Scorched Timber Panel

Hello Friends,

Nice to see you today!
We are celebrating the release of the new Distress color, Scorched Timber!

My first project is a grungy 9 x 9" Vignette Panel. The Scorched Timber Embossing Glaze is the star of show here! Let me tell you how I created this fun piece!

First, I gathered a few supplies: the Vignette Display Panel and TWO PACKAGES of Etcetera Large Tiles. Each package of Large Tiles comes with 9 squares, but I used 12 squares for this project.

Here was my set up. I added an extra tile to 3 squares to give depth to the over all piece. The doubled tiles are specifically placed so they raise the center collage. from the panel.

Once I had my plan, I separated the tiles from the panel so I could painted the edges of the Panel with Scorched Timber Distress Paint. 

Once the paint was dry, on the Display Panel edges, I used Collage medium to add Backdrops from the neutral pack to the front of the panel.
I also wanted to add Scorched Timber splatters over the paper. I could have gone the easy route and used Distress paint, that would easily dry over the Collage Medium. But I decided to see if I could use my technique of quickly painting the surface with Collage Medium, then splattering Distress Spray Stain into the wet medium.  The Collage Medium has to be wet for the ink to embed into the glue as it dries. Lucky for me it dried (remember most of the paper will be covered with tiles in the end).

I also used Scorched Timber Distress Crayon on the edges of the panel!

For the Tiles, I gathered:

• One piece of Distress Watercolor cardstock (cut in half to create two 8.5 x 5. 5" pieces)
• Stamps from Stampers Anonymous: Lumberjack (woodgrain) and The Inspector (alphabet)
• Scorched Timber Embossing Glaze 
• Distress Embossing Ink
• Simon Says Stamp Anti-static Powder Tool - I love this little tool! So much better than the old bag of powder that gets everywhere!

I used the Anti-static Powder Tool to brush across the smooth side of the Watercolor paper. Then used Embossing Ink to stamp each image (alpha + woodgrain). You will need to stamp each image twice per sheet before melting with an embossing gun.  

I did not take a photo of inking the paper, but all I did was pounce large size pads of Distress ink (scorched timer, antique linen and crackling campfire) over the surface mat. I sprayed it with water and pressed each piece of embossed paper into the ink. Dry with a heat tool between layers of ink.

You will have enough paper to choose how many pieces you want of each pattern.  In the end, I had 3 woodgrain and 6 alphabet. The center Tile gets covered so that one doesn't really matter, either pattern will work.

Once the Tiles are covered with the embossed cardstock (Collage Medium),  use a craft knife to cut around the edge, removing the excess. The next step is to adhere the tiles directly to the panel with Collage Medium. Let dry before adding the collage.

You can easily see the double stacks in this photo

For the center collage, 

1. Cut the Window Frame in half with a craft knife.
2. Wipe white paint on metal leaf. Wipe watered-down Scorched Timer paint over parts of the leaf.  Wipe away any excess.  Splatter with white paint, let dry completely.
3. Add Gathered Twigs Ink to mat, add water to make a puddle.  Press Quote Chip Label into ink and dry immediately.  Repeat.
4. All ephemera is from the Memoir Ephemera Pack. Add ruler image to chipboard and cut out.
5. Add all pieces to the panel, including a piece of string (also dyed with Scorched Timber ink).
6. Cover the face of the man, then splatter with white paint using the Splatter Tool.

* I created/assembled all the pieces for the collage (took a photo for reference), then glued them to the panel as quickly as possible, so I could easily manipulate before the glued started to dry.

I sure hope you like this project as much as I do.  Scorched Timber is just perfect with the other colors. So rich and wonderful!  Keep watching for more projects next week!

Now carry on,

paula

Prize Ribbon Distress Ink

Hello friends,

Glad to be here to share in the fun of the new Distress color, Prize Ribbon! It is such a beautiful bright blue but if you saw Tim's YouTube Live today, you can see how it wicks out to a lighter color depending on paper and use.  I created this swatch so I could have a visual of how it fit into the darker blue range of Distress.  

