France Papillon style Printer Tray

Hi there!

Celia here, with my first post on the Tando blog, and it's France Papillion week. I have decided to make a Printer Tray to showcase a few of France's stamps and stencils. I started off by choosing some small greyboard embellishments from the grab bags, minis and the new mini tags. I also chose some of the medium Steampunk Parts to add a bit of machinery. I drew around the top part of the printer tray onto the baseboard to help with positioning.

I covered some of the pieces with various embossing powders, using Versafine straight onto the greyboard. I love how this effect makes the greyboard look so expensive!

For the butterflies, I stamped directly onto the untreated greyboard to give a nice shabby effect, using France's Creepers and Crawlers stamp set. I used Di's method of putting the greyboard butterfly onto the inked stamp, so that you can position it perfectly. I decided to fray the edges by wetting them with a wet paintbrush then allowing it to soak in. After a few minutes, it separates easily and can be coaxed into place with a knife.

I stamped the bee onto grey card and cut him out. I painted the base of the steampunk parts in DecoArt black chalk paint and the grid in Decoart fluid acrylic silver. 

The cogs were given a quick rust treatment by stippling with fluid acrylics in black, raw umber, quinacridone gold and transparent yellow iron oxide.

I made some of France's trademark red hearts using Pyrole red and Raw Umber and added some one step crackle.

For the tray, I glued together all three layers and painted it in in Teal, with a coat of Crackle Paint, then some washes of Cobalt Turquoise Hue and Teal. 

I primed the base with a white chalk paint, then drew round the frame to see where the squares would be. I masked off a couple of them with post its and scraped through some Decoart modelling paste through two of France's stencils - Honeycomb and Driving me Circles.

I decided to paint the base purple, because you have to have some purple in your projects don't you! I used the new colour, Byzantium, from Paperartsy, and swished through some Teal and Magenta. Then I drew in the frame again and stamped in some of the squares with Watering Can and Cactus Flower Archival, using the post-it masking method and the Rock and Rust stamp set. Lastly, I stamped 'Little Things' from the Small Talk stamp  set, using Versamark and fine black embossing powder. (Hint - do this BEFORE you assemble the tray! 😬)

This was then assembled and all the tiny embellishments stuck in with Cosmic Shimmer glue. Here's the finished piece:

I hope you feel inspired to have a go at a Printer Tray!

Thanks for stopping by,

Celia  x 

Tando products used:

Mini Printer Tray 152x152mm

Long Tags: Arrows, Butterflies, Clocks, Hearts

Hearts grab bag

Cogs Grab Bag

Steampunk Parts medium

Tando minis keys

Tando minis butterflies

France Papillon products used:

Driving Me Circles stencil (large)

Honeycomb stencil (small)

Rusted Rivits stencil (small)

Rock n Rust stamp set

Creepers & Crawlers stamp set

Perfect Words stamp set

Technique Tag Thursday - Collage Stamping - with Nikki Killinger

Hi all,

Sorry I couldn't do a live tonight, but hope you enjoy this easy technique tutorial.

You will need:

Your Tag.
Scissors
Paper or Post it Notes
Flat Paintbrush.
3 paints that blend together, i.e: red, orange, yellow.  Blue, Green, Yellow.  Pink, lilac, purple...
Stamps of your choice, I would make these smallish stamps that can be cut out easily.
A varnish, or crackle glaze to finish.

Step 1.
First give your tag a base layer of White Gesso, Tinting Base or White Paint.
Then paint your tag, going across it, in a strip of the first (palest) colour.  While still wet, introduce the second (medium) colour, and then the third (darkest).  This gives you a 'sunset' or ombre/graduated finish.

Step 2.  Take a focal stamp, and position where you would like it.  Stamp onto your background, then onto a piece of paper and cut out.  Cover your image with the paper 'mask'.  A tip here, using Post It Notes is good for this technique, put the main part of your stamped image to the part where the sticky is (on the back), and then your mask will stick to your tag and be removable but easier to keep in position.

