Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Fun With Sizzix "Artist Trading Blocks" and StencilGirl Stencils...

Greetings! Thanks for hopping by for the cool Sizzix Art Box blog hop using Eileen Hull's soon-to-be released Scoreboards block die.  I got pretty jazzed about these blocks when I started playing with them and I have a feeling you will like them, too.  My mind was spinning as I was working on the surfaces of my sample boxes.  I was thinking about all the things they could be used for!  If you stop by their cool Facebook page you will be able to see even more ideas.
Since I'm still crushing on Ferro Special Effects Paste because it  produces a dimensional surface I wanted to figure out a way to create layered marks underneath it.  To accomplish the base layer I pulled out my 8x10 Gelli Arts gel plate, which worked perfectly to cover the entire length of the box "strip".

First, I spread a very thin layer of paint over the surface of the Gelli plate with a brayer.


I like to mix a couple of analogous colors...


Using this "fancy" old antacid packet, I displace the paint in the gelli plate.


I love the irregular shapes that emerge.

I placed one portion of the Artist Trading Box onto the plate to pick up the texture.


I want to create a mottled effect for the die-cut letters so I used bubble wrap
as well as the River Rocks stencil.


After picking up some of the paint on a separate piece of paper I get this with a piece of watercolor paper from gelli plate surface when I lift the stencil.

I use this same texture to mono print the die-cut letters

Using the River Rocks stencil again, I spread Ferro Special Effects Paste through the stencil.


Working on the inside of the box sections I stencil over the mono printed area with the

I decided to switch to the Fade Horizontal stencil and scatter the distribution of marks


First, I used a transparent green which didn't show up very well, so I moved to an 
opaque blue, stenciling just a portion of the surface.


I used the same stencil over the darker exterior of this section.

Once the Ferro paste dried I used a black marker to add a bit of shadow-dimension to the texture.

I chose two of my business cards to add some imagery to my piece.
I used my paper-cutter to cut the card into an exact square, selecting the 
area of the card I wanted to retain.

Using Yes! glue paste, I glued portions of my card into the interior of the box.

This card is glued to the exterior of the box.   This image is of a quilt I 
created for the Quilt Alliance annual auction.  It is called
"Our Roots Run Deep".

I'm calling this piece "Sanctuary", because it is my word that describes how I think of my home.

Here is the inside of one of my box sections...

And here is the other:  I glued the letters to the inside of the second box section.
A=family, B=love, C=safety







Exterior of panels

Interior of the panels

I have always loved little boxes that contain "secrets".


Thanks for stopping by and remember to leave a comment to be eligible for the prize.  I hope you will be inspired to create your own amazing Artist Trading Box!  Stop by often:  you never know what might be going on around here!

Here are the other hoppers:

Blog Hop Order:

64 comments:

  1. Wow, inside-outside, great! And gelli printed, I need to try this! Thanks for sharing with us.

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  2. Oh my gosh Leslie! What a beautiful block! I was wondering if anyone was going to use a Gelli Plate! So glad you did- love your colors and how you decorated inside and out. Also adding the fabric was genius! Thanks so much for hopping along and rocking the block!

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  3. How amazing all the things that you used to stamp like an old antacid tablet gizmo, lol!!! You are my kind of creative thinker!!!

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  4. I need to get me a gelli plate, your secret box is fabulous, love it

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  5. Wow! all the textures and different bubbles/circles! love them all! great box!
    stamping sue
    http://stampingsueinconnecticut.blogspot.com/

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  6. I've never seen or tried Ferro paste before. The box is great too. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  7. LOVING your CHOICE of stencils :) Your box turned out BEAUTIFUL!

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  8. Love what you did with the block! Both inside and out!

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  9. Such scrumptious layers and colours - how fabulous that it opens out as a mini!
    Alison x

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  10. Wow, Leslie, this sure turned out great. And that antacid packet made me laugh out loud - uh, that is until I saw the result and now I instantly want to do it myself :)

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  11. Wowzas! Super creative ATB techniques! Inside AND out! You rocked this block all around the creative world :)

    Amy*

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  12. It is quite fun to see your entire process in creating this 2-sided box. Great colors! I love how you incorporated your own imagery, especially the quilt design from the QA contest. You Go girl!

