"Old is New Again" Technique Tag Swap

I host a quarterly tag swap for my online group showcasing a different "old is new again" technique for each swap. May's technique was "Faux Patina Background."  In case you haven't seen this technique here is a brief tutorial and video link.

  Faux Patina Background:
Ink embossing folder with lightest ink and run thru machine. Sponge medium color ink over embossed area. Sponge darker color over embossed area. Sponge darkest color over embossed area. Sponge with Versamark ink and gold emboss. Use as background. See a video tutorial here: https://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/fauxpatina/

We send one tag and receive one.  For my tag I used a Paris embossing folder and four Distress Inks ranging from light yellowy-green to an olive green. I used Versamark and gold embossing powder for the final step.  I stamped another Eiffel Tower on black cardstock and embossed with black embossing powder. After fussy cutting it I popped it up on the tag. Since the embossing folder wasn't long enough for the entire tag, I stitched on a piece of black lace.

The is the lovely tag I received from Gloria. It has a touch of light blue in the background. She dyed torn muslin strips with a bit of blue also. I like the addition of cheesecloth and lace medallions under the gold heart - my style for sure!

Best Transfers Yet

I think I have ADD when it comes to art! I start one project, move to another and another, and don't finish anything! Actually it sometimes works to my advantage because I can move on to something else while paint is drying...

I recently discovered a new YouTuber (to me), a mixed-media artist from California named Lorri Marie Jenkins. I started binge-watching her altered book tutorials and immediately grabbed an old book to start making my own.

One of her tutorials was on transfers. I have done many transfers before and the results are iffy at best. So many factors can ruin a transfer. But, following her instructions, I made these very successful transfers on a double-page spread.

They are not perfect but about as good as any transfer could be. 

Here are some basic instructions: Cover the image three times with a coat of Mod Podge, drying fully between each layer. Paint the substrate with acrylic paint and then coat with a medium coverage of Mod Podge. Place image face down, burnish well and dry completely. Then mist the image with water and start rubbing the paper off. If there is a haze of white left once the image is dry, there is still paper pulp to remove.  Repeat as needed. I found that I could rub quite vigorously (unlike with other transfers I've done) and I had very little lift-off of the original image.

There's still more to be done to these pages, but I am happy with my transfers! And I have several other pages in the works, so will share more later.

A few art projects

I've been catching up on some art projects for swaps this past week.

First, I am participating in a round-robin altered book swap. Each person has chosen or made a book of their choice and decided on a color scheme. Then we are rotating the books through the group so that everyone creates a spread in each book.

This month I received a tiny little book with blue and rust as the chosen colors.

This is the spread I created, each page measuring approximately 3" x 4." I found a very old piece I had done as an encaustic wax sample years ago (the image of the little boy) and built my spread around that. The background is several layers of Stormy Blue and Vintage Photo Distress Inks. The metal gears and the chipboard clock die cut were covered in Prima's Rust Paste kit (three colors dabbed on randomly until it looked nice and rusty).  These elements were layered over a partial doily and a strip of script paper. Lastly I added some typed words and a metal Tim Holtz word band altered with distress paint.

The book owner had asked us to write a bit about our inspiration or how the page came together so I taped the right page into a pocket with the following page. I added a distressed tag inside with my explanation. I hope she likes it!

I was hostess for another quarterly swap where we are revisiting old techniques.  This quarter the technique is "Cracked Glass" (aka Shattered Glass) and the substrate needed to be either an ATC or a 4"x4" art piece.  For this technique, several layers of embossing ink and UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel) are placed over a stamped image. Then it is put in the freezer to completely cool for about 15 minutes. After removing, it is gently bent in several places to make it crack.

I stamped the butterfly image over a previously distressed paper of turquoise and brown inks. Once it was cracked, I added it to a background of Vintage Photo Distress ink layered with a doily and the "FLY" 3-dimensional alpha stickers.

Life Documented 2017 - June Week 1

Here is the first ten days of June in my Traveler's Notebook planner. I used both pages to include the last 3 days of the preceding week.  The dividers and scallops are cut from some very old shaving cream marbled paper that I was about to throw away. The remainder is mostly stamps and images cut from brochures or magazines.

I am hosting a June tag swap using alcohol ink techniques.  We make one tag and swap with our partner. This is the one I sent off. 

I used glossy paper and dripped the alcohol inks all over instead of the usual punching with a felt blending tool. I also dripped alcohol in the middle of the puddles which made them fan out more and created some great texture. I doodled with black and white pen and then stamped the three words. The tag is mounted on a large black tag and machine-stitched. I'm looking forward to receiving mine.

Homemade Spray Color Washes

Today was playtime! I have wanted to experiment with the new color washes that lots of companies are coming out with. (Color Mists by Outside the Margins, Adirondack Color Wash by Ranger Ink, Starburst Stains by Lindy's Stamp Gang, Radiant Rain by Luminarte are a few.) After reading some discussion on making homemade color washes, today I tried making some with Marvy dye reinkers I had on hand.

My basic "recipe" was about 10 drops of reinker in a small mister bottle and about one-third to half full of water. I used Orchid, Oriental Blue and Ochre because that's what I had! I experimented with regular cardstock, glossy cardstock, watercolor paper, dryer sheets, baby wipes and paper towels (these were under the other papers while spraying and came out as nice as the papers).

Here are my results. The top photo is a dryer sheet. Below that is a baby wipe. If you look closely you will see faint outlines of lambs!

The next two pictures are of the paper towels that were underneath the papers when I was spraying.

