L is for LOVE!!

I recently received an amazing gift from Asia King – former BlogStar and now Official Stampendous Foreign Correspondent for the UK. Asia is going to be staying on as a way for us to see what our friends across the pond are creating.

When Fran was in the UK in September filming for Create and Craft TV she got to meet Asia and she was given this beautiful letter L to bring back to me. It now occupies a coveted spot on the shelf in my office where all the best stamping projects go to live. I adore every detail of this fantastic project, so I implored Asia to do a tutorial. (she sent an F for Fran home as well, we’ll show that one later)  A project like this would make an amazing Holiday gift for anyone in your life who already has everything! Read on for the details on creating your own.

This project is also being featured on the Fashionable Stamping Challenges blog. If you like to see amazing projects, that is a blog you should be following! They have some incredible designers, including our own Asia.

Hello, Asia King here. Hold on tight as this is going to be quite a ride! And a bumpy one, too :).

I am very much into altering papier mache letters lately. Today I am tackling… ‘L’ for Laura for one very special Lady.
What you will need:

US crafters: Cling Steampunk Owl, Cling Clock Works, Cling Jumbo Holly Season Set, Red Tinsel Embossing Powder, Aged Gold Embossing Enamel, Scrollwork Border Class ‘A’ Peel Stickers

UK crafters: Cling Steampunk Owl, Cling Clock Works, Cling Jumbo Holly Season Set, Red Tinsel Embossing Powder, Aged Gold Embossing Enamel, Scrollwork Border Class ‘A’ Peel Stickers
Other materials:

Papier mache letter, DecoPatch glue, Glossy Accents, Grunge Paper, acrylic paints (gold, bronze, sand/neutral), alcohol inks (cranberry, pesto), Gold Cosmic Shimmer mist, copper metal, black card, embossing tool and paper stump, foam pad, embossing ink, Black StazOn ink, distress inks, ribbons, old book pages, eyelets, sequins and watch parts, tissue paper.

To decorate the Letter

1. Paint the letter with the gold and bronze paint. Then stamp randomly the Clock Works background with embossing ink onto white thin tissue paper. Heat emboss with Red Tinsel powder. When the paint dries, glue the tissue onto the letter. Apply a thin layer of glue on top of the tissue to blend it in. When dry swipe the embossed images with Vintage Photo distress ink for a grungy look.

2. Spray the letter with gold shimmer mist and tilt to allow the drips to run. When dry, swipe the embossing ink in places and sprinkle with Aged Gold enamel and Red Tinsel powder. Repeat until you achieve the desired coverage and thickness. Using the heat gun remelt the powders and quickly add sequins and watch parts for the Fran•táge Encrusted Jewel Technique effect. If the elements don’t stay fixed, add more of the embossing enamel/powder.

Steampunk Owl

1. Prepare a piece of metal card (or metal sheet backed with black card) big enough for the owl image. Randomly colour with alcohol inks. Stamp the owl with Black StazOn ink onto the metal. Place the image onto the foam pad (a mouse pad will also do the job!) and using a thin embossing tool trace all lines of the the image. Flip the image over and using the paper stump gently rub the backing card within the embossed lines. This will add dimension to the front of the image. You can also redo the tracing of the stamped lines to highlight the ‘bumps and dents’ :).

2. To colour the owl use a fine paint brush and start with the lightest colour of your acrylic paint. Add some highlights with gold and copper paint. The paint will start blending with alcohol inks giving lots of different shades :). Use copper paint for the hat and the bow – the metallic nature of the paint will highlight the Steampunky and metallic finish of your owl.

(Laura here: I have to say that this owl has the most incredible metallic sheen, no photo can do it justice!)

Handmade books

1. To make the books cut two 4″ x 3″ rectangles from Grunge Paper and colour with distress inks. To make the spine, make two score lines in the middle about 1/4 ” apart. Cut old book pages to size (make sure to put the pages evenly together). Add Glossy Accents to the inside of the spine and add the book pages. Use a big paper clip or a rubber band to hold the cover tightly whilst the glue is setting.

2. Add gold bands to the spine using acrylic paint and a fine brush. Embellish the books with the Scrollwork Border stickers and ribbons as bookmarks.

(Laura again: The teeny, tiny books are the highlight of my life at the moment… I flip through them to show everyone who comes in my office that there is a real book inside…and the leather covers are absolutely yummy… sigh)

(swoon… oh my this is the cutest thing ever in the world)

Top Hat
1. To make the top hat follow the tutorial from Splitcoaststampers.

2. Colour the hat with distress inks. Stamp the background image from the Jumbo Holly Season set and emboss with Red Tinsel powder.

Et voilà – you’re done! Easy! 🙂

I would LOVE to see your ‘letter’ projects so make sure to let me know what you create.

Big hugs