Inspired by the Sea - Burnt to a Crisp

Hello, everyone!  I am WAY excited to share my MFT Teaser Time creations with you today.  I am inspired by Inspired by the Sea (weird sentence, true as the sea is blue).  LOL

I sometimes get intimidated by the realistic Inspired By stamp sets, but I have come to really enjoy using them in my own style... which is to NOT color them.  They are SO beautiful just as they are.  
I did something very different for this card and I am loving the result.  If I had to name the technique I used it would be: Burnt to a Crisp.  I literally did just that!  LOL  I'll explain the steps below, so keep on scrolling.  

I used the Heidi Swapp No Limits Petite Paper Pack for this card.  The ship image was stamped on one of the patterned papers included in the pack using French Roast amuse studio ink.


Here is how you, too, can use the technique Burnt to a Crisp:

1. stamp image on patterned paper using pigment ink (I used French Roast from amuse studio)
2. cover image immediately with clear embossing powder and heat until embossing powder becomes glossy
3. cut patterned paper down to the size you will use on your card and distress the edges with a Tonic paper distresser - get angry with it... go to town.  LOL  You want a REALLY distressed edge.
4. Get your heat gun and hold it quite close to the paper but well away from your fingers or anything else that could be burnt (I held the paper, but far away from the point I was burning) and concentrate your heat gun on one section at a time until the paper scorches.  Watch it closely!  I had sections that got red hot and start "spreading".  Just pull your heat gun away for a moment and blow on it to stop the spreading.  Do that all the way around the edge of your stamped image panel.  It's ok if it's not an even scorch!  It looks great no matter how you do it.
5. The last step is to hold the heat gun over your embossed image and heat it until all the embossing powder melts into your paper.  Try not to scorch your image too much.  Move around the heat gun.

You'll be left with a "smoky", aged, image just like this.  The best part?  NO COLORING.  :) 

I stitched around all edges of my layers.  You'll see the paper becomes brittle after being Burnt to a Crisp.  I like it.  I purposefully broke off a couple areas.  The paper will kinda "crack" if you scorch it long enough.  I stitched on a charm from the Sea Charms Die-namics.  It is cut out of Kraft card stock, but sponged with Tea Dye ink.

I scorched all the layers of patterned paper.  It's not the quickest thing to do, but I really love the way it looks.

I want to show you what the paper looked like before (the paper to the top and left) and after (the paper with the ship stamped on it).  That is the same patterned paper.  I used NO ink to sponge. That is all Burnt to a Crisp.

Here is the backside of the paper.  You can see the original paper to the left.  It is completely white.  

This card uses the "steering wheel", stamped in French Roast ink.  I initially stamped it on the patterned paper, but then decided I wanted it on Kraft card stock, so I stamped it again then cut it out and adhered it over the original stamped image.  I added the tiny star from Star STAX in the center to add a little fun detail.  The circles were cut using Circle STAX Set 1 & 2.  To stitch around the circle perfectly, I did it one stitch at a time.  And gave myself a hand cramp... but it's worth it.  

I'm kinda sorta REALLY loving the adorable Seas Charms Die-namics.  They go with several stamp sets releasing in July, including this one!  I couldn't resist the anchor for this card.  So cute.  I anchored it on (pun intended) with a light blue brad (Pink Hedgehog Papercrafts) and then adhered a twine bow right above it with some liquid glue (twine from My Mind's Eye).

All edges of the patterned paper were distressed to give it a more rustic feel. 

I used the tiny tag from Traditional Tags STAX to stamp the word "sea" on.  I just LOVE that tiny tag!  

I also added a Jumbo Squiggle Border "tone on tone" detail.  It added a little something extra without being distracting.

I finished off the inside as well with another Jumbo Squiggle Border and charm from Sea Charms.

Here are the dies I used on my cards today:

Here are the details about the upcoming release on July 3 at 10 PM EST:

• You can attend the New Release Party on July 3 from 8-10 PM EST HERE in the MFT forum, where you can enjoy fun, games, and PRIZES!
• The MFT release, including all new stamp sets and Die-namics, is on July 3 at 10 PM EST.  You'll find all the newest products HERE at release time.
• The guest designer contest is ON!  Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win $200 in stamp sets and Die-namics, and play along with the MFT Design Team for a month.
• If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to the MFT Blog NOW.  Be sure to leave comments as you go for the chance to win one of 2, $10 gift certificates given away daily.  The winners will be posted on July 3 just before the release party, on the MFT blog.