Creating My Own Background

As I've admitted to many of my friends in the blogging and crafting community, I am a creature of habit who tends to create within her safe little box (my "comfort zone"), and I rarely ever take on trying something new or learning a new technique.  However, I did go out on a limb, and I ordered some Heavy Gesso by Prima and some cute little stencils.  I wanted to try my hand at a technique I had seen here on Melissa Phillips' Blog.  First, I stamped some PTI Background Basics words onto a piece of Watercolor Paper using Hickory Smoke Tim Holtz Distress Ink.  Then, I laid the PTI stencil across my stamped paper and spread a layer of the white Heavy Gesso across the paper/stencil.  You carefully peel up the stencil and let your gesso dry.   Once it dried completely, I had my hand-made background (which is the theme/requirement for this week's challenge at Pile It On Challenge Blog.

I added my sentiment using a new technique called Sentiment Strip Grounding which I learned on the Papertrey Ink Blog today.  I used a scrap of Crate Paper patterned paper which I inked to lay my strip, then I added a PTI (YOU) die-cut,  and a PTI stamped sentiment (sweet you), and a small piece of vintage tape.

For the "image" that I added to my Sentiment Strip, I cut a heart from a Papertrey Ink Stitched Heart die, and stitched it with ivory DMC floss.  I added a baker's twine bow and a tiny black button with mint baker's time in its center.  I also took a close-up of my card that allows you to really see the texture that Gesso gave my hand-made background.  It was really fun to create, and it's good to learn new things!

These are the challenges where I'm entering this card:

Pile It On Challenge Blog - Challenge #114 - Make Your Owhn Backgrounds    As I explained in detail above, I created this background by hand-stamping a piece of watercolor paper, and then layering it with  heavy white gesso using a floral stencil.  Once it dried, there was my hand-made background piece.

Nicole Heady's Papertrey Ink Blog - Make It Monday Challenge # 257 - Sentiment Strip Grounding - I used a piece of scrap paper to create my sentiment strip.  I added a Papertrey Ink "YOU" die-cut and a Papertrey Ink stamped sentiment using the Wonderful Words Stamp Set (sweet you), and I used a Papertrey Ink Stitched Heart Die, and a Papertrey Ink Woodblock Stencil Set to make my gesso background (learned from Melissa Phillips blog). 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog - Simon Says "Fabulous Florals" - I used a floral stencil to add a floral background over the stamping using Heavy White Gesso.  There's a photo that shows you a close-up of this fun technique and the sweet floral texture it gave my card.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Karen