ERODED METALLIC VINTAGE MINI CLIPBOARD

Hello and welcome to challenge number 29 in the Compendium of Curiosities III Challenges!  We are clipping them off, aren't we?  Only FIVE left after this challenge.  Hopefully you've been learning some new techniques and ways to use the fabulous products of Tim Holtz. 

The Curiosity Crew has been busy creating projects for our newest challenge technique:  Eroded Metallic.  Every project is so unique!  Isn't is amazing how everyone's "takes" on the technique are as unique as each member of the crew?  That is what we, The Curiosity Crew, LOVE about seeing all of our entries each challenge.  Be sure to visit the Linda Ledbetter's Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge site to check out all of the projects and the rules for entering the challenge.

Okay ... turn to page 44 in your Compendium of Curiosities III books and check out Tim's Eroded Metallic technique. This is a FUN one!  It's so easy and you get GREAT textural results!

I created this very textural little mini clipboard from the multi-talented Wendy Vecchi's Art Parts collection using Tim's Eroded Metallic technique. I truly LOVE the way it turned out and I am sure that I will use this little gem.  These would make really cool little gifts and they are easy to make. 

While I can't divulge the actual Eroded Metallic technique, I can tell you all of my other steps in creating this piece.  And the best part ... from start to finish, I did it in less than 3 hours!  And I didn't have a clue what I was going to make when I entered my craft room!

Here are all of the items you will need to create this project:

• Matte Medium
• White Gesso
• Distress Paint - I used Cracked Pistachio, Abandoned Coral and Tarnished Brass
• Adirondak Paint - Espresso (or any dark brown acrylic paint), Pitch Black
• Heavyweight Cardstock
• Tim Holtz' Playing Games Texture Trades (embossing folders)
• Tim Holtz Remnant Rubs - Numbers
• Tim Holtz Remnant Rub Tool
• Tim Holtz Clipboard Clip
• Wendy Vecchi Art Parts Clipboard
• Tim Holtz Ideaology Ball Chain
• Tim Holtz Ideaology Philosophy Tag
• Glossy Accents
• Two Large Brads
• Paint Brush to apply Matte Medium and Gesso
• Vagabond or Sizzix Big Shot for embossing heavyweight cardstock

Begin by embossing the rays and "admit one" ticket from the Playing Games Texture Trades onto heavyweight cardstock.  Give a light coat of gesso over the entire surface of Wendy Vecchi's Art Parts Clipboard.  (This clipboad measures 3 1/2" x 6"). Heat set to dry.

Apply Matte Medium to the top of the clipboard.  Apply Matte Medium to the underside of the heavyweight cardstock embossed with the rays image. (If you apply Matte Medium to both surfaces, you will get a more secure bond). Lay the embossed rays piece in place. Now repeat this step for the bottom of the clipboard and the admit one ticket image.  Put in place and heat set. Cut off the excess cardstock around the edges of the Clipboard and sand the edges to mesh them better with the surface of the Clipboard.

Paint over the surface of the embossed Clipboard with a light coat of White Gesso. Heat set.

Now to begin the Eroded Metallic Technique ...  

Before I tried it on the embossed clipboard, I wanted to be sure I totally understood the technique so I practiced it on a #8 manila tag first. I used Abandoned Coral, Cracked Pistachio and Tarnished Brass as my Distress Paint Colors to experiment with.

I will say this about the technique, as I was experimenting, I found that only drying the metallic paint a tiny bit and then pulling it up worked much better than drying for any real length of time.  And THAT is all I am saying about the technique.  Anymore than that and I think I would be saying TOO MUCH!  But, I think this tip will be helpful to you. 

Here are two tags in the above photo. The bottom tag (with the paint bottles sitting on it) is the a tag before the Eroded Metallic technique is tried. The tag standing on it's side behind the Distress Paint bottles is the after effect.

