Sunday, November 17, 2013

IT'S A MAGICAL MYSTERY

Happy Monday Everybody!  I hope you had a great weekend.

This week at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, we are talking about mysteries.  Be it Sherlock Holmes or a mysterious technique that you can shed some light on, we invite you to join us!

For me ... I am thinking Christmas!  And my mystery is ....

Just how DOES Santa visit everyone's home in just one night?


The answer ... it's the MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS!

I have always adored Tim's Vintage Santa stamps that he came out with a few years ago.  This one in particular is my favorite.  So, he and Tim's Vintage Globe were my inspiration for this piece.

I started this vintage piece with a deep 8x8 stretched canvas frame that I covered with Gesso.  While that was drying, I started on my Vintage Santa.  



I stamped Santa onto Specialty Stamping Paper and using Jet Black Archival Ink.  I then my colored Santa using my Detailer Water Brush and some Distress Inks.  Scattered Straw and Tattered Rose created his skin tone and rosy cheeks.  His suit is colored with Fired Brick.  The I lightly washed his beard and hair with Antique Linen and gently inked over Santa with Antique Linen and my Ink Applicator to make him more vintage looking.


I then mixed some Stampendous White and Light Grey Flocking and gave my Santa's hair and beard some added vintage dimension.  It looks very cool in person.  You simply add a thin coat of some clear drying glue (not Glossy Accents) to the paper and add the flocking by flaking it off between your fingers.  Then move the flocking around with your finger to smooth it out and gently pat it into place.  Turn the paper up and shake off the excess.

Next I started my Vintage Globe.

  
I cut the globe out of Plain Grungeboard and covered it with Wendy Vecchi's White Embossing Paste.  I added raised areas on the land masses to represent mountains and the contours of the land.  I heat set that dry and colored my water and land masses using Distress Paints.


My water was done by first painting a coat of Weathered Wood.  But that was pretty light so I did a layer of Broken China mixed with a little Picket Fence. The I lightly washed just a touch of Fresco Finish Inky Pool to create depth in the water.  I painted the land masses with Scattered Straw.  Then I added a wash of Vintage Photo to create highs and lows.  I brushed on the wash and dabbed off the excess with a paper towel.


 Finally, I gave my globe a light spritz with Biscotti Perfect Pearls Mist and it was done!

 Now I needed to create a cool night sky to contrast with my Santa and my planet Earth.  I pulled out my large gelli plate and Speedball brayer and started playing with some acrylic paints to create a night sky for my background.  I love Fresco Finish Inky Pool Chalk Paint. It's such a gorgeous blue tone.  I mixed a couple of other blues with it, to darken it just a bit .


Then I added some Black Soot Distress Ink using a Blending Tool and sprayed some Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls Mist followed by a spritz of Forever Blue to create more of an outer space feeling.


Pretty cool, huh?  I cut the background to fit inside of the 5 1/4" square on the back side of my canvas and glued it into place.


Next I created some little houses for Santa to visit.  I die cut them from Tim's Townscape One The Edge die cut out of Plain Grungeboard.  (I ended up not using all of these in my final design.)

I also gold embossed Santa and his flying reindeer flying over the Earth on his magical Christmas Eve journey. 


And what is a night sky without beautifully twinkling stars?  These were die cut from Tim Holtz' Crescent Moon and Stars die cut.  They are Plain Grungeboard painted with a Gold Paint Dabber and then covered with those wonderfully vintage Mercury Glass Stickles.  This was my initial design idea but then I changed my mind.


A Christmas Eve piece needs a Christmas tree and presents!  So, I took Tim Holtz' smallest tree from his Woodlands Trees and sprayed it with a mix of Gold Paint Dabber and water in a Mister Bottle.  I then added some Gold Gliltter Dust Spray.  Finally, I mixed Tim Holtz new Antique Linen Distress Glitter with a mix of Stampendous' Gold and Mercury Glass-ish colored Mica Flakes.  I lightly sprayed the tree with Spray Adhesive and rolled it in the mica/glitter mix.  Finally, I added some Golden Rod Stickles "ornaments" and one of Tim Holtz' tiny Mirrored Stars at the top of the tree.


I painted my exterior canvas with the same combination of Inky Pool Fresco Finish paint a couple of other shades of blue acrylic paints.  I heat set it and then sprayed the canvas exterior with Gold Webbing Spray.  It gives a very cool marbled type of effect. 


