Mixed Media Family Crest Wall Decor

Hello everyone! Today I want to share a really fun project using Dixie Bell Paints, our partner this month.  I am so delighted with this product, and I want to share how easy it is to use.  

I love working with chipboard because it allows me to add wet and heavier objects to my pieces.  So here goes.

I started with this Laser Cut Crests chipboard as my base.  

I painted the chipboard with a coat of Liquitex Gesso.  If I were working on wood or furniture, I probably would not have used the gesso with this paint, but I like to save my expensive paints from soaking into the very porous chipboard, and the gesso does give it a nice base to work on.  Plus, your color will be truer if you have the white base beneath the paint.

I printed my collage images and, using a soft brush, coated them with the Dixie Bell Clear Coat Satin.  Since I only have an inkjet printer, this will keep the ink from running while I am mixing up my wet media.  Tear around the images and set aside.

While those are drying, I cut two 1/4" wide strips of card board and one was cut to 1" wide and cut that strip in half.  To miter the 1" pieces, you need a 45º angle.  To do this easily, you can simply measure 1" down and 1" across the top (the width of the cardboard strip), mark spot with a pencil, draw a line to meet the two points and cut off the triangle.

These pieces will be used to separate portions of my Crest.  Use a ruler to align the vertical chipboard strip straight.

Before I adhere the chevron piece and the horizontal piece on the left, I needed to decide where the collage images would fit best by laying them out to determine placement of everything.  I glued the images down first, as shown.

Now, I know exactly where to place my chipboard "crossbars".  Use a ruler to align the left strip and adhere to the base.  

Measure and mark the center of the right side for placement of the center of the mitered corners.  

Trim off excess ends and adhere all with Aleene's Tacky Glue.  I drew pencil lines to mark where to cut off that excess.

Adhere Paperclay molded pieces to the key and crest with the tacky glue.  The slightly darker Paperclay pieces were molded, allowed to dry partially before removing from the mold, and then glued down to the chipboard pieces.  This allowed me to curve some of those pieces that needed to follow curves on the chipboard.  Allow them to dry completely, then paint Paperclay molded pieces with a coat of white gesso to seal the clay.

Add dimensional accents to the chipboard using Crystal Lacquer.  You can create these by simply following the lines of the chipboard.  Let dry thoroughly.

Paint patches of crackle paint to the Crest background to age the piece.

Paint a wash of Timeless chalk paint over the chipboard background, making sure not to fill in the cracks with the paint.

Add another layer of aging by mixing the Timeless chalk paint with the crackle paint and blending the two directly onto the chipboard pieces as you dab the paints onto the surface.  You will get this mottled effect.  Let paints dry.

Paint both chipboard  pieces with a coat of the Dixie Bell Paints in Soft Pink.  Let dry.  I was pleasantly surprised at the nice coverage of this paint.  It seems to be highly pigmented, and I did not need to use a lot of paint. 

Paint both pieces with a wash of the Timeless chalk paint and let dry.  This is going to give it a very shabby chic, vintage look.

Use a soft brush to paint both pieces with the Dixie Bell Paints Clear Coat Satin.  I had to take a picture of it while still wet because once it dries, you will not be able to see it at all.

Use your finger to pick up the Gold from Kit #1 and Deep Gold from Kit #2 Metallic Rub-on Sets to highlight and give this piece even more vintage shabbiness!

Add pearl and gold  Dew Drops to add more accents to the piece, as shown.

Make a hanger and bow with the Twill Tape, run it through the hanger openings in both pieces of chipboard, and tie it off at the top.   (Tip:  You can color the twill tape with inks or paints to match your project.)  Now you are done!

And a few closeups of that shabby goodness!

ALTERED PAGES SUPPLIES USED:

Laser Cut Crests
Liquitex Gesso
Dixie Bell Paints (Soft Pink, Clear Coat Satin)
Paperclay
Crystal Lacquer
Collage Sheets: Castles of the Ages;  Bookplates
Metallic Rub-on Sets
Dew Drops
Aleene's Tacky Glue
Twill Tape

Thanks so much to our partner, Dixie Bell Paint Company.  I hope I have inspired you to take a look at their website for more color choices, and as always, there will be more inspiration from the team this month.  In addition, Altered Pages is your one-stop shop for your crafting needs.  Be sure to check them out.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful, crafty week!

Barbara

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