Artful Mental Synthesis

I don't do it very often but wish I did more.

Working with metal, that is.

I LOVE it and have a giant stash of metal and metal working tools to show for it. 

Originally published in Scrapbook News and Review, April 2011

Here's a fun little pendant I made a few months back for a tutorial I did for Scrapbook News and Review magazine.  The tutorial shows how to age copper chemically.  It's really easy to do, albeit it takes quite a while. 

There are lots of other tutorials in the magazine each month in addition to the average of 400 pieces of eye candy.  That's a TON of inspiration for less than $5 a month!!!   I mean, I average around 8 tutorials a month alone and there are 4 or 5 of us who do tutorials so that's a lot of bang for your buck!  We cover a wide range of topics from scrapbooking to card making to stamping to digi to mixed media, everything from beginner to a little more advanced. 

Speaking of Scrapbook News and Review, the August 2011 calls are up!  Check them out HERE!!  Topics such as summer fun, on stage, paisley & harlequin stamps and more.  SNR's goal is to showcase a wide range of styles from beginner through advanced so never discount your work.  You can't get published if you don't submit!!  Come on!  Give us a try!!! 

♥Heidi

Vintage Plum Star Search voting lines are OPEN! Vote for me!!

The Vintage Plum Star Search voting lines are open until Monday early evening. If you like my layout, please vote for me HERE! (You must private message Ed McMahon your vote for "heidimyers" or the "Attempt the Impossible" layout. The private message link is at the bottom of Ed's post - looks like a little person with a speech bubble.)

Here's the layout I did for the "messy medium" challenge:

See this post here (or scroll down 3 posts) to see the original post for this and all the details about how and from what this layout was made.

The VP Star Search contest is 5 weeks of challenges to pick their July Guest Designer. How cool would that be?

Thank you all for supporting me in my journey into creative endeavors! It's been so much fun so far and I can't wait to continue the journey. I feel like I have so much more to learn, try, become, and offer you.

Heidi

Attempt the Impossible - Plum Star Search challenge #2 - Medium Madness

It's week 2 on Vintage Plum Star Search and the challenge this week was "medium madness" - to use various medium other than the usual ink and paper. You can see my post in the Vintage Plum gallery HERE.

VOTING STARTS TOMORROW, Sunday 5/24 and ends on Monday 5/25. If you like what you see, please VOTE FOR ME. I'll post the link for voting tomorrow when it comes up.

(Hey, does anyone out there in cyberland know how to make the pictures so that you can click on them and see them bigger? I can't seem to find a setting for this anywhere. If you know, please leave me a comment! Thanks!)

On to the techniques used.

The background paper is swished with Making Memories paints and then swiped with Delta Texture Magic (kind of a colored spackle) using a palette knife. Then I smooshed a paper towel over the wet paints to create a bit more texture. The yellow and red swooshes are "painted" on with a toothpick and then swiped with my finger.

The Tim Holtz stamp is embossed. "to be all that is possible, we must attempt the impossible. to be all that we can be, we must dream of being more."

The moon, earth, and some of the swooshes are drawn on with gray, white, and black pens. I think this is the first time I've drawn on a layout with a pen - other than writing or outlining an image.

There's also a sort of corner frame drawn on in pen in the lower left corner, too. This was inspired by THIS LAYOUT over on scrapjacked.com.

The rocket form was cut out of chipboard (I used a fruit snacks box, I think - repurposing!). Then I created another form out of an aluminum serving tray (repurposing!). The aluminum is embossed using various metal working tools such as a ball & cup, a Ten Seconds Studios texture plate, and free doodling using a teflon "pen". The aluminum was then adhered to the chipboard rocket. I backed the windows with reflective metallic paper by Best Occasions. The rocket was then swiped with Metallic Rub-Ons paste with my finger. Some of the diamonds are done in a green paste but you can't see it very well on the pic.

I am having so much fun with these challenges! The huge bonus would be to win the overall challenge and get to be Vintage Plum's July guest designer. I need your votes to win!

Details: Paper - The Paper Company, Best Occassions metallic paper; Pens - Zig Mellenium, American Crafts The Ultimate Gel Pen, SU! marker; Making Memories paint; Delta Texture Magic; Metallic Rub-Ons paste; Tim Holtz clear stamp; VersaMark; SU! embossing powder; ten seconds studios metal working tools and texture plates; Quickutz Silhouette rocket die cut; aluminum pan; palette knife; toothpick; paper towel; glue dots; foam dots; spackle (to help the rocket embossing keep its form).

Thanks for looking!

Thank you all for supporting me in this!

Heidi