L'entree ~ ScrapFIT Reveal Workout #50 Book Cover Inspiration

It's reveal day at ScrapFIT for Workout #50 ~ book cover inspiration.

After the 9/11 tragedy, our home education was modified to accomodate our children's interest in New York. Because both sets of Gary's grandparents had immigrated through Ellis Island, that became a focal point of our studies. In June of 2002, we had the opportunity to take the ferry through New York Harbor and toured Ellis Island in person. This layout includes some photos taken that day. 

Now that you've seen my layout, here is the challenge:

Workout #50 - Be Inspired By A Book!

I love books, especially kids books! They are great for little minds and they can also be great to spark your crafty creativity! Use the book cover below to inspire your next layout! Use the design of the cover, the color, or the vintage vibe - be creative!

In all honesty, I was a bit perplexed when I first saw this book cover. But, the more I look, the more inspiration I see. I decided to go with the ironwork light pole and French as my inspiration. Thus the ironwork light pole and French title. If you look closely, the background paper's script is in French as well. 

Just look at all the different types of inspiration here: Retro, Color, Fire Truck, Couple holding hands, City Life, City Sky Scape, Layout Design, Cafe, and I'm sure you can find more. Pick an inspiration and have fun joining the ScrapFIT Workout.

The winner of this challenge will receive this gorgeous prize sponsored by Precocious Paper ~ Summer Twilight Sampler a fabulous selection of handcrafted goodies. Click on the photo for more wonderful details:

Now head on over to ScrapFIT to see the fabulous inspiration layouts put together by our design team!

Techniques:

1) Rub a bit of Pitch Black alcohol ink onto metal embellishments to give them some age.

2) I found out that grungepaper does NOT hold up to a heat tool - it warps and shrinks, but you can give it some texture by applying a thick coat of gesso before painting. Be sure the gesso is dry before painting.

3) To dress up lace, add some hand stitching. I added a small french knot to the center of each flower on the lace.

Chipboard Close-ups:

Bronzed Chipboard and Crackle Chipboard tutorial:

Here are the supplies you will need for this technique:

~ Chipboard

~ Gesso

~ Brown Metallic or Bronze Metallic Paint

~ Perfect Pearls in Perfect Bronze, Cappuccino, and Biscotti (Optional)

~ Crackle Accents (Sorry I just noticed that I put glossy accents in the photo.)

Studio G or other black glitter glue (Clear glue with black glitter) I wouldn't use black diamond stickles for this because it has silver glitter mixed in. I don't have black soot stick distress stickles, but if the glitter is only black, that would work. I have Walnut Stain distress stickles, and that looks like it would work as well.

~ Distress Ink in Black Soot, Walnut Stain, and Pumice Stone with foam applicators (I used make up wedges.)

~ Assorted paint brushes

~ Heat Tool

~ Tweezers (optional)

~ Misting bottle (only needed if you use Perfect Pearls)

~ Not Pictured - glass or other heat resistant surface

Step 1:

Paint the chipboard you will be finishing in bronze with a thick coat of gesso, in this case, the flourish. I applied the gesso with a paint brush in one coat - very thick and kind of gloppy. 

The butterfly will be finished with crackle, so I painted a thinner smooth coat of gesso ~ it may take two coats to get full coverage.

Set aside your crackle piece to dry.

Step 2:

While the gesso is still wet, use your heat tool to heat the piece(s) or portion of chipboard that you want in a bronze finish. If your crackle and bronze is all part of one piece, just heat the portion that will be bronze, being careful not to heat the portion you will be applying crackle medium to.

Heat the gesso until it bubbles up as much as you want. If part of it doesn't bubble enough, just paint on some more gesso and heat again until you get the look you want. Once it cools down a little (make sure it is cool enough not to burn you, but still warm and pliable), with your fingers, pop down any bubbles that don't collapse on their own. If your gesso makes a kind of tunnel, just push it down as well, or break it off and push down the edges to smooth them out. This is a very forgiving technique. If you don't like a portion, just play with it until it looks right. You can see in my next photo that I did some more molding with my fingers before I painted the gesso chipboard.

For my sign, I heated just the ironwork portion - the sign I left unheated so it would be smooth for the crackle finish. I just didn't point the heat tool toward that part of the chipboard, and didn't worry if the "ironwork" was  bubbled all the way to the sign.

