Texture Paste

I used Texture Paste on my very first book cover and we are now up to Book Number 10!  On the previous cover we stamped into the texture paste, this time we'll be using it with stencils or simply using it to, well, add texture!   I stumbled across some recipes for home-made texture paste so thought I'd give this a go.  So I mixed up the correct quantities of the ingredients and I couldn't work out why, when I'd stirred it and mixed it thoroughly, it was rising up in the jar like bread dough on fast forward.   Hmmm... something wasn't right.  I had to keep stirring it to make it go back down but eventually it did settle ok and I could add a little paint to it to colour it so that was all good.  It wasn't until a few days later that I had an AHA!!! moment and worked out that in the USA, Baking Soda is actually Bi-carb Soda here in Australia, not Baking Powder (which is what I used).  So that solved the puffing up dilemma.  At least it still worked out alright and I know that the girls will be able to make their own texture paste if they run out of the store-bought one.  There is also available now more texture paste available from different companies and one that I do like very much is the Ferro ones as they are coloured.  I have the metallic iron one and the antique gold.  Those samples will be added later as I'll be  doing them as demo's in the classes.  In the meantime, here are some other samples and the book cover for Technique Book Number 10.

 

These are all created on Kraft coloured card stock, with some white and one other colour paint and a little black stamping.  I liked the simplicity of combining just a few colours.  If you want to try out the recipe for yourself, the one I used is:

 

HOMEMADE TEXTURE PASTE

1 Part White Acrylic Paint

1 Part Talcum Powder (or Baking Soda, called bi-carb soda in Australia)

1/2 Part White Glue (PVA)

Mix together in a re-sealable jar.  Add a little coloured

paint if you want to make coloured texture paste.  (I do this

on a plastic plate with just a little of the paste as I didn't want to

colour all of it.)

I'm not sure how long this mix will last, mine has been in

the jar for a week and a half and it's still fine.

 

"Believe"...

 

"Believe" (close-up) so you can see the texture...

 

"Angelic"... (this is on kraft card and is coloured

texture paste pushed through a stencil to create

the background).

 

 

"Create"...

"Artful"...

 

"Book Cover #10"... (this is 8" x 6" or 20cm x 15cm)

 

Close-up of Book Cover...

Black Utee & Perfect Pearls

This fortnight's technique is making an embossing powder by combining Black utee and Perfect Pearls.  I have made my own mixes of embossing powders for quite a few years, if you click here, this will take you to the post I did with the embossing powder recipes using ordinary embossing powders.  This particular technique this fortnight however, is made by combining a small amount of Perfect Pearls (in a single colour) with Black Utee to make very metallic looking thicker embossing.  It's one of those techniques that doesn't photograph/scan well so you'll just need to make up some of your own!   Visit a $2 shop (or if you're in the States, it's a Dollar Store) and pick up some small containers with screw on or snap on lids.  The size of the container I use is 4cm tall x 3cm diameter (or 1.5" x 1").  I half fill this with black utee and then using a pop-stick, add a small scoop of the Perfect Pearl in your chosen colour.  Shake well.   You only scoop a little bit in, less than 1cm on the pop-stick (or less than 1/4").  If you use too much PP, it affects how well the Black Utee sticks to your embossing ink.  Of course, this can't be used for detailed stamps but can be used to cover embellishments very well!

 

"Poverty and toothache"...

"Memory"...



"Hallucination"...

"Misbehave"...

 

"Star"...

 

As you can see, I've used different techniques to create the actual body of these atc's... from the top they are:Goosebumps Texture Spray, Watercolour Stamping, Coloured Soot Stamping and Coloured Soot Stamping again, lastly another Goosebumps Texture Spray. 

More to come!

Microscope Slide Spotlight & others...

My class this fortnight is called Microscope Slide Spotlight.  I figured that as we used Microscope Slides not that long ago, everyone would still have some left over and this is another way to utilise them with your stamped images.  

 

 I'm sure everyone has done Spotlight Technique before, if not, you can scroll down about halfway down this page and click on the "search this blog" section, enter the word spotlight, then my previous posts will come up so you can see what this technique looks like.   As I said, using the microscope slides is just another form of it.   I used Twinkling H2O's as well as my Lyra Watercolour Crayons.  Both work equally well.   I also used both my little "X" Xyron machine to adhere the slides or alternatively, you can use Glossy Accents (or Dimensional Magic).   The good thing about the Xyron machine is your microscope slide will go straight through the machine and not break as it's a

straight-through feed.  Quick and clever that little machine is!!!

 

 

"Live Life in Colour"...

 

"Fragment"...

 

"Twist and Twirl"...

 



 

"Shimmer"... (the shimmery paper down the bottom is

actually wrapping paper!  I always keep my eyes

open for different papers/wraps that can be

used on my atc's)

 

 

These next few are from the previous class - Acrylic Paint & Distress Re-inkers.   Would you believe this is the first time I've used my Washi Tape?   I only have about 6 rolls, yes I'm deprived I know (or is that depraved???), but it worked perfectly on this atc and I wanted to try a couple of ways of using it so the girls can see you don't have to just stick it down flat.

 

 

"An Australian"...



 

"A True Story"... (yep, love this little picture)...



"Transform"... 

 

"Celestial"...



 

 

Now some from previous classes... first up from the Sheer Heaven Class.

 

"Virtuous"...

 

 

These next 3 are from the Patina Foil Class.

 

"Indescribable"...

 

"Art colour life"...



 

 

"Avante-garde"...

 

 

More atc's to come...

