Going Dutch For DecoArt. . . . . .

Hello Everyone. Thought I should announce some fantastic news formally here, even though some of you are already aware of the wonderful opportunity I've been given.

In the Spring, I was approached and asked to be part of a mixed media Design Team for the amazing company DecoArt. Primarily the approach was made by the hugely talented Andy Skinner, so how pleased was I?!! Bit of an understatement really - I was over the moon, dancing around and generally acting even more mad than usual! I am on an International Design Team and I'm sure you will know my other very talented team mates. You will find the blog here so please do go and look at the wonderful work by the team.

DecoArt manufacture a comprehensive range of fabulous products from paints for different surfaces to mediums for endless uses including wonderful mixed media pastes and finishes. Having used a number of their products on various projects, I can certainly vouch for their quality and ease of use.

I have been working on a project for quite some time now and at long last I can share it with you. As usual, it features one of my many charity shop finds - I'm addicted to rummaging in them I'm afraid!

I found a pair of wooden Dutch clogs and just had to have them. I think they are probably a tourist piece but they conjured up all kinds of ideas for me! One of the best things about having a pair of these clogs is that even though I've used one, I still have one more to play with!

This is how the clog looked before I started: (warning: this post is picture heavy!)

Sadly, I can't quite fit my whole foot into the clogs - otherwise I could have modelled the finished project for you!

Both clogs were a bit rough round the edges but nothing that a little sandpaper couldn't handle.

One half of the pair completed and looking so much better!

Die cuts, ribbon, paint, cork clay, twine, crackle texture paste and rusty wire amongst other things have been used to create the makeover.

The clog was heavily sanded to smooth the surface and remove the pattern transfers.
The front of the clog was then built up using DecoArt Texture Crackle to create a more pointed effect. 

Various die cuts, crispy ribbon, googly eyes, stick on pearls, cork clay and even some curled up painted tyvek was added to create interest and texture. 

Once everything was dry, two coats of gesso were applied. DecoArt gesso is fabulous. Thick, creamy and reasonably priced it can be used straight from the jar or watered down according to the end use.

All the die cuts were  given two coats of gesso before being glued into position.

The colours above were all used to finish the clog in varying degrees of depth. DecoArt Traditions paints have a high concentration of pigment and are fab to work with. 

Blue Green Light and Aquamarine Traditions paints were the two main colours used as the base on the clog. Prussian Blue was then used to add shading to the surface. Warm white was later added to highlight certain areas. If you look carefully, you can see that some twine was added around the edge of the cork clay to tidy up the join. The cork clay was given additional texture by pushing random stamps into it. This gives depth and interest.

Slightly blurred but you can see the imprint of  a swirl stamp pushed into the clay in this image. This clay was coloured with a combination of the colours shown. Lastly a dry brush coat of DecoArt Metallic gold was added followed by some Triple Thick Gloss Glaze.

The crispy ribbon was dry brushed with various colours to highlight the area underneath. Finally, a coat of DecoArt Metallic paint in Venetian Gold was dry brushed over the ribbon and other areas on the project.

This part of the project was made from die cuts, 'googly eyes' and self adhesive pearls. The orange tones were created by adding a wash of Quinacridone Gold Traditions paint. If you buy one colour of Traditions I would buy this one for it's versatility. I used it here to bring definition and to work with the other colours as a complementary colour. It's fabulous for aging projects too.

Both clogs were held together with string through a hole. I wanted to decorate this hole so added a bead to both the inside and out. Like the die cuts, pearls and googly eyes, the beads were given a coat of Triple Thick Gloss Glaze.

This die cut flower was left over from a previous project. I liked the combination of the flower shades and those on the clog so decided to add it. The flower was coloured with DecoArt Americana, stamped with versamark  dusted with gold mica powder then finished with DecoArt Perfect Crackle. Some coiled rusty wire finished the look.

A metal eye was added to the back of the clog. The ends of the twine from the cork edging were secured around it, painted and then bound with more rusty wire.

I just love all these colours together!

The gold edging on the die cuts was achieved using DecoArt Metallic Lustre added with a paint brush and then buffed with a soft cloth. You can see how the Prussian Blue was used as a shadow here.

The shading with the Prussian Blue Traditions shows up well here. I also love how the googly eyes turned out with their multi layers of paint and Triple Thick Gloss Glaze.

I really had fun playing with the products on this project. It has been time consuming but great to go back to in between other projects and the dreaded packing! Thank you Andy Skinner and DecoArt for giving me this wonderful opportunity too!!

My lovely house is now in complete disarray and this time next week I will be living in my new house - really excited now but sad too to leave somewhere that I have enjoyed living for over 10 years. Please don't forget me in the meantime! I know my blogging has been erratic but I'm not quick enough to make lots of projects and line them up for scheduling (combine that with packing and sorting more than 10 years of 'stuff'' remember!!)  - I so admire people who can do this! See you all soon.