Focus on the Good

Hello Friends,

Today I have a post up on the Ranger Projects Blog featuring the new Distress color Speckled Egg!  I hope you will pop by to take a look at the steps to create this easy Mini Etcetera Tag.  Perfect for summer!

Now carry on,

paula

Mildred Comes Home

Hello friends,
Great to be back celebrating the Speckled Egg Release.  Todays 'feminine grunge' project is more subtle that the last three (as far a color goes) but Speckled Egg Still shines.  The substrate I used is the Divided Drawer with one of the shelves removed to create just two compartments.  I did not take step-out photos as I created this project, but I have gone back and recreated the side panel technique with step-outs which you will find below.

To begin, Collage Medium was used to adhere paper to the inside of the top compartment.  I also added a layer of Collage Medium over the top so Distress Crayon could be used as a wash over background.  When I say "wash", I mean that I scribble Distress Crayon onto the glass mat and pick it up with a damp (not wet) 1/2" paintbrush.  I concentrate the color in the corners and where the paper meets, fading it out as I go up the sides.  I ALWAYS end by pouncing lightly over the surface with a wet wipe to get rid of any brush marks.

The ephemera piece in the background came from the Layers pack, Remnants.  I used the dabber bottle of Embossing ink to go over random parts of the card before embossing with Speckled Egg Glaze.  Once the Glaze was cool, I was able to add Distress ink to the part of the card unaffected by the Glaze.  The card was then ripped and folded in on the edges...all done with Distress Ink Walnut Stain and water, which will of course make the card edges a bit soggy but once dried with a heat tool it will go right back to normal.  I added the ephemera piece to the Divided Drawer with two 1/2" wood blocks.
The girl in the fur coat is Mildred.  Her name is clearly written on the original photo we purchased for idea-ology Paper Dolls.  And although she does appear in some Paper Doll packs, I used Baseboard Dolls for this project (which she also appears in).  Baseboard Dolls are made from thick chipboard so the doll always maintain a stoic stance (in others words, they will not bend).  I used Distress Crayons to color her coat, hat and purse.  I have always loved that she has her purse.
The flowers and label used in the background are all from the Field Notes Ephemera pack.

To fill up the length of the compartment, I put her on a pedestal of sorts, that being the pink Baseboard piece from Junk Drawer (you will be able to see how she is able to stand there in the next photo).  I painted a Metal Gate with Speckled Egg Distress Paint and let it dry.  Then pounced Mushroom Alcohol Ink over the surface to age the paint.  Once that was dry, I bent the gate till it broke in half.  Then the tricky part...to bend the two flat gate pieces without breaking again, whilst creating two curved pieces.  I did it so I know you can, you just have to go slow.   In the end, I used wire cutters to clip off about 1/2" from the center of the gate to create a larger opening.

So you can see in this picture that there is a 3/4" wood block behind the pink Baseboard piece - that is the secret to standing up the pink Baseboard.  There is also a double stack of foam squares behind Mildred to adhere her to the Ephemera card behind her.  Her feet are glued to the pink Baseboard.
You can also see the curve in the Metal Gate.  Could you put the pieces in flat? of course.  But if you are willing to try curving them, it adds to the 3D quality.

So lets talk about the box at the bottom.  I drilled a hole in the back of the box to allow the Tiny Lights to be threaded in.  Once the lights were inside the bottom compartment, I wound the string in a loose coil and taped it to the back of the compartment.
It is hard to tell in this photo but the Vellum Scene was cut just a bit larger than the compartment so that it could be inserted concave/ or U shape. I did put Collage Medium on the sides of the compartment before adding the Vellum Scene and let it dry in place before moving on.
I used Speckled Egg Embossing Glaze over the Quote Chip "Adventure Awaits".  Same technique as the large ephemera card in the top compartment.  I cut it to fit and glued it into place inside the compartment.  The Clippings Sticker, "all the world is bright" was added to the shelf above.  And the the tiny sticks? ... their only purpose is to lead your eye to the path.  This is the part when the message of a Clippings sticker and the visual image are so cohesive it's uncanny.

The back was covered with paper and then the Tiny Lights battery pack was attached with a thin foam square.

As for the technique I used on the sides of the Divided Box.  I have recreated the steps on a Vignette Panel just because it is much easier to see in the larger format.  Because this is a recreation of what I did on the box, it is not exact.  I know I used less of the gold on the box, leaving more blue showing, but you will still get the intent of the technique.

