trash talk...

but first some public service announcements...

I have updated my teaching convention demo schedule for 2014...

you'll find it on the right sidebar...

this will be a fun year...I get to visit some new stores & hook meet some new art friends...

teaching is what I LOVE to do...

there will be more visits added, but at least I have listed the first few months...

I hope you'll check it out & come spend a day or weekend with me...

making art!

next...

paste...I'll have another embossing/crackled texture paste later this week...

and answer questions...

I wanted you to know that I didn't forget...

next...

NEWS FLASH!!!

the new art parts stencil storage binder, large stamp binder & art journal cover (also fits the small stamp sets)  have ARRIVED!

you can also add blank white pages to the large & small binders...

you can store stamps on both sides of the blank sheets...

the small size pages are so convenient for storing your SiSi stamps & the large pages will store 4 background stamps on each page, so a package of 3 sheets will hold all 12 of my large backgrounds...

if you collect clear stamps, these storage pages work well for storing them too...

the binders make it so convenient to find the stamp you need...just flip thru the pages...

next...

archival reinker backgrounds...

I've had several requests for a "chart" with reinker combos that work together...

YIKES...there must be 1000 possible combos...

I think it's best to just play & see what you like...

I've tried some that I thought might not be good, but they are really cool...

I'll always tell you what I used, when I post something...

next...

the title of this post...

if you've been following me, you know that I HATE to waste & I'm always digging something out of the trash...

it makes Rick laugh & he'll comment..."what? we can't afford another piece of 10 cent paper?"...

which leads to this...

what happens if you create an archival reinker background & hate it?

here's video link to the archival reinker background technique

here's what I did...

I made a background & it didn't speak to me...

not even a little whisper...

nothing...

so I added some translucent embossing paste thru the checkmate stencil, hoping that would work...

still...nothing...

so I decided to chop it up & see what developed...

the background you see below was created on a 8 ½ x 6 inch piece of specialty stamping paper, with rubbing alcohol, cornflower blue & potting soil archival reinkers mixed with the gold metallic mixative...

I turned the paper over & on the back, I traced the heart stencil & a flower from the create a flower stencil...

I inked over the heart with forget-me-not archival...

next I used tim's new sizzix garden greens die to cut these a section of leaves from clearly for art (CFA), that was covered with a vintage dictionary page...

I used fern green & leaf green archival with a blending tool to add color...

see that single leaf...

you got it...left over from another project...

I dug it right out of the trash too...

next, I heated the leaves to soften the CFA so I could shape them...

for tiny things, a hemostat works well, so  fingers don't get burned...it has a very secure hold...

in the photo below, you'll see a small piece of manila cardstock...

it's 3 ½ x 3 ¾ inches...

this was also in the trash...I tried the archival reinker/alcohol technique on manila cardstock...but it soaked thru immediately & I didn't like it...

BUT...I noticed that it might look good with the heart, so I dug that out too, to see if it could be resurrected...

I used MY FAV...tree branch archival with the herringbone background stamp...

and stamped it randomly over the background...

then used watering can archival, with the new mini blending tool, to stencil the words...

then darkened the edges with gathered twigs...

that little bit of ink on the edge makes a big impact...

look at the photo above...then the photo below...

next...after shaking the tarnished brass distress paint, I used my finger to randomly paint the industrious border sticker...

now remember I worked in surgery in my other life, so I did a little surgery on my poinsettia stamp & cut off the little scroll/flourish thing & stamped it 3 times...

I knew where the heart would fit, so the junction of the stamps would be covered...

I used tree branch archival to stamp the index border on the left...

the border is from LCS038, live & make art set...

and glued it onto a kraft cardstock card...

the flower center is a mini Blossom Bucket star...

I took the photo from an angle, so you could see the translucent embossing paste...

great texture...

the whole card measures 3 ¾ x 4 ¼...

when I make a card, it's rarely a standard size...

when you dig stuff out of the trash...

you work with what's there...

it's small, but I like it...

so I still have lots of that left over background...

I traced another small heart, 3 mini hearts & 2 more flowers...

and cut them out...

and now, instead of being in the trash...

I have these fun pieces to play with...

it's amazing how different they look...

so the moral of the story...

if it doesn't speak to you...chop it up into smaller pieces so you can use them to...

make art!

wendy

ps...here's a peek at how I customized my art parts storage binders...

hope they inspire YOU...