Step 3.  Stamp another image (or two or 3), around your original image on the tag, depending on what fits without overlapping.  Stamp these on to paper and cut out.

Step 4.  Place the paper over your images, and continue stamping.  Repeat the paper process if needed, until the whole tag is masked and stamped to your liking.

Step 5.  Remove the paper to reveal your Tag!  If you have any 'gaps' where the paper hasn't masked properly, you can take a fineliner and just 'fill in' where you think the lines should be.  You can also fill any spaces that are too empty with some doodles if you feel brave.

Complete your tag with a layer of Triple Thick Glaze, a Varnish, or Crackle Glaze for effect.  I used Crackle Glaze.

This is a simple technique that gets forgotten, but can give amazing results.  It's how I made the Ministry Team's Jacket's, and works brilliantly on fabric bags and Canvas too. 

Have fun and make up your own scenes!

Best Wishes,

Nikki
xxx

Love & Hearts Theme Week - with Nikki K.

Morning everyone,

Today I'm sharing a tag made for the 'Love & Heart's' theme week.  I thought I'd go with the 'secret admirer' slant,  because if I have any, they are definitely secret!!

I put some modelling paste through a stencil, onto the Tando tag.  This was then given a coat of grey paint that I mixed with Tinting Base and Carbon Black paint.  I covered that in White Antiquing Cream, and rubbed back to give depth to the background.  Some red and black stamping in paint finished this off.

The Tando heart was painted in Red, and stamped.  Over this I put a layer of Crackle Glaze.

A book plate, numbers, bolts and nuts were painted in rust colours, and a sentiment stamped for the book plate.

I added rusty wire to the top of the tag, and shaped the top like a little rustic heart.  I didn't glue the heart down, so it moves as you move the tag, which is quite nice.

Hope you like it and can join the rest of the team this week for more inspiration.

Best Wishes,

Nikki K.
xxx


Products Used:

Tag
Heart
Bookplate & Bolts (Industrial Elements Kit)
Numbers
Andy Skinner Tech Trauma Stamp Set
Andy Skinner Word Up Stamp Set

Crackle Glaze
Antiquing Cream
Tinting Base
Carbon Black
Pyrrole Red
Quinacridone Gold
Raw Umber

Mixed Media board - mini hearts

Hi, it's Brenda here with you today to share a mixed media project and start our new colour theme.

The colour palette attracted me and I had no idea what I was going to make when I started.
But this is what appeared.

These colours and the image reminded me that Spring is on it's way, they are fresh and bright without being too vivid and one thing I did know was that I needed to mix and blend some of the DecoArt acrylic paints to get the range and effects I wanted. If you look closely although my board is not an exact representation of the photo there are some similarities. The greens are all in the background and I have some darker areas that are similar in colour to those behind and under the flowers and I also have some blooms represented but that's where any similarities end.

I chose (in order from left to right) paynes grey, dark grey & viridian mixed, titan buff, napthol red & titan buff, napthol red acrylic paints and picked up a Tando media board to work on.

Process steps

Begin by sealing the media board with white gesso and squidge it on your craft mat to get the textures started. Dry.

Mix white modeling paste with paynes grey media fluid acrylic and apply through a stencil. Dry.

Mix dark grey and viridian and create some watery wash and drip areas. Dry.

Paint the little hearts with paynes grey, napthol red and titan buff, blending the colours together on the hearts as you paint them.

Brayer a light layer of titan buff, dry and spritz with water and splatter some paynes grey watery wash. Dry.

Use a very small text stamp to create some random writing; sand and ink the edges with brown distress ink.. Create your own word tile - I use computer generated sayings and mount them on a strip of greyboard. Add some pinky red flowers and the heart then you're finished.

I really fell in love with the finished piece. Each layer worked well and the pops of red really pull my eyes in.

Please pop back during the week to see what some of the other fabulous members of the team have created. The range of ideas and designs never cease to amaze me.

