Mixed Media Hearts

Mixed media projects were making a big splash at the Creativeworld trade fair in Frankfurt which we attended last week to show off all our new products, I shall share some of the photo's with you in a couple of weeks time.

Mixed media can sometimes look a bit scary if you have never tried it before, what I want to do today is try to explain a few simple techniques using Sizzix dies together with inks, paints, stains and waxes to create some stunning effects which are really much easier than they may at first appear.

Becoming proficient with mixed media techniques is all about experimenting and not being afraid to make mistakes because if you believe the old maxim then that is how we learn. As the famous inventor Thomas Edison once said in reference to his attempts to create the first light bulb " I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work". 

The dies I am using today are from the new Tim Holtz collection, click on each link below to check out the individual dies/sets:

Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 4PK - Scribbles & Splat
Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 4PK - Mixed Media
Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 7PK - Handwritten Love
Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 102PK - Alphanumeric (1" Tall)
Sizzix Bigz Die - Heartfelt

As well as the dies I used a selection of Ranger products including Distress Paints, Distress Stains, Distress Embossing Powders. I also used various gilding wax products, and stamps etc.

This is a quite a big blog post so let's cut the preamble and get under way!!

I strarted by die-cutting the scribbled heart and attaching it to a piece of mount board which is a very heavy weight card. I placed this face down over the largest heart on my 'Heartfelt' Bigz die which cuts no less than 11 different hearts. and with one pass through the Big Shot I now have a beautiful heart ready to decorate. As you will see further down the page I am trying to create textures using a faux embossing technique.

As you can see below, I die cut a selection of different patterns and textures from kraft card (any card will do!) prior to attaching to the mount board and die cutting.

Below are a selection of die-cut hearts which have been painted with white acrylic, this gives me a great surface on which to make a mess...... I mean, create bespoke embellishments of unrivalled beauty, each one as unique and individual as a snowflake (Whatever Pete!!!)

1. Here I painted the heart with black acrylic and applied pewter gilding wax with my finger which brings out the detail beautifully.

2. I painted over this heart with a couple of different shades of green acrylic which I dried with my heat tool before applying a dark blue stain which I then blotted with kitchen roll so that it gives extra definition between the cracks. Next, I applied white acrylic applied with a dry brush technique to pick out the detail before applying the subtle stamped image.

3. For this heart I used Alcohol inks mixing reds and oranges, I applied the same dry brush technique to lift the detail before applying Perfect Pearls powder to give a pearlised lustre.

4.Here I scrunched up some tissue paper before partially flattening it and attaching to the mount board. I  die-cut the heart and applied a couple of shades of brown acrylic. Once it was dry with the help of my trusty heat tool I applied a dark brown stain before blotting the excess. After another blast with my heat tool I applied a little gold gilding wax with my fingertip.

5.The texture was created as with the previous heart but I used green and blue alcohol ink to add colour and once dry I finished off using pewter gilding wax to pick out the detail.

6.I applied a few shades of green and blue acrylic in a really slapdash manner before applying a deep green stain and blotting away the excess where it gets in the cracks. to enhance the die cut detail I again used a little of the pewter gilding wax.

7.I coloured  this heart using two shades of metallic Distress Paint. Once dry I applied black Distress Stain. I also blotted a little white acrylic onto the heart before rubbing away most of it with kitchen towel. Finally, I brought out the detail in the letters with gold gilding wax.

8.I applied an embossing ink pad to the surface before sprinkling with Distress embossing powder which was fixed with a heat tool. I painted with red, brown and orange acrylics and dried with my heat tool. Next I applied a dark blue stain, most of which I blotted away before applying some gold gilding wax to enhance he detail. Notice the wonderful rust texture left by the embossing powder.

9.I love this one and it is the easiest of the lot, simply apply a slightly watered down solution of black acrylic paint before wiping over with a piece of kitchen roll, dry with the heat tool and stamp the text.... simple!

10.I took a plain mount board heart and covered it with black acrylic paint. Once dry, I stamped the leafy branch image using an embossing ink pad before applying clear embossing powder and fixing with my heat tool. Next I applied a thin layer of pale Distress Paint (Victorian Velvet is perfect). While the paint was still damp I very gently rubbed over the embossed motif with a damp piece of kitchen roll thereby removing the paint before it had a chance to fully dry (timing is everything with this technique!) Finally, I stamped into the top left corner using a white ink pad to leave a very subtle image.