The two samples on the left are glossy cardstock; the two on the right are on regular cardstock; and the last three are on watercolor paper.

Vellum Backgrounds

I love techniques! Some days when I don't feel particularly creative, I still need to do something artsy. So I like to play with different techniques and just make random backgrounds. The monthly technique on the Creative Cards Yahoo group for April is backgrounds made with Marvy metallic markers on vellum. Here are four results from my recent attempt at this. A short tutorial follows.

Supplies needed:
vellum
Marvy metallic markers - 2-3 colors
non-stick craft sheet
scrap paper to lay finished papers on
heat gun
spray bottle with water
rubber gloves (unless you want tie-dye hands!)

Cut pieces of vellum into manageable pieces. (I cut 1/4 sheets which will be a good size for card fronts.) You can use any weight of vellum. Lightweight vellum will probably buckle from the moisture and heat. My vellum was quite heavy so I thought it would do fine. As it turned out, it didn't buckle much, but rolled up! Weighting it down with heavy books has not improved it much. When I do use it, I will have to glue it down heavily or use brads or some sort of attachment in all four corners.

Take 2 or 3 colors of Marvy metallic markers and make several dots of each on the craft sheet. Do not let colors touch. The more dots you use the darker the finished colors will be.

Spray with water just until colors run slightly together. If you use too much water, all the colors will mix too much and become a muddy color.

Lay piece of vellum down over the misted colors and smoosh lightly (or more if you want more color and intermixing). Pick up vellum and lay on scrap paper. Dry with heat gun. Depending on the amount of liquid left on the craft sheet, you will probably be able to color several pieces. You can also keep adding colors, or wipe off and start over.

Weight the vellum under heavy books to flatten and use as backgrounds for stamping or other artwork.

Have fun!

Another collage

I made another collage today. This is for another friend's birthday - what is it with April birthdays! This is a 4" x 6" artist canvas board. I used Claudine Hellmuth's "peeling paper" technique from her first Collage Discovery Workshop book. Using gel medium, I adhered a page from the phone book to the canvas board and let it dry for a few minutes. I then burnished pieces of masking tape randomly on the surface and tore it off. Some of the paper came off, some remained, achieving a nice texture. I applied diluted acrylic paints sparingly. I stamped some random designs with a permanent black ink, glued on the angel image and painted the halo. I hope she likes it!

5 x 5 Collage

I finished this collage today. It's 5" x 5" on masonite board. It's a birthday gift for a very dear friend. I'm also entering it in a collage challenge contest on another blog.

I first gessoed the board and then attached a piece of Tyvek paper I had stamped beforehand. I had a scrap left which I've also scanned. (This is a technique on Mary Jo McGraw's DVD where you ink Tyvek with several colors of dye ink and then overstamp with black permanent. Tyvek is the material that priority envelopes are made of - I recycle envies we receive, but you can also purchase this.)

I scraped on pink and blue acrylic paints with the edge of a credit card, then stamped different designs in Memories black permanent ink. I adhered a butterfly sticker, the image of two girls from the Internet, a crown cut from a page of an old book and two real postage stamps with gel medium. I added three turquoise Stickles dots on the points of the crown.

Challenges

I love challenges. They pose certain limitations within which you must create and force you to focus on specific items. Here are a few cards I've made for a "stamping only" challenge . I used the grid technique for these where you mask off different sections, stamp and stipple, then move to another section and do the same. This is a simple way of achieving an intricate-looking collage. This is one I made for a "no adhesive" challenge. You can see I used many different attachment methods: paper clips, staples, office file paper fastener, brads and string.

For this, I adhered a paper napkin on the right side of the center-opening card and then stamped the floral image over it.

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Just play

Patty Van Dorin of Tuscan Rose posted a challenge recently on her blog (http://ramblingrose.typepad.com/journal). She had cleaned off her work space and glued lots of scraps to a piece of cardstock. She challenged everyone to download the picture, create something and post back to her. Here is the original "scrap page" and what I came up with. This was a wonderful challenge to just play and not worry about the outcome. I usually spend lots of time mulling over plans of action rather than just letting the creative process develop. I spent less than an hour just adding paint and ink, stamping, doodling etc. If something didn't look right, I just did it over. I really enjoyed this challenge and intend to do more of this type work.

Thanks Patty for getting me out of the box. You can check out other's samples on her blog.

More artwork

I should be cleaning house - my local stamp group is coming this week. But, it's so much more fun to play!

This is a "scrunchie" background technique I've been playing with. Sherre on the Art Techniques Yahoo group came up with this and it's loads of fun. (Check out her blog - sherresartmusings.blogspot.com) Basically, you take a magazine photo or page larger than the cardstock you are using and wad it up. Run the cardstock through the Xyron machine. Open the magazine page and flatten on the sticky side of the cardstock, smooshing it down with your fingers. Then brayer it and cut off excess. Apply inks directly to the paper - as much or as little as you like. You can also emboss with metallics. I love all the texture you get. This one started as a photo of grapes and leaves and I haven't decided what to do next. I kinda like it just as it is.

This one is a finished "nature chunky book" page - 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" - for an e-bay auction to benefit Robin Whittemore of Easley, SC, who is fighting both cancer and astronomical medical bills. I added a torn flower from a napkin, some micro beads and letter stickers.

This is another finished page for a second chunky book auction, also for Robin, with a "tea" theme. I used gesso and inks randomly applied over patterned paper, stamping and my first ink jet transfer using gel medium. Actually, it's the second transfer as the first one didn't work and I sanded it off and applied a second one!