Tammy Tutterow

Tutorial: UTEE Faux Porcelain Mother's Day Card

I have a new tutorial posted today on the Ranger Ink site!  You can find it on the Ranger site in the project section: http://rangerink.com/?ranger_project=faux-porcelain-utee-mothers-day-card.  I hope you will stop by and take a look!

Imagination embossed tag-

Today I have a really quick tag to share.  Even though it is quick and simple, I think it is so pretty and looks like it took more time than it did.

Begin by blending Broken China and Peeled Paint Distress Inks onto a manila tag using an ink blending tool.

Place the tag into an embossing folder (I used the new Book Covers Texture Fade).  Emboss the tag. 

Mist the surface of the tag generously with Mint Perfect Pearls Mist.  Blot away any excess mist and dry with a heat tool.

Apply Vintage Photo Distress Ink on the edges of the tag and onto the front of the tag on the raised areas.

Stamp a phrase onto a canvas ATC using Jet Black Archival Ink.

Add Vintage Photo Distress Ink to the edges of the canvas ATC.

Adhered the ATC to the center front of the tag.  Attach with two Tiny Attacher staples.  Add ribbon to the tag if desired.

Super easy and so very pretty!

InLinkz.com

Live in the Moment Embossed Canvas Tag

Today I am sharing another tag I made for CHA in January.  I found a stash of project images that I had never edited.  I didn't even write down supplies!  I was in such a last minute crunch that I just made things fast and furious.  This one is pretty simple to make so I can actually remember what I did and what colors I used to create it.

I started by covering a manila tag with Sticky Back Canvas.  I embossed the tag with the Book Covers Texture Fade with the oval center.

I used an ink blending tool to color the canvas with Wild Honey Distress Ink.  After applying the Wild Honey, I skimmed over the surface with Vintage Photo Distess Ink and an ink blending tool, applying color to just the raised areas of the design.  I brushed more Vintage photo along the edges to darken them.

I embossed a scrap of smooth natural colored cardstock witht he same embossing folder.  I cut around the edge of the oval design.  I blended Vintage Photo around the edges of the piece in toward the center.  I stamped a phrase onto the oval and then adhered it to the tag matching it up with the design on the canvas.

I added machine stitching along the top and bottom edges and around the oval.

To embellish the tag, I die-cut two pieces of crinoline with the Tattered Pinecone die.  After die-cutting the crinoline, I colored them with Distress Stain (Tattered Rose and Scattered Straw).  I dried the pieces of crinoline, brushed the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink, and then assembled them according to the package directions.  I adhered the two assembled flowers along with two leaves (leaves from Prima Holiday Lights Sprays).

I think this tag turned out so pretty and yet it was simple and quick!  I absolutely love the way the Tattered Pinecone die works with crinoline.  The flowers look so dainty and vintage!

InLinkz.com

For You Embossed Kraft Core Tag

I am blogging today on the Sizzix blog and sharing this tag that features Core'dinations Tim Holtz Kraft-Core Cardstock.  I hope you will stop by and take a peek!  http://sizzixblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/for-you-tag.html

For My Love Matchbook

Happy Valentine's Day!  Today I am sharing another CHA project today.  This project has a love theme so I thought it would be perfect for sharing today for Valentine's Day.  

Using the new Matchbook Set die, I cut one of the taller matchbooks from grungepaper.  I colored the grungepaper with Worn Lipstick and Barn Door Distress Stains.  I applied 2-3 coats of the two colors of stain randomly on the grungepaper, drying with a heat tool between each coat.  After the grungepaper was dry, I sanded the surface of the grungepaper with a sanding block.  Sanding gave the surface a very worn soft velvety finish.  After sanding I brushed all of the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

I cut a lace strip from manila cardstock using the Vintage Lace die.  I dabbed Old Paper Distress Stain onto the paper lace strips to add color variation.  After drying the strips, I brushed the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  I adhered on piece of the paper lace to the underneath side of the front lower flap with SuperTape.  I added a machine stitched line through the grungepaper and paper lace.

