Spread Your Wings and Fly...

Hi everyone!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and you're now ready for a brand new week ahead and the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge which this week is called ~ RECYCLE SOMETHING! Maybe you would like to use some ribbon or twine from a gift you received or there might have some jars or boxes that are just waiting to be upcycled ~ whatever you choose, the DT can't wait to see what you create and hope you'll join us for this fun challenge!

After all the Christmas deliveries, I had a plethora of cardboard boxes and decided that I would put some of these boxes to good use and cut a panel of the corrugated card that I thought would be perfect as a background for this week's project and hope you enjoy the transformation of how I turned the boring old cardboard into something slightly more attractive!

So, let's begin and here's how I created this project...

 

After cutting a panel of the corrugated card from the box, I then went about making a few tears and rips in it ~ peeling away the top surface to reveal the corrugation underneath.

Once I was happy, I then added a coat of gesso over the top to prime the surface and heat dried the medium. When working with the card, be careful not to saturate the surface too much as it will buckle ~ I find it's best to heat dry the card between paint layers.

When the gesso was dry, I then added a layer of Antique Linen Distress Paint over the top, dried the surface before using a dry brush to apply a layer of Bundled Sage over the top. Again, dry the surface before the next layer and taking another brush, I dry brushed the painted surface with a layer of Pumice Stone Distress Paint. I now have the colour I wanted so it's time to start applying the Floral Collage Paper.

Using a water brush, I run the wet brush around the outline of the piece of collage paper that I want to use ~ this allows me to have a flawless join when I apply the paper to the background.

After selecting the pieces I wanted to use, I attached each of them using Matte Collage Medium. When the medium has dried, I then used a palette knife to apply Crackle Texture Paste to random areas of the cardboard. Allow the paste to dry and the crackles to appear.

To complete the background and add just a little more interest to it, I then took the script stamp from the Entomology stamp set and stamped directly onto the painted background, applying the script to random areas.

Moving onto the frame and applied a coat of gesso to the smallest sized vignette frame. I then used Weathered Wood Distress Paint to add a hint of colour.

You'll also notice from the photo below that I smeared some of the Crackle Paste over the frame ~ not a lot, just a hint to create some more texture. To complete the frame, I used the Pumice Stone Distress crayon, running it over the top of the beading and then wiping away the excess with a semi dry baby wipe.

I cut a piece of paper to add a backing to the frame, before attaching it with foam pads to my corrugated background, surrounding it with a few Snippets Ephemera pieces on the left hand side.

Now for the moth/butterfly and for this I stamped one of the Entomology bugs onto watercolour card and coloured the image with Distress Marker Pens. I then used the co-ordinating Entomology dies from Sizzix to die cut the perfect little flutterby.

I placed the die cut image onto a bed of recycled twigs from my garden and some sisal fibres, attaching these in the centre of the vignette frame. The twigs and fibres also create height and texture  to the focal point, which I loved.

I then added the quote chip, "Find Joy In the Ordinary" directly below the frame.

All that's left for me to do, is mount the panel and for this, I used a canvas panel which I painted with Weathered Wood Distress Paint before dry brushing a layer of Pumice Stone Paint over the top.

To frame the corrugated panel, I applied some torn strips of Butterfly design tape to the Media board cut down to measure 18 x 24cm and used the tape to create a border which will eventually sit around the edge.

I mounted the corrugated panel onto the centre of the canvas using foam pads....

...and finished the completed panel with four Hex Fasteners in each corner that I rusted up a little with some a combination of Vintage Photo, Antiqued Bronze, Rusty Hinge and Black Soot Distress Paint and a couple of Special Delivery Remnant Rubs that I applied to the background.

Don't forget, you can find more inspiration from my talented teamies over on the challenge blog and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today and hope to see you again soon, love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Sizzix Dies: Entomology
Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Stamps: Entomology

Distress Paint: Bundled Sage, Antique Linen, Pumice Stone

Idea-ology: Snippets Ephemera, Hex Fasteners, Vignette Frames, Floral Collage Paper, Quote Chips, Special Delivery Remnant Rubs, Butterfly Design Tape
Distress Marker Pens
Distress Crayons: Pumice Stone

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Gesso, Crackle Texture Paste, Jet Black Archival Ink

Surfaces: Corrugated Card, Media Board

Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Tim Holtz Guillotine

Heat Gun
Palette Knife
Paint Brushes
Twigs, sisal fibres from my own stash