the summer months certainly seem to be a great time for many to travel and take vacation time. even though i travel throughout most of my calendar year, i still love the adventure of it all, going places, and seeing the world. whether you’re a road warrior, or one who doesn’t travel much, many of us still have visions of where our dream journey would be, where would you go, what you would hope to see? today’s tags is inspired by the three simply words i say often – “enjoy the journey”…
i said tags because i was inspired to make several tags using this month’s layered mask technique since we have so many ways to travel – ships, planes, trains, automobiles. so whether you want to create a travel themed tag, or just play with some of your favorite images, today’s technique is all about stamps. i know i’ve said it many times, but it’s worth repeating: stamps are by far one of the most versatile creative tools, and after you try this month’s tag hopefully you’ll agree…
supplies: idea-ology mask sheets, craft sheet, distress stain/pumice stone/frayed burlap, distress ink/walnut stain, distress markers/black soot/salty ocean/faded jeans/ripe persimmon/pumice stone, archival ink/jet black, heat tool, mister, ink blending tool, grid-blocks, stamps/cms102/cms127/cms128/cms129, paper string, scissors, distresser
step 1: for the background of these tags, i wanted something vintage, yet light enough for my ink colors i will be stamping with to show so i am using distress stain. i love the color combo of pumice stone and frayed burlap – simply swipe both colors side by side on to the craft sheet.
step 7: usually when i create something i don’t put much thought into it. in fact, i often say thinking is overrated, but this particular technique is more effective when you have a visual strategy. so first select the images you want to use.
step 8: i like the fact that with cling mount stamps i can take the images and “pre-layer” them on a tag to give me perspective as to what images i want on the top, and what images i want more in the background (you can always change your mind later if you need to).
step 9: for the images i want to be the top layer or focal points we need to make a mask of that image. i’m using my mask sheets from idea-ology. these mask sheets are clear acetate with repositionable adhesive backing and completely reusable.
step 10: inside the package there are 4 sheets of clear material. 2 of the sheets are labeled “MASK” and the other 2 are completely clear. the sheets marked “MASK” are the ones we actually use to create the mask. the other ones are the storage sheets for the masks you make. *make sure you stamp on the side that says “MASK THIS SIDE UP”!
step 11: when stamping on a mask sheet, you need to stamp the images with staz-on ink (insert gasp here). i always use the best ink for the job even if it many not be a ranger ink, and in this case since the mask sheets are an oil based plastic archival ink won’t ever dry.
step 12: once the stamped images are dry, cut them out using sharp scissors and be sure to cut on the actual image itself. in other words don’t leave any halo around the image, you need to cut directly on the image edge. if you have stamp2cut you can quickly cut out your masks.
step 19: begin coloring directly on to the stamp using the side of the brush tip end of the distress marker. *note: the brush tip is designed to be flexible, not indestructible, so don’t color using the tip of the marker – use the side. also, if you don’t have distress markers you can also stamp using distress ink pads.
step 22: lift the stamp and see what just happened. since you have the masks over your main images, the stamped layered image won’t overlap and goes to the edges of the masked stamped images – so cool.
step 26: with masks STILL in place, begin inking portions of the background of the tag with distress ink using an ink blending tool. this will create a contrast between the masked image and the background.
step 28: the clear storage sheets that i mentioned that come with the masks sheets are a great thing to have, but honestly i prefer to store my masks directly on the clear sheets my stamps come on. this way i know what images i have masks for, easily find them, and more importantly can reuse them over and over (much better than creating one from a post-it).
the details: i really love the simplicity and effectiveness of this technique – even more so when people see it and ask “how did you do that” ? they usually try to rub their fingers across the tag expecting to feel additional layers of paper, but we know it’s all smoke and mirrors don’t we?…
since the techniques are all the same as i just shared above, i thought it would still be good to show you photos of the layering process for each one:
so i hope you give this month’s masking technique a try. in fact i think once you start masking things you won’t be able to stop. you can create masks from any of your stamp images as well as die cut shapes using any steel rule dies or even your electronic cutters. you can ink over them, paint over them, spray over them, just don’t heat over them as they are not heat stable and will melt in a flash (hmmm… how do i know that?). the effects of layering with masks is a fun way to use your various stamps and ink colors you would normally assume wouldn’t all fit together, but with this trick they do. as always, i can’t wait to see what you guys come up with this month – have fun…t!m
congrats to the winners from the july 12 tags of 2013.
if you see your name (and it links to your tag)
please email firstname.lastname@example.org to claim your prize…
1. Maisie Moonshine
3. Shari Trumbull
4. Sarah Engels-Greer
5. Christine Brasacchio
6. Annette Green
7. Cathy Michaels
9. Barbara Washington
10. Merete M
12. Liz B./BfloAnonChick
*be sure to check your local stores for these supplies or you can
click the links below to purchase online…
(SSS=simon says stamp / IE=inspiration emporium)
GREAT NEWS! both of these online stores are offering a discount of 10% off your purchase – use the following codes with your order:
(SSS code: AUGTIM / IE code: timtime)