Sweet New LPS Set! (and Wax Paper Fresco Patina-[New(?) Cuttlebug/Big Shot Technique]

I'm all hopped up & not just on coffee! LOL. There are new LPS sets out!!!?!! The bad news? I've been too sick to spill the beans to you about 'em (ynuk ynuk bad coffee pun, hehehe) The good news? You can get your hands on 'em right away (here) and you can see lots of gorgeous things made with them (here.) The set I used for this card is designed by our very own Elyssa!!!

This Brand New Stamp Set "Make Your Own Mug"
...has detail & quality that took my breath away! The first impression turned out flawlessly with delicate lines on the coffee bag (& with Chocolate Chip Craft ink to boot! Sometimes acrylics are finicky about the ol' craft inks, but these go with 'em like coffee and cream! Somebody stop me! heehee) I even stamped the sentiment off of the back of a punch of all things! (my blocks are in boxes somewhere) & it worked perfectly the first try! I was mightily impressed (& mighty happy that I didn't have to unpack 20 boxes to find a block!)

Inspiration Challenge: This card plays along with the LPS bloggers (and hopefully you too!) 'cause "a challenge is a brewin'!" (to use this colour scheme as your inspiration: Chocolate chip & Cream & Olive.) I got as close as I could & had a blast with it. Do you wanna play too??? You can join in here.

The technique (Wax Paper Fresco Patina) that I used here was experimental & weird-ish but I was happy with the results. It gives you a paper that looks "ancient" (as Charles put it) & you end up with a texture like burnished fresco wall finish. It has a nice bit of sheen to it too.

One line technique summary: Stick wax paper onto cardstock with Matte Mod Podge & dry it to the touch; then cuttlebug it, sand it, ink it, wipe it... (in whatever order you like); repeat sanding & inking for a nifty patina.

This was so fun! That's real coffee on there. Smells yummy! (I just stuck it onto some Crystal Lacquer.) And isn't wax paper just loverly? It's just so and malleable (and so very retro).

MATERIALS:

Mod Podge Matte
Brush (or foam brush)
Wax Paper
Cardstock (I used Cream announcement cardstock)

Optional:
Cuttlebug or another embossing machine (or dry emboss by hand) :O)
Embossing Folder (Birds & Swirls folder)
Sanding Paper or Block
Inks
Paper towel/rag
Books (to flatten it dry)

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1) CUT: Trim wax paper & cardstock to size (or just slap them together & trim off all of the edges later later)



Step 2) TEXTURIZE: crumple and flattern and/or fold the wax paper to create texture. An accordian fold after crumpling creates a look that is sort of graphic & natural all at once:





Step 3) ADHERE: stick wax paper to cardstock with Matte Mod Podge (Brush the Mod Podge on quickly & stick quickly for nice results.) No worries if it dries before you stick the wax paper on, just apply a second coat of Mod Podge; the texture will be even funkier.



Step 4) FLATTEN: smooth it down with your hand



Step 5) TOPCOAT: Apply a second coat of Mod Podge over top of the wax paper

Optional: collage bits into it...

first, make sure the Mod Podge topcoat is good & wet...

then just stick things on it & add another topcoat of Mod Podge over the bits

(The stuff I added here? Bits of an old book & more torn pieces of wax paper over that to give it a vellum-y look) You could also add anything else that you'd collage...



Step 6) DRY IT to the touch (it dries surprisingly quickly)



Step 7) Cuttlebug it using an embossing folder (or Big Shot emboss it)

I used the Birds & Swirls folder. The Mod Podge & wax paper holds the embossing in such a lovely way and gives deep impressions that hold up to distressing really nicely.



Step 8) Use it as is or COLOUR it: Sand it & Apply ink (or paints or marker or whatever) however you like best (direct to paper inking is my fave, but you could also use sponges, daubers, foam brush, brayer, a paint brush and watercolours would be snifty!
Here's how I coloured this one:



A) Sand it well to give it some tooth for the ink to stick to (Even Matte Mod Podge is rather waterproof) (Don't be ascared to use a course grit sand paper here; it gets a nice fabric like texture.) Rule of thumb for gauging your colour results: the more you sand off now, the darker those areas will be when you colour it later in this next step...



B) After sanding, apply first ink colour (Sahara Sand)



C) Wipe off excess ink (or remove it from areas that you don't want it. A little water on a paper towel will take it all off of the unsanded areas but if you want it lighter on the sanded areas, just sand again to remove colour.)



D) Sand more (lightly this time so as not to remove all of the ink)



E) Apply a second colour of ink (Creamy Caramel)



F) wipe, sand, ink, wipe ...


