Take the Scenic Route - Tag

This project grew out of some paper scraps that were simply too pretty to throw away.  They weren't quite big enough for a card, so I decided to make a tag.

I started with a black tag purchased at a craft store.  After adhering the patterned papers, I dry-brushed titanium white acrylic paint all around the tag and sponged on some pumice stone distress ink.  I stamped on the white spatters using pigment ink.  Then I went in search of a focal image.  I settled on this photograph which was in an envelope of old snapshots gifted to me by a friend of my mom's.  She found the photos among her mother-in-law's things when she passed, and sent me the ones of people they couldn't identify.  I like the looks of this couple:  he with his fuzzy caterpillar mustache and she with her dandy fox stole.

I made a copy of the photo and trimmed it with a deckle scissor.  Next I selected the Tim Holtz Small Talk sticker and the vintage postage stamps.  Before adhering everything, I amped up the background by stenciling on dusty concord distress ink through a piece of punchinella.  Final touches included rubber stamping and outlining.

I covered the back of the tag with a road map of France.  It wasn't a particularly old map so I aged it a little with white gesso and pumice stone distress ink.  I added a border of silver leaf and tied a length of dyed seam binding through the hole to complete the tag.  Before I send it, I'll be writing a short message to the recipient.

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Have a great day!

Supplies: 
Black chalkboard tag from Michaels or Hobby Lobby; miscellaneous patterned paper; vintage sheet music scrap; titanium white acrylic paint; pumice stone and dusty concord distress ink; Ranger Archival watering can ink; Colorbox white pigment ink; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; script stamp unknown (Stampington?), round French postal cancellation unknown (Hero Arts?); vintage postage stamps; Tim Holtz word sticker; Derwent lavender tinted charcoal pencil; black Stabilo All Pencil; Golden white gesso; Krylon silver leaf pen; seam binding.

He Never Wrote - Altered Cabinet Card

I was catching up on my blog reading the other night and you know what a rabbit hole that can be (but in this case, in a good way).  After following a few links and going back in time, I stumbled upon some altered cabinet cards.  This is something I've been meaning to try, and seeing these particular samples was just the impetus I needed.

Since this was my first attempt at one of these, I chose a rather plain cabinet card that didn't have any advertising on it.  Usually the photography studio put its name and location on the bottom of the card, and some have quite ornate graphics on the back.  But this particular card had none of that and therefore it didn't feel as precious to me, giving me the courage to just jump in and go for it.

"Before" picture

The first thing I did was to make a copy of the card and cut out my gent to use as a mask while I worked on the background.  I sponged some distress ink around the edges, but because of the photograph's slick surface I knew it would not stay.  So I dry-brushed titanium white acrylic paint all around my gent to give everything else something to stick to.  Along the bottom I adhered a scrap of vintage text, a piece from an old atlas and a strip of washi tape before brushing on more white paint.  The border is also a washi tape.

Then I started to fill in the background.  I stamped a crackle background, splatters and some handwriting using various colors of permanent ink.  I sponged gathered twigs distress ink around the edges and through a Tim Holtz stencil.  I lightly colored around my gent with a tinted charcoal pencil and smudged it with my finger.  I had already found the "He never wrote or received a letter" in an old book and with a bit of irony, decided to add a couple of vintage postage stamps.

I don't know who this gentleman is.  I rescued him from a box of old photos at an antique store and in return, he helped me to get over my fear of "ruining" him.  When he sat for this photo a century or more ago, I'm sure he couldn't even imagine that one day someone would give him new life in this way.  Makes you think, doesn't it?

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day. 

Supplies:
Vintage cabinet card; titanium white acrylic paint; peeled paint, antique linen, and gathered twigs distress ink; vintage book text; vintage atlas page; Tim Holtz washi tape; crackle background stamp from Stampin' Up; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; handwriting stamp by Hero Arts; postage cancellation stamps by Stampa Rosa and Deep Red; Ranger Archival watering can ink; Stazon saddle brown ink; Derwent forest pine charcoal pencil; Tim Holtz bubble stencil; vintage postage stamps.

