Speak Up

It's kinda funny...I have lots of different kinds of adhesives.  I've got tapes, dots, foam squares in different sizes, fabric glue, tacky glue, as well as gel medium.  They all have their uses.  Art journaling, scrapbooking, mixed media.  And I find myself using at least a few in any project I'm working on.  But my current obsession has got to be gel medium.  Granted I have to brush it on, but it's great for working with so many different types of elements and dried pretty quickly so you can keep working.

Seriously, this stuff is amazing!  It works for tissue paper, book paper, magazine cut outs, mixing with paint for texture or using through stencils.  So well worth the price!

My previous ATC used tissue paper and I used The Crafter's Workshop Gel Medium to attach the tissue paper.  It worked great, both to adhere the paper and cover the edges so I could work on top without issue.  I used it again on this ATC with the same tissue paper, though it's hard to see.  There's a peek of it near the bottom by the words "SPEAK UP."  I also added some Craftsmart acrylic paint in Ocean Breeze; just swiping it on with my finger.  Plus some drips from Liquitex Carbon Black Liquid Ink.

The heart is cardstock I ran through my Cuttlebug in a Tim Holtz embossing folder.  I grabbed some lime green paint and my brayer, intending to add the paint to the raised image on the cardstock.  It picked up some of the OCean Breeze, so I added more then drew and cut out a heart.  I also stamped a Dylusions border stamp on the left.

I stamped the sentiments on cardstock and used a paint pen to fill in the larger letters.  And I used my Sharpie and paint pens to add the doodles and splatters.  My unicorn girl id a digi stamp from Oddball Art colored with colored pencils, as well as Tombow and Artist's Loft markers.

I'm also entering my tag in the following challenges: 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

Creative Fingers Challenge

I've included affiliated links for items I used for this project or similar products.  If you click the link I get a small commission.  The price does not change at all for you.  Enjoy the links and thank you for your support!

• The Crafter's Workshop Chevron Stencil
• Dina Wakley Chevron Stencil
• AlteNew Alphabet Die Set 
• Sizzix Framelits Circle Die Set
• Tim Holtz Mini Metal Gears 
• Tim Holtz Metal Sprocket Gears
• Cross Stitch Embroidery Floss 
• Blick Acrylic Paint
• Ranger Archival Black Ink 
• The Crafter's Workshop Gel Medium
• Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint Caribbean 
• Sizzix Tim Holtz Texture Fades Arrow & Boardwalk
  

 

There's obviously lots of elements to this ATC, hehe.  Which one's your favorite? Let me know in the comments!  And stop by again!

What Attitude?

Anyone have a teenager in your life?  If so, then you can definitely relate to this tag, heh.  I think at some point in adolescence, everyone has to deal with a moody teenager.  Not that attitude is limited to teenagers, far from it!  So I wanted to pay a little homage to the sass we all can exhibit from time to time.

I covered a vintage tag in gesso and used my Dylusions sprays and my stencils to start a nice background.  Then I used more stencils and paint to add some more patterns.  I also smeared some watered down orange paint then added my other elements.  Inspired by my Dylusions border stamps, I doodled the border.  I grabbed some tissue paper from a package I had received and hand cut a star, and used The Crafter's Workshop Gel Medium to adhere the tissue paper star.  I stamped the word "ATTITUDE" with my alpha stamp and my Archival Black Ink, and colored an Oddball Art boy digi stamp with my Tombow markers.  I also adhered a couple Tim Holtz gears and colored some little chipboard alphas with my Uni Posca green paint pen and adhered them as well.  I threaded some yarn through the top and my tag was finished.

I'm also entering my tag in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

Through the Purple Haze Challenge

I've included affiliated links for items I used for this project or similar products.  If you click the link I get a small commission.  The price does not change at all for you.  Enjoy the links and thank you for your support!

• The Crafter's Workshop Chevron Stencil
• Dina Wakley Chevron Stencil
• AlteNew Alphabet Die Set 
• Sizzix Framelits Circle Die Set
• Tim Holtz Mini Metal Gears 
• Tim Holtz Metal Sprocket Gears
• Cross Stitch Embroidery Floss 
• Blick Acrylic Paint
• Ranger Archival Black Ink 
  

 

What do you think of the tag?  Let me know in the comments and thank you for stopping by!

Hello Tag

I'm bringing another fun project today.  An old tag that I added to and really enjoyed it, although at first I wasn't sure what direction it was going to take.

This tag is one of those projects.   It's a tag I found and added to with paint pens, stamps, die-cuts, and some hardware.

 

I've include affiliated links for items I used for this project or similar products.  If you click the link I get a small commission and there's no price change .  The price does not change at all for you.  Enjoy the links and thank you for your support!

• The Crafter's Workshop Chevron Stencil
• Balzer Bits Numbers in Arrow (last I checked unfortunately out of stock, but could have changed)
  
• Dina Wakley Chevron Stencil
• AlteNew Alphabet Die Set 
• Sizzix Framelits Circle Die Set
• Tim Holtz Mini Metal Gears 
• Tim Holtz Metal Sprocket Gears
• Cross Stitch Embroidery Floss 
• Liquitex Phthalocyanine Blue Ink
• The Crafter's Workshop Well Rounded Stencil  
• Liquitex Gesso
  

What are some ways you use your mixed media?  Thanks for stopping by!

Anything Goes ATC Style

Update: Links are fixed!  Thanks for your patience!

 

I love ATCs, otherwise known as Artist Trading Cards.  They're the size of traditional trading cards, such as baseball, but they're mini works of art.  Low commitment and expectation due to the small surface, but also great for experimentation.

This week the Monday Challenge for Simon Says Stamp is Anything Goes.  So I went with an ATC to play around with.  I grabbed a journal card from my stash, trimmed it to size with my American Crafts paper trimmer, and went to work.  I will say I've had this paper trimmer for a long time and it still cuts like it's brand new, at least in my crafty opinion.  Mine is definitely well-loved.

A little housekeeping before I get into how I made this little beauty.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Some products I've used I've included links to add these fantastic goodies to your supply.  Now, on to the making!

 

I started with some gelli printed deli paper that I adhered with a gluestick.  The stencils include an older Dylusions stencil with bricks and large numbers, a clean up print, and Tim Holtz Layered Stencil Patchwork Stencil.  I'll do another post about that.  The grungy alpha stamp is from Paperbag Studios called, aptly enough, Grunge Alpha.  This was I think the stamp's maiden voyage.

I also used Avery Reinforcement Labels, a chipboard circle, a orange and white striped triangle sticker from Pinkfresh Studios Dream On collection, a Citrus Twist Phrase Sticker (the yellow one), and two phrase stickers from a random sheet I have.  I've had monthly memberships with a couple different companies, so I have lots of supplies that aren't commercially available.

For the border I used an Emerald Green Uni Posca Paint Marker with a bullet tip.  You can purchase them individually, but this is a good starter set of the basic colors, plus black and white.  Never underestimate the glory of black and white paint markers, they're worth their weight in gold!  I love colors, don't get me wrong, but I tell anyone I discuss my art with, white and black add that amazing pop to colors.  Nothing like it.  I also love black and white pens, which are also worth their weight in gold.  One of my favorites is this Fine Point Sharpie Pen.  It's slim and easy to hold, gives a nice line that's not too thick, and the felt tip writes on most surfaces.

A finishing touch is a little transparent plastic arrow from my stash.  Thanks for checking out my project.  Bye for now!