After adding my cardstock pages to the inside of the matchbook, I pierced three holes through the assembled book using a Crop-a-dile tool.  I placed brads through the holes, flattening the brads on the back of the book.  I added a strip of paper lace adhered with SuperTape to the back of the book to cover the brads.

 I die cut a heart from grungepaper.  I colored it as before with Distress Stains.  After it was dry, I sanded it a bit more than I did the cover so that it would look more worn and stand out from the cover.  I inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Stain.  I adhere the heart to the cover of the matchbook and sewed around the edges.  On top of the heart, I used my Tiny Attacher to adhere a ticket I made with manila cardstock, the Ticket Strip die, and a blank ticket stamp from the Odds and Ends stamp set.  Like the paper lace, I colored the manila for the tag with Old Paper Distress Stain and Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  I used my {beloved} Hero Arts alphabet stamps to add a title to the ticket. 

I attached a ticket to each inside page with a different redeemable gift stamped on each. 

Each of the cardstock pages inside has a row of Xs and Os embossed and stamped along the top edge.  I used the X stitch embossing folder from the Patterns and Stitches Texture Fades set to create the row of Xs.  I used a small letter O stamp to stamp the Os in between the Xs with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

I brushed Walnut Stain Distress Ink along the edges and on the raised X border of each page.

I love the way this little matchbook turned out.  It was simple to make and would make such a fun and heartfelt gift for someone.  I am thinking about pretending that the hubby gave me this booklet and trying to redeem the tickets from him!  I really would love to have the maid service and spa day on those tickets!

InLinkz.com

Tutorial: Embossed Resist

Recently a friend RAK'd me some manila tags embossed with the Tim Holtz Clock Texture Fade.  I have been looking at them for a couple of weeks now trying to decide what I wanted to create with them.  I have a new love for tag making and wanted to do something fun with this one.  I decided that aI wanted to find a way to add color to the raised and recessed areas separately.  

I decided that I would use a technique that I learned at Ranger U where you stamp an image in color (we used Distress Ink) and emboss it with embossing powder.  After embossing you continue to stamp and ink your project.  The embossing powder acts like a resist and protects your original stamped image, very much as if you had masked the image off.  Once you finish stamping and inking, you can cover the piece with paper and heat it with an iron to melt and remove the embossing powder, leaving a smooth matte image.  I wasn't sure what the ironing process would do to the raised design from the texture fades.  I never found out, because I ended up liking the look of the clear embossing powder on the raised portions of the tag so much that I decided to leave it.

To create my tag I started with a manila tag embossed with the Clock Texture Fade.

I wanted my colors to be softer so I coated my tag with Picket Fence Distress Stain.  (I got to use it for CHA samples and trust me, you NEED this stain!)

Here is a side by side comparison of a plain manila tag (left) and one with Picket Fence Distress Stain (right).  (If you click the photo you will get a larger view)

Apply Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink to the raised areas of the tag with an ink applicator tool.

Dry the ink with a Heat It heat tool.  Apply clear embossing ink to the raised areas of the tag by tapping the pad lightly on the tag.

Cover the tag with clear embossing powder.

Lift the tag out of the powder and tap off the excess powder.

Use a dry paint brush to brush away any powder that may be in the areas you don't want it.  You don't have to be meticulous with it, leaving some stray powder will add to the distressed look on the finished tag.

Heat the tag until the powder melts.  You can tell it is melted when the powder has turned shiny and glossy.

Apply Distress Ink colors of choice to the tag.  (I can't tell you the colors I used because I used the ink already on my ink applicator tools without re-inking them.)

After applying colors, accent the edges of the tag with ink.  I used the same brown, Brushed Corduroy that I used on the raised portion.

To embellish my tag, I added a scrap of pattern paper to the top to cover the non-embossed area.  I used paper from BasicGrey's 6x6 Basics paper pad.  I added a Tim Holtz Reinforcer to the whole, some machine stitching, and finished off the edges with more Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.

For my sentiment, I stamped a phrase on strips of the same pattern paper with my very favorite letter stamps stamped with Brushed Corduroy.

