Welcome to the Memory Maze first ever blog hop!!

If you didn't come from Victoria Freze blog or you popped upon this blog and didn't realize we were blog hopping you need to go to the Memory Maze blog and start the HOP! 

You will need to comment on ALL of the blogs to be eligible for the prize. Plus some of our awesome designers are giving away a prize on their blogs as well. 

 Here's what you could win from Memory Maze.

The Winner will be announced at the Memory Maze blog on the 26th May !

Our theme for this blog hop is Technique, each of our wonderful design team members will show you how to decorate those chipboard pieces or create new chipboard pieces.

"Angel"

This is a shadow frame I found at a Riot store it had a perspex from that I removed and is 6.5" x 4.5" 

Starting with the raw frame I painted the entire thing in gesso, then using texture paste, a couple of masks and some glimmer mist I created a unique frame.

Memory Maze chipboard Angle word.

First I painted the word in gesso then applied a purple glitter embossing powder.

Memory Maze Chipboard flower vine. Comes in several pieces I didn't use them all on this project.

First I painted the chipboard with gathered twigs Distress stain from Tim Holtz, then I dipped the tips into a pva glue and then into flower soft.

Memory Maze chipboard butterfly.

I painted Lumiere paint in Burnt orange directly onto the chipboard, this paint has a metallic look then sprinkles it with glitter while it was still wet.

Memory Maze chipboard mushrooms in cluster and single.

Each of the mushrooms were painted in gesso them glimmer mist added with a paint brush in peach delight, bahama blue & timeless lilac, I used a heat gun to dry the pieces and continued to add colour and blend until it was to my liking, then i applied a coat of crackle paint to the mushrooms to give them more texture and a glossy look.

Some turquoise mesh and cheesecloth added to the bottom gives the look of a fairy tale.

Memory Maze chipboard wings.

I coated the wings in true snow roughly to give the look of feathers, I cut the ends of the wings that's why they are not covered in snow so they sat nicely together behind the photo.

A cluster of Prima flowers, with touches of gesso.

The background was painted in gesso and scenery created with gelatos spraying with water and smudging with my finger, I then used a tissue to remove some of the blue so it looked like clouds.

A couple of close ups of the frames texture and colour

I hope I have inspired you 

I'm also giving away a prize today just leave a comment and become a follower of my blog, 

I will pick a comment randomly to win this great prize pack, full of chipboard, ribbons and bows from Memory Maze and some handmade flowers from me & my store.

Our blog hop runs from today, Monday 20th May, Invite your Friends to play along. You must comment on all the blogs for a chance at the Prize. 

The Winner will be announced here on the 26th May!

The next stop on the blog hop is the Memory Maze blog so pop on over and let them know what your favorite piece of Memory Maze chipboard is that you have seen along your hop.

Thank you for playing along with our first Blog Hop, we hope that you had fun and will be back to join in again.

Key Hooks

I started this projects many months ago, but never seam to be able to get it the way I wanted so into the 'finish it latter box' it went.

While cleaning up my room yesterday I stumbled back onto it, so time to finish

I started off with a plan metal hook rack and picked out some chipboard pieces, as you can see I changed my mind on the centre piece I originally started with, for some reason I just couldn't get it to work and maybe it was the one thing that i needed to change those months ago.

I brought these metal hooks from Target for $15

I used texture paste along the metal tree branch, while it was still wet i used a tooth pic and make some patterns into the paste to represent a normal tree, once dry I dabbed my finger in  Mix'd Media inxs and rubbed them onto the texture paste to highlight the lumps and bumps

Large Key and lock have been treated with rusting powder

Name plate was painted and the swirls also treated in rusting powder, letters have been embossed with mix'd media embossing powder.

Gates also treated in rusting powder. Each of the metal birds have been covered in paper then Green Tara mulberry paper and mod podge used to create the wings, then a light coat of gesso was added.

Grass border was cut in half and each piece was painted in 5 different colours of green then a little mix'd media inx added to the edges, to tops have been coated in flower soft.

Birds nest also treated with 3 different colours of mix'd media inx

Twiddlybits house made into a bird house, covered in paper and decorated with supplies from my garden lol.

Products used

Target metal hooks

Mix'd media inx - truffle, leather, honey & jassmine

Mix'd media inx embossing powder - Jassmine

Prima marketing flowers

Kaiser paints

Ranger Gesso

Mod podge

Paper off cuts

Dusty Attic - grass border, name plate, gate, birds nest, mini birds, keys & locks

Twiddlybitz - rusting powder, house & groove alphas

Flower soft

"Reverse Canvas"

Novembers Green Tara DT work

I covered the top and bottom half of the canvas with different papers in blue and green tones to represent the sky and grass then lightly painted over the paper with a watered down white paint.

Using a brick template I created a brick wall with texture paste and distress inks. The brick wall also follows on inside the canvas. Adding a small stamped bird cage.

Adding several pieces of chipboard each one inked in several colours, the fence has had a treatment of white crackle paint. Using Green Tara wire cord I have twisted it around the fence and up the blossom tree to create a creeping vine adding flower soft and Green Tara roses for flowers on the vine.

Adding a cluster of beautiful flowers & leaves from Green Tara, I wanted smaller leaves but only had large ones left so I cut a maple leaf into 3 smaller ones . The darker flowers have had their tips lightly inked in white to tone them down a touch.

