Gesso!

Gesso is a fabulous & fun product! Traditionally it is used as a primer, but you can also use it to add texture to your projects. I first played with Gesso this past summer in a class that I took over at Big Picture Scrapbooking that was taught by Claudine Hellmuth. I learned so much and just had a blast! I have been wanting to take the techniques that I learned and apply them to a scrapbooking layout, so... the other day I did! Here is what I came up with:

I used a technique called "Gesso Etching". I started by spraying my cardstock with different colors of Glimmer Mist. I then used a putty knife, (actually the flat end of my Basic Grey Rub-On Roller), and applied the gesso across the page. Before it dried I took the end of a paint brush, (NOT the brush side), and drew my curly-q's through the Gesso.

If you look, you can see the color from behind the Gesso! I am fairly new to working with Gesso, but I have been so impressed with Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Line, and the Gesso is no exception. I found once I knew what to do with it or had some ideas that it is a breeze to work with!

I made a little journaling block, chomped the corners with my Corner Chomper and used a silver gel pen to write.

Look at the edges of my pictures... they are distressed. Well, it is because I used my new tool! The Imaginisce D-Stress Tool! It is an awesome tool. I D-Stressed all my pictures and it is just so easy to use!

For my title: I cut out my letters & shadows using my Cricut. I then ran the letters through my Texture Boutique and embossed them. Since I used Coredinations paper I was able to sand it and have a lighter gray come through!

One of my favorite "embellishments" on this page is below:

Definitions are big right now! You can find them on paper, stickers, stamps, etc.. I looked up the definition of the word Pose and wrote it directly on my layout. I used a Gray Souffle gel pen. It is almost as if it is part of the paper. The neat thing about this little trick is you can define ANY word you want! and it doesn't have to be written neat or straight! My definition serves as a compliment to my title and is a great "space filler". So play with adding definitions to your layouts, cards, or altered projects. See where it takes you! Here is my layout one more time so you can see how subtle the definition journaling is...

Hope you have a great Wednesday! I am off to create!

Christine