiful! Love the buttons too on your very creative piece. Anne xx

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  11. Firstly happy new Year to you Ruth.
    This looks fabulous and love how you have done it all. Wonderful piece
    x catherine

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  12. Gorgeous and feminine, love the lace work and the super embellishments.
    Yvonne x

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  13. A stunning vintage piece Ruth. I could see this hanging in a Parisian house. So Beautiful.
    Julie x

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  14. Ruth,
    What a beautiful card! Great creative experimentation you have done here with fantastic results! Love those buttons, and your molds are great, too! I have yet to get mine to work using my two part mold making substance!

    Thank you for your lovely comment on my blog. I just wanted to tell you, I have no other information on the Cloisonne High Gloss Granules, except that name, which is on the little clear box they come in. I have been researching on the Internet for years with no luck to find out more. They must be at least 10 years old, if not more. Sorry I can't be more helpful. Sara Emily

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  15. What interesting techniques you have used on this lovely card Ruth! Your molded buttons are beautiful - the silk clay sounds like a nice substance to work with - and the lace looks wonderful - I can see how each time you play with this process you might get different exciting results!

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  16. Fabulous tutorial - those buttons came out great! Your card is a real masterpiece!

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  17. Wow! I am so glad I stopped by (mainly to pay back for the lovely comment of yours on my blog ;)! This is utterly fabulous! I love the distressed look of the lace ribbons and what you did with the selfmade buttons! What a beautiful project!

    Greetings from Vienna,
    Claudia xx

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  18. Oooh Ruth, this is absolutely gorgeous, those clay pieces look like vintage authentic buttons and your lace has come out perfectly too xx

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  19. A stunning card Ruth, simply gorgeous. I love all the texture you've created with your fabrics and lace and the paper clay pieces are just inspiring. Now tempted by it but can I really have any more new things to try??!!
    Juliaxx

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  20. Beautiful card Ruth! I love reading all about your experimental process. The clay is just stunning and the heated textile element truly inspirational! Sue C x

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  21. Gorgeous and so much fun! Love the results of your experiments! Thank you for sharing ;) xxx

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It would be lovely to read any comments left, I really appreciate them all. Thank you so much for taking the time to drop by.