Fall Leaves for the ePlay Challenge

Hello, everyone!  It's Broni here with you today to show you what I created for this month's ePlay Challenge: Fall.

I decided to go with one of the first techniques I learned way back when I first started stamping.  Before the days of alcohol markers.

I pulled out my Ranger alcohol inks, my alcohol blending solution, my alcohol ink applicator and some glossy paper.  And this is what I came up with:

 First I used my TCW Mini Onion Skin 6x6 stencil and my ink applicator to apply some Lettuce alcohol ink to my background panel.

 Then I applied some Cranberry and Butterscotch inks to my applicator with a little bit of the blending solution and dabbed it directly onto my solid maple leaf stamp and stamped it onto some more glossy paper.

I then proceeded to use a different applicator pad for each of my combination of inks.  (Colors: Cranberry, Butterscotch, Lettuce, Wild Plum)  Each time I applied a new color combo some of the dried color from the previous application to the stamp was reactivated. This resulted in many different varieties of color combinations.  Kind of what you'd actually find in autumn leaves!

I found that I couldn't stop myself!  I ended up with many, many leaves to use on future projects!  I really love the ones  on which you can see the veins!

Finally I used each of the previously used pads and coated some more glossy paper allowing all the colors to blend together.  I stamped my maple leaf outline stamp in Ranger Archival Jet Black ink several times.

Then I cut out a few of my favorite leaves and added them to my card front along with a simple sentiment and some sequins.

 

And that's it!   Pretty simple, but that's how I've been rolling lately.  I love the clean fresh look of this card!  Who says autumn colors have to be deep and dark??

Now it's your turn.  Let's see what you come up with for the ePlay challenge!!  I can't wait!

eP Inkssentials - Glossy Paper	eP Mini Onion Skin 6x6 Stencil	Ranger Adirondack - Alcohol Inks	Ranger alcohol blending solution
Ranger alcohol ink applicator	Ranger alcohol ink felt pads	Archival Jet Black Ink Pad	Scotch Foam Mounting Tape

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Altered Water Bottle - ePlay Challenge

Hello, everyone!  It's Broni here with you today and I'm going to show you what I created for this month's ePlay challenge - Altered Bottles.  It's an altered water bottle.

 When I alter items, I like for them to be useful as well as pleasing to look at!  The first "bottle" that came to mind for this project was a water bottle because….well, I was holding one in my hand at the time!! 

That made me think about how I use water a lot in my crafting: water coloring, filling my mini-mister bottles, wetting my chamois cloth that I use to clean ink from my stamps.  And usually when I need more water I get up and go to the kitchen for it.  But if I just kept an extra bottle of water on my craft table, I wouldn't have to!

Obviously a water bottle is plastic, so that narrowed down my choices of inks to use and I decided on my Adirondack alcohol inks.

To start I dripped ink onto the bottle, letting it dry completely between colors so the colors wouldn't become muddy-looking.  I used Stream, Lettuce and Wild Plum.

 Next I cut a flower and leaves (from Friends Til the End by Papertrey Ink) from a sheet of Studio 490 Clearly For Art, but didn't "punch" them from the sheet.  I left them attached in order to have better control over my stamping and coloring.  I stamped the images in Archival Jet Black ink.

 I used a paintbrush to apply some alcohol blending solution, which is clear, to the opposite side of the Clearly For Art sheet from the stamped image.  Then I dripped on some Lettuce ink.  The blending solution helps the ink flow on the sheet.

I did the same with the Wild Plum on the flower, only this time I only painted the blending solution on the flower petals so that the ink would not flow into the flower center.

I used my Copic markers to color the flower center after the Wild Plum ink was dry.

Next I popped the flower and leaves from the Clearly For Art sheet.

I wrapped the bottle with a strip of lime green felt.

BONUS TIP:  To evenly cut the felt, I laid it onto my Scor-Buddy and used my Tonic scissors to cut along one of the score grooves.

I adhered the felt, some textured ribbon and some hemp twine using 1" wide Scor-Tape.

Then I pulled out my Heat tool to warm the Clearly For Art flower and leaves until they were pliable, shaping them with my hands, then adhering them with Scor-Tape as well.

It was pretty hard to get photos of a clear bottle filled with water and the shiny and clear flower, but here it is again, along with a close-up and a photo of it sitting on the shelf above my desk.

 

 

That's it for me today.  Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my Altered Bottle.  Will you play along in our challenge?