The project I am sharing today is something I had in mind since the first time we released the idea-ology Mini Marquee letters.  YOU get so many letters in the bag that I could create this saying using 4 E's and still have more left.  Total bargain in my opinion.

I cut a piece of Heavystock paper to fit the small Etcetera Tag.  Using one of the images from the Baroque stamp, I repeatedly stamped and embossed with Ranger Super Fine Gold Embossing Powder.

I sprayed both Prize Ribbon Distress Stain Spray and Oxide Spray onto a craft sheet. I added a little water with the Distress Sprayer and pressed the embossed paper into the ink to create the bright blue background.  I repeated the...press, dry, press, dry, a few times to make sure the ink covered the paper.

Just to give it another layer, I used the Ranger Splatter Brush to add a splatter of white Distress Paint across the blue ink.

Once the paint was dry (and it did take a bit) I adhered the embossed paper to the small Etcetera Tag with Collage Medium making sure all the edges were secure (a great time to break out your brayer).  Once secure, flip the tag over onto a self-healing mat board and using the Tonic Craft Knife to remove any excess paper.  Set aside.

I chose of piece of Backdrops paper that looks textured for this next step - you can find this piece in Backdrops Volume 1.
Stitch across the 6" length of the paper, five times. I kept the stitching of the five lines close so I only had to cut between the lines, but you can stitch as for apart as you are comfortable.  Once I had the five lines of stitching, I used my Tonic Deckle Cutter to cut between the lines, creating five strips.  You can see by the lines on the Deckle Cutter that the strips are just over a 1/4" wide.

I wanted to add a bit of Prize Ribbon to the color the paper and the neutral stitching, so I spritzed Prize Ribbon Spray Stain onto the glass mat and pressed the paper strips repeatedly into the small beads of ink.  I love how the thread is now blue!

Next, cut the strips to the width of the Etcetera Tag, then add 1/8" double stick tape. You can use any brand like Scor-tape - this was just the one I had on hand.  As you can see, I added the tape to one side of the stitching line so I could slip the plastic letters underneath (on the side with no tape).

The stitched strips are 1 1/2" apart.  It was easy to see the placement using a ruler and the lines on the Glass Media Mat.

The Mini Marquee letters are so fun to use. Each letter has a little more plastic at the top so they can be clipped or sewn to something. In my case, I was slipping them just under the paper strip so I only had to make sure I spelled everything right and that the extra space was at the top.
For the word GOLD, I decided to use Ranger gold Mixative on the back to draw attention to the word. Super easy to do. Just add a pea size circle of gold to a Blending Tool with felt and pounce away.  Let dry and then you are ready to use.

The Mini Marquee letters were added to the tag with Collage Medium.  

Things to remember:

1. Place the letters on the tag to get the right spacing before adding Collage Medium.
2. You need less Collage Medium than you think.
3. Only add the Collage Medium to the lower 1/4 of each letter. 

I used the same gold Mixative and Blending Tool for the Vintage Clip.

Then added Mushroom over the top to take the edge off the gold.  I left it to dry completely before adding it to the top of the tag.

I hope you like this project. It was easy and fun to do.  You can use any quote you like and any size board.  This could be super fun for a shower or wedding sign in table or so many other things since you can personalize it!

now carry on,

paula

Rustic Wilderness - Fall

 Hello friends,

I'm sharing my "fall" project from the Rustic Wilderness release this week.   I started with a Mini Etcetera Tag since it seemed the right size for the Funky Wreath I wanted to use.

I cut a sheet of Heavystock paper about the size of the Mini Tag.  Then I sprayed Distress Ink Rustic Wilderness, Crackling Campfire, and Fossilized Amber onto my craft mat and pressed the Heavystock paper into the ink to pick up the color.  I dried it with a heat tool then went back into the ink two or three times to create the layered look I wanted.

