My husband is in California for a conference this week, and son and I are really enjoying having the house to ourselves! OK, we miss him a little bit, but not enough to stop us from having fun, staying up very late, having midnight feasts and watching films together. Last night he had some of his friends stay over - they're all sleeping downstairs like not-so-little angels, probably until mid-afternoon as they were still up at 5 o'clock!
I have several projects on the go at the moment and a few more in the pipeline. I took this photo of my desk on Monday night, trying a 'faux batik' technique that I'd learned about in this month's Craft Stamper magazine. A perfect opportunity for me to try my new Tim Holtz travel stamp platform - I must be the last crafter in the world to get one! I never realised I needed one before!
The faux batik technique involves clear embossing a stamped image on watercolour card, then using watercolours for the background - so far just a simple resist technique, but here's the twist - you then remove the embossing with a hot iron and a sheet of copy paper placed over the design. This melts and lifts all the sticky embossing, leaving you with a smooth surface, which creates a look similar to batik designs.
In the first example I used watercolours on the background, but then I moved on to distress oxides, which created stronger colours, as you can see.
Then I tried the same technique with a stencil. I didn't get a good result putting the embossing ink through the stencil, but then I had an idea to use the inked stencil like a stamp which worked much better! Nice and grungy - probably my favourite of all these attempts.
Gardening news: We bought this lovely plant just a few weeks ago for only £2 from our local garden centre run by the agricultural college down the road. It has since tripled in size and doing very well in its new spot. It's called Campfire Coleus according to the label and looks a lovely orange/red/purple when the sun shines on it.
Have fun everyone and enjoy the last few weeks of the Summer! xx
Lovely post this morning. Gorgeous photos and I do love that sweet dog!
ReplyDeleteGlenda #16
Good Morning, such a lovely post from your crafty place this morning. Love the Batik that you've, kindly shown to us.makes me want to have a go. I do still have a silk batik scarf I did at college more than 60 years ago. Hope you enjoy a Good Week. Hugs Rita xxx
ReplyDeleteOreo is obviously jealous as I cannot get the photo of Chum to come up. Love the faux batik effect. It does work better with Oxides. Enjoy the midnight feasts while you can lol. Happy WOYWW. Sarah #9
ReplyDeleteGood to hear your ankles are improving. I love the designs you've been experimenting with. I love batiked fabrics so these have made me smile even though on paper. Love the photo of Chum...what a cool looking dog.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Annie x #7
Hi Zsuzsa, great technique, looks fabulous. Good to hear your ankles are improving. Have a lovely week, Hugs, Shaz #6 X
ReplyDeleteThat's a really effective technique! I particularly love the top right hand one with the circles - the colours and patterns make it look very Indian. I'm glad to hear your ankles are improving, we really take our bodies for granted don't we and when things go wrong, it really puts us out. You're behave having all those teenage boys over, I remember it well with my two, lol!!
ReplyDeleteHugs LLJ 10 xxx
I'm glad to hear your ankles are improving - it's so frustrating being housebound isn't it, I hope you are soon fully recovered. I love your samples of batik, what great effects you've achieved.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rest of your special mother and son time,
Hugs, Diana xx #17
Gosh, you really did suffer with those ankles didn't you. Not easy to rest them totally when you are the only adult in the house, but glad to hear you and your son are having a whale of a time. Some great ideas there - midnight feasts and movies! Great bonding times, cherish them!
ReplyDeleteNext I must mention the photo of Chum. What a cool dude he is. Reminds me of San Francisco or what was missing from my trip there. (I went in search of flower people and didn't find any - Chum would have been good to see).
Nice resist pictures, seems ages since I did any of those but they did some at my club on Saturday (which I missed again) and I know Distress Inks were on the list - wonder if they got as good a result as you did?
Finally love the plant - I like a coleus but have never seen one this colour before. Bet it looks 'on fire' when the sun is shining on it.
Thanks for a great post - apart from the ankle problems.
Hugs, Neet 1 xx
glad you're enjoying some you and your son time! loving the backgrounds you're making. that coleus is gorgeous - they have huge big tubs of them at Kew, all different varieties, they are so colourful. Have a good week - thanks for dropping by. Helen #2
ReplyDeleteHi Zsuzsa. What fun - something really different. I confess I would probably be scared stiff of trying to iron out the embossed bits! I'd be afraid of setting fire to myself - or my house. The results are lovely. Well done.
ReplyDeleteTake care. God bless.
Margaret #3
Love the faux batik super designs. I did some batik many years ago when on an art course.
ReplyDeleteThe dog photo is such fun :-)
Remember DH being away in US many years ago now and my youngest son and I having a lot of fun together - he was 'looking after' me while his day was away :-)
The plant is a beautiful colour.
