Hello

This week I am sharing a project which began life as a piece of kraft card from the Mixed Media Paper/Card Kit, playing with sprays and texture paste on it before morphing into this collage/assemblage with the kraft panel adhered to a MDF panel cut to the same size... That's Crafty! will cut MDF to size requirements.

Frustratingly, the blue tones which are evident IRL on the project, doesn't really show in the photographs.

Supplies

That's Crafty! Surfaces Mixed Media Paper/Card Kit (kraft, corrugated cardboard, rice paper)
That's Crafty! Surfaces MDF Heart Pack of 12 #3
That's Crafty! Texture Paste
That's Crafty! Flat Matte Sprays: Aqua, Bluebell, Rose
That's Crafty! Multi-Surface Metallic Paints: Metallic Gold, Metallic Patina, Metallic Bronze
That's Crafty! Multi-Purpose Craft Adhesive
Character Constructions Clear Stamp Set - Paris Flea No. 1
Ranger Designer Series Archival Potting Soil Ink
Gesso
Walnut Ink Crystals (dissolved)
Idea-ology Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher
Mister Bottle (look HERE)
Palette Knife (That's Crafty! stock palette knives HERE)
Extras: Twig, Rusted Washer, Button, Black Thread, Scraps, Small Tag (which was tea stained), Fluid Acrylic Titanium White

Instructions

Play around on the kraft panel by applying walnut ink onto the kraft which has been prepared with Gesso (I have also tried this without the application of Gesso for a slightly different result). I always set out with no plan other than to play around.

Allow to dry before applying patches of the Texture Paste, again allowing to dry before spraying Aqua, Bluebell and Rose, not full coverage and in some areas I dab the surface to blend the sprays into the panel.

At this stage, I would recommend adhering the panel to a substrate, if that is your plan. Me... always making life more difficult, I only decided to adhere to the MDF panel on completion!

The heart I worked with as the focal was already prepared and so you will have to forgive me that I cannot give you the exact steps and products but it did appear as though I might have used Plaid FolkArt Rust Kit on the heart. To this I added a spritz of the Flat Matte Rose Spray before, applying with fingertips, Fluid Acrylic in Titanium White also adding a hint of Metallic Gold (That's Crafty!) paint.

While you have the paints out, it would be a good time to add flashes of metallic paints to the background panel, only in small random areas. It is funny when we say random because those "random" areas are often well considered!

Ink up the beautiful sentiment from the Character Constructions stamp set. Sadly, I didn't have room to include the word "an" in the line "an easy thread".  The bottom was torn off the tea stained tag before adhering to the heart, embellishing with a rusted washer and button threaded with black thread, keeping the tails hanging loose from the thread. The string ends from the tag were loosely wrapped around a twig which was also adhered to the panel.

Before adhering the heart and twig, gather corrugated cardboard and rice paper. I utilized pieces which had already been prepared with Gesso and the rice paper had been eco dyed, along with book text and other scraps.

The words "gentle" and "heart", from the same Character Constructions stamp, were individually inked up and stamped onto fragments of book page, torn and layered onto other scraps, as a means to convey the overall message of a Gentle Heart.

Until next week,
Wishes
Lynne