Now the canvas was beginning to really take shape!  Notice that I also added more of Tim's Mirrored Stars to the centers of my gold stars?  His Mirrored Stars come in assorted sizes all in one package.  I love the added sparkle and dimension they add.


Next I added Glossy Accents into the space between the wooden frame and the stretched canvas.  Then I added some purchased plastic gold beads.


Next came my letters "The magic of Christmas".  I cut them out of gold Bazzill paper using Tim Holtz' Upon A Time alphabet strip. I then glued each letter in place using a small amount of Glossy Accents and covered each letter with Mercury Glass Stickles.  That added some perfect Vintage shimmer - almost like Glitter Glass - to the letters.  I added two flourishes to each side of the frame from Tim Holtz' Festive Greenery die cut strip using the same paper and stickles.  It was all that was needed on the sides.


Then I added the Christmas tree partially behind Santa, the little row houses and a couple of little sparkly presents to the bottom of the frame.


To finish off my canvas, I added some beautiful purchased gold sparkly trim with 1/4" Scor Tape all around the outside edge of the canvas.  I also added a small gold sparkly bow at the top.




And here is the way the beading and trim on the sides look together.  I like the vintage quality that both of those trims add to my canvas.


Once again, here is my finished piece.  I love it!  And now if anyone asks you if Santa is real or how can he stop at every house in one night, you can simply answer "IT'S THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS!"

I hope my vintage piece has inspired you to create something wonderful for our challenge. Join us and you might be the lucky winner of our $50.00 credit voucher!

http://www.simonsaysstamp.com/servlet/StoreFront
You might also be selected by our Design Team as having one of the most inspiring and interesting pieces for the week.  You would receive special recognition by having your piece highlighted in our 
Good luck!!

Here are all of the products available at Simon Says Stamp that were used in creating this very special vintage canvas:







37 comments:

  1. Your canvas is pure magic Candy and I adore the the mystery of Christmas that inspired you. The colours and textures are amazing and the gold brings the richness of the three wise men into it. Every detail has been lovingly thought out and finished to make this a superb piece to put up over the festive season.
    hugs {brenda} x0x

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  2. Oh wow Candy, you have totally done it again, - an absolutely amazing creation! From the wonderful way you coloured Santa (love the idea of the flocking) to absolutely every tiny detail of this piece! It just spells opulent Victorian Christmas and certainly expresses the magic of the season!!! Stunning from beginning to end!

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  3. You really have created the most magical pieces of Christmas home decor Candy. Love the way you have picked up on that twinkle in Santa's eye with the twinkly night sky, the tree is just heavenly and that webbing spray has created the most stunning effect on the canvas. The little parcels look beautiful nestled amongst the beautiful houses too. You have truly captured the magic of Christmas with this stunning creation. I love it too!! Hugs, Anne x

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  4. Fabulous canvas Candy, great textures and details. This will look stunning hanging up in your home for Christmas, am sure the grandkids will also love it. Annette x

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  5. I adore your Santa! He's marvelous!

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  6. This is really pretty Candy. I love all the detail and the blue and gold is stunning. I really need to get some of the paste. It adds a beautiful textured layer.

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  7. Wow... this is such an amazing project, Candy. All the textures, colors, embellishments are stunning. Love your magic of Christmas!! :)

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  8. I love your take on this challenge!!! SO creative and turned out beautifully as always, my friend :)

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  9. A wonderful magical piece Candy. As always I love your attention to detail like the beading trim and the trim on the outside of the canvas, the globe where you have added the wonderful texture and dimension, the night sky, Santa's beard, the colouring, the web spraying. I could go on, you have so beautifully captured the magic of Christmas in your delightful piece. Tracy x x

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  10. I love your take on this Candy, a great mystery indeed. Your canvas is amazing, wow, so many gorgeous details. That mica tree is just wonderful and so it the background, golden houses and super cool textured globe. Fantastic!!

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  11. Gorgeous as always! I hope to take some of the details you shared and use them on a creation of my own soon.

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  12. This is fantastic Candy with such a huge range of inking techniques. Superbly educational step by step - ingenious the way you have employed all the products. As for the mystery - well of course it is magic! Nicola x

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  13. Really fabulous piece, Candy! The vintage Santa is so cool! I love the Gold Webbing Spray! Very pretty effect! Love all the texture and the glimmer and sparkle! Hugs, Sandra

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  14. Gosh, Candy,

    this is one of the most endearing X-mas makes ever! LOVE your globe, the tiny golden houses and Santa's sleigh in that shadow box frame! Such an enchanting creation!

