Accept Imperfection for Unstampbelles

Hi Peeps

I was looking through my stash for a suitable sentiment for this card, and found my book of TH Citchat Idea- ology so searched through that. I was actually looking for something to jump out at me and this did - the two words were on the second page and side by side. I went with that - because my work is never about perfection but always about creating something.

Unstampabelles Challenge #91

Stunning Stencil Play

TWIST - to use sprays

There is a prize of $15.00 au from Paypal or as a voucher

I began as I do - with the base card, in this case watercolour card.

I had used it to mop up some overspray last week.

I laid a geometric stencil over this and sprayed it with the TH Distress Resist Spray

and dried it off with the drier - you can just see the pattern

Next I applied some texture paste to a corner and dried it off too, using a D'Lish stencil.

Once I was sure they were pretty dry, I hit the card with the sprays - Dylusions

I used four different colours - you can clearly see the resist

The paste wasn't as dry as I thought and quickly took up the yellow spray but that was OK

I mopped up the excess with the paper towel - did think of subduing it with some water and another wipe over but let it be. 

I played with several stencils - you can see the result of the crackling one under the current one (in black). I used this one to create some movement of the card.

I followed the movement of the stencilled piece with some spots of black and white ink - again the white ink took up some colour, even after it had been dried and dried. Still, you get the effect. Imagine Crafts Irresistable.

I trimmed off the bottom in a wave pattern and used the smaller piece to die cut two butterflies using SU Butterfly Dies. 

I added some more ink dots to the butterflies but again - hard to see. 

Hope it floats your boat. 

You have two weeks to enter. 

Fairy Wishes from Unstampabelles

Hello Peeps -

It is week 2 for July's Challenge over at 

Unstampabelles.

Challenge #91: Stunning Stencil Play

and the TWIST is to try and use spays in your work 

I am so pleased I got to use up old stash in this piece.

Firstly, I sprayed some Dylusion Sprays onto my silicon mat and 

then swooshed a piece of watercolour paper through it until I was happy with the outcome.

I found a pretty stencil and layed it over the card when it was dry and used my TH Distress Resist Spray over it . (Obviously I did not take any photo's here)

Now, you can probably see some gold embossing not going on there.

That is because I read up on the Distress Resist Spray first - a miracle - and it said that you must get the spray off your stencils quickly (with water). I had an idea I was going to emboss the negative, as the spray is like a sticky glue, but between spraying in a box, carting the stencil to the water and then trying to emboss, the spray dried up! 

This was what I was left with after rubbing Black Soot ink over it. 

Can you see that the Distress Resist gives a shimmery look and some texture.

I will try this technique again but hopefully it will work better next time. 

This was also the stage when I realized that my stencil probably wasn't a good one for this technique anyway. I thought it looked a bit deep sea-ish, and went looking for water inspired dies to cut and create a water scene but I found an old sticker sheet with one fairy left on it - it was perfect. 

The photo above shows the sticker clearly in the clear light

but the one below is what it looks like in real life and in direct sunshine

The sentiment is a sticker for the sheet too - I layered it onto some white card and fussy cut it out and then popped it up on some dimesions. I think the gold bits that did stick look like some kind of magic energy going on here. 

Talking of magic, winter can certainly produce it's own version:

'Wombat Love', from the Cradle Coast in north-west Tassie, thanks to Leanne Hays
www.instagram.com/wombat_at_80

Experimenting with Sprays

Hi Peeps - are you like me and have lots of things in the craft room which you purchased, used one or twice and then forget they were there or simply were too afraid to use them again? 

I am a bit like this with sprays - even though I purchased my first ones bout eight years ago! Every time I use them I tend to get very messy and make something that is not very attractive.

So, when I knew the current July challenge #91 at Unstampabelles was to be 

Stunning Stencil Play  

TWIST It Pays to Spray

Using stencils to create and sprays to play!!!

Prize:
$15 au Gift Voucher

I thought I should make an effort to learn to use the sprays properly, as well as suing stencils to create something worthwhile. I made a page for my Journal - which is a repurposed old book by Jane Fonda - remember her? Firstly I have to remove some pages and then glue a few together, painting with m with white Gesso to prepare. I then worked on a piece of watercolour paper first and later glued it into the book.

I started with the stencil and some texture paste

on a sheet of smooth watercolour paper.

I didn't wait for the paste to dry before hitting the sheet with three different spray colours from the Dylusions set.

Well, the challenge didn't say you had to use the sprays on the stencils.....

However, if you wanted to do this, here are some of my thoughts. 

When you use a stencil you can employ paint, pastes, inks (smooched on with foam or sprayed on) pens and pencils, Versamark and embossing powders and I am sure there other ways - just look at the amazing number of videos about using stencils on YouTube. However, when I tried to find some with both sprays and stencils I got far less help. However, I did learn some tips and here they are....

TIPS:

1. If the sprays are too fluid, they will spread under the stencils - so work in small steps and take it slowly.
2. The closer you are to he paper, the more concentrated spray you will have
3. If you want more control do what Tim Holtz does and use misters which are purpose made for each spray -but I don't have that money or time
4. The height you spray from affects the outcome - as I have just said in No 3 - but so does the amount of pressure you put on the sprayer. If you press all the way down you will get a big burst of spray; half depressed gives better control.
5. If the sprayer won't work after shaking, a pin in the hole will often solve the problem but avoid facing the hole while pressing the pin into it or you will get a face full of spray! I know. If the pin doesn't work running the whole sprayer bit under hot water will usually get stuff moving but it is messy so wear an apron and have old cloths around to mop up.
6. Play on scrap paper like copy paper to get your technique right first.
7. Some crafters use coffee filters to clean up after a spray and then dry them out and use them in their next collage. I don't use these, so I have cheap baby wipes and then throw them in the bin.
8. I also use a silicon mat which can be run under water later to clean up properly and paper towel to mop up along the way.
9. Coated or thick, smooth card is better to work with - trial and error with tell you what to use.
10. You can doodle through stencils later also with pens and pencils. 

I hope that helps

This is what I created 

It is glued into my journal with clear gesso - although it had nearly 20 hours to dry it till moved the inks a bit and so I got some white lines and colour movement that I didn't want occurring. 

You learn as you go.....

I used a few different stencils but I tried this face one from Scrap FX.

I think I should have used TH black ink (Soot) rather than the Gathered Twigs I used.

I dried the clear gesso with the heat gun and then went back in and around the letters with a white pen as they had vanished into the background too far. I also did it with the elements of the girls face for the same reason. I used the same idea to go around some of the dots from the Coutour Creations stencils of aboriginal themes. 

For some reason I thought a stencil of a plant would work  - so I laid it over my work prior to attaching it to the book and sprayed it with some Dylusions Spray Acqua. It worked as a stencil with the spray but not as an element in the work. However, I cannot remove it.

I scribbled around the edge of the work in the book once it was glued and dried to anchor it to the background. That was also why I used Soot around the edges of the sheet as well as Vintage Photo's.

Well, it is complete and while I like some of it I am not happy with it overall.

However, that is why I have the journal - to create some works and find out what works and what doesn't. Guess I will have to make another page as well now.

While it didn't work - it was quite fun and therapeutic. 

Let's see how you approach this challenge!

You have a month to enter at

Unstampabelles