11.Here I painted the die-cut heart using shades of green and blue acrylic and dried the paint with my heat tool. Next, I applied metallic Distress Paint before spritzing with clean water, I started to dry with my heat tool and half way through I placed a sheet of kitchen roll flat against the heart and pressed down firmly. When I lifted off the kitchen roll some of the metallic paint has remained and some has been lifted. Timing again is very important with this technique and if you want to see how it is done then why not check out Creative Chemistry 102, a great series of technique demo's from the master himself Mr.Tim Holtz. I finished by adding some stamped detail.

12.Last but by no means least... I attached the metal cogs using assorted faux screw head brads before applying a coat of white acrylic. Next, I applied a couple of shades of metallic Distress Paint which I dried with my heat tool. I applied black Distress Stain which gets into the cracks and adds definition before blotting most of it away with kitchen roll. Finally, I enhanced the detail with a little white acrylic applied with a dry brush technique

 
I attached the hearts to the glass on the front of a box frame and I'm going to take it around trade and retail shows with me to explain some of the several mixed media techniques that can be used to enhance our marvellous die-cuts.

Take it easy, see you all next week!

Lucky man!

I think any man or woman for that matter who receives an original handmade card is extremely lucky. Valentine's cards are particularly special because you want to give something not only bespoke and personal but something truly from the heart.

I always smile when I see February editions of paper craft magazines decked out in pink hearts because, and correct me if I'm wrong..... the majority of card makers (and I mean the vast majority!) are women which means that the majority of hand made Valentine cards will be received by men. I wanted to redress the balance by making a VERY masculine card.

This month sees the release of a collection of dies created by Tim Holtz aimed at mixed-media fans. I think that these dies will adapt to so many different styles that they will become a permanent fixture in my stash.

The dies I am using are all Thinlits sets namely Scribbles and Splat, Handwritten Love and Mixed Media check out the links, you'll thank me for it!

I started by applying a piece of blue/grey paper to the face of an A6 base card before inking around the perimeter. Next, I took an A6 piece of cream card (the colours not really important to be honest!) and tore around the edges.

I chose two of the four mixed media dies and used them to add the corner detail, pretty cool huh!. Next, I die-cut the heart and the word ''Cherish' before attaching them to the cream background as shown.

I used black chalk board paint (any black paint that dries with a matt finish will do the job!) to cover the assembled die-cut background and dried it with a heat tool. Next I reached for an old friend, my Treasure Pewter gilding wax, (you can buy this in many metallic colours and there are several brands out there too, just pop the words 'gilding wax' into your search engine and see what comes up!) I rubbed the wax over the raised detail and the contrast it gives is amazing!

Finally, I took three screw head brads and painted them black before applying the wax.

and that's it really! I attached the background to the base card with a thin strip of double sided tape across the centre before securing with the brads. I'm sure you'll agree that the finished card is designed with a man in mind, I'll just have to send it to myself!

Just emboss!

The title sounds like an order, but I would never do such a thing. My very Britishness prevents it!

What I am trying to say is that embossing alone can carry a simple handmade card without any fancy die-cuts (although I slipped a couple of hearts into the second cards) The techniques I have used are so simple and achievable, even for a beginner. 

I know that many of you make batches of cards for charities or even to sell. When you are making batches of the same design, time is a very important factor and embossing is a great way to get where you want to go in a hurry!

There is a new range of Sizzix dies created by the very talented Stephanie Ackerman. They are ultra contemporary and will work equally well with textiles as they will with paper and card. This week however, I am focusing on the embossing folders in the collection which are quite possibly my favourites of the year so far, although Tim Holtz October collection is going to give them a run for their money.

I am using the Borders & Flowers Set for the following projects along with some Distress Inks and gilding wax.

You can use either stamps or die-cut letters for your card greetings, I however chose to print them directly onto the cards with my PC (Stereo and Candlescript for all you font fanatics!)

I cut a rectangle of white card and rounded off the corners before die-cutting 5 hexagons from the same card using my ever presents Hexagon Framelits die set. Next, I embossed everything using the flowers folder.

I wanted to add a splash of colour using some distress inks, namely: Mustard Seed, Ripe Persimmon and Broken china. I chose them for their ability to blend and create secondary colours as you can see below. I always start with the lightest colour and remember, less is more!

Here are the two cards, I hope you agree that they don't need anything else?

Next up, the borders folder. I created another couple of card blanks and cut two rectangles of black card before embossing in my Big Shot. I used some Treasure Pewter gilding wax to enhance the detail and create a metallic effect.

For the second card, I embossed a rectangle of dark brown card and used gold gilding wax before cutting it into random strips, this gives an almost tribal pattern look to proceedings. 

As I mentioned before, I added a couple of die-cut hearts, also from The Stephanie Ackerman collection. On the 'DAD' card I decorated the perimeter of the heart with 2mm adhesive pearls before applying the pewter wax and I decorated the brown heart with a length of twine tied into a bow.

