Creative Chemistry 102: Layering Stencil Challenge 1

Tim Holtz is rerunning Creative Chemistry 102 this summer as a lead up to his new class Creative Chemistry 103.  Creative Chemistry 101 and 102 profoundly changed the way I use inks and paint when I took them several years ago. I highly recommend the classes- they are inexpensive and you have lifetime access..

For this go-around Tim has added new weekly challenges using whatever combinations of the techniques from the class that he deems worthy. This week's challenge was to use two techniques from the class using his Layering Stencils.

I decided to play around with the Stencil Stamping Technique and Embossing Through Stencils.  I ended up playing around quite a bit with the Stencil Stamping Technique and I am thrilled with the results. Actually, I also made quite a few really fun background tags using Embossing Through Stencils as well.  I will admit that melding the two techniques was a challenge, but I love what I ended up with.

This first tag is truly for coffee lovers.  Coffee lovers and all those of you who realized that Victorian Velvet Distress Ink is PERFECTION.  Why didn't you tell me? I mean how could you let me go all these many years without realizing this?  I am honestly so confused. I know that I have blended, stained and sprayed that color many times but somehow I didn't understand the majestic perfection of this color before yesterday....I feel stupid.

I started by spraying the background with said Victorian Velvet Distress Stain Spray. After it was all nice and dry, I inked the coffee splatter from the Splatters Layering Stencil then using Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I added Black Soot Distress Ink and one of the stamps from the weird and wild script on one of the stamps from the Stamper's Anonymous Ledger set.  Using Tim's "Spritz and Flick" technique, I added water droplets all over everything on my tag and table. That was all dried using a heat tool and finally I added Ground Espresso Distress Ink around the edges

The second technique I used was the Embossed Layers Technique using the Honeycomb Layering Stencil, Spun Sugar and Walnut Stain Distress Inks and Ranger Clear Embossing Powder.  Using the Alterations Tea Time die, I cut the cup and saucer from that tag and 2 plain cups- one from plain Walnut Stain Core'dinations cardstock and one from a piece of cardstock that had been run through a laser printer giving me a page of plain toner which I then foiled using my Heidi Swapp Minc and Heidi Swapp Rose Gold Foil.   I inked the edges of the non-foiled cups and attached them to the tag using foam tape.

A simple book-page band was added cross the lower part of the tag for contrast. I used a glue pen to apply a thin line of glue on the top and bottom of the book page which I then foiled using a scrap of foil-simply press the foil, shiny-side up, on to the glue. The word "friends" from  the Alterations Handwritten Love die set was cut using a piece of copy paper  that had been foiled using the same technique as the cardstock.

The top of the tag was embellished with a Core'dinations Walnut Stain scrap cut into a simple flag and stapled into place using the Tiny Attacher. The word "good" was die cut from the foiled copy paper using individual Alterations Alphanumeric letter dies. The die cut words and letters were attached using Ranger Multi-medium Matte. 

Studio Calico wooden stars billow on the steam from the coffee cups and the tag is topped by a seam binding bow colored using both Victorian Velvet and Ground Espresso Distress Sprays.

I have 3 more completed tags and a bunch of fun backgrounds to share over the next several days so come back or follow me on Instagram (DaneePKaps).

Laters....