Altered Playing Cards

 

 In early June, I had the pleasure of meeting Seth Apter for the first time after emailing with him for many months regarding a class that he was going to teach at the studio.  And every once in a while I decide to take a class at my own studio...'cause that's one of the fun things about store ownership!  I knew immediately that I wanted to take Seth's class...altered playing cards.  Seriously, how much fun is altering 52 cards...tiny little works of art...I couldn't pass up the opportunity to learn about Seth's style of creating.  And I was not disappointed.  Seth is a great instructor...we all had an amazing time in class.  Thanks, Seth!

Today, I'm sharing two of my favorite cards that I've finished. I think I've finished five or six so far in total and the goal is to complete at least one a week for an entire year.  Humm...I better get busy on finishing a few!

During the class, we mostly focused on creating the paint layers on the cards and just barely scratched the surface on finishing the decorating.  We started by covering all of our cards with black gesso.  I initially only covered once side, loving the look of the card backs, but have ended up applying gesso to most of the backs as I've been using that space for journaling.  We all arrived with pre-gesso'd cards and then got to work on adding more paint.  Seth likes to mix his acrylics with glazing fluid, which makes the paint translucent.  This allows you to apply multiple colors of paint, while still being able to see some of the black (or other colors) on the card base.  The glazing fluid also leaves the card with a lovely shine...not too glossy but just a hint.  Great contrast between the matte finish of the gesso.  Once our paint layers were dry (and if I did this again, I'd add more color.  These are a bit too dark for my taste but I do like the pop of bright teal!), we used stencils and other objects to add a bit more design.  Of course I had to add splatter to every card!

 Once I got home I was a bit obsessed with finishing some cards...once those ideas start, it's hard to not run to the studio and forget all about feeding the family and cleaning the house!  I grabbed some vintage papers and added a bit of text to most of my cards (the house on the first card and the circles on the second) and I even dug through some of my old scrapbooking stash and found some great little icons to use on the card, like this doll that I aged and added a glitter heart.  I'm thinking that these cards are the perfect canvas for using up old lettering and other misc. pieces that have been forgotten.  I can't wait to make more and then end up with 52 completed cards...a tiny diary of life over the past year...I think it's time to get back in to the studio...

Enjoy and check out supply links below!

Acrylic Paints (PaperArtsy are the perfect choice)

Black Gesso

The Crafters Workshop Stencils

Glazing Fluid

White Gel Pen

Be Fearless

Today I'm sharing a project that I created during a class with Dina Wakley, which I attended last year.  The focus of the class was on understanding color, an area where I struggle with when it comes to art journaling, which makes me giggle since I have no issues with this when it comes to card making.  I think much of has to do with me being so darn excited about creating journal pages that I grab way too much stuff and struggle with knowing when to stop applying color, design, and layers!  WooHoo!

During the class, Dina talked about the color wheel and using colors that complimented each others and those that were on opposite sides of the color wheel (if you don't have a color wheel, get one, it's really a helpful tool!)  We created a bunch of color combinations in the beginning of the class before we started working on the journal pages.  We created two pages and this one has become one of my favorites...I love the background color and contrast of the deep blue.  Hey, I did it...two color families and a neutral!  Yippee!

 

We started by using deli paper (get some of this stuff, it's awesome!), paint, and stencils to create a sheet of patterned paper.  Once that was dry, we cut out random shapes; since I'm a fan of circles, that's what I went with.  Then we created the background of the journal page, using a contrasting color.  (Orange and blue are on opposite sides of the color wheel).  I used only colors next to each other on the color wheel to create the background colors (yellow, red, orange).  Once the color was dry on the page, then I added the deep blue/purple circles (again, colors that are next to each other on the color wheel).  Then it was time to add additional designs and neutral colors.  Black is my favorite neutral as it really pops on a page.  I used paint in a bottle with a pointed tip to draw the fern image and write the words "be fearless" and a watercolor pencil to draw around the circles.  I then cut out text paper to fill in the leaves.  Lastly, I just added some stenciling.  Again, using black and my background orange color.  (Oh, and I added some tiny white dots 'cause I like dots!)

