Fun Starts Here

Over at Try it on Tuesday our new challenge for the next two weeks is Embossed.

This challenge is all about embossing, whether its heat embossing, embossing paste, embossing folders or embossed papers just be sure to tell use what you have used (grin!).

I was still in Halloween mode when I created this page being influenced by the Mexican celebration “Día de Muertos” (which happens to be next Monday). I used lots of embossing powder to heat emboss the white flowers, black doilies and black lace.

I started by painting magenta and green Liquitex Basics acrylic paint over the page using a dry paintbrush technique to prevent the colours blending. When dry, I covered the paints with some Pébéo white gesso and also some black DecoArt acrylic paint; I used a brayer to apply both paints letting them dry between applications.

For the white embossed flowers, I used an Oriental Zen stamp set from Paperbabe Stamps and black Archival Ink to stamp the flower design over the magenta coloured areas. I then covered the ink with white Stampendous embossing powder and heated it with my heat gun until glossy. The black doilies were stamped using a Dovecraft stamp set and the black Archival Ink and covered with black Papermania embossing powder; they were stamped over the green areas of the page.

I used the same Dovecraft stamp set, black ink and embossing powder to add the lace detail to my skull which was die cut using a Halloween Hangouts Thinlit set from Tim Holtz from white card. I mounted it onto some glittery paper and stuck it in place using a glue stick. I also added some circles that were cut from the glitter paper using a Spellbinders die set and to finish, I added a Kaisercraft sticker that reads “Fun starts here”.

I hope that you are inspired to join us too, for more Embossed inspiration please pop over to Try it on Tuesday and take a look at all the beautiful creations from my Design Teamies (grin!).

As it was my hubby’s birthday last week and T Stands for Tuesday, I’m sharing a slice of the birthday cake that I made him and his cuppa! The cake is a Victoria sponge filled with homemade buttercream icing and cherry jam which I topped with a white and red feathered icing and his tea is Ceylon Orange Pekoe Tea – Happy T Day everyone!

Hoping that you all staying safe and well! x

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

  • Liquitex Basics Acrylic Color (Quinacridone Magenta, Hooker’s Green Hue Permanent)
  • Pébéo White Gesso
  • DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
  • Ranger Mini Brayer
  • Paperbabe Stamps (Oriental Zen Stamp Set)
  • Dovecraft Stamp Set (Lave & Doile DCCS009)
  • Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
  • Stampendous! Embossing Powder (Detail White Opaque)
  • Papermania Embossing Powder (Black)
  • Craft Sensations (Luxury Cardstock with a Linen Texture CR0240/GE)
  • Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Halloween Hangouts 663088)
  • Glitter wallpaper sample
  • Pritt Stick
  • Spellbinders Nestabilities Decorative Elements Die Cut System (Stately Circles S4-388) – thank you Astrid!
  • Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet (Bombay Sunset SS339)
Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs, like Try it on Tuesday, as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

I’m pleased to join the lovely Chris aka Pearshapedchris, who is hosting the Hold The Line challenge over at Art Journal Journey with the outlined embossed flowers and lines of lace adorning the skull on my page.

I’m joining in the fun over at Country View Challenges and their Halloween challenge with my Mexican inspired Halloween page.

I’m joining the Purple, Orange, Green! Eek! It’s Halloween! challenge over at the The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog with my “Día de Muertos” page.

I’m also joining in the fun over at the Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge and their Halloween Jump Start challenge with my art journal page.

I’m so pleased to be able to join in the Anything Goes over at Paperbabe Stamps with my Mexican “Día de Muertos” page – thanks so much Tracey, your beautiful ATCs reminded me of “Día de Muertos”, so inspirational!

I’m also joining the Mix It Up Challenge Blog and their Anything Goes + optional twist of Distressing (ink or tool) with the dry painting technique that I used.

I’m also pleased to join in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Layer It Up challenge with layers of paint and embossing powders that I used for the background and layers of papers that I used for the skull.

