Bird Stamps, Bicycle Chains and Watercolor Paintings... Taking a New SPIN on Mixed Media with Sandra Strait

Good Morning... it's Sandra! What do postage stamps with birds, bicycle chains and watercolor paintings have in common? Nothing – unless you have some Amazing Mold Putty and Amazing Clear Cast Resin!

While shopping at a local thrift store I found a small 2x2 inch frame made from bicycle chain. I snapped it up. Wasn't sure what I'd do with it, but I knew I'd do something! 

On a seemingly unrelated note, I had a watercolor painting of roses that I had done a while back. I wasn't really happy with it, but I knew I'd do something with it some day. 

On another seemingly unrelated subject, I received a package from Hong Kong with cool postage stamps. Yup. Knew I'd find some way to use them.

When Amazing Crafting Products came out with their new fluorescent dyes, I decided that I wanted a fluorescent green bicycle chain frame, and everything fell into place.

Supplies:

• Amazing Mold Putty
• Amazing Clear Cast Resin
• Alumilite Dye - Fluorescent (Flo) Green 
• Watercolor Painting on Arches watercolor board 
• Re-Inkers-Palette Metallic Violet Varnish; Distress Dried Marigold & Picked Raspberry 
• E6000 glue 
• 12x12 7Dots Scrapbook paper 
• 12x12 Shadowbox 
• Paint sample chip 

I mixed the two parts of the Amazing Mold Putty until it was a solid yellow. I flattened it out to roughly the dimensions of the frame, and pushed the frame into the putty. Within a few moments, the putty had set and I was able to remove the frame.

The second step was to mix up the the Amazing Clear Cast Resin. 

Of the two parts, the "A" side is thicker and a bit harder to control when pouring. The Alumilite Fluorescent (Flo) Green Dye is added to this measuring cup. You want equal amounts of liquid for both "A" and "B", so, if you add enough dye to change the volume, it's easier to adjust the "B" side. 

I wanted a lighter color, so I only used a couple of drops. This photo of the dye on a toothpick is larger than life, lol! You don't need very much of this stuff!

After mixing the two sides, and letting the Amazing Clear Cast Resin cure overnight, I ended up with a beautiful bright frame. When I started, I still hadn't decided what I was going to do with it. After I had poured the resin though, I was cutting out those cool postage stamps to set aside as ephemera.

The next day I was looking for something (as I often do), and I came across my watercolor painting. What immediately struck me was how the colors resembled the green of my frame and the light purples and violets of my stamps. Ah hah! I knew what I could do to cover up that big ole rotten punched hole (and I apologize. I meant to photograph the painting at this point, and just plain forgot to do it).

I decided that I would embed the stamps inside the frame, and glue the whole thing to the painting, covering the tear.

I cut a paint sample chip I had to size and glued it to the back of the frame for a base. Then I loosely glued down one of the postage stamps. I mixed up a small amount of Amazing Clear Cast Resin, poured it inside the frame and let it set overnight.

I repeated this another two times embedding one of the other stamps each time so that there was some distrance between them.

My painting wasn't large enough to fill the shadowbox I had, so I took a piece of 12 x 12 scrapbook paper from 7Dots that I felt complimented my painting. I crumpled up the paper, and drizzled re-inkers (ink used to refill inkpads--they come with eyedroppers) down the crevices. Then I flattened the paper back out, glued down my painting, and glued down my bird stamp piece.

I put the whole thing into a shadow box. The Amazing Clear Cast Resin resembles encaustic, and even though you can't make out the birds from distance, the piece beckons you to come over and look closer. Who'd have thought bicycle chains and bird stamps would bring new life to a damaged painting?

For more complete instructions and videos on how to use Amazing Crafting Products, please visit their Information page.

For more of my work in Amazing Mold Putty, Zentangle®-Inspired art,

and daily links to tangles, tutorials, and giveaways please visit my

"Life Imitates Doodles" blog.  ~ Sandra Strait

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous weekend!

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