 

I totally love the way the finished tag turned out.  I am not sure that the photo really does it justice.  The random specks of embossing powder on the clock faces helped create a really worn effect. 

I also really like how the embossing powder helped to keep the brown portions defined and added texture and shine to the tag.

• paper- Ranger Ink Inkssentials Surfaces Manila #8; BasicGrey Basics White 6x6 paper pad
• stamps- Hero Arts Printer's Typle Lower Case
• embossing folder- Tim Holtz Texture Fades Clock
• stickers- Tim Holtz Idea-ology Reinforcers
• ink- Tim Holtz Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy, assorted colors, and embossing ink
• stains- Tim Holtz Distress Stain Picket Fence
• embossing powder- Ranger Ink Clear Embossing Powder
• fibers- Tim Holtz Trimmings (colored with ink)
• tools- Ranger Ink Inkssentials Ink Applicator Tool, Heat It Craft Tool, and Craft Sheet; Embossing Powder Tray
• adhesives- Therm O Web Super Stick
• misc.- sewing machine

Tim Holtz CHA-S 2011: Welcome Santa

The last of my Tim Holtz projects and the one that ties for my favorite.  This piece a hanging piece that is puffy like a quilt.  I love, love, love the vintage shabby look of the finished piece!

This piece is comprised of a matte board center with two layers of batting on each side of it and then fabric over the batting on the back and a sheet of Tim's Christmas Memories Kraft Resist paper.  All layers are sewn together.  (The matte board is smaller than the other pieces and is inside the sewn area, it is not sewn through.)  All of the embellishing was done before the sewing.

I began adding color to the Kraft Resist paper with my ink blending tool.  I used it to work in Broken China and Peeled Paint Distress Inks onto the paper avoiding the leaves and berries.  After inking, I added color to the leaves and berries with Letraset Promarkers.  Alcohol Ink based markers like Letraset Promarkers, Copics, and Adirondack Alcohol Ink in the Fillable Pens work really well on the Kraft Resist Paper.  They don't run or bleed and stay where they are put.  You can even blend on the paper.  The colors on Kraft look really cool and vintagey.  After coloring with markers I added Walnut Stain Distress Ink to all edges and then misted the entire surface with Biscotti Perfect Pearls Mist.

I added a few tears and curls to the edges.  I also brushed ink onto the curls and the batting so that the insides looked good and vintagey too.

This little cluster in the center makes me so happy!  I love the way it came together.  The bottom layer is a Styled Label die cut.  I cut one from Grungepaper and one from Sticky Back Canvas and layered them together.  I brushed the label with Broken China Distress Ink and then embossed it with the Snow Fluries Texture Fade.  I embossed it so that the snow flakes were sunk in.  I brushed Walnut Stain Distress Ink lightly over the raised area.  The label was sewed to the piece of Kraft Resist Paper.

I adhered a Grungepaper heart that I colored with Fired Brick Distress Stain and Fired Brick Distress Stickles.  I added Walnut Stain Distress Ink to the edges.  I used 3D Foam Squares to adhere a Word Key to over the heart.  The key has a word on one side that didn't feet with my theme so I adhered it word side down.

I blotted Walnut Stain Distress Stain onto two pieces of vintage lace.  I layered the two pieces of lace with a strip of Grungepaper.  The Grungepaper was colored with Peeled Paint Distress Stain, misted with Biscotti Perfect Pearls Mist, and inked with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  I used my favorite alpha stamps to add text to the strip.  I placed the strip over the heart and stitched it in place.  I added two Mini Pins for decoration.

I added a bit of Trimmings Ribbon colored with Bundled Sage Distress Stain.  After coloring and drying the ribbon, I tapped on some Walnut Stain Distress Ink to add some age to it.  I also added a bit of waxed thread to the key to hold a Mini Tassel, a Christmas Muse Token, and a Christmas Adornment charm.  I inked the token and charm with Snow Cap Pigment Ink.  After heat drying, I added embossing ink and Bridal Tinsel Embossing Powder.  I added a second layer of clear embossing powder to give a nice glossy finish. 