37 thoughts on “Fun Starts Here

    • Thanks so much! Such an interesting question, I’ve been looking into getting some black gesso as I’ve never used it before. I’m not sure it would have made a big difference to the page, maybe it would have covered more of the background and given a chalky look. What do you think? Have a great week! Hugs, Jo x

      Liked by 1 person

  1. love this lacy page and happy that you included the skull in there for Halloween! I do love that background and the way it shows off the black and white embossing! That cake looks delicious, and happy belated birthday to your hubby! It was my hubby’s birthday last week, and he opted out of a cake! Sad for us, but a great time saver for me! Thanks so much for joining us one more time at The Funkie Junkie Boutique blog!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Good morning, Your journal page is awesome! I have never tried embossing. Your husband’s birthday cake is beautiful! perfect for October! Happy T wishes Hugs Kathy

    Liked by 1 person

  3. The embossed skull is very cool, Jo. It would make a great focal piece on a tag or smaller page.

    Your cake is beautiful – I love how you feathered the icing.

    Happy T-Day. Stay safe and stay well. Hugs, Eileen

    Liked by 1 person

  4. you could be on the Great British Baking show or the equivalent where you live! What a gorgeous cake… and you mention sponge as if that is easy or buttercream… good job on it. I’d buy it in a bakery it’s so pretty and I love cherry. Your art is so interesting and complicated too, love it

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Your page is perfect for Day of the Dead. I think I had better write it in English rather than messing up the Spanish. Love the doilies and the roses. And boy that cake you made looks delicious. I need to make one for my hubby as his is this Thursday. Great embossed page and great cake too. What a fun post Jo. Hope your T day is going well. Hugs erika

    Liked by 1 person

  6. A great page Jo, loving the bright colours with their black/ white embossed areas, and the little skull is cute.
    A belated Happy Birthday to hubby, hope he had a great day topped off with your lovely cake which looks yummy!
    Have a great week.
    Avril xx

    Liked by 1 person

  7. That is a party page for sure with the vibrant images and colors AND all that embossing! That is a very cool doily stamp you used.
    A very happy belated birthday to your hubby. That is a lovely cake you made to celebrate. Happy T day!

    Liked by 1 person

  8. WOW what a fabulous page!!! Thanks so much for joining in the fun at our *NEW* Two Old Bats Halloween challenge! Good Luck and we hope you’ll come back next month. Remember, you can play as many times as you’d like!! If we have 50+ entries, we will give a PRIZE.

    Darlene
    TWO OLD BATS HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE
    DAR’S CRAFTY CREATIONS
    Please stop in for a visit!
    P.S. That cake looks YUMMY!! Happy Belated Birthday to your hubby!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. I am leaving this generic message for everyone who visited and participated in T Tuesday. I want to thank you for visiting. You may have noticed I was offline off and on for three days. I kept losing electricity. Each time, I was able to visit a few people before the electricity went out again. The third time, I was leaving a comment for Valerie when I heard a huge BOOM. There was a flash of light, the windows and walls shook. It felt like an earthquake to me, but it only lasted a second or two. I believe they have finally fixed the electricity in my neighborhood. I won’t know until I get to explore the internet, but it may have been very local. I know I saw two bucket trucks driving up my street less than an hour after it happened. With no heat, the temperatures both nights dipped into the mid-20s F (low 4s C). Thanks for your participation and thanks for hopefully understanding why I was unable to visit for T this week.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Wow Jo! This is a stunning page! I very rarely heat emboss on journal pages – far too impatient for my own good! I love the painted background, really lovely colours and the flowers and lace are just wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing this for my Hold the Line theme at Art Journal Journey! Your cake looks delicious, Happy Birthday to hubby, Hugs, Chrisx

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Your embossed project is beautiful; I really like the colors, too. Your husband’s birthday cake looks good. I will have some of that for my birthday. 🙂 today is my birthday. Have a great week.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. I like the idea of the dry brushing of the Magenta and Green paint over the background. Only problem is I am not that good at dry brushing! But you have created a lovely background on which to work. Lovely doily’s that set the mood and a very Spanish feel to the whole page which i think sets the mood for the Mexican celebration. I imagine, with the embossing, that this is quite textural. Lovely.
    Hugs, Neet xx

    Liked by 1 person

  13. I really love your background. I also really love that it is a different take on the traditional Halloween so that bright purple and black and the Dia de la Muerte design really sets off. So glad you could play with us at Two Old Bats Halloween Challenge and hope to see you again.
    Tammy DT

    Liked by 1 person

  14. The black lace looks striking against those delicately embossed white roses Jo, makes me want to reach out and touch it to explore all that texture.. As the Halloween seasons is about to erupt I hope you have a smashing day with lots of homemade cake!! Delicious..
    Many thanks for sharing over @ Paperbabe stamps Hugs Tracey xx

    Liked by 1 person

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