Sheer Heaven Transfers & Acrylic Paint & Re-inkers Class

I'm going to start this post with the next up-coming class which is Acrylic Paint & Re-inkers.  I've used white acrylic paint and the Distress re-inkers to create these backgrounds.  I love the way the acrylic paint reacts with the inks and as I've used watercolour paper, it stands up to the water that you need to add to blend everything together.  The first four pictures are my samples so far and the last picture is the backgrounds before I've added anything to them.  Just wanted to give you an idea of how this actually looks without any adornment.  Love this background!!!

 

"Romantic"...

 

 

 

"Sisters"...

(notice how well the white gel pen works in their eyes, then just a dab of

 black sharpie for the pupil and voila.... zombie sisters!)

 

 

"Kindred Spirit"...

 

 

 

"Possible"...

 

 

atc sized backgrounds using this technique...

 



 

As I mentioned in my last post, I was going away for a holiday.   I've spent four weeks having a wonderful time in the USA visiting family as well as exploring with my husband, son and daughter-in-law.  Hubby and I had been to the US before a couple of times (well, okay... me 4 times and him 3 times) but this was the youngsters first trip.  It was exciting to view things through their eyes and the four weeks both flew by but I couldn't believe by looking at the photo's (870 of them!), how much we crammed into that time away.  Consequently, when I got back I knew I'd be suffering from a slight case of jet-lag and "oh no, we're home again", so wanted to do an easy class for the first one back.... what's easier than SHEER HEAVEN TRANSFERS!!!!!!   The new girls loved it, the old girls (meant in a nice way of course), enjoyed re-visiting it and confirming that yes, this is the easiest transfer you'll ever do.  Here are some samples from previous classes as I only managed to do one when I got back!

 

Okay, have had a look and there are really too many images to load here so if you want to see Sheer Heaven transfers on both fabric and paper... click here and this link will take you to the posts with Sheer Heaven...

http://www.ko-ok.blogspot.com.au/search/label/sheer%20heaven

 

This is the only new one... "cardiac"...

 

 

More Acrylic & Re-inkers to come.....



Patina Foil

This fortnight's technique is called Patina Foil.  We'll be using the metallic foil tape (which I love to use in case you haven't noticed!), alcohol inks and the Snow Cap Metallic Mixative in the alcohol ink range.  Now I know a lot of people bought this Snow Cap (white) alcohol ink when it first came out and very dutifully placed it amongst their other alcohol inks, and there it sat..... not sure what to do with it?   I've found the lighter colours of alcohol inks don't really take to the foil tape really well, no problem with those darker or brighter colours but the lights just don't seem to cut it.   Enter Snow Cap, if you place Snow Cap as well as your other colours on your piece of felt and apply it as you normally would.  The Snow Cap sort of acts like a base and allows the other colours to grab onto the foil tape so you can actually see them, it's quite opaque so I guess this is why this works.   I don't use blending solution but you can if you want to  -  I just don't find I need it unless the colour is too dark, then I use it to lighten the overall effect. 

 

"Whisper"...

 

"Culture"...

 



 

 

"Pitchfork"...

(yes, I know, it has pink...)

 

 

 

"To become"...

 

 

 

Some more samples from the previous class, Faux Hammered Metal.

 

"Clicking my heels"...

 

"Precipitation"...

 

 

"Enthrall"...

 

 

 

Finally one more from the class before Faux Hammered Metal, Permanent Marker Wash".

 

"Devilish"...

 



 

 

This will be my last post for a while as I'm off on holidays for a month to the USA in a fortnight's time..  Can you say "woo-hoo"..... I can, and am looking forward to a wonderful time.  Going to both coasts to catch up with friends and family.  I'll be doing Sheer Heaven transfers when I get back. 



Faux Hammered Metal Background

The technique for this fortnight is Faux Hammered Metal.  It gives a realistic metal look to black cardstock using clear utee and metallic paints.  It's all in how long you heat the utee for.  Generally utee is heated to the point of a glass-like finish.   Removing the heat before that point gives a more bumpy, textured look which is what's required for this technique.

 

"Mesmerize"...

 

 

 

"Dramatic"...

 

 

 

"Pure"...

 

"Nurture"...

 



 

 

These atc's below are from the previous class, Permanent Marker Wash.

 

"no accounting for taste"...

 

 

 

"Impression"...

(the girls say "thanks Gail for the little mirrors!")

 

 

"washed by tears"...

 



 

 

"psychedelic hallucination"...

 

 

 

My favourite is "Mesmerize"... what's yours?   More to follow.

Permanent Marker Wash

I've used and loved my Sharpie and Bic Mark-it Pens for years now.   Before the Distress Stains came out I used to use them for eding around my pictures in a co-ordinating colour and also to colour in shrink plastic and blending it with rubbing alcohol to get a similar look to alcohol inks....  Now I've found another way to use them to create gorgeous backgrounds on gloss card.   So very quick and easy but like a lot of techniques, you never know what you'll end up with and if you try to recreate something you really like.... well, good luck with that!!!    So here are four samples from my upcoming Permanent Marker Wash class.

 

"Simplify life"...

 

 

 

"Silence"...

 

 

 

"Disguise"...

 

 

 

"Dream"...

 

 

These ones below are from the previous class, Goosebumps Texture.  Love this new "Weed" stamp I got...no, it's not flowers, they're weeds.  I don't DO flowers remember!   lol

 

"Fragile"...



 

"Discover"...

 



 

"Solitude"...

 

 

 

More to follow.....