Mixed Squares Background

Hello friends! I hope your weekend was good! Today I have a mixed media tag to share with you, using fun and easy techniques.

We have a Recycle theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge this week. I hope you will join us! And don't miss the gorgeous recycle project by our March guest designer Sandra Rupp.

I like to work on cardboard from boxes and it is something that we all have around. It is a sturdy surface with lots of texture. I die cut a tag from a piece of cardboard. Other recycled items include: a pencil, buttons and fibers. Many years ago I found a big box of old buttons in a stationary shop in a small town in South Africa. Most of them appeared to have been cut from old clothes. I washed them and organised them in bags according to color and have used them on projects every since then. 

I forgot to take a photo of the first steps. Tear the edges of the cardboard and apply gesso to the background. When the gesso is dry, apply Matte Texture Paste through the Simon Says Stamp Mix and Match Squares stencil. Let dry. Paint with Distress Paints and mist with water to help the paints blend.

When dry, apply a shadow with a Hickory Smoke Distress Marker. 

I wanted a darker shadow and used some Black Soot too and blended it out a little with water.

Stamp the photo slide frame from the Simon Says Stamp Mix and Match Squares Stamp set with Spring Rain ink on white paper. I happen to really like photo slides, which is why I added one to this stamp set, and it is also in a true size. I will be using this stamp a lot. Cut the frame out and emboss it with three or four layers of clear embossing powder. Always be very careful when using a heat tool and never touch the melted powder until it has cooled down completely.

Stamp three of the sentiments from Mix and Match Squares, on the squares. They are designed to coordinate with the squares on the stencil.

Place the stencil back over the design and apply Moon Dust Stickles with a palette knife. I avoided the squares with the sentiments, which also gave a nice variation.

The glitter adds a really nice touch, while the background color still shines through.

I found a piece of cardstock where I had printed childhood photobooth images. It is printed on textured cardstock, so the photos also look textured. This is me and my Dad.

I found the pencil on my desk and thought it would be fun to add to the project. I think one of the boys might have picked it up someplace. The buttons were stitched to the background with DMC floss.

I hope you will join us this week in our Recycle challenge. You have a chance to win a $25 gift voucher to do some fun shopping at Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in.

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

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by here today! 

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

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