Mixed Media Distress Inks + Gesso Background | SSS Inside and Out Sayings

I've been wanting to dip into mixed media for a while now. I've had a mixed-media haul and collected various supplies here and here to add to my stash. However, I really haven't had the time to just play around with my stash and try out any ideas that I've had. Well, I finally sat down one day, pulled out my distress inks, some gesso, a palette knife, and a stencil, then got to work.

I'm definitely not the one to know much about mixed-media and what the purpose is for each type of media. I did some research after making this background to see if I had even used Gesso the right way... which, it doesn't really matter, because I got the look I was hoping for, but it seems that Gesso is typically used as a primer. However, I used it like embossing paste (it just had a thinner consistency), and I mixed the gesso with some distress inks using my palette knife and craft mat. I taped a stencil down onto Ranger Watercolor Paper, and then applied each color of Gesso to the stencil using the palette knife and overlapped the colors in between each new color so they could mixed together. I was going for a faded purple to blue to pink look. If I had used embossing paste, I'm wondering if the colors would have stayed more vibrant rather than pastel-colored. The colors started out vibrant as I used Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers, and Wilted Violet, at least I THINK those were the colors. It's hard to tell now as they were toned down with the white from the Gesso.

Anyway, I let the background sit overnight and then I cut it down to 5x3.75. I cut Stampin' Up! Soft Sky cardstock down to 5.25x4 as a matte for the mixed-media piece. I adhered the two together using tape runner adhesive, then used some fun foam to pop up the piece onto a top-folding notecard from Simon Says Stamp!

For the sentiment, I used Simon Says Stamp!'s Inside and Out Sayings stamp set. I stamped the sentiment "You are amazing" in Pixie ink from Close To My Heart. I had held up my ink swatches to my mixed-media background and found that was the closest pink ink color I had to what was in my mixed-media piece. I also stamped the corresponding sentiment to the inside of the card, which said "One day I'll catch up but remember -- you were amazing first!" There's a lot of sarcastic sentiments in this stamp set and with the elegance of the mixed-media background, I didn't want some TOO sarcastic, however, I still wanted to use this stamp set as it was new to me and sitting out on my craft desk anyway.

This piece was pretty fun to make -- fun to just play around with no end product in mind to begin with. I'll definitely be doing some more mixed media projects in the future, and hopefully, I'll remember to record them next time ;)