A Secret Canvas

If you ever get the opportunity to attend one of Lindsay's workshops then grab it ..... you'll really enjoy yourself, learn a variety of techniques and have a great time.  Yesterday I joined Lindsay's workshop over at Topaz Crafts/Dawn Bibby Studio in Oswaldtwistle to make a "Secret Canvas Shrine".

Doesn't everyone look very serious here?  I think everyone was just concentrating really intently on what Lindsay had to say about the canvas, because I can assure you we all had a lot of fun and there was a huge amount of laughter all afternoon!  It was lovely to at last meet up with Sheila (in the foreground), who does some beautiful creative work and gave me her "fairy themed" ATCs for my Midsummer swap - look forward to meeting up with you again, Sheila, at Lindsay's Ranger Techniques class in July!  Behind Sheila you may spot Amy Shaw (Dawn Bibby's niece and a regular craft presenter now on QVC), another lovely and friendly lady with a great sense of humour!

Here are photos of Lindsay's sample "secret canvas" to show what we had to aspire to!

The front of the canvas - I love the look of this and those beautiful blue colours are gorgeous!

The back of the canvas contains a variety of ephemera (including an altered matchbox), to reveal a secret tale or mystery

  

This is the first stage of making my canvas, using acrylic washes and tissue paper

  

 Next, I dabbed on gold acrylic and created a word from grungeboard letters, painted with distress crackle paint 

Here is as far as I've gone with my secret canvas - beeswaxed images, stamping, embellishments

We were all having such a good time that the workshop ran over - I still have to complete the back of the canvas as I need to decide what images and words I want to add to it, plus I'll be adding flowers, maybe other things, to the front as well, but I'm really pleased with the way it's turned out so far - and I'm getting more comfortable using the Meltpot and beeswax now too.  I'll post pics of the finished canvas when it's done.    

Still time .....

..... to join in this month's "Midsummer Dream" ATC swap (see details in sidebar) ..... just three cards, to be with me by the last day of June.  Received the first set of cards in for this swap today and they're looking good (thanks Joanne), but could do with a few more participants (if anyone fancies having a go).

Meanwhile, here's a photo of an ATC I made this week, no particular theme, I just pulled out the image when I was trawling through my stash, matched it up with the background paper and took it from there .... it's now part of my ATC trade collection.

Finally, if you're near a TV (in the UK that is) from midnight Tuesday through Wednesday, tune in to the QVC channel - Lindsay will be on several of the crafting shows throughout the day, demonstrating stamping techniques and tips amongst other things (will just have to wait and see).  Good luck, Lindsay, hope it all goes well for you!

This weekend I have been making .......

Goddesses for an ATC swap.  The group this swap is part of will be closing at the end of the month, but the moderator, Ali Brandist, has started up a new UK group for all those of us who enjoy creating ATCs (and other art projects - inchies, tags, matchboxes, etc) with a vintage or "grunge" style - I'm sure it will be very popular and I'll be joining in a few swaps there myself, soon as I catch up on all my current projects!  I tried to work out how to add a link to Ali's new group, plus a couple of other online art groups that I'm a member of, but I think I was doing something wrong ...... but I'll figure it eventually!  Meanwhile, the name of Ali's group is Vintage ATC UK if any of you fancy checking it out.  See - I can link up in my post but not in the sidebar - yet!  Ali is a brilliant hostess and has a wonderful imagination for some great swap themes so I can highly recommend being part of her new group! 

So, anyway, here are the Goddess cards that I've created over the weekend - it was a lucky dip swap, we each chose six goddesses to create from a huge list of names so everyone will be getting totally different goddesses back when the cards are swapped out.

"The Feral Goddess of the Volcano"

(also known as Hecate, Artemis or Kali)

"Nekhbet - Egyptian Goddess of Wild Birds and Heaven, Protector of the King"

"The Norns - Norse Goddesses of Fate & Destiny

(also known as the 3 Fates & Maiden/Mother/Crone"

"Atla - Norse Goddess of Water"

"Candika - Goddess of Desire & Fertility"

"Aine - Celtic Irish Goddess of Love,

 Sun & Sky, Midsummer, Wealth & Sovereignty"

Don't forget I'm running a 3-card ATC swap throughout June (A Misummer Night's Dream) if you want to join in - details are in the sidebar.

"A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM" - New ATC Swap

Here it is ...... this month's ATC swap.  As we are now into June and the longest day of the year will be approaching in a few weeks' time, I thought that this would be an appropriate summery theme and it should give you all plenty of room for interpretation ...... William Shakespeare's play perhaps, a dream that you've had, something fairylike and fanciful, even humorous or whimsical.  However you choose to create your cards, I hope you enjoy the process of making your little pieces of art ..... it's wonderful to see just how diverse everyone's ideas are.

Details of the swap and how to sign up are listed in the sidebar, along with a card I made inspired by this theme (The Day Dreamer). 

 I wonder what mischief Mia is dreaming up right now?