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  13. Love it all, Leslie! The combination of Gelli printing, painting, and that Ferro paste ROCKS!
    I will never look at an antacid packet the same way again! That worked GREAT! :)

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  14. Leslie.. the colors you used come out beautiful with all the layers. Love the box!!!

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  15. What a gorgeous box, inside and out. Love that tree and your GP printing!

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  16. love your page,thank you for the chance to win! love your page..

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  17. Brilliant idea! Love the colors!

    ~Linda

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  18. Yes, I too love your color combo choices! I love the idea of placing yourself in the center too, very creative! Thank you for sharing!

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  19. I just love how you've done the inside of the box too!

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  20. Your box is STUNNING!! Thank you for sharing your techniques.

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  21. Love what you did. The river rocks is one of my most used stencils :)

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  22. Love this! Your use of everyday objects makes me look at trash in a new light! Thank you for sharing!

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  23. Wow, Leslie, you've had fun on ALL sides of the ATB block, inside and outside! Must get my gelli plate out and use it!

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  24. Absolutely way cool using the Geli plate. Going to dust mine off now and get it ready !

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  25. Love that you used "all" the sides. Great ideas, thanks for sharing.

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  26. This really makes we want to play too!

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  27. Wow Leslie! I love how you decorated your ATC block inside & out (more surfaces to play with :-) ) & how amazing the stencils looked with the antacid packet & bubble wrap prints. Inspirational. Theresa x

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  28. the boxes are amazing. Free-form and a good way to express your feelings and thoughts. Love your "home". thanks for sharing.

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  29. like the effect from outlining the stenciled Ferro. Love the whole project - just gorgeous!

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  30. Beautiful block Leslie! I love your colours and now I want a Gelli plate! Thanks!!!

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  31. Leslie, its absolutely stunning! I can't believe how beautiful both the inside and the outside are...WoW!

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  32. awesome special effects!!! and you did both sides.. wonderful

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  33. uhmmmm….freaking gorgeous! Girl you rocked this! Love.

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  34. Beautiful outcome and the gelli printing I know was fun!

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  35. I really love the way that your die cut letters turned out and that your box is so full of visual interest....I need to find that paste it looks awesome!

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    1. FYI: I went back into the blog and put a link on the Yes! glue paste (amazon). Hope this helps!

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  36. Just Gorgeous in every possible way!!

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  37. Lo e your colors. Thanks for the chance to win

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  38. Wow, I love all the layers of color and texture of your ATB!

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  39. Just breath taking...love LOVE your ATB

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  40. Oooh! I see little books in boxes....

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  41. I love your work Leslie. Monica above wrote "breath taking"--I second that. I'm pausing at this stop just to savor it.

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  42. That's wonderful! I love your colors and your use of the antacid tablet blister pack is brilliant!
    ....Raine

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  43. Love how you personalized the box for you!

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  44. I thought that your box was great! I especially liked the 'surprise' inside, I have always thought that it was important that a box should contain a 'surprise' inside.

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  45. The outside is great, but I love the use of the inside.

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  46. Leslie, you are so creative. Thank you for sharing your block with us!

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  47. this has been such a fun hop - so many different things to see. Thank you

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  48. Oooh, love the roots run deep and the idea of secrets inside a box. Your colours are so appealing.

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  49. That is unique and super cool. Great job

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  50. I love your piece. Great colour and texture. Love the stencils.

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  51. very fun -I can't wait to see what I would do with a ATB

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  52. just the the whole atb idea how many things you can do with it. have loved everyones ideas and inspiration. xox

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  53. Leslie, the dots are one my fav stencils, I use it all the time, but the word Sanctuary, got to me, this too, is my heart, my home, thank you!

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  54. You took so much care with this box, each of the sides, inside and out is a little piece of art all on it's own. Love it!

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  55. I really enjoyed seeing the way you used the Gelli Plate in the creation of your box.

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