Hope your ankles soon fully recovered. Anne x #5
I love this technique, it's so effective. Loving the new plant too, they have such gorgeous colours. I've seen the photo of Chum earlier, he is a real cool boy. Wishing you a happy woyww and a lovely creative week, Angela x15x
ReplyDeleteI've done that technique, Zsuzsa, but I didn't know it was called faux batik! Did you know that you can also use the paper you used to iron off the embossing? The image isn't as clear, but it's fun to experiment. I love your colourful palette of paints too. Your desk looks really creative and fun! Oh dear, poor Oreo getting ousted - and in favour of a DOG of all things! He is rather adorable, though! The Campfire Coleus is a fabulous colour. Must look out for this - I don't think I've ever seen one before. Thanks for your visit. We usually get through most of what I buy food-wise each week. If I make up a large recipe, some of it may go in the freezer but usually the fridge is absolutely stuffed - if you look at my previous post you can see a photo of a typical day just after my Tesco delivery! I sooo need a bigger fridge... As for throwing stuff away, I'm getting better at this with practice. I've learnt what things keep. When I first started doing this I cooked a lot of grains in advance, and they went off in the fridge. I hate wasting stuff! If I make too much, I always try and use up the leftovers the next day, or freeze them. I try and keep an eye on what's in the fridge (if I can get at it) and keep on top of what needs eating first, e.g. salad leaves. I find the lettuce keeps pretty well especially if I wash it and store it in a bag, but the more delicate leaves like rocket and baby spinach need keeping an eye on. The root veggies and more hefty greens keep well. I get a bit fed up with Tesco sometimes because their fruit often doesn't keep, and I frequently find bad ones on the day of delivery and I have to phone and complain - they always give me a refund with no problem, but I'd rather have the fruit! Citrus is the worst. Thanks for your good wishes for Kermit - message duly passed on to him! He's behaving pretty well despite the presence of the dreaded Miss Piggy (hernia) - he hates Miss Piggy!
ReplyDeleteHappy WOYWW,
Shoshi #18
Hi Zsuzsa, I am glad to read that your ankles are healing well and that you enjoy some holidays at home having fun with your son! This technique sounds interesting, and the colours of your works are beautiful, as always! Your favourites matches well with your new plant. Jackie's best friend is so cute! You cannot compare him with Oreo, cats and dogs are both cute!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have been having a Party whilst hubby is out of town.. It does us all good to change our routine every now and then. Late nights & box sets is one of my ways to wind down.
ReplyDeleteMy Grandad used to grow Coleus of different colours both indoors and out. Some would remind me of savoy cabbage as a small child, such a robust plant. It must love the soil it's planted in. Stunning colour.
I have to say I did not know that technique had a name, I remember discovering what happend to embossing ink when I decorated a mini frame triple embossing over and over made the image float.. I was pretty peaved off at the time as to me it ruined the design but it actually added to it.
The grungy one is my favourite too..
Thanks for letting me know that Jackie is back as I would have surely missed her post. I'm sure Oreo is happy to step aside this week and let another four legged friend take the limelight :D
WoywW Hugs Tracey xx
P.S Hope those ankles are soon doing what they should be doing..
P.P.S I'm so happy we connected via the stamping ground x
Now that is a boho rad pooch! What a lovely picture! So sorry about your poor ankles...there’s nothing worse than hobbling - I hope you can bear to do everything you have to do to get full use and pain free as soon as possible. Probably a good week for your husband to be away, I believe it means slightly less work in the home! Love the ‘batik’ technique, been doing it for years without an iron...just reheating the embossing until it’s over cooked and goes flat! I agree with you, the grungy stencil as-a-stamp piece is my favourite too. Be kind to your ankles and play sitting down!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your holidays. Those experiments are soooo pretty.
ReplyDeleteYour desk this week is the epitome of craftiness! So much going on with your creativity and experimentation! I love the results! I remember doing this a few years ago, I think I may try it again. Which one do I like the best? I think #4 with all the writing! The cats and I do miss Oreo this week, but Chum is an awesome hippie dog! Thanks for your You Tube advice, we will see what happens! Have a great week, Lindart #26
ReplyDeleteHi Zsuzsa, sorry to read about your misadventure, hope your ankles mend soon! The faux batik looks really effective, love the oxide and the grunge ones. If I had a dog I would want that hippy dog lol. Have fun with the midnight suppers and movie nights, I remember them well with my daughters, snuggled up on the sofa under a quilt! Have a lovely week, hugs Heather xx #25
ReplyDeleteChum is a total ham!! Love it! Now I want to try the faux batik technique. I have all of the supplies for sure. I just need to sit my butt in the chair and give it a try! Yours are lovely.
ReplyDeleteI love having coleus in my garden. That campfire variety is so pretty. I don't believe I have ever had that one but I love it!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Belinda #27
Chum is a handsome fella, so I can see how Oreo might be a little jealous. Your faux batik techniques look like so much fun to work on, and turn out gorgeous too. Happy belated WOYWW!
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