Layers of Color: Creating a Mixed Media Journal Page with Sprays & Infusions

 

Hello crafty friends! Ericka from Strangely Creative here, and today I'm spending some time in my art journal, experimenting with two of my favorite mixed media products—Lindy's Gang Starburst Sprays and PaperArtsy Infusions.

Both of these products create incredible effects, but they each bring something completely different to a project. The Starburst Sprays add vibrant color and beautiful shimmer, while the Infusions introduce rich, moody tones and a touch of grunge. Combining the two is one of my favorite ways to create backgrounds full of depth and unexpected details.

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✨ Why I Love These Products

One of the things I love most about Lindy's Gang Starburst Sprays is the incredible variety of colors and finishes available. Whether you choose the sprays or powders, the colors can be soft and dreamy or bright and sparkling, depending on the look you're after.

PaperArtsy Infusions bring something entirely different to the table. The combination of dye pigments and walnut crystals creates darker, more distressed effects that add beautiful contrast and texture to any background.

Together, they create the perfect balance between vibrant color and vintage grunge.

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🎨 Building the Background

To begin my journal page, I taped off the edges and applied a layer of gesso.

While the gesso was still slightly wet, I sprayed Lindy's Gang Steampunk Sepia and Time Travel Teal from the Industrial Chic collection across the page. A light mist of water helped the colors blend and flow together, creating soft transitions and interesting patterns.

 

After setting the page aside to dry, I sprinkled on PaperArtsy Infusions in In the Navy with just a touch of Cerise. A quick spritz of water activated the pigments and walnut crystals, adding rich layers and a distressed look to the background.

 

One of my favorite things about working with sprays and Infusions is that no two pages ever turn out exactly the same.

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🍃 Creating the Focal Elements

While the background dried, I created some coordinating embellishments on watercolor paper using the PaperArtsy Tracy Scott 226 stencil. For color, I reached for Rusty Lantern Lime and Shabby Turbine Teal sprays, allowing the vibrant shades to contrast against the darker journal background.

 

Once everything was dry, I carefully cut it out and arranged it on the page.

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✍️ Finishing Touches

To complete the spread, I added:

• Sentiments from AALL & Create's Motivation Station
• Highlights with a gold pen
• Extra layers to bring movement and balance to the page 

Those final details tied everything together and added a little extra sparkle to the grungy background.

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Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope this journal page inspires you to pull out your sprays, embrace the unexpected, and spend some time experimenting in your art journal.

 

Have a wonderful week and happy creating! 💙✨

 

 Topflight Stamp Supplies

PaperArtsy - Tracy Scott PS226 Shop at: TP	AALL & Create - Motivation Station Shop at: TP	Lindy's Gang - Industrial Chic Sprays Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Infusions Dye - Cerise Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Infusions Dye - In the Navy Shop at: TP

Lindy's Magicals Mermaid Card

Hello, Lisa Hoel here. This week at Topflight Stamps our product focus is on mixed media and using ink/pigment powders. I have been having fun playing with the Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals Pigment Powders making all sorts of backgrounds using the Enchanted Forest set. I paired them with Lavinia ocean themed stamps to create this dreamy mermaid card.

To make the Magicals backgrounds, I spritzed pieces of mixed media cardstock with water and then sprinkled on tiny bits of the pigment powders. (A little goes a long way, they really pack a punch!) I spritzed on more water and let the powder particles dissolve and flow – letting them air dry naturally. The AALL & Create Starflight die set made a lovely frame for the focal panel and stamping.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the Topflight Stamps store for a wide selection of different and hard to find stamps, stencils and other paper crafting supplies from all around the world! Also keep an eye here on the Topflight Stamps blog. There is new inspiration posted often!

Topflight Stamps Supplies Used:

Lindy's Magicals Pigment Powders - Enchanted Forest

AALL & Create die set - Starflight

Lavinia stencil - Coral

Lavinia stamps - Guinevere Mermaid

Lavinia stamps - Inspire Me

Lavinia stamps - Shoal of Fish

Lavinia stamps - Sea Creatures

Lavinia stamps - Mini Fish

Lavinia Elements Ink - Sahara, Sundance, Soft Cygnet, Bermuda, Della Blue

Versafine Clair ink - Twilight

 

Soar!

