Stop Pinning & Make Something! September Link Party

How many pins have you actually made from your Pinterest boards?  Our boards are full of inspirational ideas and projects we want to make "some day".   It’s time to Stop Pinning and Make Something!!

Goal:

To get people creating!  Get out those paint brushes, that saw & sander, open the varnish, unpack your knitting needles or crochet hook!  Let’s make one of those pins sitting idle on your Pinterest boards. It can be as small as learning a new technique for creating ATC's to as big as making a garden shed!  Your pins are your limit.

Project: Altering National Geographics with Citra Solv

My Pinterest Board: Art Journaling Techniques

Pin: Cathy Taylor-Altered Papers Pt 1-Altering Papers with Citra Solv

Because I was working with a solvent I wanted to ensure I was protecting my work surface - the island in my kitchen.  I laid out a sheet of painter's  plastic then covered it with an old bed sheet.  

For my first try at this I wanted to keep it simple and not try any of her more complicated suggestions.  I selected clear plastic wrap and 2 stencils.  

About the Citra Solve: There are several places online to purchase this product but be aware that some stores charge an added fee for shipping because it is a solvent.  I purchased this bottle through Amazon.  Do your research online prior to purchasing.

After ~18 minutes the Cita Solve is working its magic.  Per her directions I rubbed my fingers through the ink to get it mixed.

I laid the papers out on the grass to ensure that both sides of the paper dried.  It took them all afternoon laying in the sun to dry. It was a cloudy day with temperatures in the low 60's (°F).

What I learned

1.  Check to ensure you have the correct date of the magazine.  I had to have 1970 and later because of the ink used in the magazine.

2.  One thing the video did not address was removing the staples.  I had difficulties tearing out the wet papers and tore the sides away on several sheets.  It also disturbed the wet ink on many of the pages creating a wrinkled look:

Next time I will make sure I remove the staples prior to adding the solvent.

3.  It took a lot longer for the solvent to dissolve the ink.  This may be because the temperature was a little cooler the past couple of days because of storms moving in.  She did address this in the video so i was aware of it and ensured I had set aside plenty of time for the project.

4.  The plastic wrap created the best pages because of the marbling effect left in the ink.  When I do this again I will use more of it.

 

I was rather disappointed that my papers did not turn out as well as hers but then I remembered that this was my first time experimenting with this technique while she was a professional instructor.  I plan to try this several more times, hoping to get better results as I practice.  

A note about using the stencils:  those pages did not turn out all  like her's.  I am not sure what I did wrong but I found that the solvent spread across the page rather then settling in the confines of the stencil. I ended up removing the stencils.

More pages: 

Added observation: The smell of the Citra Solv wasn't bad but my nail beds were black with ink for several days afterwards. While I started out wearing the protective gloves I found it difficult to separated the wet pages with them on, got exasperated and took them off thus getting the ink all over them, especially in and around the nails.  

It's Your Turn!

Grab the button, start creating and share your link below.

 It’s easy:

1.       Use the direct URL to your blog post rather than to the blog itself.

           (If using Flickr or Instagram, use the URL to the photo)

2.      Include the link to your Pinterest board and pin you created.

3.      Remember to link back to this direct URL at afocusedjourney.blogspot.com in your posting.