Ching-Chou Kuik's Digital Stamps Monthly Challenge Blog - Kym's Inspiration Post - Monday 19 January 2015

It is Monday and therefore time for me to show you an inspiration post for the Ching-Chou Kuik's Digital Stamps Monthly Challenge Blog.

For my third and final inspiration post for January 2015 I decided to make a mixed media project using a plain MDF photograph frame that I got in Michaels when I went to the USA last October.

For my altered frame I have used the Ching-Chou Kuik Digital Stamp called "Peony" and coloured it in with my Graph'it pens.  For the background of the image I coloured with a blue Graph'it pen and then used a little dotty stamp and stamped with a white chalk ink pad.  I then put a splodge of Stickles glitter glue on my tile and then pressed the dotty stamp into it to give me sparkly dots.

Next came the work on the frame.  I painted the whole frame with white gesso and whilst it was still wet I laid in some lightweight mesh to give some texture.  Once dry I inked over with Tim Holtz's Dusty Concord distress ink.  Next I used a piece of an ink blending mat that I cut into an A6 size piece.  I then used my Big Bite hole punch in the large and small holes to make a dotty effect all over the piece of blending mat.  I then used a piece of sponge and inked through these holes with some purple acrylic paint making a random dotty effect on the frame.  I then cut the image to size and put into the frame with a piece of acetate to protect the image (as the frame didn't come with a glass cover).

I then used my new "toy" for Christmas - my third glue gun.  I've killed off two glue guns, not for overwork but just because they stop working so I hope this one last longer.  This time I've gone for a well known DIY brand so fingers crossed.  I love it's fine point and easy handle to pull to expel the glue.  With my dodgy hands I have struggled with my previous two but this one is so easy to use I have had it out more since Christmas than I ever did with my other ones and I am using it to adhere things I'd normally have just used my Pinflair/Collall 3D glue gel for!!  I used the glue gun to adhere the strings of pearls around the inside and outside of the frame, all the flowers, spiral stamens, faux glass embellishment and pearls.

I hope you like my altered photo frame.

The flowers/stamens I have used are as follows:  25mm Cosmo Daisies, 25mm Cherry Blossoms and lilac spiral stamens all from Buckwell Craft Supplies.

I am entering this altered frame into the following challenges:

Penny's Paper Challenge - Anything goes
Fab n Funky - Something new (adding some lightweight mesh to the gesso to add some texture and making my own dotty background stencil)
Word Art Wednesday - Anything goes
Inspiration Destination - Anything goes
Creative Inspirations - Anything goes and option of a sketch
4 Crafty Chicks - Flowers
CCC Digi Creations - Digi/flowers
Creative Fingers - Anything goes

613 Avenue Create - Anything goes or option to use a Winnie the Pooh quote
Polkadoodles - Case it (well my decorated photo frame is inspired by a member of the Ching-Chou Kuik Facebook Design Team, Fernanda, who makes the occasional card but her main love/passion is mixed media.  Here is one example of her work and another (this one gave me the inspiration to use my string of pearls which I have had for years and years).  I have therefore taken my inspiration from some of the creations she's done to get colour and texture into my creation.  I hope she agrees!!)
Not Just Cards - Anything goes
Love to Scrap - Anything goes
Craft Your Passion - Anything goes