Rijacki's Workshop: Butterfly in the Sky

"Butterfly in the sky, I can fly twice as high.." The theme song from Reading Rainbow always goes swirling in my head whenever I see butterflies.

A video shared earlier this week to a group I'm in reminded me of a technique I had used in my childhood to make "stained glass" only this time it was using a butterfly die cut. Ooooo, thinks I, I have that Memory Box die cut I have been wanting to use and the Monday challenge is butterflies with another challenge for masking, I can shake an idea out of my head :)

After some of my recent multi-supply, multi-step putting it together, this one seemed almost too easy.

Supplies

Stamp:

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps - Rain or Shine!: retired

Die/Embossing:

Memory Box - Fairyland Butterflies: https://goo.gl/SjzMVX
Darice - Clouds embossing folder: http://goo.gl/6V4hoR

Paper:

ancient tracing paper I've had for years

Bazzill Basics - Avalance White Grasscloth: https://goo.gl/BrtpE3

Recollections 65lb cardstock: Michaels
Stampin' Up cardstock - Nearly Navy: gift from a friend who was reducing her stash
Scotch full adhesive Post-It notes: https://goo.gl/3Aw7uR

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink mini bundle #1, #2, #3: http://goo.gl/zSS2re

Colorbox cats eye variety: Michaels

Adhesive:

Tombow adhesive: http://goo.gl/XMLQG6

Ranger Multi-media Matte: http://goo.gl/Twfcs3

ModPodge Matte: https://goo.gl/QuXZl1

Adhesive clear dots: from Spellbinders Makersmart kit

Putting It Together

The video for the technique uses tissue paper but I haven't a clue where mine has walked off to, but I have a rather sizable amount of some tracing paper I bought back.. umm.. come to think of it, I might have gotten this paper in the late 90s! The edges have a little water damage, the outside sheets are yellowed with age, and the top and bottom of the pad crumbled away from damage, but it's still got a lot of use in it.

I used Distress Ink to colour the paper. I used mustard seed, grape seed, raspberry, picked raspberry, and antique linen. I just dabbed them on with the blender, mixing them up a bit. I let it dry for a bit.

I cut the butterflies out of plain black cardstock.

I painted the coloured tracing paper with ModPodge and was quickly reminded that Distress Ink reacts to water and ModPodge is liquid. The colours smeared and blended, but this was not a bad thing just no strong areas of single colour. I laid the die cut on the paper and ModPodged over it as well. I laid it aside to dry fully (30 mins-ish).

I ran the Bazzill grasscloth paper through the BigShot with the cloud embossing folder. I love the texture of the grasscloth for ink blending. I then put Post-Its on the back of the embossing folder and ran it again.

I fussy cut each of the clouds to use them as masks over the clouds on the embossed paper.

This allowed me to use Distress Ink blending to make the sky while leaving the clouds white. I used peacock feathers, black soot, and antique linen to build the sky.

With the butterflies mostly dry (not tacky but still pliable), I fussy cut the tracing paper around the die cut. I bent the wings a little to give them some shape. I added the bodies, also die cut, with some Ranger multi-medium. I also used the multi-medium to adhere them to the cloudy sky, just a dab at the body centre to keep their dimension. I also added dark off-blue (Nearly Navy) matting and attached everything to a white card base.

To make the sentiment, I used a KKS stamp and an orangy colour and sepia colour from the Colorbox value pack. Using both on the stamp put the colour about mid-way and let it be slightly mottled, too. I fussy cut around the sentiment because I didn't want it to take up much room. I wanted to keep it light.