Summer of Creative Chemistry 2016: Week 8 -- Embossing (with a little Moroccan inspiration)

I cannot believe we are in week 8 of Summer of Creative Chemistry.  I have had such a blast!  Thanks again Tim!  This week we are using some of the embossing techniques that we have learned about in Creative Chemistry 102.  For my project below, I used the Tarnished Silver technique (a technique created by Shelly Hickox but shared by Tim in CC102) on my scrollwork frame.  I started with Tim's new substrate (in white) and diecut the right and left side of this substrate with Tim's Scrollwork On the Edge die.  This created the background for my project.  Next I cut a second piece of white substrate with the Scrollwork die to create two additional scrollwork pieces.  I applied the Tarnished Silver technique on these two pieces and adhered them to the left and right side of my background piece of substrate. 

So, I had a lot of inspiration for this project.  Along with participating in Tim Holtz's Summer of Creative Chemistry, I've also been able to watch some TV over the summer.  I'm not teaching classes this summer and this gives me more time to relax and enjoy life.  One of my guilty pleasures is watching home improvement television shows.  I saw one where they tiled a bathroom shower with Moroccan style pattern with glass tile.  I loved it!  I wondered if there was anyway I could create a  similar Moroccan glass tile pattern with my craft supplies.

 I thought about using Tim's Ideology Fragments; but, then I remembered that I had some shrink plastic.  I knew I could stamp on that and color it with alcohol inks.  After some trial and error, it worked!  I used parts of some Tim Holtz Classics Stamp sets stamps for the images on the glass tile.  Always stamp on the bottom of the clear tile (with archival ink) and color with alcohol ink on the top of the tile.  The alcohol ink will mess up the stamped image if you apply it on top of the archival stamped image.  Also ... use rubber stamps.  Much better image than using clear stamps!

Ok ... It's not perfect.  Those square tiles are somewhat warped.  This happens when the shrink plastic is heated, even if you die cut the squares. The alcohol ink wiped off some of the tiles when I "grouted" them with Ranger Texture Paste.  As I wiped the Ranger Texture Paste off with a water-dampened paper towel, the alcohol ink came off as well.  I ended up having to reapply the ink after the tiles were adhered to the project (Messy!!).  I learned (a little too late) that you can seal the alcohol ink on top by using Krylon Triple-Thick Crystal Clear Glaze.  I sprayed this on the tiles before I coated them with Glossy Accents and it kept the reapplied alcohol ink from "melting" off my tiles with the wet Glossy Accents.

Another influence I had this week was Simon Says Stamps Monday Challenge: Add Some Texture.   Wow!  You should really visit and see all the amazing DT pieces.  I was sooooo inspired by them this week.  I'm not much for adding Texture Pastes to projects, but I thought I'd give it shot this week with all my other experimentation.  I thought it would be cool to continue the Moroccan theme and embed my glass tiles in a plaster wall with more Moroccan-influenced imagery.  So, out comes the Texture Paste again to give me a crumbled plaster wall.  It was so fun to try to figure out how to get my Moroccan designs in the plaster.  I ended up using a Inkadinkado stamp (Background Clings Large Ornamental Tile) to impress the patterns above the "glass" tiles.  I love using Distress Crayons (neutral colors with a water brush and smudging) to color the Texture Paste.  Amazing!  It worked so much better than anything else to get that old painted "plaster" wall feel.

Adding the texture on the lower part of the wall was fun.  I used Tim's Trellis to die cut shrink plastic.  After I heated the trellis, I pressed the "shrunken" plastic trellis t in the Texture Paste (below the "glass" tiles) to make the Moroccan tile effect in "plaster".  I used Dylusions Vibrant Turquoise Ink Spray, Tumbled Glass Distress Ink, and Peacock Feathers and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Crayons to get the blue-green hue.  I added some Chipped Sapphire Distress Crayon on the tiles at the very top of that pattern.  I then grunged it (can't help myself!) with Walnut Stain, Black Soot, and Hickory Smoke Distress Crayons.  To lighten it up, I grabbed some gesso to swipe lightly over the texture at the at the bottom.

I added the "discover beauty" remnant rub to the piece because that's what I saw in the shower tile that started this whole creative process.  (Isn't it amazing where you get inspiration?)  And then the piece was done!  With all my texture experiments, I'm definitely entering it into SSS Monday challenge this week.  What fun!  Well, thanks for coming along this crazy creative journey with me.  Hope you are having some time to create during these warm summer days as well!  Hugs to you all -- Mary Elizabeth