distress spray stain & string...

back on November 26, 2012, I wrote this post about how to decant distress stains & use them as sprays...

so, to say I was overjoyed when the new sprays were released, is an understatement...

I'm NOT a patient person...

 I waited almost 2 years...

so I need to say...

it's about time!

ok...moving on...

the stains in dabber form are fun...

but as sprays they are...

THE BEST...

THE FASTEST &

they allow us to do "things" 

that you can't do with the stains

 in the dabber bottles...

there are 999 reasons why I LOVE the spray stains, but today I'll focus on just one...

 the spray stains are the key ingredient 

to this home decor piece...

get comfy...

I have lots of photos for you...

I started with this string thread, 

but I'm sure whatever brand you find is just fine...

these come in lots of sizes, so your pumpkin can be any size...

I chose to use wild honey, spiced marmalade sprays...

and used both to spray the thread...

I used crushed olive & peeled paint to make the stem...

below the sprays, you'll see I crumpled up a piece of kraft card stock, misted it with water, then sprayed it & allowed it to dry...

it dried & is really very strong...

it looks lame now...

but in the end it works...

true confession...

I'm addicted to letterpress...

I could use them on EVERY single project...

I had planned to do a halloween word like EEK or BOO...

but by using FALL, I can keep this out until Thanksgiving...

letterpress are so fun to use with my embossing powders...

just swipe the block on an archival pad, sprinkle with embossing powder & heat to melt the powder...

I alternated fern green & orange blossom...

it's super fast...

the powders only stick to the raised areas that got inked...

now they look like this...

 I  stamped over them...

because every detail matters...

I used watering can archival ink with the tiny text stamp...

a quick dry & the ink is permanent...

watering can is not as stark as jet black...

see?

it's a tiny detail...

but so cool...

did I mention that I LOVE letterpress?

to distress this metal plant stake,

 I added potting soil archival ink & dried that...

Ranger's new adhesive strips are THE BOMB...

I added a piece to the plant stake & it holds the letterpress firmly in place...

next, I grabbed heavier string to make the indentations in the pumpkin...

not sure what to call them...

I cut a large piece, dropped it in a lid, 

sprayed it with 

walnut stain distress spray stain, 

stirred it with a hemostat to completely cover it & let it dry...

ps...remember stains will stain your fingers...

then tied it tightly like this,

 to create the indentations...

don't worry...

those ugly ends all get covered up...

I also sprayed a tiny bit of walnut spray stain on the top of the pumpkin to add some shading...

next I die cut lots of leaves using tim's Sizzix alterations dies...

and these...

how many? 

that depends on the size of your pumpkin...

but leftovers are good for days you need to get something done in a hurry...

so cut lots...

I used my "clearly for art" (CFA) blackout so that this piece would be very strong & durable...

since I put some time into this project, I can easily pack it up & bring it out next fall & not worry that any of the pieces got crushed...

next, I enameled the leaves with my embossing powders...

I love the CFA blackout for this technique...

I like to wipe away the powders from the edges before heating them...

it creates shading very easily & a vintage effect...

to make them even more vintage, I swiped them with potting soil archival ink, using the mini blending tool...

here's a closer look...

the top green one was inked with potting soil...

these embossing powders can give you 2 different finishes...

the leaf on the left has one layer of embossing powder, so you'll see an orange peel textured surface...

the one on the right has a second layer of powder added, which creates a very smooth glass like finish...

more leaves...

some with texture...

the orange has the smooth finish...

I stamped over these CFA blackout leaves with my new "lots of leaves" background stamp, using jet black archival...

and I used jet black again to add text to these leaves...

this shows the 2 finishes better...

textured or smooth...

your choice!

I die cut these mini bottles from CFA blackout & enameled them & added remnant rubs...

I ended up not using the poison bottle for this piece, but it's ready to use on a card or tag later...

remnant rubs stick very well over embossing powders...

remember...

every detail matters...

again, I wiped away the powders from the edges &  

cut the corks in half to glue behind the bottles...

then heated the bottles & rounded them to make them more authentic...

see the great texture?

this is why I chose to have my embossing powders ground as a super fine detail powder...

see the one on the left?

I used my fingernail to put scratches in the bottle...

that has huge potential for a worn vintage look...

I wanted a base for the pumpkin to sit on...

this is an art parts piece...

it's the leftover inside part of 

the art parts square frame...

I added tree branch archival ink, sprinkled on the tree branch embossing powder, then heated it...

next, I used the checkmate stencil with jet black archival, then added jet black to the base edges with the blending tool...

ok...this next part is a little tricky because these alpha parts guys are plastic...

I swiped this piece onto the orange blossom pad, sprinkled it with orange blossom embossing powder, wiped some off some powder to expose the black & heated it to emboss...

this works if you are VERY CAREFUL &

KEEP the HEAT TOOL MOVING...

it's a little warped, but for this project I decided to embrace the imperfection...

(thanks Tim!)

I also added a piece of card stock behind it to make the letters more visible...

here's the enameled alpha parts framed...

I created a stickpin by wrapping some orange embroidery floss around 

the blossom bucket witches hat...

and used hot glue to add the memo pin to the back...

I enameled a small foliage flower, the leaves & the long fastener & hot glued them to the hat...

oops & I used jet black to add polka dots to the leaves...

now it's just a matter of creating a pleasing arrangement...

I used hot glue to hold everything...

and again...

the finished fall home decor piece...

oops again...

I twisted some wire & used hot glue to keep those pieces in place...

I LOVE the NEW large leaf in the back that is stamped with the screen stamp from my very first release back in 2008...

an oldie, but a goodie...

this was so much fun...

this is reason 1 of 999 why I'm thrilled that we now have distress spray stains...

I hope this tutorial gives you some inspiration to 

make (fall) art!

wendy

ps...I almost forgot...

the winners from the last post are...

from my Facebook page...

Keely Reeves Boley

and from the blog...

Bernice Piotrowski

please send me your addresses & Rick will get them postal...