Friday Focus

For this week's Friday Focus at Frilly and Funkie I've made my first foray into the world of Vintaj Patinas.  (Our Friday Focus 15% off products at The Funkie Junkie Boutique is Vintaj Patinas.) Having played a little and watched the various tutorials which are available (you can see one of them HERE) I considered the possibility of doing something similar, and promptly rejected that. Then, a eureka moment! and I had something which you can use as a background or to make embellishments from.

And guess what the Patina embossed background/leaves started life as? Nothing more than basic mirrored card!!! Now this took me a while to figure out and I'm not putting you through that, so here's a 'how it's done' for you to follow if you want to achieve a similar look.

For this demo I used the Weathered Copper set, but there are a number of other colour combos to play with too. Start by adding the Vintaj Patinas to your pre-embossed shiny card or metal foil. These may look like alcohol inks but they're not, acting more like very fast drying paints and are opaque. Put a few drops of the first colour (Jade) onto your craftmat and apply to your card with a brush. A little goes a long way and you don't need to be very precise. Don't dry it because as you add the next layers (Moss, then Verdigris) they blend a little.

Try to create a more streaky feel if you want all the colours to show through at the end. Allow them to dry or use your heat gun. Next, take some wire wool and rub gently over the top to remove the Patinas from the raised areas. Finally take your Sepia Archival Ink and rub it over the top so that it catches the exposed card (and some of the Patina areas too). I tried Silver and Gold card and they both came out the same. It only matters if you want to leave some of the original card exposed. When finished I patted my anti-static bag over the whole lot.

I used some for the background and also die cut some for use as leaves. A touch of Treasure Gold (Rennaissance) around the edges added to the aged look. So then what? Two freebie postcard images (courtesy of The Graphics Fairy) were dabbed with DS Old Paper and Brushed Cordrouy and edged with DI Walnut Stain. The birds (Tim Holtz' Paris Collection and Inkylicious) were stamped in Sepia Archival Ink and DI Pumice Stone was used for the Paris postmark. Silver Ferro was stencilled through a leafy mask and covered in Treasure Gold.

Lace from the Funkie Junkie Boutique  was a necessity here, and as well as  the Patina leaves I also cut some from  their rusty tin wire net. I love this lace because it is fine enough to be able to see the detail underneath still. Glossy Accents on  top of the stamps, a brief yet appropriate sentiment stamped in Black Archival Ink and a scattering of buttons from my stash completed the vintage look. Oh, and the backing paper is an old Basic Grey one, again  from my stash (using papers up slowly but surely!!)  There are links below to the products used so you can  play too.

Now in order to maximise time I'm going to enter this card into Hels Sheridan's Sunday Stamper challenge - And Your Bird Can Sing.

If you are looking for a challenge yourself why not have a go at entering the latest Frilly and Funkie challenge - Spruce It Up where you are asked to makeover an everyday object. The Frilly team have come up with some amazing examples of their own to inspire you. 

Take care of yourselves and enjoy your crafting.

Hugs, Jenny xx

Ranger Vintaj Patina Kit - Weathered Copper	Ranger Archival Ink - Sepia	Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black	Embroidered Sheer Lace - 1/2 Inch Wide	Rusty Tin Wire Net
Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain - Brushed Corduroy	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain - Old Paper	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Walnut Stain