 I love their simplicity. I hope that you do too?

Owl Mash Up!!

A'mash up' started as a musical term which describes the blending of two songs very often in very different styles/genres, think ABBA and Black Sabbath...... you get the idea!

This month we are releasing three new collections from Tim Holtz, Prima and Lori Whitlock. I love them all and I want to share as much as I can but time is against us my friends, so I got thinking and.......

Here is a gift box made using the Bigz XL owl bag. It's a really lovely die perfect for party favours and the like and I'm sure you will be seeing it in many magazine projects and in many different colour combinations and materials.

This is a fabulous and super-useful die and as I said above, you will see oodles of pretty owl boxes so I wanted to shake it up a bit and throw in a die from the Prima (Flora Grande) collection. When I say die I am actually referring to a set of dies (nine to be exact) named Rondeaux which are basically, gears with hearts between the spokes in various sizes (I LOVE!!!!!).

I also want to use only one colour, (What!!!) and that colour is black, (Gasp!!!) so I will need a little help from my silver gilding wax (Phew!!!)

I started by die-cutting the four parts to make up the main body of the box from graphite sparkle which is a black heavy weight card with holes drilled through it and is made by Inspire Me Papers, check out the link above. Next, I set about putting the box together which is surprisingly simple as these things can often be quite fiddly! Once it was ready I gently rubbed the edge using the gilding wax, the one I used is called Treasure Pewter you can use a soft cloth but I prefer to use my finger tips which gives you more control but mainly because it smells like boot polish Mmmmmm! 

I Die-cut all the elements to finish the owl and embossed the main body using the Sweet Dots folder from the new Lori Whitlock collection. Next I strategically applied the wax to all the die-cuts except the eyes. and gently curled the three rows of feathers before assembling the owl.

There was still one bit missing, this is where the gears come in. I die-cut two sets to create the eyes and gave them the pewter treatment.

And here is the finished 'Steampunk' owl. For the finishing touches I used screw head brads in the centre of the eyes and mounted both sets of gears with 3D foam pads. I embossed the owls nose using the folder from the new Big Shot starter kit, don't worry if you don't have it there are plenty that will do the job just as well.

Just a reminder, if you want to see a little more of the Prima dies I featured as a guest designer on their blog last week and here is the link. the image below is one of two projects featured.

Out of the Shadows!

ShadowPress is here!!...For those of amongst you who have no idea what I'm talking about let me enlighten you!

ShadowPress is the name of a new style of debossing folder which leaves the impression of the shadow of the letters rather than the letters themselves, confused?

It's so hard to describe the concept; when it was explained to me my eyes glazed over in incomprehension too! They say 'A picture is worth a thousand words' so with that in mind let us cut to the chase and show you what ShadowPress can do!!

The folders are the work of MrTim Holtz known for his innovative work in many crafting fields including die cutting and embossing. I am using the following folders and dies to create this weeks blog (click on the product to follow the link):

• ShadowPress debossing Folders 6PK - Authentic Set by Tim Holtz (659855)
• Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die - Birds in Flight by Tim Holtz (659425)
• Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die - Butterfly Frenzy by Tim Holtz (659575)

I have restricted myself to ivory and black card for this project and I am also using one of my favourite products which is Treasure Pewter gilding wax. I folded an A5 piece of ivory card in half to form my base card together with a 21 x 9 cm rectangle of black card. I debossed then word 'hello' onto the front of the black card with my folder.... It's all starting to make sense now!!!

I tore the base from the black card below the debossed word and started to gently rub the Treasure Pewter over the word with my finger tip gradually building up the silver patina. Its important not to apply too much and work in delicate circles. Once satisfied, I wrapped the black card around the base card. We can see how the debossed image is highlighted by the wax, it's a wicked effect and works equally well with acrylics, pastels etc.

Next I Die-cut a line of birds from stiff black card and trimmed away the birds that I wanted to use with a craft knife before applying the gilding wax as before.

Here's the finished card. I attached the birds with 3D foam pads and added a few pewter coloured 2mm adhesive pearl gems.

I couldn't stop at one card so I returned to my old friend the Butterfly Frenzy decorative strip which we saw a few months back, I created the card in the same way but to get added dimension the the butterflies I gently curled the wing tips and folded them in the centre before applying to the card with a glue gun.

I think these cards are quite modern and stylish as well as delivering maximum impact in return for minimum effort. I actually quite like to spend hours labouring over a project but sometimes we just want something quick and easy!

Next week I'm going to return to my old friends the Framelits Circles...Can't wait!