Brushing Up On Brushos

Hi everybody! It's Toni here and I have the pleasure of presenting  the very first of our 'Inspirational Posts'. These posts will be popping up now and again, throughout the months, as we take it in turns to share some of our favourite products and techniques, which we hope will inspire and get those creative juices flowing. I've chosen to have a play with Brushos and this is what I've found out about these little pots of magic crystals !

Although they seem to be the new guys on the block, Brushos have actually been around for decades. I know this, because I had them in my classroom many moons ago! We used them as a dye substitute for colouring fabric. They are not fixable on fabric though, so it means that any fabric coloured with them,  must be for decorative purposes only.
Brushos crystals come in small plastic pots. A useful tip is to bodge a few holes in the top, a bit like a pepperpot, so that that they can be easily dispensed.

Here's a birds eye view of mine. I bought a set of eight colours and a single pot of Prussian blue. I started my experiments by firstly mixing a little of each colour with water in a palette. The colours are very intense so you only need very little. I jotted down the name of each colour, and painted a sample of each mixture on to a piece of water colour paper

On a second sheet, I spritzed each box with water and sprinkled the Brushos directly into each compartment. The colour spreads in a most fascinating way. I used these sheets as a colour reference for the rest of my experiments. I then cut lots of uniform squares of cream coloured card, approximately 12 x 12 cm. This is the size I often use in my card making, so it can be quite a handy for building up a supply of colourful  backgrounds. I started off by spritzing a piece of card with water and sprinkling on Lime Green Brusho, then spritzing the surface again to activate the crystals. This is what it looks like..

So the basic application I used is , spritz, sprinkle, spritz. You can decide whether to blot the surface or dry with a heat tool. I found that blotting the surface made the colours lighter and removed some of the detail.

 Here are some of my further experiments, I shall try and keep the details fairly brief but feel free to ask questions in the comments box if there is anything more you'd like to know.

In this group, the first picture is the background, next you can see the stamping, I used black Archival ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. The third picture shows where I have used bleach to remove the colour and highlight the eye. Bleach works really well, but observe all the usual cautions. Here are some more bleach experiments...

In the first picture, I applied the bleach to a rubber stamp with a blending tool, In the next two samples, I used the same blending tool to apply  bleach through a stencil. This was fast becoming a favourite technique, I love these effects.

Oops ! just found some more bleach effects. The first is Stamped, and in  the second one the colour has been removed with a fine paint brush. Do use a brush with man made fibres, as bleach will rot natural bristles. The background of the second sample has been sprayed. I made up a few Mini Misters with water and a tiny scoop of Brusho crystals. I used Rose Red and yellow Ochre on this one.

Tearing myself away from the bleach.......

In the first picture, I've used the Brushos to water colour the stamped image, in the second picture the sprayed background has been embossed with a script embossing folder, the writing was then highlighted with Treasure Gold paste applied with the back of a piece of Cut and Dry foam. In the third sample, I mixed a very small amount of Prussian Blue Brusho, into white embossing paste, and applied it through a Wendy Vecchi Stencil.

Three more, hope you're still with me ! The first one from this group, was initially stamped with Versa Mark and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. Brushos were then applied with the spritz, sprinkle, spritz and blot technique. In the next sample, I applied gesso through another of Wendy Vecchi's stencils, dried with a heat tool and then applied  Rose Red and Prussian Blue. In the third picture in this group, The Brushos were applied through a Layering Stencil using Mini Misters.

In this last group, the first one shows a background that has been embossed and highlighted with Treasure Gold. The second one has a Terracotta background, that also has a spritz of Tarnished Brass Distress Spray and a stamped image. It's a pity the glitz doesn't show up in these two as it goes really well with the Brusho colours. In the last sample, I've used the thickening powder, that came in the Brusho set, to make a paste. It's a bit like wallpaper paste, I spread it through a Layering Stencil and sprinkled some Brushos on top. I need a bit of practice with this as the paste is much thinner than embossing paste and is inclined to seep under the stencil, interesting though. 

So, what did I do with all my samples........

I mounted all the samples and made them into a book. I used my favourite bleaching technique for the cover, I think it's very 'batik like'. I also stamped over the with a crackle stamp to enhance the batik effect, The Seam Ribbon has also been coloured with Brushos too. Here's a close up of the cover

Well if you've managed to get to here, I applaud you !!!. As you may have guessed, I'm definitely loving my Brushos. They are a wonderfully simple product that hold a myriad of possibilities. The colours are very intense, so you need only to use very little, to get good results. I think they are great for making backgrounds for stamping, stencilling and embossing and they combine really well with Distress Ink. I blended Distress Ink around the edges of several of my samples. So if you've been wondering whether to take the plunge I can only say GO FOR  IT ! Until next time, happy crafting x.

Anything Goes !

