MMM #11 Torn Paper Strips Mixed Media Morsels

Welcome to my blog!

This is a background I created using torn paper strips, a prompt from Cat on the Mixed Media Morsels FB group.  Cat Hand posts weekly videos with different mixed media techniques to try.  She calls them "morsels".  I have been doing my morsels in a random order.  Sometimes they might work with a tag challenge that I am doing, or sometimes Ii may have supplies out that will work with a particular morsel, or sometimes there may be one that I am just in the mood to try.  I did join this group a little late, but there is no pressure to get anything done by a specific time and they are all just suggestions.  Everyone does them their own way.  But again, as in the One Little Tag Craft Challenge FB group that I participate in, it's all about staying creative and inspired.  Keeping it fun is a big part of the creative process, in my opinion anyways!

For this technique, I took some printed tissue (that I used for MMM #5 an earlier post), some plain tissue paper and some plain white paper.  I used various different sprays, Dylusions, Heidi Swapp, Recollections Colorsplash or Boho and some Lindy's stamp gang..  I sprayed the paper and tissue, let it dry and then tore it into strips.  I collaged the strips onto the tag with mod podge.

I like the way this turned out and I have lots of papers left to collage some more tags or maybe a canvas.

Thanks for looking, have an awesome and artful day!

An Awesome Foiling Technique! Foiled borders using your Spellbinders dies

Hello my friends!  I was inspired to try this technique by a video I saw  by Becca Feakin. (I will share the link at the bottom of this post)  She used her Spellbinders Labels dies and her laser printer to get  awesome foiled borders!  I have been wanting to try this for a while and now I finally have and I love the look.  I am going to use my tag from my last post to help illustrate how I did this foiling technique (and some other ones!)

First I dug out some of my Spellbinders Labels dies

Now, I knew I would be isong these to creat tags, in this instance, so everything I did was with that in mind.  You may want to make cards, as Becca did. if that's the case, keep that in mind as you position your dies. I will probably use this technique to make some cards as well.  I chose the  dies that I wanted to use and positioned them on some blank white card.  I adhered them in place using a tiny removeable adhesive dot.  I postioned them so that I could cut them out into tags.  I should mention that if you are making cards, you could take a Card Creator or rectangle die that would fit the perimeter of your card panel and position that as well, to give your card panel a nice gold border too.

I positioned 2 smaller dies that I would use for sentiments alongside a tag on this sheet

I scanned and made a copy of these.  I think Becca just put her dies directly on the scanner, but I wanted to have copies I could use again.  Not only that, but I found that the copies weren't really dark in some areas, maybe because the dies are shiny and reflective.  So I wanted to darken them as well with a marker.

Then I got some light cardstock, some white and some patterned and all trimmed to 8.5 x 11"  to run through my laser printer.  NOTE:  You must use a laser printer, an inkjet printer will not work.  You could also use photocopies, but your copy must be toner based!

I copied my images onto the card and cut them down into tags

Now for the foiling!  I use a laminator and I find it works just fine, but if you have a Minc, you would of coarse use that.  I use a plain copy paper, folded in half, as a carrier.  I chose the foil that I wanted to use, placed it over the copied image (pretty side up!) placed it in the carrier sheet and ran it through the laminator.  I usually run it through twice just to be sure.

Now I take the coordinating die, place it over the foiled image, cutting side down.  I use some washi tape to hold it in place.  If you have a look at your Spellbinder labels die, you will notice that the cutting blade is not at the very edge of the die, but in the middle. 

Because of that, you end up with 2 pieces with foiled edges that you can use, the inner and outer die cut shapes.  If you use a different kind of die with the cutting blade at the very outside of the die, you will only have a foiled edge on the inside die cut shape.

Now, how did I do the gold foil outside border?  And the foiling on the flower embellishments?   Stay tuned for another post on some different  foiling techniques. I've been doing some experimenting and as soon as I get everything together to post, I will be happy to share.  If you like foiling, you will love it! 

I hope you have enjoyed this post and will give this foiling technique a try.    Give Becca's video a watch, it is very helpful and she is really sweet and she makes it easy to follow.

If you liked my post and found this technique fun and informative, please share it!  And let me know if you would like to see more technique based posts.

Thanks for looking, have an awesome and artful day!

Becca Feakins video  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAicoQBRt5Q

           Scrappin' Great Deals (SGD)  http://www.scrappingreatdeals.com/home.php

Note:  I use ThermOweb Deco Foil and Minc reactive foil

Mixed Media Morsel #5 - Tissue paper background

Hello my friends!

Todays tag is for the Mixed Media Morsels group.  This is MMM#5, which is a prompt to use tissue paper as your background.  I used Tim Holtz printed tissue paper, mod podged it onto my tag.  I then used various  Dylusions sprays to colour it.  For the finishing touches, I used my Gold ink pad to swipe across the raised areas and along the edges and finally, some black archival ink on the very edges.  Oh, and of coarse, some splatters!  I like how this turned out.  I'm not sure how I am going to finish off this background into a tag, but I will be sure to share when I do!

Thank you for stopping by.  Have an awesome and artful day!

Tag 4-19 "Peace starts with a Smiile" #onelittletag

Tag 4-19  Fiber prompt

Welcome to my blog! As some of you may know, I have been participating in  the One Little Tag Craft Challenge on FB, hosted by Jenny Barnett Rohrs of Craft Test Dummies.  We are given prompts once a week to keep us inspired in creating our tags. I have not completely finished all the tags for April, but I have done a lot and have decided that I am calling it a day and moving on.  I am still behind for May, but that is what I am going to focus on, as well as some other art projects (and experiments!) that I am working on.

The idea behond this challenge is to be creative every day.  I have to admit, doing this challenge is definitely keeping my creative juices flowing!  I have decided that I am not going to get hung up on the challenges, or prompts, which are just a suggestion anyways.  I will probably try a couple and then just do what I feel inspired to do.  If I am enjoying the prompt, I will stick with that.  Either way, these FB groups have really been motivating.  On the days I don't get a tag created, I am usually still experimenting with something, or working on a painting, or sometimes just thinking about what to do next.  So now I think I am hooked!  I also participate in a group called Mixed Media Morsels and I have also been sharing my tags and art on a G+ Group called Creating and Sharing Mixed Media Art.  So a big shout out and thank you to those of you out there who are putting in the time (and I am quite sure there is a lot of time donated) and effort to create and maintain these inspiring groups (and there are many!)