Arch

Linda Brown and Leandra Franich have been running ArtsyCrafts weekends for a couple of years now. The main project of the first weekend was an arch. I was unaware of the weekends at that point but subsequently saw the arches that various people had made on the PaperArtsy and Yours Artfully Blogs. They recently repeated the project at another weekend but unfortunately I was unable to go. However, at the Ally Pally show I discovered that Linda sold the bare arches and I was able to snap up her last one. It has taken me a while to create the various parts and assemble it all, but here is my finished project.

I started by stamping the material and then colouring it using acrylic washes and small amounts of Distress Inks. I sewed a few beads onto it to highlight some of the elements (double click on the picture to see this more closely).

Next I did the metal work - some pieces I embossed using my Cuttlebug machine, other bits I did by hand. I stuck it onto the wood and edged it all to give a better finish. I then made the extra metal embellishments. Then I started to assemble it. It took a little patience to get the material nicely plumped and in the right place behind the aperture but I got there in the end!

Having stuck the arch altogether I decorated the beads. They were plain wood to start with. I painted them with acrylic paint and then dipped them into Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel. I used wire to attach them to the arch.

Now I have my very own arch made by my own fair hands!