Enjoying the Journey with Man's Best Friend

Hello everyone!  I'm back with a project for this week's Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge: It's a Dogs Life.   In fact, I was inspired by SSS Design Team member, Zoey, and her "Mr. Tibbitts and his traveling companion" tag.  I decided to document Mr. Tibbitts and his faithful companion's journey.  They took a cross-country road trip in Mr. Tibbitts' old jalopy.   This project celebrates the fact that you can always enjoy the journey as long as you have your best friends along for the ride.
 

 The background of this project is a chipboard insert for a scrapbook album. I covered it with a page containing a map of the US from Tim Holtz's Idea-ology Correspondence Paper Stash.  Ground Espresso Archival Ink was used to add a few more travel-related stamps from own considerable stash.  Once I was happy with the images in the background, I decided to mute them with a wash of Antique Linen Distress Paint and water.  When that dried, I added some washy tape printed to look like a rode to help frame the project.  Black crackle paint was added along the edges of the chip board and also on the border of the background paper to create a "worn and torn" look for the edges of my map.

 Next I wanted to highlight the friendship between Mr. Tibbitts and his dog.  To go along with my travel documentation, I grabbed some of my Tim Holtz Idea-ology stickers that include the entire alphabet made out of piece of old license plates.  I spelled the word "FRIENDS" using these cool letters.

 Next came Mr. Tibbitts, his dog, and his jalopy.  I've made quite a few projects with Tim Holtz's Old Jalopy dies (both the large one and movers and shapers version).  I think this one has to be one of my favorites.  I cut just the body of the car out of heavy duty mixed media paper.  The die cut was stamped with Tim's Gears Blueprint stamp and then one of his stamps that has text & images from a catalog of bicycle gears and parts.  I watercolored the stamped jalopy with Pumice Stone, Hickory Smoke, Walnut Stain, and Black Soot Distress Crayons. I adhered the jalopy to the background with Distress Matte Collage Medium.  The cracked windows were made with Ranger's Crackle Accents.  Once dry and cracked, I used a Walnut Stain Distress Marker and water brush to bring out the crackle texture even more.  Then Mr Tibbitts and his dog made their appearance.  They are from Tim's Idea-ology Paper Dolls Paperie pack. 

I stamped and heat embossed Tim's Enjoy the Journey stamp on more mixed media paper.  The "N" license plate letter inspired its Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink coloring. The left side of my project looked a little bare, so I added Tim's Enjoy the Journey die (Stacked Artful Words Sizzlet Die Strip) cut from some vintage script Paper Stash paper.  After all of my paper embellishments had added to the project, I gave the entire thing a coat of Distress Matte Collage Medium.  Once this dries, you can grunge to your heart's content with Distress Crayons.  The medium allows the crayon to glide on and makes it "smudgeable".  I went to town with Walnut Stain and Black Soot Distress Crayons to add "grunginess", outlines and shadows.  When I needed more control, like with the Enjoy the Journey die cut outline, I used a detailing paint brush and water with the Distress Crayons.

Et Voila, the project is complete.  I had a great weekend playing in paper.  Thanks for the inspiration SSS Design Team.  What a fun challenge!

Since I stamped myself all around this project, I'm also going to enter it in

Craft Stamper Take It Make October Challenge: Anything Goes Stamping Challenge

I have to say, it is awesome to be back in the craft room again :)  Mary Elizabeth