With Green Tara's new velvet rose taking the lime light, these flowers are beautiful and soft with a velvet feel and look.

Green Tara Products Used

Velvet Rose Lavender - CODE: XF9217L

Wire Cord Green - CODE: RB1164Gr

Maple leaves copper 4.5cm - CODE: LA7C

White paper leaves 1.5cm - CODE: LA13Wh

Mini rosebud ivory - CODE: FDV025Iv

Roses 1cm ivory - CODE: FDR001Iv

Roses 1.5cm Turquoise - CODE: FDR003Tu

Apple blossoms plum - CODE: FDV044PL

Cherry blossoms white - CODE: FLC22Wh

Cherry blossoms sea green - CODE: FLC22SG

Extra products used - Twiddlybitz & A2Z chipboard, texture paste, distress inks, prima paper, flower soft.

"Christmas Reverse Canvas"

My lovely kids keep telling its almost Christmas time so I thought I would get us into the Christmas spirit. I'm not a gold person and I rarely follow the traditional Christmas colours but I'm trying to challenge myself. I must say creating this was the so much fun and the idea I had in my head came together perfectly. And is totally loaded with lots of Green Tara goodies.

This canvas is 27cm wide and 20cm tall and is and extra deep canvas. I covered the inside and front edges with a gold metallic 12x12 crinkle paper from Green Tara using modge podge, adding extra folds and creases around the front edges. Then painted the rest of the outside edges of the canvas in metallic gold paint but then wiped it down with a tissue leaving only a thin layer of colour. I also white washed the gold paper so it had a softer tone.

The gold cherubs ribbon was painted with a watered down white paint to tone down the gold a little. Beautiful lace used as a garland was inked in golds and green then sprayed with a little water to blend the colours

Bead Garland Red has been wrapped around the tree to add more decoration

Bead Garland in gold and green has been used to create hanging decorations from the roof, Along with 3 flying deers from the reindeer garland that have had a little white paint added to them. I have used a white Xmas wreath and ruffled it up then added metallic gold paint to the tips of the ruffles. Cutting 2 trees from the Xmas tree ribbon I have added white paint to the edges and added them to the mantle for decorations.

The fire place was made from cardboard then bricks made with texture paste, a few sticks from the garden to make logs and a base plate made from a green paper from the Xmas art deco paper range. For the mantle I just used a couple of pieces of timber that are meant to be the corner supports that came with the canvas and painted them white.

Small gifts made from foam blocks and covered in Green Tara papers and wrapped in Green Tara ribbons & bows. Metallic gold trim added to the bottom of the canvas and slightly painted white.

A small cluster of flowers along the tree side of the canvas with wire embellishments that have been slightly painted with white paint in hearts and stars. A Christmas bouquet in gold added under the tree.

Taking a Metal swirl and straighten it, I then twisted it around a paintbrush in small pieces to create flower swirls

Adding a large cluster of flowers of the fire place side including flower sprays, skeleton leaves, paper leaves, roses, apple blossoms, gardenias, and silk flowers. I have painted metallic gold paint on all of the flowers petals and leaves.

Green Tara has a great range of Christmas themed ribbons these are some of the ones I have used.

Green Tara products

Metallic gold crinkle 12x12 paper - CODE: 1212CG

Metallic Cherub ribbon - CODE: RB605MG

Xmas tree ribbons gold - CODE: RB717Go

Bead Garland Gold - CODE: RBY06Go

Bead Garland red - CODE: RBY06R

Bead Garland - green - CODE: RBY06Gr

Gold skeleton leaves - CODE: RTB2G

Red skeleton leaves - CODE: RTB13

Xmas wreath white - CODE: TWX02

Bead garland 8mm square ribbon - CODE: RBY16G

Reindeer garland brown - CODE: RB652Br

Bows white & gold - CODE: BowS

Christmas bouquet gold -

Small red poinsettias - CODE: PFPRS

Small white poinsettias - CODE: PFPWhS

Med Red poinsettias - CODE: PFPRMG

Med white poinsettias - CODE: PFPWhMG

Art deco Xmas green paper pack - CODE: ADX2

Jaipur Red paper - CODE: SHJR

Art deco white and gold paper pack - CODE: ADGW

Mulberry paper handmade white - CODE: 1212HMWh

Wire hearts gold - CODE: WH178Go10

Wire star green - CODE: WS177Em

Wire star red - CODE: WS177R10

Metal swirls red - CODE: MS858R3

Metal swirls green - CODE: MS858Em3

Skeleton leaf paper red & gold -

Ribbon organza hearts glitter gold - CODE: RB330IG15

Metallic gold trim - CODE: RB660MG

Silk flowers with crystals small red - CODE: SDRS60

Gardenias red CODE: FDV054R and white CODE: FDV054Wh

Apple blossoms red CODE: FDV044R and white CODE: FDV044Wh

3 flower spray red CODE: PFSTR and white CODE: PFST1

2cm roses red CODE: FDR006R and white CODE: FDR006Wh

Paper leaves maple in copper - CODE: LA7C

Lace - CODE: L2920W

Extra products used - Texture paste, distress inks, white paint, creative imaginations stickers, misc bird, cameo, brads, Kaiser chipboard.

Until next time xxxx