Book Study - Blended Batik

On NGS group we are doing a study of Tim Holtz's book "A Compendium of Curiosities", this week we're looking at the section "Blended Batik".
Ink a tag, card stock or paper with Distress ink using a blending tool. Decide how heavy or thoroughly you want to cover the card. Dry the ink with a heat tool before proceeding to set the inks.
I added a step by stamping on a cracked texture with vintage photo Distress Ink and then heat set.
Next, stamp an image with embossing ink over the tag/card/paper and apply clear embossing powder then heat with the embossing powder until clear.
Ink over the entire tag/card/paper with Distress ink or inks of your choice with a blending tool.
Place a sheet of plain newsprint or printer paper over the tag/card/paper and iron with high heat, melting and lifting off the embossing powder, move the paper as needed to remove all the embossing powder.
Here are my blended batiks. These will make great ATC backgrounds.

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Book Covers finished

Found time to finish the book covers to make a notebook to hold the large 9 pocket page protectors to hold the ATCs from one of my swap groups. I made the backgrounds for the front covers a few days ago. For the inside covers, started with large sheets of paper that had been in the bottom of my spray box and cut them to size (about 9" x 12").
Stamped swirl images around the edges with gold Encore! ink and red Distress ink and heat set.
Added some color to the swirls with finger painting on some nickel azo yellow acrylic paint (and also the edges of the paper). Stamped on some words and sayings with dark brown Distress ink.
Painted some music sheets with acrylic glazing liquid, yellow acrylic paint and butterscotch acrylic paint. Tore or cut the music sheet to shapes I wanted and added gold acrylic paint to the edges. On some of the pieces, added in a little gold acrylic paint over the music sheets as well. Let dry.Glued pages onto very thick cardboard, then used decorative Tissue Tape to cover the edges. Decided not to color the tissue tape, but leave it as a contrast. Used large jump rings to hold the pages and covers together. On the front cover, added an image of a young girl from an old calendar, kept the torn edges white, so she'd stand out. Added colored music sheets, with a rhinestone eye on the bird, and some gold paper music notes.
Inside front cover, added a different young girl image from the same calendar and added a butterfly from the colored music sheets.
Inside back cover, added another young girl image from the same calendar and some small butterflies punched out of the colored music sheets. When I was covering the paper with gel medium, some of the ink from the saying in the upper left corner was washed off. Rewrote over it with a black permanent marker.
Back cover, colored torn map to cover around the heart, made sure to include the countries the members of our swap group are from.

Textured Paint (a work in progress)

I want to make covers for a book to hold pocket protector sheets full of ATCs. A project for me, a great time to experiment. I've been looking at some of the techniques in Claudine Hellmuth's book "Collage discovery workshop". Today, I played with the Textured Paint technique. Claudine says that acrylic paint is more flexible than spackle and has less risk of cracking, great for a book cover.
First spread white acrylic paint and spread over canvas. I'm using canvas sheets that I'll layer onto cardboard later.
Create texture while the paint is still wet. One method of making texture in the paint, is by stamping bold stamps into the paint and lifting off. Make sure to wash of the acrylic paint before the paint dries on the stamp.
Another method of making texture in paint is to use a paint combing tool.
And another method of creating texture in the paint is to draw or write in the paint with a pen. Next, wait for the paint to dry completely.
Then paint the textured surface with acrylic paint colors of your choice. Create washes if desired. Wipe off excess paint with a towel. I like how the raised areas are now white. I painted over the exposed word with more q. nickel axo gold.
Made the one for the back cover similarly. It's a bit sloppy, but I'm planning on adding papers to cover up the edges.
Hope to have more time tomorrow to continue with this project.

Happy Easter!

