Today I Played

Hello Everyone!

Today, I played.  And I enjoyed it! 
I have been in a crafty rut and really struggling with the creative process.  I came upon the Tim Holtz videos that he has been doing weekly, and started watching.  I have a few of his products, mainly inks, and I do enjoy some mixed media, but I have never done the kind of experimenting that he encourages.  You need to just go for it.  Be loose, lol.  That is sooooo not me.  I tried my best to just play, be loose, and go for it.  I did find myself trying to plan and did make an entire card in the end, but I PLAYED.  And I learned. 

Not the best card ever, but, someone will like it!  I started with Distress Paints that I have had for ages.  Not even sure why I bought them in the first place.  I quickly realized that you have to have colors that will go together well.  I did not have a great palette for that.  I ended up working with Barn Door, Wild Honey and Forest Moss.  In between the layers, I added some text using the Typewriter Text Background Stamp from Sweet n Sassy Stamps with Versafine Onyx Black Ink.  The Forest Moss quickly muddied everything so I dabbed a lot of that off.  I needed more color though, so I decided to use a stencil  and some Distress Micro Glaze.  Lesson Number 2- the Distress Micro Glaze does not work on top of acrylic paint; so when I applied my Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide over my stenciled with Distress Micro Glaze areas,  I just ended up with large areas of solid Peacock Feathers.  More dragging through the Barn Door and Wild Honey paints.  Colors started to blend and I ended up with lime greens, pinky purple and purple in the end.  I then spattered the entire background with black acrylic paint. 
It was looking a bit dark and muddied in areas and since the first go of stenciling did not work, I stenciled on some  Embossing paste with the Tim Holtz Burlap Stencil.  That was a bit too white, so I sponged on a bit of Peacock Feathers.  THAT was too blue so I patted on some white acrylic paint (insert eyeball roll here). 
Next, they easy part.  I stamped a  bird from Bird Crazy in Memento Black ink and loosely colored it with Copics, trying to mimic the colors in the background.  I fussy cut him out, stamped him directly onto the background with Versafine Onyx Black Ink and then adhered the colored version onto the card (once the ink was dry).  The sentiment is from an old retired SNSS set; I stamped it in the Versafine ink and then heat embossed it in clear ep.  Lastly, Glossy Accents was added to the eyeballs.  Final mistake- I forgot that I had added the Glossy Accents and stood the card up.  Of course the liquid pooled to the lower part of the eyeballs (insert another eyeball roll). 
I am so glad that I am trying new things.  I have always said I never have enough time; well now I have it.  May end up taking a class or two as well.  I have been wanting to take a drawing class from Sandy Allnock.  I certainly have the time! 

I am linking up to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge- E is for...
In my case, E is for embossing- both heat embossing and embossing paste.
 
I am also linking up to The Mod Squad Challenge- Add a Bird. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Lee Ann