Adventures with mica!

I've played with various types of mica for years, mostly because they sparkle and I like that.  However mica powders and mica flakes are not a patch on mica tablets or sheet mica!
I ordered some a couple of weeks ago and have been playing.  You can see the results below:

Looks like a stained glass window

 Mica is a rock, and when it arrived it was in a relatively thick sheets (like mount board thickness).  I was surprised to discover it didn't snap when I bent it, I wobbled it and eventually took a pair of scissors to it!
When I ran my thumb nail over the edge I found it was easy to de-laminate various layers, until they became super thin. and even more flexible.

You can see some minor de-lamination in the sheet above

The piece above is alcohol ink dripped onto glossy card stock as the substrate.  Unfortunately, you can't see the reflective quality of the mica in the photo's.   I peeled off a thin sheet of mica and stamped it with StazOn ink.  So far I haven't had much luck with other inks, but that is experimentation for another day.  After stamping, I glued the mica sheet to the substrate with Glossy Accents and once dry, I cut it with craft scissors.

Reminds me of ice!

I then tried embossing it in a folder.  The piece I embossed was almost full thickness and I was absolutely stunned with the result.  The various layers de-laminated where the embossing was and turned the whole thing into a beautiful mirror like finish.  Unfortunately it was too thick and reflective to see the substrate, so I carefully peeled off a layer.  It isn't as easy to peel whole layers once they are embossed.  There is a tendency for it to split away, but you get some lovely pieces that can be used elsewhere.

Close up of embossing and de-lamination

This piece is also alcohol ink on glossy card stock, with a layer of embossed mica over the top.  The stamping was done after it was put together and I added some blue dewdrops to finish it.

Thanks for looking and back to the experimentation!

Vintage Beauty

The topic at Take A Word Monday is Vintage Beauty so I decided to do two things at once.  I made an ATC for a swap this month and created it to suit the theme from TAW

It's a simple piece from me this time, but I love how it has turned out.

Love those shoes!

A few weeks ago I went to a Flea market and found some cigarette cards of old movie stars that I thought I may be able to use in my art. They are real photo's not a print, so they are quite thick but have aged beautifully. Today is the turn of Ms Maril De Forest and pretty she is too.

The background is scrapbook paper in a grey and paler grey stripe.  Attached to that is the photo of Ms De Forest.  Over the top I thought the Tim Holtz film ribbon was so fitting and I added the text down the right hand side from my computer and coloured with some Pumice Stone Distress Ink.

I finished it off with a small star from my stash.

TXTure

I entered an ATC swap with the theme of 'Text'.  Any content was acceptable so long as there is some text on the card.  It was a very long turn-around (approx 2 months) before I could post these but finally, they are in the hands of their new owners and I can share them on here...  Hurrah!

Who's sending me txts?

 This one has a base of vintage text which I cut into random shapes and then glued to the substrate in various directions.  The design of the card was meant to be crisp, so I cut the paper rather than tear.  Then I applied paint to the edges, I think it was antique lined distress ink but I could be mistaken.
Next came three 1" squares that I painted with variously shades of yellow, orange and red.  The letters are chipboard covered in copper embossing powder and then clear embossing powder layer over the top.

 I found a quirky quote in an old Punch magazine and decided to make this the basis of the ATC.  The background is Dylusions spray ink in bubble gum pink and 2 shades of blue with a salt technique(draws in the ink to leave spots).  Next I stamped a row of little houses on vintage text and coloured them with Twinkling H2Os.  I masked the houses and then applied overlapping circles in bronze paint below the houses.  The word showtime uses individual stamps that I punched out from white card stock using a tiny circle punch.

I love this one.  The background is painted with various shades of orange, burnt orange and bronze.  I then splattered some turquoise paint across the card from my paint brush.  (I watered down the paint to flicking consistency first).  Next I applied a very thick layer of Viva Croc medium on vintage paper.  It took ages to dry but the effect was brilliant.  I then carefully applied Broken China Distress ink to the heart and pounced it until it worked down to the paper (I should have just done it on the back, but hindsight is a wonderful thing).
The print is from my computer, edged in vintage photo distress ink and the whole lot glued to the substrate.

My Heavy Metal Band

In mid-July I entered my first ever ATC swap with the theme of 'metal.  The swap has now been completed and I can post my cards on the blog.

Metal ATC Swap

We only had to send one card but I decided to make four in total of which I sent two.  The cards I sent were 'Gold' and 'Iron'.  The base is Neenah white card stock, rubbed with Distress Ink in Pumice and Rust then splashed with water.  The letters are chipboard and coated in various embossing enamels or iron filings, before being adhered to the card stock.  The card stock was then glued to mat board to give them a sturdy feel and to add to the visual strength.

The Rust ATC is intentionally coloured in the opposite of the other three cards.  I really love these as a set and am thinking of remaking the two I sent out and framing them for my wall.

Finding Nemo, or other random bits

A few weeks ago I entered an ATC swap with the theme of maps ( at the Willowing site.)  I thought of many concepts from mind maps, phrenology, treasure maps, undergrounds maps, it just went on and on.  I finally decided that the theme from me evoked images of pirate treasure and the days of sailing ships. My partner for the swap has now received the cards so I thought I would share on here.
We had to produce two ATCs that were in similar style but not exactly the same.  My first card was titled 'Lost at Sea'.

Lost at Sea

I used Neenah white card stock and stamped it with an old map in Sepia Archival Ink.  I then brushed Antique Linen distress ink over the whole front of the card.  And finally stamped the splatter stamp also in sepia colour, to make it even more distressed.
The shells are Paua fragments, the starfish is a metal embellishment I covered in brownish paint.  The net is made from muslin, I dyed with Forest Moss distress Ink.

Lost at Sea close-up

The second card I think I called 'Treasure Haul.'  The same treatment for the map and the net but instead of sea life and shells I attached what is meant to look like treasure: gold mica flakes, coins of various types, some sparkly bling bits in blue and diamante.  I finished it off with a length of chain and some small keys.

Treasure Haul

A much better photo of the 'treasure'

I really must do something about either my photography or my camera, things are so much better when you can see them correctly.

ATC - little beginings

I have entered an ATC swap and, never having made an ATC before, I thought I'd make a couple extra.  The theme for this swap is 'metal' or metal related.  I had some great ideas that followed the theme, but what did I make?

Dream in Colour

Well, they are very vibrant, colourful ATC's with no sign of metal anywhere.  For this fiasco I blame the arrival of my new Dylusions spray inks from Dyan Reaveley.  They are just so bright and bold that I didn't want to stop playing with them.  I love how the colours blend and change as you look at them.  On the Dream in Colour card I used Bubble Gum Pink and Pure Sunshine.  All of the other shades are made by the colours blending together.

Smelly Cat

On this one I used London Blue and Bubble Gum Pink again.  The cat is cut from a bigger stamp and coloured with inktesil pencils.  I did some random stamping with various things and sprayed through a harlequin stencil with water to get the ghosted image.  The letters are tiny individual stamps I filled in using a soufflé pen.
And as for the 'metal' ATCs -  I made 4 in accordance with the theme, and two will be going into the mail today.  I will post photo's later once they have arrived with the recipient.