Step 3:

I'm not sure if it is clear in these photos, but the perfect pearls, add more of a metallic shine and shimmer to the chipboard. Totally optional. I first brushed on the Perfect Bronze, then over that brushed on some Cappuccino. Perfect pearls contains a binder that is activated by water, so once you have the perfect pearls brushed on, mist with some water - shown in the second photo. After spritzing, I blotted it dry with paper towels.

Step 4:

Use a foam applicator to rub Distress ink over the chipboard. First I rubbed on Walnut Stain, then followed that up with Black Soot. Don't try to cover the entire chipboard piece, because you want the bronze to come through. Just rub into the crevices and wipe off the excess. I'd say start with a light hand and then darken more a little at a time as desired. 

Step 5:

Now brush on some black glitter glue. I used Studio G, but any clear glue with black glitter will work. As mentioned in the supplies, I would NOT use black diamond stickles, because I don't want silver sparkle here, just some black to settle into the crevices to give some more age. The Black Soot Stickles might work. I haven't tried them, but if the glitter chunks are black in a clear glue medium, they should work.


This photo doesn't look a lot different from the previous one, but trust me, in peson the black glitter really adds a lot of age/grunge, that isn't showing up in this photo.

Step 6: 

Now let's finish up the crackle part.

Once the gesso is dry to the touch, paint the edges of the chipboard with the brown or bronze metallic paint, then with a nearly dry brush, pull some of the paint onto the edges of the gesso. Then when that is dry, rub some Pumice Stone Distress Ink around the edges for a shadow effect. If you happen to get some paint in the middle where it doesn't belong (Go ahead, ask me how I know?? :-) just paint some gesso over it.

I forgot one step that I did for my sign in the layout. I wanted an aged slightly yellowed look, so I rubbed Biscotti Perfect Pearls onto the gesso and then misted with water. I don't have a photo of this so you'll just have to use your imagination! :-) You could also use a pale yellow or cream paint over the gesso or rub a similar color ink over the gesso to get the color you are looking for. I wanted a bit of shimmer as well as the color, so that is why I chose the perfect pearls for my sign.

Step 7:

Once everything is dry to touch, squeeze a generous coat of Crackle Accents over the chipboard you want to crackle. I start at one side and carefully go back and forth until the entire piece is covered. If you get any bubbles, take the point of a needle and carefully draw the bubble to the edge where it can be eliminated. It will take several hours or over night for the Crackle Accents to fully dry. It cracks as it dries. You will see cracks forming at the edges at first, then slowly across the entire piece as it continues to dry. Cool isn't it?

RAK Opportunity:

Don't forget. If you a follower, complete a ScrapFIT Workout or Weekend Warm Up in August, and comment to let me know on my "Today" post, you'll get you're name in the hat for my RAK, a dozen of these little crocheted flowers that I made. I'll put your name in the hat for each project you complete, just be sure to leave a comment for each one. (Or one comment telling me all of the Workouts you completed.)

Paper:

My Mind's Eye ~ Lost and Found - Union Square "Beautiful Day: Paris

My Mind's Eye ~ Lost and Found - Union Square "Home Sweet Home: Collage

My Mind's Eye ~ Bella Bella - French Flea Market

Ellis Island Post Card and Ship Recored Images Printed from the Internet 

Idea-ology ~ Grungepaper

Embellishments:

Creek Bank Creations ~ chipboard sign post ~ 12 x 12 chipboard set - Light and Swirls

Creative Imaginations ~ Blank Chipboard Shapes ~ Marah Johnson (flourishes)

Vintage Sheet Music ~ From vintage hymn book in my stash

Idea-ology ~ Word Sticks

Idea-ology ~ Word Keys

Lace ~ from my stash

Metal Letters ~ from my stash

Queen and Co. ~ Chocoloate Delight Pearls

Floral Corner ~ Yard Sale Find

Technique Products:

Liquitex ~ Gesso

Ranger Distress Ink ~ Pumice Stone, Black Soot, Walnut Stain

Ranger Perfect Pearls ~ Perfect Bronze, Cappuccino, Biscotti

DMC Embroidery Floss ~ #931

Studio G Glitter Glue ~ Black

Ranger Inkssentials ~ Crackle Accents

DecoArt Dazzling Metallics Paint - Metallic Glaze ~ Renaissance Brown

Tools:

Tonic Studios ~ Paper Distresser

Scotch Advanced Tape Glider

Darice ~ Heat Tool

Basic Grey ~ Precision File Set

Gazelle to cut Photo Mat, Thread Piercing Guide, and Title

I've entered this at:

Scrapbook Sisters ~ Anything goes

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I so appreciate your feedback! Let me know what you think of my tutorial.

~ Blessings ~