In the Spotlight + Mini Challenge... Julia Stratford-Wright

Hi everyone, my turn to tell you a little more about myself this month. I'm Julia Stratford-Wright – I'm in my mid 50's (that's as close as I'll go!) and I can't believe I'm that age. I'm also determined to forget the age and just enjoy life!

That's me waving to the camera with
my sister-in-law in Cyprus where she lives.
Yes, that's SNOW in the background in April!!

I was a Textiles teacher from 1979 - 2010 when my health had a wobbly so I retired. My husband and I recently moved to the countryside and the air here is much cleaner than south London (where we used to live) so I'm very happy! I feel so lucky to live in a beautiful village surrounded by miles of paths to walk, right on the doorstep. I have a daughter who's nearly 22 and she's going for a degree in Illustration - out into the big wide world soon!

I have loved working with fabric for as long as I can remember and teaching children aged 11-18 was my passion. No two days were ever the same and whilst it wasn't always the easiest job, it truly was rewarding.

I studied art and textiles to degree level and now I'm back playing with paints, inks, fabrics, stamps, rusty objects and anything else that takes my fancy! I still sew from time to time and I have developed a love for making hand knitted socks! It was something I was determined to learn and I often have a pair on the needles just waiting to fill any idle time.

These are some of the socks I've knitted. I've also made them for my daughter and now my husband. It really has become an obsession! Never had a go? Get to a class and learn, it's so much fun.

I started blogging in 2012 so I could enter challenges and I haven't looked back since. I found a whole new world full of talented, caring people and I love it. My style has evolved from paper arts and stamping to a love of mixed media projects. I have three very talented crafty sisters but it was sister Sandie who really opened my eyes to the world of papercraft and stamping. Thank you!! My blog entitled "Julia's Stuff" can be found HERE.

I have been lucky enough to have a year of workshops with the super talented Andy Skinner and the skills I've learned from him have enabled me to take my work in a different direction. For my mixed media pieces, I love to browse in charity shops for objects to alter. I'd like to share a project that I've made especially for this spotlight - hope you like it:

My sister showed me this candle burner in a charity shop.
It looks like stone but is made from plaster.

I gave the piece two coats of gesso followed by a coat of mixed colours from the Americana range by DecoArt. Looks very odd at this stage!

Here's what the piece looked like after lots of work with washes, crackling and general grunging! I just love how you can change something just by using a few products and some clever techniques.

Here's some close up shots for you to see the details - if you need a break from photos, go and get a coffee to keep yourself awake!

I love how the paws have turned out - they have an antique look and even appear to be missing little pieces here and there.

The space to put a small candle or night light.

The eyes with their rusty, aged look making it appear

as if the object has a metal content.

The wings with their crackled edges.

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Mini Challenge:

Use Two Or More Stencils On Your Project

For my mini challenge I'd like you to use two or more stencils on your project to create depth and layers on the surface. You can do this with paint, ink, sprays, texture mediums or a combination of all of those plus anything else you fancy!

Here's what I made for your inspiration:

Tag made using paint, ink, metallic lustre spray, shimmer powder on stamped ink and modeling paste. If you want to know how I made the background CLICK HERE.

Now for some close-ups to show you the details:

Die cut letters, stamped with versamark, brushed with perfect
pearls and coated with Triple Thick Glaze from DecoArt.

If you've managed to get this far then thank you so much for sticking with me. It's over to you now - I'd really love to see how you use those stencils to create depth and layers on your project! ~ Julia 

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Please join us next Sunday for a brand new Challenge.
Have a great week!

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