Creating backgrounds using distress inks (part 2)

We are continuing with out backgrounds and distress inks week.  Yesterday I showed you have to create backgrounds using a blending tool.  Today we are going to get a little messier and use the "wet" technique!

You will :

• distress inks 
• a water mister
• smooth cardstock

 Swipe your ink pads onto your craft mat ...

 then mist them to 'activate' them.

 Now swipe your cardstock through the inks in different directions.

 You will get this effect ...

 Dry with a heat gun

 And repeat swiping through the ink until you get the effect you want.  You may want to clean your mat and start with clean ink for each turn, depending on how muddy and mixed up the inks get.

And you can use this technique to stain ribbon and seam binding ...
 I swiped black soot and aged mahogany onto my mat, and sprayed with water.

 Then I misted the seam binding and scrunched it through the ink and dried it off.

And here is the card I made ...

I used Men's Collage from Visible Image, and ghost stamped Visible image crackled background over the distressed background.  I added webbing, the stained seam binding and a cog charm which I stained with alcohol inks.

And here is another tag I created using the spring and summer limited edition Distress Inks.  The background as created as above, dried and then stamped over with crackled background and retro dots background stamps from Visible Image, and then the Visible Image butterflies were stamped over in versafine ink, as was the Visible image sentiment.I then stamped a couple of the butterflies in the distress inks, cut out and popped onto 3d foam pads.  The seam binding was coloured as described above.

Do pop over to the shop and facebook group to see what other fabulous things are in stock.

And don't forget, there is also a That Craft Place challenge every fortnight - you can find it HERE.

Creating backgrounds using distress inks (part 1)

Distress inks are a great way to great your own back grounds - you can be as bright and contemporary or as muted and vintage as you want.  And it is a really easy technique to master - if i can do it anyone can!!

You need a few basic items to start:-

• distress inks (although you can also try airondack inks)
• cut and dry foam, or a blending tool and the foam pads, or brushes
• smooth cardstock

 I used smooth cardstock and cut a tag.  I love my blending tool, and the foam pads are re-useable, just wash them clean after use.
The inks I used for this tag were Vcitorian Velvet, vintage photo, frayed burlap and faded jeans.

 I started with the VIctorian Velvet and inked up the foam pad.  In order to get a softer look, start circling the ink on youtr craft mat, working onto the cardstock.  You get a much smoother look by circling, and as some of the ink is taken off you get a softer look. 

 You continue building up the colour, moving round the tag, and going over the areas you have covered until you get the depth of colour you want.

 I made the corners and bottom darker than the middle of the tag.

I then took the faded jeans pad, and repeated the process, focussing on the top of the tag.  Again, I started circling the blending tool on the craft mat to make sure I didn't get blotches of colour.

 You will find that you leave finger marks on the ink when you are turning the tag - to prevent this use a peice of card and put it over the ink and hold the tag down - if that makes sense!

 So here is the tag, having been distressed .

Now i wnt to make the edges darker, so I repeated the process using vintage photo ink, just round the edges, repeating over the parts I wanted darker.

 You can see how I have circled the tool, so I get a blended edge to the colours.

You can dry the inks off between colours using a heat gun.  I personally prefer to leave them wet as you get a smoother blending of colours in my opinion.  And remember they will dry slightly lighter than they look when you first put them on.

I finished the tag off by stamping Visible Image butterflies and vintage photo and victorian velvet, and Visible Image tall grass in frayed burlap.

Do pop over to the shop and facebook group to see what other fabulous things are in stock.

And don't forget, there is also a That Craft Place challenge every fortnight - you can find it HERE.

Tissue paper background.

Hi All, Tracy here. I wanted to share with you how to make a different background using tissue paper, inks & embossing powder.


Take a piece of plain tissue paper and roughly cut to the size you need..

Next scrunch into a ball, I do it into a fairly tight ball as I like lots of texture..

Now taking distress ink go over the tissue paper, the reason to do this is otherwise you end up with the whiteness of the tissue paper, I have used Tea dye, but change the colour to match whatever colour embossing powder you want to use...

Next I very roughly went over the tissue paper with a gold/bronze pigment ink, this will allow the embossing powder to stick and will also add extra depth...

This is what the tissue paper now looks like...

Next add your embossing powder, I used a bronze embossing powder, but you can of course use any colour, and this looks brilliant with some of the embossing fragments that Lisa sells...

Using a heatgun VERY carefully melt the embossing powder, make sure you keep the heatgun moving, and that you keep it a little bit further away than normal due to how thin tissue paper is. You will then have your finished item...

And this is it used on a card....

It is a very different look that could be used in so many ways.
The stamp I have used it Visable Image Isabella, and she is available from Lisa, as is the seam binding and card.

Do pop over to the shop and facebook group to see what other fabulous things are in stock.

And don't forget, there is also a That Craft Place challenge every fortnight - you can find it HERE.

