CC3C - Challenge 22

Hi all

What a week, I've finished the invitations that I was making, they have been delivered and admired....sooo I'm happy, phew!

I am now free to play with the bits that I want to play with, so many new stamps, dies, inks and paints, and I want them all.  Is that bad?  No I didn't think so!

So Challenge 22, Dimensional Cutting Pads page 62 of the Compendium of Curiosities.  I was also able to use my new die and embossing folder  'Layered Butterfly'  I know, its been in my stash for a while but I have been so busy I've not been able to even open the packaging.  Following the instructions on page 62 I cut my butterfly and embossed it on some Seena's Stamping Card.  I love this card as it takes ink wonderfully and releases it well too.

Now in hindsight I should have painted my paper first but I got excited about using the die so I had to paint after.  I used some Deco Art acrylic paint in transparent yellow oxide to put a base layer all over the card, then splatty sprayed some black soot distress ink over the piece and dried it completely.  Then a layer of quinacridone gold and transparent red oxide acrylic paint was applied over the top quickly to avoid moving the black ink.  When this was dry I decided it was still too bright, I was going for a grungy rusty look, so I used a 'dirty wash' which was a combination of transparent red oxide and paynes grey acrylic paint that had been well watered.  This was then dried thoroughly.

I then highlighted the embossing with some Pebeo Empire Gold gilding wax, this can be buffed once dry to give a lovely subtle metallic sheen.

I used the Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous stamp set Perspective for the sentiment and the butterfly wings in the background.  These were simply stamped with black archival ink.  I then added some white rub ons, a few odd bits that I've been moving round my craft room for a while, I hate to throw anything away, don't you?  These rub ons were very white so I used some of the dirty wash to tone them down a bit.  A little bit of tissue tape in opposite corners, again covered with dirty wash, finished off the background.

I then mounted the piece onto gold mirri card, then wrapped some rusty wire round from the reverse and then made some holes to thread the wire under the butterfly and back to the front.  I wound round three times and threaded a small bronze butterfly charm onto one of the wires.

I took one of the Idea-ology Philosophy tags and covered it with antiqued bronze distress paint and wiped off the excess.  I tied it to the piece with some twine, black thread and some gold bead chain and then mounted the whole piece onto some dark brown card.

I like the way the mirri card can be seen under the butterfly, it looks as though the butterfly is floating.

Yet again the Curiosity Crew has provided some stunning examples for this challenge, click here to go to Linda Ledbetter's blog to view these masterpieces.  Also thanks to The Funkie Junkie for sponsoring this challenge.

Right whats next?

Lyn