Sunday, August 10, 2008

Summer Chillin'

Can you believe that the lazy days of summer are coming to an end? I have certainly enjoyed this summer....and the late days of this season are some of my favorites as the days get a bit shorter, the heat isn't quite as intense and you can begin to see the golden colors fall knocking at the door...life is wonderful and so full of beauty.

One lazy summer activity I have enjoyed this summer is creating cards. For me creative time is truly a treat and so rejuvenating....it's one of many things that make me happy. So....today I'll share with you a creation or two that I have enjoyed putting together and also share with you one of my most favorite techniques---it's a messy one, but you'll be hooked as soon as you try it.
For both of these cards, I used acrylic paint to create a distressed look. I love using this stuff----and here is how I do it in a nutshell. I stock up on inexpensive foam brushes from our hardware store, and my most favorite color of acrylic paint called Queen Anne's Lace from Delta---it's so perfect for just about anything. Next, I shake the bottle, take the top off, and dab a corner of my foam brush either down inside the lid or the bottle itself---you don't need much paint at all---then I swipe the coated corner of the brush around the edges of my card, paper, die cuts---whatever I want to age. Let it dry a bit, and then run some Ranger Distress Ink over the painted edges---Old Paper is one of my favorite inks. These two elements combined together can transform your creation by bringing in the most lovely color---worn and loved. I also painted the wooden button of the winter card with the same color of paint. After it dried, I rubbed the sides and top across my Ranger Walnut Stain ink pad, and it created such a fun, weathered look---hope you'll give this a try when you're in the mood to shabby something up!
Enjoy the remaining days of summer.

Melissa


11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Melissa,

I love your technique and am now going to try it on my next card,
Thanks for the explanation and I was wondering if the mittens card is from a template or just a free hand cut?

Melissa said...

Hi there. Thank you for your kind comments. Those mittens are die cuts from Cosmo Cricket along with the snowflake. I just embellished them a bit by adding trim and then coated the snowflake in glitter.
Hope that helps.
Melissa

Unknown said...

Great tips!! I love the vintage look to these cards! :)

vtpuggirl said...

Beautiful cards, I wish I was more confident with paint. Loving the weather too.

Sherry Wright said...

These are both yummy Melissa, I love to distress with paint and don't do it often enough. Thanks for the reminder. ;)

Linda Beeson said...

It doesn't get much better then a "shabby" look! LOVING these!

Anonymous said...

i love the mitten card. and that snowflake is so pretty.

DeeDee said...

Oh Melissa these cards are so beautiful...the mitten card is just adorable!!!! Thanks for sharing your tips...I'll try that sometime!!!

Melanie said...

These are absolutely beautiful, Melissa!

Keri Lee Sereika said...

Melis these tips are so cool! Thanks for sharing the how to's your cards are of course...FABULOUS!

Marinou said...

Good poost