Wednesday, August 29, 2012

What Kind of Flower Are You ~ Making it Your's Tutorial

 
Hey Gang, well today marks the start of a fabulous Alice Journey.  This past month I hosted an Alice in Wonderland themed Chunky book swap.  The above page is one of the ones I created.
 
 
I wanted to depict a scene that was not commonly done.  After thinking about it a bit I decided on the "What Kind of Flower Are You" scene.  Easy right, just lots and lots of flowers and Alice.
 
 
Well after gathering some goodies and sitting down to pull it all together I realized why no one has depicted this scene before.  How in the World does one make a Flower that looks like it has a face and moves? 
 
So I drummed my fingers and scratched my head and visited some inspirational blogs and then voila!  Inspiration hit.
 
Do you remember this?  Wendy's Paperclay tutorial on Alpha Stamps Blog
Wendy of Alpha Stamps
Paperclay
Or how about these?  Laura's gorgeous fish.
Laura Carson of Artfully Musing
Mermaid Sandcastle Book and Metal Fish

Well, I decided to mix these two concepts and make them mine.

Making it Yours Tutorial
 
 
I started with the concepts that Laura shared in her tutorial (link above) and pulled out a bunch of flower bits and a face that had a lot of swirls (that resembled flowers).  Alpha Stamps has a fabulous assortment of goodies Flowers/Leaves
 
 
 I twisted and turned and combined and uncombined all these elements until I found the combination that worked for me.  The Green Man Brass Stamping can be found HERE
 
 
Then I switched to Wendy's tutorial (link above) and casted molds of the pieces using Silicone Molding Putty
 
  and Paperclay.
I've tried a few different brands of Paperclay and the creative paperclay that Alpha Stamps carries is the best by far (in my opinion).
 
 
I let mine dry in the mold for about an hour before removing them and placing them on paper towels.  If you are only making one set you can let them dry completely in the molds. 
 
 
As you can see I don't worry about making perfectly clean molds.  I find that it makes the pieces to delicate.  So now I need to clean them up with a bit of cutting and sanding. 
 
 
First things first I needed to make them sit flat.  I flip them over and put them on a soft surface such as a bath cloth and file the back with a large nail file. 
 
  Next I clean up the edges to bring out the detail with a sharp craft knife, I also do a bit of sanding with the nail file. 
 

My finished paperclay piece. 
 

 
Here is where I really veered from what was done by Laura and Wendy. 
 
 I paint my paperclay pieces with two layers of pink, one full strength and one mixed with a bit of white. 
 


 
Then I do an entire layer of white.  This is all while the paint is wet.
 

 
And I dab off some white.  If you leave a fabric or paper towel pattern on your piece spritz it with some water and dab again. 
 

 
Now I wouldn't be called the glitter tart if I didn't glitter it up so after the acrylic paint is dry I add a layer of sparkling H2O's
 

 
And let this dry completely.  You can add a layer of Modge Podge or Spray sealant if you want it even glossier. 
 
 
Now I switch back to Laura's Fish Tutorial and decorate my arms (the branches) by covering them with Liquid Pearls.
 

 
And here is my completed Alice In Wonderland Flower. 
Now it's time to put it all together.  This really is just a lot of layering. 
 

The page is 5 x 5
I mounted the Pink Roses Collage Sheet on top of some book print (to fill in the gaps on the sides) and attached my Flower Creation. 
Of course I had to have an Alice, she comes from the Alice Tea Party Rubber Stamp Set, I colored her with colored pencils.
And covered various bits with Stickles
I computer generated the phrase and called it done. 
 
I hope you like my What Kind of Flower Are you piece and that this tutorial helps you embrace all the fabulous tutorials Alpha Stamps has and make them work for you and your art. 

Now for something you might not have expected...
Curiouser and Curiouser
A Giveaway!


All of these goodies are up for one lucky person.
Collage Sheet images,  samples of all the ribbons I used, carbuncle flowers, the molds I made, and a set of painted paper clay pieces.

How to win???
Leave a comment with the following
1.  Name
2.  Way to contact
3.  MOST IMPORTANT, that you want to be entered in the giveaway.

 

The lucky winner will receive everything in this cute little hand stamped bag. 
Good Luck all
and come back soon. 

Winner will be announced Wednesday 5th of September.

Thanks for visiting.

26 comments:

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

This is such a unique way of taking what someone else did and as you put it....make it your own...I love.
My name is Oma Linda my email is linked to this comment and I would love to be included in you fun giveaway. Super excited.

HI! I'm Tabitha said...

Hey ...pick me pick me..i luv it all...wondering if i could do that with some stamped metal frames...you have my info...hugs

Becs said...

You are so creative! You know I still have my painted box and I get compliments on it all the time. I would love to be entered in your giveaway. I am getting ready to host an Alice swap with some new friends I met this summer.

