Mixed Media Metallic

 A big hello to my latest followers and a big hug to all the ones who've been along for awhile enabling  supporting my crafty endeavors.

I was inspired by the one and only Branka of Vintage Handmade in the making of this card.  I love her frequent use of metallic elements,  so I've included a few of my own here. Many of the elements are "leftovers" from previous projects, so I can't go into much detail on them (thank goodness, right?). I did alter them a little, so they would coordinate. Please click on any photo for a closer view.

 I've created a masterboard using DecoArt paints and crackle medium, and Perfect Pearls powder. I stamped a Stampin' Up chicken wire image in Rusty Hinge Distress paint. The chicken wire doesn't show up well  after dry embossing. I embossed a panel of the masterboard with Tim Holtz Texture Fade for my back layer. I also used a piece of the same masterboard for one of my butterflies (Tim Holtz Movers and Shapers), and embossed that with another Texture Fade. Both pieces were sanded down to the bottom paint layer after embossing and additional Distress paint added to high light the raised areas. These shots were taken before embossing; same sheet, different light, and oh, so shimmery! The top photo taken in bright sunlight, the bottom in dappled shade.

The grey background panel was given some texture by applying texture paste through a homemade brick stencil.  I used that same stencil using Distress ink to give more depth, and stamped  Tim Holtz script (Urban Grunge) in  sepia Archival ink. I added some Flower Soft for texture and color, and some Tissue tape, most of which is covered up. A spritz of Vintage Photo Distress ink spray, and more Distress ink blended on to highlight the bricks. A final spritz and flick with water to give even more of a rainy appearance. You can see a few tiny, shiny "raindrops" (Raindrops on Roses it says on the jar--probably picked them up at a yardsale.) on the bricks and leaves.  I also used some of the "raindrops" on the butterfly's body, but couldn't pick them up with the camera.

The frame is cut using Tim's Ornate Frame and painted with Distress paints, Rock Candy Crackle paint and more DPs. I used the Spring Greenery die for the leaves and painted them with Distress paint and added a "raindrop" here and there. In this photo you can see a bit of the chicken wire peeking out behind the butterfly and one single "raindrop" on the wing.

 The butterflies are from one of Tim's stamp sets, fussy cut and inked.These were left over from another project, so don't recall the name of the set.  Another layered butterfly is from the Butterfly Frenzy die, and again, one I had saved from another project. It has been stamped with a Tim Holtz Reflections stamp, and I think I may have used Dylusions spray to color.

The flower is cut from tissue paper and a candy wrapper, and who knows what I used to color them (another leftover from a previous project)...looks like a lot of different mediums: ink, paint, and Glimmer mist in all sorts of rusty colors.All I had to do was add some "raindrops". The bow is some that the lovely Linda Coughlin includes as a sweet gift in her orders from The Funkie Junkie; I just added some Distress paint for a metallic look and spritzed with water, and twisted it up into a bow.

The framed mirror in the center is an ugly pink thing I purchased on clearance to use on another project, but changed my mind.  It has LOTS of paint on it, since I colored it first for the other project and yet again for this one.  I used DecoArt metallic paint and sprinkled on some Distress Effect powders and clay embossing powder and gave it a shot with my heat gun.  Perfectly grungy!  That's a piece of Tim's Mirrored for the... well, um, mirror.  I gave it a quick coat of Rock Candy Crackle paint, and sat around waiting for it to dry. I'll accept applause for being patient.

The little ivy leaves are made from paper clay and painted many times; also from another project, so had to change the color. As mentioned above I used "Raindrops on Roses" here and there on the card to look like raindrops. These look similar to microbeads, only a little larger and so clear that it is difficult to photograph them. This is a card to celebrate a special April occasion, and as the saying goes "April showers bring May flowers"!  I purposefully chose the rusty palette because this is what the early spring garden looks like just as it emerges to the most beautiful green.

One more shot here of the complete card.  You can really see the glint of the "raindrops" on the flower and leaves in this photo. It's probably not the best shot to leave you with, since the colors are really off, but I did want to show off those "raindrops"!

I hope you enjoyed today's post, and thank you so much for stopping by! I hope to have a post or two more this month, and then something really exciting the first week of May to kick off Anything But Cute's maiden challenge. You'll see why I haven't been posting much lately!  Big hugs!

Sara Emily

I would like to enter this into the following inspirational challenges:

A Sprinkle of Imagination Anything Goes

The Mirror Crack'd #08 "Make and Use a Masterboard"

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #11 "April Showers" Hard to see but my raindrops are all over this! I was very inspired by Astrid's raindrops on her Journal pages to add just a few to my card.

The Artistic Stamper April's Creative Challenge "Flora and Fauna"

Our Creative Corner "Color Your World" Hardly what reminds us of springtime colors, but these are the colors I see in my patch of agapanthus right now, with mostly browns, but a few green shoots peeking out.  I took a photo for proof, but for some reason it did not upload.

A Vintage Journey "Through the Looking Glass"

Inspiration Journal "Everything Goes"

Stamps and Stencils "Anything Goes"

That's Crafty "Grunge, Grunge, Grunge" Challenge