Mother of Pearl Swallowtail / NAC #38

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Hey y'all. Happy Friday. Just a quick post for you tonight. It's late here in the DMV and I'm trying to get to bed. It's been a long day and I think it may be an even longer weekend. We have a late winter/early spring snow storm headed our way and between the barometric changes that is bringing and the back pain my, 38 weeks-very pregnant, daughter is having I think this may be a very eventful weekend and I wanted to get this posted as early as possible just in case I didn't get a chance to post it later. :)

This week's challenge over at Nacho Average Challenge is a color challenge. As many of you know, they are not my favorite, by any stretch of the imagination. I didn't even have a sketch to help me out with this one. I decided to get out my brand new Swallowtail stamp and give it a try. I also thought I'd try and blend the colors in the wings and I thought the Mother of Pearl technique would be a nice one to try with this. Here's this week's card-

Card featuring Swallowtail Stamp and Mother of Pearl Technique

Here are the colors in this week's challenge-

So this is only the second time that I've tried the Mother of Pearl technique and I did it a little different this time than I did the last time. Last time I stamped in Black Staz-On then colored the image and then created the MoP effect. This time I created the effect first and then stamped and colored. You know I always tell you the truth here. Although I like the effect, I'm not sure that I'm in love with my first attempt at it. I think now that I know the few tips that I share below for you, I could probably come up with a card I like even more. Unfortunately, there's just no time for that this week. Sorry- :( 

I learned 3 things this time-

1- Even if you use your embossing buddy, if you choose to Heat Emboss, your embossing powder will still stick to your MoP technique areas. I really had to go in very carefully with a paintbrush and q-tip to get as much of the excess powder off. If you look closely you can still see some around the antennae. For those of you that are OCD like me this is not a fun idea. :( Just saying.

2- Adding color on top of your MoP will extend your color's drying time significantly. Be Prepared. I recommend using your heat tool. I did not know this and the result is the pink smudging at the upper right edge of the left wing. 

3- In addition to the glow that the MoP technique gives your finished color, adding color on top of the MoP in this manner can cause the color to separate somewhat. This can be seen the most in the lower portion of the middle section of the wings, the Primrose Petals portion. I have to say I kinda like that look, believe it or not. I think it looks kind of like a stained glass look.

Here's another look-

I stamped the image with VersaMark and then Heat Embossed it with Early Espresso Embossing Powder on Glossy Whisper White paper. I used Frost White paint for the MoP technique. The colors were added from my stamp pads with my daubers increasing the color until I had the depth where I wanted it.

And one more-

Well, that's all I have for you today. I hope you like it and I hope the fabulous ladies over at NAC like it too. There's still time to play along and I hope you find time to play with us. If you liked today's card or have questions about it, I hope you'll leave me a question in the space below. I love hearing from you. I read all of your comments and they really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card, I've put those buttons on my blog for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. you are very appreciated! Till Next Time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

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End of the Week Technique #56 - Mother of Pearl

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Hey y'all. Happy Sunday/Monday! I'm starting this at 11:30pm so some of you might actually get to read it on Sunday, but most likely you will get it Monday, so this way I've got all of you covered. :)

*Edited* I'm also entering this in Nacho Average Challenges Color Challenge for this week. It has a little Lucky Limeade in it as well, but the 3 main colors are from the challenge.

Elements of Style has been on my wishlist for some time. I finally got it a few weeks back and have been waiting for just the right card to use it on. I think I found it. I have to say I think it was pretty when I first stamped it and it was even prettier after I finished it off with a new technique, Ok, so it's just new to me, but it's still pretty cool. It's late and I'm pretty tired so I'm gonna try and make this quick, but there are lots of pictures. Hopefully, you'll think it's worth it. Here's what I came up with-

Card featuring Elements of Style and
Mother of Pearl Technique.

I wish you could see just how pretty this is in person. I just couldn't capture the shimmery beauty of it. Here's a closer look-

The card base is Midnight Muse. This is topped with a layer of Raspberry Ripple and the technique is done on Glossy White c/s. I inked my floral image with my Stampin Write Markers in Raspberry Ripple, Primrose Petals, Lucky Limeade and the little hummingbird in Midnight Muse. Here's what it looked like before I started the technique.

See what I mean? So pretty. I may have to make another card that looks like this. :)

Here's the inside-

The sentiment is from the same stamp set and is stamped in Raspberry Ripple onto a piece of Naturals White c/s. I'm really loving that paper lately. My floral image is inked the same way as the front. I stamped off once to lighten the image and then stamped it again. A little love from Tink added a little shine and shimmer to the inside too.

So what do you think? Isn't it pretty? Are you ready to make your own with this technique?
Here's what you'll need- Glossy White c/s, Shimmer Paint (I used Frost White), Cling Wrap (I used Saran, because that's what I had on hand, but you could use any kind), and a plastic stamp case.

Here's how you do it-
1- Stamp your image onto Glossy White c/s
2- Shake your paint until it's mixed thoroughly and then pour a small amount onto the closed top of your stamp case.

3- Wad up (That's a real technical term "Wad") your cling wrap then dab it into your paint. Dab this off (another technical term "Dab") onto your case so it doesn't just glob (Wow! So technical tonight) in one spot.

4- Dab the paint onto your c/s until it's covered. Let it dry and then mount on your c/s base or layer. Here's another look at the finished technique-

Two things of note-
1- This is the first time I've done this technique so I'm gonna have to check some other sites because I don't remember this being mentioned. As I started to dab with the paint some of the ink picked up from my stamped image and mixed with the frost paint. At first I was pretty upset that the colors were mixing and blending, but I kept on and it worked out ok. I grew up near the ocean and real Mother of Pearl has lots of variations in coloring and the colors mix and swirl throughout, pretty much like this. I'm glad I didn't stop when I first saw this happening. Stick with it.

2- The extra paint makes the Glossy c/s a little heavy so I recommend using Dimensionals to adhere it to your c/s. I used 3 down each side and 1 in the center. I wanted to make sure it wasn't going to pull away from the c/s layer.

Well, that's all I have for you today. I hope you like it and I hope it inspires you to try something new, this technique or even something else. Remember the goal of this blog is to encourage you to "Just Try". If you liked today's project or have questions about it, I hope you'll take a moment to leave me a comment in the space below. I love hearing from you and read all of your comments. They really do make my day. If you'd like to +1 or Pin it, I've put the buttons on my blog for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! Till Next Time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan

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