Viva Las VegaStamps!/Genuinely Jane Blog Hop

What do you get when the Viva Las VegaStamps! design team gets together with the Genuinely Jane design team?  A truly awesome blog hop! 
(and prizes: -GJS is giving away a $20 gift certificate for wooden albums, and VLVS! is giving away a lb. o rubber - two separate winners chosen randomly from all comments through the hop 

If you arrived here from Amy's blog, you are where you should be in the hop.  If you haven't been hopping, here is the list for today's inspiration.  (A list of all the hop stops for all 4 days is at the end of this post).
Sun 28 : 
Genuinely Jane Studios Blog
Amy 
Sandra -YOU ARE HERE! 
Irit 
Karen 

Supplies:

VLVS! images used:
One Way Small-19180 Plate 927
Star Sneaker 19242 Plate 926
You Are Here-19178 Plate 927

Genuinely Jane:
Wood Tag

Sakura of America:
Gelly Roll Classic-White
Gellyroll Metallic-Blue

Used Teabag
StazOn Inkpad-Timber Brown
Speedball Composition Metal Leaf
Martha Stewart Acrylic Paint, Satin-CousCous, Canteloupe, Blue Sky
Liquitex Clear Gesso
Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink-Ginger, Terracotta,
Golden Soft Gel Matte
Judykins MicroGlaze
Babywipes

I know I'm a crafter!  I received this beautiful wooden tag from Genuinely Jane Studio, and promptly crafted it to look like old worn tile!

I borrowed from the ideas in Serena Barton's ''Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop' for this project.  I didn't have many of the art supplies she used so I used what I had on hand.  Serena was working large and I was working small.  The techniques are fantastic.  Completely suitable for either fine art or crafting.

Note that I used 'satin' finish paints and 'matte' gel medium.  I wanted a soft, weathered look for my tag, so I went for glimmer and gleam not shine and sparkle.

I sealed the Genuinely Jane tag with clear gesso, applying 3 coats, letting each dry in between.  I did several other wood pieces at the same time, and used clear in case I wanted to keep the wood showing on any of them.

Using a baby wipe, I painted the parts of the tag with Couscous acrylic paint.  After a few seconds, I used a clean baby-wipe to remove most of the paint.

Letting each layer dry in between, I repeated the process with the Canteloupe and then the Sky Blue paint, until both sides and the edges were painted.  I let parts of the different colors overlap, but kept areas of each color showing as well.

To add the metal leaf, I repeated this process over and over:

     I spread gel medium in the area where the metal leaf was to be applied.
     I tore off about 1/2 an inch of metal leaf from the sheet.
     I rubbed the metal leaf into the medium, hard enough so bits came off.
     I rubbed gel medium over top of the metal leaf.
     When done, bits of the paint layers showed through in places.

I did this process on both sides of the tag, lapping the metal leaf over the edge to the other side of the tag.

Once all the gel medium was dry, I stamped the shoe on one side in Timber Brown.  The surface of the tag was very uneven, so the stamping was rough.  I used a Micron pen to fill the largest gap, but didn't worry about covering completely.

I tore open a used tea bag, cleaned away all the tea, and stamped the shoe on it.  I cut it out and, reversing the image, used gel medium to glue it down so it covered part of the first shoe image.  I work the gel medium in thoroughly until the tea bag became transparent, and then let it dry.

I wanted the tea bag shoe to have a little depth and a little shine, so I used a white gellyroll pen to highlight the closest rounded point of the shoe, and a lace.  Before the ink had time to dry, I blotted most of it off with a tissue, to soften the color.

On the other side of the tag, I stamped 'You Are Here' and the arrow.  Again the image was rough.  This time I used the Blue metallic gellyroll to fill in areas, blotting the ink with a tissue before it dried.  I think this softened gellyroll color gives the look of a sunbeam glancing off the tag.

I let the tag sit overnight to be sure every layer was thoroughly dry, and then sealed by rubbing the Judikins Microglaze over the entire tag.  I buffed it with a rag to bring out the waxy shine.

NOTE: Microglaze or any cold wax may cause your gellyroll inks to smear.  In this case, it didn't matter and I wanted the soft, waxy sheen.  Because I'd blotted the color there was no smearing--but there could have been.

Complete Hop Information

Fri 26 :
Genuinely Jane Studios Blog
Lea (http://www.leacioci.blogspot.com/)
Kimberly (http://www.scrapitgirl.net/)
Amy (http://sparklinggnome.com/)
Emily(http://www.emilyhammann.com/)
VLVS!  Blog

Sat 27
VLVS!  Blog
Susan
Ildiko 
Hermine 
Genuinely Jane Studios Blog

Sun 28 : 
Genuinely Jane Studios Blog
Amy 
Sandra -YOU ARE HERE! 
Irit 
Karen 

Mon 29:
VLVS!  Blog
Glenda 
Lori 
DeeDee
Natasha 
Genuinely Jane Studios Blog

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