MY FAVORITE TECHNIQUE ... THIS WEEK ANYWAY!

It's another Monday and time for another Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge.  This week, we're asking you to share your favorite technique with us.  I don't know about you, but my favorite technique typically is whatever I am doing at the time.  

At the moment, I am sort of fascinated with a resist technique that I saw on Kaz Hall's blog; The Shabby Little Shed.  Check out her video to see the technique. It's so much fun and the results are really cool!

Here is my Glue Resist Technique Tag.

To begin, I lightly distressed my tag using the peacock feathers distress ink. Then I picked up my polka dot design stamp from mixed media and rubbed the collage glue stick lightly over parts of the stamp.  I did not put the stamp on an acrylic block. I just held it in my hand and randomly stamped on the tag; adding more glue between each stamping.  Then I heat set the polka dots and immediately cleaned my stamp of the glue.  Next I distressed the tag with a bit more peacock feathers and vintage photo distress ink.  

Then I took a baby wipe and gently rubbed over the polka dots, removing the ink and allowing the tag to show through.  Next I added glue to the scratch design stamp from mixed media and randomly stamped it on to the tag.  I heat set the scratch pattern and cleaned my stamp.  Then I began lightly rubbing more vintage photo distress ink over the tag and I did NOT wipe over the scratch pattern with a baby wipe.  I rather liked the grungy look of the brown attaching itself to the scratch pattern.

Here is an example of a background using this technique.  On my butterfly tag, I also used Tim Holtz' Spritz and Flick method of distressing where you cup your fingers, spray water into them and then release the droplets of water on to your tag.  Let it set for a few seconds and then either heat tool it dry or blot off the water with a paper towel. That also really leaves a nice random blotchy effect. 

You can see those little random blotches on this picture of my finished tag.

When I was happy with the background for my tag, I stamped the butterflies from Tim Holtz' Papillon stamp set on the tag using Jet Black Archival Ink.  While the ink was still wet, I randomly sprinkled a little copper embossing powder over the ink so that some of it would pick up the copper.  Then I removed the excess powder and heat set it.  I like the results.

Next, I rubbed just the edges of the tag with a perfect medium pad and lightly sprinkled some queens gold embossing powder on the edges of the tag (a side at a time). If I had too much powder, I simply used a paint brush to wipe away the excess powder.  Then heat set it. I repeated this process until I had all sides with a bit of random gold embossing on the edges.

Now to add all of the embellishments!  I used some paint on my finger from a gold paint dabber to alter a silver regal adornment crown and a silver game spinner and make them gold.  Then I added a bit of Juniper paint from a dabber (using my finger to wipe it on) to not only the crown and the game spinner; but also the sprocket gear, the corner and the drawer pull.  I set those pieces to the side to be added later.

I really like the "B" ensemble on my tag.  It is made from a "B" that I found in Tim Holtz' lost and found salvage stickers.  It is a license plate piece.  Then I covered it with a fragment and glued it to the fragment using glossy accents.  I aged the sides of the fragment by inking them with perfect medium embossing ink and sprinkling the side with queens gold embossing powder.  I did each side individually.  I love the result.  Then I heat embossed a scrap of plain grungeboard with the queens gold and glued it to the fragment.  I then cut around the fragment, leaving a little gold edge.  I glued it into place on the tag using glossy accents and then glued the crown on top.  I added the patina corner on the left upper corner.  

I then added the game spinner and sprocket gear using a long fastener.  They both will still spin.  Then I added the patina draw pull so that it would highlight the stamped wording under the last butterfly.  I attached the draw pull with long fasteners.

So, that is my favorite technique this week!  The collage stick resist technique!  Thanks Kaz!

There are so many techniques out there...some intentional, some result from happy accidents!  I can't wait to see your favorite!  Make a project and post it to our challenge.  Your could be the lucky winner of our $50.00 credit voucher in Simon Says Stamp's weekly random drawing.  Your piece could also be voted one of the TOP THREE and you will receive special recognition for that feat!  Good luck and get those creative thinking caps on!