Non-Stick Craft Sheet Studio 490 - Clearly for Art Archival Jet Black Ink Pad Fiskars Stamp Press Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks Non-Stick Scissors - Tonic Studios Ranger Heat It Craft Tool eP Scor Tape 1" wide x 27 yards long Scor-Tape 1/4" wide

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July ePlay Challenge - Altered Bottles

 

Hi everyone, Julia here - for my first time hosting the 1st Thursday of the month ePlay Challenge -  and I challenge you to Alter a Bottle!  It can be glass, plastic, big or small -  I just want to see how you will take it from plain to WOW!

I started my project with a triangle shaped, clear glass bottle with a cork stopper in it from Michaels that cost $1.00.  It measures about 2 1/2"x 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 4 1/4" high.

And here is how I turned it into 'WOW'!

I learned this crackling technique from Wendy Vecchi, when I took her class at Kim's brick and mortar eclectic Paperie shop in Exeter, NH.  We didn't make one that day - but Wendy had two on display and she explained her technique to me.  You start by covering the bottle with a paste -  I used Wendy's Silver Embossing paste.

After that's dry - you cover it with Wendy's Crackled Texture Paste (if you don't use the embossing paste first - the crackle will peel right off after it drys!)

After the crackle dried - I sponged over the whole bottle with 3 Ranger Distress ink colors - Salty Ocean, Mustard Seed and Gathered Twigs.

I took the floral border from Industrious Stickers/Borders and inked it with 3 Adirondack Alcohol Inks - Stonewashed, Rust and Lettuce.  I dried it with my heat tool and adhered it along the base of the bottle.  I added ScorTape to it even though it already has adhesive just to give it a sticking boost against the inked crackled surface!

I wanted to hang something around the neck of my bottle and I had just purchased some Idea-ology Fragments/Charms.  I thought I remembered that Tim Holtz had a technique for using them in one of his Compendium of Curiosities - and sure enough, I found it on page 55 of his first book.

First you pounce ink on the charm using the felt applicator and some Adirondack Alcohol inks.  I used the same ones I used on my Industrious Border above -  Stonewashed, Rust and Lettuce.

Then you put some Alcohol Blending Solution on a corner of the felt applicator and touch it to the center of the charm - that makes the ink flow away - so you want to blow on it once it clears out just the center area to stop it from clearing all the way to the edges.  You can add more color to the edges if you want after this step.

Next I ran a thin line of Glossy Accents around the edges of the inked side of the charm and laid it over the image I wanted to frame.  Once it was dry I cut around the edges.  The butterfly is on a sheet of paper from the Tim Holtz Ideology Paper Stash 8x8" Collage pad.

Look how beautiful it looks - and it's such a simple technique!  I looped a piece of Linen Ribbon through the hole and tied it around the neck of the bottle.  I knotted a shorter piece of Linen Ribbon just above the charm and spread out the ends - I love the wonderful texture that gives to the ribbon!

I used Glossy Accents to adhere the Charm to the bottle - I didn't want it swinging around or loosening the ribbon.

Here's a close up of the inking on the Border Sticker - and you can see the Silver Embossing paste showing through the cracks of the paste better on the next two photos.

Here's a close up of the lovely Linen Ribbon with it's pulled apart ends.

A side view of the bottle -  I left the two sides plain - wanting to show off the wonderful crackle and also to appreciate the beauty of the charm on the front!

And here is my pretty little bottle in use as a vase -  as soon as I finished my bottle - I rushed out to my front garden and cut a few things that were blooming to see how they would look - here are a few pics!  Here it is filled with a stem from Solomon's Seal and Goldenstar blooms.

Here's my vase with a big orange marigold and a Solomon's Seal stem.

And a final variation of blooms - Goldenstar and Dianthus.

My little flower filled bottle is now proudly sitting on my kitchen windowsill where I can enjoy it each morning before I leave for work!

I can't wait to see what kind of bottle you choose to alter and what techniques you use to take it from plain to WOW! 

If you would like to "Alter a Bottle" we would love to see your creations. There is a generous $25 gift certificate for Kim's fabulous eclectic Paperie Shop, for one lucky winner.  You have the whole month of July to get your project done and add it to Mr. Linky at the end of this post!

Thanks so much for stopping by the eclectic Paperie Blog today -  where every day a member of the Design Team posts something inspirational!

Paper:  Idea-ology Paper Stash 8"x8" Collage
Ink:  Ranger Distress Salty Ocean, Mustard Seed, Gathered Twigs, Adirondack Alcohol Inks Stonewashed, Rust, Lettuce and Alcohol Blending Solution
Accessories:  Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Silver Embossing Paste and Crackle Texture Paste.  Idea-ology Fragments/Charms, Linen Ribbon, Industrious Stickers/Borders; Glossy Accents, ScorTape.