(and I kept inking and wiping until I liked it... LOL)

So, to sum up:

crumplin' wax paper+ mod podgin' to cardstock + dryin' +cuttlbuggin' + sandin'+ inkin' + repeatin' =funky texture.

(Click the pic to see close up)

POTENTIALLY HANDY TIPS:

If your paper curls after it's dry, you can stick it
under a big ol' book (or a stack) and it'll flatten out nicely.

You can also sand the edges to remove any excess Mod Podge. And if your collaging ends up wonky like mine did (the text band across it was crooked), you can trim the edges to make it straight. Just eyeball the first cut, and then line use that first cut edge to line up the other 3 cuts with the grid on your paper cutter. :O)

Possible APPLICATIONS
for this kind of paper in your work:

• Use as a background paper (no duh, huh?)
  
• Make an 8.5x11 piece, & turn it into a sturdy envelope, box, or any 3D project by using large sheets of it (with a template printed on the back first so you can print before gettin mucky with it.) :O)
• Make it into your own primas or embellishments (Punch or dye cut the papers for flowers, tags, etc)
• Make Frames or other Elements by using Nestabilites, scissors, a craft knife, or another cutting system to make textured frames or schtuff (faux metal hinges or photo corners might be neat)
• Make faux metal/faux ribbon strips (Just cut it into any width/length)

VARIATIONS on the technique:

A) Stamp the cardstock first & it'll show through the wax paper when you stick it on!

B) Pre-sand before embossing for more workability & use any art medium: After adhering the wax paper to the cardstock & topcoating with Mod Podge, sand it like mad so there's lots of tooth to apply Acrylic paints, watercolours, or crackle paint before or after dry embossing in the Cuttlebug or Big Shot. You could even pastel it and then protect the pastels with more Mod Podge or spray sealer.

C) Work the colour before embossing: Ink & sand & ink before cuttlebugging then merely sand off the ink from the raised areas

D) Collage stuff into/under/onto it (even tiny bits of paper, photos, photocopies, clipart, stamped images, heat embossed images, punched shapes, dried flowers, glitter, sand, microbeads, or fibers will work)

E) Heat emboss the raised texture: Work the colour, Sand well and then dry emboss, then heat emboss the raised dry-embossed areas by swiping them with pigment ink or versamark and applying embossing powder

F) Heat emboss over it with stamps: Sand well and add a stamped & embossed image over top. (Metallic e.p. would be lovely)

G) Colour with alcohol ink for really intense hues H) Colour with metallics for a faux metal look or just add hits of shimmerz...lumiere...pearlex...

J) Coat in UTEE for faux tiles or glass look (crack the UTEE if you like)

TOOL TALK:

(Lovely fun Cheapness!)

Hardware store Sanding blocks...
...have much more scratch for your buck (& many of them are washable and last WAY longer than the crafter's variety. The shape of the crafter's kind are so nice sometimes, though, (especially since they are smaller so you can get more sellective sanding in) so here's a way to fix them up after they have no scratch power left in 'em:

Save your old foam craft sanding blocks...

(from Stampin' Up! or elsewhere & stick your own sandpaper to them. Rubber cement works well to adhere it. (Needs a bit of tape to hold it on til it dries.) This cheap trick is fun recycling but it also gives you more sanding options than the average sanding block since you can glue 4 grades of sandpaper onto one block, and then have very rough to very fine at your finger tips. DH's all over will be wondering where their sand paper went. The sandpaper in the house is all mine! Muhahaha!

Wax paper also...

...makes the perfect non stick craft sheet (or you can use a Silpat baking sheets which is heatable and not temporary. I have an imitation one.) Wax paper is great for markering on & picking up colour (or using any other medium that way) even for alcohol inks... And let's be honest, any stamping object that goes on the grocery bill makes you feel like you're sneakin' something wonderfully stamp-y into the budget now doesn't it? ;O)

Mod podge is great, in my book, because:

• it sticks stuff well
• it dries on your project quickly (me likey instant gratification!)
• it washes up with water (if you clean your brush asap, but be warned, once dried it's on there but GOOD.)
• it's certified as nontoxic
• it's very affordable
• it lasts so long! (I've had a viable jar for over 10 years.)

Other craftin' materials used on the card: Chocolate chip cardstock & Craft ink, Paper Piercer, Needle & Brown thread, Seed Beads, Sakura Stardust glitter pen, Word Window & Key Hole punch.

Whew! Longwinded for somebody who's having respiratory issues, aren't I? LOL. I really missed sharing schtuff with You!!! :O)

Happy Creativity to You!



P.S. You can check out the LPS blog and the LPS group on Paper Craft Planet to see what else is brewin! :O)