After I created the main background, I made more inked cards to use for the leaves.  Some of them I dried right away and others I went back into the ink to add layers of color.  The fall colors are beautiful!

Once I had the cards done, I cut two of the Funky Wreaths (from cards that were only colored with Rustic Wilderness) and leaves from the Fall Foliage die set.  The leaves shown are the larger leaves in the set.  One thing I love about the die is that you get large, all the way down to tiny leaves, which worked perfectly for the project.

In this main photo, you can see that I adhered the large inked paper to the tag, cutting away the excess with a cutting knife and self healing mat board.  Once the paper was adhered, I stamped the text (The Professor stamp set) over the surface with Ground Espresso Archival Ink.  I did not use a stamping block, but rather "rolled" the stamped image onto the tag surface to create a worn effect.

I added the Public School card from the Remnants Layers pack to the surface with foam squares

1. The Funky Wreath die comes with two wreaths + extra branches to add in.  As I said previously, I cut two sets from Heavystock paper I colored with Rustic Wilderness. Layer the wreaths together, adding in the extra branches.  
2. Adhere the wreath to the card with Collage Medium - I tried not to press it down too much so it looked more realistic.  
3. Add white paint to the recessed numbers from the Factory Tags pack and let it dry.  Pick up some Walnut Stain Distress Crayon with a damp paint brush and brush back and forth over the top of the white paint to grunge it up.  
4. Ink a long piece of string with Walnut Stain Distress ink and dry it with a heat tool. Double the string, then thread the metal tag (so two pieces of string go into the hole at the same time). Wrap the string around the tag, coming around on the other side to create the bow.  This sounds much harder than it was to do in person!  Secure the metal tag with part of the foam square 
5. Add the small colored leaves to the wreath.  I tried mixing up the colors and sizes so there are layers of leaves. 
6. I also added a bit of cheesecloth under the bow.

The Paper Dolls were very easy to color.  Just color the bows with Distress Crayons Fossilized Amber and Faded Jeans using a Detail Water Brush.  Their cheeks are Aged Mahogany.

I wiped white paint onto a small Deco Frame and let it dry.  The frame was adhered to the card with Collage Medium so it sits off the surface of the tag.  I also added a few words from the Clippings Sticker Book.

To finish off the tag, I added a Larger Hinge Clip at the top.

I love this fall project.  It was easy to to create and very fun to incorporate the new color, Rustic Wilderness along with Crackling Campfire and Fossilized Amber to create such a wonderful Fall background.

now carry on,

paula

Reality #175

Hello Friends,

So fun to be here today talking about the newest color in the Distress Line, SPECKLED EGG!  It is a color that I have wanted for so long and trust me, it is beautiful!  I was able to create four projects for the new color Facebook Live.  I will be blogging all four projects by the end of May so if you are interested in learning how I created any of them, please come back often to see the posts.

For today's project, I started with a small Etcetera Tag (5 1/2 x 10").  There are two kinds of paper used in the background: The patterned paper is from the Dapper Paper Stash.  I used the smaller scale 6 x 6" papers that are found at the back of the paper pad to work with the size of the small tag.  The second is Mixed Media Heavystock that I colored with Speckled Egg and Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.  I created a patchwork background with all the papers and adhered them to the tag with Collage Medium.  I haven't used the Dapper paper for a while but it is so awesome for a more masculine vibe.

I stamped the gears using the Dapper stamp set and Vintage Photo Archival Ink - something you can do even after the paper is glued to the tag, since it's made from thickboard and will not bend.

I used Translucent Grit Paste and the 'Stitches' Stencil from Stampers Anonymous to add the X shapes to the tag.  I sprinkled Speckled Egg Embossing Glaze over the top of the paste, tapped off the excess and let it dry.  After about 30 minutes (when the paste was dry), I melted the glaze with the embossing gun.

