/* */ Beulah Bee: April 2016

April 25, 2016

Creativity



This is my last week as a guest designer for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and it has been a wonderful experience.

This is such a great blogging community full of inspiration and information--I'm happy to be a part of it and grateful for the feedback I've received!


This week's challenge is to use a metallic element so I made an assemblage that would definitely set-off a metal detector!

I used found bits of really rusty metal (the square frame and large nail), a vintage key and lots of Idea-ology including a Quote BandNumber BradGadget Gear, and Faucet Knob.


A border for the Burlap Panel was made using tacks and copper wire (credit to Paula Cheney at oneluckyday.net for this idea).

The background technique is rather unconventional. After prepping the burlap with paste medium (to fill in and even out the surface), I transferred an image cut from the Destinations Paper Stash using polymer medium. The overage of paste medium around the edges was tinted to match the paper.


I've done image transfers with lots of Paper Stash and I suspect it would work with other brands as well. Here's a link to a recent tutorial which describes my technique in more detail.


I included a doll and roses because of the Quote Band. The Salvaged Doll is the artist, the faucet knob represents effort, the number stands for time, the key unlocks the idea, the gear stands for the process and the result is beauty represented by the three Heirloom Roses.


It's fun and easy to transform the doll from its original, stark-white appearance. I just covered her with off-white paint, used blue for the dress, brown for the hair and mixed-up a flesh tone for the face, arms and legs. Everything was coated with fine crackle medium and after it dried, I dropped in some Tea Dye Distress Stain to emphasize the cracks. A tiny drop of red ink went on her cheeks and a fine-tip black marker helped define the eyes and mouth (my photo doesn't do her justice).

I wanted to match the roses to the other pieces but didn't have rust-colored alcohol ink. Since mixing colors opposite each other on the color wheel makes mud, I thought to drop an assortment of colors I did have on top of the roses until I got the look I was after. Then I took the shine away with some fluid matt medium.


The Quote Band was also given a rusty look. I filled in the letters with white paint, wiped the background with a rust-colored ink (like StazOn) and used black paint to distress the edges. I used an antique gold metal paint on the Faucet Knob and glued on a few brads with Glossy Accents.

Speaking of glues, if you'd like to try making an assemblage but you're not sure how to anchor the elements I have some advice. Use nails, screws or wires when you can (no problem with the Burlap Panel since the backing is made of wood). When you can't, a good urethane-based glue (like Duncan's Liquid Fusion) and some clamping will secure just about anything. You can see my other assemblages here.


There are other details about this piece that I could mention but if you've already read through what just may be the longest post in the history of craft blogging, then I may have said too much already!

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Please join us for this week's challenge and when you upload your creation to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog you'll have a chance to win a $50 voucher at the Simon Says Stamp store!


Here's a list of the products I used for this challenge which can be ordered from Simon:



April 20, 2016

Travel Time


Gambel's Quail are everywhere in my neighborhood and in great numbers, too. They travel in groups, chatter a lot, and almost never fly preferring instead, to scurry along the ground very quickly.

That was my bird of choice for Tim's 12 Tags - April and my mosaic technique was to paste paper bits from the Destinations Paper Stash on a bird illustration/drawing cut from an old book. I filled-in the cracks with white paint and covered the pieces with Glossy Accents.


If you live in metro Phoenix, you might recognize the Express Bus Pass which depicts another unique feature of our landscape, the Saguaro Cactus. The background paper (purple photo of mud cracks) was a yard sale find.

I used some Remnant Rubs, Postale Tissue Wrap and black Scribbles as embellishments along with machine stitching around the edges.


I always have so darn much fun working on Tim's monthly tags--his technique driven prompts have me trying new things that I wouldn't normally think of. This month's tag really emphasizes that point.

April 18, 2016

No. 526713



I'm a Guest Designer for April at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and if this is your first visit here--hello and welcome!


This week's challenge is to use a Butterfly and my idea for this tag started with one I found in my Wallflower Vellum paper stash.

I cut it out and cropped it to fit inside an Idea-ology Journaling Ticket stamped with some background text (Ledger Script) using archival ink (Ranger Potting Soil).


I built a box for it by scoring 1/4" from the edges of a rectangular piece of heavyweight cardstock then folding up the sides and securing the corners.


The box was lined with a vintage dictionary page and I attached the ticket using my sewing machine. A Small Talk sticker was tinted with Antique Linen Distress ink and placed on top. 

The stitching made me think of using a textile background so, after tinting the tag edges with Walnut Stain Distress ink, I cut a piece of fabric (Eclectic Elements) and stitched it to my tag.

In case you're wondering, sometimes I peel off the reinforcement paper around the tag's hole punch before adding background papers, etc., then reapply it (which is what I've done here).

After a few practice runs on some scrap fabric, I stamped the tiny butterflies on a string (Prima Noble Darling) using, of all things, ink from a Fude Ball pen. I needed a real juicy application to get a good image on the fabric and this pigment ink pen did the trick.


To create more visual interest, I intentionally offset the placement of my tag elements including the Lace Trimmings along the bottom edge of the box.

I stitched on a button (that matched the coloring of the vellum butterfly) as well as some string tinted with Black Soot Distress Ink to help draw the viewer's eye up and over the box and match the playfulness of the tiny butterflies.

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I do hope you'll join us for this week's challenge--
what kind of butterflies inspire you?

And don't forget when you upload your creation to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog you'll have a chance to win a $50 voucher at the Simon Says Stamp store!



Here's a list of the products I used for this challenge which can be ordered from Simon: