Wood plank background tutorial

Hello friends! Another weekend is over and our sunny weather continued. We had a weekend of soccer, swimming in the local outdoor pool, playing Uno and doing arts. Anton got the idea of picking four random markers and then having to use just those four colors on a coloring page. We picked different colors and colored the same image. It was lots of fun and we got some surprising color combos.

This week we have a wide theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog, namely Anything but a Card. Our June guest designer is Christine Bedford with her blog Pearshapedcrafting, don't miss checking out her project for this week.

I made a tag this week, but the techniques can be used on practically anything. For this tag, I used a warm color combination of brown, yellow and gold. You will get a different effect if you use other colors. My favorite part of this tag is the wood plank background.

Start by die cutting three Woodgrain Blocks from heavy stock paper. As you can see, the die both cuts and embosses the paper.

Cut the blocks into planks and arrange them on a tag. Make sure to vary the placement to get an interesting look. Add a layer of clear gesso on top. The clear gesso gives great tooth for the Distress Crayon in the next step.

Color with Distress Crayons. I used Mustard Seed, Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo. Blend the colors with your finger.

Use a paper towel which is just slightly moist - too much and you will remove too much color. Remove as much color as you want.This step reveals the texture of the wood.

Stamp in a few places with the SSS Good Reading Background stamp.

Use a permanent marker to add nails to the planks.

The lovely Flower Cluster die was die cut twice. Apply embossing ink on top and sprinkle with two shades of embossing powder. I used a yellow and a gold shade, and the difference is quite subtle.

Here you can see the shine from the embossing powder better. It contrasts nicely with the matte background.

The wood background has a really nice texture.

I used Tim Holtz Sizzix Funky Floral 1 and Funky Floral 2 to die cut the small flowers. The larger one is in the first set and the small ones (I love them) in the second set. The small flowers were die cut from gold kraftcore paper and the larger ones from Sunshine Glimmery cardstock. Use the Tonic Tool kit to give them some dimension and glue them on the page.

The sentiment from Uplifting Thoughts was stamped on a piece of paper that I found in my scrap box. It had been watercolored with Distress Inks. This sentiment is so true and something important to be reminded of. Even a little bit of kindness can make a big difference.

I really enjoyed creating this background and want to try it on a larger surface soon.

I hope you will join us this week in our Anything But A Card challenge. As always, you have a chance to win a $50 gift voucher to do some fun shopping at Simon Says Stamp. You have until next Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in.

Don't forget to follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram, they post great stuff daily. 

Do you use Instagram? If so please add #sssmchallenge so we can see your entries there too.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog today!  

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies: 

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