I used two fabric grommets to the two top corners.  I added a thread wrapped floral wire to the piece through the grommets to create a hanging wire.  The color of the thread was bright green and didn't match the project well.  I brushed over it with Forest Moss Distress Stain to darken it to match.

I misted a few sprigs of greenery with Biscotti Perfect Pearls Mist.  Once it was dry I tied it to the hanger using more of the colored Trimmings ribbon.

Trust me when I tell you that the shimmer and vintage feel of this piece is so much more in person.  I just really love the finished piece.  It is so simple and so pretty.  I have already made plans to break this one down into a tutorial in the very near future.  So if you love it, be looking for more instructions soon!

• paper- Tim Holtz Idea-ology Kraft Resist Christmas Memories, Grungepaper, Grungeboard (easel)
• stamps- Hero Arts Printer's Type Lower Case Alpha
• dies- Tim Holtz Alterations Small Easel, Mini Hearts, Styled Labels
• embossing folders: Snow Fluries
• embellishments- Tim Holtz Idea-ology Adornments: Christmas, Muse Tokens: Christmas, Word Key, Mini Pins, grommets, greenery
• ink- Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Broken China, Walnut Stain; Adirondack Snow Cap Pigment Ink
• markers- Letraset Promarkers Poppy, Marsh Green, Pear Green, Burnt Siena
• stains- Tim Holtz Distress Stains Peeled Paint, Antique Linen, Fired Brick, Forest Moss and Bundled Sage
• mists- Perfect Pearls Mist: Biscotti
• fibers- Tim Holtz Idea-ology Trimmings; waxed thread; vintage lace
• fabric- Claudine Hellmuth Sticky Back Canvas, cream muslin, cotton batting
• tools- Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher and Sanding Grip; Ranger Ink Blending Tool; Fiskars Pinking Sheers; sewing machine
• adhesives- Therm O Web Sticky Strip Runner, Super Tape, Super Stick, and 3D Foam Squares
• misc.- Ranger Clear Embossing Powder, Bridal Tinsel; Tim Holtz Distress Stickles Barn Door

Tim Holtz CHA-S 2011: Haunted House

When I created this piece for the show I really, really wanted to color the skeleton green and add a little Christmas tree to remind me of this story.  If it had been a project just for myself, I totally would have done it, but since it was for the show I knew that people wouldn't 'get' it.  So white he is and no tree.  But, I think after the show when this piece come home, I may modify it just a bit because the story about being flabbergasted still makes me smile, and who couldn't use a little decor piece that would remind them of such sweetness and happiness?

To create this little spooky piece, I started with the long rectangular Configurations box.  I removed all of the inside boxes and used just the main box and lid.  

I painted the outside of the lid with an Adirondack Pitch Black Paint Dabber.  After it was dry, I added a layer of Black Soot Distress Crackle Paint.  When the crackle paint was dry I misted over the surface with Bronze Perfect Pearls Mist.

 

I covered the inside back and sides with dark orange solid paper from the Seasonal Paper Stash.  I used Glue N Seal to adhere the paper to the inside of the box.  After the paper and adhesive was dry, I added a few blasts of Bronze Perfect Pearls Mist.  I held the bottle close to the surface so that the application would be heavy and puddled.  I sat the box aside so that the droplets would dry as they were (no heat or blotting).

The centerpiece of box is the hanging skeleton.  He is from the Halloween Haunts Kraft Resist Paper Stash.  (He is on the page with the witch, cat, and owl.)  I used Picket Fence Distress Stain with a paint brush to color him white.  After cutting him out I used a Perfect Pen (embossing ink) and clear embossing powder to add texture and shine to the bones.  It is hard to tell in the photo, but only did this to bones that are in "front" (ie not the back ribs or sunken eye sockets).  I did this to help add some depth.  To make him a little more sturdy, I covered the back of the skeleton cut out with with clear embossing powder as well.

I hung the skeleton inside the box with waxed thread that is fed through a couple of screw eyes and tied off on the outside of the box.  

