Hello There Crafty Doer! Welcome to the third project of this month’s series, Mixed Media March Madness! For this week’s project, I created a trio of cards using stencils and lots of texture. Featuring gorgeous pattern paper from BLEDS! Here’s how it went:
BLEDS is a scrapbooking and crafts store on Amazon providing unique and affordable crafts supplies. They provided me with the choice of a 6×6 paper pad to review and create with. I chose this Honey Flower Paper Pad which is filled with beautiful florals, bee, and honey theme pattern print. The paper, although mid-weight, held up to all the media and technique I used on it.
For this first card, I used Vicki Boutin’s Discover + Create stencils which comes with three patterns. I ink smooshed Distress Oxide in Dusty Concord. I love this technique because now, the stenciling looks as though it is emerging from the ink smooshing! I sealed the background with Distress Micro Glaze. I splattered Dina Wakely’s White Gloss Spray and used the circles stencil with Distress Texture Paste in Opaque.
I distressed the edges and added sequin from my stash. I also used Distress Water Color Pencils in Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade, and Antique Linen for the center of the daisy. The color pencils added really cool texture! To finish the card, I added white stitching with my sewing machine, die cut florals from Tim Holtz Wildflower Stems Thinlits and a bow from his Funky Floral Thinlits. The sentiment was designed with Cricut.
The second card took a lot of experimenting… No, I didn’t plan that but as they say, “keep going until you are happy”. I started by following the same steps as I did with the first card. I did some stenciling and ink smooshing on top of that. Where I feel like I went wrong is when I overdiluted the Salvaged Patina Distress Oxide and smooshed on my paper anyway. I didn’t give up on this piece and continued. I threw in Cracked Pistachio and Speckled Egg because it just made so much sense… I added some Mowed Lawn splatters but I was still not happy. I stenciled circles with texture paste, splattered Peeled Paint Spray Stain and ended up lifting it with a cloth because I found it too dark.
Finally, I spritz Fossilized Amber and lifted that up as well! I was pretty close to calling it quits but I was determined. The Fossilized Amber left a couple of gold areas and that’s when the light went off! I grabbed TCW Stencil Butter in Champagne Gold and Tim Holtz Hexagon Stencil! I was starting to smile. I topped it with white gloss spray splatters and fussy cut bees from a pattern paper from the paper pad and adhered them with Foam Cherry Tape. This one instantly became my absolute favorite out of the three!
For the third and final card, I wanted to keep it simple after the last debacle lol I started it the same: stenciling and ink smooshing. For the ink smooshed background, I used Distress Oxide in Faded Jeans but seem to blend in with the paper, so I tried Distress Ink in Pickett Fence. It created a light blue background but was perfect for a background! I ink smooshed with Prize Ribbon ink and splattered with Prize Ribbon Watercolor Pencils which really popped! Next, I stenciled with texture paste and splattered with white gloss spray. Finally, I added subtle white stitching with my sewing machine and a few yellow and red heart sequin from my stash.
I am floored with how these turned out! I’m not tooting my own horn but… TOOT TOOT! Lol I think these are three great examples of how challenging and how simple you make your mixed media. Especially with pattern paper; I chose to find a balance between showcasing the gorgeous paper and the beauty of the mixed media. Which card do you like the best?
Don’t forget to check out this paper pad on BLEDS on Amazon and the full process video of this project on my YouTube channel. Remember that you create because YOU were fearfully and wonderfully created. You belong even if paper crafting isn’t your thing!
