Background - grungy goodness with tons of Lindy Stamp Gang products (Very pic heavy)

I had fun making this little canvas.  I started all my canvases with cutting down a piece of chipboard into (4) 6 x 6 pieces then covered in 2 coats of gesso.  There is a lot of inking goodness going, gotta have that surface protected.  For this one, I cut down a calendar sticker sheet into random squares, rectangles, etc. then adhered them to the canvas. (TIP:  use matte medium to adhere the pieces down.  Although they are adhesive backed, it will help keep them adhered down).


Using Lindy's Stamp Gang Dark Chocolate Truffle Starburst Spray, spray about 5-10 sprays into some white gesso and mix.  You will get a very light tan result.  The spray changes the viscosity of the gesso into a wash.  Cover the canvas.  It is okay to still see some of the calendar print through the gesso.

Using Lindy's Stamp Gang Industrial Chic Spray Set spray each of the sprays randomly.  Dry with a heat tool.  Add more sprays until you get desired result.  Dry.

Mix some molding paste with Some Lindy's Stamp Gang Time Travel Teal from the Industrial Chic Magical set . Using a stencil randomly apply.  '

Then once dry, use a Faber-Castell Big Brush Pen trace around the edges of each of the squares and then smear.  The pen sets pretty quickly so draw each one, then smear before moving onto the next. 

I randomly stamped some texture stamps in black Ranger dye ink onto the canvas. Put white gesso on your craft sheet, add two squirts of water, then using a paintbrush splatter  randomly, then dry.  . I used a white ink pad to ink the lid and then randomly and not perfectly stamped the lid onto the canvas to add more white. Use black india ink or paint, add two sprays of water, and splatter the same as the white.

To finish off the background I edged around the canvas directly with an embossing pad.  I made it randomly so it wasn't even.  I embossed with black utee with a little bit of bronze mixed in. Then I randomly it some of the edges with the embossing pad and used Lindy's Stamp Gang Hyacinth Blue Green EP~ matches Time Travel Teal. 

I also used the same Lindy's embossing powder on two Tim Holtz bull dog clips.  Just pushed them into the embossing pad. Then sprinkled over the embossing powder.  Heated until melted.  Put a little india ink on my finger and randomly touched around the clips to gung up a bit.

Now that the canvas background was done...what to do with it.  I wanted to find a lady dancing a first, but when going through my stash I found a Shabby Chic Prima fairy.  It was solid white.  I knew I wanted to do something with it, but wasn't sure what.  Then inspiration hit.  Using the Time Travel Teal from the Industrial Chic Magical set, I mixed the Time Travel Teal, Rusty Latern Lime, and the Steel Shimmer with Golden soft gel medium to make my three paints that I used on fairy. 

The word believe was a metal word brad I have had in my stash for a good 10 years....I knew I would find the perfect project for it at some point.  I added a little gesso to it with my finger randomly to add a little something to it.  The words are from the Tim Holtz little word sticker set.  Inked the edges and over the stickers with the dark rust ink pad from Prima.  Then drew around the edges with a black Faber-Castell Pitt Pen and a white Signo Uniball gel pen. 

I finished off the back with a piece of 6 x 6 paper with a little splatter of gesso.  Then for the last detail I stained the seam binding with the Lindy's Sprays from the Industrial Chic Spray Set. 

Backgrounds

I started another short & sweet swap on FB.  For round 2 we are doing 6x6 chipboard canvases.  I had done some a while back, which I had fell in love with.  I had also started some backgrounds and thought I had tossed them.  Last night I was hit by inspiration and prepped a ton of chipboard with gesso and went to town starting some backgrounds.  Then I remembered I might of put those other ones in the unloved bucket...I went looked and it was like Christmas.  So I have a stack of 6 x 6 canvases in various stages of the background to get cracking on.  I will be highlighting each one as I finish.  Maybe by the time I get to the bottom of the stack I will have picked which one I will send to my partner.  Excited by the possibilities.

A Baby Card

My mom asked for me to make a baby card for her to give to my aunt.  Her niece just had given birth and my mom wanted to send her a congratulatory card.  However, there wasn't any appropriate cards in the store.  I decided to use G45 baby darlings paper and create layers with the gorgeous paper.

I inked the edges in blue and dark brown to make the layers pop.  I added faux stitching for extra detail.  I have to say the Signo Uniball white gel pen is so worth it. I scalloped the bottom of one of the edges and faux stitched the bottom of that layer as well.  I took a chipboard piece from the G45 collection and peeled off one layer of the chipboard from the back. It still has dimension but ends up being the same height now as my fussy cut image once I used pop up tape.  I stamped the sentiment in black, cut into a banner shape, and inked the piece in blue.  I edged it in the dark brown as well.

