Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Test Drive - Distress Paint

Well, you better just go ahead and clear some space because these new Distress paints are fabulous.  Today was my first time experimenting with them and I was not disappointed.  So many colors to choose from (24 to be exact) and not just the basics...but mustard seed, and picked raspberry and seedless preserves...and the list goes on (hummm, I am suddenly hungry).
What makes the new Distress Paint different from "regular" paint?
Distress paints are a very fluid water-based acrylic paint that are designed to react with water the same way Distress inks and stains do.  Of course you can use them on paper but they also work on metal, acrylic or glass.  Each bottle has a mixing ball inside so you must shake the bottle before use, but once you do, you are ready to go.

Okay, enough explanation, lets get to the test-drive.
We are all used to acrylic paint coming out of a bottle into a nice little circle, not this paint.  As you can see in the picture below this is much more fluid.  As with all the distress products, there are many options.  Paint direct from the bottle onto a surface with the dabber tip, squeeze onto the craft mat for swiping or use a paint brush for more control.
So lets start with a big #10 manila tag.
I used the dabber tip to "paint" on the Distress Paint in Picked Raspberry.  Easy enough.
But here is the genius part.  It's Distress so it's reactive with water.  A few sprays of water and you can see the paint start to wick. The lines created with the dabber top start to disappear.
You can let the tag dry on it's own or use a Heat it Tool to speed up the process. 
Once dry, the paint has a mat finish and is set, meaning that once it is dry it will not react with water.  That makes Distress Paint very different from Distress Inks and Stains which will always react with water.
The paint dries to a matte finish and feels almost velvety to the touch.  No bumps or ridges to feel.  So it's a paint that feels like a stain when you touch it.  Does that make sense?
Okay, lets add paint another way, direct from the craft sheet.  This time Mustard Seed.
Add water.
And swipe the tag into the Mustard Seed paint.  Can you see that the yellow paint sits on top of the pink? 
I found that the Distress paint goes a long way.  You don't need as much on your craft sheet as you might think.  I swiped this tag 4 or 5 times to get the layers of yellow and yet I am left with half the paint I started with.  Lesson learned.
I dried the tag with the Heat it tool, dabbing off a bit of paint to give a little texture.
Here is the final painted base.
Now to embellish the tag.
I used the leftover paint to color Tissue tape.
First Mustard Seed.
Then a bit of Picked Raspberry.
I ripped the Tissue Tape into small pieces and added in random places.
Butterflies from Stampers Anonymous Nature's Discovery stamp set using Archival Ink in black.
The new Sizzix Alterations Mini Tickets are super small (and super cute because they are so small).  I thought they could be fun to use on this tag so I cut a strip in manila cardstock.  I painted the tickets in Mustard Seed, spritzed a little water on and dabbed it off with a paper towel to remove some of the paint.  The strip only took about 15 or 20 seconds to dry which I was quite happy with, as I hate waiting for paint to dry.
Once dry, they were each stamped with the matching ticket stamp from the Stamper Anonymous: Going Somewhere set.  How cute is that?
I added words painted in Black Soot and more Mustard seed.  The words come from the new Sizzix Alterations Stacked: Artful Words.  I painted the word and letters before I even punched them out of the Decorative strip.  Paint, dry, punch out.  Super easy. 

You might also notice I added a couple Remnant Rubs, be daring and live to the mini ticket.  Can't wait for those to get into stores!

So, I thought I would see what the Distress Paint would do on the Crinkle Ribbon.  Usually if you were to use acrylic paint on ribbon it would be stiff and crunchy.  I followed the same method I always do...dab on the paint, spritz with water to make the paint wick and dry.  It is a bit stiffer than Distress Stain but not much and most people probably could not tell the difference.  The painted Crinkle ribbon is not crunchy at all and dries to a matte finish.

Once again, less is more.  When you put the paint on the Crinkle Ribbon do not feel like you have to cover the entire surface.  Let the water do it's magic and wick the color to other areas. 
NOTE: If you get too much color on, spritz the ribbon with more water, place between a folded paper towel.  Give it a good squeeze then remove and either add another spritz of water and repeat or dry with a Heat it tool. 
I thought I might add some pattern to the ribbon.  I used a Dylusions SA stamp set - Background Love and black Archival Ink to get this cute pattern. 

I ended up only using 1 on the mini tickets which I stapled to the tag with a Mini Attacher.  I am sure the other will end up on another project. 
Love the end result.  Super bright candy colors are not what I usually create with but they look great to me today, as it is quite gloomy outside.
I will be back tomorrow with another tag because I just have to keep going.  We're going to "mix" things up sorta speak.  I promised a giveaway with all "test drive" posts.  So here it is, a nice assortment of Distress Products including a few bottles of Distress Paint to try.

Leave a comment on any of the Distress Paint Posts I do this week and have a chance to win the Distress Prize Package.
I will draw a name on Saturday Evening (2/9)

Cheers,
paula

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Out and About


Years ago at one of the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) shows in Chicago we were able to sneak away for a short time for my first ever visit to a "PAPER SOURCE" store.  We hopped on a train and made the trek to the shop that was there.   I have loved the store ever since and always make it a point when traveling to stop if I'm ever near one.  I am thrilled that Arizona has finally gotten our own Paper Source, located in the Scottsdale Quarter.  

 Love their beautiful stationary and paper goods.  

Lots of ideas and workshops.

 Great wrapping, cards and just lots of fun stuff.

A few of my favorite things when I recently visited them - 

Notice the large silverware paper...

This cutlery table wrapping paper comes in a roll
30" wide x 50' long


Cute pillows here!

and here
lined notepad for you special someone....


A notepad with a perforated stub on each page.  Each stub has a lovely thought that can be torn off and used wherever you want to leave a sweet little message.


Fun valentine frame....


glass tray


This fun store is best in person, but if you don't have a Paper Source near you, visit them online.

Have a great weekend,
Deb