Marking A New Path -- A Little Outside the Lines

Today was Day 6 of Tim Holtz Creative Chemistry class and we got to delve into Distress Markers.  I love them...I only wish I had more.  =)  But I have enough to play with and that keeps me happy.  As always, it doesn't matter how much you think you know about a product or a technique, there's always something new to learn.  I'm absolutely loving these classes.  AND I found out that you can still take the class anytime this year as all the material will be recorded and the class members have lifetime access to it.  Pretty cool since there's a lot of information, including detailed PDF's.  If you're interested in the class you can check it out HERE. 

I chose to work with this awesome stamp set by Our Daily Bread designs to honor my husband.  He's in his 21st year with the Air Force and decisions about the not to distant future weigh constantly on our mind -- lots to think about. 

The three stamped images represent 1st, 2nd, & 3rd generation stamping (in order as above).  The first two were stamped on Specialty Stamping paper by Ranger (definitely love this cardstock), and the 3rd generation was stamped on watercolor paper.  The Distress Markers I used were:  faded jeans, peeled paint, pumice stone, tea dye.  The sentiments were stamped with black Archival.

 For my "practice" variations, based on a variety of techniques, I used the shell stamp by Stampin Up.  The first tag being on watercolor paper, and the second on the specialty stamping paper.  You can definitely tell a difference in the effects of the two papers.  But please don't judge me too harshly on my practice tags, as I'm still...umm, practicing.

So here's a bit more of me playing around with the Hero Arts/Sizzix Butterfly stamp & cut set.  I created these about a week prior to class starting and I LOVE the color combination of the Peeled Paint & Faded Jeans markers.  These are just stamped onto plain white cardstock.  And now for the new technique I picked up on the fly while playing around....ready for it??

 I inked my stamp with the markers, spritz a light misting of Ranger's water-based stamp cleaner (bubble gum scented) onto the stamp, then stamped it on the plain white cardstock & heat dried it.  It's really a cool muted effect with a twist...it has a faux embossed feel to it when dry!  I love it...it's different.  And here's a really cool idea...now Mr. Tim Holtz has something he can do with Ranger's stamp cleaner!  =D 

Take time to create something a little outside of the lines, you just might discover something new.
Thanks for checking in...Lisa