This was a really fun project...learning to play with color is great stuff!  Grab a color wheel, art journal, stencils, and some paint and experiment...be fearless!  (Product supply below)

Supplies:
Dylusions Art Journal
Acrylic Paint
Classic Words Stencil (from Wendy Vecchi)
Various Crafters Workshop Stencils

eclectic Paperie and Add a Little Dazzle Blog Hop

Welcome to our joint blog hop with Add a Little Dazzle. We are so excited to partner with them and have had so much fun playing with their products.  They have a beautiful collection of metal sheets, in a variety of colors, that are perfect for mixed media projects. Both design teams have combined our products and are ready to share some inspirational projects with you. Join in on the fun and make sure to enter for a chance to win an amazing prize.

Welcome to Day 1 of  the Eclectic Paperie & Add a Little Dazzle joint blog hop! We’re so excited to be sharing some fabulous creations featuring the wonderful products from both companies in today’s hop. We have two amazing days of inspirational projects so make sure to stop by tomorrow.

First we’d like to share a little bit about the two companies…

eclectic Paperie is a different breed of craft store, conceived as more than just a place where you can purchase supplies, we believe in the strength of collaboration, in coming together and sharing with like-minded crafters. Our goal is to offer a mixed media marketplace where a generation of artists can congregate, explore, imagine, and inspire one another.

Add a Little Dazzle specializes in an exclusive line of craft metal sheets that helps you take your crafting to the next level. Whether you are a seasoned or new crafter, our craft metal sheets will help you create unique projects that will make you stand out among the crowd. Are you ready to take your crafting to the next level? Add a Little Dazzle Craft Metal Sheets will help you turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Prize Alert!

Make sure to stop by and visit each of the Design Team Blogs for a chance to win 1 of 2 prize packages from eclectic Paperie and Add a Little Dazzle  valued at $25.  You have until Friday, June 27th to enter.  The winners will be announced on both blogs on Saturday, June 28th.  You must leave a comment on all blogs.

   Are You Ready for Some Amazing Inspiration?

I had the opportunity to play with Add a Little Dazzle metal sheets and few months ago and I fell in love with their product!  The sheets are super easy to cut, emboss, and paint (among a million other things!)  And I love how many colors are available.  For my project, I decided to create a canvas and wait until you see the transformation of where I started and where I ended up! And...eP is now carrying a variety of metal sheets, you can find our offering here!

My first step was the cover a canvas board with torn vintage book paper (this paper is from the 1800's!).  I attached the paper using matte medium.  I think added white embossing paste through a stencil (this one is called Echoes).

Then I got all crazy and added some paint and sprays from Art Anthology, which I really liked but...I took one too many steps, adding another stencil design with some Art Anthology paint, and while I loved the beautiful paint colors, I was not happy with the design...too busy! 

So...I applied gesso and acrylic paint over the entire surface (when in doubt, just add gesso!)  The embossing paste AND the Art Anthology paints, which are dimensional when dry, added amazing texture.  I added aqua and grey paint, leaving some of the white gesso showing.

Next, I used more white gesso and another stencil (Tim's Schoolhouse layering stencil) to add some white to the background.  Some watered down Art Anthology paint (in Fairy) was perfect for adding some splats.  (And the Art Anthology paint dries glossy so the matte/glossy contrast is great!)  I added some black Archival Ink, using a blending tool, around the edges.

I then used more of that book text, mounted on chipboard, to create a base for my photo.  A piece of black cardstock, with more of the Schoolhouse stenciling, was my second layer.  Before adding the photo (yes, that's me on the right at about six years of age, with my mom and brother) I added a big 'ol green drip.

Then I got to work with my metal sheets.  I first die cut the flower shape with an older Tim Holtz die and embossed the flowers using an embossing folder.  I used Tim's "flower making method" to create the layered rose.  I used black paint to go over the embossed flower (before assembling) and then used a paper towel and sanding block to remove some of the paint.  I also used a greenery die to cut out all of the leaves from a white metal sheet and covered some of the leaves with Inka Gold (Green/Yellow).  The metal sheets are so easy to work with and adding little bends creates a more realistic flower/leaf.

All that was left was assembly!  I used glue dots to attach all of my metal pieces to the canvas and they seem to be holding beautifully (the metal is very lightweight).  You could also use a hot glue gun.  The sentiment is a portion of a Tim Holtz saying, which I just stamped on a manila tag, cut out and attached with Glossy Accents.

That's it for my project!  Ready for more?  Check out each of the links below, which will take you to members of the eclectic Paperie and Add a Little Dazzle design team blogs. And don't forgot to leave a comment on each blog so you'll be entered into the prize drawing for a $25 gift certificate, given away by each company!!  Enjoy!!