If you untie the thread on the outside hook you can actually raise and lower the skeleton.  The end of the thread is finished off with a Mini Tassel.

To create the two pieces of cobwebs in the box, I embossed two pieces of clear plastic (the plastic window that came in the box) using the Cobwebs Texture Fade.  I painted each piece with an Adirondack Pitch Black Paint Dabber on the raised side.  I sanded the raised edges with a Sanding Grip to remove the paint and reveal the clear plastic.  I cut each piece out closely to the raised design.  I adhered the piece behind the skeleton with 3D Zots so that it would be out away from the back of the box.  I adhere the corner web to the inside edge of the box lid with Super Tape.

I added a battery powered tea light inside the box in the lower corner.  The glow of the light shines through the cobweb.  I also embellished the corner with two stickers which were adhered to scrap paper and held in place with a Trinket pin that is pierced into the floor of the box.  The Halloween lettering is a sticker strip from the Seasonal Salvage Sticker book and is adhered to the front of the box with 3D Foam Strips.

The lower right corner is embellished with a Corked Vial full of "Black Magic" (or black micro glitter).

The outside of the box is trimmed with fun shiny black metal accents.  Each piece was painted black with an Adirondack Pitch Black Paint Dabber.  Each piece was sanded lightly to allow some metal to show through and then was dipped in a Melting Pot full of melted UTEE.  The UTEE gives each piece a glass like finish.  The bat is from the Halloween Adornments set.  The borders, corners, and cornice piece are all vintage metal pieces salvaged off of vintage photo albums.

The paint and dipping extended all the way down to the feet of the box.  A photo just can't do justice to how cool these Foundation Box Feet look dipped in Utee.  They look like they are blown glass with a black core.  If you have a melting pot, I am telling you, melt some UTEE and dip some stuff in it, it is so cool!

• base- Tim Holtz Idea-ology Configurations 5.75"x10.75"
• paper-  Tim Holtz Idea-ology Kraft Resist: Halloween Haunts and Seasonal Paper Stash
• embossing folder: Tim Holtz Texture Fades Halloween Cobwebs
• embellishments- Tim Holtz Idea-ology Adornments: Halloween, Mini Tassel, Trinket Pin, Corked Vial, Foundations Box Feet; vintage metal embellishments (long borders, corners, center top)
• stickers- Tim Holtz Idea-ology Seasonal Salvage Stickers
• ink- Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Black Soot; Ranger Perfect Medium, Perfect Pen
• stains- Tim Holtz Distress Stains Picket Fence
• mists- Perfect Pearls Mist: Bronze
• paint- Adirondack Paint Dabber: Pitch Black, Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint: Black Soot
• fibers- waxed thread
• fabric- Claudine Hellmuth Sticky Back Canvas
• tools- Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher and Sanding Grip; Ranger Ink Blending Tool, Melting Pot, Heat It Craft Tool, Craft Sheet
• adhesives- Therm O Web Sticky Strip Runner, Super Tape, Zots, and 3D Foam Squares; Helmar 450 Quick Dry; Ranger Glue N Seal
• misc.- Ranger UTEE and Clear Embossing Powder; plastic sheet (from Configurations)

Be Merry, Be Bright, Be Flabbergasted!

Flabbergasted: verb: Surprise (someone) greatly; astonish, mystify.

I suppose to some using the word "flabbergasted" in a holiday greeting would seem odd.  In our family though, it makes a lot of sense.  I don't normally share many personal photos or stories here, for me this blog is just about the art, but in this case, you need to know the story to understand the art.

Year before last, my youngest daughter Emma (now 6) got a glow-in-the-dark skeleton from her trick-or-treat bucket. She loved that silly little rubbery skeleton and played with it all the time. When we were decorating our Christmas tree that year, you could see she suddenly had a bright idea. She got super excited and ran to her room. She came back with that little skeleton and announced that she wanted to hang it on the tree. We tried telling her no, that you don't put skeletons and Halloween stuff on Christmas trees but she insisted. She said that Santa would be "flabbergasted" when he saw it. She wanted him to have a surprise and wanted to make him laugh and she was sure that seeing that skeleton on our tree would do the trick.  Who can argue with that?  So we obliged.

