I created this little chipboard reliquary while playing with my stash of Gina's Designs Lasercuts.
Although I run like hell and scream like a ninny when one comes near me, I do have a soft spot for bees. Can we talk for a moment about THIS be in particular?
It's all sorts of spectacular. It's big and beautifully detailed. I've dulled up the brassiness of it with a wash or two of dark paint, which also enhances those little details.
There were a number of requests for an image transfer tutorial after posting my Petaloo project the other day. There are LOADS of videos and online tutorials available demonstrating this technique. I learned by watching others and you should absolutely view a number of tutorials, get as much information as you can, then experiment for yourself.
I've done a fair bit of my own experimenting over the past week and put together a quick video tutorial with a basic 'how-to', a couple of variations, and the results using different materials.
Here are a few points I didn't include (err... yes, I forgot) but are worth a mention...
Paint
In my demonstration I show an example where a wood block is primed with a wash of white paint before applying the transfer. I think this looks fab and provides a solid base, creating greater contrast in the finished image. Keep in mind that you will be saturating and rubbing your piece. Will your paint be able to hold up or rub off and take the transfer with it? Just some things to keep in mind.
Heat
Some people say that heat may help the transfer. You can create a weak transfer with heat alone after all. When I attempted to speed up the drying process with a heat gun the results were not pretty. I would even go so far as to recommend avoiding hot water when removing the paper.
Patience
It really does pay to wait. I know others have had success lifting the paper soon after application but in my trials I found that the longer I waited wait, the stronger the transfer was. Let that sucker dry!
More Patience
Let your piece dry before applying a top coat or sealant. Some of those paper fibers can be pretty sneaky! By allowing the piece to dry you can spot those smokey, foggy areas where some paper residue has been missed. Simply re-wet that area and rub the paper away. When satisfied with your piece after it has dried apply a fancy pants top coat or simply apply a layer of gel medium or Mod Podge.
Practice
In this case practice doesn't exactly make perfect, but you will learn a lot! Don't expect perfection. If you are okay with some distressing and having fun with your mess making, the entire experience and results will be much more satisfying.
Once in a while things come together so easily it sort of feels like cheating… that was the case with this little box.
I began by simply painting all of the edges and corners of an ATC book box black.To the top of the box I added Artisan Style Decorative Flourish, the sides areThis Old House.
Finally, a set of those fabulousClaw Feet. The top has an amazing chunkyFancy Handlethat I’ve affixed in the upright position. A little bit of distressing on the edges and the whole thing is complete and looks really elegant.
Now to decide if I should use this fab little box to store these cute Artisan Style ATC’s or maybe some fancy costume jewelry!
It's a market with 20ish local makers and artisans. It's going to be great :) The people participating are amazing and have absolutely gorgeous stuff that I am proud to show off.
If you're near my part of the world on May 2nd you should totally visit because...
A) It's almost Mother's Day and I pinky swear that you will find the perfect gift.
B) Supporting local artists and small business is good for the soul.
C) It's at Casa-Dea Estates Winery. They have divine bubbly wine that you can buy and take home to celebrate the fact that you are awesome for shopping at the market and buying local.
D) It's FREE for crying out loud!
Still not convinced?!? Here's the outstanding list of participants...
Come check out the market page on Facebook and help to spread the word by liking and sharing all the beautiful things.
Have you ever tried your hand at wood transfers? I spent some time this weekend playing around, moving images from paper to scraps of wood. I suspect the people who created the tutorials I followed used some sort of voodoo because my results were far from perfect. No matter, I like vintage distressed images so imperfection suits me just fine.
After transferring the vintage image I created some areas with a crackle finish, a dash of glitter, dresend scrap butterfly and finished the piece off with a bow ofCrochet Lace Fancy Trim and some sweet tealSugared Botanica Mini's.
Now to pillage my husbands workshop for more little pieces of scrap wood!
Even if you aren't a fan of the sweet stuff, you can certainly appreciate the vibrancy of it technicolour packaging... maybe there's even a memory or two of nibbling sweeties as child.
