Taking the Mixed Media Plunge with SCACD

Hi crafty friends!! How much are you loving the new release of the Mixed Media Blank Canvas Collection and Dies by SCACD??!! These stamps and dies are perfect for mixed media rookies and seasoned experts alike. They are incredibly versatile and work for so many different styles from elegant and vintage to funky and edgy. 

These are the two projects I created for the release hop last week, but I though I`d share them here as well. First up is an Inkssentials Tag featuring two of the new Dies for SCACD, "Uncaged Bird" and one of the corner dies from the Classic Corners set. These dies are gorgeous...the cuts are beautifully detailed and elegant. I love how the vines are intertwined around the birdcage. I used my Cuttlebug to cut Uncaged Bird and three corners out of plain white cardstock. I then coated each element with modelling paste and allowed them to dry thoroughly. This gave the die cuts a different texture than bare cardstock. I was going for a rustic, antiqued feel. The cage was then painted with gold and brown craft. It was also touched with some Honey Amber Luminarte Silk. The vines were painted with Mallard Luminarte Mica Powder that was mixed with some matte medium to create a paint. The bird and butterflies were also painted with a mica/matte medium combination using Blue Flame. I added some extra vines extending out from the birdcage by cutting an additional Uncaged Bird and trimming the vines from that die cut. In the bottom left hand corner, you will see the Classic Corner Die. (you will get two different dies in this set) It was painted in the same manner as the bird cage. The butterfly in the upper right corner was created by combining two of the Classic Corner Dies...this is a great way to extend the versatility of your corner dies. With their intricate designs, they make stunning butterflies. This was painted with the Luminarte Mica Powder/matte medium "paint" mixture using Mallard and Blue Flame. I also spritzed them with some water in a Mini Mister and blotted them with a paper towel to soften the blend of the colours. I hand cut the little body and drew on the antennae. The background of the tag was first coloured by finger painting on Luminarte Silks in Honey Amber, Coral Berry and Guatemalan Green. I also added touches of the Blue Flame Mica powder mixed with matte medium.  If you look closely, you will see two of the mixed media Blank Canvas Collection stamps from the Rays and Steampunk Clock Set. They were stamped in Archival Ink. I also added a strip of paper from Prima Nature Garden 6x6 pad across the middle of the tag which was coloured in the same manner as the tag background. 

Here's a look at how Uncaged Bird looks fresh out of your die-cutting machine...isn't it gorgeous?? Remember, the extra vines on my tag were made by simply trimming them from the die cut before adding them to the other. 

Up next is a watercolour featuring "No Boundaries Woman" and the Rays and Steampunk Clock Set from the Blank Canvas Collection. This was done on watercolour paper. I pulled out my Luminarte Mica powders and simply added water to them. When used in this manner, they give a lovely colour to your project, but not the intense shimmer effect that you will get when you use them in combination with a product that "binds" the shimmer to your surface. (like when mixing them with a matte medium or gum arabic...these mica powders are definitely multi-functional!!) I began by mixing Blue Flame with water and painting it in streaks, followed by Pink Azalea to fill in the gaps. I also mixed the two colours together to create a purple which was also streaked through the "water". I then worked on the sky using the Pink Azalea. The clouds were loosely worked in with the purple I had created on my palate with the Pink Azalea and Blue Flame. I also added some straight Pink Azalea to highlight them. The ground was created with Mallard mica powder mixed with water and a touch of Dragonfly Wing mica. To create the sun, I stamped the rays in Archival Ink. I then rotated the stamp and stamped it again to create the reflection in the water. This was done after "stamping off" some excess ink on scrap paper so that the impression would be faint in the water. The sun and rays were then painted with Coral Berry and Honey Amber Luminarte Silks. I also drew some of the silks through the sky and water to complete the sunset. Finally, I stamped No Boundaries Woman in Archival Ink. I love this stamp. :) 

You can find the entire collection of Dies by SCACD HERE and the Blank Canvas Collection stamps HERE. 


Have fun creating. :)


Blessings,

Melanie