That little skeleton hung there and glowed among the lights and ornaments and gave us each a giggle as we walked past.  The anticipation of what Santa would think made Emma so excited for Christmas.  She kept asking us all what we thought Santa would say and if he would laugh.

When Emma went to check out the tree on Christmas morning she was surprised to find a note from Santa telling her how flabbergasted he was. She was delighted and so proud that she could surprise Santa and make him laugh.

When it was time to pack the tree away, she insisted the skeleton be put away with the ornaments, that Santa would expect to see him on our tree next year. And so last year when it came time to decorate the tree, the little glow-in-the-dark skeleton took his place front and center among the more traditional ornaments and again, we all giggled at the sight of it there. 

And so the tradition continues that we hang that skeleton on our tree and anticipate the giggles and surprised responses from all who see it there.  I think even more than what it means to Emma to give Santa a good laugh, it means a little something more to us. It is about the magic in a little girl's heart in wanting to give something back to Santa and that we should all take the time to be flabbergasted with the wonder and joy of the season more. Sometimes it takes something simple like a little rubber skeleton to remind you of that.

--------------------

So now, a few details about the project. . . 

The base of the project is a piece of patterned paper (Tim Holtz Vintage Shabby Paper Stash) adhered to a piece of Grungepaper.  I stitched around the edges and then inked them with Ranger's Archival Jet Black.  This was the ink that I had sitting out on my desk but you could use any.  I rubbed on a light layer of Clear Rock Candy Distress Stickles to the background paper to give it a frosty look.

I ran a thin piece of silver metal through my Vagabond (ohhh how I love this machine!) in the Holiday Words Texture Fade.  I used an assortment of green alcohol inks to ink over the surface in a couple of layers.  I then added a layer of Red Pepper randomly over the top of greens.  Once they were dry, I rubbed my Jet Black Archival Ink Pad directly onto the raised surfaces of the metal.  I love the effect that creates because it really defines edges on the embossing, removes some alcohol ink, and also deepens some of the existing color.  Once the ink was dry I filled the recessed areas with Star Dust Stickles.  Once dry, the metal piece was adhered to the paper/Grungepaper piece.  I added a few Tiny Attacher staples to each side as embellishments.

I adhered a seasonal Tim Holtz Salvage Sticker to a piece of Grungepaper.  I sanded the edges and inked them with the Jet Black ink.  For the journaling strip, I typed my phrase on a scrap piece of Basics Manila paper using my typewriter.  I adhered it into a Tim Holtz Memo Pin which was tucked into a cluster of flowers (Petaloo) and greenery (snipped off of a wreath in my house).  I added a line of Star Dust Stickles along the top edge of the sticker and journaling strip to make it look like ice.  I added a few light touches of Stickles to the greenery and flowers for a frosty effect.

The skeleton is plain white cardstock that was embossed with the Halloween Night Texture Fade.  I rubbed the surface with a Adirondack Brights Citrus Dye Ink Pad.  After cutting out the skeleton I added a second layer of ink to deepen the color and also cover any excess white that showed after cutting him out.  I then used a piece of Cut-n-Dry Foam dabbed in the Jet Black Archival to add a few bits of shading to him. 

Each element is adhered directly to the base at the bottom and then lifted off of the base up above with adhesive foam squares and strips.  I really love using adhesive foam pieces because they create so much dimension in a project. 

I hope you have a wonderful and beautiful holiday full of magic, wonder, and even some flabbergasting laughs!