    Big hug,
    Claudia x

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  15. Oh Candy! You always amaze me! (And the my checking account takes a huge hit. Lol!). I love this project. There are some pretty amazing elements that I'm drooling over. I love the way that you created your starry night background. My husband is in the aerospace business so Im always drawn to celestial elements, and I've got to be honest here, this is one of the BEST night skies that I've ever seen! I'm also pretty amazed by how you got those letters to look so awesome. I never would've guessed Stickles! (That's going on my list pronto).

    Beautiful project, Candy. Absolutely beautiful!

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  16. Absolutely amazing - I love every little thing about it - it is stunning and so WOW - thank you for sharing it with us x

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  17. Gorgeous Candy! Love all the gold trimmings and detail! That vintage Santa looks fabulous!

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  18. Pretty project, Candy! As a little girl I of course pondered this question often... and of course you just need to believe in MAGIC! Love the sparkle in your project... I think all magic needs a little sparkle! :)

    *mwah*
    Steph
    Simon Says Stamp!

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  19. Gorgeous design! I love the mica addition and that santa's beard and hair is soft and fuzzy. Wonderful globe with texture! Beautiful beautiful canvas.

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  20. Wow, what an awesome piece!!! LOVE the starry sky and grunge board Earth!!!!!!!

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  21. That was my guess too, Magic....Pure Magic!!! I love your project, it looks AMAZING!!! The world was genius! You're so clever!

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  22. A mystery indeed !!!!!! Very creative make Candy and I love all the wonderful stamps and products used. Will look great in your home this Christmas. TFS and crafty hugs Annie x

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  23. This is fantastic, Candy! I love the aged blues and the gold webbing. Your village stands out beautifully under Santa's watchful eye, and the globe is so lovely and textured... lovely!

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  24. I adore this canvas! It's absolutely amazing! the globe is fantastic and the background hit my eyes! Wonderful! BArbarayaya

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  25. Candy your creativity & imagination is amazing. Have this globe, but never thought of using embossing paste on it. Your work is truly inspirational

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  26. Thanks for the lovely comments candy. Great little canvas. I really love what you did with the globe. Fab texture and depth. And of course your usual attention to the little details x

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  27. Hi, Candy...I have so missed visiting your blog. My husband had emergency quadruple bypass open heart surgery on the 7th, and life has been topsy turvy ever since. We are home, he is recovering well, thank the Lord. And finally, I am able to visit you to get my "Candy Fix". Wow! What a glorious project awaited me. This might be my all time favorite. The color palette is amazing....the perfect coloring, the starry sky (be still my heart!) every single detail is magical. Thank you for sharing your amazing talent with us. Hugs!

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  28. this is genius. so many clever little techniques. love the "world".... i love this reverse canvas....

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  29. Beautiful Candy, love all the details you've added here ! Sue C x

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  30. What a perfect mystery to investigate for this time of year! The tinting on your vintage Santa is just beautiful, and I love the shimmering glamour of all that gilding.

    Thank YOU so much for your lovely words about my tag - I was thrilled to see it get recognised at SSS.
    Alison xx

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  31. Santa's visits are truly a mystery and a perfect example of having faith in the unseen and unimaginable! This card is way beyond amazing! The globe is fascinating and all the elements have come together so perfectly. This is a piece of art to display!

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  32. You never cease to amaze me with your creative use of materials and stunning pieces of art. Blessings!

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  33. Candy! You are consistently a class act, A+, Crafter of Incredible Talents! I am always so impressed with your range of skills and the amount of techniques and materials you employ. And never in expected ways! Always refreshing and inspiring to see your blog.

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  34. So ein bezauberndes Projekt, liebe Candy. Eine erstaunliche Wunder-Welt haben Sie in diesem Bild geschaffen.
    Liebe Grüße, Bärbel

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  35. Hello Miss Candy I only missed 2 fabulous post, I loooooove your mystery, your right, that Santa know a secret :), I looooove how you painted him, he looks like he has been around for ages, the world you created is a PERFECT tiny world, your night sky, pretty cool, it's freaking fantastic, I looooove the gold houses, with the addition of golden Santa in the sky, the framing, the words, yes my dear you have created a magical canvas, mystery solved, excellent tutorial too I might add, thanks for sharing all of your magic..

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  36. This really is such a magical piece Candy and seems to sum up the wonder of Christmas Eve perfectly. Jenny x

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