I remain amazed I won the "Autumn Colours challenge" at Frillie & Funkie! I am humbled and honored - every member of the design team is so talented, and I follow each of them online in my quest to learn more about working with paper and all the various supplies.
As the winner of this challenge, I have been asked to be a guest designer for the next challenge. Ok, then! The theme is "It is all about Wendy" referring of course to the one and only Wendy Vecchi!
I was fortunate to take a class from Wendy this past August at a local paper crafting store within an hour's drive from my home. During the day-long class, we learned many techniques, and came home with a fantastic tag collection demonstrating each technique (and with a great label for each describing the technique!). If you ever get a chance to take this or any class with Wendy - do so!!
In thinking about what to do for the Frillie & Funkie post, I revisited Wendy's blog for inspiration and guidance. After mulling over her many incredible projects, I realized Wendy's work evokes for me a sense of Americana. Wendy is a very modern designer, and yet she works with Vintage Lace, graniteware, and other classic American images and designs which reference early settlement of the midwest areas by Pennsylvania Dutch, German and other peoples with a love of symmetry and flourish (and stenciling!)
I quickly realized I needed multiple surfaces to showcase the many technique opportunities Wendy offers in her own designs. So, in the spirit of Americana, and my own beginner's status, I decided to make a sampler similar to what earlier crafters would have produced in their learning process, usually for young girls learning embroidery or cross-stitch. I aspire to much more masterful samples demonstrating the artist's skill. That analog would be found at Wendy's blog!
My sampler is a double-sided triptych, based on a technique by Shelly Hickox found here. Once I had the basic shape cut, I put a protective frisket layer on one side. This let me put a lot of wet media on the other side without coloring or otherwise compromising the first side.
With the back protected, I followed a technique Wendy demonstrated at my class. I put a generous amount of two Distress Stains (Picked Raspberry and Dried Marigold ) on my craft sheet, misted with Perfect Pearls Bronze spray and a tiny bit of water, and swiped my piece through. Lots of beautiful color and melding!
Once the marbled side was dry, I removed the frisket on the back layer by simply rubbing with my fingers. Then I used another tried and true Wendy technique by adhering Ideology Melange tissue paper with matte Glue-N-Seal. Ranger has re-released this wonder glue recently, and you can find it here!
I applied Wendy's gold embossing paste through her "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" stencil , and stamped one of her sayings (from set LCS092) in Tree Branch archival ink . I also stamped one of the small flourishes from the Daisy Art set in Red Geranium (note these ink pads and re-inkers are all available individually as well).
I then stamped on the beautifully marbled side with Orange Blossom (this is one of the large flourishes from LCS092 My Kind of Art).
and with Tree Branch using the Vintage Lace stamp (see above and below), as well as with a favorite script stamp from Wendy, first masking off the side panels and the small flourish (stamped in Hydrangea).
I also stamped several Wendy sayings on either side using her Watering Can archival ink.
To showcase Wendy's magical modeling film I "Glue-N-Sealed" another butterfly from the Ideology Melange tissue paper to the clear plastic (it feels almost like the acetate packaging in which we get many of our dies and other products, but wait 'til you see what it does!). I colored the butterfly with some alcohol ink pens from my stash. Once you heat the Clearly for Art modeling film, it can be shaped, and once cool, holds its shape. If you want to reshape it, just re-heat it and mold it again to your taste. You could also stamp an image with archival ink and cut it out before shaping. The film comes also in white and black, and is also sold as a pack with all three options.
Ok, almost done with this sampler of Wendy's wonderful style! I wanted to display her embossing powders (again all available individually, but you will want them all!) I chose three Mover and Shaper butterflies, and double embossed them to give a smooth surface. Embossing only once gives another look, which Wendy describes as orange-peel. Since I wanted to use the "graniteware" technique on these, I went with the smoother surface.
The graniteware look is achieved by stamping the surface with Snow Cap pigment ink using Wendy's
Splatter stamp.
Here is the finished sampler - I closed it with a seam binding belly band topped with a flouncy bow dyed with the same Distress Stains and Perfect Pearls Bronze spray I used for the inside background.
Thank you for visiting and hanging in there with me on this LONG post!! Obviously, you can use whatever supplies you have to have a go at "Wendy's style", but I hope I have shown what some of her products can do. I look forward to seeing what you create using Wendy Vecchi as inspiration!
