Faux Print Look

One of the things I enjoy doing is checking the blogs of artists whose work I admire. I appreciate their creativity, and learn from their generous sharing of knowledge.

I recently saw a blog post from a paper artist in Europe. Her style is so bright and fun, and she often uses paint to create the backgrounds for her stamped cards. I was intrigued by a card she posted recently, and she included a link to the artist's video that demonstrated the technique she used, called the faux print look.

Here is a link to her blog post: http://somefiddlingonthekitchentable.blogspot.com/2016/04/faux-print-look.html. And here is the link to the video tutorial she referenced: http://www.kimdellow.co.uk/2016/04/video-get-faux-printed-look.html.

I was impressed with how easy she made it look, and couldn't wait to give it a try. I got out the very simple supplies needed: cardstock, acrylic paint (the cheap craft paint works fine), and an old plastic gift card.

Following her directions, I spread thin layers of paint across the surface of the cardstock, leaving a white border around the edges. Because the paint is so thin, it dries very quickly. It is so easy to make several backgrounds at once and have some on hand.

I love the way it turned out! I wanted to use it in a card to submit for a Facebook challenge with the Unity Show & Tell group. This particular challenge was to use one of the "Unity Girl" stamps - there are so many, but I only have a few. I thought this particular one (Maple Girl) would look nice against the painted background. I stamped it with Ranger Archival ink - since the face is tilted slightly towards the right, I placed the image to the left of my painted panel. 

I also used a Unity text stamp (Vintage Handwritten) in the background, around the main image - to keep it light, I stamped off on scrap paper before stamping on the panel. The sentiment is from a recent kit called "Sometimes I Wonder". I stamped that on a scrap of white cardstock, and blended Distress Peacock Feathers ink over it to get that shade of blue. I trimmed it down with some old decorative scissors from Stampin' Up!, and stitched it down to the main panel. 

After trimming, the stamped panel seemed a little short, so I got some scrap lace trim out to fill up that extra space at the bottom. I figured that the sewing machine was the best way to attach it, so I used deliberately messy stitching and  black thread to sew it down and create a frame around the card at the same time. I glued it down to some mustard colored cardstock, and left it under a book overnight to dry completely.

After posting it in the Facebook group, I received several nice comments, so I thought I'd put it out here for everyone. I appreciate that others shared what they did so that I could learn and benefit from it!

Hope your week is going well - I know I'm looking forward to the weekend!

Immi