Layered Mixed Media Card Ken Oliver Color Burst Tutorial

If you've been following along on my blog, you know I've been stuck in CAS (or the Becca version of CAS anyway) for quite a little jaunt. 

I was bound and determined to break myself out of that zone and this weekend I set out to get messy. REAL messy. 

 

I also realized that it's been awhile since I've made an official tutorial for you, my bloggy followers (although I do post regular tutorials on both the STAMPlorations and Coffee Loving Papercrafters blogs). 

Here is my remedy for that! PS If you like the tutorial, please consider Pinning it!

To be completely truthful, this card was alllllllmost a CAS design. I stamped a lovely tree from the Wendy Vecchi Card Art Sentiments stamp set.I thought I'd create a scene with the tree using some Ken Oliver Color Burst Crystals.... SO I spritzed my paper with water, plopped some crystals on, AND - hated  the result. It's not at all the lovely scene I was picturing. 

So what did I do? Rather than putting the project into the trash bin, I cut it into different sized rectangles and started layering. 

I used a dry brush and some gesso on a sheet of black paper for my base. I love the look of the brush strokes still in plain view. 

Once I was happy with the position of my rectangles (and don't ask, please HOW many times I rearranged the pieces) I started gluing them down and defining the edges using a Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen.<----psssttt these pens are divine for writing over pretty much any mixed media surfaces!

OOOOOOooo - I think defining the edges really helps to make the individual pieces POP. I also added a layer of white scribbles to the edge of my black cardstock, using a white gel pen. 

I didn't want to cover up too much of my colorful panels, so I added a bold black butterfly die cut (PSSTTT... you can get it for 20% off in the STAMPlorations shop by using code STAMPGIRLBECCA) and a vellum overlay with a simple sentiment. 

I'm going to link up my creation to the following challenges:
More Mixed Media Challenge - ATG + Brights
Creative Craft Cottage - Add a Butterfly
Mix It Up - Anything Goes + Optional Paper Piecing

Taaaadaaaa! Messy beauty achieved. I'll have you know that creating this little number broke me out of my CAS shell and I'm back to my mixed media love.