Using a Mask as a Stamp

Outlaw Women Scrapbook Emporium's Yahoo Group are having an August Masking Challenge. I decided to go a different route than usual masking.
I took a mask and used it as a stamp. It's really simple and easy to do. It also gives you the advantage of having your masks do more than normal masking.
All you do is ink the mask and place it on your project. You need to make sure it is getting contact everywhere. I usually just press lightly around the mask with my fingers.
I used Tattered Angels Dark Denim Glimmer mist on mine.
The background was created using Tattered Angels also.
Leaving the mask still in place I took a fan brush and lightly brushed the tag with Organic Garden Glimmer Glam. I then inked the edges of the tag with Pewter Glimmer Glaze. Once that was done I removed the mask and sprayed the whole tag with Aquamarine Glimmer Mist.
The Glimmer Glam and Glimmer Glaze acts as a resist and the Glimmer Mist does not cover it up.
I love playing around with different colors and seeing what I end up with. It's so much fun!

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday

I love going to Stamping Ground and seeing what is on everyone's work desk on Wednesdays. It's so neat to see what everyone is up to and see art in progress!

Here is what is on mine this Wednesday.



It's the start of paper roses. I'm making some roses to go on a scrapbook page I'm making from my August Swirlydoos Kit,
"Poetry In Prose".

I've said it a hundred times and I'll say it again. I do not know how Krissy at Swirlydoos does it but she packs one awesome kit after another. I've never, ever, not liked a kit. Her kits are to die for! I'll be a member of this kit club till death do us part :o)

Trying my hand at Tags

I have the hardest time making "artsy" pieces. I always end up quitting because I can't get the look I see on other peoples blogs. Well, no more!

I have decided that instead of trying to be someone else or having my "art" like someone's. I am just going to be me. Boring creations and all :o)

I will never learn to create if I'm constantly quitting. As they say, practice makes perfect! And Art should be enjoyable.

There are 2 craft websites I look at almost everyday but...I have never participated. They are..

1) Studio L3 - Grungy Monday Challenges and Balzar Designs

My new goal....Instead of looking and ohhhing and awwwing..I'm going to DO IT!

Grungy Monday - This weekly challenge blog focuses on the products and techniques of Tim Holz. There are so many creative people entering these challenges that I can look and ohhh and awww for hours!

The Grungy Monday Challenge this week is Grungy Monday 18

The challenge is to use the Tim Holtz Technique in his 12 Tags of Christmas 2009, Day 8

Here is my tag using the technique of turning vellum into parchment paper.




The tag background was cut from Pink Paislee's Nature Sanctuary paper called Butterfly Garden.

I used a vintage pocket book stamp from Anna Griffin and a text stamp from Tattered Angels for the parchment and inked it with Tim Holtz's Distress Ink.

The bird is a Tattered Angel Glimmer Chip I sprayed with Tattered Angels Coffee Shop Glimmer Mist.

I made the hat pin using a clear hat pin and inking it with a Copic Marker. The pearl came from my stash of old jewlery.

The chain is from Prima.

The 37 cents I cut from my Silhouette, inked it with Distress Ink, and used Rangers Utee several times to give it a glossy finish. I love playing with Utee!

The hole reinforcer is of course Tim Holtz! :o)

Balzer Designs - Julie Fei-Fan Balzer writes a journaling blog called Art Journal Everyday. She asks that you spend 10 minutes everyday journaling. This is a year long project but anyone can start it at anytime.
It can be painting, drawing, writing, lists, etc...She gives such wonderful examples and her blog is loaded with ideas and YouTube tutorials!

I do not have anything to show for this yet because I'm waiting for my gesso to arrive so I can prep my very first journal! I plan to spend 10 minutes everyday and I'll post this even if it's dog gone ugly! :o)

Stayed tuned for my "Artsy Experiments"!

Flying Unicorn Aug. Die Cut Challenge

Flying Unicorn has monthly challenges ranging from stamping, mixed media, cards, layouts, etc...They have great prizes and best of all they draw random winners. I love the fact that everyone has a chance to win!

One of the August Challenges at Flying Unicorn is to use at least 3 die cuts and alter at least one of those. I have been planning on using the gears die cut on my silhouette for a layout of my grandson. This die cut went perfectly with the Bo Bunny Grease Monkey collection I have in my scrapbooking stash. As everyone knows, I adore Bo Bunny. I have a whole cabinet filled with nothing but Bo Bunny!


I babysit my grandchildren during the time we were planting grass. We had a huge pile of top soil in our driveway. What boy doesn't love to play in dirt. So I have the boys some bowls, the water hose and just let them have at that huge pile of dirt.
My layout is using one of the pictures I took. How cute!



I altered 6 die cuts..










I cut the gear die cuts out using my Silhouette SD. I used Copic markers, Tim Hotz Distress ink and Tim Holtz Adirondac Ink to color the die cut gears.

I then embossed them several times using Utee Ultra Thick Melt Art Embossing Enamel. The first coat will give you a rough look. Such as this....






If you emboss it several times it will give you a a smooth glossy finish like this one...





I love playing with Utee! If you haven't tried this technique..be careful and do not touch it on the second and third coats until it dries..it's super hot!

After the die cuts were cooled and dried I added a few watch parts to the gears to give my altered die cuts a little more interest and texture.