• Ranger – Dina Wakley Media Clear Gesso and Dina Wakley Media White Gesso
• Ranger – Texture Paste – Transparent Matte
• Dreamweaver – Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste
• Patterned papers – 7 Gypsies, Basic Grey, Fiskars/Heidi Grace
• Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists
• Ranger Dylusions Ink Sprays
• Stencils – Ranger/Tim Holtz, Ranger/Dina Wakley, The Crafter’s Workshop, Stencil Girl

I was inspired by an technique in the February Craft Stamper magazine, pages 23-25. Mine is a (minimalist!) variation on what Mona Pendleton did to create some lovely vintage Valentines. Do check out what Mona did because her work is absolutely beautiful! There was quite a process involved in creating these backgrounds with some drying time between layers. You can go on forever layering! I started with a piece of patterned paper. This is difficult, because you will be covering up much of the design of the paper, but if you are like me, you’ve got an abundance to work with! The pattern will peek through when you are finished.

Add a layer of clear gesso to the patterned paper and allow it to dry–this is pretty quick. Then I applied the texture/embossing paste through a stencil. I tried both types that I had (listed above). You will want to experiment with the finish you prefer–some dry matte and others are glossy. These pastes are translucent (you can choose something opaque for a different look), adding a subtle layer I really liked. The pastes take a while to dry, so this is when you need to be a little bit patient and set this aside so they are completely dry before the next step.

Next I applied ink sprays and spritzed with some water so they ran and mixed together. This is the messy part, but it is really fun to see what you can do! I did really like the look of adding more white Gesso and spritzing it with water, as I added some of spray inks in different areas of the paper. I also liked using the Dylusions White Linen ink spray for a similar white, opaque layer. Using ink sprays containing mica, like the Glimmer Mists, really gave a nice sparkly effect without being overly glitzy. The spray inks really bring out the texture of the stenciled designs done earlier with the paste. You can use baby wipes to take away areas you think are too dark or to expose more of the original background if you like.

Thanks for stopping by. I’ll post a card soon, showing an example of how these backgrounds can be used.