Tuesday 16 February 2016

A bit of Waxwork - PaperArtsy Challenge Topic #3

Morning everyone,

It's a fabulous bright, frosty morning here today, perfect for lifting spirits I think ....just hoping the possible snow tomorrow gives us a miss... ;-)!

Over on the PaperArtsy Blog the current challenge is anything to do with wax....beeswax, wax crayons, Portfolios and anything else waxy you can think of.  Darcy did a fab post over there on Sunday which included using the wax skin from mini cheeses, lol!  My grandkids could supply plenty of that as they love those lovely creamy little cheeses.  Anyway, there has been some wonderful inspiration from the DT guests over the past week, Sue Carrington's project last night is gorgeous for example and still more to come before the end of the week so do pop over for a look.  I managed a play over the past couple of days and, with a few hiccups along the way, here's my entry to the challenge......


I wanted to try my Portfolio pastels after seeing my friend Lin's post here as I've not used them before and it's ages since I had the Melt Pot and beeswax out.   I started by blending Portfolios with my finger for the background, heated it to take off the shine and then stamped the beautiful Geisha from LPC021 before layering melted beeswax.  I've added some mica flakes and powders, Treasure Gold to edge, stamped on tissue (symbols from LPC025) and added some metal embellishments. 


Above and below a couple of closeups to try and capture the shine after I had buffed with a soft cloth. 
 

I had a couple of problems in that I originally used two manilla tags glued together but, of course, once I added the beeswax and started heating to fuse, the tags warped and all the wax ran to the edges, lol!  It also melted the Portfolios again so they ended up much more muted than they originally were but I still liked them.  Anyway, to combat the warping I blended some similar colours of Fresco Finish onto an MDF tag and then stuck my tag(s) to it with Heavy Gloss Gel.  I then remelted the wax to even it out, taking it over onto the MDF and proceeded from there.  I ended up fairly happy with the final result but need more practice ;-)

Ok, off to link up to the PA Challenge and then get some chores done.  Have a sunshiny day!

Hugs
Lesley  Xx

13 comments:

Hazel Agnew said...

It's really pretty Lesley, like your happy mistakes too! Bit of a learning curve this wax malarkey, but yours turned out real fine and dandy! A pretty keepsake! Xx

Sarah B said...

Really pretty Lesley - love the addition of mica flakes in the layers xx

craftimamma said...

Definitely a learning curve Hazel! Thanks Xx

craftimamma said...

Thanks Sarah Xx

Elaine said...

Isn't the sunshine welcome after all the rain we have had. Even if it is freezing! You have made a really pretty entry for the wax challenge Lesley. I love the oriental theme and the wax has given that lovely muted finish. You would never know you had a warping incident! Well done for overcoming it. I love the mica flakes, they ass a really interesting accent. Elaine xxx

Helen said...

really love it Lesley - despite the learning curve!

cuilliesocks said...

Absolutely gorgeous tag Lesley, what wonderful colours and images, Kate x

Ruth said...

Stunning tag Lesley, the image works so well with wax. The metal embellishments and 'blingy' bits are perfect. A real stunner. Hugs Ruth xx

Astrid Maclean said...

Fabulous wax piece Lesley, love how you put this together!

Claire said...

Really lovely tag - I think the colours are stunning and I love how you trapped the mica and powder in the wax xx

Sue's Crafty Corner said...

Such a beautiful tag Lesley, the colours you've used are gorgeous.

Sue xx

Etsuko said...

Beautiful project Lesley. I love the colours scheme and mica flakes, it's really beautiful. Great result!! xx

Craftyfield said...

It all worked out in the end! The melted wax is so uncontrollable I do understand where you're coming from! Love the mica flakes and metal embellishments embedded in the wax.