A Place To Start - Favorite Technique - Serendipity Squares

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A Place To Start 

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FAVORITE TECHNIQUE(s)

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 Crafty Hugz!

This was my first time using the Serendipity Technique on a card.  I have used it a few times on mixed media projects and while a little time consuming, the results are well worth the effort.  I only used three square here, but my project actually yielded nine.

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How I Did What I Did

1.  I chose scrap papers that coordinate and tear into pieces and or strips.  I later added grey and blue polka dotted papers to the ones shown in this picture.  All of my papers were double sided so I got a lot of different colors and patterns.  Most will be hidden but the bits and pieces that show through will create a unique mosaic.

2.  I cut a piece of kraft cardstock to 5"x 5"(use whatever size and cardstock you wish for your base.) Just make sure it is card and not paper.  I glued the beige polka-dotted sheet (which I cut to 4.75" x 4.75" to create an eighth-inch border all around. This is not necessary, I just wanted my squares to have a lip) I stamped two images onto the paper.  I used a large background stamp and a smaller text stamp.  Once the image was stamped.  I colored in random parts of the flowers.  Then I began randomly gluing down my scrap papers.  I made sure that I left so areas of the flowers uncovered.

3.  Once the glue had dried (helped a little by my heat gun) I created a gold glitter wash and brushed it randomly over the paper.  I use DecoArt Metallic Paint "Splendid Gold", Glitter "Crystal", and Water to create the wash.

4.  I used Ranger "Wilted Violet" Distress Oxide Ink to color portions of my flowers and I knew I wanted to use a Lilac colored cardstock as my base so I decided to create a second wash using Inka-Gold "Violet Violet" Metallic Wax.

5.  Next, I repeated the stamping that I used on the first layer.  I stamped the small stamp first using black ink.  Then I stamped the larger image using embossing Ink.  I embossed the image with white embossing powder.

6.   Next, I cut my squares (1.50"x1.50").  I ended up with six even squares and three squares that are 1.50" x 2.0".  I used a cream card to cut three squares 1-5/8" x 1-5/8" as layers for my squares.

7.  I found a scrap piece of green card onto which I stamped my large floral background.  Again I heat embossed it using white embossing powder.  Using another piece of one of the scraps I used to create my serendipity design, I stamped my sentiment and cut it out with my circle punch.  I cut a piece of kraft card and colored it with Rangers Tea Dye Distress Ink.  A used my gold wash to give it a sheen. I used the Wilted Violet Ink to distress the edges of a piece of white card and then layered that onto the kraft card.  I had a thin strip of serendipity

left over from cutting my squares.  I added this to the center of the small layered card and attached my sentiment circle using double-sided foam tape.

8.  The final step was to add the elastic gold string and a small brad.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugz,

Stuff I Used

Stamps:    Hero Arts™ "Flower Text"; LaBlanche Stamps "Transilvano Dialogo"

Papers:     Various scraps from my stash; Neenah® Classic Cream, Kraft Card

Inks:         Ranger® Distress Ink™"Tea Dye", Ranger® Distress Oxide Ink™ "Wilted Violet; Inka-Gold® "Violet Violet" Metallic Wax.

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