Don't be chicken....!

SERIOUSLY!

You've GOT to play along with the JUGS this week, my fabby friends! DO we have some grand fun to help you get EXTRA crafty,
during THIS, the month-o-CRAFT!?! We REALLY dooooo!
I got soooooo excited by this challenge premise, I crafted 'till the roosters were a-crowin'........

[Oh, wait. THAT was my kids, wondering where in the rootin' tootin' cowpolk was their dinner... Sorry, lil' dears!]

MAMA'S COOKIN' UP SOME CRAFT!

The ULTRA fun technique challenge, hosted this week, by our darling, Maria, will make you cock-a-doodle-doo!
It's fun - and EASY! Everything you need to get you going is at the
Just Us Girls site, so git ye'r ducks in a row.. Uh, urrr, chickens.. or should I say, STAMPS...!

G'head... check it OUT!

There's a link to a great tutorial over on the JUGS site....

{That's the sensible way to approach this great challenge.....}

Orrrrrrrr, you can listen to me blather on about HOW much I loved playing with this technique...

{But only if your coffee is warm and you're strapped in for the ride! YEEE HAW!}





I smells me some fresh COFFEE soooooo, off ... I ... go!

Stamp on your favorite brand of transparency, whether it's from the office supply,
your fave paper crafts company, RECYCLED plastic packaging {thanks, Mr. Holtz!}
OR, as in my case, my beloved Clearly Heavy from HAMBLY! {That's what I used, here!}




I'll spare you the ranting and raving about the benefits of hoarding,
and WHY this chicken wire stamp is probably one of the top ten BEST
stamp purchases I've EVER made... and the fact that I plan to be
laid to rest with this and a few others, when my days here on earth
are over... {Whoops!} But let's just say, I'm SO glad I still have this
awesome background stamp, when I need it.... just sayin'....{!}

With your fave brand of solvent based ink, stamp your main design.
{I love that by using transparency, lining up a stamped image works like a DREAM!}


Prepare some acrylic paint, to apply to the back side of your stamped transparency.
In this case, I mixed and played, 'cause I wuz hearin' me some roosters crowin'
and THINKING "what a beautiful mornin'..."

{Mix, mix, mix - IT'S FUN!}



To create some wispy morning sky look, I FOUGHT the urge to go crazy with the paint!
Just a dab will do ya, in the case of "sky"... I had to FORCE myself to leave room for that
lovely light blue paper to show through! {THAT'S a HUGE part of the magic of "the smash!"}



Just a few broad strokes over my cloud work, ONCE IT HAD DRIED!
A little patience goes a long way, when layering colors and images with
transparency work! You might have seen this post, where I pontificated
about the wonders of "old school animation", the use of adding color behind
a stamped transparency in a specific way... But for OUR technique, here,
you can REALLY let your hair down and let the paint DO it's magic.

If you are using HEAVY transparency, and you don't like your paint work,
you should be able to rework your paint, with a baby wipe, if you don't wait
too long! {I know this, because this was my SECOND sky! ha ha!}
REMEMBER to leave a little area for your background paper to peek through!

{I mostly said that to remind ...MYSELF! DOH!}



Once ALL of your paint work has DRIED {Ack!} You can place
your masterpiece in the perfect "home" or support.

You can tell where my head was at... Helloooooo, HOME DEC! Home DEC is my FRIEND!




I have to confess, that MOST of my deep artistic pursuits started around one,
life altering incident. THE first time I peeked into one of those sugared Easter
eggs that contained a little scene: I was in kindergarten, and a friend brought one
for show and tell. A smoosh of pasty frosting in the shape of
baby chick and blob of green grass - so began my visual obsession with "scenes".


The use of transparency, and the immediate "window" of possibility is something
that sends me into crafty, joyful exploration like THAT ROOSTER, at 4am! Soooo,
with the help of an OLD, ratty canvas that needed some love, GREAT paper and a
super fun wrap job, applied with MOD PODGE {love THAT stuff - it's sooooo not JUST
for your kids!}.... I dumped some elderly "tackle" from my stash (that's right, I have NO idea
who made those fun hinge stickers! Allz I know is that I hoarded the... I mean, I acquired
them from a fun spree at the old QVC, back in the DAY, babies! BUT don't they still look
so fabby! {Just like MY chicken wire stamp - doncha know!} Yee HAW!




If you haven't perked up or gone back to sleep after all of my crazy banter {And who'd blame you? Not meeeeeeeeee!}
YOU will surely want to check out what the rest of our fine, fine team
did with this SUPER fabulous technique. Say "hello" to some WONDERFUL inspo, my friends:

Pam
Dana
Andrea
Kathryn
Maria
Lisa
Kristin

&

please don't forget our lovely and talented guest designer for this month

Alyssa!


Thanks for humoring me... Uh, er... I mean THANKS for politely stopping by!
I hope you shared some coffee t'walk {or READNG} with me. I just LOVE your company!

Cock - a - doodle - dooooooooo!

{Now, if you didn't know, that's ROOSTER for HAVE a GREAT DAY!}

Supplies -

C/S - Stampin' Up!
D/P - Cosmo Cricket
Stamps - Magenta {Rooster}; Stampin' Up! {Chicken Wire!}
Ink - Staz On; Distress Ink
Pens - Stampin' Up!
Watercolor pen and ink for watercolor work on Rooster - S/U!
Hinge Stickers - ?
Metal Lock - Tim HOLTZ! {Hello!!!!}
Raffia and Dried Flower - My STASH!
MOD PODGE!!!!!!!!