Mixology 101.2

Mixology 101

This series of pop-up posts will focus on sharing ways in which I combine hand made art with commercial products. Since becoming a blogger for Spellbinders in 2013, I have had the opportunity to explore many supplies coming from the craft industry and to learn how to put my own twist on them as I add them into my artwork. The posts in this series may focus on completed art, process, product, and/or any other aspect of mixed media. So put the mix in the media and let's get creative...

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This project started as a demo I made in May at a collaborative workshop I taught with Mary Beth Shaw at her studio in St. Louis, Missouri. 

The cover felt unfinished so I decided to create more dimension by adding some die cuts. People often use die cutting as a way to add focal images to a project but I often integrate them into the background. I used Spellbinders new Sapphire Mini Die Cutting Machine and their line of Sapphire dies - currently exclusive to Joann. To all those peeps out there who are curious about die cutting but haven't yet taken the plunge, this machine is affordable, portable and a good fit for a beginner. 

I used my own hand painted paper to die cut as a way to add my own style to a commercial product. I love text as much for the design element as I do for the message, so I started with the Sapphire Numbers and Letters Two die set. After the letters were added to the book cover, I outlined them with a white gel pen to make them pop.

I had already stenciled the word inside when I first made the book and decided to highlight it by using a die cut from one of the 6 dies in the Sapphire Simply Tags set. The industrial look of this blends well with the background design. To finish it off, I added a section of a postage stamp and two nail head brads to the ends.

Next I used dies from the Sapphire Basic Circles set. When you nest two different sized circle dies before you run them through the machine, you end up with a loop. I made two loops and added them, along with some additional letter die cuts, to the background. A white gel pen was used to add some shading and dimension.

I repeated this process using dies from the Sapphire Basic Rectangles and some hand cut paper as well.

In the end, I think the addition of the die cuts was the perfect touch to add layers, textures, design and dimension to the cover. 

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For those of you what want to explore products directly from Spellbinders, they have generously provided my blog readers with a special code that can be used to save 20% off items in their online shop (doesn't include shipping, tax, or machines). Head to their store and use code 20OFFSA.