----------Supplies----------

• Paper: Tim Holtz Vintage Shabby Paper Stash; Grungepaper; BasicGrey Manila Basics 6x6 paper pad
• Sticker: Tim Holtz Salvage Seasonal Stickers 
• Embossing Folders: Tim Holtz Texture Fades Holiday Words and Halloween Nights
• Metal: Making Memories Slice Thin Metal Sheets for Embossing
• Alcohol Inks: Willow, Lettuce, Meadow, Pesto, and Red Pepper
• Ink: Ranger Jet Black Archival , Adirondack Brights Citrus Dye Ink Pad
• Stickles: Star Dust and Clear Rock Candy Distress Stickles
• Embellishments: Petaloo Velvet Poinsettias; Tim Holtz Idea-ology Memo Pins
• Tools: Tiny Attacher, Alcohol Ink Applicator, Vagabond
• Adhesive: Helmar 450 Quick Dry (embellishments); Super Tape (metal to paper); 3D Foam Squares and Strips

Tutorial: Alcohol Ink Crackled Metal Pendants

I am soooo excited to share this project with everyone!  If you recall, last week I shared a piece of metal that I embossed with a Texture Fade, colored with Alcohol Inks, and then coated with Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint (see that post HERE).  If you remember, the effect was amazing looking but not very durable.  Wendy Vecchi reminded me that Distress Crackle Paint needs something with tooth to stick too.  Clearly the metal, even with Alcohol Ink applied wasn't enough.  I needed to find something to put in between that would give it tooth but not interfere with the final effect.  I vowed to experiment until I found the right solution.  

Well, I did it!  I found the right layering of product to make the Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint.  To show you what to do, I came up with a tutorial to make some fun and deceptively easy metal pendants you can make from plain sheets of metal.  I will warn you, there are a ton of photos here so be prepared to scroll a lot to get to the bottom.

I do want to say that I got several suggestions to use Crackle Accents in place of the Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint.  Crackle Accents, along with Matte and Glossy Accents works really nicely on metal.  I have used Glossy Accents a ton on alcohol ink metal jewelry (you can see some pins that I made using it HERE).  The Crackle Accents, at least to me looks more glossy and has a slightly different crackle effect.  Yes, I could use it and it would look very cool, but it just wasn't the same effect to me so I was determined to get the Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint to stick if at all possible.

Okay, so now, on with the tutorial. . . (by the way, if you click on any of the photos, a larger version will open in a new window in case you need a better look at the details).

First up, to make the metal pendants like mine, you will need some sheet metal.  I used copper sheeting.  You can also use aluminum from soda cans.  I marked out the sized I wanted on my metal using s Sharpie marker and a ruler.  You will need an extra 1/4" on each side of your shape for folding the edges, so for a 1" square pendant you would cut a 1 1/2" square piece.

Cut the metal pieces out using scissors.  Depending on your metal you may need heavy duty scissors.  I like the Tim Holtz Tonic Scissors for cutting metal.  They go right through it with no trouble.  Do be careful, the edges can be sharp so handle the pieces carefully.

Along each edge, make two score lines, one at 1/8" and one at 1/4".  I used my Tim Holtz Tonic Craft Pick tool to make mine.  It's super fine point made it easy to make a nice crisp and thin score line right against my ruler's edge.

Trim about half of the metal away in the space between the edge and the first score line on each side.  So you might wonder why?  If it isn't trimmed, it will be too bulky when you make the next fold.  The original edge will lay right on the fold line and will make the second fold lumpy.  So why not just make the first fold line narrower?  At 1/8" it is already pretty close to the edge and anything closer would be tricky to hold in place and score.  It is really easier to make a wider score line and then trim the excess.

After you trim the edges, cut away the corners along the fold lines (as shown above). 

 

After cutting the corners, cut two opposite sides at an angle.  I will refer to the space between the edges and the last fold line as flaps.

Fold the top and bottom flaps at the first fold line (the one closest to the edge).  Press the fold with a bone folder for a nice clean edge.

Fold the two side flaps at the first fold line (the one closest to the edge).  Press the fold with a bone folder for a nice clean edge.

Fold the top and bottom flaps at the second fold line (the one closest to the center).  Press the fold with a bone folder for a nice clean edge.

Fold the side flaps at the second fold line (the one closest to the center).  Press the fold with a bone folder for a nice clean edge.

The folding gives you a nice smooth finished edge with no rough edges that would make a pendant unwearable.  The extra framing from the folds also gives the piece added stability and less likely to bend or twist, also making it much more wearable.