Today is very exciting as it's the start of our very first challenge! We're keeping it easy too and starting off with Anything Goes ! We are a mixed media challenge so as long as your project follows this theme and includes either stamping or stencilling anything goes !

Please take time to read through the challenge rules which are at the top of the page, there's not many but to avoid disappointment please check them out. 

We don't have a prize to offer but we are here to have fun and share some tips and techniques along the way. We are a monthly challenge which will start on the first Thursday of each month. The winner of the challenge will be invited to join us as Guest Designer and will receive a winner's badge. The DT will also be choosing the top 3 who will receive a top 3 badge.

So, without further ado let's push on and see what the DT has created to inpsire you !

Yvonne

Julia

Sharon

Sue

Ruth

Toni

So now it's over to you, let your imagination run wild !

An InLinkz Link-up

Meet the DT part 3 !

Today we're introducing the last two members of the DT, last but by no means least !

Sharon

I live in a small market town in Derbyshire which is known as the Southern Gateway to the Peak District. I spend most of my spare time doing crafts of some kind. It started with my Gran teaching me embroidery, which got me interested in Cross Stitch, then I was introduced to scrapbooking and rubber stamping. Now I like to dabble in journalling, altered art including altered books, Zentangle, up cycling and most recently pounding petals. I am always looking for objects which can be used in different ways than that what was intended. 

In my spare time I enjoy walking and playing football with my best pal Bru!

 

Sue - DT Team lead

I live in a village in Derbyshire in the UK with my very understanding partner!. I've always followed a crafty path even from young when I used to make stuffed toys. I studied art through to exam level at school and then moved on to cross stitch, floristry and even web page design ! My passion for crafting has only gotten stronger over the years and after I was introduced to embossing powder about 12 years ago the rest, as they say, is history. I love nothing more than being elbow deep in paint, ink and embossing paste and very often this is the case !

So, all that remains to say is check back tomorrow when you'll find out what the first challenge is and also see the fabulous projects the DT have created for your inspiration !

 

 

 

 

 

Meet the DT part 2 !

Hello ! Thank you to all those who left such wonderful messages yesterday, It's also great to see our followers growing so quickly ! So, today it's time to introduce the next two members of the DT ! 

Ruth

I live in a Cheshire village on the border of the beautiful Peak District. I've always enjoyed a variety of crafts. I was lucky that as a child my mum taught me how to knit, crochet and embroider. As an adult I've dabbled in projects ranging from home decor to making celebration cakes with wired sugar flowers and it was over 20 years ago when visiting a sugarcraft exhibition that I popped into the hobby one that was next door and was introduced to stamping and heat embossing. I've been hooked ever since. I love stamping, paints, inks and anythings that adds texture to projects....messy is good!

 Yvonne 

Hi, I'm Yvonne aka Meggymay. I live in the N.E.  in a village  with the Roman Wall. passing close by. I have a very supportive husband, my rock and soul mate of many years.   I have always  crafted , beginning with cross stitch, which fitted in with work and  family. Then progressing to my love of all things inky. I am happiest when I can experiment and try out new techniques.  We are now retired and spend time away in our caravan. The craft stash packing always takes priority, you could say I was addicted to crafting, as my journey of discovery into the crafting world is never ending.

See you tomorrow so you can meet the last two members ! 

Welcome !

Welcome to Stamps and Stencils ! 

We are a monthly mixed media challenge and as our name suggests we are all about Stamps and Stencils ! Our first challenge will start on the 2 April and there will be inspirational posts throughout the month too. The DT are raring to go so today it's time to introduce the first two members:

Julia

  

I live in the lovely county of Suffolk with my husband and cat. I taught Textiles for over 20 years and loved it. I have always had a great interest in art and design which is why I love mixed media work, in particular. I'm always looking in the local charity shop for my next item to alter too! My favourite products to use are paints and mediums, stamps, inks, embossing powders, fabrics, wood. . . I could go on but it would take too long! I love to try new techniques and see if I can incorporate them into my work. I also have a passion for making hand knitted socks which sounds boring but it's so much fun to do!

 Toni

 

By day, I’m a part-time peripatetic teacher. Although art was my main subject at teacher training college, my teaching career has been largely in the field of Special Education. I now work with visually impaired children and also teach pottery in a primary school.

 I have a hard working husband and two grown up sons. Luckily for me, my husband loves nothing more than tinkering about with his various old cars and motorbikes. This means that he doesn’t always notice just how much time I spend in my attic craft room!!

I would describe my style as vintage, grunge with a touch of quirkiness thrown in for good measure! I love altering objects and using recycled materials. My ultimate and never ending delight though, has to be exploring the numerous ways, that a single piece of paper, can be transformed into a thing of beauty, with the ‘simple’ addition of a bit of colour.

Stop by tomorrow to be introduced to the next two members of the team!