And here are my two tags after the Eroded Metallic technique has been done.  Isn't the color and the texture amazing?  So simple to do and so fast!  Now that I was happy with my results, I went back to my project ...

I want to share with you how the Clipboard looked after each color that I added.  

Tim's Distress Paints are perfect for this technique because of their matte finish when they are dry.  You can manipulate the paint and make it run as it is drying simply by spraying the paint with water and moving the Clipboard around.  But you don't have to spritz the paint with water.  (That was just my personal preference on how I wanted the paint to look.) 

Here is my Clipboard base after applying the Abandoned Coral layer. I swished some onto the tag, spritzed the tag with water and moved the clipboard all around to let the paint move and run as it was drying.  Finally, I heat set the remaining paint as it was naturally drying to speed up the process. 

Next I added Cracked Pistachio in the same manner that I had done on the Abandoned Coral layer.  Don't you LOVE the randomness of the color here? Again, I heated up the natural drying process by heat setting the paint after it had had a chance to run.

Finally, here is my Tarnished Brass layer AFTER I completed the Eroded Metallic technique.  I totally LOVE the randomness of the metallic paint.  It definitely looks eroded and chipped. With the shine and the texture of the metallic layer, this Clipboard really looks awesome in person.  And I'm not finished with the background quite yet.  But first, I wanted to alter Tim's Clipboard Clip so that it would better blend with my grungy embossed Clipboard.

Using a small paint brush, I applied some Cracked Pistachio Distress Paint to the surface of the entire Clipboard Clip. When you first apply the paint, it has a tendency to want to bubble up as shown in the picture. No worries, just keep working with the paint with a brush or your finger.  As it starts to dry, it magically blends into the metal and gives you that wonderful shabby, chalky finish. I covered the Clipboard Clip with the Cracked Pistachio paint so that no silver metal was showing.

To better define my edges and give more depth to the clipboard, I added some Espresso Adirondak paint to the clipboard and the "admit one" letters. Any dark brown paint would work. I also added some dark brown paint to the Clipboard Clip to age it. 

I drilled two holes into the Clipboard so that I could secure the Clip in place with glue and two large brads. I used Glossy Accents on the backside of the Clipboard Clip, pressed it in place and held it for a minute or two.  It was still not completely sealed in place so I added my two large brads and that seemed to hold the Clip in place to finish adhering to the Clipboard.

I decided to add some Remnant Rub images from Tim's Numbers set.  So easy to apply.  I just used my Tim Holtz Remnant Rub Tool and the images easily transferred to the metal surface.

Here is the Clipboard Clip in place with the Remnant Rubs attached.  They give the piece even more of a grungy personality.

Here is a closeup of the lower portion of the grungy Clipboard.  See the pitted metal look that the eroded metallic technique gives?  I added a bit of Pitch Black paint around the edge of the Clipboard to define the edges and to pull the black from the Remnant Rub images.

Finally I added a small piece of Ball Chain and a Philosophy Tag.  I added Cracked Pistachio Paint over the entire surface of the tag and then wiped away the paint from the flat surface area of the tag, leaving the paint in the grooves of the letters and numbers. It's a very effective way of adding a bit of color to a Philosophy Tag and pulling color from the Clipboard.

Now it's your turn to create something grungy and fun using Tim's Eroded Metallic technique.  Then join us at The Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge. Link up to our site and you could possibly be one of two lucky winners!

Our sponsor for this challenge are the wonderful people at Inspiration Emporium! They are generously donating a $50.00 gift certificate to our lucky randomly drawn winner! Thank you Inspiration Emporium for your generous support!

And our other winner, chosen by the Curiosity Crew for the most impressive project using the technique will be awarded with a huge prize package from none other than Tim Holtz and Mario!  These guys have provided us with a plethora of amazing Tim Holtz products. We can't ever thank them enough for all they have done for us!

So, what are you waiting for???  Have fun with this technique! It's amazing!

Good luck!