Book Study - Water Stamping

On NGS group we're doing a study of Tim Holtz's book "A Compendium of Curiosities", this week we're looking at the section "Water Stamping".
Ink card stock/tag/paper with Distress Ink, Tim recommends using darker, bolder colors for this technique. Using a blending tool to blend some of the colors if you desire.
Apply embossing ink to a stamp to help the water stick to the stamp, then mist the stamp with water with a fine mister.
Press stamp onto the inked card and quickly lift the stamp off the card, continue to stamp as much as you want, re misting the stamp as needed.
Dry the card with a heat tool.
Here's my finished background:
Here's another one I did, with lighter application of ink, and less water sprayed on the stamp.

"A" technique ATC

On ArtVenturers Group, we've decided to work through the alphabet of techniques to create ATCs. Each month, we'll make ATCs using a technique starting with one of the letters of the alphabet, going A through Z. We are starting with the letter "A". There are many techniques starting with the letter "A". The technique can be for the background or an embellishment. I'm using the Acrylic Molding Paste with Pressed Objects technique backgrounds I made yesterday. I was thinking of using the Angelina/Fantasy Fiber butterfly embellishments I made earlier today for my embellishments, but didn't like how they looked on my background, not light enough (I may "need" to buy some light color Fantasy Fibers for future projects lol).
Cut out white mulberry paper butterflies using a Cuttlebug die. Then inked one side of the matching Cuttlebug embossing folder with silver Encore! ink, then embossed the mulberry paper. To cut and emboss the mulberry paper in the Cuttlebug, added a sheet of card stock as a shim.
To create the ATC, glued the mulberry butterfly to the background along the body of the butterfly and glued on some white & silver fibers. Stamped the word "aspire" with black VersaFine ink to a piece of white mulberry paper and added to the ATC.
Looking forward to seeing what the other participants use as their "A" techniques and the completed ATCs.

Angelina/Fantasy Fiber Embellshments

I think Fantasy Fibers work the same way as Angelina Fibers do. They are brand names.






Lay the fiber onto a craft sheet, added some other colored fibers and decorative fiber to to the mix.
Lay another craft sheet on top and press with a hot iron for 3 to 5 seconds. Here are my fibers melted together.
Cut out a butterfly shape with a Cuttlebug die and then embossed in a matching Cuttlebug embossing folder. Because these are so thin, added a piece of card stock as a shim underneath the die and embossing folder while cutting and embossing. Because the material is so thin, the decorative fiber was not cut through, yeah!!!
Close up of my Fantasy Fiber Butterfly embellishment.

Acrylic Molding Paste with pressed shapes Technique

I need an "A" technique for an upcoming ATC swap, and decided to try this one from Nancy Reyner's book "Acrylic Revolution".
Apply a layer of acrylic molding paste over card stock or other surface. Smooth as evenly as possible with a palette knife.
Before the molding paste dries, press objects into the paste using whatever objects you want to try. Here I used sequin waste, ball chain and a thimble. Let dry completely.
Once the molding paste has dried, add color as desired. I mixed yellow acrylic paint with acrylic glazing liquid over part of the surface.
While it was still wet, painted on some blue acrylic paint mixed with acrylic glazing liquid.
Let dry.
Now to decide what to add to my backgrounds.

Book Study - Scribble Stain Distress

On NGS group we are doing a book study of Tim Holtz's book "A Compendium of Curiosities". This week we're looking at the section, "Scribble Stain Distress". This another technique that will look different every time you do it.
Rub Distress inks on to a craft sheet, use colors as desired.
Lightly drag the tip of a color of Distress Re-inker across the inked craft sheet. Make squiggles as desired.
Mist the inks with water from a fine spray mister.
Press card stock/paper/tag onto the ink and drag it across the sheet, cover entire paper with ink.
Again mist the tag with water to activate the Distress Re-inker and allow the ink to spread around (I think I used too much water in this step).
Dry the ink with a heat tool until dry.
Here's my finished sheet.
Used a piece of manilla folder to pick up more of the ink on the craft sheet, I like this one.
Used another piece of white card stock to pick up the remainder of the ink on the craft sheet. Like this one also.

Comfort Quilts

Some quilts I've made recently.