Being an English major and total library groupie, I was thrilled with this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme, which is to be inspired by a myth, fable, story, etc. I find mythology fascinating, so I decided to make some feather cards that pay homage to Icarus, that unfortunate fellow who tried to fly away from his island prison with a pair of wings made from wax and feathers. It might have been okay, but Icarus ignored common sense, his dad's warning, and the basic chemical properties of heat and wax. He flew too close to the sun and his wings melted and he fell to his untimely death. Kind of a downer of a story. BUT, the thing I love about this myth is the concept of daring greatly, even if you fall greatly. That became my inspiration and sentiment.
I made a tutorial video of this technique, or you can check out the pics and descriptions below.
I used a Pretty Pink Posh die to cut some scalloped hexagon shapes out of text paper. I cut some rectangles out of Strathmore Mixed Media paper and glued the hexagons onto the rectangular card bases.
I smudged on some Distress Oxide, dripped water onto it, let the water sit for a few minutes, then used a paper towel to remove the water. This leaves white splotch marks wherever the water was.
I outlined some of my water splotches with a black Sharpie just to give it a different look.
Next I sprinkled some Infusions and some Brusho crystals onto the paper and spritzed it with water.
I dried out the collage with a heat tool and stamped a feather outline onto it with Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink. Then I smudged white paint inside the feather shape to give me a nice white slate again.
Once that dried, I was able to finger-paint some color into the feathers using various shades of acrylic paint. I toned down my color crystal background a bit with white paint. I also stamped the middle line of the feather back into place and darkened some of the black stamped portions with a black pen.
All that was left was to add my sentiment boxes, which I stamped with alphabet letters from Mama Elephant.
In the spirit of full disclosure and for the record, when I take process shots that show how I got from Point A to Point B, it's not because my way was the best or only way! 75% of the time, I'm just shooting from the hip and making things up as I go, which is why a lot of the early parts get covered up. But it's all part of the process and I enjoyed this week's theme and process immensely!
Here are the supplies I used that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:
- Carabelle Studio Feather and Peacock stamp
- Mama Elephant Lots of Letters stamp
- Pretty Pink Posh Scallop Hexagons die
- Simon Says Stamp Basic Rectangles die
- Sizzix Big Shot machine
- Strathmore Mixed Media paper
- Dylusions Creative Dyary Glue Sticks
- Distress Oxide: Picked Raspberry
- Distress Oxide: Worn Lipstick
- Distress Oxide: Twisted Citron
- Distress Oxide: Peacock Feathers
- Distress Oxide: Salty Ocean
- Distress Ink: Mustard Seed
- Infusions Color Stain: Are You Cerise
- Infusions Color Stain: Royal Blood
- Infusions Color Stain: A Bit Jaded
- Heat Tool
- Prima Impasto Paint: Crimson
- Prima Impasto Paint: Lemon Peel
- Dina Wakley Acrylic Paint: White
- Dina Wakley Acrylic Paint: Turquoise
- Dina Wakley Acrylic Paint: Tangerine
- Fude Ball Black Pen
- Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
- Acrylic Blocks
- Ranger Craft Mat
So how will you be inspired by a myth, story, legend, tale or any other literary goodie? I can't wait to see your efforts! Upload your projects to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $50 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!