Framing it up - Project Two

My second mat/frame project was a girly contrast to Easton's frame.

This time I used a precut white 8x10 mat for a 5x7 picture from Walmart. I had these little stick girl stamps that I got at Big Lots for a buck ages and ages ago and had never used.  They, like some other crafty supplies I've had forever, have been tucked away and carried from place to place as I moved.  (|Yes, Dad and youngest brother, I am sorry you had to help me lug boxes full of sadly ignored papercrafting supplies onto and off big trucks, in and out of various vans and pickups, and up and down many, many stairs, and in two states, nonetheless!)  My coworker, her husband and three girls are sort of new-generational hippies... not old enough to have been a part of the 70s, but the whole Woodstocky, tie-dye and folk music festivals, peace signs and dolphins and groovy feelings appeal to them.  So I wanted something in a girly tie-dye meets floral kind of look. 

I used a Colorbox multi-pad ink stamp in pastels, I believe, and a Night Media floral stamp to do the floral border all the way around.  I was kind of proud that only once did I put the stamp on backwards and mess up my color transition. =)  I set that aside to dry completey and went to work on the girls.

I stamped them on GP white cardstock and painted them up with my Grumbacher translucent watercolor pan set again.  I didn't like the stick arms and legs just, well, sticking there, so I painted over them with a wash of flesh color.  I really liked that effect. And I had a good time just brushing in the hair.... I'll admit the hair had me worried until I figured out that the effect of a little kid coloring outside the lines actually suited the stamp style and the whole look I was going for. So I just brushed in the hair in short strokes and didn't worry about where lines were.  I had a bit of a challenge with the 'tie-dye' dress. I finally figured out I needed to let it dry a bit and then punch up the colors just a little.  Then I cut them out, sprayed them lightly with matte finishing spray and laid them aside.

Sorry about the bad pictures... a bit blurry and dark, but you get the idea:

I finished off this frame differently.  I used a photosafe sheet protector and cut it down to create a pocket for the picture, taping it down on three sides and leaving the top edge open. I covered this over with the cardboard backing the mat came packaged on.  I adhered several strips of the velcro, then flipped it over and pop-dotted the girls on.  The mat seemed to still need something, and I had some translucent flower buttons in shades very close to the Colorbox inks and watercolors, so I used glue dots to get those on there.

So girly and sweet - I like this one, flaws and all. =)