Sand any rough edges.  I prefer to use a black nail file for this type of sanding.  The black files are generally more heavy duty and made for acrylic nails.  They will stand up to filing all types of crafty surfaces like metal and wood.

Place your finished metal piece in a Texture Fades embossing folder and emboss.

They look awesome at this step, but just wait until you add ink!

Apply alcohol inks with the Alcohol Ink Applicator tool.  (For the Halloween themed examples I used Butterscotch, Sunset Orange, and Sunshine Yellow.)

Use Rangers Jet Black Archival ink to apply black ink to the raised areas.

And now for the secret ingredient. . . Matte Accents!  Brush on a thin but complete layer of Matte Accents over the surface.  I squeezed some out on my craft sheet and used a disposable foam brush to apply it.  The brushing will wipe away some of the black ink.  Archival ink removes alcohol ink so if you brush away the black ink you will have the original metal color exposed.  I happen to really like the randomness of it.  If you don't, be careful to not brush with the foam brush, rather dab gently.

(If you can't find Matte Accents, you could use Glossy Accents.  It works the same but the end result is just a shinier.)

If you have a design with a lot of grooves, be sure to use the brush to dab the Matte Accents into all of the nooks and crannies.  You will probably get a foamy effect from the brush.  That is okay, just continue to dab into the grooves.  You want complete coverage with the Matte Accents. 

Once you have the piece covered, a few straight passes over the top should take care of most of the foamy bubbles.  If you miss some, don't worry, they won't show after you add the crackle layer.

Once the thin layer of Matte Accents is dry, it leaves a nice finish over the metal and seals it nicely.  (Note: Let the Matte (or Glossy) Accents dry thoroughly before moving on.  I let mine dry for at least one hour.) 

 If you like the look, you could stop there or. . .

You can add some crackle.  Brush a nice even layer of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint over the piece.  I would estimate that my layer was about 1/16" of an inch thick.  Make sure you cover the entire piece getting the crackle down into any grooves.

Once the crackle is dry, you will get a really nice crackle and crazing effect.  What is really cool about it is that the surface is fairly smooth, not jagged and flaky.  I handled my test piece a ton, rubbed my fingers over it, even bent the metal and it stayed put, NO FLAKE!  Even though the crackle is the top layer, it is almost as if it has sunk in like it is the middle layer.

In case you wondered, the back looks nice and tidy too.  (The cat, by the way is from the Halloween Night Texture Fade.)

Now to share a few examples done with different Texture Fades.  This web is from the Webs Texture Fade.

This Skeleton is from the Poison Texture Fade.  The interesting thing about this one is that the design is sunk into the metal.  I usually emboss so that the design is raised.  Since this one is sunken I couldn't rub the ink on the surface like I did on the other pieces.  Instead, I dripped some Slate alcohol ink into the recesses and let it set until it dried.  It ran a bit and reacted with the other color already applied.  It gave it a really cool and creepy effect.

You can see here that the surface is fairly smooth, no big chunks or flakes sticking up.

This raven is from the Halloween Night Texture Fade.  It looks so rough but again, is actually fairly smooth.

This piece uses the Rays Texture Fade.  It uses the same three colors as the Halloween pieces.

On this piece I used the Retro Circles Texture Fade and then added a Sprocket Gear and Game Spinner.  The colors are Stream, Sail Boat Blue, and Cloudy Blue.

Finally, this piece used the Sheet Music Texture Fade along with the same combinations of blues as the circles piece.  I added an Adornments charm that I added just a bit of alcohol ink too (the same color combination from the Halloween pieces).  I also added a pearl Bauble on the jump ring.

To create a hole for the jump ring, I used a small diameter metal jewelry punch.  You could also use the small hole punch in a Crop-a-Dile tool.

Whew!  I feel like I wrote a hole book here!  If you made it to the end congratulations!  I am sure your mouse scroll finger is tired!  I hope that you will give this technique a try.  It is so stunning in person, these pictures just do not do it justice!