{Spotlight Project} Shery Plays with Gift Wrapping Paper and Creates an Easy Mixed Media Card

Hi, everyone! I'm back with another spotlight project (plus a bonus project with video). In my previous spotlight posts (this one and this one), I showed the mixed media tags and canvas panel I did when I had a play with the newsprint gift wrapping paper I found in my stash. In today's post, I'm sharing the mixed media card I made using some more of that gift wrapping paper. I have a photo tutorial so you can see how I put this card together -- it's really easy! But first, let me show you the finished card:

STEP 1

I adhered a piece of the gift wrapping paper onto 140-lb watercolor panel (4" by 5.25") using Liquitex gel medium. [Tip: Use a base that's really thick and won't warp easily.]

STEP 2

Using an old card, I applied watered-down white gesso onto the panel. [Tip: If you spread gesso unevenly onto your surface, you'll get a nice texture when you apply paints, inks, sprays, Gelatos, or other wet mediums on it.]

STEP 3

I loosely watercolored blue zircon and plum crazy Twinkling H2Os onto the panel once the gesso was dry. [Tip: To get a colorwash look, paint the panel with water first and then apply the paints. Let the colors pool along the edges/crevices. Tilt the panel to allow the colors to drip and blend. You can also use a heat tool to move the colors around.]

STEP 4

I stamped one of the background stamps in the Mini Mixed Media Backgrounds set in VersaMagic aegean blue chalk ink (tone-on-tone), distressed the edges with a TH distressing tool, and inked the panel with VersaMagic Jumbo Java chalk ink. I also splattered a bit of white gesso onto the panel. [Tip: Subtly grunge up your background by partially stamping images in a color that is similar to your background color. It will give your background a textured look without the added bulk.]

STEP 5

On scrap card stock, I stamped the backside of the sunflower from Bloom Sketches in VersaMagic mango madness chalk ink three times.

STEP 6

I flipped the stamp over and inked it up with VersaMagic gingerbread chalk ink. [Tip: This technique is great for coloring your images quickly when you know you're going to be fussy cutting them. It's also a great technique to use when you want to get that offset-print/retro look (like how I did in this card).]

STEP 7

I fussy cut the sunflowers and ran a dark brown marker along the edges to hide the white edges.

STEP 8

I have a Cuttlebug but I must admit I'm too lazy most of the time to take it out and use my dies. I needed some leaves for my sunflowers so I simply took a piece of textured card stock (DCWV) and cut out the leaves. I creased the leaves, distressed them, and applied VersaMagic hint of pesto chalk ink on the edges. 

STEP 9

The last step is putting the card together! I adhered the panel onto my card base before adhering everything else. I used foam dots and double-sided tape. I stamped the sentiment from Bloom Sketches in jet black archival ink onto scrap white card stock, cut it out, and matted it onto dark blue textured card stock. And my mixed media card is done! That wasn't so hard now, was it?

I have one more project (a mixed media layout) to show you that features our stamps and the newsprint gift wrapping paper. (I'm getting so much mileage from just one roll!) I'll share it in my next spotlight post. 

Before I go, though, I'd like to share another mixed media layout that I did for the current challenge at Time Out Challenges, a challenge blog that Nonni and Sandie own. (Check it out and come play!)

Here's a partial shot of my 12" by 12" layout:

That's the hubby and me, by the way. (Photo was taken 11 years ago, a year before we got sentenced to life married.) And here's a video where I show how I put together the layout from start to finish. It's a little over 13 minutes -- in fast-forward motion, captioned, and accompanied by Mozart my voice-over narration (!).

Thanks for stopping by! See you in a couple of weeks!

~Shery