Author: Tracey Sabella

Hello Little Birdie Crafts Fans! It’s Tracey here,

I’m so excited to be sharing my first design team project with you. Many thanks to Harish and Rashmi for the opportunity to work with their amazing products!

I have created a shabby mixed media framed panel with a spring theme featuring gorgeous Little Birdie Crafts flowers and mixed media products. I created this piece for a friend who is battling serious heath issues, so this sentiment from the “Hope & Wishes” embellishment set is absolutely perfect. I have accented it with purple which is her favorite color.

Here are the steps to create this lovely panel:

Step 1:

I cut a sheet of this script paper from the “A True Love Story” Paper Pack to 6×8 inches to fit the panel. Used permanent gray ink to stamp a grungy border around the sheet and randomly onto the background using the Melody and Script Heart Clear Stamps. Once the ink has dried, brushed it with clear gesso to help protect the paper from the wet media we will be using later.

Step 2:

Painted the frame and sides of the panel with white gesso.

Step 3:

I dilute Golden Glaze Tinted Metallic Paint with a little water and brushed across the frame and the sides of the panel allowing it to pool in random areas and around the carved edges. Once dry, diluteed some of the Glazed Berries paint with just a tiny bit of water. I used my finger to rub it across the frame, but was careful not to completely cover the gold. Don’t you just adore the shabby vintage feel this gives to the frame?

Step 4:

Brushed Soft Matte Gel Medium onto the front of the panel and the back of the patterned paper then place the paper onto the panel. (You will want to work quickly so the gel medium stays wet.) You will have a few short seconds to adjust and center the paper onto the panel. Place a clean sheet of white copy paper over the patterned paper and roll over it with a brayer to remove any bubbles, then immediately remove the copy paper (so it doesn’t stick to any remnants of matte gel.)

Step 5:

Once the matte gel completely dries, you can start adding mixed media products. Start by applying Grainy Texture Paste to opposite corners of the panel using the Cobble Stone Stencil.

**Tip** Before applying the texture paste, lightly trace around the inside edge of the frame so that you only apply texture to the inside area. This will keep your frame from sitting on raised texture and creating a gap between the frame and the panel.

Step 6:

Even though this fabulous chipboard is already primed, I added one more coat of white gesso so that the purple color would be more vibrant. Once the gesso is dry, brush the vine with Black Current Color Splash diluted with a little water and let it pool so that the color will vary in intensity. Once the Color Splash is dry, brush on a little Mulberry Glaze Sparkle Paste. It’s so wonderful to be able to apply glitter in paste form! No more sparkles all over the project and my studio!

Step 7:

Brush the tan stamen with Black Current Color Splash.

Step 8:

Once the Texture Paste is dry, spritz it with water and brush with Color Splash allowing it to settle into the cracks. Once dry, lightly sponge white gesso across the top of the cobble stones to highlight the texture.

Once the corners are dry, spritz a fine mist of water over the entire panel then spatter by tapping a Color Splash loaded paint brush over the background. The misted water will help the spatters to spread out rather than being defined dots. Then when the Color Splash spatters are dry, spatter again with white drawing ink or diluted white gesso. This time the white spatter goes onto a dry background. You can see the difference the wet and dry backgrounds make, in the close-up photos below.

Step 9:

Use glue (silicone glue works well) to adhere the frame to the panel. Then arrange and adhere elements onto the panel. I’ve used the following Little Birdie Crafts flowers: Caila -Moon Light; Valerie-Butter Milk; Aislinn- Pink; Beaded Blooms Butter Milk; and Micro Jewelled Floret- Grape/Tan.

Other elements include leaves die-cut from Bright White Premium Card Stock, a butterfly that I stamped, colored with watercolor brush markers,  die-cut, pearls, jeweled lavender beads, and a small resin frame from my stash.

Step 10:

I adore adding bits of texture around the cluster. Matte Soft Gel is a perfect adhesive to adhere these sparkling bits. Brush a thick coat of gel medium where you want the bling, then sprinkle the bits into the gel medium. It works best to start with the larger pieces like Crystal Drops and end with finer pieces like microbeads and glitter shards. I’ve used Crystal Drops and Summer Gold Metal Microbeads along with prills, microbeads, and chunky glass glitter from my stash.

**Tip** Use an inexpensive and/or old worn paintbrush for applying gel medium as it is difficult to completely remove from the bristles of the brush. I keep a couple of these brushes handy just for this purpose.

Little Birdie Crafts Supplies:

• A True Love Story Paper Pack ~ 12×12″
• Premium Card Stock ~ Bright White
• Caila ~ Moon Light
• Valerie ~ Butter Milk
• Aislinn ~ Pink
• Beaded Blooms ~ Butter Milk
• Micro Jewelled Florets ~ Grape Tan
• Primed Chipboard ~ Vine
• Hope Wishes Embellishments
• White Gesso
• Soft Gel Medium ~ Matte
• Grainy Texture Paste
• Sparkle Paste ~ Mulberry Glaze
• Color Splash ~ Black Current
• Tinted Metallic Paint ~ Golden Glaze
• Stencil 10x18cm ~ Cobble Stone
• Clear Stamp ~ Melody
• Clear Stamp ~ Script Heart
• Crystal Drops
• Metal Microbeads ~ Summer Gold

Other Supplies:
6×8″ 2-Piece Framed Panel
Mini Resin Frame
Pearls
Lavender Jeweled Beads
Lavender Microbeads
Lavender Prills
Lavender Chunky Glass Glitter
Clear Gesso
StazOn ~ Dove Gray Ink Pad
Versafine ~ Onyx Black Ink Pad
Real Brush Markers ~ Lilac, Light Violet, Mustard
Flutter Butterfly Stamps
Flutter Framelits Dies
Skeleton Leaves Thinlits Dies
Thin 3D Foam Squares ~ Black
450 Quick Dry Adhesive

Close-Ups