1. Adhere Sizzix die-cut over wood.  I only used Collage medium underneath because I will be adding paint to the top.

2. Paint the entire surface with Speckled Egg Distress Paint and let dry completely.

3.  Gather supplies:
- Alcohol Ink Alloy in Gilded (shake before use, then take the cap off)
- 97% Isopropyl Alcohol (mine is in a small spray bottle)
- Alcohol Ink Air Blower

4. Spray the surface with Isopropyl Alcohol.
*Whatever surface you are working on, you will need to work in sections because the Isopropyl Alcohol dries quick.  If you are doing this on the side of the Divided Drawer, I might create three "visual" sections and work one at a time.

5. Shake a few drops onto the surface where you sprayed the Isopropyl Alcohol (bottom half of panel).

6.  The use the Air Blower to move the Alloy into the crevices.  If you need more Isopropyl Alcohol then add more.

They Alloy breaks up and will flow into the recessed areas.  Now before you get too excited, we are working on wood, which is porous, not Yupo paper, which is plastic and meant for Alcohol Inks.  The Alloy will soon become just gold as show in the following pictures.

Even when drying, you can always add more Isopropyl Alcohol to *dilute the gold (for lack of a better term) or keep it moving.

This is how I ended the Alloy portion.  Again, more gold that my original sample but I still like the look.

7.  Scribble Distress Crayons over flowers, leaves and stems.

8.  Smudge Crayon with a damp finger.  My goal was to keep the color on the die-cut layer, leaving the background as is.  Once I was done I lightly pounced over the entire surface with a wet wipe.  Kinda like magic, the light pouncing brings up bright spots in the Crayon work.

So that's it.  Just a nice shabby, grungy, feminine piece.  The more I look at it, the more I love it.  Even if you created it without the decorative side panels it would still be fun to make and display.

Now carry on,

paula

Ladies and Gentleman...

Hello friends,

Today I'm sharing another project featuring Speckled Egg Distress Paint and Embossing Glaze. This was created using a small Vignette Tray flipped over to the back side.  I like doing this since it makes a great substrate for a collage and it's also very easy to hang on the wall when I am done.

I painted the wood surface with Speckled Egg Distress Paint and let it dry.  Next I added ripped pieces of Typeset Collage Paper to the surface using Collage Medium both under and over the paper.

Once the collage paper was dry, I used the Hocus Pocus Layering Stencil to add Distress Crackle Paste stars to the surface of the Vignette Tray.  I sprinkled on some Embossing Glaze in both Speckled Egg and Walnut Stain and let it dry completely before melting the Glaze with an Embossing Gun.

Once the Glaze was melted, I moved on to creating a layered collage of cards from the Remnants Ephemera Pack, using foam squares to build up some cards.  The Sizzix/Tim Holtz Large Stems is a BIGZ die so you are able to cut thick materials like chipboard.  This is exactly what I did, cutting the flower in chipboard so it would hold up under the Glaze layer.  I painted the chipboard in an off white and let it dry.  Then stamped with Vintage Photo Archival Ink using the Fragments stamp from Stampers Anonymous.  I dried it with my heat tool then followed the basic steps for glazing...add embossing ink, pour glaze over the surface, tap off and heat until melted.

It made a wonderfully shiny layer of glaze over the stamped Fragment image.  

The large stem was added to the collage with foam squares.

This Photobooth is one of my favorites - we call him "The Magician" which led to using the Clippings Stick "Ladies and Gentlemen", like he was starting a magic show.  I gave him some subtle color using Distress Crayons.  I tried to make it look like he had a yellow glow around him, like being in the spotlight on stage.  Again, he was added with foam squares to the collage.

The gears are a mix of Gadget Gears, Sprocket Gears and Mini Gears.  Each gear pack gets progressively smaller so they can be layered, then connected with a fastener.  I used a Hex Fastener on this one and a Mini Fasteners on the one in the next photo.
Before layering, I rubbed Speckled Egg Distress Paint on each gear and fastener.  Once dry, I added a bit of Translucent Grit-Paste in random spots and let that dry.  Distress Crayon Walnut Stain was scribble on the Glass Media Mat and picked up with a damp brush.  I used the brush to work in the brown color over the Translucent Grit Paste like built up dirt.  The last step was to use a small file to file/scrap right into the metal to reveal the gold color where all layers have worn away.

 You can see the scratch marks of the file much better in the second gear.

To finish the tray, I added the metal plate at the bottom - from the Factory Tags pack.  I rubbed white paint over the surface and into the recessed portion of the tag.  I also added Hardware Heads to each end as if it had been screwed to the board.

I hope you might find some inspiration in todays project.  I think my favorite part was seeing the transformation of the gears after adding the Speckled Egg paint and Grit-Paste.  Something I will be trying again in the future!

