A little courage...

I was playing in the Studio last night seeing how different Fresco Finish paints work in layers on each other - was really a lot of fun! The basic premise was to add thin layers, drying each one and then adding paint through masks, again in layers. I really like how by building the layers up you get different effects and the transcluscent  paints react differently with the layers below creating new shades. It's really very clever stuff! 

Anyway I was building up layers having a lovely time when I remembered that this painty surface is really great to stamp on. So I got out my really fabulous Hot Pick Stamp & Die Set 01 - Moths and stamped three of the moths on the tag in Jet Black Archival Ink and then panicked as the black ink was so stark against the background! However one of the really clever things about layering paint is that if you gently sand it then you reveal the layers below and so I sanded the whole tag (as well as those beautiful moths) meaning that much of the starkness was sanded away. Phew! 

As it started to come together I remembered a stamp on the Hot Pick 1011 set that reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend today. And so I stamped the sentiment on some spare Kraft card (as it was just a smidge too long for the tag!), edged it in a little Peeled Paint Distress Ink and I will give it to my friend today as I think it might just make her smile!

Courage comes in different forms - sometimes it takes a lot of courage to show our work to the world - allowing ourselves to be judged - knowing something wasn't as good as it could be but wanted to get feedback anyway. It takes courage then to take it a step further and enter challenges and I was so thrilled when the lovely Gillian spotted that I'd been chosen as the Simon Says Stamp Grungy Monday 36 winner for my True Love Valentine! I don't know if was names in a hat that decided the winner but I was glad I felt brave to enter 'cos it was a great feeling to have been picked! Thank you to Simon Says Stamp and to the lovely Linda for tirelessly inventing Grungy Monday challenges!