Heavy Metal Easter - Tutorial

I got a ping from my colleague May Flaum asking if I would contribute to this week's Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge. I thought for about 2 seconds before yelling "YES". So this week I am appearing on the blog's Metal-ology Challenge.

And that's not all! Submit your own answer to the Metal Challenge and you could win a $50 voucher to Simon Says Stamp. So let's get metalized!

Paper is turned to metal, and metal is turned to paper is this fabulous Easter piece. Just the size for a card for that special Easter someone, or to sit on the shelf for Easter brunch. The panels are each 2.5"x3" embossed metal that has been painted, sanded and inked to look like Victorian wallpaper.

I first embossed metal sheets by using my Big Kick and an embossing folder from Tim Holtz’s Alterations. Next I covered them with a light coat of white acrylic and set aside to dry.Once the paint was dry I did a little scuffing and sanding to expose a little of the metal. 

Then I used Walnut Stain and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks to tint the panels. I worked lightly, doing the Walnut first and letting it set for several minutes. Then I pressed the Tumbled Glass ink pad directly onto the panels to add the blue tint, and smeared a bit with my finger tips for a more worn look.

Glass Glitter is chunky and comes in beautiful vintage colors. Just the thing to fill a special bottle of Easter joy.

This little chocolate bunny is made from a bit of "Hope" from Authentique Papers. The bunn is edged in Walnut Stain Distress Ink and coated in Crystal Fine Glitter. Some vintage tinsel for his bow and he's good enough to eat!

I used lots of different things to link the panels - paper clips, jump rings, paper hinges and twine. Why use the same thing on every hinge? Mixing it up adds lots of interest.

These metal letters are actually painted chipboard! I love this look of copper patina, and worked out this very simple technique to transform any chipboard or heavy paper into “copper”.

First I dabbed chipboard letters with my copper Acrylic Paint Dabber, being sure to leave chipboard exposed. It’s really important to leave some areas clear of the paint because….

After the paint dried I spritzed the letters with Turquoise Blue Glimmer Mist. All of the unpainted areas now turned blue-green, like the copper patina. The blue-green color also layers over the copper, dulling it just a touch to antique it.

Are you inspired now??? You better be! Now get your art on, and when you've got something fabulously metallic to share, submit it on the Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge. The Simon Says Stamp Superstore is giving away a $50 voucher to one luck random participant. So what are you waiting for?!

Oh and before you go, don't forget your supplies! 

Tim Holtz Damask & Regal Flourishes Texture Fades Embossing Folders - SizzixTumbled Glass and Walnut Stain Distress Inks - Ranger
Copper Acrylic Paint Dabber - Ranger
Turquoise Blue Glimmer Mist - Tattered Angels
Hope Collection - Authentique Paper
Glass Glitter - Melissa Frances
Crystal Fine Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts
Mini Paper Clips, Jump Rings, Foliage, Game Spinners - Idea-ology by Tim Holtz

  

Heavy Metal Easter

I got a ping from my colleague May Flaum asking if I would contribute to this week's Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge. I thought for about 2 seconds before yelling "YES". So this week I am appearing on the blog's Metal-ology Challenge.

And that's not all! Submit your own answer to the Metal Challenge and you could win a $50 voucher to Simon Says Stamp. So let's get metalized!

Paper is turned to metal, and metal is turned to paper is this fabulous Easter piece. Just the size for a card for that special Easter someone, or to sit on the shelf for Easter brunch. 

The panels are each 2.5"x3" embossed metal that has been painted, sanded and inked to look like Victorian wallpaper.

Glass Glitter is chunky and comes in beautiful vintage colors. Just the thing to fill a special bottle of Easter joy.

This little chocolate bunny is made from a bit of "Hope" from Authentique Papers. The bunn is edged in Walnut Stain Distress Ink and coated in Crystal Fine Glitter. Some vintage tinsel for his bow and he's good enough to eat!

I used lots of different things to link the panels - paper clips, jump rings, paper hinges and twine. Why use the same thing on every hinge? Mixing it up adds lots of interest.

The "copper" letters are not what they appear to be. Curious??

Come back on Wed for the how-tos and what-nots to make your own metal letters and panels.

Are you inspired now??? You better be! Now get your art on, and when you've got something fabulously metallic to share, submit it on the Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge. The Simon Says Stamp Superstore is giving away a $50 voucher to one luck random participant. So what are you waiting for?!

Oh and before you go, don't forget your supplies! 

Tim Holtz Damask & Regal Flourishes Texture Fades Embossing Folders - SizzixTumbled Glass and Walnut Stain Distress Inks - Ranger
Copper Acrylic Paint Dabber - Ranger
Turquoise Blue Glimmer Mist - Tattered Angels
Hope Collection - Authentique Paper
Glass Glitter - Melissa Frances
Crystal Fine Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts
Mini Paper Clips, Jump Rings, Foliage, Game Spinners - Idea-ology by Tim Holtz

  

Love builds a garden.

Authentique is debuted its newest collection on Friday. It's all about love, and PINK. I made this project as a part of our Authentique-LoveMyTapes cross-promo last week and wanted to share it with you here.

I created the flowers with a couple of different techniques. For all of the flowers, I covered one side of a square of paper with washi tape - sometimes I covered the whole paper, sometimes I left stripes of paper for added texture. For the daisies and other petal forms, I used the "Tattered Flowers" die from Sizzix. For the roses, I used my favorite cut and twirl technique.For added texture and shine, I spritz some of the flowers with Goosebumps Shimmer Texture Spray.

I used more washi tape to create the stems - twisting it around florist's wire, and wrapping leaves in as I went.

Authentique always creates fabulous sticker sheets to coordinate with the papers, and I used the trims to decorate the jar. Washi tape twisted around itself creates great twine. 

I had a great time playing with tape - it's something I haven't tried before and it's a great product! So versatile and easy to work with. Be sure to visit the Love My Tape site to see what their design team is making with our papers.

~ Products Used ~

"Lovely" - Authentique

Washi tapes #880, #383 - Love My Tape

Tattered Flowers and Mini Leaves dies - Sizzix

Goosebumps - Imagine Crafts

by the sea

welcome gypsies and happy friday!

today's project features something old, something new, and a little something blue! as the first post for authentique's "earth friendly friday" i am thrilled to have created something coll and new from old stuff!

poor sad cigar box. this was a left-over from my local scrapbook store. they didn't want it anymore and i knew i would be able to do something with it. three years later and i finally am! i used authentique's glory collection for this project because is just screams summer!

i wanted to celebrate summer early, so i created a shadowbox. after cutting a window in the box's cover, i lined the inside and covered the outside.

then i fancy-cut my waves, pennants, lighthouse and friendly shark fin, as well as a beautiful mermaid and pieced them together. some distress ink around the edges adds a little accent and sets the paper layers off nicely

finishing touches are made from lots of sea shells in different sizes, twine and crepe ribbon, and some die-cut spirals cut from an old cardboard box.

finally the feet. i wanted something really unique and beachy, so i went with smooth rocks 

- not from the beach but don't tell.

so an old cigar box, rocks, shells, and some shipping cardboard combine with one of our newest collections into a brand new fabulous something. i hope you are inspired to upcycle something today!

alterered jeans

today's project started out with a little pair of jeans i couldn't get rid of. they were my daughter's, and they were just too cute to part with. but i didn't know what i wanted to actually do with them. and then i thought "ALBUM COVER" and so gypsies, here we go!

i used a combination of paper collections for this albumn - "uncommon", "gathering", "journey", "blissful", and "splendid" as well as some pieces from our "freebird" papers. i also used some cardboard from a xmas box for the inside covers, and miscellaneous buttons, flowers, and sparkly bits. i left the pockets intact and the make great extra little tag and keepsake pockets.

the creative pot is boiling

hi fellow gypsies,

after my flurry of kick-off postings it's time to clear the decks and create MORE. and to start figuring out what techniques i do that would be worth sharing...

look for upcoming projects-in-process: "Book of Life", "Skeleton Closet", and "I am the sum of my parts". and look for new (hopefully new to you) techniques for distressing photos - yes you can distress and ink your photos without losing their beauty.

but what about you, fellow gypsies? what do you see out in the world that you would want to be able to do yourselves? a special technique? a project that makes you say "i wish i could make that"? post your desires and see what the suburbngypsy can provide...

Unbroken Chain

I wanted to make something really special for my mom for Mother's Day. My mom is totally into genealogy and has pictures of our family dating back to my great-great-great-grandparents. Since this was a Mother's Day gift, I decided to focus on the chain of mothers and daughters in our family.

This piece is built from chipboard panels covered in cardstock that was distressed and inked. Accents include micro beads, scraps of lace and buttons. I used a fern leaf and gold paint to make the gold prints, and then added the leaf itself to the cover. Repeated on each panel is "mother" and "daughter" because each woman in the piece has been both, except for my daughter at the very end. But of course she will be a mother one day too.

Random Elements

I love using random little things, and turning them into something special. Today's project started as a plain little birdhouse from Michael's that cost a whole dollar. Add a paper scrap left over from a minibook class, some bits of greenery left over from a school project, some pebbles stolen from the neighbor's yard (shhh don't tell), a twig and some Ranger Walnut Stain, and we have a fabulous tiny house. It could be for a fairy, a pixie, a teeny weeny house sprite - who knows

Inaugural Blog

For my very first blog I wanted to make sure I had something really special. Here's my newest project - my "Wickedly Minibook". Inspired by Wicked, both the musical and the novel, it features a lot of techniques. Metal embossing, alcohol inks, stamping, distressing, all combine to represent the Witch's life of random bits and scraps of life. The minibook tucks into the Witch's boot - a tranformed paper mache boot I've had for years but have never known what to make of it.