Precious Metal

Hello Peoples!! I hope that you are all finding some time to enjoy some creativity over this weekend!  Today is a wet and dreary day here.  Perfect for finishing up some projects that have been sitting on my desk for over a week!!

Super Bowl weekend I decided to take another stamp and emboss it on metal.  I went through my collection of stamps and realized that I really don't have many stamps that fit my beginner's level of metal embossing! I think I might have to do some shopping and change that! LOL!!  I found a more open and bold image in Just Fun Stamp's Floral Oval II and thought it might fit my requirements of a fairly easy image to practice my metal embossing on. 

 Now you need to remember that at this point, I only have 4 basic tools for this technique! And this is only my SECOND attempt at metal embossing! BUT, with that being said, I'm pretty dang happy at how this turned out!!  (Uhhhh, it would seem that SOMEBODY forgot to take step by step pictures of the makings of this project.  SOMEBODY was too busy trying to watch the football game at the same time as embossing.  SOMEBODY promises to do another project later this week with step by step pictures.  Not that SOMEBODY is an expert at this.....just willing to share my mistakes!! Insert wink here______!hehe)

So, the details:  I stamped Floral Oval image onto scap copy paper and used my stylus to trace around the image on the metal.  I then flipped the image over and placed it on a piece of suede and used a paper stump to start puffing out the metal.  I keep flipping the image from front to back, refining the edges and adding more "poof" to the embossed portions.  I got a little confused on one flower petal and have my detail going the wrong way (meaning I debossed (or indented) when I should have embossed.  Oh well!! Gotta make sure to always have at least one mistake on a homemade project or someone might mistake it for factory made! BWHHAAA!!).  After I finished the embossing, I used the fine wire bristles on the end of one of my tools to burnish the flat portion behind the embossing.  Then I used some cheap Folk Art acrylic paint in Metallic Sequin Black over the entire image.  Wiped off the excess with a paper towel to give a distressed, aged look to the metal. The paint gets down into the etching to add some detail.

 Here is a closer shot showing the fine details a bit more with the paint accenting the etching.  I deliberately left some of the paint a little heavier on the background to add to its "aging".  I REALLY need to practice going around curves, LOL!! My frame is not at all smooth and I have heavier pressure in some areas and lighter in others, but I figure it will improve one I do it a few hundred times!

The back of the embossed image was filled with a metal backing paste so that the embossed areas will not flatten out if they get some pressure on them.  I hand cut around the oval  and place my ribbon hanging behind it and mounted it onto a piece of DCWV La Creme matstack paper using terrifically tacky red liner tape.  That was mounted on a black card base 5 1/2" x 4 3/4".  Added the 1/2 back pearls (from the SU Pretty Kit) and the pearl strips from Kaiercraft and called 'er done!!

I'm going to clean off 3 inches of space on my desk and finish another project that I colored last night.  This weather has me in the mood to do nothing but read a book (oh yeah.....finished the one I just bought YESTERDAY!! snort) and do some creating!! As in the words of our famous Governor....."Aw'll be bawck!" (ok...so I can't type out heavy accents.....can't be good at everything! LOL!!)

Thanks for dropping by again!!