Monday 15 August 2016

Mixed Media Monday: Be You.

Welcome to Mixed Media Monday! Each week, I share a mixed media layout and include the instructions. The instructions contain the steps to make the project and contain any tips and tricks I have picked up along the way. If you ever have any questions about techniques or products that I used to make this layout, leave a note in the comments and I will get back to you. I know that mixed media can be intimidating but I think of it as a creative adventure. Yes, it requires practice and patience but the rewards are worth it - I promise!  

This week, my oldest son turned 9. I was inspired by his birthday to make a page for him. He's growing so fast and there are some things I want him to always remember.  My color choice was inspired by Prima's PPP challenge for August. There is no such thing as too much blue in my world so I knew I had to participate.


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Here are the supplies I used to make this layout.

3D Matte Gel (Prima)
Heavy Gesso (Prima)
Texture Powder (Prima)
Pattern Paper - Salvage District, Bella Rouge, Royal Menangerie, Archivist and Epiphany Collections (Prima)
Grungy Grid Stencil - Finnabair (Prima)
Prima Color Bloom 2 - Fairy Pond, Dragonfly Blue and Spring Dandelion (Prima)
Background Stamp - Book (Prima Item #960964)
Archival Ink - Orange Blossom and Manganese Blue (Ranger)
Versamark Ink (Tsukineko, Inc.)
Embossing Enamel - Shabby Blue (Stampendous)
Thickers (American Crafts)
White Gold Thread (Guterman)
Watercolor Paper (Canson) 
Dragonfly Wood Veneer (Prima)
Palette Knife
Old Paint Brush
Sequins

Instructions:

1. Mix 3D Matte Gel with Texture Powder. Scoop some 3D Matte Gel and some Texture Powder on your craft mat and mix together with a palette knife. The more Texture Powder you use the grittier and more textural your paste will be. I shared how I make my paste in last week's Mixed Media Monday post.

2. Spread on watercolor paper through stencil with palette knife. I placed my stencil randomly on my background and spread a thin coat of the paste through my stencil. Then I set it aside to dry. You can use a heat gun to dry it but if you overheat or "cook" the 3D Matte Gel it will puff up and you will lose the effect of the Texture Powder.

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3. Spread a thin coat of gesso with an old brush. I always add a coat of gesso to my background. I like how the inks work and colors stay true when I use gesso.

4. Spray ink on background. I bought some of the new Prima Color Bloom sprays this week. They arrived with just the pigment and a mixing ball in the bottle. When I got home, I added water and started spraying right away. I couldn't tell the difference from the original sprays that are shipped as liquid ink. They are gorgeous but only available for a limited time. Although I hope they decide to keep Fairy Pond (below).

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5. Stamp with background stamp. I like to stamp on my multi-colored backgrounds in the Archival Inks that match my background. It adds an interesting tone-on-tone effect.

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6. Create sunburst pattern. This week, I cut up my background to create a background pattern. I cut a strip from the 12x12 sheet. I flipped the paper over to the plain side and sketched out a sunburst pattern with a pencil. Then I numbered each section so I could put it back together in order on my background - a plain sheet of watercolor paper.

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7. Embellish. To embellish this week, I added ink splatters and sequins, wound twine around the pattern paper and embossed wood veneer dragonflies.

To create the dragonflies, I pressed each one into my Versamark ink and then sprinkled on Embossing Enamel. The Versamark causes the Embossing Enamel to stick to the shape so it doesn't blow away  before I can emboss it with a heat gun. I heated the embossing enamel until it melted and set aside to cool. I love how it gives such a unique effect to the dragonflies.

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I also added a flip up to my layout.

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This week's layout is special to me. I wanted to remind my son about how important it is to be silly and adventurous and to always be true to himself. So, I made my journaling the title of my page. I thought that if I wrote it in journaling he might not read it. This way, he can never miss it. I like to think of it as leaving a note for him in my scrapbook.

As always, you can leave a note in the comments if you have any questions about supplies or techniques used to make today's layout.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cathie

2 comments:

  1. Ohhhh I see instructions!! It's like a self paced class!! Thanks and looooooove the layout

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Cathy! I'm so glad you like it. Have fun with the instructions and let me know how it turns out.

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