Thanks for stopping by.

hugs Brenda xxx

Supplies
DecoArt Media Fluid ACrylic - Paynes Grey, Viridian, Dark Grey Value 6, Titan Buff, Napthol Red.
DecoArt mediums - White Gesso, White Modeling Paste
Stencil - France Papillon Rusted Rivets Small (from Tando Creative)
Tando Creative media board, mini hearts
Archival Ink - Peat Moss.
Distress ink - Ground Espresso.

Sea life is good - an acrylic pour and faux encaustic tag - Brenda

Welcome everyone

I have used one of the 'long tags' today and on it I did my first acrylic pour - woo hoo. Take a look at how I started off and then brought it together with some Andy Skinner and France Papillon stamps.

I used DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics .......

..... and mixed them with the DecoArt Pouring Medium. I had watched Andy demonstrate these at Stitches back in February and recently on Hochanda and there are lots more informative videos on YouTube - I have put some links on my blog.

This was the result - not bad eh? You can see why I went for the 'sea' theme, the colours are perfect.

I stamped and masked on the bottom of the tag ......

... to create this design and then mixed some media acrylics with a little tinting base and carefully dabbed some onto the fossil shells.

I found a painty piece of card, stamped the octopus and highlighted it with a white paint pen and then gave it a dirty wash of paynes grey media acrylic.

I inked the edges of the octopus with ground espresso distress ink and gave the tag a layer of clear modeling paste using a palette knife. I encapsulated the octopus and added some small glass cabochons.

 I finished by carving the word sea using a pencil and went over it with black posca pen and also added some remnant rubs, a painted vintage brad and some bakers twine.

I'm really pleased with the look and although I debated with myself to add another coat of clear modeling paste I decided against it.

If you pop over to my blog, you'll see a couple of extra photos and also a giveaway of some stamps - take a guess at which ones?????

Thanks for stopping by.

hugs Brenda xxx

www.bumblebeesandbutterflies.com

Crackle Paste/Glaze week - with Nikki

Morning everyone,

I kind of mis-read the brief for this week, and thought it was texture, but that's next week.  So my make has a mix, but there is crackle glaze there :)

I started by using a small Gothic mdf arch from Tando, and put some black gesso through a brick stencil for a little texture.  Next was Texture Sand Paste all around the edge with a palette knife. 

Paint over the whole arch with white Gesso:

Make a very watery wash of Pthalo Turquoise and Pthalo Green blue, and add the turquoise at the top, merging into the green blue towards the bottom.  Try and keep inside the arch.  The paint will pool nicely in areas.

Take Medium Grey Value 6, and paint your edges, and the brickwork carefully.  Water some Paynes grey slightly and use to deepen the edges of the bricks and highlight the arch texture.

Add a wash of Quinacridone Gold, in areas, and splatter some over the blue area, not fully covering the whole arch.  Mix a little Pthalo Green Blue with Quin Gold, and repeat the wash just on the right hand side, this gives a bit of depth to the colours.  Stamp and cut out images from the Spook set (Illusionary Artists).  Colour the Gargoyle with some of the green-gold wash you have left to tie in the colours.

I also stamped in Versafine Toffee ink some text across the background of the tag.

Emboss the crosses with Stampendous Aged Green Embossing Powder, and then give a Payne's grey wash over the top, to age further. 

Stamp some words onto card, and emboss with clear embossing powder.  Make a wash of Quin Gold and Payne's Grey, and coat the card.  Edge with neat Paynes Grey. Heat dry.

Glue the stamped elements on the Arch, adding some more Paynes Grey around the Gargoyles feet on the brickwork to ground him, just a shadow.  Add Crackle Glaze on top of the Gargoyle and leave to crack. 

Here are some close-ups and the finished piece:

Hope you like him :)  Remember to catch up with the rest of the team's makes this week too,

Thanks for stopping by,

Best Wishes,

Nikki K.
xxx