You won’t believe your eyes when you see what this ancient tile is really made from

You won’t believe your eyes when you see what this ancient tile is really made from

Paper-Calliope-ColourArte-Sun-Tile-dock

Take a look at this time and weather worn sun tile. Now, look again. Can you believe I made it from a simple sheet of foam?

Paper-Calliope-ColourArte-Sun-Tile-Tut-1

Fantabulous stuff I used

 

How to make a weathered & worn sun tile

Step 1 Use a sharp pencil to draw your sun onto a square tile of Smoothfoam

Step 2 Place the knife blade on the Creative Versa-Tool and turn on the heat to just before the orange setting. Make sure you work in a well ventilated area and follow the directions for working with Smoothfoam and use a ventilator or other safety measures.

Paper-Calliope-ColourArte-Sun-Tile-Tut-2

Step 3 Cut along the lines you made, cutting into the Smoothfoam approximately 1/3 inch. The knife should go though the foam easily without squeaking. Make sure you do not stop in one place or you will end up with a large hole. Adjust the temperature of the Versa-Tool as needed.

Step 4 Turn off the Versa-Tool and switch to the flat, teardrop shaped tip. After you reheat the tool, follow the lines and remove a small portion of the Smoothfoam by pressing downward on the foam until it recedes about 1/3 inch. Use this tool to address any smaller areas and area with more details. In essence, create a small buffer around the parts of the image that you want to remain raised.

Step 5 Turn off the Versa-Tool and switch to the round flat tip. After reheating the tool, press down the remaining portions of the Smoothfoam that should be carved away. Make this surface match the surface your pressed down in Step 4  and keep all of it as level as possible.

Step 6 Using first the round flat tip and then assorted Versa-Tool tips as you see fit, carve away sections of the tile to make it appear aged and distressed. Using the knife tip, cut deep cracks in the tile and cut any line details into your design (such as the sun’s face).

Step 7 Evenly apply a layer of Finnabair White Sand Texture Paste to the front and sides of the tile. Keep track of where the cracks and line details are, because they quickly disappear under the paste. Use a blade to press the paste into these areas. Let dry.

Paper-Calliope-ColourArte-Sun-Tile-Tut-3

Step 8 After the tile dries, touch up any areas with paste as needed. Let dry.

Step 9 Using a fine tip brush, paint the front and sides of the sun with Sunflower Silks Acrylic Glaze. Let dry.

Paper-Calliope-ColourArte-Sun-Tile-Tut-4

Step 10 For the tile background, create a light colored wash by diluting a few drops of Autumn Leaf Silks Acrylic Glaze with water. Use a larger brush to wash this onto the front and sides of the tile.

Step 11 Add a few more drops of Autumn Leaf Silks Acrylic Glaze to the wash and paint the crevices and cut out areas so they are slightly darker.

Step 12 Using a fine tip brush, add Autumn Leaf Silks Acrylic Glaze to the cracks of the tile and facial lines in the sun. Let all dry.

Paper-Calliope-ColourArte-Sun-Tile-Tut-5c

Step 13 Use Autumn Leaf Silks Acrylic Glaze to create a shadow around the sun. Let dry.

Your tile is complete! All that’s left for you to do is hang it in a front entry. Of course, you could come up with a tale about how you recovered it from some ancient ruins.

Paper-Calliope-ColourArte-Sun-Tile-slate

DTLogo

A little something extra: Creativity challenge of making cards with limited supplies

So this week we headed up to the cabin that has been in my family for four generations. Two dogs, two kids, two adults, a week’s worth of food, games, clothes and just enough electronic devices to keep our sanity…let’s just say the minivan was bursting at the cupholders.

Even though this meant there was not much room for crafting supplies, I still wanted to create a few more projects with some of the ColourArte products I had recently purchased.

In addition to the ColourArte materials, I brought along some basic card making materials such as cardstock, vintage graphics, a couple washi tapes, adhesives and paper trimmers. While it was frustrating not being able to dig into my usual supplies to grab a rubber stamp or some piece of of ephemera, I was pleased to discover some creative solutions.

Since this is just an addition to my main post, I’m not going to go into full tutorials for these cards. However, I will share a few key processes.

 

Upholstery card

Paper-Calliope-ColourArte-Card-Stairs

Fantabulous stuff I used

After creating a patchwork of cardstock elements for this card, I added a piece of upholstery sample and then brushed Autumn Leaf Silks Acrylic Glaze onto the card using a hard-bristled brush that I had cut into a jagged pattern. After it dried, I brushed Twinkling H2Os Wild Blueberry onto the card using the same brush. I then applied a diluted wash of Autumn Leaf Silks over the text and the edges of the vintage graphic. I completed the card by further distressing the graphic with Emperor Primary Elements.

 

Find Sally card

Paper-Calliope-ColourArte-Card-Dick-and-Jane

Fantabulous stuff I used

This card includes the use an old piece of screen I found in our cabin’s basement. I used a paintbrush to dab both Twinkling H2Os Kiwi and Pewter through the screen. In addition, I used what could possibly be a piece of ColourArte history. I’ve long since lost the labels, but I remember buying these Twinkling H2Os a gazillion years ago at a scrapbook show.

 

Mystery Twinkling H2Os

Mystery Twinkling H2Os

 

 

 Crown card

Paper-Calliope-ColourArte-Card-Crown

Fantabulous stuff I used

 

Password card

Paper-Calliope-ColourArte-Card-Password

Fantabulous stuff I used

This card features both blending and splattering of Twinkling H2Os.

 

Glass ceiling card

Paper-Calliope-ColourArte-Card-ceiling

Fantabulous stuff I used

To make this card, I applied a heavy coat of Honey Amber Twinkling H2Os in a circular pattern over the patchwork of cardstock samples and along the edges of the card. I then misted a mixture of Yellow Rose Primary Elements and water through a sand toy. I then repeated the process with a mixture of Plum Crazy Primary Elements and water. I brushed Twinkling H2Os Kiwi over the text on the graphic. After adhering the graphic, I applied another misting of Yellow Rose through the sand toy.

 

From the beach toybox--an unlikely art supply

From the beach toybox–an unlikely art supply

 

Amusement ride card

Paper-Calliope-ColourArte-Card-Amusement-ride

 

Fantabulous stuff I used

For this card I applied a light wash of Pink Grapefruit Twinkling H2Os over the surface of the card. I used the center ring from some fabric tape to create the large dots. Next, I used the ring as a stencil to paint the teal dots. Then, I surrounded the ring with a paper towel and misted Plum Crazy into the ring to create the large purple dots.

Paper-Calliope-ColourArte-Cards-Tut-3

4 Responses »

Leave a Reply to Paper Calliope Cancel reply