Technique Tuesday - Shrink Plastic

Lisa thought it would be a great idea to have  techniques day - Tuesday seems to work!!  So on a Tuesday we will be posting techniques for you to try out.

This time we are looking at Shrink Plastic - it is not as scary as you may think HONEST!!!

A few things/tips about shrink plastic - 

• You can get it in transparent, white or black  - I like to use the transparent as you can see through it when you stamp on to it.  
• you need to 'prime' it before you start working with it - basically sand the surface done so the ink has something to 'grip' onto.
• If you are colouring onto it remember that the colours will deepen as the plastic shrinks, so don't be worried if it looks pale when you have coloured it.
• stazon seems to work best on shrink plastic, it 'sets' better than versafine or memento - but if you leave them to dry for along time they can be used
• you can put it through your printer and so use digi images if you want 
• punch any holes you want in it BEFORE you shrink it!

So here are a couple of ideas for you to try to get you started:

I like to use the clear plastic as it means you can create charms so this is the plastic I use ...

The first thing you need ot do is 'prime' your plastic using a sanding block.  I tend to go over it all horizontally and then vertically.  Wipe it thoroughly clean.

 I stamp in stazon, and pretty much anything goes ..

 

 I stamped 2 feathers and cut them put.

Then I punch any holes I want into it - make them big as they will shrink too!

 Then heat it using a heat gun.  Or you can put them in the oven, there are temperature instructions in the pack.

 Now this is the scary bit - as it heats and shrinks the plastic will curl.  DO NOT PANIC!!!!  Just keep heating it and it should all uncurl and flatten out.

 See!!!

And here is what I did with it them - they are feather charms for the card.

 The image is Visible Image Edgar, the feather is fom their Free your Imagination set, the papers are Prima Engraving.  The flourish is a Tim Holtz one, covered in frantage shabby wine, and heated.


And here is another quick idea ...

Using your primed shrinkie and a flower die and alcohol inks.

 Cut your flowers out and before taking them out of the shrink plastic colour them using alcohol inks - it is less messy leaving them in situ!

 Punch any holes you want - I am going to layer these up so I punched the holes in the centres.

 Now shrink ...

 I only wanted these three ...

 And I layered them together using a brad ...

 Then I took a metal tag availabel from the shop, ran it through an embossing folder, covered it in alcohol inks and added the flower.  Even the seam binding has been stained using the alcohol inks.

 And the children can have fun - school bag charms made by Ellie and her friend...

And Easter key rings made from my Gran when Ellie and Beth were younger.

 I hope that has wetted your appetite to play with the fabulous shrink plastic - endless possiblities!! 

Do pop over to the shop and facebook group to see what other fabulous things are in stock.

And don't forget, there is also a That Craft Place challenge every fortnight - you can find it HERE.

Altered bird box - tutorial

Hi all it's Lizzy here with a little project for a rainy afternoon! Here I will try to explain how my little bird box became a pretty altered creation, just ready for some Lavender or Pot Pourri... or even a key holder if I had added hooks!

 

This is the finished project, and nearly all the elements used are available at Lisa's shop, I will list what I used as I go:

 

 

This is the start, I used gesso to cover the wooden box, but you could use white acrylic paint just as well. Leave to dry overnight.

I used the roof to make a template, and used Zepher paper pad by prima, it has a fabulous green paper that looks like little roof tiles.... I cut 2 of these.

I used Vintage photo to distress the edges, I did this for all the paper peices I cut out.

Here it shows the back peice already distressed and ready to stick down, just another little process to go yet!

I used the previous paper peice and made a copy paper pattern for the front,  I then had to measure and determine where the front perch and hole would go, using a paper pattern meant it didn't matter how many cuts I made...

Here it shows how I then drew around the copy paper pattern, you can just see the feint lines, and then I used my craft knife to cut out the holes required.

I then used my Vintage photo distress ink to ink all the edges of the box, it doesn't matter if you miss bits or get too much ink on the wood, most of it will be covered up with the papers.

 

I cut leaves and flowers using Spellbinders Rose Creations, again the papers are from the Prima Zepher paper pad.

Here shows the papers now attached with glue, cosmic  clear dry is excellent for this job, I have used my stash dies to decorate the roof and sides, and the wonderful Crafts Too Vine corner for the front. I generally cut these to fit!  The butterfly is from Lisa's shop..a few rub on's to add to the background.

So here we are, finished!  I have added the flowers to wire and attached using a hot glue gun, I have made a beautiful green bow from seam binding, (Lisa's shop) and stamped some random bees on the background to complete the look.

An another view, with pearls added too!  Sometimes I just need to stop there!  You could use anything to alter in the same way, Lisa has loads of stuff to choose from, and you could used stamps instead of papers to embellish, it's up to you. I hope you enjoyed this journey with me.

 

Lizzy xxxx