Sleep Tight - Through the Craftroom Door inspiration, Prismacolour pencils, die cutting, decor item

This week's sponsor for Through the Craftroom Door's anything goes challenge is Sheepski Designs.

Living in Leeds, Yorkshire in the UK, working full time as a Management Accountant, currently working on 2 design teams and an obsessive crafter and creator of cards. I have no actual style as yet but do love the unusual and quirky. I may be known for producing cards in soft pastel colours.
I love anything arty. I've always drawn stuff, for as long as I can remember. In my younger days I sold a few watercolour paintings. I recently found mixed media which is a joy and love creating canvases with flowers.

I had a battle with digital drawing for about a year and finally found some software I could gel with. January 2016 a challenge team I worked on was short of a designer's images to create with so I drew some. I opened my shop a month later so I could sponsor challenges and give something back to the crafting world, to the lovely ladies who have supported me on my journey.
I've a Facebook group SheepSki Designs where I hold challenges, some for fun to win digis as well as my monthly card challenge. I've a SheepSki Designs challenge blog as well. Things are growing slowly (thankfully) so I still manage to spend at least a little time with my hubby :D

Using Sleep Tight, I created a wall hanging of a sleeping boy and his room. The image is coloured with Prima watercolour pencils paired with a variety of die cut items and Kaisecraft Beyond the Page frames.

Come join us in the Through the Craftroom Door challenge this week. It's always Anything Goes! The prize this week is 3 images from our sponsor Sheepski Designs.

Putting It Together

I love this image from Sheepski Designs of a child and his teddy bear protector.

While on my last trip to Texas to see family, I used Prima Marketing watercolour pencils and waterbrush to colour the image. I only have the skin and hair set of these pencils while I was giving the a try. I decided, though, to use just those pencils for a semi-monochromatic treatment.

I have a bag of images and a couple brush cases with watercolour pencils and two waterbrushes that I tuck into my purse and carry with me so I can colour in quiet moments. It's my stress relief and mood lifter.

Back home, I realised the image was just about perfect for the hexgon frame from Kaisercraft. I got the pack of 5 on clearance and love the shape.

I decided I wanted to pair the image with a blue plaid to heighten the rosy browns I had used in colourng.

I added details to the image with dry pencils from the same set I had used with waterbrush. I also added some dimension with Liquid Pearls (Onyx Pearl and Dark Chocolate) and Scrapbook.com metallic markers (gold and rose gold).

I thought about making the backing a full 6" square and pulled the back of a square Kaisercrarft frame from my stash. Using the back of the square and the front of the hexagon creates an interesting dimension and also allows a larger background for the blue plaid.

To add some texture, I pulled fabric remnant from my stash to see how it would look with the other elements. I do a lot of dry fitting as I am designing on the fly, letting my stash and the project "talk to me" to work out the design.

I currently have no hexagon dies so I used a black pen to trace the frame with a margin to wrap the cloth around the frame.

I used glue from the dollar store to adhere the cloth to the frame. I cut the corners to allow the wrap.

After I applied the first glue and adhered the front of the frame to the cloth, I realised the corners might leave the underlying frame visible in spots. I used Distress paint (Ground Espresso) to cover the inner and outer corners.

I used the dollar store glue to finish adhering the cloth tightly to the frame. I did a dry fit of the cloth covered frame, image, and background.The colours felt very pleasing to me but I knew it needed something more.

I used the Fiskars 3-in-1 corner punch to trim the corners of the background to exactly match the frame back.

I pulled dies out of my stash to get an idea of how they might look on the background. I pulled out all the dies I have of things that might be in a boy's room: bicycle, sailboat, globe, rocket ship, football, baseball, rubber ducky, camera.

The image panel is just a nudge smaller than the hexagon frame so I decided to use an interior matting. I chose metallic champagne from Neenah and traced another frame on it (since I already cloth covered the one I am using for the project).

I used a straight edge and the measurement marks on my cutting pad (a cheapie from the dollar store) to make the inside edge a bit smaller than the inner edge of the frame.

I used a craft knife to cut out the inside. I have a set of nested hexagon dies in my wishlist now *laugh*

I dry fit the matting before adhering it into place.

I used double-sided tape to adhere the matting and image to the frame.

After I adhere the pieces of an element in a project I can treat it as a single item.

I die cut the variety of shapes using Core'dinations colour core cardstock. For the pieces with dry embossing, I used a nail buffer (from the dollar store) to lightly sand the embossing and bring out the detail.

Spellbinders: sailboat from Nautical and globe from Going Places
Dovecraft: bicycle
Impression Obsession: kite from Kite and socks from Fireplace
Simon Says Dies: rocket from Space Journey
Elizabeth Craft Designs: balls from Sport Charms and rubber ducky from Bathtub Pop Stand

I dry fit the die cut items to work out possible placement.

I decided to add a plane as an homage to my brother who was a pilot and loved planes even when he was young. I have a die set with a plane on order, but not in my hot little hands, so I decided to stamp a small plane (Sizzix - Hot Air Balloon die and stam set) and fussy cut it.

I did another dry fit of the items.

I used a coffee filter to hold all the little pieces safe while I worked on other parts of the project. I love the versatility (and cheapness) of paper coffee filters. Definitely a must have item for the craftroom.

My bottle of Multi-medium matte is nearly empty so I can't use the brush attached to the lid to get the remaining glue. I use a palette knife so scoop and scrap the glue over the frame back.

After laying the background paper on the frame back, I used a brayer to make sure it was flat with no bubbles.

To mark the placement of the holes in the frame back, I gently used a toothpick to emboss dots to the other side.

I decided to use a sentiment from Simon Says Stamp / Gina K Designs - We Can Do This since it felt like it exactly fit.

I used Tombow glue pen to adhere the die cuts to the background.

I used double-sided tape to adhere the hexagon to the project. To help with placement, if you put strips of the release perpendicular to the tape, the tape won't immediately stick to the place you want it. This allows you to move it around a bit to put it in place.

Once it's in place, it can be pressed down and the strips easily removed.

I also added some clear acrylic stars over the holes in the square frame back (the reason I marked them with the toothpick). This will help protect the holes from poking all the way through if the holes are used to hang the project.

Closer view of the image.

Adding the ducky to the collection amused me. Rubber Ducky, you're the one..

Rocketship and plane, kite, bicycle, and baseball.

Football, globe, sailboat, and what boy doesn't have socks on the floor of his room?

Join us this week in the challenge at Through the Craftroom Door: Anything Goes

Challenges

Emerald Creek Dares: Lucky or Love (Love and protection, affection)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: It Must Be Love

Try It On Tuesday: Love is in the Air

Crafty Friends: Love is in the Air

Crazy 4 Challenges: Love / Appreciation

Scrapping 4 Fun: Love, Friendship

The Sketchy challenge: Anything Goes

A Bit More Time to Craft: Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers Watercolour: Anything Goes