For the inside of the card, I wanted to create a panel where she could write a message.  I used paper from the stack and layered. 

I never thought to continue the card inside, but had been inspired by the G45 blog.  I love it as it looks more custom.

Bottle Caps

It has been years since I have done bottle caps.  I still have quite a few in my stash, so I decided to make a few.  I like using them on cards, tags, canvases, altered items, etc.  You can put holes through to make into jewelry, hang bobbles from, etc.  You can add pictures and make magnets. You could also make a set into custom checker pieces.

 

I took a handful of caps and put them through my Cuttlebug using the A plate and two B plates.  I was a little too nervous to put them through my Vagabond, worrying that they may get stuck.  Worked beautifully in the Cuttlebug though. This is optional, but I like the look better.  It is more of a personal preference. 

The inside of the caps usually have either a plastic ring inside or cork.  (some have neither - but you usually have to purchase them for a little more).  For the plastic ones you can heat in an oven at 200 degrees and then pull out the rings with a fork.  The cork ones were easily lifted out with a flat edge tool. 

I inked the metal with black alcohol ink and Vintaj Patina Inks.  On a couple of black ones I added a little bronze distress paint.  I can always add more for a particular project, but I like how they turned out.

The inside of the cap is 1".  Using a die cutting machine, die, or punch...cut out your background piece.  Layer it however you would like.  Don't forget to ink your edges, it gives it a little more visual dimension.  You can add dimensional embellishments, but don't go thicker than the rim of the bottlecap. Adhere all your pieces in.

If flat, you can use an epoxy 1" round sticker for the top.  Otherwise, you can fill it with diamond glaze or glossy accents.  They will both dry clear, pop any bubble that form with a pin.  You can also fill with utee and bake in the oven.   I used glossy accents for mine.  As a tip.. put them to the side to dry...they take a long time.  I always get my hand into one of them - ruining it (yep did it again).  Also, I had one other little mishap - I was splattering black paint on another project and got a little crazy.  I about died when I got some splatters on mine.  I also hadn't noticed some bubbles had formed as I had to go help with the fence.  When I came back it was too late.  When I checked them out today, I thought they maybe ruined, but it wasn't as bas as I thought.  I still love how they came out and cannot wait to use them in my projects.  My motto - embrace imperfection. 

Lots of Bumpy Texture

I love, love, love texture.  While working on pieces, I like to play during dry times.  I usually grab what is handy and just go a little crazy.  I keep mixed media paper pre-cut to 8 1/2 x 11 that I have already applied gesso to in my cubby of my desk.  I buy the Strathmore kid's mixed media paper in the 9 x 12 pads for a fraction of the price.  I had some distress stains on my desk while working on another project and I keep all my small jars of mediums in a trolly and stand by my desk.  I mixed the stains with the different mediums and it was cool.  I did softer peaks to more rigid bumps and just let dry.  Well it looked like a snot factory had hit when I was done, but loved the texture.  When dry it when into my pile of future art journal backgrounds.


I had a little time to play last weekend and decided that it was time to put it to use.  I unified the background by painting with a metallic turquoise paint.  While still wet, I sprayed with Lindy's spray in the lantern lime from the Industrial Chic set. The wet spray comingled with the wet paint to get a really neat effect.  Once dry, I blotted on metallic copper paint with a paper towel.  I of course had to add some texture stamping.  I finished off the edges with black and a little bronze utee.  I used gesso that has had a little water added to splatter dots all over.

For the actual page (shown) I fussy cut an image from G45 Steampunk Debutante and used tickets from Tim Holtz and inked with dark rust chalk edger from Prima. I adhered everything down with matte medium from Golden. Then added some staples from the TH mini stapler.  I then used my Faber-Castell big brush pens and did highlights and shading.  The title was stamped on velum, sprayed with lindy's, dabbed with a little copper, and inked up before adhering to the page.

Not shown:  I added a large tim holtz ticket to the right of the ticket (where the white blotches are)  that has rusted gears (that I had left over from the steampunk box tag), and flowers that had been sealed with the matte medium and shaded. Also I had a smaller ticket that I used from TH ticket stamp set along with the ticket die cut, smaller rusted gears left over, and smaller fussy cut flowers that I used in her hair to add dimension.

I love creating art journal pages.  For me, they start with play.  I enjoy doing the background and just using my supplies and trying techniques. However, it has also become very therapeutic in a way.  As the pages develop they become more personal.  I take pictures now before I add my journaling so you can see where I was headed, but the last step (the journaling) I save for myself. 

I don't usually go in with a thought or plan, it just develops as I go.