EVERYBODY NEEDS A HERO

Simon Says Stamp and Show is honoring heroes this week.  Whether your hero is someone you know or someone you've heard or read about, now is your chance to honor them through your art.

When I saw the Artistic Outpost Charles and Amelia Stamp Set, I knew I wanted to use them on this piece.  In particular, the one stamp of Charles Lindbergh wearing his flight goggles reminded me so much of a picture of my Dad taken when he was a young man, serving his country as a Navy radio man and gunner during World War II.  He was stationed in the Pacific Theater, specifically in the Philippines and flew over 52 missions.  

So, I created a triptych frame using the Charles and Amelia stamp set and featuring my handsome Daddy in his flight goggles.  Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart were national heroes.  My Daddy is my personal hero.

Sometimes I work in complete silence.  But for this piece, I found wonderful inspiration by listening to music from the 40s...the type of music my Mom and Dad listened to when they were younger.  I felt such a connection with the feeling of that music as I was working on this piece.    

The two side panels of the frame are 2 3/4"x6" chipboard pieces.  The center portion of the frame is 5 1/2"x6" chipboard.  I added "HERO and the stars on either side of it directly onto the chipboard with Glossy Accents.  The letters and the stars came from Tim Holtz' Mixed Minis Grungeboard Set and they were the perfect size! (The other stars and wings on this piece are also from the Mixed Minis Set).  

After gluing "HERO" and the stars, I covered the center chipboard piece with some of Ranger's Metal Foil Sheet.  

I used Ten Second Studio's #8 Paper Stump to work the metal sheet down into all of the crevasses around the stars and the letters; as if they are embossed. Next, I centered Tim Holtz' Mini Vintage Cabinet Card die cut where I wanted it in the center section and then cut it out.  I repeated the same techniques for covering both side chipboard panels.

Because this frame would have an aviation theme, I wanted the metal foil sheet to look like what I envisioned the side of an old airplane to look like.  So, I used my Tim's Design Ruler as a guide to keep straight lines.  Then I used a design wheel from my Ten Seconds Studios Cool Tool Basic Set to create what looks like welded sheet metal panels.  It worked perfectly! I love the effect it gave.  I added some small circles to resemble rivets on either of the side panels by using the Ten Second Studio's Ball and Cup Tool Set.  

 

Next I added some dimensional "rivets" to the center section...a little trick I learned from Andy Skinner's online classes.

After gluing on all of the half pearls with Glossy Accents and letting them dry, I colored all of them with Silver Alcohol Ink, to make them all silver rather than cream and pink.  Next, I began the task of dulling down the very bright and shiny foil sheet.  First I washed over the foil with some Raw Umber Acrylic Paint and patted off the excess.  I did that a couple of times and heat set it.  Next I washed some Black Acrylic Paint over the entire foil and dabbed off the excess a couple of times.  Then I heat set it.  Finally, I did a light wash of Quinacridone Gold.  That added those subtle metallic light brownish tones to the metal. 

With each color I added to the metal, I always took care to wipe and blot around the embossed "HERO" and stars. 

To really make "HERO" and the stars pop, I blotted a Gold Paint Dabber onto my Non Stick Craft Sheet and with my index finger, I lightly covered the letters and the stars with gold paint.  Finally, I covered "HERO" and the stars with Crackle Accents and let it dry.  Then I lightly wiped over them with a black cats eye ink pad to get the ink down into the cracks.  Then I wiped off the excess.  I love the dimensional cracking on them!  Finally, I added the little grungeboard wings from Tim Holtz' Mixed Minis set underneath "HERO".  I colored the wings as I had done on "HERO".  When that was dry, I added the little gold heart and wings charm that I had.   

Next I joined my panels together by cutting two pieces of Tyvek to use as joints for the frame; so it could move.  I colored the white Tyvek with Silver Alcohol Ink and then distressed it with Black Soot Distress Ink.  I taped it into place using 1/4" Scor-Tape. Once the panels of my frame were all put together, it was time to make the frame come to life! (I added cardstock to the back of the frame after I had completed the front.  I did this because I knew I was going to add Long Fasteners to one of the panels and I did not want the prongs to show through the back of the frame.)

If you follow my work, you know that I love to add little interactive or dimensional pieces whenever I can!  I absolutely love the little propeller that I made.  Using Jet Black Archival Ink, I stamped the propeller blades onto the piece of metallic chipboard that was left from cutting out the Vintage Cabinet Card.  Then I heat set and cut it out.  I further distressed the propeller with the same paints I used to distress the frame.  The base of the propeller is a plastic lid off of an old glue stick.  I colored it with Silver Alcohol Ink.  Then I distressed it with the same acrylic paint colors.  I poked a hole in the plastic lid and blades.  Then I attached them with a Long Fastener.  It will actually spin!  

I stamped the sentiment onto a piece of manila cardstock and heat set it.  Then I glued it onto a piece of chipboard sized to fit into a Black Patina Memory Frame.  I added a little black and gold paint to the frame to dull it down a bit more.  Then I added the gold heart charm dangling freely at the bottom.  I added Crackle Accents around all of the words so that I would get a bit more of a vintage feeling to this embellishment.  Finally, I added the Grungeboard star, painted in gold and Crackle Accents added.

I added the aviation postage cancellation stamps to the left panel and then put my other pieces in place on this side.

The right panel is embellished with three of Tim Holtz' Washers and three Long Fasteners in the upper right corner to balance out the dimensional propeller on the left panel.  Since this frame is all about aviation, I added one of Tim Holtz' beautiful metal wings from his Ideaology Regal Adornments.  They are an antique silver finish.  I added a bit of gold and a touch of Juniper Paint Dabber to blend the wings more to the finish of my frame.  I added another grungeboard star from Tim's Mixed Minis set, finished the same as the other.  

I love the large bottle cap that was distressed with black and gold acrylic paint to dull down the shiny silver finish.  The stamp on the inside is a 1 3/4" circle that just fits in the bottle cap.  I colorized the image of Charles Lindbergh with Distress Markers and a Small Sakura Water Brush (to dilute the ink colors just a bit).  The image was stamped onto manila cardstock.  I have found that diluted Milled Lavender is a wonder flesh tone color on a cream cardstock.  I then added a touch of Worn Lipstick on the lips and cheeks.  The headgear is colored first with diluted Tea Dye followed by diluted Brushed Corduroy and finally some Vintage Photo.  The glass in the goggles was colored with diluted Tumbled Glass and then glazed over with Glossy Accents.  The bottle cap is held in place with 1/4" Scor-Tape.  

The map and "FLY" are more of the wonderful stamps in this set.  I colorized the water on the map using diluted Tumbled Glass Distress Marker and water.  "FLY" was stamped first in black and then stamped again with Ranger's Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder.   I tore around the edges, distress them and clipped them to the frame using a small distressed metal clip.

That's it....my triptych frame celebrating HEROES and a personal tribute to my favorite hero, my Daddy. 

Stop by Simon Says Stamp and Show and check out the amazing projects my Design Team buddies have created for you this week!  Inspiring...all of them!  Then pay tribute to YOUR hero and post your entry to our challenge.  You could be the lucky winner of our random weekly drawing of ...

... And you could be chosen as one of our TOP THREE artists for the week!  So GOOD LUCK.  I can't wait to see your ideas!

Here are the Simon Says Products I used this week:

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