Crazy for Coffee by Barb

Henry Ward Beecher said, "A cup of coffee -- real coffee -- home-browned, home-ground, home-made, that comes to you dark as a hazel-eye, but changes to a golden bronze as you temper it with cream that never cheated, but was real cream from its birth, thick, tenderly yellow, perfectly sweet, neither lumpy nor frothing on the Java: such a cup of coffee is a match for twenty blue devils, and will exorcise them all."

Anyone who has known me for more than, oh, 25 seconds, knows that I'm a certifiable coffee addict. It took absolutely no stretch of my imagination when it came to this design. I began by painting a canvas board with white, blue and brown acrylic paints. Then I added the splatters, rings and coffee beans - all of which are done with rubber stamps.

I coated the gears with Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate ink and dabbed a bit of Pearlescent Sky blue over that once it had dried.

I painted the spoon with Imagine Crafts Creative Medium in silver. While it was still wet, I used a rubber stamp to make the impression on the handle. When it had dried completely, I used my finger to rub blue ink into it to make it stand out more.

I began the mug by painting it with a layer of gesso. After the gesso was dry, I colored it in with Colour Arts's Twinkling H2Os. I didn't want an empty mug (mercy, no!), so I colored in some liquid using a Sharpie. I also added Distress Stickles to the "liquid" to give it extra sparkle. I used a rubber stamp with StazOn ink for the words on the mug. For the steam I painted the piece with gesso and then glopped on a thick layer of Distress Stickles.

I wanted the word "coffee" to look like an old enamel sign. I began by giving it a thick layer of irRESISTibles spray in wedding white. Once it was completely dry, I stamped "coffee" all over it, again using StazOn ink. I used the same shade of ink and, using my finger (which only stayed stained for about a day and a half), I lightly rubbed it here and there on the piece. To give it a little extra depth, I dabbed on Distress Stickles. 

And now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to get a cup of coffee!

Gina's Designs Products Used

Coffee & Tea Shape Set

Gears Boarders & Corners Miniatures