Hey everyone. A little while ago I shared with you a layout which documented the Valentine’s day tradition that my hubby and I have shared over the last 8 years, and today we are revisiting this subject to demonstrate how we can use Mini Misters to spray over a mask. First I’m going to walk you through how I made the background design then I will talk you through the design principals for the rest of the layout.
The technique
I basically followed Tim Holtz instructions as per his demo video, but with a little twist. Using a lolly pop stick, I transfered a small scoop of Perfect pearls powder into a mini mister and filled it three quarters full with water. I didn’t have any reinkers to hand, so I improvised by using alcohol inks, a suggestion stolen from Dedra Long in her layout here. I added a few drops to the water, replaced the top and shook it for a few seconds then it was ready to go.
This glamorous liquid can be sprayed directly unto your project or you can use a mask like I did here using laser cut cardstock, or lace cardstock as it can sometimes be called. I used a repositionable roller glue dispenser to stick down the lace cardstock securely and then sprayed liberally over the top. The trick is to carefully remove the cardstock to reveal a beautiful masked image with a pearlescent sheen to catch the eye.
I myself have about 8 different colours of alcohol inks and 2 normal dye reinkers so technically I can make at least 10 different colours of spritzer inks to spray onto projects, and I can alter the colour of the perfect pearl powder in each one to add variety, or even omit it all together. All this by just using products already lurking in my craft stash! Awesome.
The Layout
So this is the final finished layout and it is fun and easy peasy. I’ve used the laser cut lettering as a mask as a fun take on counting the years that pass, as our tradition is that every year we have an extra Kinder Egg to hide. We are on eight this year, and I’m so glad that I have documented where they all were hiden, as I can’t even seem to remember where they all were last year. The photos on the right are the hiding places of the eggs, and i’ve arranged these in a grid layout to give structure to the design. Although I wanted structure, I wanted to keep the layout fun, so I didn’t fuss too much on laying them straight and measuring the exact location of each. To balance this photo grid, I placed a large focal picture on the left, and used pattern paper and journal papers to extend the length to create a quasi-symmetrical rectangular shape.
I drew a border around the whole layout to link the two pages together so that it looks more like one layout rather than two separate pages as I felt that there was a lot of open space in the layout. At first I thought that I would add more pattern paper but I didn’t want to take the focus away from the masked design element, or indeed the photos. So I added more interest by layering embellishments and using visual triangles to lead the eye from the left to the right, then from top to bottom. For example, look at the green chipboard embellishments: first there is one beside the heart on the left page, then there is one at the top left of the photo blocks, and the third is a small circle at the bottom right of the photo grid beside the date frame.
Extra tip
If you don’t have anything which you could use as a mask, you could try this tip which was shared at the NEC this year. Stamp and heat emboss an image onto a piece of cardstock in white embossing powder. Then spray all over with your inky water mix. Wipe over the embossed image with a paper towel and watch your stamped image pop.
Now can you seriously tell me that you aren’t tempted to give Mini Misters a whirl?
Products Used:
Making Memories chunky aplha stickers, ribbon, bling, Heidi Swapp chipboard heart, K&C chipboard tags, Maya road chipboard blooms, Charcoal pattern papers from Dovecraft, Crave paper from Bisous, white rub on frame, white rub on circle from hambly studios, Love acrylic stamp from studio G, Heidi Swapp chipboard frame, making memories tiny alpha, alcohol ink from Ranger, Mini Mister, perfect pearls powder
