Getting my craft on...

Getting my craft on has never felt so good! With all of my travels these past few months, I have been unable to spend much time in my studio as I like. I am definitely making up for lost time this weekend and LOOK! 2 blog posts in a row... certainly that must be some sort of record! LOL!

Anyways, in case you were unaware, Chicago is definitely one of my favourite cities anywhere. I have been fortunate to go 5 times now and it never grows old. Last year, while on an architectural boat cruise, I got some great shots with my iphone and instagram. I was surprised how well they printed and are the perfect size for this small 6X6 layout! I used a piece of Acrylic for the base and did one of my favourite techniques using gesso and Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists and Glimmer Glaze on the acrylic, Tim Holtz Grungeboard that was embossed using my new favourite embossing folder "Subway" from Sizzix, Canvas Corp canvas that was cut with the Sizzix Mini Hearts die and Vintal Metal Blank embossed with the uber cool Deco Emboss die also created by Sizzix.

After creating the background (I will save that for a different post! After all, I can't give it ALL away in a day!!!), I embossed a piece of Grungeboard with the Sizzix Subway Texture Fade... have I mentioned yet how much I LOVE this one?! I painted a coat of Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze and waited for it to dry. I them sanded the surface so it clearly revealed the worn looking letters. I gave it a spritz of the Tattered Angels Chalk Chalkboard Glimmer Mist and after letting it sit to the point where it had mostlly soaked in, I wiped the surface with a moist towel. The Glaze acts as a resist so much of it wiped away... which is what I was after. The white that was left helps to give the worn look I was after.

I covered the photo with an altered 7 Gypsies printed transparency. It was too large so I had to do some fussy cutting to make it work. I cut the Canvas Corp Canvas with the Mini Hearts die and stamped it using Ranger Archival Ink and then gave it a little spritz of Tattered Angels Postcard Glimmer Mist to age it a wee bit. After sewing a button on, I attached a 7 Gypsies key and little gem with a small jump ring and then tied a small bow with the remaining embroidery floss (that was probably the most difficult part!!! LOL!). I attached it to the lower corner with glue dots and created the title with a 7 Gypsies tag and some Prima letters.

I stapled some Canvas Corp Black Jute around the photo and tied a little Vintaj Antique Brass Metal Blank that had been embossed with the Sizzix Deco Emboss Die for Vintaj and buffed the surface. I added a healthy dose of Tattered Angels Coconut Shell Glimmer Gaze and allowed it to dry overnight. After sanding the surface again when it dried to reveal the lighter tone of the metal, I used my finger to dab on a bit of Chalk Chalkboard Glimmer Mist to give it a bit of an aged look again.

Well, there you have it! I leave in 48 hours for CHA in Chicago and with any luck, I will come home with many new photos that will continue to inspire my scrapbooking. I hope you have a chance to give these techniques a whirl!

Happy Scrapping!
Trisha