Altered Playing Card Challenge Week 6

Happy Monday and welcome back to another week for the Altered Playing Card Challenge

If you have missed any of the previous weeks

Here are your links 

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3
Week 4
Week 5

and our Facebook page

Altered Playing Card Challenge Facebook Group

This has been such a fun and amazing project and I'm thrilled that so many have taken up with the group and joined in. Our Facebook group in now over 150 members. YAY!

This week I wanted to go with a Halloween theme, I started with some Claudine Hellmuth paint for my first card. I have a huge stash of this paint and I never use it, It's nice a thick and creamy too.
(you can use any kind of paint for this)

I grabbed up my tons of Tim Holtz tissue tape and added some torn pieces to my background, I used a little glue behind each piece so that it would stick better

This is what my background looked like after I applied all the tissue tape (You can use wash tape for this as well)

I then used a Tim Holtz stamp for the children trick or treater image, I also used black embossing powder over the kids
(note - be careful if you use embossing powder, make sure your background is completely dry and when using the heat tool to heat the powder, the paint will sometimes bubble)

Lastly I stamped my "spooky" word with archival black in and used my gelli pen to add some dots here and there around my word
I also went around my edges with archival black ink

This was a simple card but I love the fun outcome

For my second card this week, I started out with this cool pack of napkins I bought from JoAnn's (on sale too)

I sprayed the background of my playing card with Ranger's adirondak sprays in two different colors
I chose to use this card that I had drawn eyes into the gesso

 I then used a stencil and some inks to create this cracked effect onto my background

I used a circle punch and some scratch paper to make a circle template for my moon.

(I don't have a stencil with a circle that small so I just made one)

I used Wendy Vecchi black embossing paste along with my circle template to make my black moon, I put it in the upper lefthand corner of my card

I then set aside to let dry thoroughly

I then tore pieces of my napkin and adhered them here and there 

(Im sorry I didn't take a photo of this step)

I used a Tim Holtz stamp set called Mini Halloween 3 (also used this same set for the trick or treaters in the first card)

I used this mini tag stamp to create a tag for the corner of my card

I was originally going to cover up both of the eyes in the background and then decided to leave one and outline it with sharpie marker. I also drew an eye with my white gel pen.
For the last step I dripped black acrylic paint over some of the card
Here is my 2nd card

I hope you like the halloween theme I went with this week. 
Enjoy making your own!! 

I just got an update on my Dad today, he was supposed to go home but instead got more mucus in his lungs so they are going to discuss surgery with us tomorrow. It has been a long two weeks and hopefully he can get all this junk out of his lungs soon and come home. Thank you all for your continued prayers.
I'm sorry I haven't been able to get those supplies listed, It's just been a long few weeks and I have been so behind.

WINNER!! The winner of last week's give a way is:

Bleubeard and ElizabethOctober 1, 2014 at 10:47 AM

I was saddened to read about your father. I hope he is feeling better now. 

Thank you for these inspiring playing cards. Although I have none of the supplies or tools you mention in the tutorial, I was able to find a way around that obstacle. 

Thank you for allowing those of us who don't belong to Facebook to post our links here. This is mine for this week:

Elizabeth, please send me an email with your address  so I can get your prize to you!! 

jasminngirl411@yahoo.com 

Thanks everyone for continuing with this fun challenge. I can't wait to see what you all create and I will see you next week!!

Layers and Layers Journal Page

This journal page has taken on a life of it's own over the passed few weeks. I have been working on it here and there and then setting it aside while I do something else. 

I started out with this two page spread by adding paint to the background and then adding some decorative tape and some painters tape. I'm going to take the painters tape off later

I then adding some stamping here and there with different colors of archival ink and Tim Holtz stamps

I then used Wendy Vecchi black embossing paste and a stencil and went over some of the page with that

I set the page aside to dry and came back to it in a few days

Next I tore the painters tape off

I then added some torn pieces of book pages and painted onto those with more acrylic paint

I added some cardboard circles that I painted and stamped onto

I then used some Claudine Hellmuth Blank Canvas white paint and another stencil

This is my two page spread thus far

(somehow my lighting wasn't so great sorry for that)

At this point I was stumped, what to do, what to do

I had just gotten some Dyan Reaveley stamps and I have some of her old stamps that I just love, so I decided to go with those

I also added some wash tape and a Tim Holtz quote

This page has many elements and a lot going on but I really like how it has turned out.

Have a wonderful day all and thanks for coming by

Cheers!

Another take on Dry Embossing

I have been having a lot of fun making postcards lately. I just can't stop myself until that 7 Gypsies recipe tray is totally full. Luckily I've been trading quite a bit with some friends too so my tray is getting pretty full

Remember that tutorial that I showed you last week regarding the dry embossing with patterned paper?

Here is the tutorial

Dry Embossing

At the time that I made that postcard I started another one with the same paper just a different embossing folder

and this time I used Claudine Hellmuth's black gesso on the background instead of the distress ink

I really love the coverage that I got with the black gesso 

I also used a Stampotique Stamp by 

Roc Nicholas called 

Blessed Skellie

and I colored her with copic markers

I then cut her out and adhered her to my background

I used a Wendy Vecchi stamp for part of my sentiment and part of it I just wrote. I also used a Sizzix strip die for the word "you" this one is called Vintage Market by Tim Holtz

I made my Skellie a girl by drawing some eyelashes on her

Have a look:

I think this background came out more vibrant than the one last week

 

What do you think? Even though the background printed paper is the same, each background gives off it's own unique look using the different ink and paint

Thanks again for stopping by and have a wonderful day!!

CHEERS!

Artist Trading Blocks

I have something special to share with you today. I've got the "Block" buzz! 

I'm so excited that I have had a chance to create something with the new "Artist Trading Blocks" or ATBs for Sizzix by Eileen Hull.  These will get an official release at CHA in January and I'm honored that I got to play with them a little early thanks to the wonderful Amy Bowerman.

I knew I wanted to make a bold statement with these so I started by painting my pieces with Tim Holtz distress paint

(I'm showing all my steps with the green block but I used the same steps for the red one)

I also painted some letters of chipboard and grungeboard shapes that I will be using

I will be using Tim Holtz tissue paper but I wanted a crumpled effect so I just crunched it up into a big wad, I will be cutting this up to match the sides of the block

Next I added some shapes and letters to each side of the block

(forgot to take a photo of this step but I used glossy accents to adhere the shapes and letters)

Next I took some Claudine Hellmuth matte medium and used it to apply my tissue paper to each section of my block. I simply pushed the tissue around each shape to create crumples and giving each shape a 3D effect

Once that was dry, I used the paints again, I dabbed the paint here and there and used a paper towel to smooth it out. This gives the paint a bit of a transparent look so that you can still see the tissue paper underneath it but also makes the color more vibrant

Once that was all dry, I then took black paint and did the same thing but this time I only used it on the raised shapes under the tissue, this really made them pop

 I then used various stencils here and there on each block and also added a few more shapes, that I had previously painted,  over top the tissue

Lastly, I edged each section with black paint and added some white touches here and there. I went around numbers, shapes and letters with white paint for enhancement 

That's it, my ATB's are complete, take a look

On side 3 I added my name and blog and one of my favorite sayings, "Spread your wings and create", I have put it on several of my projects over the years and I just love it!

This is the view from the top of the boxes 

I hope you like the tutorial and I hope that you will grab up the die for these great ATBs once they are available. They are so fun to work with!! I am very excited about this adventure!

You can visit the Artist Trading Block website here:

Artisits On The Block

Make sure to follow them on social media
Twitter: @ArtTheBlock 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheArtistsOnTheBlock