Distressing.....

So someone in one of the groups I'm in (Inkyfunstampers @ Yahoo-GREAT bunch of Inky People...and Fun too, go figure :P ) mentioned Tim Holtz Distress Inks and ways to use the ink. I thought, "Self, YOU have a Distress Ink Pad you bought a few years back because it 'sounded cool'. Go find it and try some stuff out with it." Being the obedient person that I am I did exactly that! After checking out some videos by Tim Holtz and others using his Distress Inks and Alcohol Inks of course. Oooohhh boy, when my hubby finds out who started that thread about using Distress Ink they are going to be in trouuuuuble!

These pictures aren't very good, but I decided to try a couple different alcohol ink techniques but using regular dye inks instead. Really did not turn out anything like alcohol ink would, but it was still fun (and leaves me REALLY wanting some alcohol inks for CHRISTmas, hint hint hubby (like he reads this :P )).

The two darker bits above right are just Stampin Up! White Glossy cardstock cut into 4 1/4" x 2 3/4" pieces with various reinkers applied over and around with a CTMH Swipe & Wipe and then stamped over with Stazon' Inks.

These three lighter ones with bamboo, CHRISTmas bits, and joy are the same cardstock with a Stamped Image using VersaMark or a generic colored pigment ink and then Tattered Rose Distress Ink brayered overtop. It was definitely entirely too much fun....obvious from the fact that I should have been to bed almost two hours ago! (Sorry the pictures leave MUCH to be desired. My "real" camera has grown legs and I am currently using my camera phone. :( ).

On a side note, the Snowbottle family just needs to stay still long enough for me to take a pic and I'll upload the finished product...or wait, maybe I need to stay still long enough to take the pic. Anyway, I don't think I should really be blogging past my bedtime....I tend to get a wee bit goofy.

Sparkly Snowbottles

I wait months and months without posting and now that I am posting it has NOTHING to do with scrapbooking! :p I picked up a copy of cLoth paper scissors (clothpaperscissors.com) last week when I saw these adorable "sparkling snowmen" on the cover . So last night I decided to try my hand at some altered mixed media art. It was a TON of fun. I LOVE glass bottles and had picked up a tobasco bottle years ago on a beach in Florida just because it was there and I had an old glass perfume bottle from avon laying about so I thought I'd give it a try.

The snowmen are simply made by creating a head from self drying white clay (I actually used scupley clay because it's what I had-it worked out just fine). The faces are made with metal brads and an orange photo clip. The snowbottle in the front actually has the bottle's original topper as it's hat. The arms are beaded wire and vintage glass and metal buttons. Her buttons are three clear flat glass marbles.

The snowbottle in the back has an old ring of mine as her hat with multiple strands of silver ribbon, a half of a paper flower for "wings", multiple snow themed ribbons around the long neck, white sparkly snow stickers and a bit of ribbon wrapped around the bottom.

Both bottles are filled half way with various beads to give them some weight and whimsy and then sprayed with acrylic sealer, sprinkled with fine glitter and finished off with the sealer again.

I have one more snowman head waiting to be placed upon his Coke Bottle body tonight. I haven't decided if these girls are done or need some more embellishment. I will post again once I have at least the trio completely completed. I really enjoyed digging through all my bits and bobs of glass, metal, beads, and ribbons....and my stash is getting lighter the more I do...imagine that! Thanks for stopping by!