Greetings! It's Tuesday so you've got Kathi here to share a project with you! This week's focus is on Mixed Media with an emphasis on pigment powders. I created an encouragement card with the Tracy Scott 59 (TS059) Rubber Cling Stamp Set, the Tracy Scott 53 (TS053) Rubber Cling Stamp Set, the Scrapcosy 36 (ESC36)  Rubber Cling Stamp Set, and Sleight Blue, Sunset Beach, and Violet Storms Infusions — all by PaperArtsy.

Here it is!

Cut a piece of 9" x 12" Mixed Media paper in half. Secure one half of the Mixed Media paper to the base of a stamping platform. Position the hexagons and the bee from the Tracy Scott 59 (TS059) Rubber Cling Stamp Set by PaperArtsy facedown on the Mixed Media paper. Press the platform's lid onto the back of the stamps and lift.

Gently dip a blending foam on a Premier Ink Blending Tool by Hunkydory Crafts into a jar of Distress Micro Glaze to pick up some of the glaze. Use the Premier Ink Blending Too to apply the glaze to the stamps. If you wish, you can spread the Distress Micro Glaze with a blending brush. Close the platform's lid to transfer the glaze to the Mixed Media panel. Repeat these steps to ensure good impressions for all the stamps.

Remove the image panel from the stamping platform and place it onto a craft mat.

Lightly sprinkle Sleight Blue Infusions by PaperArtsy onto the bottom part of the image panel. Lightly sprinkle Sunset Beach Infusions over and around the bee. Lightly sprinkle Violet Storms Infusions by PaperArtsy over the top part of the panel and wherever the powder seems light. Mist the image panel with a water-filled Fine Spray Mister by Spectrum Noir to activate the Infusions' pigments. You will note that the Distress Micro Glaze acted as a resist and the images' outlines remained white. 

Tilt the background panel to encourage the Infusions pigments to blend. Use a paintbrush to spread them further if so desired. Gently dip a paper towel into any puddles to remove excess water. 

When you're happy with the background, thoroughly heat set the image, trim to slightly less than 5" x 7". Use the edge of a pair of scissors to distress the edges of the image panel.

Pat an anti-static tool over the image panel then place the image panel back onto the base of a stamping platform. Position the "Soar" sentiment stamp from the Tracy Scott 53 (TS053) Rubber Cling Stamp Set by  PaperArtsy towards the top left. Position the "Free to Fly..." sentiment stamp from the Scrapcosy 36 (ESC36)  Rubber Cling Stamp Set by PaperArtsy centered under the bee (but straight -- oops!). Ink both sentiments with Dahlia Purple VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko and stamp. Add Clear Gloss Embossing Powder by WOW to the wet ink, dump the excess powder back into the container, and heat set the embossing powder.

Adhere the image panel to a white 5" x 7" card.

Please pop over to my blog, Kat's Tales of Stamping, for step-by-step instructions, notes, and complete supply lists.

Topflight Stamps Products Used:

Tracy Scott 59 (TS059) Rubber Cling Stamp Set by Tracy Scott for PaperArtsy

Tracy Scott 53 (TS053) Rubber Cling Stamp Set by Tracy Scott for PaperArtsy

Scrapcosy 36 (ESC36)  Rubber Cling Stamp Set by Scrapcosy for PaperArtsy

Sleight Blue, Sunset Beach, and Violet Storms Infusions by PaperArtsy

Dahlia Purple VersaFine Clair Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Clear Gloss Embossing Powder by WOW

Fine Spray Misters by Spectrum Noir

Premier Ink Blending Tool by Hunkydory Crafts

Thank you for visiting today!

Cheers for Mixed Media!

Hi, friends!  It's another Monday with Walter.  This week's theme for the Topflight Stamps Design Team is mixed media.  It's a theme that lends itself so well to many, many different brands.  However, when I think of mixed media and Topflight Stamps . . . my mind turns to Paper Artsy.  Their stencils and their stamps are so easy to use with various mixed media techniques.  I decided to use the beautiful background stencil PS529 by Scrapcosy and stamp set ESC58 also by Scrapcosy this week.

I knew that this background stencil would look absolutely beautiful as a background created with paste and watercolored.  I used an A2 size piece of watercolor paper and spread Ranger Opaque Crackle Texture Paste across the paper through the stencil.  Once dry, I used various colors from Lindy's Magicals Nantucket Pearls to create a Moroccan-like pattern.  I sprinkled the powders around the panel, spritzed it with water, and then moved it water around the panel with a paint brush.  The end result is a rich array of green, orange, and a little bit of blue.

I then used a combination of water and Peacock Feathers Distressed Oxide Ink with a paint brush to add little bits of oxidation throughout the panel.

I cut another A2 watercolor panel and cut an arch from it using a stacking arch die set from my stash.  I wanted this to be a darker color so as to not take any attention away from the stenciled panel.  I used Lavinia Dinkles Paynes Grey mixed with some water to color it.  The end result is a beautiful stone looking arch, I added double-sided foam tape to the back of arch and adhered it down to the stenciled panel.  I love the rich texture and colors!  I selected the sentiments CHEERS! ON YOUR DAY and stamped them onto the panel with Versafine Claire ink.

The final step was stamping my florals from the ESC58 Stamp Set with Versafine Claire ink onto watercolor paper and, once the ink was dry, watercolored the florals using a mixture of Nantucket Pearls & water.  I chose to use orange, pink, and blue for my flowers to maintain a balance with the color of the background panel.

I let the florals dry and then fussy cut them with details scissors.  I glued them down to the bottom of the arch and the design was complete.  It's such a pretty scene and a card that may be given to either a woman or a man!

I hope that you enjoy this design!  I'd love to hear what you think in the comments.  I'll be back on the blog again next Monday.  Until then . . . be well!

Topflight Products Used

PaperArtsy PS529 Stencil by Scrapcosy

Paperartsy ESC58 Stamp Set by Scrapcosy

Lindy's Magicals Nantucket Pearls

Lavinia Dinkles - Paynes Grey

Creating a Grungy Floral Card with Fresco Paints

 

Hello crafty friends! Ericka from Strangely Creative here, and today I'm sharing a card that embraces all the things I love about mixed media: layers of paint, plenty of texture, and a beautifully distressed finish.

Sometimes the most interesting backgrounds come from simply experimenting with color and letting the layers build naturally. For this project, I reached for my PaperArtsy Fresco Paints and some beautiful Alison Bomber designs to create a card with a vintage, weathered feel.

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Building a Grungy Background

I started by creating the background with a combination of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic Paints in Beach Hut, Mud Splat, Mulled Wine, and Pumice.

Using a brayer, I rolled the colors across my cardstock, allowing the layers to overlap and peek through one another. I love how this technique creates an imperfect, textured look that feels naturally aged and full of character.

 

Once the first layers were dry, I reached for the PaperArtsy Alison Bomber PS523 stencil and added even more texture by pouncing paint through the design with a dauber. Those extra marks brought movement and depth to the background and helped tie all the colors together.

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Adding Layers of Detail

With the background complete, I stamped one of the beautiful images from the PaperArtsy Alison Bomber 59 stamp set using Lavinia Truffle Ink.

 

These subtle details add another layer of interest without overwhelming the background. One of my favorite things about distressed projects is how each layer peeks through the next, creating little surprises as you look closer.

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Creating the Focal Point

For the focal image, I stamped the rose from the same stamp set onto a separate gel print and carefully fussy cut it.

To give the flower a bit more dimension, I pulled out my colored pencils and added shading to the petals along with touches of green on the leaves. I love how just a few extra strokes of color can bring a stamped image to life and help it stand out against a busy background.

Once the rose was finished, I added a sentiment stamped in Versafine Clair Twilight and began assembling the card.

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Finishing Touches

To complete the design, I added:

• Gold and white paint splatters for a little extra contrast
• A hand-drawn frame to define the composition
• Simple layering that lets the rose remain the star of the card

 

Those final details brought everything together and added just the right amount of grungy charm.

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Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope this card inspires you to pull out your paints, experiment with texture, and create something beautifully grungy.

 

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting! 🌹✨

  

 

Topflight Stamp Supplies 

PaperArtsy - Alison Bomber 59 Shop at: CSTP	PaperArtsy - Alison Bomber PS523 Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Clear Shop at: TP	WOW! Embossing - Clear Embossing Pad Shop at: WOW US | TP	Lavinia - Elements Dye Ink - Truffle Shop at: TP
Tsukineko - VersaFine Clair - Nocturn Shop at: AZ | TP	Tsukineko - Versafine Clair - Twilight Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Fresco Chalk Paint - Beach Hut Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Fresco Chalk Paint - Mud Splat Shop at: TP
PaperArtsy - Fresco Chalk Paint - Mulled Wine Shop at: TP	PaperArtsy - Fresco Chalk Paint - Seth Apter Pumice Shop at: TP	Speedball - 2" Brayer Shop at: TP