The shelf is the next thing I created since it grounds the collage.  I am using Etcetera Trims called 'Pinked' for the sawtooth edge it has.  You will need three, 5" pieces, two skinny and one wide one.

The wide is the base, the skinny is glued directly on top and the last strip butts up against the straight side to create the shelf.

I used the Star Trim 3D folder and Watercolor cardstock to create the strip for the shelf.  

A few important things to remember when using 3D folders:

1.  Lightly spritz the back of the paper before you place it in the folder.

2.  Run folder through the machine three times at an angle to create the best impression.

3.  Once it's taken out of the folder, dry it with the heat tool before embossing.

 Glaze as you normally would to complete the process.

Just for fun, I tested to see what happened if you colored the watercolor paper first and then used the Embossing Glaze.  The paper strip on the left had been colored with ink, run through the Vagabond machine, and then Glazed.  The strip on the right is the white watercolor paper.  As you can see, they are both good but the one on the right has some white showing.  I liked that look better than the strip with the extra step of coloring the paper.  Just a test, but worth taking into consideration.

I also did a few tests with just paper (no glaze involved) so I could see the difference in color depending on the paper you use.  Both colors are great but the white of the watercolor paper is more true.  Using Speckled Egg over Heavystock comes out a bit more green because of the base color of the paper... "manilla-lite" (as I like to call the color of Heavystock).  So be aware that your paper choice may change the color just a tad.  Personally I think it's like having two colors in one pad!

Anyway, lets get back to the project at hand.  In the project I painted the wood pieces with Distress Paint then added the Star strip across the front, covering the middle strip completely.  I did trim off one edge of the strip to make it fit just a bit better.

Here is the finished shelf on the tag.  Walnut Stain Crayon was also added to the wood parts to make it look as if it was one piece.

Once the shelf was secure, I moved on to the collage using pieces from Paper Dolls, Field Notes ephemera, Urban Layers, Junk Drawer Baseboards, Type Chips (1/2) and the wonderful Number Blocks.

I sanded the black edges of the Number Blocks and inked the numbers.  The blocks are great for piling up and and really grounding a foundation. They work perfectly to balance the tall man in the composition.

You know me, always coloring the Paper Dolls!  This guys suit is very dark so I decided to play that up by rubbing the crayon directly onto the suit and then rubbing away what I didn't need, leaving just a hint of blue.  The crayon color really makes a difference when bringing him to life.

Once I had my man, I could go looking for a Clippings Sticker to fit the story I'm telling.  To be honest, there were so many to choose from that it was HARD to choose just one!  In the end, I had to go with this one because it just fit him and that nonchalant stance.  The Optical Lens (one of my very favorite products) is perfect for the sentiment...and of course what I like best is that I could nail it to the wood board.

I added the big card from Junk Drawer in that sweet spot above the six (he looks like he is ready to play some cards, right?).  Then I had an idea, I'm in the midst of purging closets and drawers during lockdown and had run across a package of cigar bands I purchased a few years ago.  I thought it was the perfect vintage item to add across the card!

I added the large flower to fill in the space above his arm.  I told Tim, my guy is a "Renaissance Man": he loves grunge and flowers, lol.  The Adornments Key was one of the last things I added.  It fit perfectly between his hand and the Baseboard below.

Machinery Heads were a new addition to the line this year.  I love the giant metal pieces to really bring a bit of industrial to any project.  I rubbed the metal with white paint and once dry, pounced Mushroom Alcohol Ink over the surface to grunge it up.

For the tie at the top of the tag.  I used Spray Stain in Speckled Egg and Gathered Twigs to dye Mummy Cloth (yes, the stuff from the Halloween release).  I doubled it up to make it look thicker on the tag.

Thank you for stopping by to see my project.  Speckled Egg is a must have color, don't you agree?

Now carry on,

paula