Challenge: An Altered State

On Frilly and Funkie’s challenge for November 18, 2105, we are to “transform something [we] have sitting around or can pick up for a song and make it one of [our] works of art. It could be a frame, a bottle, an old cigar box, a discarded CD - the list is endless. Just make sure [the] final transformation is vintage or shabby chic.”

OK, doable. I had this plaque (top surface 4" by 6") left over from a Compendium of Curiosities Challenge way back in December of 2014. 

Also in my “leftover file” were some branches on brown card made from the “Festive Greenery” die and leaves of various fall colors from the “Fall Foliage” die made this past October 12.

 Seems like “sitting around” to me!

First step was to prep the plaque. I gessoed it.  When dry, applied some texture paste to the top. Twenty-four hours later, I brushed a wash of four colors of Distress Paints on the plaque:

Eventually, I added “Vintage Photo” Distress Ink around the edges with a blending tool.

While all these steps were drying, I took some of the leaves and branches and sprayed them with Distress Spray stains, and overstamped them with leaf patterns from an old (circa 2000) Stamping’ Up! set I had in three colors of Distress Inks:

and finally blended the edges with a blending tool and “Vintage Photo” Distress Ink. (This was based on a technique demonstrated by TIm Holtz on his blog for making "distressed leaves")

I took a piece corrugated card from Idea-ology “Textured Surfaces” and painted it with a wash of four Distress Paints:

and cut an irregular shape from it. I also took a sheet of DQWV paper and tore a strip to mat the textured surface. From that same sheet of paper, I cut the word “Autumn” and layered the paper and textured surface on  the plaque, using Multi Medium Matte, and rubbing the paper so it fit into the texture of the texture paste:

I searched through my stash of burlap flowers and selected one from Spare Parts, applied Distress Paints to the petals and fluffed the flower to add dimension.

Assembly included arranging the leaves (I ended up only using six of the largest leaves from the dozens of leaves I had prepared), two lengths of sheer brown ribbon and the flower on the plaque and sticking them down with scor-tape and Glossy Accents:

The flash really makes the Tarnished Brass spray stain shine --- it isn't that obvious in real life.

It looked a little too “matte” to me, once I finished so I added a few sequins here and there for some bling.

I’m also entering this project in  the Ink on My Fingers Sunday Stamper Challenge - Week 367 - Vintage

Products used in this project were:

• Stamps: Stamping’ Up! “Autumn” set
• Inks: Distress Spray Stains “Festive Berries”, “Fossilized Amber” and “Tarnished Brass”; Distress Inks “Vintage Photo”, “Ground Espresso”, and “Hickory Smoke”; Distress Paints “Ground Espresso”, “Fossilized Amber”, “Carved Pumpkin” and “Crushed Olive”
• Papers: miscellaneous scrap die cuts; Idea-ology “Textured Surfaces”; Die Cut With a View “The Fall Stack” (CP-002-00372)
• Embellishments: Spare Parts “Burlap Flowers” (#879981); Offray “Simply Sheer” medium brown (946190); Bits & Pieces squint gold
  
• Media: Liquitex Acrylic Gesso; Ranger Texture Paste, Multi Medium Matte, Collage Glue Stick, Glossy Accents; Scor-tape 1/8”