Now carry on,
paula

Nice Girl From a Good Home

Hello friends,

What a fun week we have had seeing the excitement surrounding the the new color Speckled Egg!  Everyone seems so excited about the color itself and using it in their makes.  I love the color too!

My second project using Speckled Egg is a great for the beginner or the seasoned crafter.  Follow along and I'll show you the steps to make your own.

I am using the largest of the Vignette Boxes for this project but any size would work by adjusting the things inside.  To create the detail on the front, I used idea-ology Ball Chain.  You will need a decent layer of Collage Medium on the lip edge to keep the Ball Chain in place but probably not as much as you might think.  You can see in the picture that the Collage Medium is white under the chain but it's not sitting in globs of glue.  Use your Tonic Scissors to clip the chain at each corner.  You can adjust the chain after laying it into the glue but one you have it in place, leave it alone to dry.  Drying time will always depend on your climate and how much Collage Medium you used.

You can see here that the Collage Medium has become transparent during the drying time.  I know it looks like the Ball Chain is just sitting on the edge on the Vignette Box, but it's absolutely secured by the College Medium.  At this stage you are ready for paint.  Of course I chose to use the new Speckled Egg on both the box and Finial.

Once the paint was completely dry, I sanded the paint on both the box and finial.  Once I wiped away the dust, I scribbled on Walnut Stain Distress Crayon (even over the Ball Chain) and rubbed it in with my fingers and a damp paint brush.  

The background paper is a great grid pattern that can be found in the Dapper Paper Pad.  I adhered it to the very back of the box then painted a layer of Collage Medium over the top, which allowed me to color the background with Walnut Stain Crayon.  You might even be able to see, just up the in the top right, that I sprayed over the Crayon with Speckled Egg Oxide Spray.  I did not add water because I wanted it to just sit right on top of the brown Crayon work.  Small detail are worth it!

The Finial was glued to the top and left to dry in place (at least 20 minutes). 

While the Finial was drying, I chose a Found Relative to use in my project.  I used the Distress Embossing Pen to color her dress with Speckled Egg Embossing Glaze.  The Embossing Pen is PERFECT for getting into tight spaces like the ruffle around her neck and the flowers on her dress.  The Embossing pad or Dabber could never give you that kind of control.  I tipped the card up to see the shine of the ink (and make sure I had her dress covered), then followed the basic steps of using Embossing Glaze; pour, tap off, melt.  I painted the Flowers and the background with Distress Crayons and a detailer Water Brush.

I also used Distress Crayon and the Bubbles stencil to add a whimsical layer over the background.

A Baseboard Frame that I colored with Distress Crayons was added to the Found Relative before being placed into the Vignette Box.  I added the words, "nice girl from a good home" that can be found in the Clipping Sticker book.

The Adornments Floral are very cool metal flowers.  I think they get overlooked a lot because they are metal and not a pre-colored flower.  After I saw Tim using Embossing Glaze in one of his Saturday sessions I knew I wanted to use that technique on the flowers.  I chose three flowers from the group + three leaves, two small and one large.

I followed Tim's technique (which you can find HERE...it's right after the 1 hour mark) to Glaze the flowers.  As you can see, my flowers are three different colors.  Glaze is a translucent medium so it is effected by the layer or color underneath.  This makes it even more exciting to use, since you can very easily change up what a color looks like.  I rubbed the larger flower with white paint and let it dry before the Glaze layer was added.  The small flower on the left was rubbed with Speckled Egg Paint and the flower on the far left was rubbed with Evergreen Bough.  In this process, much is dependent on how much paint you use...it's a process of experimentation! Each flower came out wonderful with the added Glaze, but it was much easier to see the impact with the larger flower (or the butterfly Tim demonstrates in his technique video).  Again, be sure to watch Tim's technique for adding Glaze to metal before beginning the process.

I added the tiniest of faux pearls (colored with Mushroom Alcohol Ink) to the center of each flower and let dry before adding them to the box.  

The Thimble was colored with Gold Alcohol Ink Mixative, then rubbed with Walnut Stain Distress Crayon to create the aged appearance.  It works perfectly with the flowers and the Vintage Flair button.  I have to say, I love this detail shot! 

The last thing I added was the string on the Finial, that allowed me to add the Story Stick (love) and the Antiqued Gem dangle.  The Gems are one of my favorite little details to add to any project because we have made them to look old, no shiny metal here! 

Glad you have stopped by to view todays project.  I'll be back again next week to share more on Speckled Egg!

Now carry on,

paula