In case you forgot, I am Becs from RebeccaRose Designs. you can find me at my blog or email me at beckyjs63@aol.com Becs

Monica said...

Caroline! THIS IS AWESOME! I LOVE your page! For sure sign me up to be entered into the giveaway please!

:)Monica

Kimberly at ArtJoyStuff said...

Oh Caroline, your page is scrumptious!
Thank you for a chance to win your lovely giveaway.
enJOY a beautiful day,
Kimberly
Kimlaws@verizon.net

Rhea said...

Wonderful tutorial! I really love how you blended the techniques!

Sandi McLean said...

Oh my! I have read your post several times and am in awe of your process, what a gorgeous creation. I would adore a chance to win your give away!

Hugs,Sandi

funwithscrapbookin@gmail.com

Phil and Cris said...

Thank you for the great tutorial! There's just something about Alice that always brings a smile isn't there? And how fun that you're sharing your wonderful goodies! Love your page.

Cris Peacock said...

Thank you for the great tutorial! There's just something about Alice that always brings a smile, isn't there? And how nice you are sharing your wonderful goodies! Love your page.

Debbie K. said...

Caroline, you are sooooo clever and talented too! Love your tutorial and love the little molds. Paperclay is really fun to work with. It's fun seeing what you are up to;)
- DebbieK
d kaste at wi dot rr dot com

2amscrapper said...

brilliant!

Kathy said...

My name is Kathy Bumb, and I love your tutorial. I have never used molding clay, but you make it look simple. Also, you have a fabulous giveaway.

Tristan Robin said...

oh, my, how could I not want to be entered?! Of course I want to be entered. Your mixed-media collage is absolutely enchanting - I love it!

My email address is tristan@tristanrobinblakeman.com

Thanks for the opportunity to play!

Jackie K said...

what a beautiful idea my favorite flowers are african violets i would be very happy to win this prize ladyjacklyn@att.net

Monster Alice said...

I like the page it is very lush. I'll have to try the paperclay, my previous experiments were just a sticky mess. I definitely want to enter the giveaway - you can reach me at monsteralice23@yahoo.com.

Thanks for the tutorial!

Monster Alice

missmacymay said...

Hi again, I just love the green man and the mythology behind him, what a clever girl you are, so interesting. Wish we could sit down with a cuppa and trade crafting stories. Your alice giveaway is intriguing so please count me in. I love that you can take paper clay and make your own images, well I am off to the craft store again. Reachable at missmacymay@yahoo.com.

the paper addiction said...

This is gorgeous, love it and would love to have a play with all those goodies.
Michelle
thepaperaddiction@xtra.co.nz

Slavy said...

Alice projects are always my favorite, they have such scope for the imagination.I'd love to be entered in your giveaway. :)

~Slavena
tigeritty367@gmail.com

Ann said...

Thanks for this wonderful tutorial! I love how you've combined other ideas and put your own creative spin on them! I guess we all do this all the time--viewing each others' work and then bringing it all together in our own creations. I'm new to molds and paper clay, but your clear instructions make it seem doable! Love your colorful page--and the clever title too (sounds just like Alice!). I would definitely like to be entered in your
giveaway! Thanks for the chance to win. Ann -
annrnye@yahoo.com

birdnest said...

hi Caroline,

I would love to win the contest, your site has given me inspiration! Thank you for sharing!

Robin
kittycatcreek@yahoo.com

Carmen Willis said...

Hello Caroline,
I had so much fun viewing over your wonderful blog. I love your creative ideas and whimsical flair. Your beautiful art has inspired me to try my hand at paperclay. Thank you for offering a chance to win your fabulous giveaway. Hugs! :)
Carmen Willis -
carmenmolly5829@yahoo.com

Diane at Craftin Your HeART Out! said...

Your Artwork is beautiful. I love what you did with the Paperclay. Definitely have to try this technique on a few old pieces I have.

Thanks so much for giving all of us a chance to win a fantastic prize! Please enter me in the drawing.

Take care and have a great week!!
Diane.
craftinyourheartout@gmail.com

PS Happy Anniversary!!

Jackie said...

Caroline! However do you do all of this as well as everything else you do! I love the whole "What kind of Flow" and hope to put together my own book based on your tutorials! Thank you so much!
and Happy Anniversary to you and you Sweetheart!
xo and creative wishes Jackie

Jackie said...

ps...thanks for the chance at your giveaway! Jackie @ jackiepneal@rocketmail.com

Darci said...

Wow!!! Fabulous page and tutorial! Love Alice, and this unusual story line is so wonderful! You go, girl!

I would love the chance to be in your drawing! Your tutorial is great!!! Thank you!
darcilsimmons@yahoo.com

How to Clean Mold said...

nice work! its beautiful...