Cracking up - a new challenge at A Vintage Journey

Hello friends and visitors, thanks for dropping in. We have a new challenge starting over at A Vintage Journey, the lovely Alison from Words and Pictures is our host and she chose the theme Cracking Up.

This is what she had to say about her challenge:

Share your crackled projects – whether your crackle is stamped, painted, texture paste or any other kind of crackle. To be a winner or Pinworthy mention your project must be in a vintage; shabby; mixed-media; art journaling; industrial or steampunk style.

Well, I chose to continue with my mission of getting my Christmas cards done in good time. I also wanted to show that using crackle does not always have to mean making complex 3D projects. So, below a few steps as to how I got to my finished card:

I started with a piece of very strong card. Added a coat of clear gesso to seal it and then applied texture past through a fairly open stencil. This one is one of Tim's Layering stencils

Next I started to add colour with acrylic paints, in various blue and buff tones, using both a brush and a baby wipe to blend.

Here you can perhaps see a bit better how the paints settled into the crackle textures.

Because I wanted my favourite vintage look, I added brown tones around the out side with the help of a coffee coloured gelato. I also added some white paint splatters for a snowy effect.

The raised bits were further highlighted with Treasure Gold gilding paste and I also stencilled a word (again from a Tim stencil), highlighting that also when the texture paste had dried.

Next I stamped my focal image, a Stampendous stamp that I recently received, though it is quite an old one. I stamped it in dark blue archival and then blended faded jeans and brushed corduroy distress inks around it. Then all that was left was to put it all together.

I matted and layered with white in between, so it would not get too dark.

Here you can hopefully see what is still visible of the original crackle, I just hoped to give it all a bit of a wintry, sparkling feel....

And here finally is the finished card, another one to add to my box.....

Make sure to hop over to A Vintage Journey if you have not been there yet, to see all the amazing projects my teamies have created and read all the details of the challenge. And of course we all hope you will get out your crackle and play along!

Thanks for your visit here today and happy creating!!