Clouterie - Guest Design Team spot for Chocolate Baroque - with photo tutorial :0)

This post is really exciting for me :D. Today I can show you a project I made for Chocolate Baroque stamps as a Guest Design Team member. It's been posted freshly on their Design team blog here.

As a winner of a Spring art competition earlier this year (with a Spring art journal page) I received this great opportunity to make another project with their beautiful stamps. On my blog I would like to show you step by step process, how I created this "textile shop window". And you can find the list of all the materials and colors I used at the end of this blog post :0)

a) first I made a colored paper for a shop window. I sprayed watercolor paper with water, added red Brusho powders and a pinch of blue. Then I used a brush to make a first layer of color. Until I had the final color I wanted, I kept adding the water and red powders and also just a little bit of Brusho Emerald green, because it is an opposite color of the red on the color wheel and make the red more dull. I always moved the brush in the same direction (from right to left and back), so at the end I had a texture resembling the wood grain. After everything was completely dry, I used Lascaux Satin matt acrylic medium as a sealer. I cut the paper into strips, scored them a little bit for the texture, finished the edges with Jet black archival ink and used the double sided tape adhesive tape to connect them into the shop window.

b) then I sprayed my background watercolor paper with water, I added Merlot Color burst powder and with the brush made my base flat color layer (quite pink). I let it air dry, so the final color was more vibrant. After that I stamped background stamp repeatedly with clear Versamark ink on the dry page and than sprinkled the page gently with Merlot Color burst and Prussian blue Brusho powders. With the dry brush I worked the powder into the pattern stamped with Varsamark. Than I sprayed the page with water again and spread the both colors on the page with brush . The stamped pattern remained darker, but it's necessary to be careful with the water (with too much water the dry pattern will be too blur and also with too much powders - they are very intense - the darker will be whole page and the pattern less visible at the end). I trimmed the paper a little bit, so it is slightly narrower than the shop window and can be completely hidden under it.

c) I stamped drapery, carpet, mannequins, corners, shop sign and haberdashery pieces on the mixed media paper with Jet black archival ink and heat set it with my Tim Holtz heat tool, so I could color them with Distress ink pads without smudging. I cut them out and finished all the edges with black waterproof Faber-Castell India ink marker. For the haberdashery I cut out separated masks (from sticky masking tape I stamped the pictures on) for brown and colourful parts, so I could color them safely without mixing the colors. I used Tim Holtz foam applicators and also helpful Tsukineko daubers for smaller pieces. 

For the shadows on the mannequins and all other pieces I used Hickory smoke Distress ink.

Corner stamp I stamped twice and drew a border around both pieces by hand. I colored them with Distress inks and than I lightened up some parts with clean water brush, so they look more dimensional. I wet the areas with water and then removed the excess color with dry paper towel. Left corner is before the and right one after I used the water brush. I am very happy with the wood like look and texture of the corners and the shop sign. It is also thanks to a texture of the Canson paper I used. 

The same lightening process I used on the strawberry patterned violet ribbon (my "carpet steps"). 

And I also decided not to use the thimbles I embossed with silver embossing powder. They would be too contrasting with other elements around.

d) I cut out rectangles from white silk wrapping paper I had from my birthday flowers and I sprayed them with Distress sprays in rainbow colors. I dried it with my heat gun. After that, for every piece I used a darker Distress ink pad color to stamp a patter on it and dry it again. I crumpled he papers several times so it was easier to work with it and arranged it around the mannequins. I used the colored paper ribbons from my stash and stamped buttons to finished the look of the textiles.

e) Finally I completed the page. For more dimensional look I used also a black adhesive fun foam. I used two layers under the shop window and also the drapery and one layer on the back side of the mannequins and lower step of the carpet. So the final layers of the page are - black card stock in the same shape as the shop window as a base for the whole page, violet background patterned paper, one layer of the fun foam frame around the page, upper carpet step directly on the background violet paper and lower carpet step with one layer of the fun foam on the back . Then the mannequins with one layer of the fun foam on the back side and the haberdashery on the upper and lower steps of the carpet. After that the second layer of the fun foam around the page and under the top drapery and on the top of it the corners with shop window and shop sign. 

For bigger parts I used the double sided adhesive tape, but the mannequins stands are glued with Distress collage medium and the haberdashery with Rangers Glossy accents which I also used (in small spots) under the "fabrics".

And here it is - the final project once again:

For the project I used:

Stamp sets from Chocolate baroque:

Floral Mannequins and Haberdashery, Texture Fragments for "textile" patterns, Damask Panel for background pattern and corner stamp from Steampunk Butterfly. 

Colors: 

for the shop window: mix of Brusho watercolor powders - Scarlet, Crimson, Prussian Blue and Emerald green and Color Burst watercolor powder - Merlot, 

for background: mix of Prussian Blue Brusho powder and Merlot Color Burst powder, 

for drapery and carpet: Tim Holtz Distress ink pads Milled lavender, Seedless preserves, Dusty concord, 

for fabrics: Distress ink sprays Spun sugar, Mustard seed, Spiced marmalade, Twisted citron and Tumbled glass and Distress ink pads Milled lavender, Wild honey, Carved pumpkin, Peeled paint and Broken china and for the haberdashery pieces: Distress ink pads in all these colors, 

for brown pieces: Distress ink pad Vintage photo and 

for shading of all pieces: Distress ink pad Hickory smoke. 

Papers: 
slightly textured Hahnemuehle Toscana 90 lbs watercolor paper 24x32 cm for background and shop window, Canson Mix Media 138 lb for all stamped pieces, silk (flower wrapping) paper for "fabrics".

Thank you so much for your patience and support. I really appreciate all your comments and nice words I can read on the Chocolate baroque blog and here :0)

Have a nice week and maybe see you some day with another Guest design team spot :0)