![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiOeuk0mAisFuvcvvZBbFuyW2uJQsAO63H9pQ2zfkAjLzOkLla2DKQ2rjKGYkQCtKSLPaTMCaoGhZU8581bF5dgQ7C__2YxNy-gTOkPkNsTF9-IY-l6Dj41JjWfrG6DfXu06YOOJH42Y/s400/5234799364_0ab0152180_o.jpg)
for january the focus is on acrylic paints; which i definitely don't use enough. (that's what i love most about UPC: the chance to re-discover & play with stuff I HAVE, as well as learning and trying new things!) so the other day i got out a bunch of blue shades, and commenced to essperimentin'.
this would be a great time to have step-by-step photos, right?! i agree! which is why it's such a pity i don't. have any, that is. because frankly i was only looking at this as a creative exercise that MIGHT give me some ideas for later on. so imagine my surprise when an experiment with clearance-acquired tim holtz masks resulted in a use-able card background!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktGfaf__KdOO30LjFEFBO0y2mLNJd8EfesoVvynE1TpKwlc4_KMFbgrqm-lExvKh7w3l2vmCqr9bp5hyA-DjDGzvZ7jQKkZilznbQS2jxx-WND1tGlfTkF0nbReGdwIJy0qEzWJ9QXVc/s400/UPC-painty+cards-stitched+happy-e.jpg)
(patterned paper: house of 3 for pink paislee + vintage sheet music; black glossy cardstock & masks: tim holtz/ranger; alphabet stickers: making memories; epoxy arrows: recollections; rubber stamps: hero arts, tim holtz, stampin' up, cherry pie; inks: ranger, martha stewart, stewart superior, colorbox; adhesives: uhu gluestick, tombow monorunner; other: folk art acrylic paints, sewing machine, dymo labels)
what i did (the SHORT version): i placed the gear and "happy" masks on a piece of white sheet music backed with cardstock. i squeeze small random blobs of 4 or 5 colors of blue acrylic paint onto the paper, and brushed them around really loosely, letting them overlap & mix in some places. when the masks were off & the paint was dry, i over-stamped the whole panel with this
hero arts "birthday text" stamp (thanks, JUNE!!!) and few other pattern stamps, in various shades of blue and black stamping ink.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNI7sp18QBly1lfI23yNv7K2aNgeuaSxsZE2nb1X028B-rlp23Cp24g5gxXRCjM4TR5NuFPkBjb0R2cBtgzRsco3AnY_xsh0hYfPN0B8xLkvl0fyIy-0MWlL6Lj32fZunbCw4qzZS11KM/s400/UPC-painty+cards-stitched-stamping+detail.jpg)
the masked "happy" letters weren't as clear as i wanted, so i decided to outline them with the sewing machine. i'm not sure when
"outlining" turned into
"filling in entirely", but i love how it looks...even on the BACK!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWt-Dtfgfw5nkK3gd2F2SSLROBXRi6O5FDWF83SXKg4g-e4_XHCOXYGbd7xY-7tFPXLer5wVFCyJVR_VaN-yqHkVu-YEzucLzIwusaByPQgh6prG6vO3sTY9FNGoCO-sMEFENQnUlPJ4/s400/UPC-painty+cards-stitching-back-e.jpg)
at the very end i added the
grid rub ons to the corners and those ancient fabric letters to spell out "birthday"...which i think look surprisingly cool here. :)
the other reason i wish i had step-by-step photos is:
the step BEFORE this one was actually a bit cooler! in retrospect, i wish i'd left more of the gears white, but i got carried away with the overstamping. also, i wish i'd thought about a finished card size when i laid out my masks. because i lost even more when i trimmed the panel to it's finished size of 7x6".
but as i said, i really didn't expect to come out of this with
anything except messy hands and a feeling of satisfaction...so the card is a really nice "extra" anyway! ♥
*bonus ninja points if you are a new jersian old enough to remember tom kean and his catch-phrase. basically, in a blogging context, this is tracy and me; but WE are smiling right now. :)