Rusty and Crusty

Hello all!  Time for a new challenge at A Vintage Journey and, to my surprise, I've had time to join in with some inspiration for you.

The fabulous Autumn wants to see all things Rusty and Crusty.  I managed to find time to play with my newly arrived Seth Apter Baked Texture powders to create a rusty and crusty tag for you.

There's lots more sensationally decayed inspiration over at A Vintage Journey for you, created by my amazing fellow Creative Guides, so do hop over to take a look.

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I really have only had time to play with a few Oxide backgrounds and a couple of half-done journalling pages during my time in New York, but I've pressed one of those backgrounds into service for this brilliant challenge.

I also used some wax paper which came as the wrapping for a bagel I bought - waste not, want not.  The crumpled wax paper forms the base of the rusted strip which is making its way across the tag.













The background started off with some stencilled gesso, and I "printed" the reverse side of the messy stencil onto another tag to give me double playtime.












I then applied my favoured mixture of Distress Inks and Distress Oxides, smooshing and spritzing until I had a grungy look that made me happy.














I love the texture of the gesso and how it resists the Inks but not so much the Oxides.

I think the effect is pretty cool.












I added some stamping detail to my backgrounds, and then there they sat for nearly two months awaiting further time/inspiration.

Autumn's Rusty & Crusty theme in combination with the arrival of the Baked Texture powders was just what I needed to kick me into action.

I tore a strip of the wax paper and applied some of the Chunky Rust powder to it over Potting Soil Archival ink.  I also added some granules of the Rocky Road, a tarry black powder with some shine. 













Once I'd heated a couple of layers of those powders, I wanted a darker look, so I rubbed Ground Espresso Distress Ink over the knobbly texture and added some Clear embossing powder for a bit of shine.












You know that burnished look you sometimes get with rusty surfaces... that's what I was after.  The fibres in the Chunky Rust Baked Texture Powder give it a really crusted look.  It's worth clicking the photo for the close-up view.













Once I was happy with my crusty rust, I darkened the edges of the tag, and then wondered what to do next.















I played around with a couple of alternatives.  I perched this chap on the rusty strip at one point, and I almost wish I'd gone with that, but I decided he was covering too much of my rust.













So instead I went the metallic route with a simple coppery gear wheel and pointer...














... and added this quote by Lao Tzu from my new PaperArtsy EAB08 Strength & Courage plate.














It's stamped in Faded Jeans Distress Oxide to tone in with the splattered grungy background, and I added some Walnut Ink to the edges to make it look as though the word strips are also rusting.













I applied some more clear embossing powder over various brown inks around the edges to give those  a rusty, crusty look too...














... and some simple twine finishes the whole thing off.

I hope my rusty, crusty tag inspires you to come and join us on A Vintage Journey this month.










If you're still in need of more ideas, do check out the amazing creations my fellow Creative Guides are offering up for your delectation.  Rust has never looked so beautiful!

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

Change and decay in all around I see.
From Abide With Me by Henry Francis Lyte