Laura Vegas

i have a layout from the tools & techniques issue of scrapbooking tips & tricks magazine to share with you today. i have quite a few things from that issue to share actually. i might be tossing up quite a few layouts on the blog this week 😉

as seen in the Tools & Techniques issue of Scrapbooking Tips & Tricks magazine. copyright creative crafts group. posted with prior permission from the publisher.

my assignment involved using the new chip art tool by melody ross, for GCD studios. the basic idea of this tool, is that it debosses chipboard. if you watch THIS VIDEO, it gives you a good look at the steps involved in this technique.

to get started, you need a few tools and accesories. the chip art block, a chip art mallet, a chip art spray bottle (you could use any spray bottle, but this one does have a perfect mist to it, and it's cute), and a tool handle (there are two sizes, depending which stamps you're using). they also sent me the sparrow uppercase alphabet set to work with (which includes the tool handle), along with the medium chipboard shapes and the medium chipboard frames. 

since i only had the alphabets to work with, i decided to do a school layout. these photos are from the girls first day of school, last year (2009). i know this  might not be typical school colors. i go with what the girls wear, and their backpacks. so last year, it was pink, green, blue, and purple.

i thought this large chipboard frame would be cute with the alphabet stamped all around it. this did take me a while to do, since i had to switch the letters one by one as i stamped them. and yes, the mallet is loud. there's nothing quiet about this tool. lol! i then misted the frame, in small sections at a time. you want to moisten up the chipboard a little, but you also don't want it too damp. then i used the mallet to stamp the die into the chipboard, creating a "debossed" look. 

after i went around the entire frame, i was ready to paint. i choose to go with purple, and i'm pretty sure i used two coats of paint. i wanted the letters to be white, so i mixed up some white paint with some mod podge. took some experimenting on the ratios, since i couldn't remember exactly how it was done. i ended up with 1/4 paint, and 3/4 mod podge. i brushed that mixture over the frame, getting it in all the debossed areas.

then i used a paper towel to wipe off the excess. this left the white paint in just the debossed areas, and lightened up the purple paint a little bit. which was good, since it was a little bright to begin with. then i did brush a layer of just mod podge over the frame, to give it a shiny look. 

i'm not sure i should even tell you how many times it took, to get this piece right. lol! i started with an entirely different shape. i was eyeballing if the "alyssa eighth grade" and "sarah fifth grade" would fit like i wanted. and messed up on that once. i also spelled "eighth" wrong once, and didn't realize it until i was done doing the paint and everything. i think i spelled "fifth" wrong once too. doesn't help when you're working backwards, even though i wrote it on paper to try and help me. lol! but as you can see, i did eventually get it all done right 😉

supplies:
pattern paper: jillibean soup, creative cafe, scenic route
journaling card: creating keepsakes KOTM
letter stickers: doodlebug, making memories
rubon stitches: daisy d's
brads: making memories
star punch: stampin up
paint: making memories
tools: chip art, by GCD

and i had to show this too. this is the necklace that i made with the chip art tool at CHA, last january. they were doing these for their make and takes. my good friend lynn was working it, and i could always find the booth by listening for the hammering. lol! we used the chip art rectangle metal pendant accesory kit and the butterflies ornamental stamp. i really, really love this necklace. i just think the style is fun and casual, which suits me well. i really need to get some more of the pendant accesory kits, so that i can make some more of these. and a random piece of info? i LOVE these jeans 🙂