Back to school

I love finding out new ways to use my supplies.  I also love rediscovering old techniques I have forgotten over the years.  I just signed up for Tim Holtz's Summer of Creative Chemistry over on Online Card Classes.  I did Creative Chemistry 101 and 102 a couple years ago.
Now, Tim will  be offering Creative Chemistry 103 and is having returning students go back to review past techniques.  This week he wanted us to go back and review a couple of days and make a project using just a few items.

Here's my tag and my review of the techniques.  You can sign up at any time and it is so worth the price.  

Have you signed up?

Jess

Tim tag for May

Here is my submission for the Tim tag for May.

 I still love the tiny tattered floral die.  It might be my favorite.  

Jess

Distress Crayon Collage Tutorial

I've been having a lot of fun using paper napkins.  I have never used them for crafting, but a group I trade with opened my eyes to this awesome medium.  I have been asked to put together a tutorial, so here it goes. I am making bookmarks here, so they will look smaller than the image above, but I did everything exactly the same.

For the first layer you will need your Distress Collage Medium, one of the underlayers of the printed napkins, and cardstock(I am just using the cheap stuff from the craft store).  Spread a thin layer of the Collage Medium all over your paper and cover it with the napkin.  I squish it on there so I get wrinkles and bumps.  Add a second layer of Collage Medium on top of the napkin.  You can let it air dry or use your heat tool to dry it.  

Scribble on several colors of Distress Crayon and blend with your fingers.  The crayon moves so smoothly over the collage medium. 

You can see I didn't worry about getting it all the way to the edges.  I am going to keep layering, so I am not worried about patches of blank space. 

Use a stencil to add on texture paste.  You can let it air dry or dry it with your heat tool.  Don't forget to clean your stencil right away.  

The texture paste on the left has been scribble on with Distress Crayons.  The image on the right has a paper napkin burnished onto the texture paste using my finger ans a bit of collage medium.  So there are two ways you can do this step.

I added my image and then stamped around it using Jet Black Archival and Hydrangea.  

I added a Small Talk sentiment and used the Black Soot Crayon around the edges. 

To complete the bookmark I used a black and white pen in a random fashion all over the piece.

Here's the one with the napkin.  Same techniques, but it has a totally different esthetic.

Here are some of the others pieces I have made using this technique.

I am entering these into a few challenges:

Try it On Tuesdays- Vintage Photo

Frilly and Funkie- It isn't Easy Being Green(paper napkin layers)

A Vintage Journey- Spring is in the Air

Anything But Cute-Earth Day(recycled napkins and used earthy tones)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and try it for yourself!

Jess

A flashy upgrade

I love the bright and quirky projects that Andrea Ockey Parr creates.  She made some altered flashcards a while back and I was inspired to try it for myself.  It was so fun mixing ink, paint, stamps, and more.  I am not a huge math fan.  These cards made me enjoy math just a tad more.

I'd like to submit these to:

Our Creative Corner Gypsy Fayre

Happy Crafting!

Jess

Fun with Distress Crayons

Have you jumped on the Distress Crayon bandwagon?  If you haven't you should.  It's a very fun wagon.
I got my crayons a couple weeks ago and I have been playing with them here and there.  I have tried using different background surfaces for blending.  I have tried using different mediums to add texture as well.  Here are a three of my favorite projects so far.

On this one I colored directly onto my stencil and then sprayed it with water.  I flipped the stencil onto my tag and rubbed it with my finger.  I was able to pull subtle color from the crayons into the exposed areas of the stencil, but leave the color saturation on the tag.   I stamped and added some white and black highlights using my fude ball pen.

This is done on an old card catalog card.  Her hat is made with tissue wrap that I used as my brayer cleaner when I was gelli printing. I made tiny tattered florals out of the tissue that I glued onto cheap white card stock.  Once the flowers were done I ran my black crayon around the edge and wet it. I smudged it out with my finger and then dripped white paint on them for extra dimension.  The leaves are just scraps of white card stock that I scribbled on with my green distress crayons.  

With this one I randomly scribbled the colors and then blended them with my finger.  I added a layer of texture paste and once that was dry I went back in with the same colors.  I love how rich and bold they look.  The bits of the crayon get stuck in the crevices and just add so much yumminess.  The little girl is colored with crayons too.  I put some on the craft sheet and added it to her using my water brush.  The highlights of yellow on the umbrella were just added directly from the crayon to the paper.  

Have you been playing with the Distress Crayons? I would love to see what you've come up with!

Jess

I am entering these into a few challenges: The Frilly and Funkie Let's Make it a Trio challenge.  

Anything but Cute Crazy for Color Challenge. 

Our Creative Corner Return of the Challenge! I chose the April 2015 April Showers bring May flowers as my inspiration- I've got bright spring colors, tons of flowers, and even a grumpy girl under an umbrella!

Try it on Tuesdays- Nature Theme Challenge

Emerald Creek Dares Ring in Spring

Shine like the whole universe is yours

I love dancing.  I should say I love to watch people dance.  I took dancing lessons for many, many years but you would never know it.  I am just not meant to dance.  My sister was a beautiful dancer.  She danced right up until she had her first child.  I think sometimes she forgets what a gift she gave us when she danced.  I wanted to make her a little something special for Christmas.  Check it out over on The Robin's Nest, but don't tell her! It's a Christmas gift.

Mechanical Heart

 Stop by Altered Pages and see my steampunk mechanical heart card.

What have you been crafting?

Jess

Mermaid Dreams

I love the ocean.  When I was a kid every year we spent a week in York Beach, Maine.  Stop over to The Robin's Nest to see what I created that reminds me of the good times I had there.

Tim tag for May

Yay! I loved this tag and followed what Tim did almost exactly. I didn't have the burlap paper so I used some burlap ribbon and glued it to my tag.

The ribbon is colored with Evergreen Bough, Weathered Wood, and Gathered Twigs.  

 The tiny tattered floral die is so worth getting. It makes the cutest teeny flowers.

I hope you enjoyed my take on this months tag.

What have you been crafting?

Jess