Locomotive Inspection Report

I enjoy making masculine cards.  And since I have brothers and several male friends, I get to make quite a few cards for guys.  I created this one for a buddy of mine who is celebrating his birthday this week.

I purchased a stack of vintage Locomotive Inspection forms at an antique shop a while ago.  The forms had not been filled out, but someone had used the backs (and like in this case, the front) to calculate something akin to those awful word problems in math class: "If a train leaves Chicago at 5:00 a.m. heading west at 75 mph, and another train leaves Denver at 4:00 a.m. heading east at 62 mph, at what time will the trains meet at Grand Island, Nebraska?"  I suppose nowadays the engineers simply plug all this information into a computer, but back in the dark ages they had to figure out this information on their own.  And we poor pupils were tortured with figuring out the answer the old-fashioned way, even though the likelihood of us working for the railroad was pretty slim.

But I digress.  One portion of the inspection form became the background for my card.  Another portion was used for the ATC-sized focal image. The paper was fragile and had a nice patina, but it still needed something so I used distress inks and acrylic paint to grunge-it-up a little.  My dapper gent from Artistic Outpost was stamped on a piece of vanilla cardstock and colored with Prismacolor pencils before being adhered.  I used acrylic paints to add some age to the copper gear pieces before adhering them.

The old cancelled postage stamp (still clinging to a piece of envelope) was in my stash. I had so much fun making this card, and I know that Ron will enjoy inspecting all the interesting bits and pieces.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day!

Supplies:
Espresso and dark green cardstocks by Bazzill; vintage railroad inspection form; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; stamps from Artistic Outpost; compass stamp by Stampabilities; splatter pattern background stamp by All Night Media; Ranger Archival black ink; forest moss, vintage photo, pumice stone and black soot distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; titanium white acrylic paint; Ranger Adirondack acrylic paint dabber (espresso); Derwent charcoal pencil; Martha Stewart border punch; punchinella; metal gears unknown; vintage postage stamp from my stash.

Bridge Invitation - ATC

I've been working on a special project this past week, but can't post pictures yet because it's intended as a gift and I don't want the person to see it in advance.  So I sat down and created this ATC last night in order to have something to share with you.

The background is an old handwritten letter that I doctored up with a clock stencil and distress inks.  I found the handsome gent in a magazine and created his playing cards by cutting up an actual card.

Can you believe it's July already?  Have a fabulous day!

Supplies:
Strathmore ATC blank; vintage handwritten letter and postage stamp; postmark rubber stamp from Artistic Outpost; book text; magazine clip art; Heidi Swapp stencil; antique linen, pumice stone, soot black, weathered wood, and festive berries distress ink; charcoal pencil; Adirondack black acrylic paint dabber.

Step 3 Open Your Eyes - ATC

The use of altered slide mounts had already come and gone before I started doing mixed media collage and making ATCs, but that didn't stop me from buying some for cheap at a garage sale a couple of summers ago. I was reminded of them this week while perusing Artists' Journals and Sketchbooks by Lynne Perrella.  Although this book was published in 2004, I just purchased it last year and have found it inspiring and informative; and it includes four pages of altered slide mount samples!

This wooden leaf was the perfect size for my slide mount, which I covered with vintage sheet music and colored with distress inks.  I also colored the leaf with distress inks.  The half cent postage stamp (circa 1920s), atlas page, and book text are all vintage.

Have a fabulous day!

Supplies:
Black corrugated ATC blank (Creative Imaginations); black slide mount (Design Originals); vintage sheet music; vintage atlas page; vintage book text; wild honey, vintage photo, peeled paint, forest moss, and antique linen distress inks; wooden leaf (Recollections); vintage postage stamp and paper clip; fine orange mesh ribbon (from my mom's stash); Pitt sepia artist pen; charcoal pencil; Adirondack black acrylic paint dabber; matte gel medium.