Tape It Up

Hello and welcome to all, and a happy Sunday!  Hope you find some time to play today...  I've been playing overnight, and am here with the first of two posts - two entries to Simon Says Stamp and Show's challenge to Tape It Up (the other's here)... both of which have to be posted today, as I'm cutting it fine with the deadline!

I love using tissue tape (or washi tape as it also seems to be called - pretty sure they're the same thing), and that is what's on the other project, but I wanted to have a play around to see if I could come up with something a bit different.

So I started messing around with humble old masking tape and some alcohol inks - and when I say messing, I really mean it! And after some tag-experimentation, I ended up with this little altered notebook, which I have to admit I'm quite pleased with...

One of the things I really like about it is the sense of movement and texture... I'm still learning what alcohol inks can do, so this (and the tags which preceded it - one of which you may get to see some time) was a fantastic project of discovery.

It started out as just a plain kraft notebook, about 10x10cm.  I used one in my Oriental gift set not long ago.

I started by covering it with strips of masking tape - quite long ones at first to get coverage, and then shorter and shorter so as to have plenty of edges, both torn and smooth.

Then I started inking it up... not sure I can give you a comprehensive list of the alcohol ink colours I used, but I know Denim, Pesto, Mushroom, Lake Mist and the Gold Mixative were all in the mix at some point!  

Then came the fun (and really messy) bit - ruching up the edges of the tape to create the lovely waves and wrinkles, as well of course as the little highlights of paler colour underneath.  

I'm not sure my fingernails will ever recover!!

I used a combination of the same alcohol inks to alter some of the Tim Holtz Idea-ology foliage as an embellishment. 

I started with a layer of Snowcap White so as to get opaque colours rather than translucent, then layered Denim, Pesto and Gold until I was happy with the look.  
Finally I sanded it away again in places, for a slightly weathered look.

The letters are tiny gold beads, and both they and the long attacher I used for the centre of the flower also got a dab or two of the Gold Mixative alcohol ink, just so they would tone in better.  




The embellishments are mounted on a thin, delicate ribbon, to set them off against the background.  




 








As with the notebook I altered for Full of Eastern Promise, I wanted to lift the inner pages too, so they got a quick brush of Chipped Sapphire DI to bring them to life.   







So that's it for this one... I'd love to know what you make of it.  Your comments and feedback are so much appreciated, and - as I can't craft but can come blog visiting for the next few days - I will do my absolute best to pay a return visit if I know you've been here!  





If you're in the mind for some more taping, there'll be another post along shortly (just like buses at the moment, aren't they?).  For now, have a great day, whatever it is you're up to!

I'm entering this in the following:
Simon Says Stamp and Show and their Tape It Up challenge
Anything But A Card are looking for some Texture this time around 

He listens well who takes notes.
Dante Alighieri

If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered.
Edgar Allan Poe