A little canvas

Hello again - it is so nice to be able to bring you some new bits and pieces more often. I hope my muse stays content with this for awhile longer. I have two things to share with you today - starting with a neutral base and creating a miniature collage suitable for accenting a journal page.

I began with a manila tag, the kind Tim Holtz uses for his 12 tags of Christmas each year.

My first step was to cover the tag with torn pages from an old novel. I used to have such a hard time ripping text from a perfectly good book, but then I realized I have 2 copies of a novel. I was not selective of what phrases or words showed on the surface, and I made sure to use multiple layers in some areas.

Next, I gave the trimmed, text-covered tag a watery wash of ivory and white paints. I am using a very inexpensive acrylic paint from Apple Barrel by Plaid. The goal is to tone down the text, provide some unification across the tag, and provide a base for inks.

I used my blending tool and almost all the seasonal colors of distress inks to 'paint' the tag over the acrylic. Be sure the paint is thoroughly dry before adding the distress ink.

I love the randomness and how the layers of text create wonderful texture. I sprinkled blots of water over the tag to give the ink more variety. Now, with the addition of the ink, we have moved from neutral background to the beginning of a miniature canvas.

I have a stash of catalogs, flyers, packaging and left over bits and pieces of other projects.

I arranged them on the tag, sewed part of it to the tag, the added some ribbon, a bit of fluid acrylic circles, and a few staples. I like how it came out. I hope it inspires you to get creative! See you again soon.

Ta!
♥ ~ky