Don't Speak by Ros Aggett-Madley

Hi everyone, hope you are all still staying safe and also warm.

I make these backgrounds sometimes where I just lay down some water and what ever I have near me.  This time it was some Bubblegum Colour Artist Spray and some Mermaid (yummmm) and Calypso Colour Artist Ink.   I let it just sit on top of the page and then squash another piece of card on top to make a couple of prints, just like I remember doing in primary school.

I make multiple of these and sometimes take them to work and doodle a little on my breaks.  This is how this girl started, filling in time at 3 in the morning and I just could not get her mouth to work.  I made a mess of her but couldn't bring myself to ditch her so took her home and threw her into the 'one day I'll finish that' pile.

She wouldn't stop looking at me though so I just went with it.  

I have used the That Way Stencil to add a star where her messy mouth was.   This was done with some Heavy Black Gesso and a sponge and outlined in white pen.

I have again used the Black Gesso and a sponge, this time with the Grungy Splat Stencil.  

I added some more colour to her eye with some Calypso that was not watered down and when dry, went over the top of the eye with a Clear Shimmer Pen.  

The little ...Shh at the bottom is some Scrap FX alpha transparency. 

Hope you've been inspired 💙

Escape by Suzy Loudon

Hi everyone. You can find my latest layout on the Colour Blast Blog today.

To begin my layout I used Heavy White Gesso through a stencil.

I mixed up/activated some Navy  Colour Shimmer Dust with water. I made it quite strong/dark. Then using some cling wrap I dabbed it onto my page.

After activating some Midnight  Colour Shimmer Dust I dabbed it onto the bottom section with my cling wrap. Then very lightly over the blue.

Using my Bling Colour  Shimmer Spray I gave it a spritz. The unscrewed the top I splashed some splotches around.

I spread Just Blue  Colour Paste lightly through another stencil. Then lightly went over some of the blue with Dusty Charcoal   Colour Paste

Using the Compass Die I cut out some chipboard before painting it with Heavy Black Gesso.

I sprayed some cheesecloth with my spray I made up with Navy Shimmer Dust. Then dried it gently with my heat gun.

Using the Confidential Stamp Set I stamped around some tags & inked around the edges.

I painted my chipboard palm trees with Heavy Black Gesso before dabbing some Bling Colour Paste with my finger.

I embossed my little letters with Just Blue Colour  Embossing Powder. Once heat activated & before it set I sprinkled a small amount of Dusty Charcoal Colour  Embossing Powder  over the top. Then heat setting it. 

I forgot to take a photo, but I activated my Bling Shimmer Cube with water. Then brushed it over my title.I then put all my elements together finishing it off with some beads & micro beads.

Here are a few close ups.

Thanks for looking.

Don't forget to check out all  the other great projects.

xxx Suzy

Best Friends Forever by Suzy Loudon

Hello everyone. Today I'm sharing a bright summer layout...perfect for our hot summer days. 

To begin my layout I stamped flowers using the Michelle Grant Floral Delights 1 & 2 stamp sets with black Stazon Ink onto watercolour paper.

I then randomly painted them with Colour Artist Inks. I used Oasis, Mermaid, Lime, Slipper, Calypso & Cranberry. I didn't worry about going outside the lines as I was going to fussy cut them out.

I tore the edges of my paper before sticking it down onto black card.I then randomly stamped using the Michelle Grant Stardust Butterflies Stamp.

I then did some random paint strips using a big wet paintbrush in Oasis  Colour Artist Ink. Then on top with Mermaid Colour  Artist Inks.

I painted my title in Heavy Black Gesso.

I assembled my page adding some thread, die cuts and art stones. To finish off I sprinkled watered down Heavy Black Gesso.

A few close ups.

Thanks for looking.

xxx Suzy

Wild & Free by Suzy Loudon

Welcome back. I hope the New Year has started off well for everyone.

Today's page is all about Colour Shimmer Dusts...those lovely little pots full of colour.

Today I used some watercolour paper. The tags and backing I used to form the background is also watercolour paper. Once stuck down I used Heavy White Gesso through a stencil.

I activated my Colour Shimmer Dusts in my watercolour palette tray. I used Paris, Peacock & Cobalt. Remember you only need a tiny amount as they are very vibrant. You can always add more if you want a brighter colour. These little pots go such a long way.

Using a big paint brush I added the activated Colour Shimmer Dust onto my page. Then quickly sprayed it with water. I dried each area with my heat gun before moving on to the next area.

I did this until my whole page was covered.

I decided to add some definition by activating my Midnight  Colour Shimmer Dust & going around all my edges. Again using a paint brush then spraying with water to make it run slightly.

I then painted my chipboard with Heavy Black Gesso.

And some other chipboard in Heavy White Gesso

For my chipboard title I generously painted with Gesso the sprinkled glitter over it while it was still wet.

I did the same thing with some chipboard feathers.

Once you are finished using your Colour Shimmer Dust. Don't tip it out. Set it aside. The water evaporates leaving behind the Dust ready to be re-activated next time.

To complete my layout I added some finishing touches with some beads, micro beads, mermaid bubbles, art stones, cheese cloth, a flower & silk.

Thanks for looking.

xxx Suzy

Life is Good by Michelle Henderson

Hi Crafty friends, I'm back again with a quick (ish!) layout for you.

First up, here's the finished page...

I decided on this page I wanted a pale pink background, so I mixed a couple of drops of Colour Artist Ink in Slipper - all you need because it's so highly pigmented -  with a spatula full of White Heavy Gesso.

Once I had mixed it in, I used my palette knife to roughly lay it down in the centre of my page.

 I tried to leave as much texture as I could, lumpy bumpy is good!

Once that was totally dry, I used a Kaisercraft stencil to lay on some more White Heavy Gesso, but this time I didn't colour it, but before it dried I sprinkled some Colour Embossing Powder in Blush and heated it.

Off to a good start, but I still didn't have enough depth so I got out my Colour Shimmer Powders in Passion and Cobalt. I sprinkled just a few tiny little bits of both colours here and there, then very lightly sprayed with water. The gesso resists the powder so it runs into the gaps. Love it! I also tilted the page to make it run even further.

Looking at this had me craving a boysenberry ice cream!!

While that was drying, I painted my chipboard title (it was already white) with a little Colour Shimmer Dust in Navy, using a water brush. I went over it towards one edge a little heavier.

When this was totally dry, I used an embossing ink dauber on the lower half of the words, and embossed it with Colour Embossing Powder in Bling.

It looks gorgeous once it's heated!

I was finished then so I put my layers together using a doily and a bit of punchinella as a base, and then Cocoa Vanilla's Bohemian Dream for all the rest of the layers and embellies. I also added some gold sequins, and finally I splattered a little White Heavy Gesso and Black Heavy Gesso.

Here are some close ups - including the title - 

Thanks for visiting, hope you're inspired to try something new!